You got a real mail, from the game? How awesome is that?!
Yeah! The Internets don’t seem to know what all the numbers on the back of the card are for yet, one of them might be a code to redeem something.
The next update is called ‘Next’, and has a vague date - Summer. It’s the largest one yet, apparently. And there are more free updates to come! And seems they’ll be funding that with an Xbox version!
But why…
I’m excited. More/better No Man’s Sky is a good thing in my book.
Great news!
I had so much fun when I played it after the last big update. Actually quite a memorable experience. I really need to get back to my game and explore further. The survival mode was such a fun way to play this game and I love the mystery that permeates everything. One of my favorite games of the last year in terms of memories that it creates.
Yeah I’m real keen and will be back in for sure. Love it! Will be interesting to see what they’ve been working on this time around.
Count me in among those excited for more NMS content. I really like this game, especially after that last major patch.
So um, not to be that guy, but as someone who was very interested in this prior to it’s release, then turned off immensely by the release drama and lack of content, I’m curious:
Would you all who have played and/or are still playing recently say that the game is markedly better at this point? It sounds like they’ve added quite a bit of content and refined the gameplay since release. What are your thoughts on the state of the game now?
Also, would it run/look decent on a 1050Ti 4GB in 1080?
I still really like the idea of this game, and am wondering if now might be the time to jump in if it goes on sale in the near future.
Honestly I would wait for this Summer patch, as it will only make things even better. But to your question, yes it’s a decent game. Exploration and crafting are the strong parts. It’s true that after awhile it all seems kind of samey, but it held my interest for over 60 hours. The story… well it’s weird. Some like it, some don’t, so if you’re all about that, use caution. I think it’s one of those games that watching a couple of Let’s Plays will give you a real good idea if it’s for you or not.
I’ll defer to others on the graphics question, since I’m not a hardware guy at all.
I think that NMS is either a love it or hate it game with little middle-ground.
I started on a Survival mode play and I found that really exciting. I started on a pretty hostile planet and the first several hours of playing involved just trying to survive. I had to think very strategically about how I would get to the next little outpost area, node of resources, or safe indoor environment and they were not even that far apart (sometimes just 50-100 meters away). That was a fun challenge, but might seem frustrating to some.
In some ways the game is still sparse. You have to be okay with a quieter, more spartan experience. Sometimes gameplay is walking long distances and collecting resources as you go. It is less focused on action and dramatic pacing. I like all of that because Survival conjures the feeling of playing a STALKER game…the long walks in hostile alien environments with bizarre discoveries dotted about the landscape. This is a game that is demands an interest in exploration and a lot of imagination to fill in the aspects the game leaves unanswered. I love games that make me feel lonely (STALKER, Dear Esther, Firewatch, Metro 2033, Amnesia, Betrayer, etc.) and this game does a tremendous job of imparting that eerie feeling and state of mind.
Playing on Survival (or other hard modes) stretches out the upgrade process a bit, but I find that helps reduce the quality of “sameness” that some complain about. If you go on easy mode and just rapidly jump from planet to planet you will start seeing repeating themes in time. With Survival each planet is a memorable struggle that takes time to reach an equilibrium of endurance/subsistence and eventually take off from the planet. I still remember vividly the first Hoth-like frozen wasteland I started on barely holding on to a thread of life. Each planet leaves just as strong an impression if you take the time to explore, exist, and seek out some of the mysteries or story.
They are porting NMS to NeXTSTEP! Awesome!
I was really dismayed by the developer and how they handled communication around release (some of my posts in this thread will attest to that). But they’ve completely turned it around with the content updates so far, and if that trend continues with the “NEXT” update it could be incredible.
It’s still a slower-paced exploration game where you need to be in the right mindset to just chill out, see the sights, and hop from planet to planet, but there’s a whole lot more going on now while you’re doing all that, a lot more variety in what you can see and do during that process, and the UI has been nicely cleaned up too.
I can recommend it unreservedly at this point, even without this upcoming update, and I can’t wait to see what that update brings.
Several of you have made the comment that it’s a chill, exploration-based experience, which puts me in mind of Subnautica somewhat. I know there’s a crazy amount of difference between the two (‘small’ and handcrafted vs infinite algorithm, for example), but how do you think they currently compare in that regard (for anyone who’s played both recently)?
Well I’ve only played both of them over a year ago, so as exactly not who you’re soliciting an opinion from, Subnautica seemed like a panicky, survival, gets scarier as you go experience. Beautiful and at times the swimming in the safe area could be described as chill, but mostly it looked like a game that got dangerous quickly.
NMS looked chill as far as the eye could see, by comparison.
Subnautica is much more focused, and its handcrafted nature makes it a more rounded, emotionally connecting experience. NMS and its procedurally-generated nature are in some ways the complete opposite of Subnautica.
That said, there are these moments where you see something for the first time, that feeling of simultaneous awe and slight terror before the unknown, that impulse to go and find out what it’s all about - that you might find in both games. I played Subnautica after NMS and sometimes I had the same feeling in both. If you like that kind of feeling, and if you’re willing to put up with some nonsensical and repetitive things in NMS due to its procedural nature, you’ll nonetheless be able to have that kind of experience.
If what you appreciate in Subnautica is its “tightness”, there’s a chance NMS will be terrible for you. But if what you like in Subnautica is that first time experience, the feeling of exploring and finding new things… then NMS could well be a game you’ll love.
Thanks all. Sounds like I should jump on NMS next time it’s on sale. I’m hoping maybe it will be a Humble Monthly headliner here in the next couple of months. If not, there is always the Steam Summer Sale.
I do like chill exploration games. One of the things I enjoyed most about Minecraft was discovering a new area, be it a windswept plain with a village, a creepy mine/dungeon at the back of a cave, or breaking through several layers of rock to discover caverns lit by lava with gems and precious metals sparkling from every surface. Sounds like No Man’s Sky provides much the same feeling.
NMS is great. I don’t play it any more, but my time spent was not wasted. It was indeed a very chill and pleasant Roger Dean universe generator.
I just say this. I bought NMS on release on Steam. When it got a 50% sale on GOG, I bought it again to have it DRM-free. That’s how much I like it. ;)