No Mans Sky adding full multiplayer in July

[sXeth]

https://www.pcgamer.com/no-mans-sky-will-get-cooperative-multiplayer-this-july/?utm_content=buffer873a6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=buffer-pcgamertw

(Technically, theirs been multiplayer since the Atlas Rises update last august, but it was limited to being able to see another player as a glowing ghost ball or seeing bases)

There's certainly good reason to keep NMS as the textbook of why you don't buy into big hype. But their commitment to updating the game and adding the stuff in over time has been pretty commendable on its own. Along with the updates coming without being flooded with microtransactions or as part of re-releases and DLC packs.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

I guess it was secretly an early access game lol.

I guess its commendable but it also seems silly. Why are they wasting their time and money on this? Most people wont come back, the game is tarnished forever.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

I guess it was secretly an early access game lol.

I guess its commendable but it also seems silly. Why are they wasting their time and money on this? Most people wont come back, the game is tarnished forever.

I might. Some games I will only ever consider playing co-op. Either they look too boring or not enough fun as single-player or with not enough of a substantial story or gameplay to warrant a playthrough alone.

No Man's Sky always looked like one of those games to me.

 

[sXeth]

I guess it was secretly an early access game lol.

I guess its commendable but it also seems silly. Why are they wasting their time and money on this? Most people wont come back, the game is tarnished forever.

I actually popped back for Atlas Rises. Granted, I never did have the complete dour experience of it, just finding it kind of shallow, rather then "OMG BETRAYER AND DESTROYER OF DREAMS."

As to people coming onboard, July is when the game comes to Xbox, notably. I wouldn't be surprised if they dole out some sales for a bit of a push too (or even show up as a PSPlus free game). That and anyone who had the digital probably still has it (possibly even installed, because NMS was ridiculously compact as actual hard drive space went).

 

[Dalisclock]

I haven't played it but I retain some curiosity about how it develops. I appreciate the fact they are trying to improve the game and bring it more in line with what people initially wanted(instead of just giving up and moving on to something else, like many devs would do). Now, whether or not those efforts have been enough to make it the game it needs to be is still up for debate. Last I read, the inventory system(and the constrained nature thereof) is still a problem.

 

[sXeth]

I haven't played it but I retain some curiosity about how it develops. I appreciate the fact they are trying to improve the game and bring it more in line with what people initially wanted(instead of just giving up and moving on to something else, like many devs would do). Now, whether or not those efforts have been enough to make it the game it needs to be is still up for debate. Last I read, the inventory system(and the constrained nature thereof) is still a problem.

Last I picked it up they started having separated backpack stuff (With a general backpack that could be used for whatever, a technology specific separate inventory, and a mass storage container that could only contain basic resources, but stacked up as high as the starship/etc slots), alongside the vehicles/frieghters/base storage containers.

Granted all the base building stuff, and the trade update also increased the amount of stuff you might concievably want to pick up.

 

[ebalosus]

As an Elite Dangerous veteran and Star Citizen scrublord, I have a lot of respect for what Sean Murray is doing with NMS. Sure, it isn't the dream space exploration game that I've always wanted, but unlike Cliffy B or Derek Smart, Murray is willing to attempt to reach his lofty ambitions and promises through further free patches to the game and release a version on Microsoft's rotting carcass of a console.

 

[Ender910_v1legacy]

Still a terribly conceived design for a space game. Not that most recent alternatives do much better, each aiming for too large of a scope or missing the mark in some way. Although Star Citizen's Squadron 42 might actually work, depending on how serious they are about making it legitimately fun and challenging.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Might be another case of too little, too late. Good that they're still out there trying to improve their game but it seems like a lost cause at this point.

 

[sXeth]

Still a terribly conceived design for a space game. Not that most recent alternatives do much better, each aiming for too large of a scope or missing the mark in some way. Although Star Citizen's Squadron 42 might actually work, depending on how serious they are about making it legitimately fun and challenging.

