I played the full version before I saw any early release content, and I really enjoyed it and couldn't understand why people disliked it so much. Now seeing this video I can see why people were so disappointed, this has real emotion and the characters have a depth that wasn't present in the final cut. I especially like AL AN in this version much more, his actions are a lot more believable and understandable considering his circumstance, in the final cut he didn't seem bothered at all to be living inside someone else's head which in hindsight seems very odd.
The relationship with AL-AN in this version is so much better. Robin is trying to learn about the architects and how they think and interact with the world. In the final release, it's like she's trying to explain humanity, or to praise it and defend it to him. It's boring because we already know about humanity; I want to learn about the architects. The differences between the two species are better highlighted here, I think.
ngl I kinda disagree. al-an in this version seems to be a villain or mislead antagonist. I much prefer that al-an is not like that. just me tho ps: I do wish we knew more about the architects in the final story. the story was definitely scattered about
@@MoreImbaThanYou They really did screw up when they scrapped this version of the game. My heart aches for the game that could have been, the game that had a story.
I’m really conflicted on this honestly. On one hand, I love the mystery involved with Sam being dead and the planet feeling even more lonely because of that, but I also feel like the old versions of AL-AN and Margareuit are MILES better than what we got now. Marg is barely important to the current story, and most of AL-AN’s current dialogue is spent with Robin telling him how great humanity is rather than wanting to learn about how his species functions. Also the line “It did not occur to us to listen. We only knew how to extract.” hits so goddamn hard and really brings forth the differences between the species. I honestly wish both of these iterations of the story ended up coming out.
I'm with you on this. Robin is still a xenologist in the release build, but yet she hardly probes Al-An at all. If I was in her position, I'd be truly testing that alien's patience with the number of questions I'd have! I do really enjoy the story in the release build, but I would have loved to see more interactions like in this earlier iteration. And yeah, the line about the Sea Emperor hits hard. Damn.
While the mystery surrounding Sam is quite intriguing at the start, it's completely ruined once you realize what actually happened. She developes a cure for the frozen leviathan, because she thinks Alterra is developing some kind of biological weapon, while they are actually working on stuff that could help humanity (as stated in the logs found in the Omega lab). But instead of using the already manufactured cure she hides it in a cave with one of her penguin toys. Marg then convinces her to not use the cure at all, but instead bomb the place to prevent access, which btw makes 0 sense because it could just be drilled open again. She could have even tried both, using the cure first and then planting the bombs, but instead she goes ahead with this terrible plan and kills an innocent person because something goes wrong (which is never really explained, the explosives just go off mid dialogue and that's it). And the worst part is Robin (main char) doesn't even acknowledge any of this and just says that she is content with what she found out and glad that she finished what Sam started, also completely ignoring the fact that Marg pretty much killed Robin without achieving anything (which wouldn't have changed even if the plan didn't fail). Once you're done with this part of the story you can even visit Marg in her base, but you can't interact with her. She just stays there until the end of days. All in all the story is a complete and utter mess, nothing about it makes sense, nothing about it is satisfying and I actually regret digging into the whole story part of the game, because I would have enjoyed it more as a pure sandbox. The old story doesn't seem that great either, but at least it was conistent and coherent.
@@iunary Because Unknown Worlds fired the writer cuz he said an offensive joke on twitter (it was homophobic I think? Or something related to LGBT? Or was it a misogynistic joke?). Take this with a grain of salt, cuz I haven't looked into this deeply.
Still sad how they didn't finish this version of the story. I just feel like this one was just more energetic (the intro was just epic) and makes you so much more hyped with the Al-An and the dialogue between him and you just feel more natural and representing the precursors race and their intentions. Also the voice actors were so much better.
it makes me sad to see how they changed al-an, I LOVE how in this version he comes off as emotionless and science driven like the architects were described as in the original subnautica's lore. I could go on a huge tangent about how this version is better in so many other ways too, but I don't think I feel like making myself all upset about it lol
I mich prefer this iteration of Robin's character. Much more mature with a hint of sarcasm. She plays well off AL AN's inherent sketchiness, instead of current Robin who blindly trusts this random alien who almost killed an entire planet
Damn, years ago the story was almost already complete it seems and they just took a year to cut it to a more boring version and put a cinematic at the end ?
Holy hell, it is a travesty that we got the current iteration instead of this. I still enjoyed below zero, and like most i really enjoyed the ending of the game. But this is DIFFERENT from the first game, something i now realize the current version of below zero is not. It is just more of the same. This had intrigue, conflict, rationality and personality. Especially what they did to Al'An an Robin is not even comparable
It’s an absolute wonder how this video doesn’t have more views, some of best kind of video game content imo is super straight to the point type stuff- this is it! Excellent work!
@@ASR-Ansori , They are different, compare them... BZ early access: th-cam.com/video/0gCLt6QE_zQ/w-d-xo.html Original: th-cam.com/video/l5h6d8iOmnM/w-d-xo.html
Never touched Below Zero prior to release, wanted to play it as a 'complete' experience. A lot of the changes seem very odd. Like, the story flows better here, as well as being a lot more interesting then what we got. Also, why the hell did they change the VA?! This one is actually pleasant to listen to ...
In case you don't know: For a fact: This story was written by Tom Jubert, the same person who wrote for Subnautica 1, during the development, before the sudden change he quit Unknown Worlds (I don't know details as to why), As I heard from someone on my Discord server (so take it with a grain of salt), people who played and gave feedback during Early Access did not like this story. Tom was replaced by Jill Murray, although as you can probably notice, some elements Tom did still remain in the game, and Tom is still credited as "Additional Writing". As for the comments, I agree with you completely. To add, this story had bigger events like the huge shield at the end was a big event similarly like Aurora eXploding or Sunbeam event, creating pressure. In the 1.0 story there doesn't seem like there is any pressure (like the Kharaa in the 1st game). Anyways, some context just in case you did not know this already.
