I have been through the game in nearly all of its permutations for a regular 4 years since launch. Participated in Waking Titan, in theorycrafting, all of it. Still use my day 1 save nearly all the time. I welcomed every new feature with open arms. The expeditions – chef’s kiss. Various features like derelict freighters and changes to base building – great. This patch, from a lore perspective – amazing! The customization and combat features – excellent! Hell, I even got a kick out of some stuff I missed, like the settlements.

But over time, every instance of my return to the game has been less lengthy until I began outright skipping more and more patches (been almost 2 years until I returned to this one) as the one thing I wanted to see in patch notes was nowhere to be seen.

Planet generation and exploration, at present, feel formulaic and sterile.

I don’t even have to visit a cold planet to know what it looks like. it’s the exact same every time with a difference in tree density. I barely have to visit a lush planet as they are mostly recycled between themselves and every single one has superheated storms. With very little difference, I am seeing the exact same generation and planets I have been seeing since around NEXT came out. The very same building blocks. They do not feel like planets, they feel like biomes. Animals are great to ride and befriend, but wild animals behave and look the exact same as in launch – chaotic.

I want to sink my teeth deep into developing my character, my journey, my fleet, my base and my empire. Hell, even finally commit to a galaxy center permadeath run. But what is the point if the exploration feels dead and if I feel like I’ve traversed every single planet a dozen times before? What was supposed to be the main attraction of the game and the expectation of millions of permutations has been, as of now, completely abandoned for the sake of easier introduction of new features in predictable worlds.

So I ask – can Hello Games crown all the great features they introduced over the years with an actual planet and animal generation overhaul? Can they truly give us long term explorers some new wonders to gaze in this endless universe? Can they, at last, provide the universe the depth that matches its width, even at the cost of a universe reset?

I believe they can and I hope they will.

Hello Travellers and Possibly Hello Games! I have a few suggestions I’d like opinions on!

⚠️WARNING: May contain spoilers!⚠️

I have a few suggestions I’d like to share, as well as some setting changes I’d like to see! I’m looking for opinions and not hate. If there’s something you don’t like. Tell me maturely please!

Customizable Ships/Walk-Through Ships:

• Imagine a ship between the size of a ship and a frigate that you can fully customize and walk through.

• Up to 4 players can attach/dock together with their “Shipgates,” allowing you to access each other’s ship seamlessly and walk around and build inside.

• Each player can dock their own starship on their own “Shipgate” for easy access.

• The ability to play mini arcade games with friends on the ship, such as games similar to Space Invaders, Space Racer, Xaind Saleena, Metroid Prime, Space Marshal’s, chess, or card games.

• When pirates attack, players can pilot turret guns outside the ship for fun.

Co-Op:

• The ability to build bases with friends where both players can register and build, even if one player is offline.

• Each player has full ownership and control over the base.

• Ability to add bases to a favorites list at the teleporter list.

• A universal storage bin for group players to quickly share and use crafting materials if all players have ownership of the base.

• Creating custom player factions that players can add friends to, with faction leaders controlling permissions for building and ranking, as well as custom-made faction badges.

• 2-4 seater Exocraft where friends can hop in and be transported on planets.

• Better icons and the ability to change the colors and size of co-op players for easier identification and location.

BUILDING:

• Stairs/ramps for wood, alloy, and stone that can connect to the bottom part of extensions.

• Implementation of a shrink/giant ray or edit option.

• Water gun or above-ground water building attachments for creating giant pools or water-filled holes using the terrain manipulator.

OCEAN Factions/Boats/Ocean Ideas:

-Sea Pirate Reputation.

• Addition of BOAT’S and Warship! (Warship=Ocean Freighter) buyable boats or crashed boats we can find on water planets that can either go above and slow water.

-Boat Modules that allow us to keep our boats under water longer, weapons modules, War Ship Modules.

• Above water platforms that allow us to build from atop the water as if we were on land, adding new walls, doors, ports, docks, and decorations that relate to an ocean aesthetic.

