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[legacyzero]

Nothing even remotely like those situations. Those are games that are fully based around multiplayer with the idea that people will still be playing it for a number of years. That isn't what NMS is.

This game has largely already been pushed aside and forgotten.

And to me, as someone who was incredibly hyped for the game originally, it's frustrating to see them doing anything remotely resembling a tease, let alone an ARG. I don't believe that Hello Games has earned that.

If you havn't even bothered to check out the post-release patches, they I'm not really going to file your post as serious. And frankly, it's you that's using apples and oranges for the other comparison. A disgraced game is a disgraced game. With the right time, effort, and message, that can fix this, but cynical people tend not to care about those details.

 

[eyeball_kid]

I don't agree, sorry. I don't think that their post-launch support has made up for the literal constant lies. They didn't just put out a bad game, they lied about what the game was going to be.

So in my mind, personally, they have not earned the trust back where I'm not going to roll my eyes at the idea of them doing an ARG. Put out the content, redeem the game, then we'll see.

But again, it's very likely too late to save this game outside of its current niche fanbase who still play it.

The only thing Sean lied about was the multiplayer features (which they have since begun to implement with the recent in-game message terminals). Everything else were features that got cut because they simply ran out of money and had to launch (or things that just weren't working out due to typical game dev issues).

Hello is continuing to support the game regardless of how you and others feel wronged. I think they are not satisfied with the game and want to make it how they envisioned it. Otherwise they wouldn't continue to support it with free updates. But if you want to hold a grudge against them and roll your eyes when they try to do something cool to hype a big content release, that's up to you. But please, let's not derail this thread -- which is about the ARG -- with these old NMS arguments.

Obviously the reason they're doing this is because the content isn't ready yet and for a lot of people an interesting ARG is more fun than just getting nothing, or getting an early press release and having to wait weeks or months for the content to be ready.

While I might be the kind of person to just want a direct announcement of an upcoming patch or something, I'm sure ARGs are a good way of increasing interest in announcements overall. Otherwise, they wouldn't be such a common thing.

I think the ARG is cool, but I also think the longer it goes on without some announcement about features, it will create unrealistic expectations about what the update will be, and given the history of NMS that's dangerous for Hello Games.

 

[Alexander DeLarge]

Did we ever find out why NMS didn't launch as an early access title? Didn't HG self-publish and everything? As long as they put out monthly updates (they could still do the big publicized "this is the pathfinder update, this is the foundation update" releases), I think it would've been received much better.

 

[Ballistics]

It would be pretty amazing if a relaunch introduced the multiplayer they originally talked about before release.

Or re-introduced?.. right there, in that interview, Sean was talking about it as though it's something that existed and functioned in the game at that point. Could it actually have been in that "Old Build"?

This triggers my memory of an early GameStop interview, and if you put 2 and 2 together, you might come up with an answer. The biggest myth surrounding the game is its multiplayer. It was never an MMO and the sum total of the system was to see other players, for that slim percentage where you might come across someone else. A feature blown to oblivion, from really very little information. Then there's the completely ignored GameStop interview where Sean said he would talk about multiplayer later, and that his ideas for it would come after release (he also said something similar in another interview). That was in early 2014, and by December he did talk about it. And now it's after release, so his original idea might reveal itself. Anyone looking for more, just might be waiting for the wrong game, and it's something he's maintained throughout.

Also, at GDC, he did talk about upgrading the generation system again, like they did for Foundation. So a reboot wouldn't be a bad idea. Ask yourself the question, "Would you sacrifice all your discoveries and progress, for a better game?". I know I would.

 

[phoisgood495]

I think the ARG is cool, but I also think the longer it goes on without some announcement about features, it will create unrealistic expectations about what the update will be, and given the history of NMS that's dangerous for Hello Games.

Agreed, they're running a fine line here. That's one reason I'm hoping the update drops after we complete the last major sigil (July 8th). I'm worried if they try to drag the ARG out until August people are either going to lose interest or hype themselves up into oblivion.

