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No Man's Sky - Early Impressions/Reviews-in-progress Thread

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And it is very, VERY clearly pointed out by him over and over and over that it is not the focus of the game, that is is extremely small of a chance that a meet up would even happen. If someone buys a game based on a 1 in a million chance of seeing another player then that is on them for having unrealistic expectations. Their is no fifth gameplay pillar of "Multiplayer".

That being said, they will definitely add it eventually. Just seems inevitable.
The focus is irrelevant, its a feature that was touted and isn't working, whether due to it being cut or network problems. All it takes is a mere tweet to sort things out, yet here we are.
 

N.Domixis

Banned
They should have just made one earth sized planet where they use a combination of procedural/hand designed environments and drop us all at random points across this world. One earth sized planet with all the biomes is all we needed. The final goal of this would be to build a vehicle that could take us to the moon to discover the ending.

And with only one planet to focus on they could easily hand design animal and plant life that made sense for the environment they were on.

If one earth sized planet can hold 7 billion people, to a few million people that is still a big place to explore.
 

Kssio_Aug

Member
I mean, that's understandable, but what you said you wanted is simply not possible with their limited studio size and wasn't what the concept of the game was about.

Because personally I wouldn't have wanted hand crafted planets to explore, if it was all scripted I wouldn't be nearly as excited to get the game.

I updated my post. Yeah, you're right, I understand their limitations. However maybe the game would have been more if they added less in this case.

I mean, maybe if it followed the walking simulator route (with an spaceship) it would have cost less to produce and would be a great game to visit and experience the different environments and living forms.

Adding superficially made gameplay mechanics may not have been a good idea. It created high expectations and also added mechancis that most will get tired in no time cause there's not enough depth in it.

Too ambitious maybe.
 
Cpl42sDUsAAeZuH.jpg:large

5 scores updated so far
yikes...



I think im still gonna buy it tomorrow but still..
 

Raven77

Member
The focus is irrelevant, its a feature that was touted and isn't working, whether due to it being cut or network problems. All it takes is a mere tweet to sort things out, yet here we are.

A feature that was touted? Really? Him saying "yes but the chances are incredibly incredibly unlikely" isn't really touting especially considering he rarely, if ever, brought it up on his own.

Touting - attempt to sell (something), typically by pestering people in an aggressive or bold manner.

That is not at all what he did in regards to multiplayer.
 

Leatherface

Member
I normally don't have much time to game, but this one has sucked me in and I've put in about 7 hours. I've streamed over 5 of those 7 hours, and I'm really loving this game.

It's repetitive as fuck as far as the gameplay loop goes, but it's the kind of gameplay loop that I've been finding fascinating. I have a lot of impressions.

On the negative side, I think the controls, aiming are a little floaty, but mainly when trying to shoot things. It's not awful, but it's not as tight as I'd hope. Mining is easy peasy, so that's not a problem, but if a sentinel is after you, or you're trying to shoot down a bird because it's too fast for you to scan, it's frustrating. It took a little bit to get used to, but after day 2, I'm more comfortable. Still not the best. Sprint is on R3, which I don't care for, but at least you just have to click it once while moving to sprint, so you don't have to hold it down. I got used to it after a bit. Even so, I think you can remap controls in the PS4's settings itself. I didn't bother.

If it wasn't for the fact that I had watched a few streams (and all of the official demos by Sean Murray and Hello Games), I'd have probably been way more lost than I was at what I had to do if it wasn't for those streams and demos. I prioritized things like repairing my multitool first, then ventured out looking for blueprints, and occasionally repairing my ship. I'd also have had no idea to talk to the atlas bubble next to your ship, so you can at least have some kind of "tutorial" that'll ease you into the game's mechanics.

Your starting planet will define your first impression for sure. My wife's starting planet was kind of ugly and unfriendly, but she decided to run with it. Then, for shits and giggles, she started a second game on her other PSN account, and her starter planet was fucking gorgeous. She enjoyed the game already, but she loved it after landing on a planet that wasn't butt ugly and constantly trying to kill her. My starter planet looked rocky and barren, but it had a lot of vegetation, good resources, and cool looking animals. It also was at a reasonable temperature that didn't eat away at my suit (although that changed at night, when it got colder, and my suit started taking cold damage, but super slow, so it was more than manageable). That made the difference, and the bulk of my 7 hours was on that planet, and its two nearby moons. I put this as a negative, but it's really just the luck of the draw. I had made up my mind to roll with whatever starting planet I got, but fortunately, it was interesting enough so it wasn't a downer. I can understand how someone would be sour if they found a planet they didn't personally find interesting and had to stay on it for two or three hours until they could repair their ship and take off.

On the positive end, the game is gorgeous, even with the technical limitations of either the hardware or the procedural nature of the game. The art design is really good, and the colors are vibrant. Sean has said repeatedly that their goal was to invoke the look of old science fiction novel covers, and I think they succeeded. Framerate on PS4 is 30fps, and so far in my playtime, I haven't come across any drops. The game feels smooth and responsive (despite the slight floatyness). The audio design is also really, really good. The creature sounds, procedural music, and weapon and ship sounds are great. 65daysofstatic did a wonderful job composing the base score for the game.

The sense of exploration and discovery is fantastic. Despite the fact that the game loop primarily has you hunting for resources to upgrade/repair your suit, multitool, and inventory, there is a constant feeling of "What's over that hill? What's in that building? What upgrade/blueprints will I discover next? What word will I learn? What ship will I find?" I'm personally playing as an explorer, so I'm always on the lookout for interesting sights, and I also catalog every species (there's a checklist in the options menu that shows you how many species are left to discover on the planet, and how much money you'll get for discovering them all), so my playstyle and objectives facilitate that. I don't need a huge ship with more cargo space, because I'm not a trader. While I'm upgrading my exosuit for more storage, it's not 100% vital for me to have 30 slots. I'm not playing as a pirate, so I only hunt for upgrades that improve my scanning/survival capabilities (I found a multitool that had a +3 upgrade to the scanner, so when I do a scan, it covers a ton of more ground. I originally only had a base scanner upgrade).

I like that the game gives you some avenues to pursue if you know what type of player you want to be in the game. If I was a pirate or trader, I'd be looking for resources and blueprints that would increase my offensive/defensive and storage capabilities, respectively.

The next system I jumped to before I returned to my starter system to finish off some business had 5 planets, no moons, I believe, and the first planet I landed on was toxic and green. It was beautiful, and I'm excited about returning to that once I wrap up things in my starter system. I'm addicted to hunting for Knowledge Stones to learn new words, and looking for ruins and crashed ships that may have useful technology. It's definitely a make your own fun type of game, and I understand why it wouldn't appeal to everyone.

Overall, this game is for people that love exploration and the science fiction genre. It's far from perfect, and it has a repetitive game loop that will either draw you in or repulse you, but it was never promised to be anything more than what it is. People let their minds run rampant about what they wanted the game to be, but the reality was probably far from that. The game is what Sean Murray has been showing since the reveal trailer, and every subsequent interview and demonstration has reinforced that. It's not Mass Effect. It's not The Witcher 3. It's not Uncharted 4. It's not even Minecraft or Starbound, although it has elements of both in there. It's No Man's Sky, for better or worse. It's still a niche title with ambitious scope, however. It's not for everybody. The people that love it are going to fucking love it, and the people that hate it are going to hate it.

I'm sitting at work right now, already plotting out my next course of action, what area of the moon I'm currently on I want to explore next in search of those elusive final five creatures on my checklist. I'm anxiously looking forward to the weekend, where I'll have even more time, and can go back to that second, promising star system with the five planets. The game has got its hooks in me. If my work wi fi wasn't so shit, I'd be remote playing it during breaks, even if just for 15 minutes to an hour. For me, the game is a flawed gem, but with the promise of being updated and improved over its lifespan. Update 2 is already adding base building and other fixes and tweaks. I find that promising and exciting. It's a darling niche game.

Those are my thoughts on it. I don't do scores, and I'll write up my proper review later, but these are my 7 hour impressions.

Such a well written post with impressions and no comments yet? Shame! Thanks for posting this as I think it shows that ones approach to the game, along with which planet we start on can have a big impact on our enjoyment levels. So you mentioned that if it weren't for the videos and interviews you had watched about the game previously, you would've had a much harder time. I'm almost a complete newb in that respect as I've been avoiding a lot of these videos up until launch. Can you recommend a decent one for me to check so I get off on the right foot? Also, if I get a decidedly shitty starting planet, do you think I should just bail out and try again? I'm thinking I should. Thanks!
 

Lingitiz

Member
I so wonder how this game would have fared if it rose organically as an early access game on Steam and was developed there with the community. Sony marketing and the price tag seems only to have hurt it critically.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
My review:

Its the nuts, fuck the haters, buy it

Lol...

