A brand-spanking new Subnautica update has been released: Seamoth! It is available right now on Steam, and will automatically download to your Steam Library if you have Subnautica installed. The best place to see what’s inside is the Seamoth Update page, where you find all sorts of juicy details! Hint: Torpedoes, electromagnetic pulses, armour plating…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y88Z8KkMfI

The Seamoth Update brings gobs of love to the Seamoth Submersible. Almost everything in the update is centered around making the Seamoth more useful, interesting, and fun to play with. At the heart of all the goodness is the Seamoth upgrade panel, which may be found on the port side of the hull.



This panel facilitates the installation of various new upgrades. For example, Vortex Torpedoes. The Seamoth may now be configured with up to four torpedo tubes, each of which can hold four torpedoes. The ordinance is non-lethal, and designed to trap a dangerous life-form in a vortex of swirling water long enough for our intrepid protagonist to escape, pass, or do whatever needs to be done in the area.



Vortex Torpedoes are effective against lone or closely clustered lifeforms. They’re not much use if your Seamoth is surrounded by predators. Enter the electromagnetic perimeter defense module. Activating this module sends a non-lethal burst of electromagnetic radiation into the surrounding water, scaring off all but the largest ocean predators. Be cautious though, every activation drains the Seamoth battery to a significant degree.



These defensive capabilities will come in handy when exploring deep-ocean cave systems. Finding such cave systems just got a whole lot easier, thanks to the Seamoth Sonar module. This module sends out a sonic pulse, and displays the returned echo as a three dimensional mesh on the Seamoth head-up-display.



The Seamoth is good for getting a diver from place to place. It can now move a diver’s stuff from place to place too! Storage modules may be installed to facilitate the carriage of supplies, equipment, and material.



Also available are hull re-reinforcement, battery expansion, solar array, and armour plating modules. All these modules allow the Seamoth to be configured for a wide variety of different missions. Going cave exploring? Pack food in a storage compartment, sonar, electromagnetic defense, and an extended battery. Searching for resources in an area with lots of hostile creatures? Load torpedoes, and fit empty storage compartments to carry the loot.

It gets better. Seamoths can now be customised using the new Upgrade Console. Install the console in a Moon Pool attachment point, and then use it to modify your Seamoth colour scheme and name.



A fancy, upgraded Seamoth will be a very useful companion for exploring the newly re-worked ‘Jellyshroom’ cave system. This striking network of caverns is teeming with life and exudes eeriness.



There’s so much more to the Seamoth Update than is contained in this post. Check out the Seamoth Update Site to see more goodies like birds, mountain ranges, and some really creepy new caves.

To receive a newsletter when the next Subnautica update is released, sign up to the development mailing list. Keep tabs on what the development team is up to by visiting the production tracker. See every little change we’ve made to Subnautica by visiting the checkin and changes list. Most of the development team is on Twitter, and we are always happy to chat. Find our @handles on the Subnautica dev-team list.

– Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/

A brand-spanking new Subnautica update has been released: Seamoth! It is available right now on Steam, and will automatically download to your Steam Library if you have Subnautica installed. The best place to see what’s inside is the Seamoth Update page, where you find all sorts of juicy details! Hint: Torpedoes, electromagnetic pulses, armour plating…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Y88Z8KkMfI

The Seamoth Update brings gobs of love to the Seamoth Submersible. Almost everything in the update is centered around making the Seamoth more useful, interesting, and fun to play with. At the heart of all the goodness is the Seamoth upgrade panel, which may be found on the port side of the hull.



This panel facilitates the installation of various new upgrades. For example, Vortex Torpedoes. The Seamoth may now be configured with up to four torpedo tubes, each of which can hold four torpedoes. The ordinance is non-lethal, and designed to trap a dangerous life-form in a vortex of swirling water long enough for our intrepid protagonist to escape, pass, or do whatever needs to be done in the area.



Vortex Torpedoes are effective against lone or closely clustered lifeforms. They’re not much use if your Seamoth is surrounded by predators. Enter the electromagnetic perimeter defense module. Activating this module sends a non-lethal burst of electromagnetic radiation into the surrounding water, scaring off all but the largest ocean predators. Be cautious though, every activation drains the Seamoth battery to a significant degree.



These defensive capabilities will come in handy when exploring deep-ocean cave systems. Finding such cave systems just got a whole lot easier, thanks to the Seamoth Sonar module. This module sends out a sonic pulse, and displays the returned echo as a three dimensional mesh on the Seamoth head-up-display.



