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No Man's Sky Has Some Kind of Cryptic ARG Happening Right Now

Kaako

Felium Defensor
Just caught up with all the cryptic craziness. More stuff like this is always welcome, especially if a decent amount of effort has been put into it.
 

~Kinggi~

Banned
Shit's taking too long. I've already lost interest.

Get to the point, HelloGames.

Some speculation is this is planning a major update on the 1yr anniversary of the game (Aug 12th), so maybe ignore it for a little bit if it turns out we are in July and still dont have update news.
 
Some speculation is this is planning a major update on the 1yr anniversary of the game (Aug 12th), so maybe ignore it for a little bit if it turns out we are in July and still dont have update news.

Something is potentially going to happen on the 8th next month. With 4/6 parts of the emblem now complete, the last one should trigger on that date.

I assume we will get the complete Elisabeth Leighton message by then, giving us vital info. The only question that remains is what of the glyphs. They should (at this pace) go on for a while longer.
 

legacyzero

Banned
I'm in a private Twitter chat with a majority of the main NMS Youtubers (Cobra TV, Dan Before Time, Get Indie Gaming, Sirian Gaming, etc) and we're all speculating that this could be an actual RElaunch of the game. Our line of thinking is simple-

A couple months ago, an "Old Build Test" popped up on the SteamDB, no updates or anything else. Very strange. Sean was quoted as saying that when developing the game, they had one central server that housed the main build of the game, while the other devs had their own to test their workings before uploading it to the main build. I'm wondering if we never actually got the main build, or "Old Build", but a more vanilla version of the game at launch because they were "Running out of money" (Seans words) and time, and the features that didn't launch with the game just weren't up to par with their standards.

Then with the two updates we got since launch (Foundation and Path Finder), they were more unceremoniously, launched days after a trailer for them with no hype build up.

NOW, we have a thoroughly thought out, paid for ARG with actors, websites, broadcasts, telephone number, emails, etc building hype for the next update, with talk of the Atlas, historical lore for leading up to the actual game, portals, multiplayer or co-op, and other cryptic things. Yesterday's ARG devlopment points towards server and cloud utilization as well.

Just my two cents, but that sounds like a solid theory.
 

bosh

Member
I'm in a private Twitter chat with a majority of the main NMS Youtubers (Cobra TV, Dan Before Time, Get Indie Gaming, Sirian Gaming, etc) and we're all speculating that this could be an actual RElaunch of the game. Our line of thinking is simple-

A couple months ago, an "Old Build Test" popped up on the SteamDB, no updates or anything else. Very strange. Sean was quoted as saying that when developing the game, they had one central server that housed the main build of the game, while the other devs had their own to test their workings before uploading it to the main build. I'm wondering if we never actually got the main build, or "Old Build", but a more vanilla version of the game at launch because they were "Running out of money" (Seans words) and time, and the features that didn't launch with the game just weren't up to par with their standards.

Then with the two updates we got since launch (Foundation and Path Finder), they were more unceremoniously, launched days after a trailer for them with no hype build up.

NOW, we have a thoroughly thought out, paid for ARG with actors, websites, broadcasts, telephone number, emails, etc building hype for the next update, with talk of the Atlas, historical lore for leading up to the actual game, portals, multiplayer or co-op, and other cryptic things. Yesterday's ARG devlopment points towards server and cloud utilization as well.

Just my two cents, but that sounds like a solid theory.

If that was the case that would be awesome. What we have now is already dope.

I just hope whatever we get people don't over hype and go crazy on the developers again
 
I'm in a private Twitter chat with a majority of the main NMS Youtubers (Cobra TV, Dan Before Time, Get Indie Gaming, Sirian Gaming, etc) and we're all speculating that this could be an actual RElaunch of the game. Our line of thinking is simple-

A couple months ago, an "Old Build Test" popped up on the SteamDB, no updates or anything else. Very strange. Sean was quoted as saying that when developing the game, they had one central server that housed the main build of the game, while the other devs had their own to test their workings before uploading it to the main build. I'm wondering if we never actually got the main build, or "Old Build", but a more vanilla version of the game at launch because they were "Running out of money" (Seans words) and time, and the features that didn't launch with the game just weren't up to par with their standards.

Then with the two updates we got since launch (Foundation and Path Finder), they were more unceremoniously, launched days after a trailer for them with no hype build up.

NOW, we have a thoroughly thought out, paid for ARG with actors, websites, broadcasts, telephone number, emails, etc building hype for the next update, with talk of the Atlas, historical lore for leading up to the actual game, portals, multiplayer or co-op, and other cryptic things. Yesterday's ARG devlopment points towards server and cloud utilization as well.

