Tag: Steam Deck Gameplay

Black Tides – A Dredge Survival Diary Log 2: Blackstone Isle and Better Judgement

Black Tides – Log 2: Blackstone and Better Judgement

Platform: Steam Deck
Mode: Normal
Format: No Commentary

Video: Crab pots deployed, abnormal specimen caught, Blackstone Isle visited, dredging unlocked, and a key recovered at dusk (no commentary)

With the debt settled, I needed something practical to focus on. The fishmonger still wanted two different crabs, so that seemed straightforward enough. After learning how to use the crab pot properly, I dropped it in and left it to work. While moving between fishing spots, I realised I had a telescope mounted to the boat. Using it made identifying fishing locations much easier, which meant my inventory filled quickly. I made a short return trip to Greater Marrow to sell the haul. The fishmonger reminded me about the red light I’d mentioned wanting to investigate. I still didn’t know where it was exactly. I just knew I intended to find it.

A little more fishing later, I completed the sustainable fishing book. Convenient timing, as I had three more fish ready to sell. The fishmonger mentioned abnormal specimens and how sometimes you can spot them by the way the surface of the water looks. He didn’t say it like it was unusual. Just part of the job.

As daylight started to thin, I aimed the boat toward where I believed the red beam might be. I didn’t have a precise direction, only a rough idea. The fog rolled in quickly and reduced visibility to almost nothing. I couldn’t see far enough ahead to feel comfortable continuing, so I turned back toward Greater Marrow. On the way, I collected a crab from the pot, sold what I could, installed a new engine for a bit more speed, and ended the day there. No reason to get stranded trying to prove a point.

The next morning, I moved the crab pot into deeper water. I wasn’t certain it would improve the catch, but it seemed worth testing. While scanning for fishing spots, I found one emitting a strange glow beneath the surface. I didn’t have the appropriate equipment for it yet, so I left it alone, though I did retrieve a message in a bottle nearby. Not long after, I located a usable fishing spot and pulled up a Cyclopean Flounder. It matched the description of the abnormal specimens I’d been told about. It didn’t look right, but it didn’t look impossible either.

I brought it back to the fishmonger. He inspected it calmly and found a handkerchief tucked inside. He handed it to me without much comment. I sold the rest of my catch and returned to the boat.

That was when I noticed someone watching through the cabin window. He said he knew about the handkerchief and asked me to meet him at Blackstone Isle. It was close enough to reach before dark, so I agreed.

Blackstone Isle houses a mansion. The man introduced himself as a collector. I gave him the handkerchief, and he confirmed it came from a ship he was searching for. In return, he offered to upgrade my vessel with dredging equipment if I agreed to retrieve five items for him: a ring, a necklace, a watch, a music box, and a key. He didn’t provide locations, only suggested I look around shipwrecks. I accepted. The dredging equipment was fitted immediately.

Before leaving the area, I checked the crab pot again and found the second crab required for the fishmonger’s order.

Back in Greater Marrow, the mayor asked if I had encountered a photographer heading south. He suggested I introduce myself if I found her. I handed over the final crab, and the fishmonger immediately gave me another request: bring him an abnormal fish. He didn’t care which one.

I spoke to a builder who wanted to leave town. She needed two units of lumber and two units of scrap delivered to Steel Point. After that, the lighthouse keeper told me about a nearby shipwreck. By the time I reached it, dusk had almost fully settled in, but I located one of the collector’s requested items: a key.

I considered continuing on in search of the source of the red light, but the fog was already thickening and visibility was poor. I knew I would struggle to navigate safely. Instead, I turned back toward Greater Marrow and docked for the night. Blackstone Isle was within reach, but I saw no reason to risk myself for a man I had only just met.

Continue the Journey

Previous Entry:
Black Tides – Log 1

Black Tides Survival Diary:

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Dredge Survival Hub:

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Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 18: Clearing the Battlefield and Finding the Missing Course

Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 18: Clearing the Battlefield and Finding the Missing Course

Game: Super Mario 64 Randomizer
Platform: Steam Deck
Format: No Commentary

Video: Finishing Bob-Omb Battlefield with the 100-coin and red coin stars before discovering Tiny-Huge Island hidden in an unexpected place (no commentary)

One Last Trip to the Battlefield

Much like with Shifting Sand Land before it, the time had come to finish up Bob-Omb Battlefield. I didn’t go in with any particular plan other than knowing there were three stars left to collect here. My thinking was simple enough: whichever of the two main stars I managed to grab first would decide what the next objective would be.

