Simulate driving a submarine under Europa's ice ocean.
Jupiter's moon, Europa, also known as Europa, is covered in a thick layer of ice, and beneath the ice is a vast ocean.
In the near future, humans landed on Europa and built several outposts in the ocean, forming a new social system. They found that the deep sea is not a dead silence, and that there is a large number of life living in it, many of which are hostile to humans. Not only that, Jupiter's deadly radiation, cold climate and high pressure in the deep sea also pose a constant threat to the colony.
A colony built on the bottom of the sea
Until one day, the connection between the colony and the earth was completely severed, and this interruption was 50 years. The new generation of inhabitants has forgotten what the earth looks like, but is accustomed to Europa's claustrophobic ecology. Since the outpost was covered in ice, the only viable means of transportation was the more claustrophobic submarine.
The 2D cooperative survival game "Abyss Syndrome" is a game that simulates driving a submarine under such a somewhat desperate world view. Whether it's transporting people and supplies in known waters or exploring and expanding deeper into uncharted waters, before we can make future goals and plans, we must first ensure that we can survive in the dangerous depths of the sea.
"It's common sense, my dear crew"
Just like the game's tagline, "There are as many ways to play, there are as many ways to die", the main and important gameplay of "Abyss Disorder" is to learn how to survive.
Although Europa residents have developed a lot of black technology that is conducive to survival. For example, nuclear reactors, the heart of submarines and outposts, are as ubiquitous as civilian appliances, and a small nuclear fuel rod can be put in to produce electricity for the entire ship or station.
But technology alone is not enough, if you want to survive, you must master a series of basic survival common sense. It is said that energy is the guarantee of survival, but stuffing multiple fuel rods into the reactor at one time will not bring excess energy, but will only cause the reactor to overheat and explode, killing everyone.
As long as you are close enough to the reactor, you can indeed die painlessly
In addition to the limited beginner tutorial, there is some knowledge, only the player actually enters the submarine experience and operation, and even feeds the fish a few times, reads the file a few times, can understand their true meaning, engraved in the subconscious, and finally prevent trouble.
In the game, the equipment of the submarine has a life, long-term operation will be aging, damaged, to prepare screwdrivers and wrenches and other tools for real-time repair; If the line catches fire, use a fire extinguisher in the corridor. When subjected to rocks, ice shells or Europa, the submarine shell may crack, and the shell should be repaired with welding tools to prevent the submarine from entering the water.
Water and fire are relentless
If the water inlet cannot be sealed for a while, the submarine will quickly sink to the bottom, and in the narrow channel of Europa's seabed, this experience is equivalent to daily life. However, as long as the person is still alive and calmly copes, there is a possibility that the submarine will be repaired and floated again.
Humans cannot breathe in the water and cannot withstand the huge pressure of the deep sea, so submarines are generally equipped with pressure-resistant wetsuits and oxygen cylinders, and remembering their location can save them from death.
The method of death flattened by water is too bloody
Overly stressed new crews often forget this common sense and die: oxygen tanks are green, welding tanks are red. Mistaking a welding tank for an oxygen tank and stuffing it into a wetsuit can quickly suffocate the person in the wetsuit. Mistaking an oxygen tank for an oil tank and stuffing it into a welding tool can cause an explosion.
rumble
During the difficult voyage or sinking repairs, some carnivorous creatures also rushed to join in the fun, trying to knock or bite open the hull of the submarine so that they could eat the human flesh inside. When using submarine guns, or small arms at hand in the crew, to organize counterattacks, it is necessary to avoid accidentally injuring friendly forces and submarines, causing trouble far beyond expectations.
In just half a minute, the submarine was turned into a cafeteria
The above knowledge, to be memorized according to the priority of "must" or "forbidden", sounds stricter than the code of work of the army or some dangerous jobs, and in the event of a major mistake, the entire submarine will become an iron coffin for everyone.
However, Abyss has both a PVE mode and a PVP "werewolf kill" mode with a renegade crew. In the latter mode, the Ghost player can reverse what he has learned throughout his life and play everyone else around.
"Europa expects everyone to do their part"
Abyss has been updated in Early Access mode for nearly four years, adding a number of new systems to simulate submarine piloting and deep-sea survival challenges to further enhance the game's depth.
The most popular division of classes is the mechanics that have been perfected in the early stages of development, and later the game has updated the talent tree of each class. There are six professions in the submarine, and each profession is united and faithful to its duties, so that it will not die too ugly.
The first is the captain, who has the best steering technology and is in charge of the piloting system, sonar and in-boat monitors. Because of the poor visibility of the seabed, and sonar and monitors can timely feedback intelligence, the captain should not leave the captain's room, should combine the intelligence to give orders to the rest of the crew, pray that they complete the task alive, and only personally wipe their asses if necessary.
