No Man's Sky

[deanb]

So this is a game that seems to have a fair bit of hype and I'm not sure on the why. The whole "procedural" stuff with a billion planets n what not seems a bit silly given there's no way anyone will visit that much places, and on top of that after a while it'll seem quite samey I'd imagine. It's also hardly like Minecraft (That I've seen so far) in being able to sculpt the worlds to your will, you mainly seems to just be flying around from planet to planet, popping out for a jog, then off to the next one.

 

The current hype just seems...strange. Anyone that's hyped for it care to help me understand why it gained seemingly sudden hype?

 

(I'll load in some of the recent trailers when I'm home)

[Mister Jack]

I'm just as confused as you are, man.  I think people are hearing "billions of worlds" and getting all excited without stopping to think of what that really means.  Oooh, the dinosaurs on this planet are red!  The ones on the last planet were yellow!  How exciting!

[SomTervo]

I agree very much with this.

 

There's an excellent Neogaf page here, which details most of how the game will work from boot up to probably your first 10-15 hours of gameplay. It does sound compelling to begin with, but I can imagine my experience being similar to Minecraft - love the first few hours while survival is a struggle, but once set up and secure, descend into unbearable, incurable boredom. (Edit: I write my way out of this opinion by the end of the post...)

 

I'm excited for the game, but will definitely be waiting for reviews. At this stage, it looks like it will be a phenomenal simulation with nothing to do. This is excepting very basic character progression/levelling up and some decent background story (which they say will take 40 hours to complete minimum, but with such basic mechanics, how the hell will this be engaging for 40+ hours?!).

 

So there are millions of procedurally generated worlds. Okay - that means it's physically impossible for us to see them all, so the number is basically irrelevant. World discovery may even be rendered meaningless as a game mechanic - the 'I can't possibly see all of this so why bother exploring, I'll just find what I need' effect.

 

It seems like the game is being made for people who want to be able to get in a ship and go find new planets, have a look around, record the info there, get bored, leave for a new planet, find a new planet, have a look around... Repeat. Ad infinitum. If the planets are almost all procedurally generated, surely most of them will be empty of meaningful content. IIRC wildlife on the planets are created by mixing together several templates, based on planetary info. If there are millions of planets, I'd like to know how many wildlife variations there are.

 

There are also the hostile robot NPCs on certain planets who will act like 'police'.

 

I think the gradual progression from being on the fringe of the galaxy to jumping nearer and nearer to its centre, finding secrets and new places and portals, could indeed be very exciting. They said it'll get much, much harder towards the centre of the galaxy, so I guess if you want a challenging survival experience you'll always be able to just rock in and try your luck. I love the idea of escaping a planet being difficult, though I'm not sure what they meant by this!

Edited December 11, 2014 by kenshi_ryden

[TCP]

I'm going to quote myself from the status updates here....

 

While No Man's Sky will, apparently, have some sort of combat and a goal to reach the centre of the galaxy, for me, that's not necessary. This game could play one giant Proteus and that would still be awesome. There's no reason exploration can't be a games main focus, instead of shooting things / leveling up / whatever.

 

But this is coming from a guy who's favourite thing to do in Minecraft, Skyrim, Red Dead, etc was exploration. If you don't have the patience for something like that, or you find that "boring", than No Man's Sky is probably not your thing!

Edited December 11, 2014 by The Cowboy Poet

[madbassman39]

I'm excited for it because it's a space ship sim game, with some inter planetary exploration. I guarantee I'm going to probably not stick with this game for long unless there is more to do than to just visit planets.

 

Combat exists in the game it seems, but that is clearly not the point.

 

I'm just excited to see a beautiful game that I can fly a space ship around and land on planets and look at new and interesting wild life. I'll play it for a few weeks, and every time I feel like jumping in and just going I'll do it. If there are any objectives I'll probably enjoy those.

 

I already own and play Elite: Dangerous, so my need for a space sim have been met, but I want something with some planetary exploration and this looks to be just about what I want. I know I'll buy this and Star Citizen and look at the EVE Valkyrie, but thats because I want to be in space all the time.

[TheFlyingGerbil]

Isn't there a black hole at the centre of every galaxy? That doesn't seem like something you'd want to head toward.