@@eXernox I had no clue, thx for the info. When i was playing through Below Zero, a lot of the story felt off. Really couldn't put my finger on why. Now i get it. "Some elements Tom did still remain" feels more like the new writer was limited to working with what was already there, so they just cut out what they viewed as 'fluff', and ended up jamming a square peg in a round hole. Sucks we got this amalgamation, instead of either of the two writers full visions. On a side note , i hope they backport Below Zeros optimization to the original. Would love to experience the first one again, *without* all the jank.
@@IceChillxen If you want some more context I can also tell you interesting fact that below zero started as a DLC, then the project got so big they started calling it a standalone eXpansion, and if you notice, by the release they are calling it a full blown sequel. I don't think people realize how much scope of the project changed over the development of the game. And the amount of stuff that was cut just makes me sad. Was actually thinking about making video about it recently...
@@eXernox Oh, i know it was supposed to be DLC. I stopped following development when they transitioned it to a full sequel, cuz i didn't wanna be spoiled. Regardless of if you make that vid or not, thanks for archiving the old story.
This old story flowed better I feel like. Margaritte had motives for being there. It all feels more fleshed out... It really sucks how they changed it.
@James Whittemore Mm, that's a fair point. Especially since almost all of the exploration is led by you and nobody else, it feels a bit more feasible. But I'm still upset with the lukewarm ending to Sam's story, the fact that we didn't get to save Margeurit, and (while I'm mostly satisfied with it) the cliffhanger ending to AlAn and Robin's story. It just feels like there are so many incomplete threads
Wow, I've never seen this before. I only started playing Below Zero as it was fully released. I like how AL-AN is immediately like: "I will destroy you first, I am all powerful!" 😮 Their dynamic seems much more interesting here. Very different overall.
For how the scope radically shifted during development, for the changing of hands in story writing, for developing a game during a global pandemic... I've got to say, it's an absolute shame the 1.0 story became what it did - but I'm hopeful that with everything that's been learned from the experience, Subnautica 3 will be a significantly smoother game. As much as I was hoping for more with Below Zero, I do *not* envy what the developers had to go through to get this project done.
@@londondeer yes! They have :D I’m so exited! Aci (a subnautica TH-camr) Even got in contact with one of the Dev‘s to ask them personally and they said yes!! :D
If the developers had a little more time, I think they could’ve come up with a version of the story that combined elements from both the Original Concept (shown here) and the Final Product (the story in the full release) into a cohesive narrative that would’ve been superb. I love the full release of Below Zero in spite of its (mostly story-related) flaws. I enjoyed trying to solve the mysteries and pursuing the truth, but the final solutions felt problematic and incomplete. I do wish the flow of the narratives weren’t so bumpy, and that the story-telling of this version combined with the voice actors and songs/score of the final product would’ve helped to make this game better. A worthy sequel that would’ve blown everyone’s minds away like the first game did, but in a completely different way.
it's no contest for me, this is so much more compelling than the story we got. to be clear i don't feel robbed or hurt, stories are just things to share and enjoy and make your imagination run wild, and this story still exists. the story we got also exists, but that's kind of all it does for me.
While I followed the development of this game at first, I stopped after a bit because I wanted the rest to be a surprise. I didn't know much of the story, except for the original beginning of it (which I knew before the official release was changed, and even saw parts of it) and Al-An living rent free in Robin's head, but other than that, nothing. And honestly? I don't know if I am glad about that or not. I don't know if it would have been better if I played all that was in the game before the story change, but one thing I can say for certain: *The original story was better.* At least in my opinion. It was very much different from the game, but it embraced it, in a way. The game we currently have tries to be different but sticks too close to the original Subnautica, trying to be 2 different things and failing at both. But I also have to say that I LOVE the relationship Al-An and Robin have in the old story. The back-and-forth and genuine curiosity on Robin's side about the Architects really brings life to these characters. In the game we have right now, we just have Al-An repeating over and over how Humans are inferior to Architects, followed up by Robin praising Humanity and explaining it's beauty. It's just something we've seen done many times before, and isn't executed that well in this game. All in all, I don't know if I'm glad that I didn't experience the original story, which would maybe have left me even more disappointed of what we have right now than I am, or if I am glad that I was blissfully unaware of what we could have had. It's a shame how the story turned out, but I really, really hope Unknown Worlds have learned their lesson and will improve the lacking aspects in the next Subnautica installment, and whatever else they've got planned
If you want you can still play original build the only thing you need to do is go to subnautica below betas type code "belowzeroearlyaccess " annd you will be able to play it
I'm sad to discover it so late. This is way better than the final release. It's sad to see how scenario can change that much to be more coherent or comfortable for the writer.
Man after seeing this I just feel sad now, so much potential, if the story writer change didn’t happened this game could’ve stood proud along with the original subnautica, hopefully one day modders can give us the story we never fully got
I just finished the game and I'm planning to write a fanfic with elements of this version of the story. This video is a literal life savior, thank you 💚
i cant believe they did this, this is genuinely a thousand times better than the final product, massive faliure from unknown worlds, im genuinely in awe at how much they fucked it up in the end, the story is literally right there! and its near perfect! i just finished the game after a friend bought it for me on sale (thankfully) because i was curious and because its not in early access anymore, the ending genuinely just pretends alan and robin have some deep connection when they just dont? this establishes their connection alot better, frankly this establishes everything so so much better, i cant believe they totally demolished it. everything is so much more cooler from robin, to alan, to sam to the fucking baby emperors that you saved in the last game being in this and being adorable! so let down, genuine massive L.
