Be advised: the Cyclops is designed to be operated by a three-person crew. Only experienced helms-people should attempt to pilot this vehicle solo.
― PDA, Dialogue
The
Cyclops is a player-controlled submarine that is constructed using the Mobile Vehicle Bay. It is equipped with a vehicle bay able to store a single smaller submersible, and can be modified with a range of different upgrades.
At 177 feet long, 39 feet wide and 45 feet tall, the Cyclops is the largest vehicle available and capable of diving to depths of 500 meters, or 1,700 meters with upgrades. It's essentially a mobile base, capable of being outfitted with furniture and other amenities using the Habitat Builder.
Overview
Access is obtained either via a dive chamber located at the bow of the keel or via the docking bay when piloting a Seamoth or Prawn Suit. It is equipped with an onboard AI that will warn the player of danger and a beacon allowing the player to locate it at a distance.
The player can customize the sub by constructing placeable items such as Fabricators or Lockers inside its many chambers, allowing it to act as a mobile seabase.
Blueprints
Unlike most other Blueprints, the player must find and scan three different sets of fragments in order to craft. These are:
- Cyclops Hull fragments (Sea Treader's Path, Floating Island and Mushroom Forest)
- Cyclops Engine fragments (Aurora, Wrecks, Mountain Island, Underwater Islands, and Jellyshroom Cave)
- Cyclops Bridge fragments (Sea Treader's Path, Mushroom Forest and Crash Zone)
Each set requires three fragments to be scanned in order to complete the component. Each component is shown individually in the PDA. Each completed component will progress the overall Cyclops blueprint by 33%; to fully complete the Cyclops blueprint, the player must find and scan nine fragments in total.
Features
The submarine is equipped with three external cameras which are operated via the HUD. These cameras are located on the keel, conning tower, and screw, which in non-nautical terms are below, above and at the rear of the submarine, respectively.
The Cyclops has three speed settings, from "Slow" up to "Flank", and each setting affects the amount of noise generated and, in turn, the attention drawn from hostile fauna. More information on noise can be found here: Noise
The Bridge is located at the bow of vessel and features a large domed glass port which is the primary viewing port for navigating.
A wall-mounted fire extinguisher can be located on the port wall and the player is able to access both the Upper midsection via a large bulkhead door and the keel via a dedicated ladder.
There are several different HUDs located here.
Much of the HUD available to the pilot is not visible until the player engages the controls. In addition, the speed settings are only visible on the HUD if the engine has been turned on. The Cyclops is incapable of movement if the engine is disabled, and will display "Engine off" in red on the HUD to remind the player.
On the left of the window, the player can view the current speed, noise and health of the vessel. Using the controls on the left, the player can turn the engine on or off and adjust the speed of the Cyclops. The controls on the right of the window allow the player to look through the external cameras, activate Silent Running and activate modules such as the Shield Generator, Sonar and Decoy Launcher.
Clicking the camera button will allow the player to control the external cameras, there are three in total; one under the keel, one on the back and one on the conning tower (Very top). These cameras are best used for navigating around obstacles and for checking for predators.
A hologram projector on the right of the window displays a hologram of the Cyclops, the locations of nearby hostile creatures and the scope of the noise emitted, represented by a blue sphere. Hostile creatures appear as red triangles if they are likely to attack the Cyclops, and yellow dots if they are ignoring the sub.
If the Cyclops is close to terrain, a warning will appear on the bridge window, showing where the terrain is relative to the Cyclops' hull.A hologram displaying a side-view Cyclops can be found on the port side of the bridge. The hologram displays the Cyclops' health bar at the top, and displays any leaks and fires in the sub along with the locations at which they occur. The Fire Suppression System can be activated from here if installed.
The starboard HUD offers several more controls. The player can use the panel on the left side to customize the external color scheme and set a custom name of up to 14 characters for the Cyclops to be displayed on its exterior starboard side and on its beacon.
The panel on the right side indicates the status of the exterior front-facing floodlights and internal lights. Both sets of lights can be toggled on and off using this panel.
The upper midsection of the vessel grants access to the Bridge via a single large circular airlock, and to the port and starboard sides of the engine room via two bulkhead doors.
