No Man's Sky

[Timbuk2]

Anyone else bought into the hype?

I'd pre-ordered. Spent a few hours yesterday, a day after launch. I'd heard from my nephew that there were big launch issues, crashes, hopeless frame rates etc. Seems a quick patch came out shortly after to rectify the worst offending issues.

I've had no problems at all. It's looking good thus far.

I like the art, the style.
It's got a mysteriousness to it that I like.
There is a sense that the universe is huge.
I like the subtlety around how you are nudged toward goals. You aren't quite sure at the start what to do, what you're aiming for, but quiet hints and snippets of info text act as a background guide just when needed.
The transitions between planet wandering and spaceflight travel are seamless.

Lots of discussion around the webs on whether it is actually a multi-player or not. Can you meet another player ... Developer stresses it's intended as a single player game but the possibility, he says, of encountering someone else out in the vastness exists.

So far it seems worth the hefty price tag.

[Khendraja'aro]

I like it. Needs some quality of life fixes, though:

a) I'd like to receive the receipe for the warp drive as I foolishly activated my preorder-bonus immediately
b) Scanning any kind of flying creature is an excercise in frustration
c) Custom waypoints - sometimes I'd really like to return to a point of interest.
d) A lock-on feature for space battles. If I'm fighting more than one ship I'd like to be sure that I'm always shooting at the same one.

[Bitter Jeweler]

I am enjoying it, but not sure how long that will last.

Khen,

a) You should be able to find the blueprints. I also activated my bonus ship immediately. But I can build the warp drive, as soon as I find the materials.
b) I haven't tried that yet. Looks like I have to, to complete my "Records".
c) YES!!!!!!
d) I haven't battled yet. I try to avoid it

Timbuk,

"I like the subtlety around how you are nudged toward goals. You aren't quite sure at the start what to do, what you're aiming for, but quiet hints and snippets of info text act as a background guide just when needed."

I haven't noticed this, really.
Except I guess when first off it tells you to find Iron in small rocks?

THAT was hilarious for me. I spent a half hour, and looked for help...trying to blast the very tiny "pebbles" and "weeds" found right at my ship crash site.
I didn't venture too far away from the safety of my ship, because of the toxic environment. I didn't realize things in the distance kinda generate as you approach.
I wasn't enjoying the game for a few hours, until I learned the safety of caves. My range was only the time I had on the hazmat suit. LOL
It was sooo frustrating.

Once I learned there were ample places to "detox", I roamed freely. I've walked 60,000u on foot.


I discovered you can at least mark buildings/ruins by scanning them (F key), which will leave a persistent white dot at the site.
I was getting tired of walking forever to something I had already visited.

I have a good relationship with the Vy'keen, and have learned over 50 words of their language.
I even helped one Vy'keen hook up, on what seemed to be Space Tinder. LOL


I really like the game, but find it falling short in a lot of ways.
There are puzzles, but not enough, and not enough variety.

The story of the aliens is like an old text adventure. I just find it lacking when you interact with a Ruin, and it tells you it melted in front of you, but it doesn't actually.
We are playing video games partially for the visual stimulation, and I never liked playing "Zork".

I find it odd that the Aliens want you to join the resistance against the Sentinels, yet the Sentinals try to kill you when you try to break into an Alien shelter.
I've read that the Sentinels try to kill you when breaking into a pirate ship, but don't try to kill pirates when they attack you. That's not right.
It seems the sentinels just want to protect the entire universe from you, and only you.

Why can't we map our planets?

Why are (from what I have experienced so far) some of the most hostile environments the most lush and resource rich, while temperate, water filled planets are rather barren?
I guess you could look at the idea that while temperate environments may be good for ME, they are toxic/unbearable to alien life???

Why does a Vy'keen dagger take up the same space as 250units of mined elements? Are those units actually just very very tiny?

NEED MORE SLOTS!!!!

Performance wise, I have had no problems so far on my laptop:

[Wraith]

Does the game have a UI suitable for a PC? I was going to take a pass on the game after all the bad reviews, but I might give it a shot since you lot are enjoying it.

[Bitter Jeweler]

I can't answer because I don't know what you want from a UI.
It works for me?


So, I guess there are excellent things to find...

[Wraith]

The typical shitty ported-from-console UI usually has oversized elements with low information density, poor field of view, only four or so usable keys, hold-e-to-do-stuff-because-you-definitely-dont-have-an-entire-keyboard, and menus where it seems like mouse navigation was an afterthought. Take any Bethesda game since Morrowind for an example.

The crappy field of view is usually the killer for me. My monitor takes up a large amount of my field of vision, so if the field of view can't at least come close to matching that, it gets claustrophobic and frustrating.