Just my two cents, but that sounds like a solid theory.

With all the possibility the game originally had before launch and then a bad launch I would get behind a re-launch.
 

~Kinggi~

Banned
With all the possibility the game originally had before launch and then a bad launch I would get behind a re-launch.

Thing with NMS is it still has endless potential depending on what gets added to it. Nobody has come along yet and done the infinite universe generation better. There's been a bunch of new space games that get the crafting and planet stuff right but not the scope of NMS. Base building and buggies are cool additions for NMS but im hoping for some more surprising things.
 
I'm in a private Twitter chat with a majority of the main NMS Youtubers (Cobra TV, Dan Before Time, Get Indie Gaming, Sirian Gaming, etc) and we're all speculating that this could be an actual RElaunch of the game.

I actually voiced that opinion on the reddit Discord myself. This has FFXIV written all over it.
 

legacyzero

Banned
Yeah they need to wrap it up. Announce PSVR support and launch that shit.
I really don't think that's a priority. NMS does not currently run anywhere close to a concrete 60 fps on PS4jr to warrant that unless HG have come significantly farther with their engine tech.
 

c0Zm1c

Member
It will be massively disappointing if all this is just for the adding of VR. Great for those who have/want it, but please be more than that!
 

Panajev2001a

GAF's Pleasant Genius
It will be massively disappointing if all this is just for the adding of VR. Great for those who have/want it, but please be more than that!

Well everyone else gets stable 60 FPS everywhere... not half bad ;). Still, I do not think VR is the only reason they seem to be attempting a relaunch for... I think they see their game as a kind of service or at least a conduit to perfect their procedural generation technology and they will keep on supporting it.

PSVR would be amazing for this game though :).
 

Krakn3Dfx

Member
Tempted to rebuy this on the PC while it's $24 on Steam, bought the CE on ps4 at launch, but I'd rather play on PC with the mods.
 

~Kinggi~

Banned
Tempted to rebuy this on the PC while it's $24 on Steam, bought the CE on ps4 at launch, but I'd rather play on PC with the mods.

Knowing NMS sales its going back up to 60 and staying until the next sale, so yeah may want to get it before the update hits.
 

Cincaid

Member
This is certainly intriguing, especially if it's leading up to a re-release of the game with lessons learned from the original release. I had a good 15 hours or so with the game when it released, but definitely saw missing potential there and just never went back even after the bigger updates. Hopefully they made some cash to come through with a FFXIV-situation (developing a new version in secret while keeping the original version alive), but I don't want to get disappointed and will try my best to keep my hype in check.
 

belvedere

Junior Butler
I'm in a private Twitter chat with a majority of the main NMS Youtubers (Cobra TV, Dan Before Time, Get Indie Gaming, Sirian Gaming, etc) and we're all speculating that this could be an actual RElaunch of the game. Our line of thinking is simple-

A couple months ago, an "Old Build Test" popped up on the SteamDB, no updates or anything else. Very strange. Sean was quoted as saying that when developing the game, they had one central server that housed the main build of the game, while the other devs had their own to test their workings before uploading it to the main build. I'm wondering if we never actually got the main build, or "Old Build", but a more vanilla version of the game at launch because they were "Running out of money" (Seans words) and time, and the features that didn't launch with the game just weren't up to par with their standards.

Then with the two updates we got since launch (Foundation and Path Finder), they were more unceremoniously, launched days after a trailer for them with no hype build up.

NOW, we have a thoroughly thought out, paid for ARG with actors, websites, broadcasts, telephone number, emails, etc building hype for the next update, with talk of the Atlas, historical lore for leading up to the actual game, portals, multiplayer or co-op, and other cryptic things. Yesterday's ARG devlopment points towards server and cloud utilization as well.

Just my two cents, but that sounds like a solid theory.

Legacy I thought you were a gaffer, I see you frequently on many of the streams.

Anyway, which part of the ARG hinted at multiplayer?
 

Kalentan

Member
I'm in a private Twitter chat with a majority of the main NMS Youtubers (Cobra TV, Dan Before Time, Get Indie Gaming, Sirian Gaming, etc) and we're all speculating that this could be an actual RElaunch of the game. Our line of thinking is simple-

A couple months ago, an "Old Build Test" popped up on the SteamDB, no updates or anything else. Very strange. Sean was quoted as saying that when developing the game, they had one central server that housed the main build of the game, while the other devs had their own to test their workings before uploading it to the main build. I'm wondering if we never actually got the main build, or "Old Build", but a more vanilla version of the game at launch because they were "Running out of money" (Seans words) and time, and the features that didn't launch with the game just weren't up to par with their standards.