During the process I finally discovered where the Bob-Omb who opens the cannons had been hiding. After all that searching in the previous visit, I now had access to the cannons in the level. A little late perhaps, but still useful to have available.

Flying Through the Battlefield

I decided to aim for the fifth star first. In a normal run this is the one where you fly through the rings of coins, but here the areas were scattered around the map. Fortunately they weren’t too difficult to locate. I made a brief stop on the floating island to collect the final ring and, while I was there, took note of where a few red coins were sitting.

My earlier instinct turned out to be correct. The Wing Cap was going to be necessary to reach them.

Collecting that star brought my total up to ninety stars, which meant I had officially reached three quarters of the total needed for the run. With that milestone in place, I headed back in to deal with the remaining stars.

Coins Before Red Coins

The next task was the red coin star, but before chasing those I decided to tackle the 100-coin star. The reason was simple: wherever the hundredth coin is collected, that’s where the star appears. I didn’t want to risk it spawning high in the air where I would be forced to grab it using the Wing Cap.

I was already planning to use the Wing Cap for the red coins anyway, but this approach meant I could control where the star appeared and keep things simple. It also gave me some extra flight practice. Between the Wing Cap switch course and another red coin stage still ahead, I figured any extra time getting used to the controls would help.

Thankfully the plan worked out cleanly. I gathered the coins I needed, secured the 100-coin star, and then collected the red coins without too much trouble. With those done, Bob-Omb Battlefield was finally complete.

Looking for What I Missed

With the battlefield cleared, the next step was to start checking areas I either hadn’t visited yet or wasn’t entirely sure I had explored properly. I knew there were two entrances upstairs that still needed investigating, but before heading there I decided to check somewhere else first.

The area where Bowser in the Dark World normally sits.

When I jumped in, the answer to the missing course mystery finally revealed itself. The stage waiting there was Tiny-Huge Island.

A Rough Welcome

My first attempt didn’t last very long. The level gave me a fairly direct welcome by ejecting me from the stage almost immediately. The second attempt went better, though, and I managed to grab one of the stars before things got out of hand.

Something else I noticed fairly quickly was that spawning into the stage isn’t consistent. Sometimes I appeared on the tiny island, other times on the huge version. My assumption is that it’s a fifty-fifty chance, although I seemed to land on the huge island more often than the small one during this session.

Mapping the Island

Progress in the level was limited this time around, but it wasn’t completely unproductive. I managed to locate where the five itty-bitty secrets are positioned and also identified the areas where the Piranha Plants can spawn. Even if I didn’t collect many stars here yet, having that information will make the next visit far more efficient.

The Goal Gets Closer

With Bob-Omb Battlefield finished and one more star collected from Tiny-Huge Island, the run now sits at ninety-three stars. Each entry brings the end goal closer, and the castle is slowly running out of places to hide the remaining ones.

Continue the Journey

← Log 17
Log 19 →

🧢 Mario 64 Randomizer Hub

Super Mario 64 Randomizer logs are written after each recording session. Plans rarely survive contact with the castle.

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Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 11: Copper, Caves, and Structural Regret

Submerged Log 11: Copper, Caves, and Structural Regret

Platform: Steam Deck

Video: Base upgrades, lifepod dive to 250m, cave panic, and Seamoth improvements (no commentary)

I was going to chase the black box. Then I remembered the giant alien laser. Priorities shifted.

The plan had been simple: head back to the Aurora, find the black box data, and pretend I wasn’t about to get shot out of the sky by an alien cannon.

Reality check: I’m not leaving this planet anytime soon.

If I’m here for the long haul, the base needs to stop feeling like a damp hallway with ambition.

Bulkheads, Flooding, and The Game Laughing Directly at Me

I started by looking at a bulkhead, because in my head that means “less flooding” and “more responsible adult survival.”
In practice, the game basically laughed and told me to enjoy living in a fish tank.

So I pivoted to the upgrades that actually move the needle:
more power and medical supplies.

Solar Power and the Medkit Fabricator: A Short Story About Suffering

Goal one: another solar panel.
Goal two: a medkit fabricator, because I’m tired of treating “hope” as a healing item.

