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

Draugoth

Gold Member


Hello, only last month we welcomed a huge number of new PlayStation Travellers to the No Man’s Sky universe with our free Omega expedition, which brought a ton of new content. It’s incredible to watch new folks getting to experience eight years of updates since launch.


Today March 27, we are releasing our 27th major update – Orbital – and this is a big one!


The Orbital update brings a complete overhaul to Space Stations. Until now these have been perhaps the only part of No Man’s Sky that wasn’t procedurally generated. Engine improvements have allowed us to create vast interior spaces and exterior spaces, with improved reflection and metallic surfaces.


Outside, Space Station exteriors are at a scale never seen before and are hugely varied.


Inside, Stations have been transformed, and are now vast, procedurally generated, and incredibly diverse. Featuring new shops, gameplay and activities, Stations are now uniquely customised based on system, race and locale.


Stations also contain perhaps our most requested feature of all time! A ship editor allows players to customise their ships and players can even create never-before-seen starship types.


We haven’t introduced customisation previously, because so many players love exploring to find the perfect ship already out there to purchase. In keeping with exploration, to customize their ship, travelers gather and trade parts for their ships as they explore, salvaging the best components from wrecks and ruins


We are also introducing a new Guild system, making joining Guilds and increasing reputation a much larger part of the game. Visit new Guild envoys on Space Stations to gain supplies and rare items, or make donations to increase your standing.


You can own a freighter and even build up a fleet of frigates in No Man’s Sky. Now you can send that frigate fleet on away missions where if they get into trouble, as frigate captain, you can perform daring rescues. Players can scramble your squadron of fighters, and warp to battles and engage your attackers.


The Orbital update adds ship customisation, transforms Space Stations inside and out, a new guild system, engine improvements, UI refresh and much more. It’s a huge update with several major features that have been on player’s wishlists for a long time. We have a lot more planned this year as our journey continues.


These and many more additions and quality of life improvements can be found when PlayStation players download the Orbital update to No Man’s Sky today.
 

nkarafo

Member
I'm still not sure about what this game is. Is it multiplayer? Every time i see updates, it feels like i'm reading about a multiplayer game. But wasn't it single player originally?
 

Guilty_AI

Member
I'm still not sure about what this game is. Is it multiplayer? Every time i see updates, it feels like i'm reading about a multiplayer game. But wasn't it single player originally?
Its both.

Uh, think of something like World of Warcraft or some other MMO that can be played fully offline with no players in sight.
 

nkarafo

Member
Its both.

Uh, think of something like World of Warcraft or some other MMO that can be played fully offline with no players in sight.
I never knew you can play WoW offline. I left that game after the 3rd expansion. Either way, it's multiplayer portion is the main part. You are probably missing what, 90% of the game if you play offline?

Is No Man's Sky a multiplayer game with a single player portion? Or is it the other way around?

I just want a Subnautica in space.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
I never knew you can play WoW offline. I left that game after the 3rd expansion.
No, i'm not talking about WoW, i was talking about NMS. I don't think you can play WoW offline.

Either way, it's multiplayer portion is the main part. You are probably missing what, 90% of the game if you play offline?

Is No Man's Sky a multiplayer game with a single player portion? Or is it the other way around?
Most features are single player. The MP ones are basically community missions and base sharing, as well as doing single player stuff in groups.

I just want a Subnautica in space.
Probably not quite the same thing. Subnautica is a more tightly designed game, this one is more of the sandboxy do-whatever-you-want kind, though there is an underlying narrative and lore.
 
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nkarafo

Member
Most features are single player. The MP ones are basically community missions and base sharing, as well as doing single player stuff in groups.
So it's a single player game first and foremost but has multiplayer portions?

If so that's good. I'm not interested in multiplayer and i know this game will take a long time to get into and i don't want to realize i'm missing the most of it after wasting it.
 

naguanatak

Member
So it's a single player game first and foremost but has multiplayer portions?

If so that's good. I'm not interested in multiplayer and i know this game will take a long time to get into and i don't want to realize i'm missing the most of it after wasting it.
I'm playing since 2016... 95% offline single player in a lonely, vast universe. Multiplayer features are there, and I tested them a bit, but not mandatory and they don't elevate the game in any form (for me).
Yes, this game takes a long time to get into, features upon features and you could lose yourself in it if that's your kind of thing.
 

nkarafo

Member
Yes, this game takes a long time to get into, features upon features and you could lose yourself in it if that's your kind of thing.
That's not a problem for me as long as the game doesn't get dragged by mistakes you did early on, forcing you to play it "correctly" from the start. Hope it's not the case.
 

StueyDuck

Member
No man's sky's latest updates seem to add so much but also so little at the same time 🤣 I don't know how to explain it.

I kind of want something crazy new from them like EVA in space and more to do between planets in that sense

Still impressive they are supporting the game though and for completely free
 

Codeblew

Member
Oh too bad :(
It is multiplayer as in you will see other people in space stations and the anomaly but you can completely ignore other people if you just want a solo experience. Just think of them as NPC's. You will rarely if ever run into anyone while randomly exploring planets. I don't think I have ever seen another player outside of the space stations and anomaly.