But by the looks of things there's likely to be another phase after the 6 sigils are filled in, as we still haven't seen half the tapes or the majority of the minor glyphs.

 

[5taquitos]

Did we ever find out why NMS didn't launch as an early access title? Didn't HG self-publish and everything? As long as they put out monthly updates (they could still do the big publicized "this is the pathfinder update, this is the foundation update" releases), I think it would've been received much better.

Sony doesn't have an official Early Access program on PS4. Dungeon Defenders 2 was technically early access for a long time, but that's been the exception. They don't really have anything in place to highlight the early access nature of a game released like that.

 

[legacyzero]

The only thing Sean lied about was the multiplayer features (which they have since begun to implement with the recent in-game message terminals). Everything else were features that got cut because they simply ran out of money and had to launch (or things that just weren't working out due to typical game dev issues).

Hello is continuing to support the game regardless of how you and others feel wronged. I think they are not satisfied with the game and want to make it how they envisioned it. Otherwise they wouldn't continue to support it with free updates. But if you want to hold a grudge against them and roll your eyes when they try to do something cool to hype a big content release, that's up to you. But please, let's not derail this thread -- which is about the ARG -- with these old NMS arguments.




I think the ARG is cool, but I also think the longer it goes on without some announcement about features, it will create unrealistic expectations about what the update will be, and given the history of NMS that's dangerous for Hello Games.

I do like the constant escalation of the ARG though. With every wave of new information comes some extra level of goodness

 

[SomTervo]

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.

True - very interesting but let's still keep hype in check!

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

Heh, yeah.

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.

Yeah true - but as above.

Tbh the best way for them to announce/release this update would be to just push it on all platforms. No announcement. No fanfare. Just an update. Let people boot the game and discover new shit on their own - let it go viral and let the streamers do the work

 

[phoisgood495]

True - very interesting but let's still keep hype in check!



Heh, yeah.


Yeah true - but as above.

Tbh the best way for them to announce/release this update would be to just push it on all platforms. No announcement. No fanfare. Just an update. Let people boot the game and discover new shit on their own - let it go viral and let the streamers do the work

I think it's okay. They're only really engaging the existing community and avid ARG followers with this, so mostly it's people who are already happy w/ the direction the game has been going so far post-release. I feel like giving these fans something to play with while the update is baking is a great thing for them to do since it allows them to expand on the universe while keeping the community engaged.

The last two updates dropped w/ 0 fanfare, so I think the fact that they're making a bigger push for this one is a good sign that they might be more willing to talk openly about the game after this patch.

 

[mokeyjoe]

I agree that some people will end up disappointed, no matter what it is. But I wouldn't characterize this as a "goofy low-key ARG". They hired a professional ARG company (Alice & Smith) to produce this, and the puzzles are starting to get fairly complex.

This is 10 years ago, but this Guardian article speaks to the cost for a professionally-done ARG:


So if Hello (or Sony?) is spending $100k-$1M on this marketing ARG, they wouldn't do that for just another content update. This is something bigger. Much bigger? I say yes.

Well goofiness is subjective, but it is low key compared to a traditional campaign as it's primarily engaging existing fans and is not giving away anything about the content, thus far. I mean you can't derive anything about the content from the update from this - even so, some people will claim it's a disappointment anyway, as it won't match up with whatever they've convinced themselves it will be.

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

^yeah and the expenses don't seem that high... i mean, things like a single radio station ad in the Seychelles ;p a handful of tapes or basically swag. not exactly breaking the bill stuff.

with a cult community like NMS has, you can probably do a pretty addicting and obsessive ARG on a super low key budget haha it could be for nothing but a tiny Space Anomaly/Atlas path patch and Reddit NMS would blow it into a veritable NMS 2 equivalent expansion hhhh (not an insult I enjoy their enthusiasm.)

