Unknown Worlds has released the 1.2 update for Subnautica 2's Early Access, bringing the anticipated Buddy System to the underwater survival game. Alongside this significant content addition, the developer announced a substantial donation of $100,000 to the ocean conservation non-profit organization, The Ocean Cleanup.
This marks a continuation of Unknown Worlds' commitment to ocean conservation, following a similar initiative in 2019 where a portion of Subnautica's proceeds were donated to The Ocean Cleanup on World Environment Day. Executive producer Fernando Melo stated, "Subnautica began with a love for the ocean, and it means a great deal to continue the conservation work we started with the original game through this donation to The Ocean Cleanup. We will keep doing our part to protect the ocean we have spent so long bringing to life."
The 1.2 update introduces several features aimed at enhancing multiplayer interaction. Players can now utilize proximity-based voice chat, allowing for localized conversations that fade with distance, mimicking radio communication. A new emote system, accessible through a radial menu, lets players express themselves with actions like cheering or showing frustration. Inventory sharing has also been implemented, enabling players to directly exchange items by interacting with each other. Furthermore, the update adds the ability for players to revive downed teammates, offering a chance to share oxygen and bring them back to life before they respawn.
Two new player characters, Grace and Jegna, have been added to the customization options, alongside two new suit color schemes. The tracking tag, a short-range beacon, can be placed in the environment or in inventory items like portable lockers, aiding in the recovery of lost items, particularly if a player dies while carrying one. The HUD has been improved with larger, more detailed icons that scale on hover, and pinned recipes now highlight relevant acquired resources for better readability. The base builder tool has also seen enhancements to clarify building placement rules.
The extensive patch notes detail numerous gameplay adjustments, including new creature animations and behaviors, resource additions, and base building improvements such as alignment guidelines and a functional trashcan that destroys items after a short delay. Vehicle and tool functionalities have been tweaked, with the Feedback Resonator now stunning creatures instead of causing them to flee. Menu and UI elements have been refined for clarity, with adjusted signal clarity and improved save code pasting.
Art and visual effects have also been optimized, with performance improvements in specific areas and new visual effects for creature impacts. Localization has been expanded, and narrative elements have been refined, including more detailed databank entries and improved voice-over prioritization. New music has been added to several biomes, and miscellaneous updates include new privacy policy additions and enhancements to frame generation technologies for PC players. The patch also addresses a vast number of bugs, ranging from creature AI issues and environmental clipping to multiplayer synchronization problems and UI inconsistencies.