The Seamoth is good for getting a diver from place to place. It can now move a diver’s stuff from place to place too! Storage modules may be installed to facilitate the carriage of supplies, equipment, and material.



Also available are hull re-reinforcement, battery expansion, solar array, and armour plating modules. All these modules allow the Seamoth to be configured for a wide variety of different missions. Going cave exploring? Pack food in a storage compartment, sonar, electromagnetic defense, and an extended battery. Searching for resources in an area with lots of hostile creatures? Load torpedoes, and fit empty storage compartments to carry the loot.

It gets better. Seamoths can now be customised using the new Upgrade Console. Install the console in a Moon Pool attachment point, and then use it to modify your Seamoth colour scheme and name.



A fancy, upgraded Seamoth will be a very useful companion for exploring the newly re-worked ‘Jellyshroom’ cave system. This striking network of caverns is teeming with life and exudes eeriness.



There’s so much more to the Seamoth Update than is contained in this post. Check out the Seamoth Update Site to see more goodies like birds, mountain ranges, and some really creepy new caves.

To receive a newsletter when the next Subnautica update is released, sign up to the development mailing list. Keep tabs on what the development team is up to by visiting the production tracker. See every little change we’ve made to Subnautica by visiting the checkin and changes list. Most of the development team is on Twitter, and we are always happy to chat. Find our @handles on the Subnautica dev-team list.

– Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/

A new Subnautica update is under construction. It's going to be called 'Seamoth,' and could arrive anywhere between two and four weeks from now (Or more! Always exercise caution when listening to our release time predictions...). Here's a sneak peek at what's coming:

This post is full of Soundcloud, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram embeds that can't be displayed properly on Steam. To see this post in its full glory, head over to the Subnautica Dev Blog



The Seamoth update centres on that eponymous submersible. When the Habitat Update was released earlier this month, the giant Moon Pool gave the Seamoth a home. It kept the Seamoth safe, but that's about it.

A new 'Seamoth Upgrade Console' will expand the utility of the Moon Pool. The console is a modular component that can be installed in any of the six available hardpoints in the Moon Pool. Once built, it will allow a proud Seamoth owner to rename, repaint, and recharge their Seamoth.

Click here to see the Upgrade Console on Sketchfab

That's not the full extend of the Seamoth love. The submersible itself is also being modified extensively. The plan is for an upgrade panel to be placed on the port side of the hull. Here's a concept from Cory:



Note the panel open (on the left) and closed (on the right). Approaching and interacting with the panel will open the PDA, with a Seamoth 'paper doll' visible. The PDA interface will give access to four hardpoints. These hardpoints could be used for storage bays, sensor-torpedoes, or other upgrades. Here's a rough 'grey box' mockup of the system in action:



Using this system, it will be possible to customise the Seamoth for different missions. For example, if travelling into a dark cave system, you may add extra storage space for flares, dive-reels, batteries, and building material for constructing 'camp sites.' Here is another concept, this time for storage modules on the dorsal-hull section:



We've noticed lots of players are using the console to grant infinite resources and build giant seabases, or fleets of Cyclops submarines. Charlie has been working on a new game mode called 'Creative,' that (among other things), removes resource and tech restrictions. When the Seamoth Update is released, you will be able to use Creative mode to build the giant seabases of your dreams without messing with the console. 

Click here to see Charlie's Tweet about Creative Mode

Simon has been creating crazy sounds, as usual. First, listen to this creepy sound for the new 'Biter Fish':

Click here to hear the Biter Fish sound demo

Second, check out his rig: 

For the longest time, entering a sea-base has been a slightly jarring affair. One click and one is transported instantly from ocean to base, or vice versa. Louis has been cooking up a potential intermediary animation, to ease the transition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLcsdnx_8xg

Naturally it is impossible to cram the work of every developer into this blog post. This post is, in fact, the tip of the iceberg. To see more of what is being worked on for the Seamoth Update, go to the Subnautica Trello Board. Be notified when the update is released by signing up to the 100% spam-free certified-organic Subnautica Dev Mailing List. We're always looking for your feedback, so please tell us what you think about all this Seamoth Update stuff.

Remember, we are very bad at predicting release dates. Seamoth could arrive next week, in four weeks, somewhere in between, or after the next Pluto Perihelion. We don't know. You can be sure that we are busting gut to get it to you as fast as possible!

- Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710

A new Subnautica update is under construction. It's going to be called 'Seamoth,' and could arrive anywhere between two and four weeks from now (Or more! Always exercise caution when listening to our release time predictions...). Here's a sneak peek at what's coming:

This post is full of Soundcloud, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram embeds that can't be displayed properly on Steam. To see this post in its full glory, head over to the Subnautica Dev Blog



The Seamoth update centres on that eponymous submersible. When the Habitat Update was released earlier this month, the giant Moon Pool gave the Seamoth a home. It kept the Seamoth safe, but that's about it.

A new 'Seamoth Upgrade Console' will expand the utility of the Moon Pool. The console is a modular component that can be installed in any of the six available hardpoints in the Moon Pool. Once built, it will allow a proud Seamoth owner to rename, repaint, and recharge their Seamoth.

Click here to see the Upgrade Console on Sketchfab

That's not the full extend of the Seamoth love. The submersible itself is also being modified extensively. The plan is for an upgrade panel to be placed on the port side of the hull. Here's a concept from Cory:



Note the panel open (on the left) and closed (on the right). Approaching and interacting with the panel will open the PDA, with a Seamoth 'paper doll' visible. The PDA interface will give access to four hardpoints. These hardpoints could be used for storage bays, sensor-torpedoes, or other upgrades. Here's a rough 'grey box' mockup of the system in action:



Using this system, it will be possible to customise the Seamoth for different missions. For example, if travelling into a dark cave system, you may add extra storage space for flares, dive-reels, batteries, and building material for constructing 'camp sites.' Here is another concept, this time for storage modules on the dorsal-hull section:



We've noticed lots of players are using the console to grant infinite resources and build giant seabases, or fleets of Cyclops submarines. Charlie has been working on a new game mode called 'Creative,' that (among other things), removes resource and tech restrictions. When the Seamoth Update is released, you will be able to use Creative mode to build the giant seabases of your dreams without messing with the console. 

Click here to see Charlie's Tweet about Creative Mode

Simon has been creating crazy sounds, as usual. First, listen to this creepy sound for the new 'Biter Fish':

Click here to hear the Biter Fish sound demo

Second, check out his rig: 

For the longest time, entering a sea-base has been a slightly jarring affair. One click and one is transported instantly from ocean to base, or vice versa. Louis has been cooking up a potential intermediary animation, to ease the transition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLcsdnx_8xg

Naturally it is impossible to cram the work of every developer into this blog post. This post is, in fact, the tip of the iceberg. To see more of what is being worked on for the Seamoth Update, go to the Subnautica Trello Board. Be notified when the update is released by signing up to the 100% spam-free certified-organic Subnautica Dev Mailing List. We're always looking for your feedback, so please tell us what you think about all this Seamoth Update stuff.

Remember, we are very bad at predicting release dates. Seamoth could arrive next week, in four weeks, somewhere in between, or after the next Pluto Perihelion. We don't know. You can be sure that we are busting gut to get it to you as fast as possible!

- Hugh

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710

The Habitat Update is now available! Build an underwater home with Moon Pools, Observatories, large compartments, bulkhead doors, and more. Head over to the Habitat Update website to see all the new features in action, or stay on this page to see an update video, and screenshots. Viewing this page inside Subnautica? Click 'view on Steam' to see images and video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6USpYf6Y47c

Steam will automatically download the Habitat Update. Don't have Subnautica in your Steam library yet? Get a copy in the Steam Store:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/



The Moon Pool is the new king of sea-base components. This massive structure can be used to dry-dock a Seamoth submersible. The Moon Pool can be customised to your preference with reinforcements, windows, and multiple attachment points for corridors.



Subnautica features a diverse array of unique, beautiful underwater biomes. Thanks to the new Observatory, it is now possible to enjoy the view from the safety of a sea-base.



Large compartments provide lots of interior space. They include eight attachment points for the connection of corridors, dive hatches, windows, reinforcements, and other base modules.



Large compartments can be stacked, and ladders built between their decks.



Small lockers are a new storage option. They can be placed on sea-base walls, and feature a customisable label on the door.



Speaking of labels, it is now possible to create customised base signage. Use the builder tool to place a label, and then enter any text. Labels can be various sizes, have arrows, and include different background options.

See more of the Habitat Update including bulkhead doors, base flooding, aquariums on the Habitat Update site.. Receive a newsletter when the next Subnautica Early Access update is released by signing up to the development mailing list. View detailed update change information on the Subnautica Checkin & Changes list. See our progress towards the next update on the Subnautica development tracker.