 

[eyeball_kid]

^yeah and the expenses don't seem that high... i mean, things like a single radio station ad in the Seychelles ;p a handful of tapes or basically swag. not exactly breaking the bill stuff.

They hired Alice & Smith to do the ARG; this is not something Sean put together in his spare time. Hello Games might have created the tapes and consulted on NMS lore and narrative direction, that's about it.

A&S is billing for:
- 1+ NPC actors to engage with the community for 2+ months
- researchers on all the crazy topics
- puzzle designer(s)
- writer(s)
- graphic designer(s)
- developers to put together the various websites and maintain/change them
- project manager(s)
- radio ad production and placements

I can guarantee you this is not a cheap marketing campaign. I'd say this is running Hello Games at least $250k. More if this ends up going into August.

 

[phoisgood495]

They hired Alice & Smith to do the ARG; this is not something Sean put together in his spare time. Hello Games might have created the tapes and consulted on NMS lore and narrative direction, that's about it.

A&S is billing for:
- 1+ NPC actors to engage with the community for 2+ months
- researchers on all the crazy topics
- puzzle designer(s)
- writer(s)
- graphic designer(s)
- developers to put together the various websites and maintain/change them
- project manager(s)
- radio ad production and placements

I can guarantee you this is not a cheap marketing campaign. Based on my experience with digital marketing budgets (but really lowballing here because I don't know ARG costs aside from that Guardian article), I'd say this is running Hello Games at least $250k. More if this ends up going into August.

Honestly in the grand scheme of things 250k is pretty cheap considering how much money they made at launch. A typical TV ad campaign would probably run you much more than that, and would not be as effective at catering to their audience.

 

[PintSizedSlasher]

Honestly in the grand scheme of things 250k is pretty cheap considering how much money they made at launch. A typical TV ad campaign would probably run you much more than that, and would not be as effective at catering to their audience.

And still, cheap or not, it's an indication of something big coming. Previous patches were announced through simple blog posts and a few videos on YouTube.

 

[Ballistics]

Whether it's relatively cheap or not is irrelevant. 250k is a massive amount for Hello Games to be spending on PR. You could buy a house for that, and for someone who once remortgaged his house to fund Joe Danger, he wouldn't take that lightly.

 

[down 2 orth]

Have they said or hinted when the next update hits? This game is next on my backlog list but I don't want to start until this update that's getting hyped up.

 

[DanielJr82]

I watched the videos posted in the OP, I'm very excited to see what's next, or specifically how the hell they figure it out. =P

I still play NMS from time to time, just chillin' and coasting through planets with my cargo ship and roamer. =)

 

[Drackhorn]

Bought the game yesterday at a local sale. Will give it a spin this evening. I'm curious about their further plans.

 

[Seiniyta]

These are my guesses what will be in the next update:

- Mining on asteroids/walking around on asteroids. (data for that was found in the last major patch similary how vehicle data was found in the first major update)

- Reintroduction of a lot of the 'lost assets'. The desert biome among others

- Mysterious structures now spawning on the planets which lead into lore. Is probably the big chunk of the update

- Portals now lead to special super-paradise planets

- new base items

- overhauled space combat

- improved planet/creature generation, galaxy is reset once again.

 

[theWB27]

These are my guesses what will be in the next update:

- Mining on asteroids/walking around on asteroids. (data for that was found in the last major patch similary how vehicle data was found in the first major update)

- Reintroduction of a lot of the 'lost assets'. The desert biome among others

- Mysterious structures now spawning on the planets which lead into lore. Is probably the big chunk of the update

- Portals now lead to special super-paradise planets

- new base items

- overhauled space combat

- improved planet/creature generation, galaxy is reset once again.

They need that sky update Shawn stated they were working on too.

 

[Seiniyta]

They need that sky update Shawn stated they were working on too.

Oh right, I'm using a mod that's using better clouds. Though it's still a giant pancake in the sky above your head.

 

[legacyzero]

Have they said or hinted when the next update hits? This game is next on my backlog list but I don't want to start until this update that's getting hyped up.