Driving interface
The second is the security officer, similar to the first mate or boatswain, who is responsible for sorting, operating, and manufacturing weapons and ammunition for the entire submarine, and knows nothing about anything other than combat. Safety officers are supposed to take the lead in protecting the rest of the crew, but unfortunately, due to their range of physique talents and sophisticated combat equipment, they always protect the first to die.
Out-of-cabin combat
Then there are the mechanics and engineers, who are responsible for the maintenance and repair of mechanical and electrical equipment, respectively, and are the essential tools to keep each submarine running - if someone else comes in, he may be electrocuted. Some high-grade goods that significantly improve survival rates, such as radiation-resistant diving suits and mechanical exoskeletons, are also manufactured only by these two masters.
There are also doctors, who use medical supplies more efficiently and are responsible for diagnosing and treating all health problems for the crew, including but not limited to: trauma, internal injuries, lack of oxygen, poisoning, radiation, drug addiction, and mental illness caused by looking directly at certain monsters.
Do not overdose on the drug
Finally, there are assistants, who do not have specialized abilities and areas of responsibility, and belong to the miscellaneous profession designed for new players. Their talents are also built for this purpose, and they can improve their personal survivability, or quickly acquire skills in other classes, or take in a fierce mud puppet velociraptor and keep it as a pet.
Any crew member needs to have an understanding of the game content of other classes. The captain of the ship died in the line of duty, and someone always had to drive the submarine back to the outpost. The security officer hung up, and also had to change the crew as a gunner. When the repair master died, it was the captain's turn and the security officer to weld the hull and repair the circuit. With or without a doctor, anyone has to learn medical knowledge, at least how to administer CPR to a dying companion.
As we all know, CPR should not be this pose
If you are short of manpower and want to make up as many professions as possible, you have to consider recruiting AI crews. The AI in "Abyss Disorder" does not have a high IQ, and it is also competent for simple repair and combat work. In the single-player mode, players can switch their perspective directly to these NPCs, and one person controls multiple characters, even if it is difficult to escape death in the end, so that they can pull a few cushions.
"Attack to the bottom of the sea"
The crew, which keeps in mind the common sense of survival and the division of duties, is basically able to complete the voyage between the outpost and the colony alive, overcome the psychological obstacles of fear and depression, and then cope with the challenges of the deeper seas.
The core game content of "Abyss Disorder" is the campaign mode that has been polished for a long time. The current version of the campaign completes the main story process, designs a series of side interaction options, and a reasonable difficulty curve.
The campaign takes place on a horizontal route map that pays homage to the classic roguelike game FTL: Faster Than Light, through which players travel between outposts, with the ultimate goal of reaching the far right of the map, the deepest part of Europa.
At the bottom of the route map screen, a series of news that complements the worldview will be broadcast
The initial waters are wide and few monsters appear. As submarines travel thousands of meters closer to the star core, the water pressure rises, the temperature rises, the number and size of monsters increase, and the living space of humans gradually shrinks, and the more difficult it is for submarines to resupply. Near the deepest part of the ocean, there is a canteen for oversized monsters, and the living conditions are the harshest, and humans can't even stand on the construction site.
SAN value characterization 1d100
Before heading into the abyss, players will have to upgrade their submarines and equipment as much as possible in previous levels, stock up on ammo and materials, recruit AI crews, and take on randomly generated side quests from each outpost, such as transporting supplies and personnel between stations, hunting monsters or pirates, etc., to earn money, experience points, and faction prestige.
Europa's common currency is the "Mark", which can be used to purchase most supplies and upgrade submarines. The official preset submarines are divided into three classes and several upgrade options, advanced submarines have more advanced upgrade options, allowing the installation of better equipment and more adequate guns, and only the shell of advanced submarines can withstand the water pressure in the lower seas.
Upgrade the hull
Some rare materials are difficult to buy, and must be found during certain missions to salvage sunken ships, or to search for the remains of facilities built by unknown alien races. Advanced equipment crafted from these materials also requires different classes to upgrade skills and point out the corresponding talents, unlock the recipe and create it yourself.
The Europa colony has four major camps. The two main camps are the current ruling coalition and the separatist rebels, which are hostile to each other. Both secondary factions are cults derived from some kind of heretical belief, one wants to coexist with Painted Skin in order to adapt to Europa's environment, the other wears a clown costume to create chaos everywhere, and the other camp does not deal with it.
The player's submarine opens with the Alliance. The game does not prevent mutiny, but players must have a good relationship with at least one of the main factions. Most of the outposts on the map are controlled by the main faction, and the price of items at the site is affected by prestige; Gateways to deeper waters also require a certain amount of prestige to allow passage.