I am so confused what version I must have played. Still remember Robin going out of the base, then talking to Sam in a casual way ("Hi, Sam!") and Sam being stuck up about it and telling her to keep it professional. After that the meteors strike (I think..) and everything goes to hell. Was definitely a different voice actress than this one, not sure if it's the one from the full version but this is very confusing, indeed. Thanks for uploading the EA story parts here, sad to see what was thrown out.
Perhaps you play the earliest publicly available version from January 2019 (timestamped link to moment they start talking you mentioned): th-cam.com/video/sen16MR2Bjg/w-d-xo.html
@@eXernox Yes! That was the one. The way Robin said "Hi, Sam!" was always so warm and loving that it just etched itself into my brain. Thank you for solving that little mystery! :)
Wow this version of the story is just so much better in all possible ways than the final version. The dialogues and the story are interesting and so much more well written. Also there are no continuity errors! I wonder why they scrapped it in favor of that crap that is the final story
Thank you for the video! I've enjoyed it very well! I love Sci-Fi books, movies and games.. I mean about alien lifeform and it would be exciting to meet Al-An... He's look sexy tho, but he's brainless :D. So the game isn't completed right? I can't wait for contrinue!
damn i remember playing beta it was beautiful . many things that made me happy ,like seeing potential i could do just by looking at the base the story started also many objects i could save in my eq and place them in my base , thank god i still have that save to remember it . I liked it more when i was clueless like playing the subnautica first time not knowing what i had to do exploring the game from beginning felt like the old times also scanning everything i could to make an aquarium to store penguins for fun to have a friend by my side while playing the game . Also the weird crabs that jumpscared me 3 times by accident while trying to get through the vulcan zone to gather stuff and die with it seconds after :d
I just got into subNautica and am playing the first story now, I need them to finish below zero so I can get into that next!!!!! I get why this game takes forever because it’s so detailed but man I wish it’d come quicker
I built al-an his body. Hes out of my head, but i never found Jeffs PDA at the mining facility. Found it now i and got to the 25:00 dialogue Thats it, never got the mission to find the enzyme or send it to the Vesper. Did i break the game? xD
Honestly, I would have loved the idea of Jeff being an antagonist. I feel like the main problem with the final release is that it's just more Subnautica. It feels more like an expansion than a full sequel. I do prefer the version of AL-AN in the finale release, however. But still, they should have honestly stuck with this version of the story but still have AL-AN be good like in the final release.
@@antzzors126 Yeah, it does feel like the general idea was "just give them more subnautica" and that's it. It started as an expansion, but what I just find more ironic is that they had more features planned at the point when they called it an expansion then how many they actually had at the final release when they called it a sequel.
I just think it’s interesting in the full release version, you can’t go back to talk to marg, at least she doesn’t have anything to say, we don’t even know if she cares about the architect information we’ve discovered or if she wants to leave the planet or not
I’m watching this after finishing the full release version and it’s interesting how different it is, I wouldn’t say I like the beta story better though, the latest story is cool and intriguing but not without its own issues but I enjoyed it enough and felt good about the ending
I feel like despite the story changes the game was still deeply flawed, because a lot of areas like the ice land area were not even required to finish the game. I honestly think that this needed another year or two in the oven
This story was way better. It sucks that they changed it. Some of the lines in the other story really don't make sense. There are thousands of voices as Al-An but he is alone? Better to keep it as just one voice who was used to a thousand. Why is Marguerite claiming Alterra's base as her own? Isn't that just asking for trouble. and YES Robin talks way to much about humanity. I was hoping to learn more about the Architects. Plus all these voices have British accents! Why did they change them? Ug, the frustration. Also, the people look really creepy (Except Robin. She looks cool!) They really should have gone with a different artist for the character designs in the new version.
I personally prefer the current build of Subnautica below zero, as it has the isolation feel, and discovering and unearthing of the past that allowed its predecessor to perform so well. The feeling of uncovering the history leading to the current abandoned and fallen state of everything feel is much stronger in this version, which is why I ultimately prefer it. However, I do agree that the personalities and discussions between al-an, robin and marguit Maida were better in this version, and either way both versions had a killer plotline. What was really interesting here though, was looking at the base like the omega lab, or the leviathan excavation site, and comparing them to modern versions, and seeing how they took them, and seeing how the ones in the current plotline are essentially the ones we see here, but after more time was spent there, and after having gone through a destructive event.
Raynia Jonson luckily they just changed it again. I complained so many times and I’m sure other people did, they should’ve kept the original voice actress but it seems they did a third voice change now.
Thanks for the upload, might be an unpopular opinion, I felt the first game story was a bit weak. However, below zero seem much more interesting, and to some extent strengthen to first story as well.
How do I actually get to have this conversation with Al-An so that I can look for his body? I've stopped from the point where the rocket exploded but still no word about transfer to a different body :(
Yes, the ending would have been clicheé in this version, but the storyline is so much better than the final cut’s. I love figure of Al-An, and also Jeff does his job so good as the antagonist here.
this version feels way more… story driven? idk but when this released and later i found out they changed it i was pretty dissapointed. and the dialogue feels less childish.
Having the shield facility was a much better plot point honestly. You think the architects wouldn't have had a backup plan? The only reason Riley escaped was because he didn't have kharaa onboard his rocket. Changing the plot to just building Alan a new body getting off the planet was such a bad move.
While there was some good in the old story, the new one is definitely less clinical and the whole vesper station storyline was so detached and unnecessary. I very much enjoy the conflict between Xenoworks and Alterra, and all the Alterra characters are awesome, I wish there was more of an end to everyone and especially Maide's story, though.
