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No Man's Sky previews (03-03-2016)

DOWN

Banned
Perhaps. It depends on where you are in the universe, since things change and grow more challenging as you get deeper in. Weirder species, more alien planets and climates, etc.

Kind of like how the pool of items expand in a roguelike as you progress, so you'll see new things the longer you play

Also these planets and species aren't designed from a collection of assets but rather mutating and changing assets into new things. So it's not like you'll see the same species or planet layouts start repeating after X planets
There are literally two different planets with the exact same deer species thing in the screenshots on their very own website
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
There are literally two different planets with the exact same deer species thing in the screenshots on their very own website

They won't be in the finished version. You are more unlikely to come across the same creature than meeting another person.
 

DOWN

Banned
Does it matter if it's niche? I'm not saying it is but I often wonder what the motive is for pointing this out.
It matters to me and clearly some others how niche it is. The surface appeal is tied to its gorgeous style and atmosphere, but the mechanics that the game lives by are seemingly all its got and by their comments, it sounds like you tinker and explore aimlessly until you get bored with the grind, since Murray says the game doesn't end and most people won't even reach the center of the universe. That screams procedural grind for me and suggests that to play you need to imagine your way into a motive that eventually will wear thin and you'll give up and that's just how the game goes
 
Does it matter if it's niche? I'm not saying it is but I often wonder what the motive is for pointing this out.
Nms brings out some weird quotes,feelings,expectations from alot of people i really don't get it honestly.

The what do you dos?
$60 price controversy(its not a controversy)
Gameplay is simple(no one really knows)

Than theres judging the game based on team size,previous games,

Hypocrites saying you shouldn't be excited for something you barely know about than probably voted for horizon om gafs most anticipated list.

I don't get it. Where did all this come from for this specific game.

Not to mention the spore comparisons..ooo man i hat those its like people forgot why spore was such a huge letdown, sean has in no way done what peter did leading up to spore.
 

Tigress

Member
There are literally two different planets with the exact same deer species thing in the screenshots on their very own website

You do realize they've been making special builds for all their demos? They've said they have done so in order to make things more dense/exciting for demo purposes (to gaurentee they get a good sample of the game). So maybe they wanted that deer species on those planets?
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
It matters to me and clearly some others how niche it is. The surface appeal is tied to its gorgeous style and atmosphere, but the mechanics that the game lives by are seemingly all its got and by their comments, it sounds like you tinker and explore aimlessly until you get bored with the grind, since Murray says the game doesn't end and most people won't even reach the center of the universe. That screams procedural grind for me and suggests that to play you need to imagine your way into a motive that eventually will wear thin and you'll give up and that's just how the game goes

I'm not sure how considering a game 'nich' has any baring on what you said here. I'd say this game isn't for you though.
 
There are literally two different planets with the exact same deer species thing in the screenshots on their very own website
The press builds and footage for trailers/stage demos are from versions that have been tweaked to control what kind of species types and planets show up (which is how the recent previews all are on simlar planets and encounter similar species). And both of those pictures are from E3 2014 (the dino pic is straight from the E3 2014 trailer, the jungle pic is from a planet that showed up in IGN footage and a few other videos). Basically, they've only shown a subsection of what can be generated by the game and are only showing certain things in public material
 
It matters to me and clearly some others how niche it is. The surface appeal is tied to its gorgeous style and atmosphere, but the mechanics that the game lives by are seemingly all its got and by their comments, it sounds like you tinker and explore aimlessly until you get bored with the grind, since Murray says the game doesn't end and most people won't even reach the center of the universe. That screams procedural grind for me and suggests that to play you need to imagine your way into a motive that eventually will wear thin and you'll give up and that's just how the game goes
Since when is niche a bad thing? And unless you consider space games or sandbox survival games niche (which they're clearly not, since even Elite and Ark are on consoles), I don't see how it is. They're not genres that are common on consoles, but they're certainly not niche genres.

And how can you keep saying the game is aimless exploration, when it's been said 1) you have a general goal and 2) you have subgoals depending on what you want to do.
There are different roles you could play; you could be an explorer, a trader, a pirate looking for trade routes to plunder – or you could protect other ships from pirates.”
If you're trying to improve your standing with a faction for that bonus, you have a goal. If you're trying to survive on a planet, you have a goal. If you want to steal a ship, you have a goal

How is the game aimless exploration?
 

ys45

Member
I'm very excited to try to game because it's kind of a dream game for me since I was a kid .
But I get the feeling that it got way too over hyped by Sony and other gaming sites.