Consensus points to August 9th, the one year anniversary. Pure conjecture of course.

I put together a small timeline that got us to this point, and basically agree that it's very possible we're looking at a "Relaunch" or 2.0, or etc etc. Can't wait!

https://youtu.be/p-EBa4AOH5s

 

[down 2 orth]

Consensus points to August 9th, the one year anniversary. Pure conjecture of course.

I put together a small timeline that got us to this point, and basically agree that it's very possible we're looking at a "Relaunch" or 2.0, or etc etc. Can't wait!

https://youtu.be/p-EBa4AOH5s

Cool, looking forward to giving it a go!

 

[keltickennedy]

Multiplayer update maybe?

 

[Spoo]

I was actually really into NMS when it first came out -- played it a lot, got all the achievements available at the time (on PS4), and defended it for what it did right rather than what it was supposed to do. Of course, eventually I stopped playing it because, well, it's a cyclical game with no focus.

I noticed the game is like 24 bucks on PC now. I'd double dip if I felt like they were going to relaunch this thing, bringing it to parity with the original vision, and hopefully introducing a much needed focus to the game itself. Whether some kind of campaign mode, or something along those lines, or a MP mode where part of the story involves meeting people on some planet and building something great together, I'd be totally on board.

Wonder what it'll all turn into.

 

[StereoVsn]

And still, cheap or not, it's an indication of something big coming. Previous patches were announced through simple blog posts and a few videos on YouTube.

It has to be a paid expansion I would think, maybe with a discount for current owners. Otherwise they wouldn't be spending the cash since there is no monetization scheme within the game and chance of new players picking this thing up is near 0 at this point without some major changes and different SKU inside Steam/PSN/Xbone.

Maybe this will be an expansion for existing players and "Complete" version for new players.

 

[legacyzero]

Multiplayer update maybe?

Here's hoping!

It has to be a paid expansion I would think, maybe with a discount for current owners. Otherwise they wouldn't be spending the cash since there is no monetization scheme within the game and chance of new players picking this thing up is near 0 at this point without some major changes and different SKU inside Steam/PSN/Xbone.

Maybe this will be an expansion for existing players and "Complete" version for new players.

They'd have to have planet sized testicles to ask for more money for an expansion after what happened last year. It'd have to be a second coming of Jesus for people to buy-in on that IMO

 

[theWB27]

Oh right, I'm using a mod that's using better clouds. Though it's still a giant pancake in the sky above your head.

What's it called... I'd like to look it up.

 

[phoisgood495]

It has to be a paid expansion I would think, maybe with a discount for current owners. Otherwise they wouldn't be spending the cash since there is no monetization scheme within the game and chance of new players picking this thing up is near 0 at this point without some major changes and different SKU inside Steam/PSN/Xbone.

Maybe this will be an expansion for existing players and "Complete" version for new players.

No chance. As you can see from my many posts in this thread I'm a bit of a NMS fanboy, and not even I would buy into that.

They aren't dumb enough to think they're at that point yet, and they still have a lot of runway to burn before they get to that point.

In my opinion HG look at NMS as a selling point for their procedural generation technology. They already have made more money than they expected to from it, and are now looking to validate tech by building an experience on top of it.

 

[SuperEpicMan]

No chance. As you can see from my many posts in this thread I'm a bit of a NMS fanboy, and not even I would buy into that.

They aren't dumb enough to think they're at that point yet, and they still have a lot of runway to burn before they get to that point.

In my opinion HG look at NMS as a selling point for their procedural generation technology. They already have made more money than they expected to from it, and are now looking to validate tech by building an experience on top of it.

I ended up returning my copy a week after buying it, but some of the updates they have made look pretty good. If this next update continues the same trend, I might end up picking it up again. I could see them relaunching the game in a similar way to what happened with games like Elder Scrolls Online and Final Fantasy XIV, hopefully providing big updates for existing owners, but releasing an updated SKU.