The access port to the vehicle bay is located in the center of the large room and allows the player to disembark via a docked Seamoth or Prawn Suit.
A console is also located in this room, which allows the player to manage upgrade modules on a docked vehicle. The health and energy of the vehicle can also be viewed on this console.
This section is the largest open space on board. Thus it is a good place for the player to place large stationary items such as Fabricators, Lockers, or Indoor Growbeds.
The engine room is located at the stern of the vessel. The engine takes up almost all of the space in the room, leaving only a narrow passageway at either end for the player to walk down.
This is where the 'Cyclops' six Power Cells are located, three on either side of the engine. The player can check the charge status of each Power Cell and remove or replace them with LMB.
The Cyclop' upgrade fabricator is located on the starboard hull. It functions similarly to the upgrade fabricator in the Vehicle Upgrade Console and Scanner Room, allowing the player to craft dedicated Cyclops upgrade modules, which can be installed at the upgrade console located in the port side of the engine room.
A wall-mounted fire extinguisher can be found on the port outer wall.
The player can dock a Seamoth or Prawn Suit within the Cyclops by approaching the middle of the keel, similar to the Moonpool. There is only space for one vehicle to be docked at a time.
Seamoths and Prawns will recharge while docked, draining power from the Cyclops' power cells.The keel section of the Cyclops has five built-in Storage Lockers, each containing 18 (3x6) units of space. The diving chamber is located here, which allows the player to embark and disembark from the vessel through a hatch.
Cyclops Recipe
Cyclops Fabricator Recipes (expand)
Must:
The built-in Cyclops' upgrade fabricator has the ability to craft the 8 upgrade modules listed below.
×4
Energy
The submarine is powered via power cells and can have up to six installed; standard power cells allow for a total of 1200 units of energy, while ion power cells supply 6000 units. The individual cells are drained sequentially during use. When the power is depleted, illumination will go dark, oxygen production will cease and appliances cannot be used.
The Cyclops' engine consumes energy when moving/turning (but not if just standing still). Silent Running, Shield Generator, and Sonar functions consume energy while activated. Any placeable items that require an external power source in order to function will also consume the Cyclops' energy. The different speed settings (Slow, Standard, Flank) affect the rate of energy consumption, which can be found below:
| Speed | Energy Consumption Rate (Units/Min) |
Velocity (Meters/Sec) |
Efficiency (Meters/Unit) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahead Slow | 9 units/min | 7 m/sec | 45 m/unit |
| Ahead Standard | 20 units/min | 9 m/sec | 27 m/unit |
| Ahead Flank | 40 units/min | 10 m/sec | 16 m/unit |
Movement in multiple directions (moving forward while turning, or moving forward while turning and diving) will increase the rate at which energy is drained. The Engine Efficiency Module decreases total energy consumption by 200% when installed. These don't stack. The interior and exterior illumination does not consume energy. Exiting the vehicle will not disable the engine, but the lights will still be left on.
The Cyclops' power supply will be more quickly consumed if a Seamoth or a Prawn is in the docking bay. They recharge at the same rate as if their power cells were in a Power Cell Charger.
Fabrication and Appliances
The Cyclops can be further customized using placeable items constructed with the Habitat Builder. Any Fabricators, Modification Stations, Battery Chargers or Power Cell Chargers built in the Cyclops will draw from the power supply. Other items―such as Lockers, Aquariums and Interior Growbeds―can also be placed, which can be very useful for growing and storing food and materials on Survival mode for long-term sustenance when away from a seabase for extended periods of time.
Appliances can be used even if the engine is disabled. Energy-consuming appliances cannot be used if the Cyclops onboard supply is exhausted.
Damage and Destruction
The Cyclops is equipped with an "overshield". This absorbs all damage taken by the Cyclops when the submarine has more than 80% of its health, and will prevent hull breaches from occurring. When the overshield has absorbed damage, it will deplete, but slowly recharge on its own while the Cyclops' hull is completely intact (i.e. has not taken any damage past 80%).
Note: When the player uses the command damagesub in the console, the Cyclops will take 400 damage.
While approaching the 500 meters threshold, an AI alert will be given, "WARNING: Approaching crush depth of 500 meters. Hull damage imminent! Ascend ASAP!"