Then with the two updates we got since launch (Foundation and Path Finder), they were more unceremoniously, launched days after a trailer for them with no hype build up.

NOW, we have a thoroughly thought out, paid for ARG with actors, websites, broadcasts, telephone number, emails, etc building hype for the next update, with talk of the Atlas, historical lore for leading up to the actual game, portals, multiplayer or co-op, and other cryptic things. Yesterday's ARG devlopment points towards server and cloud utilization as well.

Just my two cents, but that sounds like a solid theory.

Hopefully a re-launch doesn't mean we have to rebuy it.
 
Hopefully a re-launch doesn't mean we have to rebuy it.

No way they would be stupid enough to do this. Theyre already trying to claw back whatever Goodwill they can get after launch.

Paid dlc might come at some point down the road but if it does I think that is still one or two major updates out. And when it does there better be clear communication on why and what it is plenty ahead of time.
 

TheMan

Member
BTW I'm totally kidding about PSVR. I mean I'd love it, but I don't think they could the performance gains that would be necessary unless they made pretty major changes. If they prove me wrong though...that would be goddamn amazing.
 

SomTervo

Member
I think we should keep hype and predictions in check.

The most realistic (and still super exciting) outcome is that this is just another strong expansion like the last two.
 

Seiniyta

Member
No way they would be stupid enough to do this. Theyre already trying to claw back whatever Goodwill they can get after launch.

Paid dlc might come at some point down the road but if it does I think that is still one or two major updates out. And when it does there better be clear communication on why and what it is plenty ahead of time.

I don't think they'll ever do paid dlc expansions. At most I think they might introduce some virtual currency in game once the game is more solid to keep development going perhaps. Maybe base decorations or something like that. But that's probably far off still.

Whatever this update will be they seem incredibly confident in what it's going to bring.
 

c0Zm1c

Member
I think we should keep hype and predictions in check.

The most realistic (and still super exciting) outcome is that this is just another strong expansion like the last two.

Oh definitely, but the potential problem there is that they (Hello) aren't keeping the hype in check. This points to something bigger than Foundation and Path Finder, since those updates never got this same build up.
 

Hawkian

The Cryptarch's Bane
Oh definitely, but the potential problem there is that they (Hello) aren't keeping the hype in check. This points to something bigger than Foundation and Path Finder, since those updates never got this same build up.
Those patches were both great and packed with a bunch of new stuff to do, qol features and polish. If this actually is bigger it'll be nuts.
 

Cincaid

Member
I think we should keep hype and predictions in check.

The most realistic (and still super exciting) outcome is that this is just another strong expansion like the last two.

It's rather ironic since the downfall of the original game was, in a lot of ways, uncontrolled hype. And here we are again. :)
 

belvedere

Junior Butler
It's rather ironic since the downfall of the original game was, in a lot of ways, uncontrolled hype. And here we are again. :)

The difference is this time HG are actively hyping the game instead of the fanbase. This is the first time they've hyped the game in any way. And considering the history of NMS, I'd imagine they wouldn't be doing it for another minor version update.
 

Chumley

Banned
I would assume HG has learned their lessons and is cooking up something more than just an expansion this time, what with the buildup. A relaunch sounds like a pretty good idea all things considered.
 
I think we should keep hype and predictions in check.

The most realistic (and still super exciting) outcome is that this is just another strong expansion like the last two.

I agree but I would also mention that there has been zero Steam activity. During the development of the last two updates HG used to update their internal branch like crazy, most likely in order to test its stability. This was always noted by the Steam logs.

No such activity now really could mean that zero work is done to the current build of the game.
 

Cincaid

Member
The difference is this time HG are actively hyping the game instead of the fanbase. This is the first time they've hyped the game in any way. And considering the history of NMS, I'd imagine they wouldn't be doing it for another minor version update.

Very true, I guess we'll see! Either way this waiting is killing me slowly. :x
 

~Kinggi~

Banned
I would assume HG has learned their lessons and is cooking up something more than just an expansion this time, what with the buildup. A relaunch sounds like a pretty good idea all things considered.

yeah i mean they went dead silent for a long time and now they are doing a very large hype campaign, if they havent learned their lesson then they deserve all the bullshit after that.
 

mabec

Member
This is whats going to happen.

People find a location in game. Play the content of the cassette thru a microphone to unlock a portal, people teleport to someone elses world.

