200°

The Planetary Variance in No Man's Sky is Perplexing

Hardcore Gamer: Even though No Man’s Sky is out in the wild, the biggest question surrounding Hello Games’ ambitious survival title is still alive and well. Everyone and their mother seems to be wondering whether or not No Man’s Sky has the legs to be the type of game that players put hundreds and hundreds of hours into. At the end of the day, this is going to come down to the amount of planetary variance in this procedural universe.

Read Full Story >>
hardcoregamer.com
gangsta_red2837d ago

That's one of my biggest gripes with the game. Been to 20+ planets and the terrain has mostly just changed color but nothing much more or exciting.

IRetrouk2837d ago

I have been to easy 100 if not more, there is big diffs even just in moons, some planets i have been to are compleatly barren on one side but life covered on the other/ underground ect. I think the area you are in plays apart too, also dont forget that there are diff star types you can visit with upgraded parts, i have just finished maxing my suit so am now slowly working towards getting my ship maxed once i get a 48 and the centre. So far so good.

gangsta_red2837d ago

That is hard to believe, I have been to enough planets (not 100), but enough to know that one side of the planet's terrain is exactly like the other side. The biggest issue though is nothing is exciting on the planet, no huge ocean covered planet with huge waves due to moons being close to the planet. Or no volcanic planets, gas giants, no planet that has a strange tilt axis or just anything that you read about in any astronomy article.

And maxing my suit and ship is one of the most mundane tasks I have ever subjected myself to in gaming history. It actually surpassed the Shenmu go to work meta game all those years ago.

Kirchh772836d ago

@Gangsta- that's why this game needs to succeed so other company's build from this games premise. If everybody dogs it and it fails then that makes it harder for any other dev to take a risk w this genre. Will be mighty tough to get a game w NMS's ambition together w other ideas like extreme environments and different biomes if devs see NMS take such a big hit by critics. It'll cause devs to think twice before making that leap. Anybody that wants more depth needs to get behind this game so we don't shut the door on this genre for consoles. Bc if u don't get behind it and u want a game like NMS but w more then u are only hurting your chances of seeing that materialize.

gangsta_red2836d ago

@Kirchh

"that's why this game needs to succeed so other company's build from this games premise."

Yes and no, I would like other companies to see this and add on to this premise most definitely but what I don't want to see are companies that think they can promote and strut one feature to be proud of and then give us a game filled with mundane tasks repeated over and over again like with NMS.

"If everybody dogs it and it fails then that makes it harder for any other dev to take a risk w this genre."

I think devs will read WHY it was dogged out and criticized and if it's a good dev they will not make that mistake with the next game. For example, Dragon Age 2, the game was atrocious for a lot of it's design decisions but that team took it and rectified a lot of the criticisms they received and fixed them for 3.

"Will be mighty tough to get a game w NMS's ambition together..."

I am positive that there's a dev already at work that are trying to top NMS. Remember NMS is not the first to have an exploration type game I am sure they'll be many after NMS.

"Anybody that wants more depth needs to get behind this game..."

I disagree completely, depth isn't the issue for this game. It's the monotonous tone, the repetitive gameplay, the horrible UI, the many features that seem unfinished or aren't there, the last thing I want to do is get behind a dev and have them and others think that they can push whatever on us only because it seems new or different, I want them to know it also has to be good.

IRetrouk2836d ago

Funny cause i literaly just left a planet that was diff on the oposite side, and there are ocean worlds because ive been on them too, i know you are being overcritical and i know why but at least you are constructive, more physics would be great, did you try visiting diffrent star types yet?

gangsta_red2836d ago

@Iretrouk

Honestly, it's not even the physics that is the main complaint for me for the game. It's the repetitive gameplay and lack of engagement with aliens or story that has really put me off more than anything about this game. I don't think I am being over critical, the game lacks in a lot of areas that kept it from being as great as I had hoped.

IRetrouk2836d ago

I can agree that it can be a repetitive game but every game is thats just the way it is, for me hunting out the words for the aliens is great and am having fun with it, so far the game is what i expected although i did follow the game from the start so knew what i was and wasnt getting.

remixx1162836d ago

@red

LOL that shenmue meta, damn red you a true og huh.