Below 500 meters depth, the Player will be alerted by the on-board AI stating, "PASSING SAFE DEPTH." Below this depth, collisions with the terrain will result in hull damage, reducing the total health. Hull breaches can also occur if the Cyclops is attacked by a group of predators.
Hull breaches are found on the outside of the Cyclops and can be repaired with the Repair Tool. The hologram on the left side of the bridge will mark where hull breaches are located.
If damage continues, fires will start in random locations, and will spread if not extinguished. These fires will cause additional damage (if the player is on-board), reduce visibility and begin hurting and suffocating the player. Small fires can sometimes be extinguished automatically. If the Cyclops Fire Suppression System is equipped and activated, it will close and lock all bulkheads and a blue light will flash. A few seconds later, all fires will be extinguished and the smoke will evacuate. The Suppression System will need time to recharge before it can be used again.
The Cyclops Depth Module MK1, MK2 and MK3 upgrades allow the player to increase the crush depth to 900m, 1,300m and 1,700m respectively. Players should note that this means that a fully upgraded Cyclops will be capable of travelling far below the Seamoth's maximum crush limit of 900m.
Piloting the sub in Flank speed for more than 20 seconds will cause the engine to overheat, after which point there is a chance for a fire to start every 2 seconds.
If the submarine receives critical damage, it will explode. The Cyclops' AI will warn the player prior to this explosion, providing time to exit the submarine. Upon explosion:
- Any docked Seamoth or Prawn Suit will be destroyed.
- Any placeable items, such as Fabricators, Power Cell Chargers and lockers, will remain and can be emptied/deconstructed.
- The contents of the built-in lockers and the upgrades panel will remain and can be retrieved, as can the fire extinguishers from their wall mounts.
- A small amount of Metal Salvage and Computer Chips will be scattered around the location.
- If the player is on board at the time, they will be killed.
- A wreck will remain, which will have openings in the bridge, vehicle bay, and tail for access.
- A Beacon is deployed at the location of the wreck.
Noise
Noise will draw hostile creatures' attention to the Cyclops. The more noise the sub is generating, the greater the range from which aggressive creatures will be drawn attack the sub. The amount of noise generated is dependent on several factors.
The different speed settings will cause the sub to emit noise, with Slow emitting the least amount of noise and Flank emitting the most. You can see this visualized on the radar on your right by a faint blue sphere. This blue sphere represents space, where creatures can hear you and will start attacking you. All hostile creatures, that could possibly damage the Cyclops, are marked by the yellow color. When they start to hear your noise, they appear red on the radar. It is advised that whenever you are heard by a leviathan class predator you should switch to Flank speed and escape (excluding Reefbacks and Sea Treaders.
The external floodlights do not affect the amount of noise the Cyclops generates, but cannot be on when Silent running is active.
Activating Silent Running will suppress 50% of all noise being emitted by the sub until the player deactivates it. Silent Running drains 5 energy every 5 seconds while it is active. This power drain is not affected by the Cyclops Engine Efficiency Module.
Disabling the engine, or staying completely still with Silent Running on, will stop the Cyclops from emitting noise completely. Silent Running will still drain power even if the engine is disabled.
Hostile Fauna
| Fauna | Biome |
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Audio
These tracks will only play if there is a fire on board the Cyclops.
Future Plans
- The Cyclops may have the ability to be docked to seabases.[1]
Data Bank Entry
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The cyclops is the most popular and reliable deep-sea submersible in the galaxy. By comparison to the competition it can be crewed by just one pilot, hence the name. It features:
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Gallery
Bridge
Pilot HUD
Upper Midsection
Engine Room
Keel Section
Vehicle Bay
Trivia
- Sometimes when entering the Cyclops, the AI will say "You are the best captain on this planet, I'm not even squidding." This is a reference to the player being the only human and pilot of a Cyclops on the planet, as well as being both a pun on "kidding" and a reference to real-life squids, which can be found in bodies of water here on Earth, considering that 4546B is a mostly ocean-covered planet.
References
- ↑ https://trello.com/c/Hg1gT7QR/193-cyclops-dock Dated August 25th, 2016.