[Mal]

You know what will be neat? If they add in some denser planets to explore and really sink your teeth into. These worlds could tie into the overall story/plot of whatever the hell is in the center of the galaxy. Since it is preset, I imagine the way to find the planets is to get lucky with random planets that provide clues to where they are. It could be a community thing since there is not way around the metagame. This is from the impressions that I got that the galaxy you are in is the very same one for everybody else. To me this would add a nice extra layer to the progression. So far it really not that different from say Minecraft where you do random shit till you are able to find and enter the End. You can easily get burnt out on the quest to get to the End. I imagine the same for the center of the galaxy.

 

 

Isn't there a black hole at the centre of every galaxy? That doesn't seem like something you'd want to head toward.

You know what, fuck my original comment... it's too spoiler-y no matter how I word it.

 

But yes, there generally seem to be a black hole in the center of every galaxy. You're a space faring race with FTL travel. I think you can handle a black hole.

Edited December 11, 2014 by MaliciousH

[Pojodin]

The music seems pretty sweet. I was at the Playstation Experience and they had a concert (A Night Under No Man's Sky) where they played songs that will be in the game while showing gameplay videos projected in the background. I don't think I'll be getting the game, but this definitely provides a lot of exploration for those who enjoy it. The sheer scope and magnitude of the game is insane.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Pojodin

[Mister Jack]

I'm not saying exploration is a bad thing or that it's uninteresting, but exploring for the sake of exploration isn't going to hold a game up in the long term.  There has to be some kind of goal or something to do for it to keep being fun.  If the game has no goal, then it should encourage sandbox play by providing you with building or customization tools.  Minecraft is totally not my thing, but I absolutely understand why others enjoy it.  However, unless there's some secret gameplay element we haven't heard about yet, No Man's Sky is not a sandbox.  Sandboxes have sand in them.  No Man's Sky is more like...a museum.  You can look but you can't touch, and while that's fine for a brief visit, there's not much reason to keep coming back once you've seen everything, and I promise you that repetition will set in sooner rather than later.

 

This is just my personal opinion, but I'd take 10 static, thoughtfully designed planets over a billion randomly generated ones.

[CorgiShinobi]

I also throw my hat into the "I don't get it" camp. Ditto to what Jack said, and everyone else's comment with Minecraft.

 

Honestly, even if it was like Rust but on a more unified global environment where different regions had different sections of the same galaxy, that would be pretty cool. Still would need something to do, but at least there would be some significance to the planets other than "it's so big with the billions and billions we have!"

[SomTervo]

You know what will be neat? If they add in some denser planets to explore and really sink your teeth into. These worlds could tie into the overall story/plot of whatever the hell is in the center of the galaxy.

 

There are these. Did anyone read the link I posted above on GAF? There are portals which will jump you to central-galaxy locations, which are hand-crafted and fill in backstory/story/universe.

 

I'm not saying exploration is a bad thing or that it's uninteresting, but exploring for the sake of exploration isn't going to hold a game up in the long term.  There has to be some kind of goal or something to do for it to keep being fun.

 

There is also this. There is a story, a mythology which apparently covers the whole galaxy, and planets/progression which will be similar to 'missions' or 'levels' as you get closer to the centre of the galaxy, revealing plot/exposition as you go. Reaching the centre is your objective and the game tells you that - but the centre is apparently very difficult to survive in (lots of toxic planets/radiation/more threats), so you'll have to spend a lot of time upgrading your gear and exploring just to make money before you can actually get close to the centre - close to 'finishing' the game. You also need to earn enough to upgrade your hyperdrive and buy enough fuel to make bigger jumps inwards.

 

I'm not necessarily defending the thing, but there is info about what you can/will do in No Man's Sky, which people seem to be ignoring.

 

That said, it is a strange title and it might be an absolutely tedious turd which nobody can stand. Heck, it might not even be very playable. I've seen nothing suggesting the moment-to-moment gameplay loops are in any way fun.

Edited December 12, 2014 by kenshi_ryden

[Baconrath]

╔═════════════════ ೋღ☃ღೋ ═════════════╗
       ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Repost this if ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
       ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ you are a beautiful strong man ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
       ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ who don’t need no sky ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
╚═════════════════ ೋღ☃ღೋ ═════════════╝

[TheMightyEthan]

You can't take the sky from me.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

The music seems pretty sweet.

 

Start listening to 65daysofstatic from the start of their discography. Do it.

 

 

Still would need something to do

 

Filthy fucking casual

[CorgiShinobi]

 

 

 

Still would need something to do

 

Filthy fucking casual

 

 

Take a guy to dinner first if ya want to talk dirty.