[Khendraja'aro]

Okay, here's some hints for those hindered by inventory space:

a) The slots on your ship have double the capacity of your suit
b) You can get a new (larger) ship through three routes: 1) find a transmission signal for a crashed ship and repair it, 2) buy a new ship from someone who has landed on a pad on a planet or 3) buy a new ship from someone landing in a space station. The latter two might be slightly expensive options, the larger ones cost upwards of 2,000,000 units. However, those two options also have the bonus of not having to repair stuff first.
c) You can get one additional slot at either a Shelter on the planet surface or at every single space station you visit. The space station router requires an Atlas v1 key, however. Also: The cost for additional slots increases linearly - first slot costs 10,000, second 20,000, third 30,000 and so on.
d) Larger multi-tools can either be gained through events or bought from Aliens/vending slots. Those are usually somewhat cheaper, my current 16 slot one cost 110,000 units.

Getting a new tool and new ship also means having to re-equip modules - you usually get random new ones, but the old ones cannot be transferred.

Lastly, a good way to make money relatively fast: Find a planet with "Extreme" conditions. Land near a cave (should be a large one, not merely a glorified hole in the ground) and look for Vortex Stones. Those sell for 25k to 35k a piece. Load up to the gills with those (don't forget your spacecraft's inventory) then fly off to find a settlement with a landing pad - those usually have access to the market.

[Bitter Jeweler]

Excellent tips!

I didn't notice slots on the ship being double capacity. That's handy.


How do you find a space station? I need the Atlas V1 key!


Gonna go look for an Extreme planet!

[Timbuk2]

Wraith - UI seems fine ...

~

Bitter - space stations seem to exist in most if not all systems you visit. Should show up when you scan a local system you arrive in - just press 'C' to scan.

~

Mining is the easy route to money.

Find gold or Emeril to mine, sells for big money. I've not found deposits of either to be too hard to come by. With few early inventory slots, it's over 100k a run so far.

I've not had to spend any cash on multi-tools - I've found three new, bigger ones entirely for free - just by investigating the question mark locations on planets. You can find multi-tools in cabinets ready for you to take. There was also a multi-tool quite early on by following the Atlas part of the plot-line. IIRC it's in the same anomaly where the Atlas stone is located. Again, just a free multi-tool in a cabinet on the wall.

Some good tips here

[Bitter Jeweler]

Followed some of your advice, and got a better ship. 20 slots. $646K
I sat at a Depot for a while and checked out the ships as they came and went.
A 25 slotter was $1.8mill

Found the space station. It was funny, because I was just leaving the planet atmosphere, and there it was!

The third planet I went to, is lush, but not a lot of Emeril. Iridium monoliths though.

It's beautiful! I am naming it Planet Seuss.


I still can't find a Atlas V1 Key. :/



This creature I call Bananimal





Scenic...

[littlelolligagged]

I also have not found an Atlas v1 key.

I have, however, left the first system and moved on to the second. What a difference! This is my 6th planet to explore (first system had 4 planets and a moon), and for the first time I am not scrambling to find the things that keep the heat/cold protection shield going. It makes such a difference.

[Bitter Jeweler]

Oh good! I'm glad you are finding success

What a difference resource availability and environment make! And if the planet is pretty, that helps too.


Planet Seuss is wonderful!
I only have one more creature to Discover to get the 275k bonus!
Birds...just shoot them out of the sky, and collect them on the ground.
Though, sometimes it's hard to find where they fell.



Beautiful landscape:








I thought there was no Emeril on this planet (there's some nice titanium crystals too) but I am running into these Emeril Beasts!
Unfortunately, it is trapped in matrix, so it's not as concentrated as the crystals. But this thing was worth over $500K

[Timbuk2]

Found a trading port on a local moon in a system somewhere.

Turns out there's a load of gold deposits all around the trading port. This is making generating cash a bit too easy, just mine and fill up on gold, run to trading port and sell, run out to another deposit, rinse and repeat.

I'm not sure, but I also think one of the deposits I visited earlier regenerated.

So some bugs to iron out here, as well as balance issues.

Anyway, will load up a few mill here before purchasing my first ship, before moving on toward the Galactic Core and whatever plot mysteries await.

Screenshot of the trading port in the background, with two big deposits in view.



~

Also - make sure you explore lots of question mark sites people. Just got a free Exosuit upgrade.

[Timbuk2]

I'm not sure, but I also think one of the deposits I visited earlier regenerated.

Turns out its a graphical bug. I revisited a deposit I'd dug out earlier. It looked like it was still there, but as I approached it disappeared to be left with the hole in the ground. So just a glitch.

[Bitter Jeweler]

The "regeneration" of deposits is interesting. I revisited the one in the pic above, that looks like a head/bust, and it WAS back. But this was a day later.
The "puzzle" in the depot with the alien was not reset, and the save post showed when I discovered it.


For a little humor...I was mining the heck out of Emeril deposits, and filling up my ship and suit. You know how you have to be careful to not overheat your multi tool? Well, you have to be careful not to overheat your laptop too!