Yetter2836d ago

from everything I've played and seen, the biomes are the same across the entire planets. Its a cool tech demo, but it gets boring pretty quickly

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 2836d ago
yeahokwhatever2836d ago

just think they need to work on the caves and whats inside them. caves are generally exactly the same on every planet

Aenea2836d ago (Edited 2836d ago )

That was actually a bit of a let down for me, yeah, they look great but all the same...

Aenea2836d ago

Complete and utter nonsense... But hey, keep on being negative about it...

gangsta_red2836d ago (Edited 2836d ago )

Let me change that, I don't think I am being negative, just very disappointed about a game I was looking forward too.

Aenea2836d ago

Like I replied to you in another article, there's plenty of variation but if you don't like the game enough from the get go to actually make it to them then yeah, you indeed don't see them.

From all the complaints there's absolutely nothing that I can think of besides the silly meeting other players bit that has been shown in the trailers that's not in the game. Giant animals that do sorta feel like they could be on earth, small critters, I've seen animals chase another species, yes, of course they could have upped the simulation a heck of a lot, I do also miss gas giants and he indeed wanted to include them. Heck, there was proper planet rotation but they dialed that way down since it was apparently confusing the play testers (this is from change notes)...

Besides, name a game and I will hunt down a trailer that's showing something in a certain way that isn't exactly in that game either, but with those no one seem to care...

Anyhoo, do a Steam refund or something and forget about the game and don't repeat the stupid drivel some people seem to be spouting all over the internet which is untrue for like 99%.

gangsta_red2836d ago

I am glad that you are having a great time with the game but it appears your experiences are way different from mine.

"Besides, name a game and I will hunt down a trailer..."

And what would that prove? That wouldn't suddenly change my own experiences or expectations of this game now would it?

"Anyhoo,..."

I have a better idea, how about you don't pay attention to the valid complaints and criticisms most are having with the game, since they seem to upset you so much. Don't try and force your own experiences as more truthful and without any type of bias only because you like the game. The "stupid drivel" you also post sounds like 100% of the excuses I read from some on the net that are only here to defend such a poor game.

thornh2836d ago

There is no proper planet rotation. If you land on a planet on the light side and wait there is a day/night cycle. If you then launch into space on the dark side the star in the system will indeed be on the other side of the planet. However, the planet itself does not rotate. The skybox that contains the image of the star and the background graphics rotates. There were two planets visible in the daytime sky when I landed. The same two planets were in the same exact location in the sky at night. There is no planetary rotation. I agree with the critics on this one.
And I also agree about planetary diversity and flora/fauna diversity. It is lacking. Though everything gets cataloged as a "new" species most things are virtually identical planet to planet. Obviously Hello Games made this entire game with a staff of 16 people or so. I would suggest they hire additional artists to work on new textures and artwork for creatures. The procedural generation is great but if there are limited resources for the math to choose from there will be limited variety overall. I will stick with NMS. Adding more variety and texture to the game should be something HG can achieve with updates.

ziggurcat2836d ago

Somehow I don't think the 20+ planets you visited are representative of the other 18 quintillion planets that are in the game...

and what's so hard to believe about retrouk's experience of the game? just because you didn't experience those things yet, doesn't mean that they wouldn't exist in the specific galaxy that was generated for you. by all means, be disappointed with the minute portion of the galaxy you had explored, but don't be so incredulous as to think that that's what everyone else is going to experience as well.

gangsta_red2836d ago (Edited 2836d ago )

"...of the other 18 quintillion planets that are in the game... "

How unfortunate then that somewhere in that 18 quintillion will be a planet that is actually exciting. Sad that the mundane tasks presented in gameplay will keep me from ever finding out this.

"and what's so hard to believe about retrouk's experience of the game?"

Because I have not seen a stream, pic, or anything else that would suggest otherwise. What I have seen from pics, streams and others who have actually played the game are the types of terrains that have very little variations from one another.

