Underwater Caves Are Here
I've wanted to introduce underwater cave missions to Subnautic Raider for quite some time.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find suitable graphics that matched the visual style of the game while giving me enough freedom to create the environments I wanted.
So I decided to build the entire system myself.
I created around 70 custom cave tiles that can be combined to form large chambers, narrow passages, branching tunnels and entire underwater labyrinths.
It took quite a bit of work, but the result gives me much more freedom to create new locations and missions.
Rescue Beneath the Seabed
For the first demonstration, I created a rescue mission inside one of the new cave systems.
The player must enter the cave, navigate through its tunnels, locate a wreck and recover the survivors.
The rescue target can appear in several different predefined locations, so knowing the cave doesn't necessarily mean knowing exactly where to go.
And because navigating narrow underwater tunnels wasn't dangerous enough...
some caves can contain naval mines too.
Sonar can make the search easier. Once the objective enters sonar range, a distance indicator helps guide the player through the cave network.
New Possibilities for Future Missions
The most important part of this update is that the cave system is reusable.
Rescue operations are only the beginning. Lost cargo, wreck inspections and other future objectives can now take place inside completely new underwater environments.
I've recorded a short 2.5-minute gameplay video showing a complete rescue expedition through one of the new cave systems.
The ocean in Subnautic Raider just became a little bigger — even beneath the seabed.