I’ve found great planets to build bases on, but for some reason I can’t find the inspiration to build a cool base. Or any type of base, really. How do y’all do it? Do you have different types like a “cozy house base”, farm base, resource extracting base, etc?

I’ve played NMS a few times since it was released. The first couple of times I bounced off of it (both were fairly early in its history.) The last time I was really, really enjoying it – except grinding for fuel.

*Note: You’ll have to forgive me not remembering all of the specifics or getting a few details wrong. It’s been a couple of years.

Every time I got on I’d end up spending 2/3 of my available time just farming frigate fuel. It ended up killing the game for me – I wanted to explore, to build, to send out missions, but all I ever got to do was either stand there and mine or run from trade terminal to trade terminal. It took most of my free time and sucked all of the fun out of it.

I’ve seen a few cheesy tricks to bypass it, but I really don’t want to resort to silly, anti-immersive cheese (like constantly building and tearing down mini-bases.)

I’d really like to come give this thing another shot, and maybe even get to the center this time – but I want to see if there’s a way I can avoid running into the same problem again.

I spent about 2 hours yesterday looking for “the perfect planet” to build my first real base on. I found it, and it is GORGEOUS. Beautiful glowing floral, rolling hills, those bubble things that are so pretty, etc. I’m extremely happy with it. I then found the settlement using a map, and decided that for roleplaying purposes, I wanted to build my house/base on the hill overlooking the settlement and be its overseer.

I couldn’t apply for overseer because I needed ONE more convergence cube, not a huge deal. I casually browsed google to figure out how to get one.

I pulled the game back up, and IT HAPPENED. In the text feed, I saw that another player whose name I won’t post landed on “my” planet. I start to get frantic. I go to the settlement and the player is looking at the hub, presumably trying to apply as overseer. 18 quintillion planets. 18 QUINTILLION. And someone manages to find the one that I spent half the day preparing. I wave at the player and type in the chat, no response.

I frantically Google how to get another convergence cube. I spend about an hour pulling my hair out with no success, FREAKING OUT because I assume all my hard work will be swept away by some other player that’s probably way more experienced than me. Not a high bar, as I’m pretty new. The entire time I’m frantically searching, the other player’s starship AND frigate loom ominously over my hard-found settlement on “the perfect planet” that i worked so hard to find. I realize I read something wrong in my neurotic, frantic spazzyess and easily get one. I go back to the settlement, apply, and everything is fine.

My heart rate dropped back to non-heart-attach inducing levels. I begun building my beautiful home and managing the settlement. All is right in the world. 18 QUINTILLION planets, and the first time I see another player aside from in the anomaly, they found the ONE planet I care about.

Horrible experience. Tons of anxiety. Racing heart. Questioned life at its core. 11/10, would recommend.