I'm pretty sure a lot of people will be disappointed because they expect the game to be way more than what it is .
As for me, I expect a game where you wander the galaxy you pilot a ship,gather stuffs and upgrade your gears, with Okay mechanics for piloting and combat mechanics .

Still one of my most anticipated game this year no matter what people says about it
 
This makes the game sound as niche as I've been thinking it is

The game is gonna sell tons bro.

More like "the game is not for you as much as you thought it was". At this rate you're going to end up buying the game be surprised that you don't enjoy it.

"Targeting 60". The footage from last week was 30 with issues.

For some reason all of the initial footage we've gotten in the past has been shown at 30 but later some site gets a hold of he 60FPS versions. I'm guessing the game is still running above 30 in this build.
 

Tigress

Member
I'm very excited to try to game because it's kind of a dream game for me since I was a kid .
But I get the feeling that it got way too over hyped by Sony and other gaming sites.

I'm pretty sure a lot of people will be disappointed because they expect the game to be way more than what it is .
As for me, I expect a game where you wander the galaxy you pilot a ship,gather stuffs and upgrade your gears, with Okay mechanics for piloting and combat mechanics .
it

This is pretty much what I'm expecting and I'm super excited. And being able to talk to alien races and learn their languages? Even better (That was more than what I expected but a total killer add on).

It sounds to me like it's a simulator that is more arcadey (as in not trying to be realistic but still trying to give you this simulation of being an explorer). LIke he wanted something like a simulator but more accessable to more people. And that sounds great to me. And the kind of game that I'll always be able to come back to and enjoy even if I wonder off sometimes to go play other games. Kinda like how MS Flight Simulator was (until MS ruined it by trying to hop on the F2P bandwagon with it *GRRRRRRR*. I mean who in their right mind thought it was a great idea to limit a flight simulator to one area of the world never mind one area of hte US at a time? That was only acceptable when it wasn't possible to do the whole world. So they take a game that they had the whole world and then said, "Nope, only certain areas. And you'll have to pay for each. And even if you wanted the whole world and were willing to pay, we don't have it." They couldn't even do a non detailed world and let you pay for more detailed areas. I could have told them that idea would fall completely flat amongst flight simulator fans).
 

BigDug13

Member
I was originally on the "really not sure I'm willing to spend $60 on this game" fence. But after reading about how Sean Murray sold his house to keep his studio afloat long enough to find the Joe Danger success which gave them the ability to finally make his dream game, I feel more inclined to jump in at full price. This is his baby and he went so far as to sell his house to make it happen.

I have no doubt that support for this game will continue and continual improvements to this universe will be made. I commend this team's dedication and vision. It might fall short in many areas, but I'm sure it will scratch some itches in a genre I've never really experienced before.
 

OmegaDL50

Member
I was originally on the "really not sure I'm willing to spend $60 on this game" fence. But after reading about how Sean Murray sold his house to keep his studio afloat long enough to find the Joe Danger success which gave them the ability to finally make his dream game, I feel more inclined to jump in at full price. This is his baby and he went so far as to sell his house to make it happen.

I have no doubt that support for this game will continue and continual improvements to this universe will be made. I commend this team's dedication and vision. It might fall short in many areas, but I'm sure it will scratch some itches in a genre I've never really experienced before.

This studio has been through some difficult situations.

The flood back in 2013 for example. You probably know this, but I figure it's worth mentioning, their insurance company didn't cover any damage from the flood and they lost tons of computers with data on them and other work related equipment.

I would figure at this point in time is when Sony stepped in and threw them a bone to get them back on their feet but with the agreement of timed exclusivity on console.

I cannot imagine the possibility of Hello Games needing to close up shop permanently if they weren't rescued out of that precarious situation.

I suppose we should be fortunate in that regard that never happened because otherwise No Man's Sky would be a what if and not the actual reality that is happening in 3 months time.
 

CJVaughn

Banned
So is there a 100% accurate list out of what will, and won't, be in the game from the devs? All footage I've seen of 'gameplay' so far looks heavily scripted and after disasters like Alien: Colonial Marines you can never be too sure about 'gameplay' footage.
 