Then I checked what I needed and immediately had a new enemy: creepvine samples.
Not because they were hard to get.
Because I already had them.
And then I ate them.

So off I went to replace the snacks I shouldn’t have treated as snacks.

Radio Interruptions: Lifepod 4 Joins the To-Do List

Mid-upgrade, I got a distress signal from Lifepod 4, with the helpful advice to wear a radiation suit.
Which is fair.
But I’ve already handled that situation.

So Lifepod 4 gets added to the list of places I will absolutely go to…
once I’m done putting out the current fires I set myself.

Copper: The Myth, The Legend, The Personal Insult

Copper remains elusive.
I’m finding diamonds more often than copper, which feels like the planet is doing comedy at my expense.

All of this because I need copper wire for a computer chip.
Which means the moment I want to build something “basic,” the universe decides I need to earn it.

At this point I’m seriously considering a scanner room, purely so I can stop living my life like a metal detector with legs.

Medkit Fabricator Online (Finally)

Once the medkit fabricator was up and running, I moved on to a quality-of-life upgrade I should have made ages ago:
a beacon.

I named it “base”, because:

1) it is a base

2) I would like to find it again

3) I don’t need to overthink this

Valentino Goes Deep: The 250m Lifepod Run

With “base” now marked like a sensible person would do, I took Valentino for a drive to a lifepod sitting around 250m down.

Naturally: no survivors.
The ocean doesn’t do happy endings.

But I did come away with something useful: a blueprint for a Repulsion Cannon.
I still need a Modification Station before I can get too excited, but I’ll take a win when it shows up.

The Beautiful Cave That Immediately Became A Problem

Next up: a cave near another lifepod location.
The cave itself is gorgeous.
It’s also the kind of place where you realise, mid-swim, that you have no idea where the exit is.

And that’s when I moved “make a beacon” from “good idea” to “non-negotiable survival requirement.”

I eventually found my way back out, and I didn’t drown in a glowing underwater postcard, so that counts as success.

Valentino’s New Problem: He Can’t Go Anywhere Without Taking Damage

Back at base, I had a new priority: hull reinforcement for Valentino.
He couldn’t so much as breathe underwater without scraping something and taking damage.

So I did what any reasonable person would do:
I went hunting for diamonds.
For armour.
On a submarine scooter.
Completely normal.

Eventually I got lucky and upgraded Valentino with:

  • Hull Reinforcement
  • Storage Module

Now he’s tougher, roomier, and slightly less likely to come home looking like he lost a fight with a rock.

Next Time (If Copper Stops Playing Hard To Get)

  • Hit Lifepod 4 (radiation warning acknowledged, thanks)
  • Seriously consider a Scanner Room to end the copper scavenger hunt
  • Start working toward the Modification Station so that Repulsion Cannon isn’t just a tease
  • Revisit the Aurora plan… after accepting I’m probably getting shot down anyway
Continue the journey:

Log 10 | Log 11 (You are here) | Log 12

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Black Tides – A Dredge Survival Diary Log 1: Fog, Favors, and Fishing on Borrowed Time

Black Tides – Log 1: Fog, Favors, and Fishing on Borrowed Time

Platform: Steam Deck
Mode: Normal
Format: No Commentary

Video: Shipwreck, first days in Greater Marrow, loan boat upgrades, special orders, fog panic, and the red light sighting (no commentary)

We begin on a boat with no context and a single instruction: Angler Wanted. Before I can decide whether that was a good idea, the sea answers for me. Fog rolls in thick and immediate. Rocks appear too late. The hull gives way without ceremony. The next thing I know, I’m waking beside a lighthouse that apparently exists more for decoration than navigation.

The town is called Greater Marrow. The mayor meets me at the dock as if shipwrecked strangers are part of the morning routine. He’s calm, helpful, almost like he rehearsed it. He replaces my ruined vessel with another and suggests I fish to get my bearings. One instruction matters more than the rest: return before dark. I don’t question it. I head out, fill the hold with whatever bites, and turn back while the sky still holds light.

Back at port, the mayor informs me my original boat is beyond repair. The replacement is mine on loan. I sell my catch to the fishmonger, and part of the earnings go toward the debt. Fifty dollars. Manageable. Survival often is, at first.

