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[GribbleGrunger]

In the context of Space however there is only one Universe. So having multiple universes wouldn't make sense. Multiple Galaxies however are a thing.

I think the simplest explanation is that this is a very large universe with many Galaxies and Star Clusters within it, which would contain their own individual solar systems and so forth.

From a programming perspective, I wonder if it's something they did because it was easier to do. Perhaps it's just a case of creating a seed for the first galaxy and then when you get to the centre of the galaxy, creating a seed for the next. And so on until you reach the centre of the universe. maybe it makes it easier to manage a seed if it's a galaxy rather than having to seed the whole universe and then break that up into galaxies.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

It's from screenshots from the Pillar trailer and was posted on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/NoMansSkyTheGame/comments/4v1pfv/the_colors_of_no_mans_sky_spectrum/

Ah, thanks.

 

[bigDave]

sorry, forgot to submit the source.

 

[UCBooties]

This hypothetical was already asked in the 70 Questions Game Informer interview, mentioned here 4 minutes 9 seconds onwards.
https://youtu.be/n0uYnwqlslU?t=250
Question: If I keep flying in one direction for a really long time, will I bonk the edge of the galaxy?

After joking about would you prefer if it said "you are now leaving the mission area"? Sean Murray said, "No, neither of those things happen. You can go in to the darkness....for as long as you wanted to."


I've been following this game a lot

Fantastic! Thanks for that!

 

[GribbleGrunger]

Lol! I totally read your comment as a joke on the "In my day..." I didn't take offense either way, but the way you started the sentence seemed like you were being facetious.

As for the rest of your post; I agree. There are games that don't seem particularly fun to watch, but are an absolute joy to play. There are also games that aren't fun to watch unless you know the mechanics of the game. I always mention this one, but I used to think Demon's Souls looked boring as fuck. Until I played the game, fell in love with the mechanics, and then obsessively began watching videos of other people playing it and Dark Souls, because once I understood the mechanics of the game, watching how other people execute those mechanics was fascinating to me.

With No Man's Sky, the game isn't designed around being an Uncharted-esque showpiece. It's impressive in a very different way, but some people were expecting something more "up tempo," I guess. A game that looks flashy and impressive in trailers, when I think the real joy of No Man's Sky is going to be literally just walking around and exploring an alien landscape. I fucking love my epic, set piece games with snarky characters and dramatic showdowns, but I can absolutely get lost in a game like No Man's Sky, where the adventure is what you make it. Where there's no guiding hand saying, "You should clap here." I can 100% see why people would say the game looks boring or uninteresting to them. I can also 100% see why people would be crazy excited for this game as well. I'm in that latter camp. I've watched just about every video on this game I could find, and I was never bored once. Others don't feel that way, and that's cool, but it's seriously time for those folks to realize the game isn't for them and to move on. There's a LOT of stuff out there, and some of it may actually have what they're looking for. No Man's Sky doesn't have everything I ever want in a game, but what it does have is enough for me to be incredibly excited about it. The naysayers don't have to understand it because my excitement for the game is only relevant to me, just like their disinterest is only relevant to them.

I'm 58 so I'm allowed to say 'in my day'

Out of interest, do you think there's a correlation between how people will likely play this game and their personality? I've been mulling over this theory for years in regards to Minecraft. In short, do you think that an introvert is more likely to seek the depths of the planet and an extrovert is more like to seek our the stars? I'm a cave guy. How about you?

 

[OmegaDL50]

From a programming perspective, I wonder if it's something they did because it was easier to do. Perhaps it's just a case of creating a seed for the first galaxy and then when you get to the centre of the galaxy, creating a seed for the next. And so on until you reach the centre of the universe. maybe it makes it easier to manage a seed if it's a galaxy rather than having to seed the whole universe and then break that up into galaxies.

I believe Sean Murray has gone to state it's one Seed that generates everything, and not multiple seeds.

Basically one input that calculates where everything goes which generates the same output every time.