I feel like though the 3 stories (Sam, Marg and Al-An are pretty detached from each other. Sure, they cross now and there but they are strongly separated. In this, we have 4 (Jevov, Vesper, Al-An, Marg) then at the end of it all of them came together: Jevov found by Vesper, Jevov in control of the planet (sort of), Al-An comes in to sort it out, then there is a need for Marg for the white tablet to the facility where Jevov is, so all of them take part in the main story in some meaningful way. At least that's just how I see it...
@@eXernox True. It would have been nice if it turned out Sam was resposible for letting AlAn know Robin was "good", or Margurit saves us from an Ice Worm in the last second of the story, or something
@@themrfj It is, there is a version of the game where the ending has a battleship from Altera or Jeff to stop the protagonist and Alan from leaving, and Margarita sacrificed her life to fight that battleship to let them flew away. It was planned since the beginning, there are animation files and 3d objects about this ending. Sadly it did not make it into the final version.
@@axelchampagnac2991 The storyline of the game changed so much since Tencent's takeover. All we have are pieces of file that are not included in the final game and it was up to us to assemble what has happened. Over the years, it could be people dug up more files that were hidden from the game and updated the story just like Wither's Yen's betrial of the lodge, hidden so many years only being found out recently. But back two years ago that was the best theory we could come up with that involves that Battleship and the voice file.
On Steam: 1. Right click Subnautica: Below Zero in the list and select Properties... 2. Click Betas tab 3. In Private Betas input field paste *belowzeroearlyaccess* and hit Check Code. 4. In Beta Participation above from dropdown select *early_access 8.1 - EA8.1 - Original Story Final Build* 5. Download the update and play. If you ever want to go back just select *none* from that dropdown and update the game. As far as I know this is only possible via Steam version.
It did release on may 14th 2021. this video was the beta. it was just experimenting with the game and creating the story as well as play-testing etc. then it released as a title in may.
Have thoughts about this story? Tell us at Discord server: discord.gg/PPd8xrw28E - Would love to have you there!
BELOW ZERO HAD EMPERORS?!
i love this story more than new one already
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@@art_tt yep and they had voicelines
I played the full version before I saw any early release content, and I really enjoyed it and couldn't understand why people disliked it so much. Now seeing this video I can see why people were so disappointed, this has real emotion and the characters have a depth that wasn't present in the final cut. I especially like AL AN in this version much more, his actions are a lot more believable and understandable considering his circumstance, in the final cut he didn't seem bothered at all to be living inside someone else's head which in hindsight seems very odd.
The relationship with AL-AN in this version is so much better. Robin is trying to learn about the architects and how they think and interact with the world. In the final release, it's like she's trying to explain humanity, or to praise it and defend it to him. It's boring because we already know about humanity; I want to learn about the architects. The differences between the two species are better highlighted here, I think.
YES!! I totally agree, the Architects, or precursors as they were known, were my favorite part of the story.
ngl I kinda disagree. al-an in this version seems to be a villain or mislead antagonist. I much prefer that al-an is not like that. just me tho
ps: I do wish we knew more about the architects in the final story. the story was definitely scattered about
I kinda like how alan is mean in this one
I fail to understand how berating Al-An is supposed to make Robin likeable.
@@MoreImbaThanYou They really did screw up when they scrapped this version of the game. My heart aches for the game that could have been, the game that had a story.
I’m really conflicted on this honestly. On one hand, I love the mystery involved with Sam being dead and the planet feeling even more lonely because of that, but I also feel like the old versions of AL-AN and Margareuit are MILES better than what we got now. Marg is barely important to the current story, and most of AL-AN’s current dialogue is spent with Robin telling him how great humanity is rather than wanting to learn about how his species functions. Also the line “It did not occur to us to listen. We only knew how to extract.” hits so goddamn hard and really brings forth the differences between the species. I honestly wish both of these iterations of the story ended up coming out.
I'm with you on this. Robin is still a xenologist in the release build, but yet she hardly probes Al-An at all. If I was in her position, I'd be truly testing that alien's patience with the number of questions I'd have! I do really enjoy the story in the release build, but I would have loved to see more interactions like in this earlier iteration.
And yeah, the line about the Sea Emperor hits hard. Damn.
I also like the planet feeling even more lonelly but thats just like subnautica 1 all over again
While the mystery surrounding Sam is quite intriguing at the start, it's completely ruined once you realize what actually happened.
She developes a cure for the frozen leviathan, because she thinks Alterra is developing some kind of biological weapon, while they are actually working on stuff that could help humanity (as stated in the logs found in the Omega lab).
But instead of using the already manufactured cure she hides it in a cave with one of her penguin toys. Marg then convinces her to not use the cure at all, but instead bomb the place to prevent access, which btw makes 0 sense because it could just be drilled open again. She could have even tried both, using the cure first and then planting the bombs, but instead she goes ahead with this terrible plan and kills an innocent person because something goes wrong (which is never really explained, the explosives just go off mid dialogue and that's it).
And the worst part is Robin (main char) doesn't even acknowledge any of this and just says that she is content with what she found out and glad that she finished what Sam started, also completely ignoring the fact that Marg pretty much killed Robin without achieving anything (which wouldn't have changed even if the plan didn't fail). Once you're done with this part of the story you can even visit Marg in her base, but you can't interact with her. She just stays there until the end of days.
All in all the story is a complete and utter mess, nothing about it makes sense, nothing about it is satisfying and I actually regret digging into the whole story part of the game, because I would have enjoyed it more as a pure sandbox. The old story doesn't seem that great either, but at least it was conistent and coherent.