So what are you looking for in a "space game"? Other then RTSes, there's been a fairly broad spectrum of them in recent memory. Certainly the bit of Squadron 42 I've seen wasn't breaking out of the mold with a standard FPS/ship combat approach.

 

[Ender910_v1legacy]

So what are you looking for in a "space game"? Other then RTSes, there's been a fairly broad spectrum of them in recent memory. Certainly the bit of Squadron 42 I've seen wasn't breaking out of the mold with a standard FPS/ship combat approach.

Yeah, I guess I was being a little vague there. I was mostly referring to anything with space-flight-sim combat elements in the game, more or less.

Unfortunately, a lot of more recent games that have delved into that area tend to do a rather poor job of it. The combat's usually rather lackluster and clumsily designed, the worlds often feel very lifeless and artificial, NPC's and AI tend to be pretty basic and lack much variety in design or behavior.

And at least some of this boils down to what I was referring to earlier, where the scope of the game is either too big and lacks attention to detail or too heavily focused on "side" areas of gameplay (like crafting/building systems). Admittedly, these problems are becoming a common trend across a lot of other kinds of games, but it tends to hit niche-genres a little harder.

 

[sXeth]

So what are you looking for in a "space game"? Other then RTSes, there's been a fairly broad spectrum of them in recent memory. Certainly the bit of Squadron 42 I've seen wasn't breaking out of the mold with a standard FPS/ship combat approach.

Yeah, I guess I was being a little vague there. I was mostly referring to anything with space-flight-sim combat elements in the game, more or less.

Unfortunately, a lot of more recent games that have delved into that area tend to do a rather poor job of it. The combat's usually rather lackluster and clumsily designed, the worlds often feel very lifeless and artificial, NPC's and AI tend to be pretty basic and lack much variety in design or behavior.

And at least some of this boils down to what I was referring to earlier, where the scope of the game is either too big and lacks attention to detail or too heavily focused on "side" areas of gameplay (like crafting/building systems). Admittedly, these problems are becoming a common trend across a lot of other kinds of games, but it tends to hit niche-genres a little harder.

Ah, well I can appreciate that. No Mans Sky certainly has space combat, although even with two updates to it, its kind of just a thing thats there. They're definitely far more focused on the ground survival game, whereas space is just an obstacle to overcome between planets.

Rebel Galaxy was probably the last space-ship focused game I played. Good for an indie, but the farther in I got the more it kind of fell into being a chore of grinding without really adding much dynamic to the combat.

The irony of course, is that before seemingly rolling with the tides and all the colonization and planet based stuff. NMS was supposedly focused on the space travel, with planets meant to be short experiences to refuel or whatever. That never really did pan out in the gameplay, as the on-planet survival was more time-consuming and challenging (as much as it was) then anything in space, and the space content was just kind of dull.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Rebel Galaxy was probably the last space-ship focused game I played. Good for an indie, but the farther in I got the more it kind of fell into being a chore of grinding without really adding much dynamic to the combat.

Rebel Galaxy was the closest thing to "The perfect Space Sim" for me. The world actually felt alive. I could do all kinds of neat things like run trade blockades, and stuff. Yeah, the 2D Naval-Style combat was a drag compared to a proper 3D dogfighting game, but it didn't ruin the game for me.

The only reason I stopped playing was because I lost my save data in a reformat about halfway through the game and I have no interest in starting over from scratch right now. :s

the worlds often feel very lifeless and artificial, NPC's and AI tend to be pretty basic and lack much variety in design or behavior.

This is my problem with SO damn many space sims.

Elite's fantastic in a lot of ways, but everything just feels so samey and cut-and-paste and lifeless. There's simultaneously too much player interaction and too little. It just doesn't feel alive at all.

