Your First Game!


Subvein HUD FAQ 1

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1: Your little dude.

Welcome to your first game of Subvein! The screen above is what you might expect to see when you first join a server. Here you have spawned on the Scientist's team and the map is BX_Farm. As a result your character will be wearing yellow and standing in the Scientist's spawn zone.



2: Bad guys.

You joined at an exciting time - the Rebels are storming your base! Next to you there is a naughty Rebel character wearing purple. He's on the opposite team to you and deserves a good ass kicking. You can also see that he's about to grab his flag and return it to his base, which is bad. There are a lot of weapons lying around on the ground, so walk up to one, pick it up by pressing E and kill him!



3: Buy Guns tab.

If there are no free weapons lying around nearby you should probably buy a gun - the starting pistol is useful at times, but weak. Because you're in your spawn zone the "Buy Guns (B)" tab appears up the top of the screen. To buy a gun simply press B and purchase a weapon. Some weapons will be too expensive to buy right now, so get a cheap one. More on that later.



4: Unlock Skills tab.

Now that you have a weapon the only thing left to do is unlock some skills. You get skill points whenever you mutate, which happens when you kill people. Whenever you have unspent skill points the "Unlock Skills (N)" tab will appear up the top. You can see this now, so press N to unlock some skills. Once you've unlocked some skills you can use them by right clicking. Another thing to notice is everyone's head gear. Right now you look kinda noobish because we can see your blond hair. Once you unlock some skills your headgear will change depending on what skill tree your focusing on.



5: Chat.

Here you can see the chat log. To chat to the entire server press Y. To chat to your teammates only, press T.



6: Status effects.

This is where any status effects on your character are shown. The symbol shows the status and the timer shows how many seconds remain. Here you can see the Shield status, which makes you invulnerable. It's important to know that you receive about 10 seconds of invulnerability everytime you respawn. This gives you plenty of time to purchase your weapons and get ready to fight, so don't panic!



7: In-game help.

Keep an eye on this text here for in-game help. Right now it's telling you how to unlock skills. It will also warn you when your health is low, you are encumbered, or when you have attacked a team-mate.



8: Player stats.

Here you can see your health, your stamina, your mutation level, your respect and your credits. These stats define your character. Your mutation is your level; it makes you more powerful and unlocks a new skill point everytime you level up. Get mutation by killing other players. Your respect is your rank within your gang; a high respect will unlock cool features and abilities like missions and vehicles. Get more respect by killing members of the opposite team. Credit is the currency of Subvein and is used to buy better weapons and bigger vehicles. Get credits by completing missions and killing other players. For more information on all these, read on!



9: Extraction info.

The server you've joined is playing the Extraction game mode. This is similar to Capture the Flag found in many other games. Here you see that the Scientist team (yellow) has already extracted the first flag, while the Rebels (purple) haven't extracted any so far. The first team to extract all 5 flags wins the round, so don't let that Rebel next to you get away!



10: Mission info.

Missions are one of the benefits of having a high respect level and can be completed to earn extra credits. Currently we only have a respect level of 1 so only the first mission is available. It's called Pistol Practice and all you have to do to complete it is deal 300hp worth of damage by using pistol. Upon completing the mission you'll be rewarded 6000 credits!




Your Second Game!


Subvein HUD FAQ 2

Click the image above to enlarge it.



1: Your massive dude.

You'ved joined your second game and this time you're kicking ass! You're on the Rebel team now. You know how to buy weapons, you know how to unlock and use skills and you're dominating the battlefield. Here you're using the Bullet Time skill. Bullet Time is an active skill that you can cast that causes all bullets around you to slow down. You're now using it expertly to dodge incoming fire and slaughter your enemies unharmed.



2: Mercenaries.

Here we see another player who you're currently firing upon. He's using the Blade Fury skill and if you let him get too close to you those blades will rip you to apart. More importantly though is that he's a mercenary. This is a special 3rd team in Subvein which isn't really a team at all - mercenaries have no allies. They're in a permanent free for all and can attack anyone, so watch out.



3: The Minimap.

This is the minimap. Simple stuff.



4: Skill info.