He says this in the "Behind-The-Scenes Tour Of No Man's Sky's Technology" video

 

[GribbleGrunger]

I believe Sean Murray has gone to state it's one Seed that generates everything, and not multiple seeds.

Basically one input that calculates where everything goes which generates the same output every time.

He says this in the "Behind-The-Scenes Tour Of No Man's Sky's Technology" video

I do remember that but there's been some confusion about whether it's the centre of the galaxy or the centre of the universe and I wonder if the confusion comes from the fact they hadn't decided on whether to create a completely seeded universe or to break it up into multiple seeds for galaxies that make up a universe. It could still only have one initial seed but that initial seed may be then used to create consistent second, third, forth (and so on) seeds for each consecutive galaxy.

 

[UCBooties]

Faceplate unboxing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcKBK3nixNA

Welp, I just bought that...

 

[OmegaDL50]

I do remember that but there's been some confusion about whether it's the centre of the galaxy or the centre of the universe and I wonder if the confusion comes from the fact they hadn't decided on whether to create a completely seeded universe or to break it up into multiple seeds for galaxies that make up a universe.

Murray has answered this question and clarified it is a Universe with multiple galaxies.

https://youtu.be/GjKTJblJpw0?t=43

 

[Muzicfreq]

Trying to wrap my head around multiple galaxies he mentioned... Just how big is this game? I think I might need to change my pants once I actually see

 

[arts&crafts]

Trying to wrap my head around multiple galaxies he mentioned... Just how big is this game? I think I might need to change my pants once I actually see

It is big. Didnt he say 11,000,000,000 planets or something?

 

[GribbleGrunger]

Murray has answered this question and clarified it is a Universe with multiple galaxies.

https://youtu.be/GjKTJblJpw0?t=43

I know it's a universe with multiple galaxies. Here's my thinking and why I went down this train of thought: Sean has stressed many times that this isn't what you would call a multiplayer game, even going as far as advising people to buy other games if that's what they want. So, we get it, this is in essence a singleplayer game.

Consider that for a moment in the context of what I've said. He's said we start in the same galaxy but why? If they're creating the whole universe at once and Sean doesn't really want us to meet up, why put us in the same galaxy when he could have so easily spread us out in different galaxies? Can you see where I'm coming from on that? There doesn't really seem to be a reason for the creation of the whole universe if our aim is to get to the centre of the galaxy we are initially placed in, but it does make sense if you consider the centre of the galaxy to be a doorway to the next, leading me to consider the individual seeding system.

In my eye, all those seeds (representing the galaxy) are in fact created from the one seed (representing the universe) meaning his statement would still ring true.

 

[ymgve]

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say there are 4294967296 galaxies with 4294967296 stars in each of them.

 

[MikeyB]

Out of interest, do you think there's a correlation between how people will likely play this game and their personality? I've been mulling over this theory for years in regards to Minecraft. In short, do you think that an introvert is more likely to seek the depths of the planet and an extrovert is more like to seek our the stars? I'm a cave guy. How about you?

I'm an introvert and I think I'll prefer space. It's emptier.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say there are 4294967296 galaxies with 4294967296 stars in each of them.

Is that the 32 bit integer?

 

[OmegaDL50]

Trying to wrap my head around multiple galaxies he mentioned... Just how big is this game? I think I might need to change my pants once I actually see

Well for context our Milky Way Galaxy has an estimated 100 Billion Planets.

No Man Sky uses the 64 Bit Integer maximum value for the amount of planets it has.

Which is 18 Quintillion, you can see the exact numercial value here -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integer_(computer_science)#Long_integer

If you divide 18 Quintillion by 100 Billion you get 180 Million.

So basically enough planets for 180 Million Milky Way Galaxies.

Space is Big

It is big. Didnt he say 11,000,000,000 planets or something?

Not 11 Billion.

18 Quintillion, or to be precise.

18,446,744,073,709,551,616

 

[GribbleGrunger]

I'm an introvert and I think I'll prefer space. It's emptier.