• With boats, I’d like and Exocraft Boat that all 4 players can ride together.

• Fishing and the ability to catalog and save fish in homemade aquariums and for recipes.

• Hoverboards/Sails for gliding over water.

• “Moon Shoes” that can walk on the ocean floor and the surface of the water.

-Submarine “Frigates”

-Submarine “Squadrons”

ENEMY NPCs:

• NPC enemy from each faction that are hologram, possibly holograms created by sentinels using data collected from each race in NMS.

• NPC ocean pirates/sentinels/holograms that can attack you on the sea in boats.

-Underwater Sentinal/Pirate/Hologram NPCs that you have to fight off or summon your Submarine Squadron.

• Ocean sentinel capital ships if your wanted level is up that come to attack you with a locator at the end.

• Pirate ocean capital ships that we need to destroy to protect other factions also.

• Introduction of flying monstrosities and small leech monstrosities that players need to shoulder bump off.

-Bio Engineered Enemies Like Monstrosities/Sentinels. Similar to the corrupted but now they have been corrupted by Bio animals.

SETTLEMENTS:

UTILIZE Settlements more!

• Missions from settlements that lead you to find a crashed “Shipgate” or “Shipgate” parts, “Submarine Parts” etc.., as well as missions to find mini games, new songs, glass colors, decals for settlement/bases, and different types of bait, cooking ingredients and hunting mats to make recipes.

BASES:

• Base trackers to see how many people have visited your base.

• Mailboxes to leave messages to other players when visiting their base like own pals.

• Real orbital base building components.

• Base NPCs that walk around, interact with things, and talk with one another.

• Ocean freighters that we can build inside. Similar to the Freighters we have now, except a giant War Ship

QUALITY OF LIFE SETTINGS:

• Ability to change group color with various options.

• Cursor setting for consoles, allowing movement via touchpad sensor.

• East and west points on the top compass.

• Toggle wheel option instead of D-Pad for easier access to specific options.

-D-Pad used for hotkeys instead

• Increased FOV.

• More than 3 custom character saves.

MISC:

• New bio Alien ships with Alien features

• Giant space bosses that we have to destroy that leads to Bio Alien Starships, Like the Sentinel ships!

• More interaction options with pets.

• Additional recipes to make food more viable, efficient, and fun.

• Player-driven recipes and the ability to create new recipes.

• Hunger or thirst meters &/OR..

-.. Parasitic Alien Virus’/ Illness caused by Fauna, Flora, Types of Exposure…this will give cooking and recipes a whole entire meaning. Of course people can opt out of this option in the settings. I think this would bring much more to the table of survival. It can even be a “No Man’s Sky Survival Expedition” or New Game Mode!!

• Wings on the Aeron Turbo Jet to go down when not using Jetpack.

• Current mission display when using the wheel.

• Underwater mounts.

• Gene splicing to create custom companions.

• An updated egg sequencer with better descriptions.

• Walking boosters for the Minatour exocraft.

• More variety of fauna, flora, and minerals.

• Increased presence of predators on land and in water.

• Cool underwater storms that create whirlpools or lightning patches.

If we can add missions to get ship skins, customizable docking frigates, crashed boats, and the ability to customize ships with attachments and colors, it might solve people wanting customization and satisfy those who still want to ship hunt.

Bonus:

I’d also love to see a whole new underwater race, with new clothes and character customization, as well as a new “Fishing Rod Multitool” or “Trident Multitool” with different looks that can do extra damage to ocean pirates and NPCs. (I say bonus because I know we just got the new Autophage race with the Echos update, just a future idea!!)

*Also if anyone says “It’s a Space game not an “Ocean Game” I understand that. However No Man’s Sky has almost become more then that. We already have water building for under and above water. I don’t see why we couldn’t get something more implemented more when it comes to Water/Ocean “life”.

**Edit: I’d also like to add I know this isn’t an Official NMS page. If I do have a suggestion to send it to Zendesk or Hello Games UK email. Which I have.