In all seriousness. I have been fully engrossed in the game the last two days. Both 6 hour play sessions flew by, and I wish with them I had more time and not had to sleep. Thank goodness I scheduled the next two days off for myself.

NMS all day errday (the next two days).
 

silva1991

Member
Ouch that metacritic score

I know it's not fully exclusive, but looks like it's The Order 1886 of this year.

Hopefully TLG will be Bloodborne of this year then.
 

OCD Guy

Member
Its like 5 reviews there...2

3 of them above a 7 or above.

Anything below a 9 is not considered good enough for many.

To be totally honest I can see this being DriveClub all over again.

A game that receives generally mixed and negative opinion but then changes perceptions with updates.

Going back to DriveClub, look at the metacritic score. I predict similar for No Man's Sky, but for me that Metacritic doesn't tell the whole story. I appreciate reviewers can only review what's infront of them, but DriveClub today is amazing and I believe No Man's Sky will become Amazing, for me personally it's a great idea that's executed badly.
 

Freeman76

Member
Lol...

In all seriousness. I have been fully engrossed in the game the last two days. Both 6 hour play sessions flew by, and I wish with them I had more time and not had to sleep. Thank goodness I scheduled the next two days off for myself.

NMS all day errday (the next two days).

Yes mate, the game is really amazing if you 'get' it. I havent played anything as engrossing for a long time, when I'm not playing I'm thinking about the next move I need to make in it.

I totally understand why so many people dont find it engrossing, and also why a lot of players will switch off before it sinks into their veins, but for those of us who appreciate it, it's a godsend. Awesome game, gets better and better the more I play, even though it does show it's hand quite early. I mean, it's possible you could land on the best possible planet computation as a starter planet and never find anything better lol
 
Is there any kind of game that is like No Man's Sky? I am itching to play one. I think I never player a spaceship game tbh.

If you want a lot of singleplayer content, X3 has a steep learning curve, but should be right up your alley.

If you want multiplayer, Elite Dangerous.

If you want a more Minecrafty experience, Starbound.
 

Raven77

Member
This is kinda awesome though:

My game so far has been full of "wow" moments like that. It's an exploration game at heart, it's a game for people who don't mind constantly trying to upgrade nearly ever facet of their character and gear to keep progressively getting better, stronger, and faster.

The game is satisfying in this regard because mining gets faster, your guns get more powerful, your jet pack gets higher, lasts longer, etc. You can say "fuck you" to the next ice planet you land on with -75 C temperatures cause you now have a suit that can handle it.

Go into the No Mans Sky screenshot thread. If you have no desire to visit and walk around on some of the cool planets they show in there, then yeah, it probably isn't your kind of game.

I don't really care if I get bored after 40 hours. I lose interest in most games after 40-50 hours anyway and so far the 7-10 hours I've spent with No Mans Sky have left an impression on me that I won't forget for years. I'm loving it because it's my kind of game and I went into it with grounded expectations. If you DON'T like exploring, building up your gear and character slowly, etc. then skip it. Simple as that.

This is the single best opinion piece I have been able to find that describes why I am enjoying it so much - http://www.polygon.com/2016/8/10/12426412/no-mans-sky-infinite-do-it-all-calm-down
 

GodofWine

Member
We're speaking like it's getting crushed critically


And there have been 5 reviews.

Its about tied with Afrika PS3, and I've quietly thought the games basic concepts were similar, and the pre game hype has also been similar, and the reception so far, similar. 18 quintillion planets of looking at animals isn't much better than one so far.
 
Honestly even if you could find a friend or two and explore the galaxy together it doesn't seem like it would really alleviate how boring the core loop of gameplay is.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Yes mate, the game is really amazing if you 'get' it. I havent played anything as engrossing for a long time, when I'm not playing I'm thinking about the next move I need to make in it.

I totally understand why so many people dont find it engrossing, and also why a lot of players will switch off before it sinks into their veins, but for those of us who appreciate it, it's a godsend. Awesome game, gets better and better the more I play, even though it does show it's hand quite early. I mean, it's possible you could land on the best possible planet computation as a starter planet and never find anything better lol

You echo my sentiments as well.

I am very jealous of some of those planets I seen. Crazy looking formations, some lush dense snowy forest ones. I will eventually find one! The push/drive to get to one is there.

Hits all those nostalgic SciFi vibes growing up with the 'choose your own adventure' books for me.
 

PBY

Banned
Honestly even if you could find a friend or two and explore the galaxy together it doesn't seem like it would really alleviate how boring the core loop of gameplay is.
Agreed.