Stanng243

Member
So is there a 100% accurate list out of what will, and won't, be in the game from the devs? All footage I've seen of 'gameplay' so far looks heavily scripted and after disasters like Alien: Colonial Marines you can never be too sure about 'gameplay' footage.

There will be a
universe.
I'm not sure what else you are expecting.
 

geomon

Member
Nms brings out some weird quotes,feelings,expectations from alot of people i really don't get it honestly.

The what do you dos?
$60 price controversy(its not a controversy)
Gameplay is simple(no one really knows)

Than theres judging the game based on team size,previous games,

Hypocrites saying you shouldn't be excited for something you barely know about than probably voted for horizon om gafs most anticipated list.

I don't get it. Where did all this come from for this specific game.

Not to mention the spore comparisons..ooo man i hat those its like people forgot why spore was such a huge letdown, sean has in no way done what peter did leading up to spore.

Anti-hype push back.
 

OmegaDL50

Member
Ok, so what will *actually* be in this universe though?

There is tons of previews in the first post of this thread filled with information from people that had hands on impressions with game.

I'd like to ask though how you manage to make the claim of "scripted" gameplay, when said content is procedurally generated in the first place. With the premise of procedural generation being it's random spawning content based on the games math. You cannot curate generated data like this with the exception of using specific seed.

Which is no different then using a specific Minecraft seed, which also isn't curated or scripted. The seed you enter controls the output generated. That is why all the previews are similar. They all using the same seed.
 

CJVaughn

Banned
There is tons of previews in the first post of this thread filled with information from people that had hands on impressions with game.

I'd like to ask though how you manage to make the claim of "scripted" gameplay, when said content is procedurally generated in the first place. With the premise of procedural generation being it's random spawning content based on the games math. You cannot curate generated data like this with the exception of using specific seed.

Which is no different then using a specific Minecraft seed, which also isn't curated or scripted. The seed you enter controls the output generated. That is why all the previews are similar. They all using the same seed.

Every single video, even ones showing 'New Gameplay', in the OP were either just a person speaking, or a person speaking while looping the same slow-panning stock footage I can only assume was supplied by the devs. I cannot find a single true gameplay video, and I'd really like to because I'm interested in the game.

As far as 'scripted' gameplay, if you legitimately think the devs can't rig a 30-40 minute demo that contains pre-scripted events then I really don't know what to say. There's so much info that brags about how rare it would be to find life on a planet and etc., yet every single review I've read has multiple big, interesting events happening within the span of 30 minutes? It just has that smelly smell that smells smelly.
 

Z3M0G

Member
The recent DLC episode about this game ...

Reading this at the top of the page gave me a heart attack... making me believe they started talking about DLC for this game.

This game should NEVER have DLC...

I bet Peter Molyneux would jizz over all the life systems in this game.

It's like a game he would have always wanted to make, and never would have accomplished... if I were him, I'd be kicking myself when looking at this game.
 

OmegaDL50

Member
The point I'm trying to make is how do you make something scripted when procedural generation does not use scripted or curated elements to begin with.

You can enter a specific seed but you cannot control the specific elements that occur within the seed in an absolute.

That is the difference between non-randomized content created before hand that is set in stone in games such as Fallout, Skyrim, The Witcher, as opposed to games that use randomization to generate landmasses, spawned creatures, and world objects in the likes of Minecraft, Terraria, Starbound, and No Man's Sky.
 
Every single video, even ones showing 'New Gameplay', in the OP were either just a person speaking, or a person speaking while looping the same slow-panning stock footage I can only assume was supplied by the devs. I cannot find a single true gameplay video, and I'd really like to because I'm interested in the game.

As far as 'scripted' gameplay, if you legitimately think the devs can't rig a 30-40 minute demo that contains pre-scripted events then I really don't know what to say. There's so much info that brags about how rare it would be to find life on a planet and etc., yet every single review I've read has multiple big, interesting events happening within the span of 30 minutes? It just has that smelly smell that smells smelly.
Does it have a smelly smell..or do you just want it too?
 

CJVaughn

Banned
The point I'm trying to make is how do you make something scripted when procedural generation does not use scripted or curated elements to begin with.

You can enter a specific seed but you cannot control the specific elements that occur within the seed in an absolute.