Is that the first thing you'll do? The first thing I'll do is find those caves. I do take your point though because I'm also into walking and a huge part of that is to find a less busy space. I suppose that's the difference between discover and escape. I am inspired by both but have to be honest and say escape is the greater motive. Escape in the sense of finding room to think.

 

[Slayven]

It is fascinating, I mean with that many planets, how will they make sure you even meet a race or find a space station or how do they decide where crashed spacehsips are?

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Well for context our Milky Way Galaxy has an estimated 100 Billion Planets.

No Man Sky uses the 64 Bit Integer maximum value for the amount of planets it has.

Which is 18 Quintillion, you can see the exact numercial value here -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integer_(computer_science)#Long_integer

If you divide 18 Quintillion by 100 Billion you get 180 Million.

So basically enough planets for 180 Million Milky Way Galaxies.

Space is Big



Not 11 Billion.

18 Quintillion, or to be precise.

18,446,744,073,709,551,616

The game is roughly 2/5ths the size of our observable universe.

 

[OmegaDL50]

It is fascinating, I mean with that many planets, how will they make sure you even meet a race or find a space station or how do they decide where crashed spacehsips are?

Since it's procedurally generated by a Seed via mathematical value.

I'd say the similar to the chances you could have to run across a dungeon or village based in Minecraft, which also generates it's world based on a Seed value.

Just in the case for No Man's Sky replace world with universe and whatever that entails within it, Galaxies, Solar Systems, Planets, Space Stations, etc.

 

[HalfBakedProphet]

Well for context our Milky Way Galaxy has an estimated 100 Billion Planets.

No Man Sky uses the 64 Bit Integer maximum value for the amount of planets it has.

Which is 18 Quintillion, you can see the exact numercial value here -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integer_(computer_science)#Long_integer

If you divide 18 Quintillion by 100 Billion you get 180 Million.

So basically enough planets for 180 Million Milky Way Galaxies.

Space is Big



Not 11 Billion.

18 Quintillion, or to be precise.

18,446,744,073,709,551,616

The idea of visiting a planet no one has seen is one thing

But the idea of visiting a new galaxy no one has seen OR MAYBE NO ONE ELSE EVER WILL SEE is....

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

I mean, aren't there still places in Elite Dangerous that people haven't been to yet? That game has been out for a while now as well.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

The game is roughly 2/5ths the size of our observable universe.

I wonder if all the planets in our observable universe are completely different?

 

[Icyflamez96]

In my day and age we'd go to the woods to explore and create our own fun, today people will only go to the woods if the entertainment is laid on.

I only go to the woods if they're pokestops

 

[xxracerxx]

I mean, aren't there still places in Elite Dangerous that people haven't been to yet? That game has been out for a while now as well.

The universe of No Man's Sky will never be fully explored...ever.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

I wonder if all the planets in our observable universe are completely different?

No, I bet that there is at least one planet in our universe that's a carbon copy of Earth.



That, or every habitable planet will look like inland California or Vancouver.

 

[eyeball_kid]

I can't believe y'all are still arguing about galaxy vs. universe. There's 18 quintillion stars, is the arrangement of those stars really that important? For a game about mystery and exploration, y'all seem eager to figure out the big mystery ending before we even play the game. We'll find out if there's one galaxy or many in due time.

I think you're misunderstanding the definition of grind. Grind means do a repetitive activity. Repetitive as in
> same location(s)
> simple activity
> no, or not much, challenge
> a long time between improvements/feedback

I don't think that definition is universal. For many, "grind" is just a repetitive activity that they don't enjoy or think was put in just to extend the hours of playtime. Like the WoW loop... get X materials to craft X of some other material so that you can make X item. Doesn't matter much if the scenery is pretty while doing it because at the end you still feel like, "Why did I just waste an hour of my life doing that?"