I filled everything up, and hadn't saved since starting this mining binge. I went to get back in my ship, pressed "E" and my screen went black.
First I thought I just glitched out of the game. Then I thought the power went out. (laptop has battery, duh!)
I think mining is too graphically intense for my laptop LOL
Lost it all!!!!

I did it all again, begrudgingly. I'm up to 375K units. I'm saving up for a big ship!
I also need a better better exosuit. I found an underwater breathing mask!

[Timbuk2]

Hate it when a game bugs out with no save Bitter - I feel your pain.

Have not managed to change exosuit yet, so not sure it's possible. All I've managed to do is find additional slot upgrades. Am now on 18 slots in my suit. Which was funny when my old ship I had at the time had only 16 slots

~

Screenshot of my first ship. Think I need to work on my landings ... aimed for a plateau and only just made it.

[Bitter Jeweler]

Hahahahaha! That's awesome!



I've become good at landing like this:

[Bitter Jeweler]

Yay!
Got a new ship, with 28 slots.
The front of it is so high up, when you walk of, you take damage. LOL

I'm annoyed that I have found a few Stamina upgrades (+3), but none of them show in my exosuit "install tech" menu.
I found a score on my planet, a whole cluster of drop pods in one area (spread out) so now I am up to 25 slots.

I haven't found any better Multi Tools on this planet. I think My first planet had a bunch I couldn't afford. I might go back.

I'm still really annoyed that there is no mapping available. Not because I want to go back to places, but because I want to move further out.
I still don't know what the end goal is. I missed the atlas stone part. I learned you have to keep 10 atlas stones for it though.
So, I am happy with mining/selling, to get the bigger ships. 10 stone eats a lot of space.


Also, I am wondering if we need to keep all upgrades (beta, tau, sigma, theta). Are they cumulative?
Someone said no, but, don't you get a bonus for putting them next to each other?
SO having the four would be +1+2+3+4 = 10 bonus?
Or is Theta (+4) just to help save space, that each one really is just a +1?

THe collection mechanics are interesting. You kinda have to plan stuff out even when you get more slots.
Some tech requires 4 of a thing you can only seem to buy one of at a depot.

Still enjoying this. Wraith, honestly, I wouldn't think it's a game you would like.
It seems very geared towards the casual gamer (like me). I was looking at Elite Dangerous a little while ago, and it looked daunting.


Here's me new ship:

[Timbuk2]

Nice ship! You're a ways ahead of me, I'm currently in a 21-slotter that cost me ~850k units.

Also, I am wondering if we need to keep all upgrades (beta, tau, sigma, theta). Are they cumulative?
Someone said no, but, don't you get a bonus for putting them next to each other?
SO having the four would be +1+2+3+4 = 10 bonus?
Or is Theta (+4) just to help save space, that each one really is just a +1?

Just been reading up on this.

Upgrades come in Sigma - Tau - Theta - Omega

Omega not available for some upgrades though.

And stacking matters. Place upgrades in slots directly adjacent to each other, and you will see a border appear around the upgrade items. The border means you are granted a bonus over and above the upgrades.

So I'd imagine if you have all upgrades in slots directly next to each other Sigma-Tau-Theta-Omega you get maximum bonus.

What I haven't figured yet is if you get a bonus by placing the upgrade adjacent to the item you're upgrading; ie, is Photon Cannon - Sigma - Tau etc better than the upgrades separated from the item?

[Bitter Jeweler]

YOU CAN HARVEST CRASHED SHIPS!

Your old ship won't disappear. Just accept the new (crashed) ship, don't transfer your old cargo but make sure you have room in your Exosuit, hop in, disassemble as much tech as you can.
Transfer it to your Exosuit. Leave crashed ship, hop in yours, and accept it again. Found some good loot this way!


I landed once, and my ship clipped the terrain, and I was below the terrain when I exited.
Sucked, because I had reload previous.


When you do any puzzles, or monolith choices, if you chose the wrong answer, reload! Try again!

First time I was attacked by a sentinel dog...thought I caught a cool image:





Landed in the trees again...LOL

[Bitter Jeweler]

Here's a look at stacking. Looks like they don't have to be same upgrades, but same "type" for bonuses.

Not mine...look at all those slots!!!

[Bitter Jeweler]

I jumped to a new planet. VERY barren.
This is a great thing!
Armed with a ton of units from the last planet, I just cruised around looking for Ruins, and Drop Pods (Suit slot upgrades).
Sure they get expensive. But I have 39 slots now. I was going for 40, but ran out of units.
Pods were everywhere! I'd get one, get back in my ship, boost a little forward and BAM! another one!

Back to the Emeril farm.
There's lots of Aluminum and copper here, but Emeril is where it's at.


This game is pretty chill. I like it. I enjoy the mystery of the next planet...


Here's Planet Epoxy: