No Man's Sky (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

#1

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#1
This game really interests me. It's a space exploration game that allows you to discover new planets in a galaxy "far far away." What's so cool about it is that everything in the game is completely procedural. In other word, no two gamers will ever have the exact same experience. It's also cool that you can take off and land on any planet. Each planet is it's own fully realized environment. I hope this game gets Project Morpheus support. It has VR written all over it.

Be sure and click on the link to watch the video as you just have to see it in motion to appreciate it. The pictures really don't do it justice.

No Man's Sky - Conference gameplay - High quality stream - Gamersyde

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#2
#2
One of my favorite parts of the original Mass Effect game was the ability to explore and land on various planets you discovered - it really sucked when they went away from this in ME2 and beyond.

Looks really neat.
 
#3
#3
One of my favorite parts of the original Mass Effect game was the ability to explore and land on various planets you discovered - it really sucked when they went away from this in ME2 and beyond.

Looks really neat.

Me too! I hated how on ME2 I believe, you could go to the planet and only mine for things. You could not get out and explore.
 
#4
#4
One of my favorite parts of the original Mass Effect game was the ability to explore and land on various planets you discovered - it really sucked when they went away from this in ME2 and beyond.

Looks really neat.

My hope is that EA might take this concept and create a Star Wars game around it. Could you imagine being able to take off in your X-Wing from Dagobah, fly to Hoth and go Wampa hunting? Then fly to Tatooine and enter a pod race or fight a krait dragon while riding a dewback? Then take off and fly to Coruscant and visit the Jedi Temple? It would just be so awesome to be able to visit every planet in that galaxy and do different things on each one of them! Plus being able to pilot different Star Wars ships in space in between visiting each planet!
 
#5
#5
Man I am really excited to see more about this game. It's quite possibly the most ambitious videogame I've ever seen. If they can pull it off, it has the potential to be massive (literally and figuratively).

More will be unveiled at the PlayStation Event this Friday.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A6ffb1Snbk[/youtube]
 
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#6
#6
trailblazers, IMO. I don't even care if they fail - I'm thankfully there are guys like this still pushing the limits of what's possible in programming.
 
#10
#10
Looks incredible, but what are we gonna be able to do other than exploring planets? Seems like the wow factor would wear off after a week or two.

Watch this video. It's by far the most comprehensive list of details and what we know so far about the game.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oVu_XvZlHg[/youtube]

This is another very informative video...

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbFebgl_Vq8[/youtube]
 
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#11
#11
How does one "simulate" the entire universe?! It's boundless. Where do you stop??
 
#12
#12
This is gonna be amazing. Kinda seems like you're playing Star Trek a little bit.
 
#13
#13
Wow, this new trailer is just....wow! :bow2: As far as I'm concerned, everything else I've seen coming out next year pales in comparison to this!

Be sure and watch this using the 1080p/60fps option to truly get the full effect!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmwG6Sj1Yfg[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBWhkcSsdQk[/youtube]
 
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#16
#16
I thought this was not coming to the XB1? Reason I ask is the thread title.

When I created this thread I thought it was coming to all platforms but it's only been announced for PS4 and later for PC. No announcement for X1 has been made yet. That's not to say it isn't coming to X1, they just haven't publicly said anything about it yet. I tried to change the thread title but it wouldn't let me.
 
#17
#17
So about this randomly generated thing...

If you were to fly off of a planet into space and then right back into the exact same spot on the same planet, the terrrain would be different?
 
#18
#18
So about this randomly generated thing...

If you were to fly off of a planet into space and then right back into the exact same spot on the same planet, the terrrain would be different?

No, the way I understand it is once you've discovered a planet, that planet's physical appearance is set. If someone else lands on the planet you've already discovered, it will appear to them the same as it appears to you.

Also, they have a system in place that discerns "major" and "minor" occurrences that will affect the environment for all people. For example. If you're on a planet and you kill an animal, that won't register to everyone else playing. But if you were to wipe an entire species from existence, that WILL register with everyone else playing and no one else would be able to discover that particular species. If you blow up a stone, no one else will know. But if you do major terraforming where you level an entire mountainside, everyone else will see that too if they land on the same planet.
 
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#19
#19
There is going to be a staggering number of penis shaped mountain ranges in the galaxy
 
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#20
#20
This all looks cool and is a neat idea. Great that they are trying something new. I'm all for it.

However, I just keep thinking this will be a bore-fest. After the initial few hours of seeing a few planets and realizing you can't really hook up with friends and explore, it will get old quick. Just seems like great world without a game inside.