The mayor hands me a research part and points me toward the shipwright. They deal in upgrades and repairs. I install an extra engine and use the research to unlock an improved outboard. Day one ends with a slightly faster boat and a slightly smaller debt.

Day two begins smoother. The new engine makes a difference immediately. I fish efficiently and find a note sealed inside a bottle. It feels deliberate. I suspect there will be more of them. I stay out later than intended. Darkness creeps in faster than expected. Behind Greater Marrow, a red pillar of light cuts into the sky. It stands there, patient. I ignore it for now.

The fishmonger has a special order: a gulf flounder and a grey eel. That means new equipment. I dent the loan again, visit the shipwright, and purchase the required rod. Preparation ends the day.

On the third morning, the lighthouse keeper questions my presence. I tell her I’m here to fish. She listens, but I don’t think she believes that’s the whole story. The mayor asks for a simple delivery to Little Marrow. It’s a short crossing. The dockworker pays me with a book on sustainable fishing. Useful. It reads itself as I travel.

I catch two stingray. They occupy more space than they’re worth, but they clear my remaining debt when sold. The mayor opens access to the dry dock, though upgrades require materials I don’t yet have. Expansion will have to wait.

I return to finish the fishmonger’s order. Arrow squid and black grouper follow. The squid shift locations as if aware they’re being hunted, or perhaps the fog distorts more than visibility. Panic rises when I linger in it too long. I learn quickly that staying out after dark carries consequences that aren’t always visible.

The eel is delivered. Another special order replaces it. Then another. This time: crabs. I’m handed a crab pot and instructed to wait. Patience becomes part of the trade.

Before ending the third day, I strengthen the boat further. A more powerful light. An upgraded engine. Small advantages against a coastline that doesn’t feel entirely natural.

Three days in, the debt is cleared. The boat is faster. The sea is watchful. And the red light remains.

Continue the Journey

Next Entry:
Black Tides – Log 2

Black Tides Survival Diary:

View the full Black Tides series

Dredge Survival Hub:

Visit the Dredge Survival Hub

1

Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 17: Quicksand Flights and a Missing Bob-Omb

Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 17: Quicksand Flights and a Missing Bob-Omb

Game: Super Mario 64 Randomizer
Platform: Steam Deck
Format: No Commentary

Video: Red coin hunt in Shifting Sand Land, risky Wing Cap flights over quicksand, the 100-coin star inside the pyramid, and Bob-Omb Battlefield exploration (no commentary)

Choosing the Right Star

With only two stars left in Shifting Sand Land, I knew exactly which one I wanted selected on the menu screen: In the Talons of the Big Bird. The logic behind that choice was simple. The bird only bothers you once the star is loose. If it’s already holding the star, it tends to keep to its usual route and leaves you alone. That meant I could focus on everything else in the level without worrying about being harassed mid-jump.

Naturally, I forgot to do that as, because the star I actually selected to tackle was the red coin star. So I was already off to a fantastic start.

Two Coins Missing

The real problem was that I didn’t know where two of the red coins were. On previous visits I had already located six of them, which meant the final pair had to be somewhere I had overlooked. As soon as I entered the course, though, I spotted them. Both coins were hovering near the platforms above the quicksand.

Close enough to see clearly, but not close enough that I could simply grab the edge of a platform and hang down to collect them. The moment I saw their position, it was obvious this was going to require a slightly more creative solution.

The Wing Cap Gamble

I ran through the possible options and quickly came to the conclusion that there really was only one way to do this. The Wing Cap. I would have to fly low enough to clip the coins, but still high enough to avoid landing in the quicksand beneath them. The margin for error wasn’t exactly generous.

While moving around the level, I also discovered something I hadn’t noticed before. Standing under the tree triggers a warp that takes you over near the cannon area. Useful information, but it also strips away the Wing Cap, which makes it less helpful for what I needed right now. So I warped back and prepared for the flight.

The first coin went surprisingly smoothly. I lined up my approach, dipped just low enough to grab it, and then pulled away before gravity could do anything unpleasant. The second coin was a little more nerve-wracking. I clipped it successfully, but my landing was low enough that if Mario had touched down in the wrong place, he would have been swallowed by the quicksand immediately.

Thankfully that didn’t happen. One more short flight later, the red coin star appeared.

The Bird Gets Involved

Of course, the big bird still managed to make itself part of the situation. On one of its passes it snatched my hat, which meant I had to wait for it to circle back so I could give it a well-timed boot and reclaim it. Hat recovered, star collected, and one more problem solved.