It doesn't matter where I bounty hunt, or trade, or explore, everything looks and acts the same, with the same pirate attacks, etc. And to do anything meaningful, you have to join a player group for PowerPlay....Which in my factions case ends up being "Hey, play in solo play and shuttle these papers back and forth long distances and pay lots of money for the privilege...Also if you fall behind for a week or two, you lose ALL your rank". :s

And the only other space sim I ever got into somewhat decently was Evochron mercenary/legacy and while the combat was really in-depth (100% newtonian at all times), and planetfall was 100% seamless...That game was even more artificial in world design. :s

Seriously, if I ever win the lottery, I'm going to fund and design my own "perfect" space sim. No insanely huge game world (So everywhere matters), unique hazards and enemies in each sector, a world that reacts back to you, proper 3D space combat and most importantly, the ability to easily mix in your own music into the game's soundtrack like Rebel Galaxy.

 

[sXeth]

Thats probably the big glaring part of NMS for me. While there's 3 factions, they all just inhabit the same structures and freighters as each other (IIRC the space stations are at least a different polyhedron). And there's no Mass-Effect esque lore for them all using the same technology or anything (other then the simulation designer being lazy with art assets, in a bit of metahumor). Like why do the machien consciousness guys who don't even have much need for physical space, the genocidal menace turned merchant empire frogs, and the warrior lizard dudes who are supposedly embattled in an unending war with eco-terrorist murderbots all have identical design aesthetics with no apparent difference in functionality. They do at least give out different bounty missions though.

Its not an uncommon trope in sci-fi (you can find lots of Star Trek clips of Borg working on consoles in their own ship), but why would literal AI's have physical keyboards they operate with their shell bodies in their observatories.

Seriously, if I ever win the lottery, I'm going to fund and design my own "perfect" space sim. No insanely huge game world (So everywhere matters), unique hazards and enemies in each sector, a world that reacts back to you, proper 3D space combat and most importantly, the ability to easily mix in your own music into the game's soundtrack like Rebel Galaxy.

Thats just heresy. Pure evil.

Evil ways. Evil evil ways.

I might actually give RG another go, I was a bit distracted when I originally ran it (and also streaming, which isn't exactly the best way to experience a game, trying to talk over it constantly and playing in inorganic chunks)

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Thats just heresy. Pure evil.

Evil ways. Evil evil ways.

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sweet soothing and relaxing sound of the AI Wars soundtrack.

I was gonna youtube link to the best goddamn track in the game (Midnight), but I can't find the damn thing on youtube anymore.

 

[Drathnoxis]

So how far does the game still have to go before it becomes the game Sean Murray promised?

 

[ebalosus]

So how far does the game still have to go before it becomes the game Sean Murray promised?

A couple more patches at least, as there is still no sandworms, nor can we land on comets or asteroids. Also the ship system is garbage.

 

[Vanilla ISIS]

Now that it's really cheap and will have multiplayer, I think it could make a comeback.
Those big scale online space battles that were advertised years ago will finally be possible.
We shall see.

 

[Ender910_v1legacy]

Ah, well I can appreciate that. No Mans Sky certainly has space combat, although even with two updates to it, its kind of just a thing thats there. They're definitely far more focused on the ground survival game, whereas space is just an obstacle to overcome between planets.

The irony of course, is that before seemingly rolling with the tides and all the colonization and planet based stuff. NMS was supposedly focused on the space travel, with planets meant to be short experiences to refuel or whatever. That never really did pan out in the gameplay, as the on-planet survival was more time-consuming and challenging (as much as it was) then anything in space, and the space content was just kind of dull.

Aye, this is what I'd gathered based on some footage and personal feedback from a friend. This is the main thing that I think was ill-concieved. Trying to flesh out both ground-based and space exploration in a single game is rarely going to work out, especially in an almost purely free roaming kind of setup where you offer the whole planet for the player to explore. It almost doesn't matter how much procedural generation you throw at it, that planet's going to end up being very dull very quickly. This is what I'm afraid is going to end up happening with Star Citizen, although at least I'll hand it to them, based on some of what I've read, some of the work they've done on the setting, like with the various factions/alien races, is at least a bit interesting. Still holding my breath though, while remaining open to the possibility that it might turn out decently.

