Subnautica 2's 1.2 update, released on August 19, adds proximity chat, player trading and revives, and a new tracking tag to the underwater survival game's co-op play, IGN reported.
Creative director Anthony Gallegos walked through the update, which developer Unknown Worlds has built around playing with other people, in a video accompanying the release.
Talking, trading and reviving
Proximity chat is the headline feature and the studio's first attempt at it. Players can talk locally over in-game voice chat, and as they move apart the audio switches to a radio-style signal that progressively breaks up until a friend is almost inaudible.
I think it definitely adds to the tension of it.
A small emote menu lets players cheer each other on, clap or signal annoyance. Gallegos said he is looking forward to seeing emotes used out of context, such as sarcastic applause.
Inventory sharing lets a player walk up behind another, open their inventory and swap items directly, replacing the previous routine of dropping items on the seafloor for someone else to collect. Player revives are also in: if a companion goes down, there is a window in which to share oxygen and bring them back.
Two more playable characters, Grace and Jegna, arrive alongside two new suit colours. Gallegos said the additions are meant to help players tell each other apart in multiplayer, while still allowing a group to look identical if it wants, and that more options will follow through early access.
Tracking tags and interface work
The tracking tag is a short-range beacon that can be thrown into the environment or stored in a container such as a portable locker, so a player who leaves it in a cave can find the way back. Dying while carrying a tracking tag extends the black box signal, making it easier to recover what was left behind.
HUD icons no longer sit at full scale by default. Hovering over one for roughly half a second scales it up and reveals its details, which Gallegos said makes it easier to pick out a single beacon when several are clustered together at distance without the HUD feeling busy. Pinned recipes have been reworked to make the interface less confusing, and the base builder tool now signals more clearly when a structure can and cannot be placed.
Early Access 2 next
Gallegos said 1.2 is only part of the update and pointed to the full patch notes for the rest. Unknown Worlds is continuing work on the Early Access 2 update, which adds a new region, new story, new progression and new vehicles; the video showed a short look at work-in-progress footage.
