I thought I’d weigh in on the latest update.
For context I’m a day one player that has well over 3,000 hours in the game, and I have spent hundreds of hours getting the best X-class modules (before the chances of good stats were massively improved). I love the game, and I think Hello Games has done a phenomenal job of supporting No Man’s Sky and the community.
That said I’m not a fan of this particular update. It has good elements but overall I think HG have abandoned a lot of the structure they put in place over the years.
I think it has been said ad nauseam at this point but the new tech limitations directly affect game play. Slower maneuverability in ships and less jet pack power makes traversal less fun than it was previously. I see a lot of dismissal of min/maxing as “you just want to be over-powered”, but for me personally I like the accomplishment. You see the fruits of your labour, I worked hard and I’m rewarded for it. Like most games the more you put in, the more you get out. If I’ve grinded powerful shields, I want to be able to take a hit. If I’ve grinded powerful pulse engine upgrades, I want my ship to glide through the air. There is now a tangible difference in that.
Now I’ve heard a lot of people say this brings balance, but If HG wanted to change the dynamics and bring in new technology, they may have been better off holding this element until they had a suitable substitution in-game. For me it’s not a sticking point, as I think HG will address this part soon.
The menu makes sense in to be seperated as tech and cargo, I have no arguement with that (beyond that the tech cap should have been adjusted to match current standards). I think we may have gone a little overboard with stacking and space, but I have no problems with it. I do think the menu looks more cluttered now, and would prefer to see tech and cargo as two seperate tabs as opposed to two scrolling screens on the same page. I hope this part is addressed very soon as it’s harder to navigate, and looks much more cluttered in my oppinion.
As for customisation, I have no issue with being able to customise your game. Hell I like the idea of a custom mode, it’s not for me, but I think it has it’s place. My personal gripe is with how it’s been implemented. Being able to change the rules of the modes on the fly, has diluted each of the modes identities. What is the point of a custom mode, when it really applies to all of them? There is no difference between Normal, creative, survival and custom, those are just pre-sets that can change on a whim. Bear in mind HG introduced these modes in foundations, and now they have been eroded and seemingly abandoned.
Now I’m not affected by how other people play their game, but before you simply selected the mode that was right for you. But I see a loss of community over this. Before if people were struggling they would turn to the community, and that brought the best out of us; struggling to find an item? “Let’s meet up in game and I’ll transfer you one”. Short on units? “We’ll send you some to get you started”. Struggling with a sentinel pillar? “We’ll join and help”. Why would people turn to communities, when it’s all solvable at a touch of a slider? I think Hello Games may have sacrificed one of the best elements of this game, the community itself, in the name of accessibility which was already there in the form of different modes. I think it will be easier for new players to just bypass struggles, than seek out this game’s wonderful community for support. Many groups and civs thrive on player interactions beyond just “look at my base”, there’s trading, pvp matches and other competative events all of which will be nigh on impossible to fairly balance (apparently after testing the settings can affect pvp not just pve). That in itself is a crying shame.
Now people will say that there is still ship hunting as a community activity, for example. But if Hello Games is really focusing on accessiblility, do you think full ship customisation is not on the horizon? The removal of ‘game’ elements, severly diminshes a lot of the groups that have become staples of the community. I’ve seen a lot of issues on both sides of the arguement, but no one wants to see a playerbase exodus from the game, Sean said it himself, development only happens if the team and the community, continue to turn up for it. A lot of people that have not liked this update, have many hours in the game and add to the active player statistics, even if you disagree those oppinions and players should not be disregarded. As I said I can see the benefits of a custom mode, I would have preferred if it didn’t encroach existing modes.
The trade rocket looks great, it’s fun to see it break atmoshere and head to the station. Unfortunately most existing players will have little need for it. Every station, most bases and freighters have a trade station built in. Couple that with the added slot capacity, you end up thinking am I ever really going to be in desperate need to sell my inventory this second? I would much rather have seen the very cool looking rocket serve a new and unique purpose, as right now it just feels a bit wasted.
Some of the new visual elements look absolutely stunning, and I do like the improvements to the Nexus (although there may be a bit of HDR issue in there again atm).
Overall I feel like this update seems to focus so heavily on inclusion that it disregards elements that long term players enjoyed. I think every single element could have been included, and with a bit more consideration to how they were implemented, recieved a much warmer reception. There are plenty of people that are enjoying the update, and that’s absolutely fine, this is just my oppinion. I don’t think any of the suggestions I’ve made, would directly affect their enjoyment, but I’m happy to have a discussion if you disagree with me.
Just remember whichever side of the fence you sit on, we all love this game, and there is nothing wrong with criticism as long as it’s constructive.