That is the difference between non-randomized content created before hand that is set in stone in games such as Fallout, Skyrim, The Witcher, as opposed to games that use randomization to generate landmasses, spawned creatures, and world objects in the likes of Minecraft, Terraria, Starbound, and No Man's Sky.
I'm sure you are aware of the concept of a vertical slice? It is not unheard of for developers to create a demo packed with features to display a game in as short a window as possible, especially for big press release events or 'hands on' impressions. Even for a game with procedurally generated elements, a vertical slice or demo may not have any random elements at all. Can you imagine if a reviewer got 30mins with the game and encountered absolutely nothing, like not a single damn thing to do at all? The only way to ensure this isn't the case is to script events that are guaranteed to happen within the 'hands on' window.

I'm just legitimately asking if there is any confirmation of what will actually be in the game, or legitimate gameplay footage, because the concept of this game really interests me. But as of now, that's all I see, a concept.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
I'm sure you are aware of the concept of a vertical slice? It is not unheard of for developers to create a demo packed with features to display a game in as short a window as possible, especially for big press release events or 'hands on' impressions. Even for a game with procedurally generated elements, a vertical slice or demo may not have any random elements at all. Can you imagine if a reviewer got 30mins with the game and encountered absolutely nothing, like not a single damn thing to do at all? The only way to ensure this isn't the case is to script events that are guaranteed to happen within the 'hands on' window.

I'm just legitimately asking if there is any confirmation of what will actually be in the game, or legitimate gameplay footage, because the concept of this game really interests me. But as of now, that's all I see, a concept.

I've seen lots of gameplay, and are you suggesting everyone who 'played' the 30 minute demo lied?
 
I'm sure you are aware of the concept of a vertical slice? It is not unheard of for developers to create a demo packed with features to display a game in as short a window as possible, especially for big press release events or 'hands on' impressions. Even for a game with procedurally generated elements, a vertical slice or demo may not have any random elements at all. Can you imagine if a reviewer got 30mins with the game and encountered absolutely nothing, like not a single damn thing to do at all? The only way to ensure this isn't the case is to script events that are guaranteed to happen within the 'hands on' window.

I'm just legitimately asking if there is any confirmation of what will actually be in the game, or legitimate gameplay footage, because the concept of this game really interests me. But as of now, that's all I see, a concept.

I mean, you're in a thread full of previews... I don't understand the issue you have against reading those. They will give you a TON of info about what's in the game.

Anyway you're right these builds have been curated to Sean's liking, for two purposes. One, for the sake of not spoiling things that he doesn't want to spoil. The other thing he said he did with this build is made things less spread out than it will be in the actual final game so that all of the press playing it actually get to see something and have a better chance at experiencing certain things rather than just wandering around with nothing happening to them for 30 minutes.

Which is completely understandable and reasonable to me. How else would you demo a game like this? Just keep in mind that things won't be as condensed in the final release as it may seem like it in footage. A prime example is they show off a lot of planets with life, but they always say that in the game, about 9/10 planets will be lifeless, and about 1/10 planets with life will have really extravagant life, which I love the sound of personally.
 

SomTervo

Member
I'm sure you are aware of the concept of a vertical slice? It is not unheard of for developers to create a demo packed with features to display a game in as short a window as possible, especially for big press release events or 'hands on' impressions. Even for a game with procedurally generated elements, a vertical slice or demo may not have any random elements at all. Can you imagine if a reviewer got 30mins with the game and encountered absolutely nothing, like not a single damn thing to do at all? The only way to ensure this isn't the case is to script events that are guaranteed to happen within the 'hands on' window.

I'm just legitimately asking if there is any confirmation of what will actually be in the game, or legitimate gameplay footage, because the concept of this game really interests me. But as of now, that's all I see, a concept.

Have you ever played Minecraft, or DayZ, or EVE, or another similar game with a huge world, and/or procedural and/or survival elements?

Try playing one of those for half an hour and capturing the entire experience in one go, or explaining what one "does". Plenty of critically acclaimed and successful games can't be described after 30 minutes of play, or have very little to see/do in their first half hour. I can empathise with your first paragraph but this second para is wack yo
 
There are literally two different planets with the exact same deer species thing in the screenshots on their very own website

They have 3 different planets with the exact same bird species as well. That's from the same build used at E3, which Sean said was limited and tailored intentionally to not show off too much.

Whether you believe him or not is one thing, but that is addressed by him at least.

Within that same build, there are also recurring reports (videos/articles) of "hostile goat attacks" which is also is likely a result of the limited build. At least, I don't expect this to be a hostile goat simulator lol.
 

OmegaDL50

Member
I am familiar with a vertical slice.