"be disappointed with the minute portion of the galaxy you had explored,"

How about you ziggurcat how many hours have you put in? What are your experiences with the variety of the planets you visited? Or are you here to add nothing to the discussion as usual? For that reason I think I'm going to have to start just ignoring your constant replies.

IRetrouk2836d ago

Would be easy enough to get you some if you want, i seem to get a good mix of planets even within the same system, also you still havnt said if you have visited other types of stars other than the first and only ones you can untill you upgrade

ziggurcat2836d ago (Edited 2836d ago )

"How unfortunate then that somewhere in that 18 quintillion will be a planet that is actually exciting..."

Sure, it's unfortunate that you didn't run into anything exciting. Doesn't mean it did not exist in your galaxy.

"Because I have not seen a stream, pic, or anything else that would suggest otherwise..."

Still doesn't mean that retrouk's account of his experience didn't happen simply because nothing you have encountered or seen came close to what he's mentioned.

"How about you ziggurcat how many hours have you put in? What are your experiences with the variety of the planets you visited?"

That's irrelevant.

"Or are you here to add nothing to the discussion as usual? For that reason I think I'm going to have to start writing you off."

All I've said was that you can't take what you've experienced (which, based on what you've described, had barely scratched the surface of what's in the game), take that to mean that that's what everyone else is experiencing, and just be flippantly unwilling to believe in anyone else's specific experience based on a tiny fraction of the hand that was dealt to you.

There's nothing wrong with being disappointed, but you should learn to be a lot more open-minded, and less dismissive of other people's accounts of the game just because you had a less-than-desirable experience. That's it. It's not a personal attack on you.

gangsta_red2836d ago (Edited 2834d ago )

"That's irrelevant."

That's the problem, your comments are irrelevant. I know you're not attacking me personally but your also not adding anything to the discussion. You're only here to argue.

It's hard to believe given my experiences and the others that also played the game that I know. I never called him a liar or anything of the sorts so again, why are you here taking a small portion of what I said and turning it into such a huge issue?

You have no experiences, no examples, absolutely nothing to add to the actual game conversation which we are talking about.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 2836d ago
ITPython2836d ago

@gangsta - nice try, but you clearly have not played the game and are attempting to spread misinformation. The varience in the planets is crazy, only bitter xb1 trolls would like to believe the only difference is the color of the sky or grass.

Wishful thinking on your part I'm afraid.

2836d ago
pcz2836d ago

the game got 6/10 average for a reason. just a pointless planet generator

i would file the game under: shovelware

2836d ago
IRetrouk2836d ago

Im sure you have also defended games that got low scores from reviews, so this week they matter, next week they wont again, at least play the game before talking pure crap.

Aenea2836d ago

It has a 71/100 average...

Aenea2836d ago

Then once again, instead of complaining that you haven't seen pictures of the things you believe aren't in the game, give me a list of things you want to see screens/videos of?

I've seen so many gorgeous planets it's crazy! Just tell me what you want to see and I will show you proof.

Don't say that your own experience and of the ones you've seen streams off means it is like that all the time. Yes, if I would've been streaming my gameplay all the time there would've been parts that would have had the same experience as you describe, but the other half would consist of the stuff you say isn't in there!

Just admit that the game is not for you. You admit you feel it's boring, fair enough, that means you don't feel the urge to continue and actually find the stuff that is actually out there but don't say stuff that is not true. You're wasting a lot of time in all these NMS articles to get your point across and it's silly.

gangsta_red2834d ago

"...give me a list of things you want to see screens/videos of?"

I have more than given enough examples and talked about it and again what would be the point? Would it finally convince you on how terrible I believe the game is? Would you somehow sleep better at night knowing the game in my opinion didn't live up to its potential.

You seem to be overly concerned with what I think of the game.

"Just admit that the game is not for you."

Lmao, I am absolutely positive in the many comments I have left in this very thread that I have been saying this all along. I mean my gawd, do you want me to hold your ear open and scream that I think the game is terrible to somehow convince you that I think it is?

"You're wasting a lot of time in all these NMS articles to get your point across and it's silly."