The Habitat Update is now available! Build an underwater home with Moon Pools, Observatories, large compartments, bulkhead doors, and more. Head over to the Habitat Update website to see all the new features in action, or stay on this page to see an update video, and screenshots. Viewing this page inside Subnautica? Click 'view on Steam' to see images and video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6USpYf6Y47c

Steam will automatically download the Habitat Update. Don't have Subnautica in your Steam library yet? Get a copy in the Steam Store:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264710/



The Moon Pool is the new king of sea-base components. This massive structure can be used to dry-dock a Seamoth submersible. The Moon Pool can be customised to your preference with reinforcements, windows, and multiple attachment points for corridors.



Subnautica features a diverse array of unique, beautiful underwater biomes. Thanks to the new Observatory, it is now possible to enjoy the view from the safety of a sea-base.



Large compartments provide lots of interior space. They include eight attachment points for the connection of corridors, dive hatches, windows, reinforcements, and other base modules.



Large compartments can be stacked, and ladders built between their decks.



Small lockers are a new storage option. They can be placed on sea-base walls, and feature a customisable label on the door.



Speaking of labels, it is now possible to create customised base signage. Use the builder tool to place a label, and then enter any text. Labels can be various sizes, have arrows, and include different background options.

See more of the Habitat Update including bulkhead doors, base flooding, aquariums on the Habitat Update site.. Receive a newsletter when the next Subnautica Early Access update is released by signing up to the development mailing list. View detailed update change information on the Subnautica Checkin & Changes list. See our progress towards the next update on the Subnautica development tracker.

Sea bases have been one of Subnautica’s most loved features. Since their release in February 2015, many of us at Unknown Worlds have wanted to improve upon them. Moon pools for docking submersibles, larger compartments, glass corridor sections, bulkhead doors – All this and more has been on our wish list. Now, those wishes are becoming reality: The Habitat Update will be released soon, possibly as early as the first week of August. [Ed: As soon as this blog entry was posted, Jonas expressed concern that this was a highly optimistic timeframe. Take all release timeframes with a boulder of salt!]



Subnautica updates have followed a semi-regular pattern of ‘a few weeks’ each. The Habitat Update has taken much longer. We are very conscious of this, and decided to increase update time in return for more update goodies. Two weeks ago, we were approaching readiness to release Habitat, but something gave us pause…



The Habitat update is all about building an underwater habitat: A work-space, a safe-space, a personalized-space, a base for further adventures. Two weeks ago we had larger compartments, vertical-connectors, observatories, signage, bulkhead doors and a new power system almost ready to go. We held off so that we could include the Moon Pool as well.



The Moon Pool is the big daddy of base components. It facilitates the docking of Seamoth submersibles. Pilot a Seamoth into a Moon Pool, and robotic arms will park your submersible for you!

(Click here to see Andi's tweet showing off the interior of the Moon Pool)

The ‘Pool is also a very complex component from a technical perspective. It acts as an intersection of many other game systems – Themselves complicated in isolation. For example, it must act as an interface between water and air, and allow a player to swim and dive between the two. It has its own sounds, animations, and of course, 3D art. It must be flood-able, have attachment points for other base components, and in some cases its own bespoke connectors. This complexity is why the Habitat Update is taking so long.

(Click here to hear Simon's Moon Pool ambient sounds)

Setting dates is to put oneself in the fast-lane to game-development doom. When I set out to write this blog post, Jonas immediately messaged me in our developer chat room: “please don’t include a countdown nor promise any specific day for the actual release.” Jonas’ concern is well founded. Such is the technical complexity of the Moon Pool and it’s interlocked systems that we really cannot know when the Habitat Update will be ready. It may be this week, the next week, or after the next ice age. We are working very hard to make sure it is in the former categories, rather than the latter!

If the wait really is too much, consider switching to experimental branch. You can play with all the new goodies in there already. Be warned: There are more bugs, crashes and horrific errors than you can shake a stick at. Otherwise, sign up to the Subnautica development mailing list, and we will send you a newsletter when the update is ready.

– Hugh

Sea bases have been one of Subnautica’s most loved features. Since their release in February 2015, many of us at Unknown Worlds have wanted to improve upon them. Moon pools for docking submersibles, larger compartments, glass corridor sections, bulkhead doors – All this and more has been on our wish list. Now, those wishes are becoming reality: The Habitat Update will be released soon, possibly as early as the first week of August. [Ed: As soon as this blog entry was posted, Jonas expressed concern that this was a highly optimistic timeframe. Take all release timeframes with a boulder of salt!]



