Stranded Deep is set in the Pacific Ocean. The real world’s Pacific Ocean and all of its inhabitants heavily influence all flora and fauna in the game.
The plane's path marked on the displayed map, showing its current position.
The world of Stranded Deep is infinitely procedurally generated. This means players can travel in any direction forever and experience an endless variety of different biomes, including islands. When a new game is created a random series of numbers will be generated from a ‘seed’. This seed is used throughout that specific world’s generation. No two worlds are the same; no two biomes are the same.
Biomes
Biomes are generated in a grid-like formation. Each biome spans roughly 0.16 square miles, but can latch onto similar neighboring biomes to extend influence. As the player progresses through the world, other biomes will seamlessly generate and integrate with the world, creating the illusion of a seemingly endless ocean.
Island
The Islands are a player’s safe haven, supplying various limited resources that will have to be rationed, as well as several vantage points from where one would be able to oversee the vast ocean. Islands are home to a variety of wildlife such as crabs, reef fish and the Tiger Shark.
Shallow
The Shallow biome is a lush reef covered in shallow waters. Ocean trenches and deep pits are common within the shallows. Shallow biomes are home to the tiger shark and reef fish.
Sand Plains
Sand plains are flat, sandy deep waters that are often also home to the tiger shark. Sea forts are known to spawn here.
Barren
Barren biomes are a vast seabed of dead corals and rocky structures. True to its name, not much life is ever seen in these biomes, but some small fish are seen passing through,
Deep Sea
Deep sea biomes are just as they sound. Players will not be able to see the ocean floor and are suspended above what appears to be an endless spiral to the center of the earth. Deep sea biomes are home to the Humpback Whale, and large fish such as the Great White Shark. Edible fish such as the Pacific Cod and the Giant Bass are also seen in abundance in the lower depths. The heads of sea mines are also known to spawn under the Deep Sea. Other objects such as buoys can also be spotted on the surface.
Exploring the depths of the Deep Sea could potentially be a mildly scary experience to players who have not grown accustomed to the sight of a seemingly vast and endless aquatic environment.
Sea Floor
The sea floor is just as the name suggests: it is the very bottom of the ocean. It is here where the base of the sea mines and UFOs spawn. Because any natural light is unable to pass through these depths, the Sea Floor is considered the darkest location in the whole game and it is practically impossible to see unless a player brings a light source such as a torch, flare, lighter or flashlight. In addition, it takes an extended amount of time to reach the bottom, requiring the player to bring an air tank or two if they ever decide to dive deep. Some players may find it hard to cope with the intense lack of light in the Sea Floor, and thus do not go exploring blindly in such depths.
Weather
Like one would find on the Pacific Ocean, the weather in Stranded Deep can change at the blink of an eye. Weather changes can be particularly deadly and disorienting when rafting across the open ocean.
One will mostly find sunny days, but rainy bouts are not uncommon. Rain causes a severe loss in visibility, and can seem too thick to tackle on the water when landmarks are far away, rendering them invisible. It is much easier for the player to keep their bearings straight if they wait out the storm on land, lest they risk getting lost or stalked by a hungry predator. In the current version, the player can quit and reload to get rid of the rain.
Fog is also sometimes encountered, but is rarer than rainstorms. Fog is very similar to rain in that it will greatly impair the player's ability to see and navigate, but is a much quieter and sometimes eerie experience.
If one goes deep-sea diving during bad weather, they will find that underwater expeditions can be an exceptionally eerie, if not mildly frightening experience, as the player's vision is greatly impaired by the darker environments, which could potentially disorient and confuse the player if they are not holding a light source or if they swim too far out from land.
Inclement weather can be especially troublesome at night, but luckily it never lasts very long. When in doubt, one should stick to the shore and keep warm by a fire.
Bugs/Exploits
- Currently, players can "reset" the weather by reloading the game. Doing so will remove any bad weather conditions and make it sunny.
Items
Items of differing kinds can be found during one's journey through the Pacific. They range from objects that can be used as crafting materials, to tools that can be used to aid in one's survival, to drivable vehicles.
There are several classes of items found in the game:
- Loot
Notes
- Islands in the game do not represent any real islands, even though the game is set in a real place. Any instances of islands looking similar to real islands are completely coincidental.
- When starting a new game, world seeds are possibly generated from the set time on the computer's built-in clock.