The initial alliance has a higher prestige than the other factions
In order to clear the customs, there is no need to make the relationship between the other camps too stiff, in case of hatred and sneak attack by the personnel of the hostile camp or submarines, it will only increase the losses. In turn, the well-connected main faction will provide characteristic equipment recipes and highly skilled crews, and the two cults will also offer something that will come in handy during the voyage.
"Fear comes from insufficient mods"
Most of the veteran crew members who have experienced in the campaign will feel that the submarines preset in "Abyss Syndrome" cannot accommodate themselves.
Official submarines that have risen to the highest rank will definitely be able to clear the customs, but there must be some kind of uncomfortable defect. Some submarines do not have processing tables for synthetic props, some submarines have insufficient power and cannot supply electricity, and some submarines have dead spots where artillery cannot shoot and can only allow monsters to break into the cabin.
This official submarine allows turrets to be installed underneath, but the engine is an absolute dead spot
These shortcomings appear to have been deliberately designed to make submarine features that give all crew members a "comprehensive" gaming experience. But no player can get used to them, and every time they are pitted, they will only feel that their blood pressure is as high as water pressure.
Fortunately, "Latent Abyss" is completely open source code, with a powerful submarine editor, allowing veteran players to rely on themselves, after fully understanding the various defects of the official submarine, customize everything from room layout, gun firing angle to circuit routing, and magic change a submarine without defects.
Some players will waste more time in the editor than they would spend on the body
This submarine can be shared not only for your own use, but also for others through the Steam Workshop. New players who are enthusiastic about Europa's ice ocean, but dare not set foot in the first step, can also download a ready-made submarine from the workshop and experience the game in the wordless care and care of old players.
During the early experience of "Abyss Syndrome" in 2021, the submarines "Little Sparrow" and "10,000 Years of Wind and Snow" made by Chinese players have the strength of supermodels that can walk sideways in the abyss, helping a large number of new crew members who have just entered the pit to cure deep-sea phobia.
The invincible "10,000-year-old wind and snow" is jokingly called the new "wheelchair", source B station @ clown tool man
It is also since this stage that the creative workshop of "Latent Abyss" has blossomed, and folk modules have gradually become an inseparable part of the game content. By the time of the official release, more than 23,000 submarines had been uploaded to the workshop, and with the exception of some submarines that were comparable to performance art, most of them were more reliable and practical than official ships, and had more room for error.
Whole life to the submarine (?) One of them
In addition to submarines, other mods can also effectively alleviate new fears, such as homemade super powerful power-up equipment, or a character sticker pack for the bitter residents of Europa.
Admittedly, quite a few mods will upset the balance and gameplay of the original campaign. As a countermeasure, the official offers adjustable campaign difficulty and the "Jupiter Fallout" feature. After the radiation is turned on, a radiation wave will quickly move from the far left to the far right, and the humans in the radiation zone will continue to lose lives, and the settlements will be abandoned one after another, forcing players to give up the opportunity to accumulate capital and move quickly.
It's more like Beyond the Speed of Light
The modders also have their own ideas, they have introduced a batch of more perverted enemies, a series of more complex mechanics and missions, and use mods that increase difficulty to balance mods with reduced difficulty. For players who have the energy to dig in the workshop to find mods or make mods, Latent Abyss is a game that is unlikely to get tired of playing.
The mod monsters are no less abhorrent than the official design
epilogue
On March 14, "Latent Abyss" updated the 1.0 official version, which ended the long early access process and left another template for peers to learn from this development model that was first launched and then updated.
However, after the official version was launched, the praise rate of "Latent Abyss" on Steam actually declined.
In the official version, the AI is inexplicably stupid, and violent deaths occur when the submarine is flooded without wearing a wetsuit, causing trouble for single-player players. The multiplayer experience is a legacy of history, and friends connecting with each other have to endure unstable P2P connections unless they build their own servers. In addition, after several core mechanic updates to the game, some mods in the Workshop failed to follow up with the update and are now unusable.
The price of the game has increased after it was transferred to the official version, which has also been criticized. The production team has issued a pre-statement, but the price after the increase (130 yuan in the country) is not accepted by some players; Some players who bought the game said that they had made a successful financial treatment.
Considering that "Abyss Disorder" has repeatedly offered a 2.5% discount during Early Access, it is not ruled out that the official will break the bone again in the future. Players who are still hesitant may wish to wait a little longer for a discount, wait for the repair patches and further updates of the production team by the way, and then purchase the game to prepare for the first deep dive.
After all, this extremely hardcore game allows players to immerse themselves in the pressure, pain, hallucinations, rapid heartbeat and suffocation of the deep sea, and also spend all day reflecting on their own mistakes and thinking about submarine construction.