I think it's fair to be wary of possible grind in NMS. I can't say that scouring a planet for enough rocks to shoot so I can craft ammo for my gun or recharge my suit's shield sounds like a great time, so I may end up spending more time in space. But I won't know how the gameplay loop feels until I play it. Some crafting I don't mind; for instance, the recently-linked video that showed materials needed to fix your ship's hyperdrive, that seems like it could be fun because it's a unique narrative beat.

 

[Bauer24]

I thought there was only one galaxy in NMS?

 

[GribbleGrunger]

I only go to the woods if they're pokestops

I just died inside.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

I can't believe y'all are still arguing about galaxy vs. universe. There's 18 quintillion stars, is the arrangement of those stars really that important? For a game about mystery and exploration, y'all seem eager to figure out the big mystery ending before we even play the game. We'll find out if there's one galaxy or many in due time.

I don't think that definition is universal. For many, "grind" is just a repetitive activity that they don't enjoy or think was put in just to extend the hours of playtime. Like the WoW loop... get X materials to craft X of some other material so that you can make X item. Doesn't matter much if the scenery is pretty while doing it because at the end you still feel like, "Why did I just waste an hour of my life doing that?"

I think it's fair to be wary of possible grind in NMS. I can't say that scouring a planet for enough rocks to shoot so I can craft ammo for my gun or recharge my suit's shield sounds like a great time, so I may end up spending more time in space. But I won't know how the gameplay loop feels until I play it. Some crafting I don't mind; for instance, the recently-linked video that showed materials needed to fix your ship's hyperdrive, that seems like it could be fun because it's a unique narrative beat.

It's not arguing, it's discussion. Some of us are already playing No Man's Sky

 

[ymgve]

Is that the 32 bit integer?

Yep, 32 bit integer for star/planet, 32 bit integer for galaxy.

I assume we all start in the same galaxy and it will have "sensible" number of planets, because if not the whole naming system means nothing. You probably won't see anything named at the start, but as players converge towards the center of the galaxy you'll discover things other players have discovered before.

 

[irrotational]

Is that the 32 bit integer?

Just quoted this post but replying to the general conversation.

It's important to bear in mind that at 18 quintillion planets there are no seeds left to generate any "extra" planets...they would be exact repeats of existing ones.

That said, what's not clear (although maybe it is) is how these 18 quintillion planets are spread throughout the map, and whether the map shown is the whole universe or just the starting galaxy that everyone is in.

The main difference would be:-

If the map is the whole universe then you get to the centre and to some extent that's it - it would be the equivalent of killing the ender dragon in Minecraft - you've "finished" the game but at the same time, for many people, that's not the point of the game at all.

If the map is "just" a galaxy then you get to the centre and find a special wormhole or something which takes you to the next map, and the next galaxy.

For me personally I would actually prefer the first, as there is already going to be an insane amount to explore in the starting map, and just getting through to the center only to find a whole nother map would be a bit depressing. Imagine doing a whole load of tooling up in minecraft, working your way up to be ready to kill the ender dragon...and once you do it just drops you "naked" into another world with another seed and asks you to do it all again!

What I think is really interesting, is how they have spread "weirdness" through the map. They have definitely said things get weirder as you journey to the centre..so that means they have a way of ordering the seeds in terms of "weirdness" whether it be certain rules or consistency checks being turned off. the game currently uses a colour wheel type lookup chart to make sure the plants and animals "suit" the planet, colourwise. As you get closer to the centre they could turn that off so that you have all sorts of hideous configurations.

 

[Figboy79]

I'm 58 so I'm allowed to say 'in my day'

Out of interest, do you think there's a correlation between how people will likely play this game and their personality? I've been mulling over this theory for years in regards to Minecraft. In short, do you think that an introvert is more likely to seek the depths of the planet and an extrovert is more like to seek our the stars? I'm a cave guy. How about you?

I'm not sure, honestly. I've always been a big fan of exploring oceans moreso than caves, so I'm hoping I come across a planet with a nice, large, deep ocean I can explore. I'm also interested in travelling the stars, but if my starter planet is interesting, I'll stick on that one for a bit and try and explore every ocean and cave I can. Not sure what that says about me. I used to be paralyzingly introverted, but over the years, I've become much more extroverted, although I still classify myself as an introvert.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

Yep, 32 bit integer for star/planet, 32 bit integer for galaxy.