However I'm also familiar with using a specific world seed, which is used for random generation to begin with.

Say for example you enter f7so56kit in Minecraft for seed generation.

This generates the world used for the player from the starting spawning point to even land mass generation.

Everyone using this one seed gets the same result, however what they do after this is entirely up to them.

The seed above for example spawns the player on top of a rocky cliff covered in gravel and snow with a large forest behind them.

Anyone using this seed will get the same results as well. It is the seed itself which determines the results input for the output world generation.

In the 30 Minute playable build with everyone starting on Balavia V or whatever that Ice planets called. It's not so much a matter of scripted content but Hello Games having everyone use a specific world seed for the generation. They all get the same spawn point, the same starting planet, but whatever else happens after this point is up to player.

The thing is narrowing down the specific seed to get the desired results for the preview build purposes, anyone can do this in Minecraft or even Starbound for example. That doesn't mean it's scripted and has finely controlled or curated elements.
 

CJVaughn

Banned
I've seen lots of gameplay, and are you suggesting everyone who 'played' the 30 minute demo lied?

Not at all. I'm inquiring into whether the demo is scripted or not and if it is, which seems to be the case, if there is any true gameplay footage of the full game?

I know it seems like I'm being very skeptical, and it's because I am. I actually love the concept for this game and want it to be everything that has been promised, but something about everything I've seen so far just doesn't sit right
 

SomTervo

Member
Not at all. I'm inquiring into whether the demo is scripted or not and if it is, which seems to be the case, if there is any true gameplay footage of the full game?

I know it seems like I'm being very skeptical, and it's because I am. I actually love the concept for this game and want it to be everything that has been promised, but something about everything I've seen so far just doesn't sit right

Read the post right above re "seeds".

Nothing in the game is scripted except the sentient alien races and their languages. But the world and creature seeds, as well as spawn points, can be the same.
 

CJVaughn

Banned
Read the post right above re "seeds".

Nothing in the game is scripted except the sentient alien races and their languages. But the world and creature seeds, as well as spawn points, can be the same.
See, that's the thing though. I'm fully aware of how seeds work (kind of a requirement for a computer science degree) and they do not change the rules that govern how a world generates, only the 'start point' of the world generation. What were seeing in the 'hands on' gameplay doesn't appear to be just a similar seed, and is instead more akin to the special world types you see in Minecraft.

Now if this 'world type' for the demo just so happens to turn the random encounter rate for wildlife, structures, etc. wayyyy up, then ok. But from everything I see it seems much more likely, as it is common practice within the industry, that is just scripted. If that is the case then it wouldn't be a big surprise, and I'm not even saying it is a bad or shady thing to do. But why would they claim its true gameplay footage of what the full game experience will be like if it isn't?
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
See, that's the thing though. I'm fully aware of how seeds work (kind of a requirement for a computer science degree) and they do not change the rules that govern how a world generates, only the 'start point' of the world generation. What were seeing in the 'hands on' gameplay doesn't appear to be just a similar seed, and is instead more akin to the special world types you see in Minecraft.

Now if this 'world type' for the demo just so happens to turn the random encounter rate for wildlife, structures, etc. wayyyy up, then ok. But from everything I see it seems much more likely, as it is common practice within the industry, that is just scripted. If that is the case then it wouldn't be a big surprise, and I'm not even saying it is a bad or shady thing to do. But why would they claim its true gameplay footage of what the full game experience will be like if it isn't?

This is a planet sized planet with different people playing. There are times when I've watched my son play The Witcher 3 and thought he'd discovered a new place only to realise a moment later that it was a place I'd been but approached from a slightly different angle. Someone would only have to walk for 30 seconds for the world to look similar but have different geography. The only way that wouldn't happen is if the devs told them to walk in exactly the same direction and then stop and look in exactly the same direction. That's why it's easy to get lost.
 

E92 M3

Member
See, that's the thing though. I'm fully aware of how seeds work (kind of a requirement for a computer science degree) and they do not change the rules that govern how a world generates, only the 'start point' of the world generation. What were seeing in the 'hands on' gameplay doesn't appear to be just a similar seed, and is instead more akin to the special world types you see in Minecraft.

Now if this 'world type' for the demo just so happens to turn the random encounter rate for wildlife, structures, etc. wayyyy up, then ok. But from everything I see it seems much more likely, as it is common practice within the industry, that is just scripted. If that is the case then it wouldn't be a big surprise, and I'm not even saying it is a bad or shady thing to do. But why would they claim its true gameplay footage of what the full game experience will be like if it isn't?