The skill tab shows you information about your currently selected active skill. As mentioned before you're using Bullet Time. The top bar is your energy bar and the bottom bar is the recharge bar. Both bars have to be full to use the skill. Right now we can see you have enough energy to cast Bullet Time, but you can't cast it just yet because it's still recharging. Also notice the status effect just above showing that your Bullet Time will last for another 1.9 seconds until it runs out.



5: Weapon info.

This tab shows you information about the weapon you're holding. Currently you're holding an AK47; lots of recoil but when used right its deadly over long distances. Information is displayed here such as when you're reloading and how much ammo you have.



6: Battle info.

In your first game you played the Extraction game mode. Now you're playing Battle. The battle game mode is simply a race to meet the required mutation, respect and credits. The first person to meet all 3 requirements wins. This tab shows you who's leading in each category and how close they are to completing it. The required stats vary from server to server, each with it's own unique and stategic game plan.



7: Super weapons.

Here you can see a Minigun lying on the ground. This is one of the most powerful weapons in the game and costs 100000 credits! Keep an eye out for these weapons and pick them up whenever you get the chance... it's much cheaper than buying one yourself.



8: Selecting skills.

You can select different skills by pressing Z, F or the middle mouse button. Your active skills are displayed up the top here to show you if you can use them and what key they're under. Because Bullet Time is still recharging it is displayed in red; meaning you have to wait for a bit before you can recast it.



9: Selecting weapons.

You can select weapons with the number keys or the mouse wheel. All weapons currently in your inventory are displayed up the top here, showing you what key they are under. Your knife is always with you and can be selected immediately by pressing 1. Grenades are also selected by pressing 1. Pistols are under 2, SMGs and Shotguns are under 3, Rifles and Machine Guns are under 4, and Snipers are under 5.



10: Kill log.

It only seems appropriate to finish with the kill log. Afterall, killing bad guys is what it's all about. The kill log displays who's killed who, and with what weapon. For even more detail on Subvein, keep reading.




Game Overview


What is Subvein?

Subvein is a top-down multiplayer action game. It's super fun. You can buy weapons, mutate to develop powerful skills, progress through the ranks in opposing gangs, earn credits by doing missions and more. Subvein combines fast paced action with strategic character development to keep you playing for hours.



Who am I?

You play as a mutant - the failed experiment of a top-secret reanimation project. Half man, half machine, you're pissed off and ready to kick some ass. You play in an online server and can join the Rebels (purple), the Scientists (yellow), or go solo as a mercenary (dark red).



How do I move and stuff?

For a full list of all the controls avaliable to you check out the CONTROLS tab in game. If you're too lazy to do that however, here are a few of the main default controls you'll need to know:


Move with the WASD keys. Sprint with SHIFT, jump with SPACE, crouch with CONTROL.


Left Click to fire your weapon. To reload press R, to drop press G, and to pick up weapons press E.


To use a skill, Right Click. To select skills click the Mouse Wheel, press F, or cycle through skills with Z.



How do I buy weapons?

To purchase a weapon stand in your spawn zone and press B. Select the weapon you want with the mouse or number keys, and then Left Click.



What's up with skills and mutation?

As we all know, mutants are totally badass and have super powers. You gain experience by killing other mutants. Everytime you level up and mutate, you get to invest a new skill point. In game you can press N to bring up the SKILLS tab (under the PLAYER tab), and unlock a new skill. If you unlocked an active skill, you can then use it by Right Clicking in game.



How about gangs and respect?

There are two rival gangs in Subvein; the Rebels and the Scientists. You can improve your respect within the gang by killing members of the opposite gang. What's so great about respect? Well it gives you special privileges. One example is that you unlock a new mission for each respect level. You can then attempt that mission to earn heaps of credits.



What are gangsters?

Gangsters are AI controlled bots who belong to either the Scientist or Rebel gangs. They will fire at members of the opposite gang on sight. They won't fire at you if you're a mercenary however. Gangsters will defend your base, make good targets for missions, and most importantly are a good source of respect when you kill them.



What can I use credits for?

Credits are the currency in Subvein and you earn it through killing others and doing missions. If you have a lot of credits you can buy better weapons to get the edge in battle.




