Subnautica Below Zero Story

Subnautica Below Zero Story Changes and Save Games

Subnautica Below Zero Story. Hey, Below Zero fans! I hope you are using the Lost Ship update!

We’ve got lots of significant changes coming soon to Early Access and wanted to give a quick heads-up before they start rolling in.

What you need to know:

The next Subnautica Below Zero Story release will feature the new story in an early form.

Once the new story goes live, old saves will stop working. You’ll have to start a new game.

(Steam) If you’re playing on the Steam main branch, you will be able to factor you save games as usual until the next update. At this time, they will become unplayable, and a new save game will want to be started.

(Steam) If you’re playing on Steam’s temporary branch, the changes are imminent.

(Steam) If you’re going to keep playing, you save in the current release without a break, read on below.

(Non-Steam) You will be able to represent you to save games as usual until the next update. At this point, they will become unplayable, and a new save game will need to be started.

Why is this necessary?

We try our best not to meddle saves except when necessary, but this is a rare case where we think doing so will result in the best activity for everybody. The changes to the game are significant enough that old saves would likely be a buggy mess; it’s better to rip the band-aid off and move forward!

We’ll have a warning inside the game, so you know that things are in flux. These changes are coming on the temporary Steam branch, but will not affect the main office until the next Early Access release.

What if I want to keep playing my current save?

For Steam players: If you want to keep playing a game without losing you save, you can stay on the main branch for now. We are going to start rolling the changes out in the experimental build.

You can also switch to our tagged early-access-8 branch. Use the password below zero early access to unlock Steam EA branches; you can go back and play all of the EA releases there if you’re keen!

For non-Steam players: You will be able to play you are save games as usual until the next update. At this point, they will become unplayable, and a new save game will need to be started.

What else is the team working on for the next release?

Getting the new story designed and written and performed is a significant effort, but we’re also focused on improving other parts of the game – most notably, the surface gameplay practice.

We’ve been struggling to nail this part of the game down since the very beginning of the project. Subnautica Below Zero Story is primarily an underwater game, and much of what is compelling about the experience doesn’t automatically translate onto the surface.

We read the forums and watch streamers play – as well as daily playtesting ourselves – and it’s clear that the surface isn’t up to the quality standards of our fans or the team. As a result, we’re going to take some extra time to get it right before 1.0.

We’ve spent a lot of time analyzing the difficulties with the surface and debating possible solutions. We’re looking to make the surface more connected with the rest of the game, to motivate research and discovery better, and to improve existing creations and tools. If you’re interested in the specifics, have a look around our Favro; you can see what everyone is working on (outside of story spoilers).

And in case you were questioning, story and surface work aren’t the only things we’re focused on. We proceed to polish and tune the core underwater experience that is at the heart of Subnautica and will continue to do so until we are happy with the game as a whole.

Want more info about the new story?

We’re not ready to start sharing things just yet. But stay tuned. We’ll have everything to share very soon.

As always – let us know what you think! And THANK YOU for all of your support!