Yeah I think this would have been superior , not sure why it was changed so much.
@@iunary Because Unknown Worlds fired the writer cuz he said an offensive joke on twitter (it was homophobic I think? Or something related to LGBT? Or was it a misogynistic joke?). Take this with a grain of salt, cuz I haven't looked into this deeply.
Still sad how they didn't finish this version of the story. I just feel like this one was just more energetic (the intro was just epic) and makes you so much more hyped with the Al-An and the dialogue between him and you just feel more natural and representing the precursors race and their intentions.
Also the voice actors were so much better.
it makes me sad to see how they changed al-an, I LOVE how in this version he comes off as emotionless and science driven like the architects were described as in the original subnautica's lore. I could go on a huge tangent about how this version is better in so many other ways too, but I don't think I feel like making myself all upset about it lol
I agree, he feels way to human in the actual release. I don't hate the new al-an but I'd of much preferred this Al-an
Christ, the writing in this is just leagues above what was in the final release.
I mich prefer this iteration of Robin's character. Much more mature with a hint of sarcasm. She plays well off AL AN's inherent sketchiness, instead of current Robin who blindly trusts this random alien who almost killed an entire planet
Yeah, same
Damn, years ago the story was almost already complete it seems and they just took a year to cut it to a more boring version and put a cinematic at the end ?
It does appear that way
Yes, while I think this story was slightly flawed they still could have gone in another direction with the story
@SuperNova Gaming now that's a disappointment. All of the little stories and details help build a better overall story.
I think the main director was either made to leave, or quit, and the new director rewrote everything
wow the story basically entirely changed. Cool to see omega lab not destroyed in this version
Holy hell, it is a travesty that we got the current iteration instead of this. I still enjoyed below zero, and like most i really enjoyed the ending of the game. But this is DIFFERENT from the first game, something i now realize the current version of below zero is not. It is just more of the same. This had intrigue, conflict, rationality and personality. Especially what they did to Al'An an Robin is not even comparable
It’s an absolute wonder how this video doesn’t have more views, some of best kind of video game content imo is super straight to the point type stuff- this is it! Excellent work!
The PDA voice was SO much better in this version! I would even say it rivals the one from the original game!
It's the same voice as the one in the first game, no?
@@ASR-Ansori , They are different, compare them...
BZ early access: th-cam.com/video/0gCLt6QE_zQ/w-d-xo.html
Original: th-cam.com/video/l5h6d8iOmnM/w-d-xo.html
As far as i know both of them are AI voices with a filter, so they could've even given us the option to switch voices
Never touched Below Zero prior to release, wanted to play it as a 'complete' experience. A lot of the changes seem very odd. Like, the story flows better here, as well as being a lot more interesting then what we got. Also, why the hell did they change the VA?! This one is actually pleasant to listen to ...
In case you don't know:
For a fact: This story was written by Tom Jubert, the same person who wrote for Subnautica 1, during the development, before the sudden change he quit Unknown Worlds (I don't know details as to why),
As I heard from someone on my Discord server (so take it with a grain of salt), people who played and gave feedback during Early Access did not like this story.
Tom was replaced by Jill Murray, although as you can probably notice, some elements Tom did still remain in the game, and Tom is still credited as "Additional Writing".
As for the comments, I agree with you completely. To add, this story had bigger events like the huge shield at the end was a big event similarly like Aurora eXploding or Sunbeam event, creating pressure.
In the 1.0 story there doesn't seem like there is any pressure (like the Kharaa in the 1st game).
Anyways, some context just in case you did not know this already.
@@eXernox I had no clue, thx for the info. When i was playing through Below Zero, a lot of the story felt off. Really couldn't put my finger on why. Now i get it. "Some elements Tom did still remain" feels more like the new writer was limited to working with what was already there, so they just cut out what they viewed as 'fluff', and ended up jamming a square peg in a round hole. Sucks we got this amalgamation, instead of either of the two writers full visions.
On a side note , i hope they backport Below Zeros optimization to the original. Would love to experience the first one again, *without* all the jank.
@@IceChillxen If you want some more context I can also tell you interesting fact that below zero started as a DLC, then the project got so big they started calling it a standalone eXpansion, and if you notice, by the release they are calling it a full blown sequel.
I don't think people realize how much scope of the project changed over the development of the game.
And the amount of stuff that was cut just makes me sad. Was actually thinking about making video about it recently...
@@eXernox Oh, i know it was supposed to be DLC. I stopped following development when they transitioned it to a full sequel, cuz i didn't wanna be spoiled. Regardless of if you make that vid or not, thanks for archiving the old story.
Year late but they probably changed VAs because they couldn't get this one back for the rewrites I reckon.
FINALLY, I found a video of the juvenile Emperors Dialogue!!
This old story flowed better I feel like. Margaritte had motives for being there. It all feels more fleshed out... It really sucks how they changed it.
I think so too!
god, maida was written so much better in this version compared to the final. I wonder why they changed it?
@James Whittemore I genuinely want to hear your opinion - Why do you think the new story is better than this one?
@@londondeer I’d also like to hear. I’m conflicted with it
@James Whittemore Mm, that's a fair point. Especially since almost all of the exploration is led by you and nobody else, it feels a bit more feasible.
But I'm still upset with the lukewarm ending to Sam's story, the fact that we didn't get to save Margeurit, and (while I'm mostly satisfied with it) the cliffhanger ending to AlAn and Robin's story. It just feels like there are so many incomplete threads
@James Whittemore Same here, I thought it was quite moist myself :) (even if the moisture is frozen)
Wow, I've never seen this before. I only started playing Below Zero as it was fully released.