I assume we all start in the same galaxy and it will have "sensible" number of planets, because if not the whole naming system means nothing. You probably won't see anything named at the start, but as players converge towards the center of the galaxy you'll discover things other players have discovered before.

I thought so. Sean said they originally used a 32 bit integer to seed NMS but then decided it would be best to use a 64 bit integer to avoid the chance of discovering planets others had found too quickly. This is part of my theory of the chained seeds. Once you get to the centre of the first seed (galaxy) you are given another map with galaxies on it. Your next task is to travel through your chosen pathway to the centre of the universe. This might sound daunting and almost impossible but you're constantly upgrading your starship making those jumps faster and longer.

I think that's where the confusion comes from. it's not one objective or the other, it's both.

 

[Sodding_Gamer]

I mean, aren't there still places in Elite Dangerous that people haven't been to yet? That game has been out for a while now as well.

And to put in perspective, Elite Dangerous is just one galaxy. NMS is a Universe of multiple galaxies.

 

[Golgo 13]

Apologies if this has been answered -- didn't see it --
When does the review embargo end? Anyone know? Really interested to see how this one turns out.

 

[eyeball_kid]

It's not arguing, it's discussion. Some of us are already playing No Man's Sky

At this point I'm just seeing the same points restated in different ways, referencing the same couple of Sean interviews. I think we've fully discussed the topic at this point.


On another note, I'm surprised no one else grabbed onto the "Repair Starship Pulse Engine" notice in that Australian preroll footage. If individual ship parts can be damaged, it could create some interesting strategic decisions. Like what if your photon cannon gets damaged, and then pirates warp into the system and start attacking you? You may have to fly to the closest planet and hope to find enough materials to repair it, or jump to a new star system and hope your situation isn't worse there.

 

[E92 M3]

I thought so. Sean said they originally used a 32 bit integer to seed NMS but then decided it would be best to use a 64 bit integer to avoid the chance of discovering planets others had found too quickly. This is part of my theory of the chained seeds. Once you get to the centre of the first seed (galaxy) you are given another map with galaxies on it. Your next task is to travel through your chosen pathway to the centre of the universe. This might sound daunting and almost impossible but you're constantly upgrading your starship making those jumps faster and longer.

I think that's where the confusion comes from. it's not one objective or the other, it's both.

He did say that the reaching the center is only the beginning.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

I'm not sure, honestly. I've always been a big fan of exploring oceans moreso than caves, so I'm hoping I come across a planet with a nice, large, deep ocean I can explore. I'm also interested in travelling the stars, but if my starter planet is interesting, I'll stick on that one for a bit and try and explore every ocean and cave I can. Not sure what that says about me. I used to be paralyzingly introverted, but over the years, I've become much more extroverted, although I still classify myself as an introvert.

I should have made that clearer. I went from using caves literally to using them metaphorically. I'd consider diving deep into the ocean and digging down to find caves as the same metaphor. Looking out across the ocean would be a different matter though.

I asked you in particular because yesterday I asked you a question, and that question was related to this. I deleted it though. I saw you as introverted and a deep thinker based on your replies about what you wanted to do in the game.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

He did say that the reaching the center is only the beginning.

Exactly.

 

[UCBooties]

Apologies if this has been answered -- didn't see it --
When does the review embargo end? Anyone know? Really interested to see how this one turns out.

No one knows. It has not been announced and no member of the press has said that they have received review copies yet.

 

[greatgeek]

At this point I'm just seeing the same points restated in different ways, referencing the same couple of Sean interviews. I think we've fully discussed the topic at this point.


On another note, I'm surprised no one else grabbed onto the "Repair Starship Pulse Engine" notice in that Australian preroll footage. If individual ship parts can be damaged, it could create some interesting strategic decisions. Like what if your photon cannon gets damaged, and then pirates warp into the system and start attacking you? You may have to fly to the closest planet and hope to find enough materials to repair it, or jump to a new star system and hope your situation isn't worse there.

