I know the space stations and ship building are the highlights and everyone is talking about them, but I just wanted to share my love for some features that I seriously appreciate but aren’t really talked about:

First, I’ve always complained about the standing system being completely pointless. Even when Outlaws came out and gave us the ability to reset our standing, I kept thinking there was no point for it, apart from like one mission being locked off, it genuinely felt like the numbers you saw in your catalogue were completely detached from the actual gameplay. So I’m finally overjoyed that it has a genuine purpose now with discounts! Prices in station shops reflect your standing with the race and it tells you by how much! It’s a start I’d say, but a really impactful one too!

The guild now also has a physical presence and no longer feels like some imaginary concept that was also entirely detached from the game and only existed as a number in your catalogue. Now they’re actually in the game (I still haven’t figured out what determines which one of the 3 appear in stations) and raising standing with them is actually really encouraging since they give you some really useful items either for free or at a discount. Increasing standing with them is also much easier now with the new donation mechanic rather than doing missions.

Next, the frigate expeditions once again always felt like an imaginary thing; you sent them out on expeditions, waited a few hours, and they’d say what happened and you had to pretend it was true while they gave you the loot. Now there’s an actual consequence that you get to be involved in. Instead of the whole thing being a passive money making thing, they occasionally ask you for advice or help protect them from enemies. One time I was asked to warp to their location and land on a frigate so I could read a message they found and they asked me what to do… turns out the language I knew directly affected how much of the text was readable and I could make an informed decision, so knowing the language has more meaning as well!

And lastly, the trading. It was something I knew existed but 100% ignored. But now the economy scanner has a new function where you can choose to detect economy surges and it’ll tell you which system to invest what in, and it’s on a timer so it’s like a little mini game to get rich. Trading is actually kinda fun now that there’s an actual guided mechanic around it.

I’ve got about 200 hours in the game and had something happen for the first time ever. There I was, at a colossal archive building on a snow planet, ignoring the weather. Big winter storm waring. Next thing I know, I’m in the air, above the clouds at one point, spinning around. Then slammed into the ground for notable damage. It happened two or three more times before I noticed the little funnel clouds in the area and my health was half gone. I could not stop laughing. This game just keeps giving and giving.

So to preface, I’m very early game on my first run and still learning everything (In my 4th system after my 3rd was following up the Rebel Star quest). I’ve got stacks of navigation data taking up too much inventory space so I decide to to spend some at the cartographer and buy a settlement location map, thinking it would reveal one of those trade post minor settlements. Instead I am delightedly surprised to find myself the new overseer and be introduced to the settlement management mechanic. Cool. Unfortunately, I’m also constantly fighting off sentinels, which is odd because the settlement stats only list 22% next to what I assume is supposed to be sentinel aggro, but they seem pretty dang mad. Also why is the ground just lousy with gravitino balls? Eventually I figured out what that “Aggressive Sentinels” tag on the planet meant.

So yeah, it turn out these settlers thought it would be a great idea to set up shop on an irradiated hellscape of a planet that spends 98% of its time under a radiation storm AND also has aggressive attack on sight sentinels. Probably just so they can “In my day…” their future kids. Cut to me dodging fire in the blinding radiation storm just trying to drop off the materials to get the overseer office built. At least I can teleport in now for any decisions, but a single step out the door and it’s a warzone.

This can’t be the intended means of introducing the settlement mechanic, right? There was probably a much gentler tutorial quest line somewhere down the line that I have vaulted right past because I just wanted to spend the nav data taking up space.

I love this game and appreciate the countless updates and continued support NMS has received over the years, I really do, but part of me can’t help but be disappointed when a new patch drops and there’s nothing about exploration. Exploration is the heart of this game, it’s what drew most of us here. Yet it seems to have taken the back seat for many years. What happened?

I want new things to see, to do, and to find on planets. New plants, animals, and biomes. Mysteries to uncover, artifacts to find, rare encounters to look forward to. A reason to walk over the next mountainside and see if something special is there. A reason to wander. Some things like this have been added over the years, but not much, and it certainly has not been the priority.

Unfortunately at this point, I don’t think another exploration-focused update is going to happen. But here’s to voicing our hope for it.