Subnautica

Excellent sandbox-y survival game Subnautica, which you can still grab for free on the Epic Store, is now playable in multiplayer thanks to a new mod called Nitrox.

Its creator Sunrunner says it's still in "very early stages of development", but the foundation for a full co-op playthrough is there: it has synced player movement, basic animations, base building and item dropping, as well as a rudimentary chat system.

Because it's so early, Sunrunner isn't recommended for "casual play", but if you don't want to wait for extra polish you can download the installer from its Nexus page (you'll have to login to your Nexus account first).

Clearly, players aren't too bothered that it still has a long way to go, and it's been downloaded more than 35,000 times since it was added to Nexus Mods last week. 

It's open-source, so the hope is that other modders will be able to iterate on it in future. The Unknown Worlds Entertainment dev team even commented on the mod last year, saying they "fully support" the project but that it would be "very hard" to get a multiplayer Subnautica mod looking as polished as the singleplayer game.

You can watch some footage from the mod below.

Thanks, PCGamesN.

Update: I originally wrote that you have to manually install the mod via instructions on its wiki page—you can actually grab an installer file from the mod's Nexus page (it's in the top-right).

Subnautica

The Epic Games Store doesn’t have forums. When Epic announced the platform, it framed this as a positive thing. No forums, it said, would stop toxicity from flourishing, and with Discord, Twitter and developers’ own forums, there are other ways to get in touch. One of those alternatives is Epic’s competitor, Steam, and some players have turned to its forums to get support for the Epic Games Store version of Subnautica

Reddit user Revisor007 was on the Subnautica Steam forum when they noticed several posts asking for support for the Epic Games Store version of the game. "Can’t run Epic Games version without Epic Launcher anymore," one reads. "Where is the save location on Epic Games?" another asks. In one of them, a developer actually chimes in and offers a solution

It’s hardly an epidemic, and looking at other Steam forums, they’ve yet to devolve into support forums for Epic users. The store gets mentioned here and there, but not in the context of asking for assistance. I also saw topics about console versions and Origin versions, so really this is just a matter of Steam still being this huge, ubiquitous thing that a lot of people use because they’re used to it. 

Still, support on the Epic Games Store probably needs a rethink. Looking at store pages reveals no information about how to deal with issues with the game, beyond some social media links. If a game has bug reporting and a ticket system, that’s not clear either. It’s not just about offering support, then, but making it clear how you get it, too, and pointing in the direction of Twitter doesn’t cut it. 

As Tom pointed out, the Epic Games Store is slick, but it has some key flaws, and a lot of those flaws are how it chooses to, or in most cases chooses not to, show important information. 

Subnautica

The superb Subnautica is free from the Epic Games Store.

The undersea survival game is free to download until 27th December. It normally costs 19.49.

The Epic Games Store is the Fortnite and Unreal engine company's attempt to take on Steam. It offers developers 88 per cent revenue share, which is more than Valve's 70 per cent standard.

Read more…

Subnautica

Epic Games wants you to pay attention to its new store, and it's not playing. As of right now, and until December 25, the outstanding underwater exploration sim (and horror game) Subnautica is free to take, and keep. This was previously announced shortly after the Epic Games Store launched. 

Subnautica is really great: Philippa called it her favorite game of the last five years in her 89/100 review, and Steven explained the importance of water bottles in this all-too-true tale of spinning small troubles into full-blown catastrophes. It was enough to convince me to try it, even though survival games aren't really my thing, and they were so right—it's one of the best things I've played in years. 

Not much more to it: Go to the Subnautica page on the Epic Games Store, click the "free" button, and go for a swim. You won't regret it. 

Subnautica

After building a spectacularly large audience with Fornite, Epic is turning its game launcher into a Steam-like store—though one that offers developers a larger revenue share. The first games it's offering are now visible on the Epic Store .

First of all, Subnautica and Super Meat Boy, both great games, are going to be free for a limited time, starting later in December. Obviously, by creating an account, downloading Epic's launcher, and redeeming your free games, you become another person they can try to sell stuff to in the future. But also: free games. We recommend Subnautica big time, and it's normally $25, so it's an outstanding freebie if you enjoy singleplayer survival or alien squid encounters.