I like how AL-AN is immediately like: "I will destroy you first, I am all powerful!" 😮
Their dynamic seems much more interesting here.
Very different overall.
Robin asked if they were friends and Alan said due to personal reasons I am the entire rainbow
For how the scope radically shifted during development, for the changing of hands in story writing, for developing a game during a global pandemic... I've got to say, it's an absolute shame the 1.0 story became what it did - but I'm hopeful that with everything that's been learned from the experience, Subnautica 3 will be a significantly smoother game.
As much as I was hoping for more with Below Zero, I do *not* envy what the developers had to go through to get this project done.
Funny enough that the dev‘s have just said that they will be working on a subnautica 3 in near future
@@MimiMei29 Have they really? 👉👈
@@londondeer yes! They have :D I’m so exited! Aci (a subnautica TH-camr) Even got in contact with one of the Dev‘s to ask them personally and they said yes!! :D
18:50 "I don't trust anyone who's too big to fight, or too greedy to buy. Alterra's both." Idk why but I love this line.
I can’t get over how cool Al-An’s design is
Oh my god, the PDA voice is so much better than the final release voice lmao
If the developers had a little more time, I think they could’ve come up with a version of the story that combined elements from both the Original Concept (shown here) and the Final Product (the story in the full release) into a cohesive narrative that would’ve been superb. I love the full release of Below Zero in spite of its (mostly story-related) flaws. I enjoyed trying to solve the mysteries and pursuing the truth, but the final solutions felt problematic and incomplete. I do wish the flow of the narratives weren’t so bumpy, and that the story-telling of this version combined with the voice actors and songs/score of the final product would’ve helped to make this game better. A worthy sequel that would’ve blown everyone’s minds away like the first game did, but in a completely different way.
He's so beautiful
wtf?
@@yogtaukoktnyasy875 he means ALAN is beautiful
Thanks for this recap. Great vid, just what I was looking for
it's no contest for me, this is so much more compelling than the story we got. to be clear i don't feel robbed or hurt, stories are just things to share and enjoy and make your imagination run wild, and this story still exists. the story we got also exists, but that's kind of all it does for me.
I have to be honest I really like this story compared to the finished one. I also like Alan better
While I followed the development of this game at first, I stopped after a bit because I wanted the rest to be a surprise. I didn't know much of the story, except for the original beginning of it (which I knew before the official release was changed, and even saw parts of it) and Al-An living rent free in Robin's head, but other than that, nothing.
And honestly? I don't know if I am glad about that or not. I don't know if it would have been better if I played all that was in the game before the story change, but one thing I can say for certain: *The original story was better.* At least in my opinion.
It was very much different from the game, but it embraced it, in a way. The game we currently have tries to be different but sticks too close to the original Subnautica, trying to be 2 different things and failing at both.
But I also have to say that I LOVE the relationship Al-An and Robin have in the old story. The back-and-forth and genuine curiosity on Robin's side about the Architects really brings life to these characters. In the game we have right now, we just have Al-An repeating over and over how Humans are inferior to Architects, followed up by Robin praising Humanity and explaining it's beauty. It's just something we've seen done many times before, and isn't executed that well in this game.
All in all, I don't know if I'm glad that I didn't experience the original story, which would maybe have left me even more disappointed of what we have right now than I am, or if I am glad that I was blissfully unaware of what we could have had.
It's a shame how the story turned out, but I really, really hope Unknown Worlds have learned their lesson and will improve the lacking aspects in the next Subnautica installment, and whatever else they've got planned
If you want you can still play original build the only thing you need to do is go to subnautica below betas type code "belowzeroearlyaccess " annd you will be able to play it
I'm sad to discover it so late. This is way better than the final release. It's sad to see how scenario can change that much to be more coherent or comfortable for the writer.
Man after seeing this I just feel sad now, so much potential, if the story writer change didn’t happened this game could’ve stood proud along with the original subnautica, hopefully one day modders can give us the story we never fully got
I just finished the game and I'm planning to write a fanfic with elements of this version of the story. This video is a literal life savior, thank you 💚
Ay! That's cool!
Maybe can share it later with everyone at discord.gg/HGWjnXqfvz
But anyways I'm happy the video could be of use to you!
i cant believe they did this, this is genuinely a thousand times better than the final product,
massive faliure from unknown worlds,
im genuinely in awe at how much they fucked it up in the end, the story is literally right there! and its near perfect!
i just finished the game after a friend bought it for me on sale (thankfully) because i was curious and because its not in early access anymore, the ending genuinely just pretends alan and robin have some deep connection when they just dont? this establishes their connection alot better,
frankly this establishes everything so so much better, i cant believe they totally demolished it. everything is so much more cooler from robin, to alan, to sam to the fucking baby emperors that you saved in the last game being in this and being adorable! so let down, genuine massive L.
I am so confused what version I must have played.
Still remember Robin going out of the base, then talking to Sam in a casual way ("Hi, Sam!") and Sam being stuck up about it and telling her to keep it professional.
After that the meteors strike (I think..) and everything goes to hell. Was definitely a different voice actress than this one, not sure if it's the one from the full version but this is very confusing, indeed.
Thanks for uploading the EA story parts here, sad to see what was thrown out.
Perhaps you play the earliest publicly available version from January 2019 (timestamped link to moment they start talking you mentioned): th-cam.com/video/sen16MR2Bjg/w-d-xo.html
@@eXernox Yes! That was the one. The way Robin said "Hi, Sam!" was always so warm and loving that it just etched itself into my brain.
Thank you for solving that little mystery! :)
@@Hanfgurkenhasser Glad we figured it out!
@@Hanfgurkenhasser I see what you mean! I could hear the smile in that "Hi, Sam!"
