Firstly I just want to make it clear I am *not* accusing Hello Games of any devious intent here, I consider them absolutely one of the good guys of the gaming industry with the level of support they have given the game over the years!

However…. there is something about this game that I just cannot put my finger on. I will mindlessly grind for hours on end achieving absolutely nothing, feel angry with myself about it (to the extent I have deleted the game multiple times) then go back for more the very next day.

It’s like I have the desire to find the perfect ship, but then there is nothing to do with it other than the few random encounters that are the same wherever you might encounter them. Or I will look for the perfect Capital ship and accumulate a fleet of 30 living frigates only to then send them on missions to retrieve a trivial amount of resources that I didn’t need in the first place. Or I will system jump for hours at a time looking for a perfect planet, convincing myself that it’s not a waste of time because I can also check the Space Station for multitools while I am at it (see, killing 2 birds with 1 stone, totally not a waste of time!).

Seriously I don’t want to sound like I am hating on the game, I think they have done a fantastic job – but something about it has triggered an extremely bitter-sweet response in me. Maybe I have some type of undiagnosed condition like OCD or something that this game taps into…

Anyone else feel the same way?

Hi,

Not a dig at the game, 100 hours for the price I paid for this game a few months after release is absolutely a bargain in terms of price per hour entertainment. I believe I paid £6 after the initial scathing reviews tanked nms sales, but I believed in the developers statement that they would bring the game closer to their vision, and they have exceeded that.

Now I have started and stopped playing nms over the years, a few weeks ago I finally gave it the focus it deserves, and by coincidence this was just after autophage expansion dropped.

So I’ve done most assigned quests (except call of the deep), I have a decent sentinel ship, an s class exotic, a living ship, and a couple of others.

I’ve built a functional base, I have a full squadron, a full frigate compliment, a decent super capital ship, a fully built settlement and around a billion space bucks that I can’t spend.

My modules allow me to survive anywhere and kill anything the game throws at me with little challenge, I’ve seen all planet types and have a few interesting pets.

Everything that has seemed interesting to me to do has been done, all that is left is to grind for slightly better things that don’t actually matter. And that isn’t fun.

I doubt it’s an especially hot take, but nms is a huge game with unlimited scope with very little to do. There is no end game, there is no reason to get 10% better to defeat a mission or quest. There is no actual depth to anything. Literally all of the available activities could be expanded upon to give a better sense of achievement and depth.

Why can’t my settlement grow into a city?

Why can’t ships be fully modular allowing my own designs? (within reason).

Why can’t I go on missions with my frigates?

Why can’t I engage other freighters / systems with my fleet?

Literally every activity is endless in scope but limited in its execution, there is no need for money, better mods, better shops or weapons. You don’t need a base for any reason, and exploration gains nothing.

But it does take 100 hours to get to this point and that is value for money, but anything further is grinding for the sake of grinding, which I acknowledge some people do still enjoy, but for people like me who have had their fill of grindy games, it’s not good enough.

So, nms, thank you for your time, and you have improved so much, I hope one day you become the game you should be, because you have the foundation already, you just need a little extra push, and I can’t wait for it.