Edit: Actually, now that I think about it, it is mostly just the anomaly that you will see other players. I can't remember the last time seeing anybody in a space station.
 
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nkarafo

Member
It is multiplayer as in you will see other people in space stations and the anomaly but you can completely ignore other people if you just want a solo experience. Just think of them as NPC's. You will rarely if ever run into anyone while randomly exploring planets. I don't think I have ever seen another player outside of the space stations and anomaly.
But it doesn't rely on a server to be functional? Can i still play it on a system completely off the grid is what i'm saying.
 

Codeblew

Member
But it doesn't rely on a server to be functional? Can i still play it on a system completely off the grid is what i'm saying.
Hmm, I am pretty sure you have to be online to play. It records you discovering planets, lifeforms, plants, etc., which other people can see. Also, if you build a base, others can see it if they happen to come across it in their explorations (very unlikely in practice).
 

naguanatak

Member
Hmm, I am pretty sure you have to be online to play. It records you discovering planets, lifeforms, plants, etc., which other people can see. Also, if you build a base, others can see it if they happen to come across it in their explorations (very unlikely in practice).
You don't have to be online. You can grab a Switch, go on a remote Island and explore the NMS universe in complete solitude :messenger_winking:
 

Codeblew

Member
Do they need to be uploaded?
I did a google search after asking that question and the answer is apparently "no". I guess it just saves it locally and doesn't try to upload. No idea what happens if you try to go online after that. Like I said, I always just played online.
 

Red5

Member
Regardless of their heroic efforts to keep adding to the game, I can't help but feel that the game is still very shallow, an ocean wide but a puddle deep. Games like Privateer and Elite had a lot more depth to them. It really needs an actual plot, characters and personality.
 

naguanatak

Member
I did a google search after asking that question and the answer is apparently "no". I guess it just saves it locally and doesn't try to upload. No idea what happens if you try to go online after that. Like I said, I always just played online.
They get uploaded once you go online on a first come first serve basis regarding the naming.
 

naguanatak

Member
Regardless of their heroic efforts to keep adding to the game, I can't help but feel that the game is still very shallow, an ocean wide but a puddle deep. Games like Privateer and Elite had a lot more depth to them. It really needs an actual plot, characters and personality.
It has a plot, it has characters and it has lore enough to be satisfying. The problem for most is the presentation which is lacking a lot.
I don't get the ocean wide but puddle deep, but that's very subjective. Even me, as a explorer first, I think its lacking in that regard, too... On the other hand, there is no game like it for me and I just explore, find cool stuff and am happy that I have a game that's giving me a feeling of endless discovery, even after 7 years and constant updates that mostly bring stuff I'm not interested in... Though I must say, new space stations after all this time and finally a ship builder/customizer is absolutely awesome
 

Guilty_AI

Member
So it's a single player game first and foremost but has multiplayer portions?

If so that's good. I'm not interested in multiplayer and i know this game will take a long time to get into and i don't want to realize i'm missing the most of it after wasting it.
The multiplayer stuff is pretty much relegated to a place called "The Anomaly" which is sort of a central hub for players. You'll find the community missions i spoke of there as well as an option to see and visit other player's bases.

Everything outside The Anomaly is fully single player. If you're online, at most you may upon chance meet other players or their traces (like uploaded discoveries or uploaded bases). However, the chance of that is quite low... although there is an option to join randoms as long as the other party enabled to option to let randoms join him. Naturally, there's also the option to join friends.

The upload discoveries stuff doesn't rely on online servers. Technically you're uploading them to the Atlas which is a fictional game entity. As for what happens if a player uploads a discovery offline that has already been discovered then goes online, no clue. Probably the first one who did it gets the priority.

But it doesn't rely on a server to be functional? Can i still play it on a system completely off the grid is what i'm saying.
Yes. Its fully functional offline apart from the features i spoke of earlier of community missions and base sharing (and seeing other players obviously). There are some vanity cosmetic items which are mostly designed as rewards for community missions, i'm not sure how possible it is to get them offline but i've seen people obtaining them with save editors and mods while playing offline so i don't think it's some strictly server-tied thing.
 
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FoxMcChief

Gold Member
Ship customization, fucking finally.

I just wish there was a narrative reason to jump back in some day. Or a narrative to the game at all, besides the terrible Atlas stuff.

The devs are great adding everything, but a story. I sure hope the planet game they’re working on has a story to drive players to keep playing.
 

FoxMcChief

Gold Member
Regardless of their heroic efforts to keep adding to the game, I can't help but feel that the game is still very shallow, an ocean wide but a puddle deep. Games like Privateer and Elite had a lot more depth to them. It really needs an actual plot, characters and personality.
It’s because it is very shallow. It’s a resource collecting game. The objective to journey to the center of the universe is still painfully dull and is just a rinse and repeat of doing the same thing, over and over and over again.
 

Guilty_AI

Member
Ship customization, fucking finally.

I just wish there was a narrative reason to jump back in some day. Or a narrative to the game at all, besides the terrible Atlas stuff.

The devs are great adding everything, but a story. I sure hope the planet game they’re working on has a story to drive players to keep playing.
Didn't they add a campaign in one of the older updates? The Artemis questline isn't stellar or anything but it's a campaign nonetheless.
 
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