Guess we'll see. I'm keeping an eye on this like everyone else. I hope I'm wrong. If not, I hope they spark some new ideas and devs will continue to pursue this sort of model.
 
#21
#21
This all looks cool and is a neat idea. Great that they are trying something new. I'm all for it.

However, I just keep thinking this will be a bore-fest. After the initial few hours of seeing a few planets and realizing you can't really hook up with friends and explore, it will get old quick. Just seems like great world without a game inside.

Guess we'll see. I'm keeping an eye on this like everyone else. I hope I'm wrong. If not, I hope they spark some new ideas and devs will continue to pursue this sort of model.

The developer said there IS a singular goal with objectives/challenges along the way to reach it. The goal of the game is to reach the center of the universe. However like in Skyrim, you can deviate as much as you want from the central story. You are in complete charge of how you want to play this game.

This game just may not be for you. If you're looking for Halo or Destiny set in a vastly larger universe you're going to be left disappointed. That's not what this game is. This game is all about exploration and discovery. There is combat involved but I believe it's more for survival than it is you trying to wage war.

Personally I find approaches like this to gaming refreshing. The market is already over crowded with action/shooters as it is. I applaud these guys for trying something different.
 
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#22
#22
More basic information about the game

Game informers new Si Fi issue has a great breakdown of gameplay.

Basic things are

Race of robots that may attack you if they see you harvest supplies from planets or kill creatures on planets. They are there to "preserve the balance."

You have your suit and your scanner(also a weapon) to upgrade. These upgrades do not wipe if you die. Ships are not upgradeable, if you see a ship you want you follow it to the space station it docks at and you can purchase it. Ships are also procedural...borg cube to death star sphere and everything in between.

Your ship holds fuel and harvested supplies in the same space meaning if you want to sell things for a higher profit in another system, you need to check fuel to storage ratio to see if the trip is worth it.

You can attack space stations, which every star system has 1. You can destroy it almost completely except for the hanger so players can always buy a ship if stranded. The galactic police will be hot on you though and they will remember you. They may attack unprovoked next time.

You can go to the center (which should take 40-60 hours for speedsters) but the game doesn't end there and you do not have to.

If you die in your ship anything you have in your cargo will be lost...which is a scary thought as you venture closer to the center and the game gets harder. It could set you back many hours. Your ship is also lost and you get a simple life pod.

Ship and suit need to be upgraded in order to enter and land in certain environmental planets. Your suit upgrades let you survive for longer in acid alcohol environments. In order to progress you will have to visit these plants so upgrading is progression.

Some planets in the beginning have portals to planets near the center. When you go through these your only return option is back through the portal so you can go gather high end things at your own peril.

Nearly everything you do earns you money scanning things being the first to discover things etc.

If you die on a planet you lose anything you collected since you last checked in to your ship...
 
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#24
#24
More details about the game..

What is No Man's Sky?

- In a nutshell, the goal is to earn money, get the best gear and survive the trip to the center of the galaxy. Yes, you can explore planets or stay in one forever, but if you're asking for a goal, a purpose, that's it.

Why would I want to get to the center of the galaxy?

- It's the main goal of the game, the only objective. Apparently, there will be "a compelling reason to head towards the center of the galaxy, as well as an ending that will provide you with a sense of closure. But there will be a reason to continue playing after that ending". Remember that Minecraft, Don't Starve, DayZ or even Dark Souls don't have a clear goal, they throw you into the world without telling you what to do next. 90% of Dark Souls is melee combat and walking, sounds pretty boring if you think about it that way, doesn't it.

What are the main incentives? Why would I want to play this game?

- As was mentioned, leveling yourself by ways of earning money and gear while trying to survive in a harsh environment is the main incentive, like in a vast number of games, or at least it's the main gameplay mechanic pushing you forward. The other incentive is of course pure exploration, which is enough for a lot of people but technically it might not be. You engage in a number of activities, both on the surface and in space, earn money, improve and buy gear and reach the center of the galaxy. Of course, getting money will be challenging, it will often put you in dangerous situations and you will probably die a lot.

So what do I do, what activities are there?

All of these activities earn you money, some more than others:

Non-violent:
- Exploration (discovering and naming of creatures, plants, locations, crashed ships, structures, artifacts, portals to dangerous planets)
- Resource Gathering (gather and sell minerals from a fictitious periodic table of elements using a multi-tool for scanning, a mining laser for gathering)
- Trading (buy resources cheap from one space station, sell them to another for profit)

Violent:
- Destroy Guardian Robots (gathering and killing too much alerts robots that hunt you down, you have weapons and grenades at your disposal)
- Escort and Defend (escort ships on their journey, defend them from enemy attacks)
- Destroy Ships (destroy trader ships, lone or groups of traveler NPCs, choose sides in huge fleet battles or evade them altogether, kill the local police)

There is also one "core thing" you can do for every solar system, and this "thing" is of great significance, fundamentally changes that solar system and players can choose whether or not they want to do that.