Subnautica updates have followed a semi-regular pattern of ‘a few weeks’ each. The Habitat Update has taken much longer. We are very conscious of this, and decided to increase update time in return for more update goodies. Two weeks ago, we were approaching readiness to release Habitat, but something gave us pause…



The Habitat update is all about building an underwater habitat: A work-space, a safe-space, a personalized-space, a base for further adventures. Two weeks ago we had larger compartments, vertical-connectors, observatories, signage, bulkhead doors and a new power system almost ready to go. We held off so that we could include the Moon Pool as well.



The Moon Pool is the big daddy of base components. It facilitates the docking of Seamoth submersibles. Pilot a Seamoth into a Moon Pool, and robotic arms will park your submersible for you!

(Click here to see Andi's tweet showing off the interior of the Moon Pool)

The ‘Pool is also a very complex component from a technical perspective. It acts as an intersection of many other game systems – Themselves complicated in isolation. For example, it must act as an interface between water and air, and allow a player to swim and dive between the two. It has its own sounds, animations, and of course, 3D art. It must be flood-able, have attachment points for other base components, and in some cases its own bespoke connectors. This complexity is why the Habitat Update is taking so long.

(Click here to hear Simon's Moon Pool ambient sounds)

Setting dates is to put oneself in the fast-lane to game-development doom. When I set out to write this blog post, Jonas immediately messaged me in our developer chat room: “please don’t include a countdown nor promise any specific day for the actual release.” Jonas’ concern is well founded. Such is the technical complexity of the Moon Pool and it’s interlocked systems that we really cannot know when the Habitat Update will be ready. It may be this week, the next week, or after the next ice age. We are working very hard to make sure it is in the former categories, rather than the latter!

If the wait really is too much, consider switching to experimental branch. You can play with all the new goodies in there already. Be warned: There are more bugs, crashes and horrific errors than you can shake a stick at. Otherwise, sign up to the Subnautica development mailing list, and we will send you a newsletter when the update is ready.

– Hugh

Subnautica now runs on Apple OS X! Get it now on the Steam Store - Buy it once and play on both Windows and OS X computers. Already own Subnautica for Windows? You can now play on OS X as well. The OSX Update also includes two epic new ocean biomes: Underwater Islands and Sparse Reef.





Underwater Islands features massive rock formations suspended above the ocean floor. Giant creatures, larger cousins of the Floater, act against the force of gravity. Bone Sharks and other creatures swim among cascades of sand.



Sparse Reef brings a new relaxed aesthetic and feel. The blooming colors and dense features of other biomes are replaced by more earthy tones, and rolling dunes. Watch out for Bleeders…



Sparse Reef also features some new fauna to discover.



New in the OSX Update is the Repulsion Cannon – A workbench modification of the Propulsion Cannon. The Repulsion Cannon can push large creatures and objects away. This is very useful when trying to navigate past aggressive life forms like Stalkers.



The OSX Update also features a wide array of subtle improvements to Subnautica. For example, Jonas has repaired a problem that was causing objects to pop in and out of the world inappropriately, and Andi has solved some issues with the Repulsion Cannon introduced in the Alterra Science update.

Explore the fall range of changes in OSX Update by visiting the Subnautica Trello board. You can also get a granular, all-encompassing view of the update by visiting the Checkin & Changes List. Keep an eye on both those spots over the coming weeks to see us build towards some big additions to sea-base building in the near future…

Subnautica now runs on Apple OS X! Get it now on the Steam Store - Buy it once and play on both Windows and OS X computers. Already own Subnautica for Windows? You can now play on OS X as well. The OSX Update also includes two epic new ocean biomes: Underwater Islands and Sparse Reef.





Underwater Islands features massive rock formations suspended above the ocean floor. Giant creatures, larger cousins of the Floater, act against the force of gravity. Bone Sharks and other creatures swim among cascades of sand.



Sparse Reef brings a new relaxed aesthetic and feel. The blooming colors and dense features of other biomes are replaced by more earthy tones, and rolling dunes. Watch out for Bleeders…



Sparse Reef also features some new fauna to discover.



New in the OSX Update is the Repulsion Cannon – A workbench modification of the Propulsion Cannon. The Repulsion Cannon can push large creatures and objects away. This is very useful when trying to navigate past aggressive life forms like Stalkers.



The OSX Update also features a wide array of subtle improvements to Subnautica. For example, Jonas has repaired a problem that was causing objects to pop in and out of the world inappropriately, and Andi has solved some issues with the Repulsion Cannon introduced in the Alterra Science update.

Explore the fall range of changes in OSX Update by visiting the Subnautica Trello board. You can also get a granular, all-encompassing view of the update by visiting the Checkin & Changes List. Keep an eye on both those spots over the coming weeks to see us build towards some big additions to sea-base building in the near future…