What is your main concern? Everything will be generated based on the math Hello Games used for the game. The press videos were special builds with more exciting planets. What's so confusing about that?

Sean said a lot of planets will be barren.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
you're more likely to land on planets already explored with newly named creatures etc then you are meeting someone.

You're incredibly unlikely to do either. There are 18 quintillion planets in this game. Even if 10 million people play it, that's 1,800,000,000,000 (1.8 trillion or 1,800 billion) planets for each player to potentially visit without coming upon a single one someone else has already visited. Most, if not all, planets you visist nobody else will ever see (and the vast, VAST majority of ALL planets in the game nobody at all will ever land on or even see). The likelihood should logically go up as you get closer to the center though.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
You're incredibly unlikely to do either. There are 18 quintillion planets in this game. Even if 10 million people play it, that's 1,800,000,000,000 (1.8 trillion or 1,800 billion) planets for each player to potentially visit without any of them ever visiting a single planet someone else has already visited. Most, if not all, planets you visist nobody else will ever see. The likelihood should logically go up as you get closer to the center though.

Yes, but there's a scanner that can scan nearby planets to see if it has resources you might need. I'd assume the scanner will show the name of the planets you're scanning and so therefore there's a chance of picking up on a planet that's been named by another player. If that's true (and I believe it is) then it's not going to be 'impossible' to find planets other people have already found.
 

CJVaughn

Banned
What is your main concern? Everything will be generated based on the math Hello Games used for the game. The press videos were special builds with more exciting planets. What's so confusing about that?

Sean said a lot of planets will be barren.
Ok, so assuming the press videos we're special builds, who's to say if they include content or concepts that won't make it to the final game? There have been numerous cases in which content contained in vertical slices (or other press type builds) have never made it into the final game. Given the lack of actual 'launch build' gameplay or content info, it just comes across as smelly.

Compare this to another high profile recent release, such as Halo 5, which contained actual making of vidocs and dev blogs detailing exact game mechanisms and release features. I guess to sum it up, my main concern is the lack of transparency on the part of the developer. Everything I've seen so far just seems like a facade masking the real game
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Yes, but there's a scanner that can scan nearby planets to see if it has resources you might need. I'd assume the scanner will show the name of the planets you're scanning and so therefore there's a chance of picking up on a planet that's been named by a player.

That's true. If you intentionally seek out planets shown as discovered on the galactic map (I think this is a thing?), it shouldn't be impossible. Although probably still pretty hard, since you're likely to start very far (like thousands or millions of planets far) away from any other player. Unless they intentionally put people closer together. But I believe they've said we'll be more or less evenly spread out around the outskirts of the galaxy?
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
Ok, so assuming the press videos we're special builds, who's to say if they include content or concepts that won't make it to the final game? There have been numerous cases in which content contained in vertical slices (or other press type builds) have never made it into the final game. Given the lack of actual 'launch build' gameplay or content info, it just comes across as smelly.

Compare this to another high profile recent release, such as Halo 5, which contained actual making of vidocs and dev blogs detailing exact game mechanisms and release features. I guess to sum it up, my main concern is the lack of transparency on the part of the developer. Everything I've seen so far just seems like a facade masking the real game

You're making an assumption and then calling what you've assumed 'smelly'. Do you even WANT to like this game?
 

DOWN

Banned
I'm not sure how considering a game 'nich' has any baring on what you said here. I'd say this game isn't for you though.
Niche in this case means its appeal in presentation may be much larger than the appeal the gameplay experience provides
Since when is niche a bad thing? And unless you consider space games or sandbox survival games niche (which they're clearly not, since even Elite and Ark are on consoles), I don't see how it is. They're not genres that are common on consoles, but they're certainly not niche genres.

And how can you keep saying the game is aimless exploration, when it's been said 1) you have a general goal and 2) you have subgoals depending on what you want to do.