*Note: They've mentioned that killing creatures doesn't actually earn you money (discovering and scanning them does), but you can do it nevertheless.

How does exploration actually work?

- You have a galactic map with all of the stars revealed. Clicking on a star shows its basic solar system data, with more info if someone's already been there and shared it. You hyperjump to the selected solar system and then target one of the planets. As you enter the orbit, your ship's computer scans the surface and shows you essentially question marks, points of interest detected on the surface. These points of interest can be any of the aforementioned activities that earn you money while on the surface as well as trading posts, portals etc. Basically, you get rewarded for revealing what the question marks are and then do the stuff related to said activity, whether it is scanning of new species, mining resources, a dangerous trap, jump to new worlds, kill some robots etc. You can freely explore the entire planet if you want, and you'll probably find some nice things out there as well, but a few of the key locations will be marked with these "question marks".

Just imagine Far Cry 4, but instead of the towers revealing icons and those icons depicting exactly what the missions are, you reveal icons just by arriving at the planet and discover what the icons are by actually going there.

What do I do with all this cash I earned?

- Well, the main goal is to survive the trip to the center of the galaxy, so you want to make sure you can actually pull this off. There are three main things you can upgrade:
- Suit - (shields, carrying capacity, jetpack, degree of survival in toxic, corrosive, radioactive, acid and other environments)
- Weapons - (improve scanning range and type, resource gathering, laser beam, plasma grenade, energy shot, for space there are different weapons with different specialties like lasers for shields, plasma for hull damage, torpedoes for heavy damage but with slow projectiles)
- Ship - (buy new ones actually, but they can have different stats defined into three classes: Fighter, Trader and Explorer, different engines, stealth tech, different types of weapons for different occasions)

Doesn't sound all that difficult. What are the obstacles, where's the difficulty?

- If your ship is destroyed, you respawn after death without your ship and cargo but you still have your hard earned money and suit upgrades. If you get killed while on foot, naturally you loose what resources you had on you and respawn near your ship, still having your money and suit upgrades.
- Planets have different atmospheres, radiation, toxic and corrosive environments, liquid hazards like acids and alcohols so you need to upgrade both your suit and ship to survive in these harsh environments.
- Some planets have robot guardians that attack you if you exploit (as you should) the planet's natural resources, kill off wildlife etc. In other words, the robots punish you for doing everything you can to survive and improve your gear.
- Participating in conflict between factions will win favors with one over the other, meaning one faction will give you wingmen for support or trader discounts while the other will actively attack you if you're in bad relations with them.
- Attacking outposts and space stations enrages the local police. You don't get rewarded for attacking space stations but you do for killing cops (or any ships for that matter).
- Fuel is used for interstellar (hyperspace) travel and is very expensive. An easier way of getting fuel is by mining for resources, or you could do any of the other activities to earn cash and spend it on fuel. Fuel also takes up cargo space so you need to balance that if you want to do trade runs.
- Hazardous planets (or maybe all of them?) deplete your suit's oxygen levels so you need to be mindful of this when embarking on longer journeys through the inhospitable terrain.
- Portals to other planets can be extremely dangerous (you can only use them on foot) but can also give larger rewards, since you're basically warping to a high level area while you're still at a very lower level. Also, each portal requires a different weapon or combination of weapons to activate.

So will all of this actually be fun or worth it?

- Well that depends, it might get boring quickly or the variety of combinations might keep things fresh at least for a few dozen hours. People play Destiny, Far Cry 4, Dark Souls or Don't Starve, games which have extremely repetitive and annoying elements for a lot of people but are still loved by a great many people. My point is, No Man's Sky clearly has gameplay, and while exploration is directly encouraged and essential, it's not the only thing you can do in the game. It's not a walking simulator by any stretch. You earn money, have a goal you can pursue, upgrade your gear, engage in combat, have a lot of dangerous situations etc. That being said, it might turn out to be a boring game, it depends on balance, how interesting the activities are and a number of factors, one of which is the player himself. It's not a game for everyone, but those are rare anyway.

I hope this clears some things to some people, especially with posts saying there is no gameplay and such. Also, I recommend reading the NMS wiki archive on reddit that has all of this info and more.
 
#25
#25
New footage along with interview with Hello Games developer Sean Murray

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfFlk7BAtPM[/youtube]
 

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