There is a really simplistic loop, and not much else. If you like it, you'll prob be down w the exploration. For not, you'll be bored. I'm already falling off.
 
Love it or hate it games tend to get bad metacritic scores because Metacritic scores are an average. And it's going to be even worse with something like No Man's Sky where there were so many different expectations going in.
 

OmegaFax

Member
I'm probably going to get a bit of shit over this. Requested a refund for the game yesterday and immediately received credit back to my PSN account.

The short version:

My progress was bugged. I spent hours trying to figure out the basics of the game while grinding out exploration and mineral collecting. It wasn't until I started talking to someone else playing the game that I realized some key events didn't trigger properly.

Long version:

I spent a good amount of the time wandering around one system in limbo. I didn't realize this until getting a few hours into the game. I would always have objectives I couldn't complete.

There were some other side effects. The orbital scanner didn't work. Pirate ship encounters didn't work.

I backtracked in order to salvage my save but still had problems.

Some other bugs: Ship goes straight into orbit after lifting off and my ship constantly veering off course or spinning erratically even when I'm not touching the analog sticks when flying between planets.

Tutorial objectives pop up (like fixing the analysis scanner) and disappear. Every time I reloaded the save or attempted to complete completed objectives by destroying/rebuilding inventory, the game either wouldn't check it off or it would randomly forget about it until I restarted the game.

I was frustrated with the entire experience. Did not feel like the game in the state I played it in was worth my time or money. The game was a slow, methodical, barren grind to collect resources and ferry myself to other planet combined with some progression bugs.
 

PBY

Banned
I'm probably going to get a bit of shit over this. Requested a refund for the game yesterday and immediately received credit back to my PSN account.

The short version:

My progress was bugged. I spent hours trying to figure out the basics of the game while grinding out exploration and mineral collecting. It wasn't until I started talking to someone else playing the game that I realized some key events didn't trigger properly.

Long version:

I spent a good amount of the time wandering around one system in limbo. I didn't realize this until getting a few hours into the game. I would always have objectives I couldn't complete.

There were some other side effects. The orbital scanner didn't work. Pirate ship encounters didn't work.

I backtracked in order to salvage my save but still had problems.

Some other bugs: Ship goes straight into orbit after lifting off and my ship constantly veering off course or spinning erratically even when I'm not touching the analog sticks when flying between planets.

Tutorial objectives pop up (like fixing the analysis scanner) and disappear. Every time I reloaded the save or attempted to complete completed objectives by destroying/rebuilding inventory, the game either wouldn't check it off or it would randomly forget about it until I restarted the game.

I was frustrated with the entire experience. Did not feel like the game in the state I played it in was worth my time or money. The game was a slow, methodical, barren grind to collect resources and ferry myself to other planet combined with some progression bugs.
There are tons of technical issues, I've had a bunch too.
 

Z3M0G

Member
It's because they're a small dev team.

That's what I've been told when I stated I found it unnatural. There is a way around it though but it involves universally changing the bindings for the dualshock, it is just too much hassle.
Wtf... the things some people say...

I'm not on any dev team... and even i know to not map sprint to R3 in a FPS
 

OCD Guy

Member
I'm probably going to get a bit of shit over this. Requested a refund for the game yesterday and immediately received credit back to my PSN account.

Can I ask how you did this? Over the phone? Online support?

What was the reason given? Did you have to do any pleading to get one?

I'm tempted to request one if it proves as easy as you say, I'm even tempted to try my luck at Just Cause 3 too as that game is broken.

Wtf... the things some people say...

I'm not on any dev team... and even i know to not map sprint to R3 in a FPS

Tell me about it. It's all well and good saying we should have an option to bind the keys, but I don't even think R3 should have been assigned in the first place. It's almost universal at this point in first person games on a console that the left stick is used to move quicker. It feels natural given the left stick is used for movement.
 

amnesiac

Member
I think my main issue with the game is that there's too much menu and inventory bullshit to make it a great pure exploration game and the mining and economy isn't engaging or rewarding enough to justify that being a huge part of the game.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
When you get to a planet are there any stats for it to look at like:

Diameter
Mass
Orbital period
Rotation period
Age
etc?
 