If you're trying to improve your standing with a faction for that bonus, you have a goal. If you're trying to survive on a planet, you have a goal. If you want to steal a ship, you have a goal

How is the game aimless exploration?
None of those goals are enforced by the game just because they can exist. Hell, the "main" goal is one Murray says he thinks most people won't get to anyway so if that doesn't say this game is unconventional low-on-aim (if you prefer), than we have different perspectives. Niche isn't a bad thing, it's at least looking like "playing this is likely a turnoff for more players than mainstream games by comparison" to me, regardless of respectable quality
 

hawk2025

Member
Ok, so assuming the press videos we're special builds, who's to say if they include content or concepts that won't make it to the final game? There have been numerous cases in which content contained in vertical slices (or other press type builds) have never made it into the final game. Given the lack of actual 'launch build' gameplay or content info, it just comes across as smelly.

Compare this to another high profile recent release, such as Halo 5, which contained actual making of vidocs and dev blogs detailing exact game mechanisms and release features. I guess to sum it up, my main concern is the lack of transparency on the part of the developer. Everything I've seen so far just seems like a facade masking the real game


Ah, yes, all those vidocs and Making Ofs that didn't show us that the game repeated the same boss 9 times, 3 of the "missions" were literally walky hubs (including one that's the exact same area as before), and a severely overestimated game length.


Man, did you pick a bad example. Talk about masking the real game.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
That's true. If you intentionally seek out planets shown as discovered on the galactic map (I think this is a thing?), it shouldn't be impossible. Although probably very hard, since you're likely to start incredibly far (like billions of planets far) away from any other player. Unless they intentionally put people closer together. But I believe they've said we'll be more or less evenly spread out around the outskirts of the galaxy?

Oh, yeah, damned hard. It does give you more chance of finding an already discovered planet than to find another player though. I bet if you put 1000 people on one of these planets it would still be unlikely for them to run into each other. It's mindblowing when you think of it.
 

CJVaughn

Banned
You're making an assumption and then calling what you've assumed 'smelly'. Do you even WANT to like this game?
E92 M3 made the assertion that the press builds were made to be 'more exciting', I was simply acknowledging that was an assumption. What is smelly is the lack of transparency.
And yes, I have made it known many times in my posts that I want this game to be everything they've promised and more.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
E92 M3 made the assertion that the press builds were made to be 'more exciting', I was simply acknowledging that was an assumption. What is smelly is the lack of transparency.
And yes, I have made it known many times in my posts that I want this game to be everything they've promised and more.

They can't give you transparency. Sean Murray clearly wants you to go in more or less blind like Don't Starve or Minecraft.
 

CJVaughn

Banned
Ah, yes, all those vidocs and Making Ofs that didn't show us that the game repeated the same boss 9 times, 3 of the "missions" were literally walky hubs (including one that's the exact same area as before), and a severely overestimated game length.


Man, did you pick a bad example. Talk about masking the real game.
Ok, but notice what you said. It may not have shown that, and you are correct that those are flaws in the final product, but what it did show, which was 90% multiplayer, was exactly what we got in the final product, no?

Contrast this to all of the press footage and hands on impressions we have of No Man's Sky so far which appear to be purely scripted or heavily modified slices of what the final game will likely be. In fact, the demo impressions directly contradict the info released about the size of the universe and the likelihood of encountering everything the press did
 

OmegaDL50

Member
Generally most games with procedurally generated content the initial experience is generally a blind run

In the case for games with preset content which everyone is following the same story and is generally using the same character.

With that said, I really don't think it's reasonable or fair to compare No Man's Sky with other games that have preset content such as Halo 5 for example.

The best examples of what to expect out of No Man's Sky is to refer to other games that also use procedurally generated content. Since the experience is likely to be similar in terms of how the player approaches the game and it being up to them on how they progress.

Considering this has been something they been working on for roughly 4 years by now and the game is 3 months away from release. What we've seen so far in 4 years will not change in a scant three months left until release. You will either get the premise of the game and similar games of it's ilk such as Starbound or Minecraft, or you won't get it and this concept doesn't appeal to you. It can't be put any more plainly then that.
 

GribbleGrunger

Dreams in Digital
Ok, but notice what you said. It may not have shown that, and you are correct that those are flaws in the final product, but what it did show, which was 90% multiplayer, was exactly what we got in the final product, no?

Contrast this to all of the press footage and hands on impressions we have of No Man's Sky so far which appear to be purely scripted or heavily modified slices of what the final game will likely be. In fact, the demo impressions directly contradict the info released about the size of the universe and the likelihood of encountering everything the press did

There's no scripting and all they've done is provided a seed to everyone that guarantees some life, some buildings and an interesting location. This type of thing will also appear in the game but will be harder to find.
 
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