I'm not wasting my time at all, you seem to be the one wasting yours by asking me to tell you how bad I think this game is over and over again. I would be more than happy though to keep explaining to you how this game is utter shit if you like.

Aenea2833d ago

Ahh, but you still never answered my question about listing the things you feel that are missing. Seems to me that you can't or are worried that you will be proven wrong, instead you just keep on spewing the same crap over and over.

I'm done with you.

gangsta_red2833d ago

"Seems to me that you can't or are worried that you will be proven wrong,"

Proven wrong about what? When did I even focus on missing features and why are you so obsessed with a list from me. I told you many times that the game sucks, it's shit and yet you keep coming back and wanting to hear how much I didn't like the game. I been told you to not pay attention to me and yet here you are.

Seriously, do us both a favor (mainly me) and be done.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 2833d ago
mamotte2836d ago

Oh man, the number of dislikes here will be awesome, but there, I'll say it: This game is a big letdown for me. Don't get me wrong, I know the game is about exploring at all, but after visiting a lot of planets, I ended up by feeling that I was just in some creature model generator with random background. It sounds obvious, I know, but I was expecting a bit more of interactivity. I mean, carnivorous, herbivorous, insects, they're all the same. And you just feed'em or kill'em. In the lucky moment you find more than one species in the same planet, they dont interact at all.

I'm not a game developer, but come on. Spore, a really old game at least had predators, chain foods. I think the size of this game is also it's biggest enemy. Personally, I'd prefer it to be the size of a solar system like ours: 8-9 planets. Explore it all, generate a new one. Everyone of a really big size, with various lifeforms, and proper behavior for every animal, more than appearance and movement. A winged tiger? Let it chase, I don't know, snakecows. Let it food their children. Also, the planets on NMS... yeah, there are some variants, but after a long time they feel like color swaps. Maybe add some climate changes, storms, sand storms, clouds... also, in NMS the planet itself doesn't affect life. It affects your status, but then you find a planet with 100x gravity... populated by deer leg creatures. It just doesn't make sense.

It was ok and... exciting at first, but after a while it has become more of a showcase of weird animals with random background, that just doesn't feel alive at all.

Sorry about the bad english.

Skate-AK2836d ago (Edited 2836d ago )

Your English was actually written better than a lot of native English speakers that I run into.

Yetter2836d ago

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. And your English is fine. Don't stress about it

210°

No Man's Sky Is Easily One Of Gaming's Greatest Comeback Stories

Despite No Man Sky's rocky launch, Hello Games managed to turn it into one of the best space exploration RPGs out there.

darksky20d ago

HG could have stopped after making 3-4 updates and the debt would have been paid to those why are crying about paying full price. However, they have continously provided free updates for the last 6-7 years. No other developer in hostory has ever done this and probably never will.
There are many AAA games that disappointed but the devs normally move on or close the studio rather than fix the game.

-Foxtrot20d ago

I hate the whole concept of "comeback story" because at the end of the day it doesn't remove the core issue we had in the first place, that we were lied to, it was disappointing and it launched with bare content to what was promised for years.

Any bad game can have a comeback story if it's supported enough after launch but for me if you launch in a terrible state then you had your chance. I can applaud you for what you've done after but at the end of the day there's not much of a choice since most gamers would blank your next product if you ditched your last game so fast, it's not about repairing the game but spending your time repairing gamers trust before you launch your next product otherwise it would be dead on arrival.

With these stories and the games being updated, the only way is up most of the time so of course it's going to improve the game and feel better over all, getting better and better as time passes. No Mans Sky, Sea of Thieves, Fallout 76 etc but then you have games like Anthem, Suicide Squad, Redfall and The Avengers where the devs just clearly moved on, now if they have another product people won't be as exited for it, I mean hell Guardians of the Galaxy was a great game but because of the Avengers it didn't help its sales since people were obviously still sour at that point.

I still think despite the improvements to games like No Mans Sky and Cyberpunk along with being better now overall the games are still not up there to what was promised and hyped as for years.

If we keep celebrating these “comeback stories” then unfortunately it only strongly supports the concept that these studios / publishers can continue to push half arsed broken products out for the sake of quick sales instead of waiting until they are fully finished. We need to condemn this awful behaviour or sadly we lose all voice and power as consumers.