Weaponry


How do I buy weapons again?

After dying you will respawn in your team's spawn zone. Whenever you're in your spawn zone the 'Buy Guns' tab will appear at the top of your HUD. This indicates that you can buy weapons by pressing the buy key (default is B) and using the mouse or number keys to select the weapon of your choosing. Left Click to purchase the weapon once you've selected it.



Why can't I buy certain weapons?

If you can't purchase a weapon it's because you don't have enough credits or you already have full ammo for that weapon. The required credits are shown up the top right of the buy menu. If it's grayed out then you don't have enough. Alternatively, if you already own that weapon and have full ammo, then it will display FULL and also be grayed out.



How do I buy ammo?

The weapons in Subvein use clips that are discarded everytime you reload. As you run out of clips, you can return to your spawn zone and purchase more ammo. Simply select the weapon and purchase it to refill your ammo.



How do I use my weapon?

Left Click to fire your weapon. Press R to reload it, G to drop it, and E to pick it back up again. Information about your current weapon is displayed in the HUD down the bottom right corner of the screen. This lets you know your remaining ammo and shows you when you're reloading.



How do I select weapons?

By default you can select weapons with the number keys, the scroll wheel on your mouse, or by pressing ALT and clicking a weapon with the mouse. You can also press Q to switch to your previous weapon.



Why am I moving so slowly??

That would be because you're encumbered. Your character isn't strong enough to carry all your weapons. Every weapon has a weight, and this is displayed in brackets when you're selecting or buying weapons. If this number is red then it means you're encumbered and will move much slower. If you're encumbered you will need to drop some weapons until you're able to move fast again. As your mutation increases, so does your maximum weight capacity.




Mutation and Skills


What's mutation? How do I get it?

Mutation makes your player stronger and more powerful. As your mutation level increases, so do your max hitpoints, your max energy, your max capacity (for carrying weapons), your max sprint time and your skill points. As you kill other mutants, you'll gain experience. The amount of experience that you gain is equal to the mutation level of the player you kill. For example, killing a player with a mutation level of 23 will award you 23xp. When you get enough experience, your player will mutate and increase another muation level. You can tell the mutation level of another mutant by looking at the numbers floating above them. The first number in bright red shows their mutation level. The second number shows their gang respect (see RESPECT tab).



How do I unlock skills?

If you have any unspent skill points, the 'Unlock Skills' tab will appear in the top left of the HUD. If you then press the unlock skill button (default 'N') the menu will open up and you'll be in the SKILLS window. From there you can browse through the PHYSICAL, MENTAL, and CYBERNETIC windows until you find a skill you want. Select it and then click the LEVEL SKILL button. You can now return to the game by pressing ESC or the RETURN TO GAME button and use your skill.



How do I use my skills?

You can use active skills by Right Clicking. The skill will be used and you will lose a bit of energy, which will slowly replenish over time. You will need enough energy and the skill will have to recharge before you can use it again. This information is shown down the bottom left of the screen. When both bars are white, you can use the skill.



How do I select other skills?

Click the Mouse Wheel button or press F to bring up the skill selection window. From there selecting a skill is the same as selecting a weapon. You can also press Z to cycle through your skills, or you can quickly autocast a skill with the F-keys.



Why can't I select my skill??

You probably just unlocked a passive skill. Passive skills can't be used because they're always in affect in the background. Regeneration is a good example of this; it's always working in the background, and doesn't need to be cast.



What are synergies and skill trees?

The 3 skill trees are PHYSICAL, MENTAL, and CYBERNETIC. Physical skills are a result of mutations in your body. Mental Skills are a result of mutations of the mind. Cybernetic skills are a result of your body adapting to and utilising the cybernetic implants installed inside you. While you are allowed to unlock skills in any skill tree, you recieve significant benefits if you stick to just one. This comes in the form of synergies and unlocks. For every 10 skill points you invest into a skill tree, you gain an extra synergy point. You may then invest this synergy point into a skill allowing you to unlock it beyond the maximum level 10 limit. Furthermore, investing points into the same skill tree will increase it's overall level, allow you to unlock higher level skills within that tree. This information is displayed down the bottom right of the PHYSICAL, MENTAL, and CYBERNETIC skill tabs. As a result, you will often come across mutants who decided to specialise in one of the 3 skill trees. You can get a clue about what kind of skills they might have by looking at their head gear. If they wear a metal helmet, then they're specialising in Physical skills. This makes them similar to the typical tank or fighter class. If they wear the black hood, then they have more Mental skills than others, which makes them similar to a rogue class. Finally, players with wild and crazy hair are focusing in Cybernetic skills, and would be most similar to a wizard character in more traditional RPGs.