Regarding your point about the procedural generation, I remember watching an interview where they brought up the idea of applying the tech to a game of smaller scope, but as a result allowing for deeper variety than that in No Man's Sky. Personally I would love to see it in some kind of rogue style game, maybe like a 3D version of Spelunky or something.

 

[Seiniyta]

One thing I'd like to see with the next update is more variance in tree sizes. A screenshot I took with a tree mod today. It's also the only mod used. It's not perfect, but it does make planets look better a lot of the times.

What's it called... I'd like to look it up.

http://www.nexusmods.com/nomanssky/mods/381/?

at times has a strange pixely effect though. But still pretty great!

This is taking too long. They really need to wrap it up and just reveal.

I'd like it if they just teased a few things, maybe just a gif or image on twitter from time to time.

 

[Kolibri]

This is taking too long. They really need to wrap it up and just reveal.

 

[StereoVsn]

No chance. As you can see from my many posts in this thread I'm a bit of a NMS fanboy, and not even I would buy into that.

They aren't dumb enough to think they're at that point yet, and they still have a lot of runway to burn before they get to that point.

In my opinion HG look at NMS as a selling point for their procedural generation technology. They already have made more money than they expected to from it, and are now looking to validate tech by building an experience on top of it.

It could even be free to existing players and then relaunched for new players. Basically they really need a new SKU to get a way from current reviews. Otherwise it makes 0 sense to spend money on marketing.

 

[Darth Smurf X]

If they are doing a universe reset, they need to give some warning. I am about 20 warps from the Platinum and I will rush through those if a reset is coming. Otherwise, I'd like to take my time.

 

[Seiniyta]

If they are doing a universe reset, they need to give some warning. I am about 20 warps from the Platinum and I will rush through those if a reset is coming. Otherwise, I'd like to take my time.

You're probably not going to be reset location wise, maybe a tiny bit. But I don't think you should be worried about that.

 

[phoisgood495]

It could even be free to existing players and then relaunched for new players. Basically they really need a new SKU to get a way from current reviews. Otherwise it makes 0 sense to spend money on marketing.

That I could see, giving a credit to existing owners, but effectively launching it as a separate app on Steam. Though having a separate app in steam would annoy me personally, no idea if they'd let them replace the existing app while getting a fresh steam page.

If they are doing a universe reset, they need to give some warning. I am about 20 warps from the Platinum and I will rush through those if a reset is coming. Otherwise, I'd like to take my time.

Last time they did a reset they just generated new planets in place, and did not reset any achievements progress. The only thing that might be messed up is discoveries in that system, which could become un-uploadable/bugged. I had to warp out of the system I was in to fix things.

 

[Ballistics]

It has to be a paid expansion I would think, maybe with a discount for current owners. Otherwise they wouldn't be spending the cash since there is no monetization scheme within the game and chance of new players picking this thing up is near 0 at this point without some major changes and different SKU inside Steam/PSN/Xbone.

Maybe this will be an expansion for existing players and "Complete" version for new players.

That has alienation and Jim Sterling written all over it. The only way anyone will accept paid for DLC is when the game exceeds their original expectations. Which could be an impossible target to reach, so doing it with the income they already have is the only way. And can you really see them taking down the original and replacing it with a new version? What if you have it on disc?

 

[OuterLimits]

I'm torn on whether I want another "reset" like they did with Foundation. Having my discoveries wiped would kind of suck. Plus planets changed after the first big update. That cool planet you like so much might have become a barren wasteland. It seems that while the Foundation update didn't wipe solar system discoveries, it appears to have for the planets. I still see discoveries from players before the updates but when I go to them the planets always say undiscovered.

Since many players have built huge bases on planets they like, they might be disappointed if it changes from a paradise planet to a frigid ice planet.

Granted, if the update is significant and massively improves the planets/fauna/flora/weather(clouds), then I would probably be ok with losing previous discoveries. If it's a really good update I would likely just start a new game on Survival mode.