Sonic188120d ago (Edited 20d ago )

I feel the same way about Cyberpunk 2077. I'm glad you mentioned that. I'm not a fan of comeback stories as well. But No man sky developer was a small indie team compared to CDPR. It's worse when it's coming from a AAA developer

Nacho_Z20d ago

"Any bad game can have a comeback story if it's supported enough after launch"

You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not. After release Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone. That's not normal.

The reason NMS and HG are held in such high esteem and calling them liars is a weak stance is the amount of work they've put into it, for free. They're not chasing a quick buck, they've dedicated their lives over the last few years to giving their fans the game everyone wanted.

-Foxtrot20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

They are liars though...

We are not revising history here, I'm sorry but we're not

They built this game up for years and they launched it knowing full well it wasn't up to scratch to what they originally showed off or hyped it up to be.

"They're not chasing a quick buck, they've dedicated their lives over the last few years to giving their fans the game everyone wanted"

And like I said above most of that comes from the fact that if they had just moved on straight away nobody would have supported their next game. They've washed most of that sour taste away after supporting No Mans Sky so now they are doing a new game which more people feel like they can support and get excited for.

Anyway how can you say "You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not" and then make the point that "Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone"

This means that if a small team like this can turn a game around then big AAA games like Suicide Squad, Redfall, Anthem and the like should have been able to do it no problem, oh but that's right they didn't want to put the time or effort into it. They can do it but some people just decide not to.

Blad3runner0020d ago (Edited 20d ago )

"You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not. After release Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone. That's not normal."

People paid for the game at launch and got lied to. Now the game is what it SHOULD have been from the start (what people paid for) and we should be happy they aren't charging EXTRA? Its free because people ALREADY paid for the game at launch.

People PAID for what the game is in its current state (what it should have been at launch), not what it was when it released. Charging people AGAIN would result in even more backlash.

anast20d ago

"You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not. After release Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone. That's not normal."

They already charged for the full price game. All of that work is owed because it was already paid for.

JackBNimble19d ago

Fox ... sure HG made a huge mistake, but they have also done more then any development team that I have seen to fix the problem and go way beyond in supporting the game. And every update has been free, so I don't really get why you are holding on to this grudge.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 19d ago
milohighclub20d ago (Edited 20d ago )

Whatever happened at launch is in the past. By your logic they could have supported it for a year got it to the project they promised then stopped but they didn't. They're still supporting it to this they, they've released more content post than pretty much any game I can think off. More than most MMOs. They didn't have to go this far but they have and don't have any plans of stopping. All for free too.
Yeah they had a shit launch and they've apologised, learned and more than made up for it. I was pissed off at them at launch, but not petty enough to keep slandering them 7 years later.
You have much bigger studios releasing half assed games and fixing it later or even worse not even bothering.

anast20d ago

The DLC costs money. But yeah, people are hanging on to this one longer because of their previous reputation.

TheCaptainKuchiki20d ago

And it doesn't change the fact that the game is a boring procedurally generated environment in which your repeat the same actions over and over again with no real purpose. I hate when they say that the game became good.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 19d ago
thorstein20d ago

I really enjoyed it at launch and had every trophy by August 2016.

The experience I had is no longer in the game: It was just me and my ship. It was a survival game and the feeling of loneliness in the universe was pervasive. There was no way to ruin too far from your ship and, in an emergency, you grenaded a hole in the ground to survive.

I miss that aspect, but since then, I love what they've done.

Hugodastrevas20d ago

I'd say it's THE definitive comeback story

TheGamingHounds20d ago

Final Fantasy 14 takes that one imho

CrimsonWing6920d ago (Edited 20d ago )

Yep and the way they actually did it where Bahamut destroyed the original FF14 and the realm was “reborn” seals it as the best way to do something like this, lol.

jwillj2k420d ago

Oh great another story about the cleanest shirt in a bin of dirty laundry.

Show all comments (26)
80°

Latest No Man’s Sky update adds ship customisation, space station overhaul, and more

Orbital update drops today, also bringing with it engine improvements and UI refresh.

