Subnautica 2 developer has issued an open letter to the recreation’s neighborhood, apologizing for a few of the feedback employees made lately on the killing fish debate, however ruling out ever including precise weapons to the recreation.
Forward of Subnautica 2’s early entry launch, Unknown World spoke about not wanting gamers to conquer or dominate the underwater setting, insisting it wouldn’t function instruments that will allow them to slay something that will get in their manner. “We aren’t a killing recreation,” stage designer Artyom “Artie” O’Rielly mentioned in the Subnautica Discord. “Go play Sons of the Forest or one thing if you would like to kill.”
That remark, amongst others, rubbed some Subnautica 2 gamers up the incorrect manner, and got here to dominate the no killing fish discourse that emerged in the final week. Now, Unknown Worlds has addressed the backlash, outlining adjustments coming to the recreation.
“We additionally perceive that some current feedback from our crew made gamers really feel ignored or dismissed. We’re sorry for that,” Unknown Worlds mentioned. “Early Entry must be a dialog with our gamers, not a one-way clarification from the improvement crew. Your suggestions issues, and we don’t want any a part of our communication to make the neighborhood really feel in any other case.”
Unknown Worlds mentioned that creature stability wants work, admitting some predator encounters “really feel extra irritating than tense or thrilling.” Whereas there are mitigation instruments in the recreation — and certainly gamers have discovered some methods to defend themselves — they’re “not all the time clear, dependable, or satisfying, and gamers don’t all the time have sufficient confidence in how to reply when a creature assaults.”
“This isn’t the expertise we wish,” Unknown Worlds mentioned. So, it’s engaged on enhancements to creature conduct and mitigation instruments, together with changes to creature aggression timing, aggro vary, flare effectiveness, Survival Software effectiveness, and creature interactions with autos and bases. Count on to see these adjustments come into impact over a collection of upcoming patches.
The essential query is whether or not Unknown Worlds will ever add precise weapons to the recreation, or let gamers straight kill fish. The reply, fairly clearly, is not any. This week, (*2*), lead recreation designer Anthony Gallegos advised followers: “You are not ever getting precise weapons, sorry. Mods I’m positive will add it, however we’re dedicated to providing extra strong mitigation choices with making you the sea dominator.”
In its open letter, Unknown Worlds acknowledged the requests from gamers to find a way to kill fish, however reiterated Gallegos’ level.
“We perceive the place that request is coming from. When avoidance and mitigation instruments don’t really feel efficient, it’s pure for gamers to desire a extra decisive resolution,” Unknown Worlds mentioned. “Our present route is just not primarily based on judging gamers who need fight, and it isn’t as a result of we predict these gamers are incorrect. Subnautica has all the time been constructed round vulnerability, exploration, and survival relatively than conventional weapon-based fight. We imagine that that is a part of what makes the recreation distinctive. Nonetheless, that design solely works if creature encounters really feel truthful, readable, and fascinating. Proper now, we all know we have now extra work to do to obtain that.”
So, no, you’re not going to find a way to straight kill fish in Subnautica 2, however it seems like the annoyance that comes from predators continually nibbling your toes, getting in your manner, or in any other case bothering your base constructing will likely be eased considerably.
Curiously, Gallegos has indicated that the no killing fish backlash took the builders unexpectedly, as a result of they didn’t anticipate gamers to select to construct their bases so shut to predators.
“I feel what stunned us about numerous this are the place folks selected to construct,” Gallegos mentioned in the Discord. “Many, many extra folks than we ever noticed in playtests have chosen base websites very shut to predators or hammerheads. Whereas most of us selected to put our bases away from these.
“Sorry, it was anticipated to a level,” he then adopted up, “however I do not suppose we thought folks would construct by wolves after which be as vocal about being bit by wolves afterwards. However a great deal of that’s comprehensible due to each poor suggestions whenever you hit a creature and likewise the creature ‘downtime’ between going aggressive once more being too brief.”
In the meantime, Subnautica 2 simply bought its first early entry hotfix, which addressed the controversy over the recreation’s EULA. In case you’re simply getting began, we’ve bought a Issues to Do First in Subnautica 2 information to try, plus useful resource location guides to allow you to discover Titanium, Silver, and extra. Uncover blackbox and provide crate areas on our interactive Subnautica 2 map, and be sure you don’t miss any Angel Comb Variations or Blueprints.
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You may attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.