Some Thoughts on 3000 hours of No Mans Sky
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I’m still here. And I’m still having fun. I bought the game the day Atlas Rises was released, and it has been a consistent delight to me, a refuge, a place to experience wonder, as well as frustration, confusion and even rage. It has kept me busy during an excess of boring times, even as it has at times interfered with the responsibilities of normal life, whatever that is these days. It has also given me access to a fabulous, caring and sharing community that has been immensely helpful, hugely entertaining, and unexpectedly appreciative of my own contributions. Our little corner of Reddit is special. I’ve learned a lot, too. And that’s a big deal for me. I’m 78, and I’ve been gaming since “Adventure” was loaded into an obscure corner of the old Wang word processor (1980). Something new and wonderful is a very rare occurrence. In the first 450 or so hours of the game, I did all the quests, spent many hours grinding and leveling up, and got to the point where the inevitable “What’s next?” question pops up. I think this is a common point at which many players leave the game. I might have too, but at that point, I discovered three things: First, once you get rich enough, you can slow it way down and start noticing the little things and following them down various rabbit holes. I got into exploring and building, learned to cook, gave my claustrophobia a workout looking for that last little underground beastie, took hundreds of screenshots, and looked forward to updates and community missions. Second, I got a face. I can’t recommend this enough. Once I gave up the helmet and picked a race, I found myself building a character, developing a backstory, and searching for meaning. It gave a lot more … underlying texture? … to the whole experience. My name is Eoleveras Wascu, Hand of the Vy’keen, and I will mess you up. And third, about 450 hours or so in, I discovered modding. I’ve taken some grief over the years for using mods, I’ve heard all the arguments both for and against it, and I’ll offer this in my defense: I’m still here. And if in some way my use of mods annoys you, I’m truly sorry. Really. But I’m going to keep on doing it. You reach a point eventually where you realize that the game still has many mysteries to explore, but the constant grinding detracts from the fun, and the vanilla limitations constrain the possibilities. I had discovered what I really liked about the game – at that point, mainly exploring and building – and mods let me focus more on those activities while discovering new ones, like learning to use Blender. I’m not going to spend any more time defending mods – I don’t usually play multi-player, I never grief anyone when I do, and I play my own game in a remote galaxy far, far away. I will say, though, that I’m glad I did those vanilla hours. I got the mechanics, narrative and experience that I agree is vital to the NMS experience. It would be a huge misstep to rely on mods before really going through the early game. But most of all, 3K hours in, it’s rare that an NMS session doesn’t contain something new, something surprising, the possibility of a new accomplishment, or a “WOW!” moment or two. And there are still quests ahead, not the least of which is Perma-Death – I’m saving that one for last, in pure vanilla. All credit to Hello Games for the ingenuity and ambition of the original game concept, the massive content and gameplay updates, and their engagement with and commitment to the community. A big “Thank You” to r/NoMansSkyTheGame for giving me a welcoming place to share my game experiences over the last 4 years. And another big “Thank You” to the mad geniuses of the modding community, who have allowed me to enjoy an extended and worthwhile vacation among the stars. I’m still here – and I’m hugely grateful. submitted by /u/Cheater42 |