The 100-Coin Question

That left the 100-coin star. I wasn’t completely sure how many coins I would need before entering the pyramid, so I started with the Pokey enemies. Each segment drops a blue coin, which meant twenty coins almost immediately. A good start.

During this process I also discovered something else: there’s a green shell in this level. That would have been incredibly useful information before I started performing aerial gymnastics over quicksand, but at least I know about it now.

Once I felt confident that my coin total was high enough, I entered the pyramid and gathered the remaining coins needed to push the total to one hundred. With the star secured, Shifting Sand Land was finally complete.

Since the course itself was finished, there wasn’t much reason to grab another star inside the pyramid. I exited the level and turned my attention to Bob-Omb Battlefield.

The Missing Cannon Bob-Omb

The next task seemed straightforward: find the Bob-Omb who opens the cannons. In a normal run they’re hard to miss, but the randomizer has a habit of moving things around in ways that make the obvious suddenly harder to locate.

I found the Bob-Omb who tells me I need to find the cannon operator, and I even spoke to him twice just in case he might suddenly decide to help me. No luck.

While searching the level, I did manage to find the star tied to the floating island in the sky. In fact, it was sitting almost directly behind where the normal spawn point for the level would be. That made one more star for the total.

A Detour to the Island

I decided to try one more time to locate the cannon Bob-Omb. I’m not entirely sure I’ll actually need the cannons in this seed, but having them available always feels safer than not having them.

My suspicion was that the Bob-Omb might be on the floating island itself. I wasn’t particularly confident about jumping there, so I grabbed another Wing Cap and flew across instead.

No Bob-Omb waiting for me, but there was another star sitting there. At that point it would have been rude not to collect it.

Closing the Gap

That leaves the run sitting at eighty-nine stars collected, with thirty-one still out there somewhere in the castle. The randomizer has already shuffled enough things around that every familiar level still manages to hold a few surprises.

And somewhere in Bob-Omb Battlefield, there’s still a cannon-opening Bob-Omb that has decided to go missing.

Continue the Journey

← Log 16
Log 18 →

🧢 Mario 64 Randomizer Hub

Super Mario 64 Randomizer logs are written after each recording session. The plan rarely survives contact with the level.

1

Unprepared: An Interloper Survival Diary in The Long Dark Log #5 – Day 3: A Dangerous Amount of Luck

Unprepared Log 5 – Day 3: A Dangerous Amount of Luck

Difficulty: Interloper
Survivor: Will

I woke up to a still-burning fire. That felt like a warning.

I could have slept longer, but I didn’t risk it. If the fire died while I was unconscious, this run would have ended quietly and for no good reason.

I packed the bedroll, lit a torch, and went looking for rabbits.

I found a wolf instead.

Only three days in, and it was already tracking me.

I backed off toward the cave, swapped torches, and tried to create space. It followed anyway. Calm. Patient. Waiting.

I made for the nearby basement. Inside, I found shelter—and a pair of socks. Not exciting, but warmer feet matter more than pride.

Listening Instead of Seeing

I left the basement and pushed toward Coastal Highway.

The cold was immediate. Visibility was worse. I couldn’t see far enough ahead to plan, so I relied on sound.

Crows.

They led me to a deer carcass half-buried in the snow.

I started a fire right beside it. The plan was simple: wait until it thawed enough to harvest by hand. No hacksaw. No hatchet. No margin for error.

Once it hit the threshold, I took what I could. Meat first. Then the hide. One gut came with it—useful as a decoy if things went bad, but hopefully something I could cure.

The meat went straight on the fire. I didn’t linger.

Pressure Never Really Leaves

I checked the nearby fishing hut for matches.

There were none.

As soon as I stepped back outside, another wolf appeared. I didn’t hesitate. I headed straight for the nearest house and got indoors.

Inside, I found something this run had been refusing to give me.

Matches.

I don’t know if they were there the last time I passed through. It didn’t matter. They were there now.

I took everything useful and moved on toward Quonset Garage, with yet another wolf keeping pace behind me.

Quonset Feels Wrong

The garage was generous.

Too generous.

More supplies than last time. Still no hacksaw—but then I saw another box of matches.

At that point, it stopped feeling like luck.