Boom. Case closed.
 

legacyzero

Banned
Legacy I thought you were a gaffer, I see you frequently on many of the streams.

Anyway, which part of the ARG hinted at multiplayer?
Portals, and the hints of server needs, and the collective efforts sewn throughout. Probably more conjecture from me than actual hint but

And yeah you probably see a lot of streams with me included because I have my own channel as well.

YouTube.com/user/legacyzero

Though I've yet to do any content for Waking Titan yet
 

Catphish

Member
Whatever's going on, I am completely appreciative of their continued support for the game.

NMS, while not everything I hoped it would be on release, was the catalyst for a new intellectual chapter in my life. Its procedural generation led me to consider potential similarities with reality, which then had me looking into different theories of the nature of reality, which led to simulation theory, quantum potentiality, and all kinds of other stuff. I learned a lot, and I have this game to thank for the inspiration.

Anyway, I feel the creators of the game totally have their hearts in the right place, and I eagerly look forward to whatever they're cooking up next.

👍
 
I'm in a private Twitter chat with a majority of the main NMS Youtubers (Cobra TV, Dan Before Time, Get Indie Gaming, Sirian Gaming, etc) and we're all speculating that this could be an actual RElaunch of the game. Our line of thinking is simple-

A couple months ago, an "Old Build Test" popped up on the SteamDB, no updates or anything else. Very strange. Sean was quoted as saying that when developing the game, they had one central server that housed the main build of the game, while the other devs had their own to test their workings before uploading it to the main build. I'm wondering if we never actually got the main build, or "Old Build", but a more vanilla version of the game at launch because they were "Running out of money" (Seans words) and time, and the features that didn't launch with the game just weren't up to par with their standards.

Then with the two updates we got since launch (Foundation and Path Finder), they were more unceremoniously, launched days after a trailer for them with no hype build up.

NOW, we have a thoroughly thought out, paid for ARG with actors, websites, broadcasts, telephone number, emails, etc building hype for the next update, with talk of the Atlas, historical lore for leading up to the actual game, portals, multiplayer or co-op, and other cryptic things. Yesterday's ARG devlopment points towards server and cloud utilization as well.

Just my two cents, but that sounds like a solid theory.

I think a reset makes sense from the ARG fiction we've seen like, "If all the world is a lie, then nothing is true, not even that explanation. Abandon it." It fits in with the NMS lore that the universe is a simulation, in which case maybe we'd go to the "real" reality.

But I'm trying to stop myself from going too far down that line of thinking, because it builds up the expectations really high. I think for instance people who are expecting some kind of Destiny-style MP are going to be really disappointed, and that's the danger of Hello Games hyping this up so much and in such a vague way.

Regarding the VR, I think if they can move their procedural generation code to the GPU as they have talked about wanting to do, they could probably get the framerate to a more stable place. It would probably allow them more complex AI behaviors for one. But I agree, I think VR is way low on the priority list, and even if they put it in I think it would be a limited, separate mode. A little planetary safari tour or something.


The difference is this time HG are actively hyping the game instead of the fanbase. This is the first time they've hyped the game in any way. And considering the history of NMS, I'd imagine they wouldn't be doing it for another minor version update.

And I can't imagine hiring Alice & Smith to do this ARG was cheap. This is definitely going to be a major update, we just don't know how major.
 

Seiniyta

Member
Perhaps the internal branch isn't updated because it'll be a different entry entirely where everyone starts over again. So you have No Man's Sky in your Steam library and No Man's Sky: A universe reborn being the new one.

Splitting it up so nobody loses all their progress.
 

legacyzero

Banned
I think their goal at this point is 'come hell or high water we be reversing our reputation on NMS' so they can move past this onto the next thing with the goodwill back.

If this works for games like Final Fantasy 14 and Battlefield 4, it can certainly work for NMS
 
Sorry if I'm an audio noob, but what does this mean that the codes "show up"? How could you draw a picture like that with an audio waveform given that there's discontinuities on the vertical axis?
 

HeeHo

Member
& i hope it does! for all its flaws, what hello games managed to put together in nms is pretty damn impressive, imo :) ...

Yeah, people were very distracted by what wasn't in the game but I thought it was good fun in an space-explorer-lite kind of way. It should've been a little cheaper too. $40 I think.

It's definitely a unique experience for me when I think about all the games I played in 2016. I think it has a lot of potential and they should shoot for a re-launch to get people back in their good graces with them.

I was really wanting base building but by the time it came, I didn't even want to bother putting the disc back in. A relaunch would be very interesting.
 
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