Another surprise is from Bastion and Transistor developer Supergiant. We'd never heard of a game called Hades until now, and yet here it is, available on the Epic Store in Early Access right now. We'll give it a look soon.

And what's that a little further down the list? It's Journey, the beloved PlayStation 3 exclusive we never thought we'd see on PC.

While it isn't long, there are other promising new games on the list. Satisfactory, which was shown at our own PC Gaming Show earlier this year, is especially interesting.

Here's the Epic Store's full starting lineup:

  • Ashen by A44 and Annapurna Interactive (now available) 
  • Darksiders III by Gunfire Games and THQ Nordic (available Dec 14) 
  • Hades by Supergiant Games (now available) 
  • Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek by tinyBuild (now available) 
  • Genesis Alpha One by Radiation Blue and Team17 (coming soon) 
  • Journey by thatgamecompany and Annapurna Interactive (coming soon) 
  • Maneater by Tripwire Interactive (coming soon) 
  • Outer Wilds by Mobius Digital and Annapurna Interactive (coming soon) 
  • Rebel Galaxy Outlaw by Double Damage Games (coming soon) 
  • Satisfactory by Coffee Stain Studios (coming soon) 
  • Subnautica by Unknown Worlds (available for free from Dec 14 - Dec 27) 
  • Super Meat Boy by Team Meat (available for free from Dec 28 - Jan 10) 
  • World War Z by Saber Interactive (coming soon)
Dec 4, 2018
Subnautica - Hugh


Today Subnautica released on PlayStation & Xbox One. Obviously, given this is Steam, that's not the most exciting news to post here. But this is a big day for us, and we owe you a big thank-you.

We've never released a game on consoles before. It's a terrifying new world. Without you, our wonderful community of players on Steam, we never would have been able to release Subnautica on Xbox or PlayStation.

Those of you who played Subnautica through Steam Early Access, and then throughout launch, provided all the feedback, bug reports, and support that allowed us to build a solid game. Without that, console release would have been out of the question.



You put up with awful frame rates, countless horrible bugs, and long, long wait for release. Thank you.

If you would like to add a console copy of Subnautica to your collection, check out the purchase options at unknownworlds.com.. We'd appreciate any retweets on Twitter or shares on Facebook you think appropriate. If you have friends or family who play games on consoles, we hope you might let them know that PS4 and Xbox options are now available.

Even as we release on consoles, we are cranking full steam ahead on Below Zero. Below Zero is a stand-alone expansion to Subnautica, a new chapter of adventure in a frozen, arctic region of Planet 4546B.

We never like to talk dates. Game development is super unpredictable, and if we gave you a date, we would inevitably disappoint. We are very much looking forward to offering Below Zero in Early Access. Our plan is to release in Early Access as soon as we have a few solid hours of arctic gameplay.

In the mean time, stay tuned and we'll keep you updated on Below Zero's progress.

- Unknown Worlds
Nov 23, 2018
Subnautica - Hugh


This Steam Community group has been neglected. For eight years, we forgot it existed. Before this post, the last update was from Flayra in January 2010, offering Natural Selection 2 pre-orders! It's time to bring it back to life.

Back in 2010, Subnautica wasn't even a twinkle in anyone's eye. NS2 hadn't topped Steam on Halloween. People were using iPhone 3's. Windows 7 was only a few months old. This is a vintage Steam Community, and resurrecting it is an opportunity for reflection.

Since 2010, Unknown Worlds has been through a lot. We've navigated near-death financial valleys to the heady heights of #1 top-seller on Steam. Our team size has grown from around 10 to around 40. We've gotten a little older, a little wiser, and formed firm friendships as a team.

Through it all, the consistent force behind our survival and success has been you. You've hurled feedback on Twitter, debated design on Discord, reviewed roadmaps on Trello, shared trailers on YouTube, endured horrific Early Access bugs, delayed updates, awful frame rates, and so much more.

Your engagement with the development process is the critical secret sauce. Without all of you, our games would probably suck.

To everyone that has followed us since 2010, and before, and to everyone that is with us now, and to those thinking of joining us in future, thank you. We're pumped to keep making great games with you.

- Unknown Worlds

Subnautica - Hugh


Calling all divers: Valve has opened nominations for the 2018 Steam Awards.