I now had over thirty matches. Enough that, for the first time this run, I considered not keeping a fire burning just to build skill.

There was even a lantern.

Interloper doesn’t usually feel this forgiving. When it does, it’s usually planning something.

Ending the Day on a Win

I didn’t change the plan.

Quonset is tempting, but staying too long is how runs stall and die. Mystery Lake is still the goal.

Before sleeping, I crafted a snare. If I have to stop near a rabbit grove, I want options. Rabbit hides mean gloves and hats—assuming I survive long enough to need them.

Day 3 ended on a win.

That doesn’t mean much on Interloper.

But tonight, it’s enough.

Video Log

Continue the journey:
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 2 |
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 4

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Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 5: Rainbow Ride Conquered

Progress: 29 Stars Collected | 89 Remaining | 18 Lives
Platform: Steam Deck
Settings: Vanilla Mario & Music — the chaos provides its own soundtrack.

“Somewhere between leaping across spinning triangles and landing on an airship, I accepted that gravity in this randomizer is more of a guideline.”

With two stars left in Rainbow Ride, I decided to finish what I started and clear the hardest course so far. I remembered spotting one on the airship last time, so that was the first target.

The final star was a guess, so I followed instinct and headed for the triangle platforms. For once, instinct didn’t betray me. Two clean grabs later, Rainbow Ride is officially complete.

The Basement Surprise: Whomp’s Fortress

Expecting Dire Dire Docks, I stepped into its usual spot and instead landed in Whomp’s Fortress. The twist? The water level in this version doesn’t lower, so the passage to Bowser in the Fire Sea stayed sealed.

Which leaves one option: I need to find Dire Dire Docks somewhere else. Because of course the randomizer wasn’t going to make boss access simple.

Whomp’s Fortress: Smooth Climbing

Despite the odd placement, Whomp’s Fortress went down without much resistance. No weird geometry, no star placements that require a physics degree — just straightforward platforming for once.

By the time I exited, I sat at 29 stars and 18 lives, still needing to hunt down Dire Dire Docks and, eventually, Bowser.

Today’s Video

Continue the journey:
Log 4 | Log 6

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Super Mario 64 Randomizer – Log 3: Rainbow Ride in the Basement

Platform: Steam Deck
Settings: Vanilla Mario & Music — chaos supplied separately.
“Somewhere between the mountain slide and the basement sky, I realised this randomizer doesn’t believe in architecture either.”

With only the 100 Coin Star left in Tall, Tall Mountain, I decided it was time to finally clear my first course. The plan was simple: grab coins, stay alive, avoid plummeting off the cliff. Naturally, the first attempt ended in a slide-related tragedy. The second try, however, was a success — first course officially cleared.

Feeling confident, I ventured down to the basement to see what new horrors awaited. A friendly Toad handed over a star without asking for anything in return — a rare act of generosity in this twisted castle.

Then came the real surprise: the hole that should have led to the Vanish Cap switch instead opened into Rainbow Ride. Because apparently, gravity is optional now. Despite a few near misses (and several camera-induced heart attacks), I managed to grab three stars before deciding I’d pushed my luck enough for one day.

Watch Log 3 Gameplay

Progress Log

  • Total Stars: 18
  • Stars Remaining: 102
  • Lives: 13
Continue the chaos:
Log 2 |
Log 4
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🌊 Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 5.5: Racing the Sunbeam

5.5

“Rescue was coming. Naturally, that meant it was time to start a new project instead.”

Platform: Steam Deck
Difficulty: Survival
Recording: Lost due to file corruption — because the ocean clearly wasn’t done messing with me.

Author’s Note: Unfortunately, my recording for this session corrupted before I noticed. So this entry is reconstructed from memory — a cautionary tale for all survivors who trust autosave more than their capture software.

Message from the Heavens

It begins with the crackle of static — another message from the Sunbeam. They’ve located a landing site. They’re on their way. Forty minutes until pickup.

Forty minutes until salvation.

Naturally, I decide to ignore the pending rescue entirely and go chase the final piece of the Mobile Vehicle Bay instead. Priorities.

The Hunt for Titanium and Sanity

I swim toward the Sunbeam’s coordinates, eyes peeled for fragments. Just as I’m starting to lose hope — there it is. The final piece.

