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Session Name:

The Design of 'Subnautica'

Overview:

This talk will cover the design of 'Subnautica' and how it created feelings of exploration, discovery and the unknown. Starting with creating and adhering to specific design pillars and capturing emotion in the initial prototypes and the prototyping process, then through studies of game features big and small, including the hows and whys of its crafting system, embracing player phobias, mysterious tooltips and adding structure to a sandbox through radio signals. Also covered are examples of story beats that didn't overly direct or guide the player and how it's possible to reframe problems when development is stuck.

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  • GDC 2019
  • Charlie Cleveland
  • Unknown Worlds
  • free content
  • Design
  • Design