Figboy79

Aftershock LA
Such a well written post with impressions and no comments yet? Shame! Thanks for posting this as I think it shows that ones approach to the game, along with which planet we start on can have a big impact on our enjoyment levels. So you mentioned that if it weren't for the videos and interviews you had watched about the game previously, you would've had a much harder time. I'm almost a complete newb in that respect as I've been avoiding a lot of these videos up until launch. Can you recommend a decent one for me to check so I get off on the right foot? Also, if I get a decidedly shitty starting planet, do you think I should just bail out and try again? I'm thinking I should. Thanks!

Thank you! Starting planet definitely seems to matter to some. I've read in the OT of people starting on really harsh planets where the toxicity or hot or cold was so much that they couldn't venture too far away from their ship or they'd die. I could see how that'd be frustrating, but I'd probably just roll with it.

I repaired my scanner first, because it's vital to be able to pinpoint where resources are at that may be a little far out of reach. Then I upgraded my analyzer so I could make some money scanning animals and plants. Those are big. Also, there's an atlas bubble near your crashed ship, and that's pretty important for having at least some kind of guidance during those early stages. As for a good video to watch, there's a bunch, but most of the streams got deleted because they were pre-release. There's a pretty good Sean Murray stream from this past Monday on the patched release build, where he's battling on an extreme cold planet that is just decimating his suit, and it has super hostile Sentinels. Watching him play and go over the basic mechanics was pretty helpful as well, and that was on an extreme environment planet, so using his tips on a standard planet is helpful.

Here's the link: https://www.twitch.tv/hellogamesofficial/v/82473234

At the very least, it gives you some of the ebb and flow of the game. It's an hour long. He visits two planets on it.

Like I mentioned in my write up, it's a flawed gem, and rough around the edges, but the foundation is really solid. I'm currently engrossed, and there will be a time when the gameplay loop loses me, but I'll just stop playing and play something else. I can see myself coming back to this game quite a bit, because that urge to explore for me is so great.
 

sh1fty

Member
I'm going to see the game through (and try for the platinum trophy) but I just wish there was a little more variety in the discoveries... I'm also not a big minecraft fan so the constant focus on resource collecting is super tiring and cumbersome.

I'm in my 5th system I think and every single building I pull up to is the exact same... every ruin / monolith is the exact same... the animals feel pretty much the same after a while... I hope as I get closer to the center of the galaxy this will change..

I get it though.. I see what they are doing... as an avid reader of classic science fiction (I own and have read most of the books the trophies are named after) I appreciate the attempt.
 

PantherLotus

Professional Schmuck
After playing this with my 6-year-old sitting next to me after previously playing this through the lens of reviews-that-worried-me by myself, I believe I've been too harsh. This game is about wonderment and it achieves that in spades.

See, the initial disorientation of controls isn't an imbalance, it's a feature. The initial difficulty managing inventories is troublesome, but not game breaking. The sometimes endless drilling-down into 'hyperdrive --> dark matter --> suspension liquid --> thalium + iron' fetch quests you're sent on are indeed very difficult ... but only because "what's over that next hill?" + "i shouldn't go much further from my ship" combine to create a real sense of urgency while also making for an endless set of distractions from your primary goal.

It's so easy to get lost. It's scary and haunting and perfect.

The sameness that eventually washes over you when you've seen enough planets, enough neon skies, enough alien monoliths and million-consonant languages, enough space stations, enough outposts ... it's real. But it's also thrilling knowing there are some billions upon billions of planets but they're all dealing with similar problems. There are only so many elements after all.

The first time you pop a pirate then circle back to loot his grave is the most thrilling shit of all time.

I dunno. It's not a perfect game. Not close. But No Man's Sky is touching a nerve here, an unsettling truth that we all already know -- that the universe is teeming with life, that exploration of it is both daunting and harrowing and will be filled with the day-to-day monotony of surviving, and that once you've seen a dozen planets, you're really only talking about different arrangements of particles and elements and how those different arrangements make for new and interesting species. All of this does not make for a perfect game, but it is entirely engrossing, compelling, and beautiful.

8/10
 

PBY

Banned
I'm going to see the game through (and try for the platinum trophy) but I just wish there was a little more variety in the discoveries... I'm also not a big minecraft fan so the constant focus on resource collecting is super tiring and cumbersome.

I'm in my 5th system I think and every single building I pull up to is the exact same... every ruin / monolith is the exact same... the animals feel pretty much the same after a while... I hope as I get closer to the center of the galaxy this will change..

I get it though.. I see what they are doing... as an avid reader of classic science fiction (I own and have read most of the books the trophies are named after) I appreciate the attempt.
Agree with a lot of this. The first bunch of hours are delightful though, then the systems sort of become clear and it starts to fall apart.
 
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