I bolt back toward my lifepod like my oxygen tank depends on it (which, to be fair, it always does). The excitement of progress pushes me faster than any propulsion cannon ever could. I check the crafting requirements — Titanium Ingot, Power Cell, a few odds and ends I already have scattered in lockers. Easy enough.

And since I clearly have time before rescue, I think, “Why not go bigger?” Enter: the Seamoth. The personal submersible of my dreams.

Building the Dream

The Mobile Vehicle Bay is first on the list. Titanium gathered, ingot forged, power cell crafted from the remains of old batteries. When it finally deploys and floats proudly on the surface, it feels like progress — real progress.

I climb aboard, ready to build my Seamoth, and immediately realise I’ve made a rookie mistake. No Titanium Ingot. Again. The ocean mocks me with its silence as I swim off once more, scavenging every bit of wreckage I can find.

Eventually, success. The Seamoth blueprint completes, and the little sub rises from the water like a gift from the deep. She’s beautiful — and mine. I climb in, listen to the AI purr, and feel an unfamiliar thing: hope.

There’s still time before the Sunbeam arrives. I point my Seamoth toward the landing site. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll make it in time to see the sky light up with something other than plasma fire.

Next: The Sky Burns

I set course for the island, my Seamoth slicing through the water like it was always meant to be there. The radio says twenty minutes until the Sunbeam arrives. The ocean says otherwise.

Continue the Journey:
Log 5: Waiting for the Sunbeam | Log 6

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🌊 Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 5: Scanners, Stalkers, and the Elusive Bay

“Sometimes survival means chasing blueprints you’ll never find and pretending the ocean isn’t full of things that want to hypnotise you.”

Platform: Steam Deck
Objective: Wait for the Sunbeam transmission and maybe, just maybe, build something that floats.

Exploration (a.k.a. Avoiding Impatience)

With nothing to do but wait for the Sunbeam’s next message, I decide to make the most of my surface time. I remember having another lifepod distress signal stored, so I tag it on my HUD and head out exploring. At first, the ocean feels empty — just me, the waves, and a slowly draining battery supply — but that doesn’t last long.

After a bit of aimless swimming, I finally stumble upon the final fragment for the Laser Cutter. I can practically hear the sound of sealed Aurora doors opening already. Victory, thy name is “I can finally cut stuff.”

In the midst of my excitement, I make the questionable decision to scan a Stalker. It could’ve gone wrong in a hurry, but apparently it was too busy minding its own business to care. A rare win for curiosity over self-preservation.

The Hunt for the Mobile Vehicle Bay

With the Laser Cutter blueprints ready, I set my sights on something even more crucial: the Mobile Vehicle Bay. I want my Seamoth — freedom in miniature submarine form. I head toward Lifepod 17 again, the same one that’s been testing my patience since last time.

Luck strikes early — I find two out of three pieces for the Bay in fairly quick succession. Naturally, that’s where the good fortune ends. The third? Nowhere to be seen. I comb the seabed, check every wreck, and even chase shadows thinking they might be fragments. Spoiler: they weren’t.

In true Subnautica fashion, my HUD decides to stop showing the lifepod marker mid-journey. A quick reset fixes it, but it doesn’t help my sense of direction — or my growing frustration. Ten to fifteen minutes later, I’m still empty-handed.

Strange Fish and Stranger Plants

To add to the ambience, I discover a few plants with anger issues and meet a Mesmer — a deceptively pretty fish that freezes you mid-swim while whispering sweet nonsense. The first time it happened, I couldn’t move, couldn’t think, and then suddenly — WHAM. Out of the trance, face-to-face with a glowing fish that definitely wanted me gone.

Thankfully, the Propulsion Cannon was in my hands. A single blast later, and the Mesmer was forcibly introduced to the local wall. Justice served.

Calling It a Night (Reluctantly)

As darkness falls, I decide to call it a day. Nighttime on this planet is truly pitch black, and I’m not wasting my last batteries trying to play deep-sea Marco Polo with blueprints. Still, it wasn’t a wasted trip — I unlocked a few new crafting recipes and gathered plenty of scan data for the databank. Just not the one blueprint I actually wanted.

Tomorrow, the ocean and I will have words. Preferably near the wrecks that have Mobile Vehicle Bay fragments.

Video Log

Continue the Journey

⟵ Log 4: The Cannon and the Leviathan |
Log 5.5: The Sunbeam’s Shadow ⟶

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