No, we're not here to beg you to vote for Subnautica. We're here to ask you to vote for anyone - Any game you are genuinely impressed by, excited about, enamoured with. Perhaps a game that isn't a massive-budget mega-studio game.

Why are we asking you to do this? Subnautica was a big game for us. Before Subnautica, we had struggled from month to month. We know what it's like to be a small independent developer, unsure of whether we will exist in future.

With your Steam Awards vote, you have the power to lift a developer out of the ocean depths, just as you lifted us by purchasing, reviewing, and enjoying Subnautica.

Take a look through your Steam library and think about what games truly moved you this year. Maybe there's a gem in there that deserves attention - Mash that nominate button!

With love from your diving developers,

- Unknown Worlds

Nov 22, 2018
Subnautica - Hugh


Since, release, we've been blown away by the response to Subnautica. We're thrilled that so many of you have enjoyed exploring planet 4546B, and we want to create more underwater adventures for you to enjoy.

To do that, we've decided to build a stand-alone expansion to Subnautica, called Subnautica Below Zero. Set in an ice-bound region of planet 4546B, after the events of the original game, Below Zero will offer a new chapter in the Subnautica universe.

We would like to show you some of Below Zero's concepts, and share our plans for release.



In the coming months, we will release an unfinished, early version of Below Zero in Early Access. We will then begin releasing consistent content updates, carefully crafting the game based on your feedback - Just like the original Subnautica.

We don't want to specify an exact date, or even a vague date, because setting dates never ends well for anyone. We can never predict how long development will take, and we don't want to set any expectations we can't be sure we will meet.



The concept of Below Zero is still developing. We are keeping the core gameplay mechanics, such as base building and open-ended exploration. We are also exploring new ones, such as thermal management, and more voiced dialogue at the core of the plot. We're still in early stages and nothing is set in ice. These features may change prior to, and during, Early Access.

To be notified the moment Below Zero is available in Steam Early Access, subscribe to the Subnautica Development Mailing List. We can't wait to get your feedback on a new underwater adventure.

- Unknown Worlds


Subnautica

The Golden Joystick Awards have determined that Subnautica, the undersea survival sim that is really a horror game in disguise (and if you don't believe me, give it a try sometime and let me know how it goes), is the PC Game of the Year. CD Projekt's upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 took the title for Most Wanted Game, while Fortnite beat out not-on-PC heavyweight Red Dead Redemption 2 to claim the overall Game of the Year title. 

Fortnite is a phenomenon, of course, and while I wouldn't necessarily argue that it's a better game that RDR2 taken in isolation, I don't see the Housers turning up on Ellen anytime soon, or shit-talking an entire nation just because they can. 

Subnautica, meanwhile, is spectacularly good: Excellent as a survival game, but with so much more going on beneath the surface (pardon the pun). It suffered from a few niggling technical issues but was otherwise a serene, sublime experience of remarkable beauty—except when the bad things happen, and then it's a five-alarm nope back to the surface for a few minutes. (Or days.) 

I am down with the winners, in other words, but feel free to debate their merits in the comments. The full list of victors is down below: 

  • Best Storytelling: God of War
  • Studio of the Year: Sony Santa Monica
  • Best New Streamer/Broadcaster: Amelia Rose Blaire and Bryan Dechart
  • Mobile Game of the Year: Playerunknown's Battlegrounds
  • Best Competitive Game: Fortnite
  • PC Game of the Year: Subnautica
  • PlayStation Game of the Year: God of War
  • Best Co-op Game: Monster Hunter World
  • Xbox Game of the Year: Forza Horizon 4
  • Best Visual Design: God of War
  • Nintendo Game of the Year: Octopath Traveler
  • Best Indie Game: Dead Cells
  • Breakthrough Award: Unknown Worlds (Subnautica)
  • Most Wanted Game: Cyberpunk 2077
  • Critics Choice Award: Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Best Audio: God of War
  • Still Playing Award: World of Tanks
  • Best Performer: Bryan Dechart (Detroit: Become Human)
  • Outstanding Contribution: Microsoft (Xbox Adaptive Controller)
  • Best VR Game: Skyrim VR
  • Game of the Year: Fortnite

The 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Hidetaka Miyazaki, president of From Software and producer/director on the Dark Souls games, Bloodborne, and the upcoming Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. 

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