Rebel Galaxy was probably the last space-ship focused game I played. Good for an indie, but the farther in I got the more it kind of fell into being a chore of grinding without really adding much dynamic to the combat.

Rebel Galaxy was the closest thing to "The perfect Space Sim" for me. The world actually felt alive. I could do all kinds of neat things like run trade blockades, and stuff. Yeah, the 2D Naval-Style combat was a drag compared to a proper 3D dogfighting game, but it didn't ruin the game for me.

The only reason I stopped playing was because I lost my save data in a reformat about halfway through the game and I have no interest in starting over from scratch right now. :s

I heard some solid things about Rebel Galaxy. I forget why I never actually investigated it further back when it first came out, maybe because I kept getting it confused with another space game that was released around the same time that wasn't quite so solid. I guess it's kind of tough to provide a solid presentation for that kind of a game that makes it stand out a bit, at least unless you've played it.

This is my problem with SO damn many space sims.

Elite's fantastic in a lot of ways, but everything just feels so samey and cut-and-paste and lifeless. There's simultaneously too much player interaction and too little. It just doesn't feel alive at all.

It doesn't matter where I bounty hunt, or trade, or explore, everything looks and acts the same, with the same pirate attacks, etc. And to do anything meaningful, you have to join a player group for PowerPlay....Which in my factions case ends up being "Hey, play in solo play and shuttle these papers back and forth long distances and pay lots of money for the privilege...Also if you fall behind for a week or two, you lose ALL your rank". :s

And the only other space sim I ever got into somewhat decently was Evochron mercenary/legacy and while the combat was really in-depth (100% newtonian at all times), and planetfall was 100% seamless...That game was even more artificial in world design. :s

That's what kept me from buying Elite Dangerous everytime I was tempted by a sale. Like the combat and flight mechanics look extremely impressive, but the actual overarching model for the game was something I just knew would ruin most of the experience. I think when trying to create a sandbox game or environment, some developers seem to forget that a sandbox isn't an endless sandpit.

Evochron, and also the X-series at least didn't make that mistake, but they did do a rather lackluster effort on the world-design sadly. This is the sort of thing that can actually make a sci-fi game of this sort actually depressing, at least for me. A vast and empty space with... very little meaning, passion, hope, etc etc, and reminding one of one's mortality just a little too much.

Seriously, if I ever win the lottery, I'm going to fund and design my own "perfect" space sim. No insanely huge game world (So everywhere matters), unique hazards and enemies in each sector, a world that reacts back to you, proper 3D space combat and most importantly, the ability to easily mix in your own music into the game's soundtrack like Rebel Galaxy.

It might be feasible to develop your own game on Unreal or Unity. One of the advantages I think with a space-based game is that assets (models and textures) are a lot easier to cover than for a lot of other kinds of games. Plus, of course, Unity and Unreal don't cost a thing to develop on, and royalties don't factor in until you're actually making solid money on a project. Toughest part, frankly, is the overall workload, particularly if you're doing it solo.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

It might be feasible to develop your own game on Unreal or Unity. One of the advantages I think with a space-based game is that assets (models and textures) are a lot easier to cover than for a lot of other kinds of games. Plus, of course, Unity and Unreal don't cost a thing to develop on, and royalties don't factor in until you're actually making solid money on a project. Toughest part, frankly, is the overall workload, particularly if you're doing it solo.

As a game programmer familiar with Unity, the workload and sheer amount of talent needed to make what I'd want to see is waaaay too much for just little-old me. I'd need a full team of talented people.

Also, space games tend to not get really well funded or noticed by the powers that be, as sci-fi is generally seen as a weak market outside of the smash hits. :s