I submitted this request to Hello Games for settlement improvements (I include it merely for anyone who wishes to read it). What ideas do you all have to make settlements more relevant and fun?

I really love the idea of settlements. Even though this is technically an MMO it can get quite lonely in space. I like the idea of being in charge of something and helping it grow. Unfortunately, it feels too disconnected. Trying to interact with the citizens only gives you the option to leave. When there is a matter to be discussed, it is never in person. Any visitor, dispute, or proposal is done through the comms system. It would be great to have citizens show up at the office with their complaints, to go to the town hall and see everyone voting on proposals. To attend farewell and welcome events for missions. It would be great to be able to use things like the dance hall. That was another thing, inconsistency. It had me build a dance hall but dancing was still banned. It would be nice instead of waiting for options f we could inact them. I would love to make the active choice as overseer to unban dancing and not just wait for that option. I’d also love to be able to live at the settlement. I would love to have a place of residence that I can modify and expand (like a freighter). Having to cheat by building a base on the outskirts and moving inwards isn’t as fun. Making settlements a lot more dynamic would be a ton of fun. Being able to allow friends to buy homes there would also be cool.

Hello Games is definetely listening to us when we say we want to be able to customize our own ships and I believe the Voltaic Staff was not only a new thing they wanted to add but also a way for them to test a system for us to actually customize something part-by-part and then by color.

I thought the system worked well except for having to create a whole new staff if you found a new part. There’s also the state of contention on whether or not it’s better to unlock parts permenantly like in the player customization system or if the parts should be as they are, cosumable. I know why they chose to make them consumable, HG doesn’t want to do anything to harm or discourage players from exploring No Man’s Sky. Their procedural, 18-quintillion planets is their top selling point and it needs to be explored and all things involved or added should not only encourage exploration but compliment it.

That being said, I think if ship customization is added, the parts should be found through missions and exploration, like the current voltaic staff customization, but due to the vast, growing types of ship and their parts and colors, they should be permenantly unlocked upon discovery.

There is also something I’ve been feeling that I may be alone in but the newer ship-types(sentinel, solar, living, and the new expedition ship) all have unique upgrades and animations that are beginning to overshadow the use and cool-factor of the original types. If ship customization is implemented should it only be for the original types or for all types and if for athe newer ones as well would that then make them less special or even lesser than the latter by way of not being able to customize them?

Food for thought. Penny for yours. I’d love to see what the community thinks about this.