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.