 

 

Otherwise, I've read about game and it still seems like Minecraft in Space. Personally I'm tired of resource farming after playing games with the mechanic the last few years. Perhaps it will be more impressive than how it all sounds, but I would need to see it in action. I swear, if I see someone chopping a down a tree with a chopping ax, my mind is made up.

[SomTervo]

Yeah, in terms of 'do what you will, survive' yeah it's Minecraft In Space. I'm okay with that but can totally see why many might not be.

 

Re the actual mechanic, there won't be any tree chopping. Apparently all the resource gathering is close to how XP is handled in Minecraft.

 

In NMS if you blow stuff up (mining!) or kill stuff or do anything, it'll immediately turn into money and go into your account. And money is the only thing you use to upgrade yourself, ship, buy fuel, etc. Money is the only player-held resource and the only thing you gain from doing stuff. I imagine you could blow up trees or use some melee thing to chop them down... But there's no crafting. It would be a physical exercise.

 

But aye, I get your feels on the whole.

Edited December 16, 2014 by kenshi_ryden

[Strangelove]

I can see all the future quotes now - "biggest dissapointment since Destiny."

[SomTervo]

Wouldn't be surprised, tbh!

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

I can see all the future quotes now - "biggest dissapointment since Destiny."

 

I think that's because people are having the completely wrong expectations for this one.

[Pojodin]

 

I can see all the future quotes now - "biggest dissapointment since Destiny."

 

I think that's because people are having the completely wrong expectations for this one.

 

Agreed. It's not going to be an overly complex game that focuses on details. I'm kind of thinking along the lines of Shadow of the Colossus in the sense that the colossi are the objectives and there were the trials at the end /the secret garden at the top of the tower. Other than that, there were a lot of landscapes and environments to explore with lizards and fruits to find. I'm imaging this will be structurally similar, just in terms of space travel on a far larger scale with the objectives being resource gathering and/or ship modifications.

[SomTervo]

 

 

I can see all the future quotes now - "biggest dissapointment since Destiny."

 

I think that's because people are having the completely wrong expectations for this one.

 

Agreed. It's not going to be an overly complex game that focuses on details. I'm kind of thinking along the lines of Shadow of the Colossus in the sense that the colossi are the objectives and there were the trials at the end /the secret garden at the top of the tower. Other than that, there were a lot of landscapes and environments to explore with lizards and fruits to find. I'm imaging this will be structurally similar, just in terms of space travel on a far larger scale with the objectives being resource gathering and/or ship modifications.

 

Excellent analogy, hit the nail on the head really- though I don't trust Hello Games to be as clever/subtle with their lore as Fumito Ueda.

[TCP]

Wow! You didn't notice the subtly of the lore in Joe Danger? 

[deanb]

 

I guess it looks pretty. But tbh I haven't a clue what you "do" in the game. Apart from just wander around. I assume there's something to do cos they reference money you can earn. I guess it was pretty cool when they went from hovering around on the planet to popping into space. "discovery" just involved being near stuff, "scavenging" was much the same. Didn't seem very proactive doing stuff.

 

Can you build bigger ships/space stations/set up a planet as "yours" (or your guilds, if that's a thing). I've watched a near 20 minute video of this game n still come away none the wiser. Where's these secret other gameplay videos everyone else is watching? Heck, is there even a story of sorts to it ("Earth-that-was has been destroyed, spread across the galaxy to find potentially new colony places/food to eat/resources to use for the main migrant fleet" or something)

[TCP]

Story? No, I don't believe so.

Bigger ships? Yes, you can upgrade and customize your ship, suit, weapons, etc.

As for what you do, you mine, craft, explore, upgrade, trade, and fight. You can go to a planet, hunt, but if you hunt too much, that planet's guardians/police/sentinels will come after you. You can find a material in one solar system, go to another where it's very rare, and sell it for big $$$. Essentially, it's a like Minecraft in survival mode, but instead of building castles/buildings/whatever you build your ship, tools, suit, etc. Oh and, for reasons unexplained, the goal is to get to the centre of the galaxy, which will require a ton of resources. 

If what you liked about games like Skyrim, Red Dead, GTA, was the story, missions, etc, this game probably isn't for you. If what you like about those games and games like Minecraft, Terraria, etc is exploring, then this is totally your game. 

[Thursday Next]

I believe there is "lore" scattered about the place which explains the impetus for travelling to the centre of the galaxy. As for "story" I think it is intended to be emergent. It's a sand box where you choose your role and make your story up by your actions rather than by picking a menu choice at the set up screen.

 

I like the look of it. I can't wait to try it.