Respect and Missions


What's respect? How do I get it?

There are two rival gangs in Subvein; the Scientists (yellow) and the Rebels (purple). Your respect level is your status within your gang. As you kill members of the opposite team your respect level will increase. Having a higher respect level indirectly helps you in combat. One example is that it unlocks better missions, allowing you to earn more credits.



How do I complete missions?

Missions are simple yet challenging objectives that gang members can achieve while playing. Provided that you're not a mercenary, everytime you respawn all of your unlocked missions will become available for completion. Successfully completing a mission will earn you plenty of credits. The information about the missions you've unlocked is displayed one at a time in the HUD at the right of the screen. This will show you a description of the mission and a list of requirements that must be satisfied. If you successfully satisfy all these requirements, you will be paid handsomely for completing the mission.



How do I view missions?

You unlock a new mission everytime your respect increases. For example if you have a respect of 8, then you have access to the first 8 missions. These missions can be viewed in detail in the menu by going PLAYER > INFO. This information will display what your task is and how much credit you'll receive for completing it. In game, the mission tab on the right of the screen will by default display the mission which is closest to completion. To cycle through the display of your currently active missions, press the cycle missions key (default 'M').



What are mercenaries?

In some game modes you can switch teams to play as a mercenary. To switch teams, press ESC and go to the PLAYER tab. Then select the team you wish to respawn as and return to the game. Your character will be killed (if not already dead) and respawn on the desired team. A mercenary has no teammates and wears a dark red uniform. They are neutral and are effectively playing in a deathmatch. They cannot do not have access to any of the benefits of being in a gang, for example missions.



Why would I play as a mercenary?

As a mercenary you miss out on all the advantages of being in a gang and having respect. You also have no allies and cannot earn respect while playing as a mercenary. There are upsides however. AI controlled gangsters will leave you alone. More importantly though, the advantage of having no allies is that you don't suffer from friendly fire. As a mercenary you are free to kill whoever you want, which often provides you with more potential mutants to kill and thus a lot more experience to gain. And of course, sometimes it's just fun being able to run around shooting at anything that moves.



How about friendly fire?

Subvein handles friendly fire in a unique way. If someone on your team shoots you they will temporarily become a mercenary. The time that they stay as a mercenary depends on how much damage they dealt you and your respect level. This will usually only last for a few seconds, but it gives you a chance to get revenge without punishment. If you want, you can now shoot back and kill them without losing any respect points. As long as you kill them while they're a mercenary, you don't get punished.




Technical Questions


Why won't my game load?

Chances are you either need to reinstall the game or update your graphics drivers. Most likely the drivers.



My game runs so slow! WHY!?

If your game is running really slow (< 5fps) then chances are you graphics drivers aren't updated. Otherwise, your computer might just be old. If that's the case then try disabling some of the graphics features in the GAME OPTIONS tab. Disabling View Shadows will greatly improve your framerate. Playing in windowed mode with a smaller resolution speeds things up too.



Why can no one join my game?

A few possibilities. You may have to unblock Subvein or disable your firewall. More likely though, is that you haven't forwarded your ports. If you're behind a router you need to forward your ports to host a game. It's not difficult; the default port is 11235 and you can go to www.portforward.com for a quick and easy guide to port forwarding.



Does it work on Mac/Linux?

No, not yet. Subvein only works on windows at the moment. But it will be ported to other operating systems when it's finished. Some players have successfully got the game working with WINE though.



I have another problem...

That's fine. Just post a question in the relevant forum. We're a helpful bunch and someone will answer your question soon enough. Also, if you forget anything remember that this entire FAQ can be found in the game too, in the OPTIONS menu. Have fun!