I don't believe that HG has said anything about regular ship repairs being necessary. That repair directive is probably part of the process by which player's leave their starting planet.

 

[vix]

]At this point I'm just seeing the same points restated in different ways, referencing the same couple of Sean interviews. I think we've fully discussed the topic at this point. [/B]


On another note, I'm surprised no one else grabbed onto the "Repair Starship Pulse Engine" notice in that Australian preroll footage. If individual ship parts can be damaged, it could create some interesting strategic decisions. Like what if your photon cannon gets damaged, and then pirates warp into the system and start attacking you? You may have to fly to the closest planet and hope to find enough materials to repair it, or jump to a new star system and hope your situation isn't worse there.

I'm beginning to notice a pattern in NMS threads. Whoever posts whatever is right no matter what and no one else can say differently. Some random internet link as a source means whatever is being said is set in stone and therefore right. Myself included in this statement. What is it about this game, I just don't get it. Maybe the OT won't be like this, I don't know. This is the first time I've ever been active on gaf in the nine years I've been a member. So I have no idea how things work around here.

As a side, I wonder if we'll get any other trailers or if there will be any other sort of marketing before release.

 

[Muzicfreq]

The idea of visiting a planet no one has seen is one thing

But the idea of visiting a new galaxy no one has seen OR MAYBE NO ONE ELSE EVER WILL SEE is....

 

[legacyzero]

The quintessential Idiot No Man's Sky Detractor

 

[mrklaw]

This game sometimes sounds like the worst Korean MMO grind ever.

It sounds like the only way to propel forward and make progress is to constantly grind for materials.

I really hope you can stumble upon massive treasure-troves that will allow you to play for several hours without the need to stop and re-supply.

But what would you be doing during those several hours without harvesting?



I won't mind. I will be out of town on a work trip the entire week of its release... so I was gonna rely on online impressions anyways.

I assume/hope your progress will naturally speed up as you level up. Initially you'll be farming slowly with weak equipment to jmo small distances. Later you'll be farming almost as an afterthought (maybe even automatically with fuel scoops or something) and jumping much further each time.

 

[Vire]

I feel like the problem is there no larger hook the game. Yes, I can travel and explore new planets and collect resources, but to what end? Why?

If there was some sort of central, social area that you could hyperdrive to at any time, where you could bring back the resources you collected and build bases/whatnot and interact with other players. I think that would give huge incentive to otherwise put up with the sometimes mundane collection and grind aspect of the game.

Obviously this would take a huge amount of additional work, but I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for considering the asking price.

 

[GribbleGrunger]

The quintessential Idiot No Man's Sky Detractor

Bless his little cotton socks.

 

[legacyzero]

I feel like the problem is there no larger hook the game. Yes, I can travel and explore new planets and collect resources, but to what end? Why?

If there was some sort of central, social area that you could hyperdrive to at any time, where you could bring back the resources you collected and build bases/whatnot and interact with other players. I think that would give huge incentive to otherwise put up with the sometimes mundane collection and grind aspect of the game.

Obviously this would take a huge amount of additional work, but I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for considering the asking price.

The gaping hole in your post is that Sean hasn't said WHY we're doing it. THAT is the hook for me.

 

[Blackleg-sanji1]

I feel like the problem is there no larger hook the game. Yes, I can travel and explore new planets and collect resources, but to what end? Why?

If there was some sort of central, social area that you could hyperdrive to at any tome, where you could bring back the resources you collected and build bases/whatnot and interact with other players. I think that would give huge incentive to otherwise put up with the sometimes mundane collection and grind aspect of the game.

Obviously this would take a huge amount of additional work, but I don't think it's unreasonable to ask for considering the asking price.

The hook is the explore the galaxy aspect. If it's not good enough for u that's absolutely fine.

And o god at the bolded