The juvenile emperor wanted someone to play with :(
Original voice of Robin really sounds like Emma Thompson.
This version is so much better!
Wow this version of the story is just so much better in all possible ways than the final version. The dialogues and the story are interesting and so much more well written. Also there are no continuity errors!
I wonder why they scrapped it in favor of that crap that is the final story
Original writer left
@@eXernox Do you know why that is?
@@NovumSB It was only said that he left to work on other projects.
Thank you for the video! I've enjoyed it very well! I love Sci-Fi books, movies and games.. I mean about alien lifeform and it would be exciting to meet Al-An... He's look sexy tho, but he's brainless :D. So the game isn't completed right? I can't wait for contrinue!
I tought I was the only one thinking this was better, thankfully I'm not alone. Although the final version is good, but this story hits hard.
robin's first va was much better change my mind
Yeah but I feel like it doesn’t fit the character model
@@gamerjohnjo9327 true
It wasn't her first in the really first versions 9000 she had a va that was closer to the one we have now
damn i remember playing beta it was beautiful . many things that made me happy ,like seeing potential i could do just by looking at the base the story started also many objects i could save in my eq and place them in my base , thank god i still have that save to remember it . I liked it more when i was clueless like playing the subnautica first time not knowing what i had to do exploring the game from beginning felt like the old times also scanning everything i could to make an aquarium to store penguins for fun to have a friend by my side while playing the game . Also the weird crabs that jumpscared me 3 times by accident while trying to get through the vulcan zone to gather stuff and die with it seconds after :d
I just got into subNautica and am playing the first story now, I need them to finish below zero so I can get into that next!!!!! I get why this game takes forever because it’s so detailed but man I wish it’d come quicker
The wait feels even longer for me. I played subnautica way too long ago and I hope it's not a kingdom hearts 3 scenario 🤣
imagine if they released a DLC of the Completed Original Story
The original Below Zero story compared to the final cut reminds me SO MUCH of the original vs final for "Prey". And that makes me so incredibly sad.
I built al-an his body.
Hes out of my head, but i never found Jeffs PDA at the mining facility.
Found it now i and got to the 25:00 dialogue
Thats it, never got the mission to find the enzyme or send it to the Vesper.
Did i break the game? xD
This was SO MUCH better.
Honestly, I would have loved the idea of Jeff being an antagonist. I feel like the main problem with the final release is that it's just more Subnautica. It feels more like an expansion than a full sequel. I do prefer the version of AL-AN in the finale release, however. But still, they should have honestly stuck with this version of the story but still have AL-AN be good like in the final release.
it is an expansion
They call it a sequel in 1.0 trailer
@@eXernox ok just feels more like an expansion
@@antzzors126 Yeah, it does feel like the general idea was "just give them more subnautica" and that's it. It started as an expansion, but what I just find more ironic is that they had more features planned at the point when they called it an expansion then how many they actually had at the final release when they called it a sequel.
@@eXernox yeah true
It's painful how much better this is.
I just think it’s interesting in the full release version, you can’t go back to talk to marg, at least she doesn’t have anything to say, we don’t even know if she cares about the architect information we’ve discovered or if she wants to leave the planet or not
I’m watching this after finishing the full release version and it’s interesting how different it is, I wouldn’t say I like the beta story better though, the latest story is cool and intriguing but not without its own issues but I enjoyed it enough and felt good about the ending
Thanks for the video, hope you'll do an update ones the game is finished, hello from france my polish friend !
This seems more intresting than the final release.
this is way more interesting than release version
Cant believed the entire story was rewritten this Al-AN is so much cooler
I feel like despite the story changes the game was still deeply flawed, because a lot of areas like the ice land area were not even required to finish the game. I honestly think that this needed another year or two in the oven
I liked this voice for Robin, I miss it. The new once is too nasally
This was my least favorite voice. It didn’t have the pep that matches the character. I liked the original best but the new ones not bad.
this one is so snobbish and arrogant, it hurts
the new story's cool but this was so mutch better
Can i still find the "incoming call "sound from sam goodall at 0:18 in game?
The style of subnatica human animation looks like from jack and daxter
I can’t go under the water for too long and I drown someone please help on the older videos I saw an oxygen plant but I don’t see one
I think this version is a little bit more all over the place occasionally and a bit silly but i think the foundations are way better than the new one
I actually like the PDA voice in the new version. Besides that everything about this original story is better.
Man i missed the old robin voice
same
OH For godssake. This is so much better than the Release game... WHY? Who has been fumbling this interesting Story? Damn them.
The old story is so much better
Man the original story is so much better!
This story was way better. It sucks that they changed it. Some of the lines in the other story really don't make sense. There are thousands of voices as Al-An but he is alone? Better to keep it as just one voice who was used to a thousand. Why is Marguerite claiming Alterra's base as her own? Isn't that just asking for trouble. and YES Robin talks way to much about humanity. I was hoping to learn more about the Architects. Plus all these voices have British accents! Why did they change them? Ug, the frustration. Also, the people look really creepy (Except Robin. She looks cool!) They really should have gone with a different artist for the character designs in the new version.
So its essentially just the story of the martian
How did I never know this was a thing???
Well, at least now you do
I personally prefer the current build of Subnautica below zero, as it has the isolation feel, and discovering and unearthing of the past that allowed its predecessor to perform so well. The feeling of uncovering the history leading to the current abandoned and fallen state of everything feel is much stronger in this version, which is why I ultimately prefer it. However, I do agree that the personalities and discussions between al-an, robin and marguit Maida were better in this version, and either way both versions had a killer plotline. What was really interesting here though, was looking at the base like the omega lab, or the leviathan excavation site, and comparing them to modern versions, and seeing how they took them, and seeing how the ones in the current plotline are essentially the ones we see here, but after more time was spent there, and after having gone through a destructive event.