I probably should have tried to get to the center on permadeath mode to get the trophy before the next update. Who knows, if they add new dangers, it might be even harder to survive.

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

god I hope not... I probably spent over 80 hours searching systems in my region for my favorite planets to either live on or mine on lol right down to the colour of the atmosphere or the clothes colours, ships, and job titles of the gek I like to see at trading ports haha (I dunno I like seeing Mining Overseer or Exporter and cool red haulers and freighters o.0)

I could understand the first reset I guess though it was before I ever played the game, but it's a horrible idea after they've added significant content and incentive to make homes on and become attached to systems Q_Q if all my cool orange or red sky cactus deserts turn into green acidic mushroom wastelands though I'd be pretty darn sad

i mean, never saw never, if the advantages outweigh: e.g. planets get the chance to have multiple biomes, with the 'original biome' being the dominant or at least one of the new biomes.

 

[Jerry]

Seems like the ARG is more intriguing and engaging than the game itself.

 

[Widge]

I think I am an update or two away from laying down cash for this game. I need a space sim that is lighter to play than Elite.

 

[Harlock]

I think they need something more elaborated at center of galaxy. More lore, more cool stuff. And another way to gather resources to make the voyage to the center more interesting than jumping hundreds of time. Maybe gathering very rare itens to open a path of portals. Is silly, but something like the Minecraft ending game.

 

[SomTervo]

I think I am an update or two away from laying down cash for this game. I need a space sim that is lighter to play than Elite.

With the frigates update and everything, it's pretty damn good for an alternative yeah.

 

[StromboliProtocol]

So when are we gonna have some concrete news?

 

[Muffin1611]

Seems like the ARG is more intriguing and engaging than the game itself.

Edgy.

 

[dead monkey uk]

So when are we gonna have some concrete news?

procedurally generated concrete sounds boring.

 

[renzolama]

Consensus points to August 9th, the one year anniversary. Pure conjecture of course.

I put together a small timeline that got us to this point, and basically agree that it's very possible we're looking at a "Relaunch" or 2.0, or etc etc. Can't wait!

https://youtu.be/p-EBa4AOH5s

Are people actually doing this for NMS again? This is going to be amazing.

Edit: I've enjoyed the updates also, but this is seriously too much. It's like people can't wait to make themselves disappointed and angry again.

 

[Pepboy]

The only thing Sean lied about was the multiplayer features (which they have since begun to implement with the recent in-game message terminals). Everything else were features that got cut because they simply ran out of money and had to launch (or things that just weren't working out due to typical game dev issues).

Hello is continuing to support the game regardless of how you and others feel wronged. I think they are not satisfied with the game and want to make it how they envisioned it. Otherwise they wouldn't continue to support it with free updates. But if you want to hold a grudge against them and roll your eyes when they try to do something cool to hype a big content release, that's up to you. But please, let's not derail this thread -- which is about the ARG -- with these old NMS arguments.




I think the ARG is cool, but I also think the longer it goes on without some announcement about features, it will create unrealistic expectations about what the update will be, and given the history of NMS that's dangerous for Hello Games.

He also lied about physics based modelling, planets rotating, etc. I'm hazy on details but I think the original thread about it is pretty clear.

 

[Moobabe]

I think I am an update or two away from laying down cash for this game. I need a space sim that is lighter to play than Elite.

I think I'm just about there? The game had some performance issues for me at launch so I refunded, but I think that's better now.

I played a chunk on my mate's PS4 and could see the potential, but didn't feel I was missing much.

I sub to their YouTube channel so I've seen their update videos and it looks more engaging and interesting than it did. If I jump in now (game on sale on Steam) in time for this (hopefully hefty) update then I think I'd be pretty pleased with the purchase.

 

[Seiniyta]

I'd absolutely remain (positivily) cautious. This is probably going to be a bigger update then the ones before it. But don't expect it to somehow become the game of your dreams and then some.

I'd love to be absolutely blown away, but also be realistic considering the team size and the time from the previous update.