… And crashes a lot, and overheats the console. I knew the Switch was never gonna be the best place to get NMS, but I was very excited to finally own a copy, and I have no alternatives (no other consoles, not enough performance on my PC).

I was aware of the lack of multiplayer mode, and I accepted the idea to explore the game alone and never meet another player… But the deal breaker for me, the thing I discovered recently – and not many reviews care to mention, that’s why I didn’t know – is the lack of settlements. For me it’s a big deal, because I love science fiction and city building games, I was thrilled at the opportunity to manage a futuristic village on a planet of my choice… I also watched a lot of tutorials on how to glitch your base buildings into the settlements in preparation for when I’d find one.

But that will never happen, now I know. Now, I’m no game designer and as far my knowledge of programming goes, you could tell me “it’s magic” and I would believe it. But I see the Switch running stunning, fast paced and complex games with complex mechanics (from Bayonetta to Tears of the Kingdom and The Witcher 3) without ever crashing and very rarely glitching… why is there the need to cut a seemingly “easy” feature like settlements, of all things? I would expect more “taxing” features to be downgraded, such as the number of sentinels attacking all at once, the scenery spectacle during dogfights and the number of ships attacking you, etc., but those are all there – and that’s what usually crashes the game and/or overheats the console. I don’t get it. What else is missing from this version? Also, is there any chance we will get settlements on Switch? They said they wouldn’t give us capes, and eventually they did. Maybe there’s hope… Sorry for the long rant, I had to vent my frustration with the game, which I admittedly love nonetheless.

I’ve now completed the Beachhead Expedition twice (on PS5 and PC), and both times I encountered trolls who thought it would be funny to try and seal off something from other players. From crashed ships boxed in via a base to Traveler graves either boxed in or even erased via a carefully placed comm ball.

If you come across something like this, it’s trivial to defeat. For a base, report the base and it will vanish, allowing you access whatever was hidden. To report, either access the base computer or bring up your build menu, then bring up the secondary delete/color change menu and go to the right. You’ll find a report option there. Highlight a base part (if you can’t access the base computer) and report it. Same thing with a comm ball. If the object you’re seeking has vanished, save and reload after you’ve reported the base/comm ball and it should reappear.

If you’re one of the mouthbreathers who thinks this is funny, it’s not. It’s a jerk move that annoys experienced players and frustrates beginners. Don’t do it. Remember the words of the Wyld Stallyns…

Be excellent to each other, and party on dudes!