Can we somehow still convince the devs to give us the OG story instead?
like I knOw, i Need coVer fRom Dat SentinEl
If only we can mix both the current and previous story together.
I mean, Robin personality in this is more lively and curious about things.
And then theirs Al-An and his/they're relationship with Robin.
I think I figured out with an E scape ship the person you’re talking to
Someone seriously needs to mod the original story into Subnautica below zero I honestly think this is so much better.
Is it me or is the audio muffled
(Mind me if you said it already, I’m either blind or it’s not there)
This video shows me why I won’t be buying BZ. I knew they’d ruin it
it's great....
@@PeterParker-yg6fc
It’s okay.
@@realdaggerman105 yeah but its boring in comparison to the beta version or the original subnautica
how did u spawn in the shipwreck salvage
I don't like the voice change for Robin.
Raynia Jonson luckily they just changed it again. I complained so many times and I’m sure other people did, they should’ve kept the original voice actress but it seems they did a third voice change now.
Can you not go into the facility Alan tells you to go to at the end?
We have been robbed
Thanks for the upload, might be an unpopular opinion, I felt the first game story was a bit weak. However, below zero seem much more interesting, and to some extent strengthen to first story as well.
worth playing through
How do I actually get to have this conversation with Al-An so that I can look for his body? I've stopped from the point where the rocket exploded but still no word about transfer to a different body :(
@@eXernox how did you get so deep if maximum depth of sea truck is 500m?
Do you know how I can understand the storyline? I want to play the game and I don't want spoilers, but I also don't know how to play it really.
Yes, the ending would have been clicheé in this version, but the storyline is so much better than the final cut’s. I love figure of Al-An, and also Jeff does his job so good as the antagonist here.
this version feels way more… story driven? idk but when this released and later i found out they changed it i was pretty dissapointed. and the dialogue feels less childish.
OMG there was emeperor ? ;w;
Yeah, one of those from Subnautica 1
@@eXernox i knooow. Seeing this make me think how much more there could be. Wouldn't mind waiting one more year
I wouldn't mind either, but I think devs were pretty over it.
From following some of them on Twitter it looked that way anyways.
They've changed almost every voice actor multiple times
She finna done became a menace after saying that 😂😂😂 17:44
In the Below Zero you can select betas and then pick the version you want.
There is only stable, eXperimental and legacy
In the code belowzeroearlyaccess you can access stable early access builds
@@joelcrandell700 good thing I made this video then because this may have been one of the last eXperimental ealry access builds with this story.
Having the shield facility was a much better plot point honestly. You think the architects wouldn't have had a backup plan? The only reason Riley escaped was because he didn't have kharaa onboard his rocket. Changing the plot to just building Alan a new body getting off the planet was such a bad move.
While there was some good in the old story, the new one is definitely less clinical and the whole vesper station storyline was so detached and unnecessary. I very much enjoy the conflict between Xenoworks and Alterra, and all the Alterra characters are awesome, I wish there was more of an end to everyone and especially Maide's story, though.
I feel like though the 3 stories (Sam, Marg and Al-An are pretty detached from each other. Sure, they cross now and there but they are strongly separated.
In this, we have 4 (Jevov, Vesper, Al-An, Marg) then at the end of it all of them came together: Jevov found by Vesper, Jevov in control of the planet (sort of), Al-An comes in to sort it out, then there is a need for Marg for the white tablet to the facility where Jevov is, so all of them take part in the main story in some meaningful way.
At least that's just how I see it...
@@eXernox True. It would have been nice if it turned out Sam was resposible for letting AlAn know Robin was "good", or Margurit saves us from an Ice Worm in the last second of the story, or something
@@themrfj It is, there is a version of the game where the ending has a battleship from Altera or Jeff to stop the protagonist and Alan from leaving, and Margarita sacrificed her life to fight that battleship to let them flew away. It was planned since the beginning, there are animation files and 3d objects about this ending. Sadly it did not make it into the final version.
@@helloworld9811Marguerite do not sacrifice herself, she is stealing the ship to escape while helping our character
@@axelchampagnac2991 The storyline of the game changed so much since Tencent's takeover. All we have are pieces of file that are not included in the final game and it was up to us to assemble what has happened. Over the years, it could be people dug up more files that were hidden from the game and updated the story just like Wither's Yen's betrial of the lodge, hidden so many years only being found out recently. But back two years ago that was the best theory we could come up with that involves that Battleship and the voice file.
So this story is gone now, right?
Sadly yes 😭
Sadly gone from the game,
Luckily present in video form, at least
good vid
anyway you can play this version ? it seems a far better story
On Steam:
1. Right click Subnautica: Below Zero in the list and select Properties...
2. Click Betas tab
3. In Private Betas input field paste *belowzeroearlyaccess* and hit Check Code.
4. In Beta Participation above from dropdown select *early_access 8.1 - EA8.1 - Original Story Final Build*
5. Download the update and play.
If you ever want to go back just select *none* from that dropdown and update the game.
As far as I know this is only possible via Steam version.
no way someone asked this just 8 hours ago and there was a response i was just wondering this
man this could have been cool if you actually had the voice audio levels way higher than the annoying ass ambient noise
8:25 Robin not freaking out like a 14yo girl??? Why isn't this in my main game wtf
I thought that subnautica below zero released at 2021 ahhhhhhh Why am i so stupid
It did release on may 14th 2021. this video was the beta. it was just experimenting with the game and creating the story as well as play-testing etc. then it released as a title in may.