No Man's Sky

[Nerroth]

At the recent VGX awards, one of the real standout announcements (in my view, at least) was for Hello Games' upcoming No Man's Sky; a quite ambitious ground, sea, and space exploration game with a massive procedurally-generated universe to play around in. (The HG YouTube channel has a 1080p version of the announcement trailer here.)

I find it interesting to see a game with such a strong Elite vibe off of it show up like this, not least since Elite: Dangerous is also in the works. How might the two games compare and contrast in their respective visions of what lies beyond?

 

[Rincewiend]

I knew it reminded me a bit of someting...
Elite...

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I'd like a version where you could explore strange new worlds and new civilizations without having to blow shit up.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Why do you have to blow shit up? Can't you just explore to explore?

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

It does look like the blowing up of the shit might be unavoidable, especially in multiplayer mode. Perhaps there'll be opportunity to build the shit as well. I'll have to wait and see.

 

[TheGodBen]

It does look like the blowing up of the shit might be unavoidable, especially in multiplayer mode. Perhaps there'll be opportunity to build the shit as well. I'll have to wait and see.

According to this interview, the game is heavily dependant on exploration and there is no traditional multiplayer. The game takes place in a shared universe and your actions will have an effect on other players (wiping out a species in your game will kill them from everyone's game) but you will never actually meet another player while in the game. There's combat in the game, pirates are specifically mentioned, but it seem like you might be able to avoid that if you want.

The game sounds appealing, especially now that we know it's not an MMO, but this is definitely a game that I'll only believe when I see it. Until then, it sounds a little too good to be true.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Let's just hope these people have their shit together more than Derek Smart.

 

[Jono]

Gamespot is doing a feature on No Man's Sky. Some interesting stuff there. Bit disappointed to hear that its release with me a PS4 exclusive, but hopefully that means when it does come to PC it will be a better game.

 

[TheGodBen]

They say that they consider it to be a singleplayer game for the most part, but I'm curious as to whether it will require PS+ due to the multiplayer aspects. As a predominantly singleplayer gamer who doesn't normally bother with console subscription services, that would be a dealbreaker for me.

 

[SPCTRE]

They say that they consider it to be a singleplayer game for the most part, but I'm curious as to whether it will require PS+ due to the multiplayer aspects. As a predominantly singleplayer gamer who doesn't normally bother with console subscription services, that would be a dealbreaker for me.

You know, in the case of PS+, I would actually say that it's a very, very good deal nowadays thanks to their instant game collection stuff, whether you're using online multiplayer functionality or not.

As for No Man's Sky, I don't really care about the multiplayer aspect in that I don't mind it - what I would mind is a too heavy focus on the mandatory combat portion as opposed to exploration.

 

[TheGodBen]

You know, in the case of PS+, I would actually say that it's a very, very good deal nowadays thanks to their instant game collection stuff, whether you're using online multiplayer functionality or not.

It depends on the type of gamer that you are. There hasn't been many games in PS+ that I have been interested in, and most of those I was I already owned. If your gaming interests are very broad and you don't mind waiting a year or more after release to play a game, PS+ makes a lot of sense. But it's not something that would work well for me.

 

[SPCTRE]

^ I guess that's true, if your interests are relatively focused and you have a library already, chances are that the PS+ games don't benefit you as much.

 

[Destructor]

Procedurally generated games leave me a bit cold. They've said there will be a story but that it'll basically be all backstory and you kind of have to piece it together yourself.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

I'd like to see some Xenoarchaeological elements to the story line provided that it doesn't involve spending hours kneeling -- even virtually so -- very carefully removing the dust from alien artifacts with a small brush.

 

[Kelthaz]

I'm still waiting for gameplay info before I join the hype train. Sure, the concept for the game sounds cool, but the details are sparse and the scope is huge. This whole thing reminds me of Spore all over again.

 

[publiusr]

I'd like a version where you could explore strange new worlds and new civilizations without having to blow shit up.

You might like this then
http://boingboing.net/2012/03/09/wander-the-desert-in-journey.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_(2012_video_game)

Read this book first: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Light_(novel)

Listen to a little Patrick O'Hearn (Indigo) and then play that game.

Who needs LSD?

Now to bring that vibe to space.

fith Element and Solaris came closest, post 2001.

 

[martok2112]

I like games where you can travel the galaxy/universe, explore strange new worlds, meet interesting new species, and kill/annihilate them if they pose a threat to your order!

 

[Destructor]

Agreed. It might just be a giant sandbox, which can be fun, but not compelling.

 

[Nerroth]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQhSP82uhY4[/yt]

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

 

[TheGodBen]

I really want to like No Man's Sky, but I'm getting a bit frustrated by all these trailers showing what is functionally the same thing. I get that you can fly to procedurally generated planets and walk around on foot, but what's the actual game like? I want to see what you can actually do on these planets, I want to see the player mining, hunting, fighting, upgrading, and so on. Exploration for its own sake might be fun for a while, but without engaging gameplay NMS will fall flat on its face.

Spore had a massive galaxy to explore with all sorts of interesting creatures to see, and it shared NMS's ultimate goal of reaching the centre of an increasingly hostile galaxy. But it wasn't a good game, and nothing yet has convinced me that No Man's Sky will be.