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simgrammar the grammar of simulation

core loop

dive from the lifepod -> gather resources and recover blueprints -> craft tools, vehicles, and base modules -> manage oxygen, food, and water -> dive deeper into new biomes and story sites -> build the means to escape the planet

design notes

Included as a boundary case: the map, story, and progression are hand-authored, and the simulated layer is a set of survival meters plus base power and fauna behavior. Oxygen is the distinctive meter because it ties survival to depth and distance from air, making range a resource. Mode settings remove meters to change genre: Freedom drops hunger and thirst, Creative drops all depleting stats, and Hardcore adds permanent death without low-oxygen warnings.

relations

9 stored edges
uses

Hand crafting

Gathered resources are crafted into tools, base parts, and submersibles from blueprints the player has recovered.

core
uses

Survival meters

Health, hunger, thirst, and oxygen deplete in Survival mode; oxygen limits each dive's depth and duration, Freedom mode removes hunger and thirst, and Creative removes all depleting stats.

core
uses

Day-night cycle

A day-night cycle and frequent eclipses change visibility.

supporting
uses
supporting
uses

Building placement

Bases are assembled from placed modules.

supporting
uses

Modding API

No official API; mods load through de facto loaders such as BepInEx.

supporting
uses

Permadeath

Optional in Hardcore mode.

supporting
uses

Power grid

Bases and vehicles need energy sources.

supporting
uses

Spoilage

Cooked fish spoils over time; cured fish does not.

supporting

sources

1
Wikipedia contributors (2026). Subnautica. Wikipedia

provenance

runs in log/runs
2026-10-24
created2026-10-24-catalog-gbcatalog
2026-10-25
reviewed2026-10-25-contributor-readinessmaintenance