Read Full Story >>
blog.playstation.com
Zeke6859d ago

The game that keeps on giving 🦾🥳✌️

Christopher59d ago

The support they've given this game only makes me more interested in their next game.

Zeke6859d ago

Agree, curious what they are cooking up for that one?!

180°

The 10 PSVR 2 Games You Should Own

If you're looking for 'must have' PSVR 2 games then look no further. These are the 10 titles every PSVR 2 owner should have in their library.

Read Full Story >>
xrsource.net
kevco3369d ago

If you're wanting more PSVR 2 support, you should probably buy all of these games.

Speak with your wallet!

Profchaos69d ago

Bit rich to have to buy games you don't want because you want Sony to support the expensive headset they sold us which cost as much as the console it runs on beyond paying third partys to support it.
Seriously in terms of first party we have horizon on day 1 and a gt 7 vr mode.

They seemingly have made little effort to support it beyond paying Capcom to make re games in VR or a second party studio to make firewall which was mismanaged.

I'm a day 1 psvr2 user and the only thing I'm excited for right now is PC support.

I commented recently this bespoke VR game development model we have right now clearly doesn't work

crazyCoconuts69d ago

On the one hand I feel like there's been plenty of smaller non-AAA games to play and occupy me as a supplement to my flat screen gaming.
But I agree that Sony has done nothing to elevate this beyond the niche it's in and into the mainstream where it would be economical to create AAA games for it.

Babadook768d ago (Edited 68d ago )

Most of these games are worth owning for most people; I own all but 2 of them in fact. So I agree with kevco33. I think you're crazy if you downplay this list quite frankly. Sony can't keep funding software if people don't buy any of it, the ball is squarely in OUR court.

Sony has spent a lot on 3rd party stuff this gen like RE.

phoenixwing69d ago (Edited 69d ago )

Saving up for the headset is my first hurdle. Let alone buying games I don't want lol

mudakoshaka68d ago

People downvoting you for not having enough finances...what a world we live in, haha

phoenixwing68d ago (Edited 68d ago )

@mudako
They feel affronted at the very thought that I don't plunk down 500 immediately lol I have a little over 900 games in my backlog I've been buying games instead of hardware ever since I got my PC and ps5. I just don't know if vr is really for me honestly. Every time I have a couple hundred allocated to video games it makes more sense to buy a bunch of flat games instead of vr ones

mudakoshaka69d ago

I have 9 out of these 10 games. I try to buy all the VR games I like to support the advancement of VR!

TheEroica68d ago (Edited 68d ago )

I spoke with my wallet after watching the first headset get weak support. Easy pass until Sony earns my money. Feel bad for those who parted with 500 bucks, falling for the hype that Sony was actually gonna support this thing.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 68d ago
Neonridr69d ago

I own 7 of these titles off the list, lol.

NotoriousWhiz69d ago

I'm trying to decide if it's worth holding onto my psvr 2. I enjoy what it has currently, but it seems unlikely to get anything else. Might be better off just waiting for something with more support if that ever comes.

Profchaos68d ago

As a fellow psvr2 owner the question seemingly comes down to do you own a PC.

I think I'm all in I have a habit to hold onto my systems anyhow I still have my psvr1 to hell I still have my NES.

But while it's still worth something yeah you could sell it and if Sony turns the ship around you should be able to buy another one for less than you soldmit for I feel like we won't see any fix for the headset for the next 2 years rumours show that Sony has no current first party VR games in active development after they closed London studios

The whole psvr2 situation has left me feeling a little burnt on PlayStation as a whole to be honest. The first psvr felt experimental but it was supported far more than this superior headset

MIDGETonSTILTS1769d ago

GT7 surprised me, because I hate racing games, but i poured 100 hours into it way too quickly.

I’m looking forward to the Metro VR game this year, and I hope that WW2 dogfighter game releases eventually.

talocaca69d ago

I have most of them 😅

Waiting for a sale on Synapse and Arizona Sunshine 2.....also Metro coming this year looks great.

Show all comments (31)