• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

RipCordless

A pop-culture consumer who keeps it, by design, in the shallow end of the pool.

  • Home
  • Quotes
  • Guide to Surviving Comic Con
  • FIFA Career Mode
    • FIFA 19
  • Contact Me

No Man’s Sky? Maybe Not

Jul 13, 2016 by Rip

Many in the gaming community have been eagerly awaiting the release of the game, No Man’s Sky. A space sim which relies heavily upon planet exploration, mining, with a find your own fortune kinda vibe. But what makes No Man’s Sky different is the sheer vastness of the gaming tableau. Consisting of a universe with over 18 quintillion planets (18,446,744,073,709,551,616 to be exact) For those reaching for a grasp of that number, it would take a single player millions of real years to explore each of those planets. Yup, real years.

So how did the development team design each of those planets for the game’s release? Easy. They created an algorithm which creates planets on the fly as the player approaches, fills the surface with a unique blend of organic, simple, and sometimes complex life. On the surface (see what I did there?), that sounds fascinatingly cool. Each planet will be unique. Some support real life, others will be a nothing but dust and rock. Players can forge their own fortunes, can find unique adventures, and then group up on weekends with their friends to show off their fortunes. Or can they?!

Since the game went gold about a week ago, the indie startup Hello Games has been peppered with questions about the nature of such a game — most importantly, is No Man’s Sky a single or multiplayer game. Based on my understanding of the current press release and articles on yonder Internet, the answer is a little more complex than you might first imagine. And that fascinatingly complex answer is why I may depart this adventure before it begins.

Technically, the game is one multiplayer universe — think Eve Online. Everyone playing the game is randomly dropped onto one of those 18 quintillion planets with rudimentary equipment, a basic spacecraft, and a blank slate. There is no story to follow, no quest hubs, or major player towns to visit — only the desire to move toward the center of that massive universe. And because the gaming universe is so vast, the chances of you actually bumping into another player is staggering small. Like the chance you’ll get hit by lighting 10 consecutive times on 10 consecutive days kinda small. Additionally, you could fly past another player’s spacecraft and never know that person wasn’t AI. There is no tag or ID in the HUD, it would simply look like another craft in the environment.

For me, I’m quite picky about the kind of games I commit to. Does a space sim need to be multiplayer? Recent history tells us that is exactly the case but perhaps No Man’s Sky breaks the mold. Either way, in light of what I’ve discovered about the game over the last few days, I’m definitely not pre-purchasing the game and will wait to see what my fellow gaming nerds have to offer regarding their experiences in-game before I finally commit.

Too bad, I was hoping for something… different. But perhaps that is exactly what No Man’s Sky will be offering and I’m yet to fully grasp what makes this game so interesting. More to come.

Huh, maybe someone else should see this...

  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • WhatsApp
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Filed Under: Entertainment, Gaming

Primary Sidebar

// about rip

Raconteur. Mediator. Gamer. Dilettante. Deliberative. Nerd. Serious world, not so serious here. “No word from Fenchurch today,” and “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

// TWITTER

Ripcordless avatarRipCordless@Ripcordless·
8 Jun 2021 1402340172390273028

Masterpiece.
A fucking masterpiece.

#insideboburnham
@boburnham

Reply on Twitter 1402340172390273028Retweet on Twitter 1402340172390273028Like on Twitter 1402340172390273028Twitter 1402340172390273028
Ripcordless avatarRipCordless@Ripcordless·
23 May 2021 1396515261528756227

And now we say goodbye to Gini. Thru his professionalism, expertise, & energy, he was a big reason for our recent success.

@GWijnaldum

Goodbye & good luck. You will always be in our hearts. #YNWA

Twitter feed video.
Image for the Tweet beginning: And now we say goodbye
Reply on Twitter 1396515261528756227Retweet on Twitter 1396515261528756227Like on Twitter 13965152615287562273Twitter 1396515261528756227
Retweet on TwitterRipCordless Retweeted
rogbennett avatarroger bennett@rogbennett·
16 May 2021 1393984445770833925

Liverpool’s Goalkeeper scores winner in 95th minute with season on line. Incredible sporting moment that almost cracks chill of my cold blue heart. Allison lost his father at the end of February. What emotions he must have experienced in this second 🙌🇧🇷

Twitter feed video.
Image for the Tweet beginning: Liverpool’s Goalkeeper scores winner in
Reply on Twitter 1393984445770833925Retweet on Twitter 1393984445770833925887Like on Twitter 13939844457708339255676Twitter 1393984445770833925
Ripcordless avatarRipCordless@Ripcordless·
16 May 2021 1393991505279258624

Absolutely incredible.
Another “moment” in Reds history. We go again but need a hand getting over the line. C’mon Leicester! https://t.co/T5VwD1uKRT

Reply on Twitter 1393991505279258624Retweet on Twitter 1393991505279258624Like on Twitter 1393991505279258624Twitter 1393991505279258624
Ripcordless avatarRipCordless@Ripcordless·
15 May 2021 1393598553839194114

.@Speechify_audio Was interested but the price point ($12/month) for premium is just too high. Unfortunately, the free voices pale in comparison. Great concept, may return if/when price drops.

Reply on Twitter 1393598553839194114Retweet on Twitter 1393598553839194114Like on Twitter 1393598553839194114Twitter 1393598553839194114
Load More...

page two

  • Sea of Thieves Shows Promise

    Sea of Thieves Shows Promise

    I recently joined others in adventuring my way through the Sea of Thieves (Panic, 2018) closed beta. Participation …
  • Drama Sucks

    Drama Sucks

    What happens when drama arrives in an unexpected environment? If you are drama-averse, what is …
  • Has Destiny 2 Lost Its Way?

    Has Destiny 2 Lost Its Way?

    We’ve all played video games which didn’t quite hit the mark. Back in the day, …
  • Destiny 2 Xbox is Down

    Destiny 2 Xbox is Down

    I boxed myself into an odd gaming corner lately, probably the result of unintended circumstance. …
  • Liverpool Set for Defensive Problems

    Liverpool Set for Defensive Problems

    Well, shit. The Premier League summer transfer window has slammed shut and Virgil Van Dijk …
  • Destiny 2 (PC) is Staggeringly Good

    Destiny 2 (PC) is Staggeringly Good

    Bungie finally released the Destiny 2 (PC) beta this week and have I’ve been impressed. …
  • Xbox One X: Project Scorpio

    Xbox One X: Project Scorpio

    Gaming console choices have become more complex over the last few years. The original dominance …

// page three +

Footer

// Why?

Before I answer why, let’s talk about the rules. Here, I chatter about unimportant things. I stay in the shallow end of the pool, speculating on pop culture fascination, the journey of Liverpool FC, while offering an opinion or two on gaming. Why? Because I enjoy the written word. There is both a precision and also freedom with its balance, flow, and elegance. And this corner of the Internet offers a place to dabble in topics which avoid anything with a fuse.

Tags

Liverpool FCKloppGaminggolfTVWindows 7Comic ConXbox OneLFCAT&TBreaking BadH1N1iPhoneSchoolTechnologyPremier LeagueiPhone 4CameraComputer ScienceConspiracyDrivingEnglandGadgetNewsNikon

// LOGIN

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...