Me:
Do you know the game, no man’s sky?

ChatGPT:
Yes, “No Man’s Sky” is a well-known video game developed by the British studio Hello Games. It was first released in 2016 and is available on various platforms such as PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The game is famous for its massive, procedurally generated universe, which includes over 18 quintillion planets, each with its own unique environment, flora, and fauna.

The core gameplay involves exploration, survival, combat, and trading as players journey through the universe. Players can upgrade their ships, suits, and weapons as they discover different planets and interact with various alien species. The game was initially met with mixed reviews due to the lack of promised features, but it has since seen numerous updates and expansions that have significantly improved the experience and added new content, such as base building, multiplayer, and improved story elements.

As of my last update in April 2023, “No Man’s Sky” continues to be a game that evolves, with Hello Games regularly releasing updates to enhance the game and keep the community engaged.

Me:
how many stars in that game?

ChatGPT:
In “No Man’s Sky,” the number of stars corresponds with the number of planetary systems players can explore. The game is built around a procedural generation system that allows for over 18 quintillion planets, which means there are nearly as many stars since each star typically hosts at least one planet.

This near-infinite number of stars and planets is one of the most prominent features of the game, as it provides a practically unlimited space for exploration. The number is so large that players collectively have only discovered a small fraction of what the game has to offer, and it would take many lifetimes to visit every star system in the game personally.

The 18 quintillion figure comes from the 64-bit seeding algorithm used to procedurally generate the game’s universe. It’s a number that is often cited to give an idea of the scale of the game’s universe, even though it’s not expected that every single star or planet will be visited by players.

Me:
How long would it take one person (given they are immortal) to visit every star system in the game?

ChatGPT:
To estimate how long it would take one person to visit every star system in “No Man’s Sky,” we would need to make several assumptions. Let’s say for simplicity:

• Each visit to a star system is very brief, just a flyby, taking about 1 minute on average (this is an extremely conservative estimate considering that even the fastest possible visit would likely take much longer due to loading times and the need to travel between stars).
• The player is engaged in this task 24 hours a day, without taking any breaks.

Given these assumptions:

1 minute per star system × 18 quintillion star systems (18 × 10^18 star systems)

= 18 × 10^18 minutes

Now, let’s convert the total minutes to years, knowing there are 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, and 365 days in a year (ignoring leap years for simplicity):

18 × 10^18 minutes ÷ 60 minutes/hour ÷ 24 hours/day ÷ 365 days/year

= 18 × 10^18 ÷ (60 × 24 × 365)

≈ 18 × 10^18 ÷ 525,600

≈ 34.2 × 10^12 years

So, it would take approximately 34.2 trillion years for one immortal person to visit every star system in the game, assuming one minute per visit with no breaks. This time frame is several orders of magnitude longer than the current age of the universe, which is about 13.8 billion years.

Me:
What if the entirety of humanity were to participate and map each system, how long would it take to map every star system?

ChatGPT:
To estimate the time it would take for the entire human population to map every star system in “No Man’s Sky,” we’ll need to continue with the assumption that it takes about 1 minute to map each system. The current global population is approximately 8 billion people. For simplicity, we’ll use this number for our calculation.

Let’s continue from the previous calculation, where we determined that it would take approximately 34.2 trillion years for one person to visit each of the 18 quintillion star systems, provided they spent one minute per visit.

Now, we’ll divide that number by the current human population:

34.2 trillion years / 8 billion people = 4.275 million years per person

This is a rough estimate and assumes that every single person on the planet could and would dedicate their time to mapping star systems in “No Man’s Sky” non-stop, without accounting for the vast differences in access to technology, interest in participation, or any other logistical concerns.

In reality, the time it would take could be considerably longer due to many factors, including game mechanics that may limit how quickly star systems can be mapped, the fact that not everyone has the game or the necessary equipment to play it, and the reality that people would need to spend the vast majority of their time doing things other than playing the game.

It’s also worth noting that the actual gameplay mechanics of “No Man’s Sky” would not allow for such an organized and simultaneous mapping effort. There are in-game limitations to consider, such as travel time between stars, loading times, and the actual activities required to consider a system “mapped.” The process of discovery, documentation, and travel within the game is much more complex and time-consuming than a simple one-minute flyby would suggest.

I guess you could say I’m an OG NMS player. I had preordered the game, as it was one of my most hyped games back in the day. Like most people who played on release, I was a bit confused and underwhelmed upon first booting up the game; it was nothing like the pre-release footage (I know, old news at this point). Even still, I clocked in around 50 hours, as I was able to find some enjoyment in its simplicity, and could see potential in it (and perhaps I hoped to discover more depth hidden somewhere).

After those initial 50 hours, I uninstalled and didn’t touch it again until the Pathfinder update. I messed around a little, liking the improvements, but ultimately moved on again after about 10 hours. It wasn’t until the Next update that I tried again, and this is where I really started to see some of that initial potential shining through.

All of this is to say, I am just now coming back to the game all these years later. It is absolutely astonishing how much this game has evolved. I started a new save, wanting to experience the game how we all wish it had launched, and I’m loving it. HG have added SO MUCH to this game, it’s honestly a bit overwhelming. Playing NMS today vs the launch version is one hell of a trip, let me tell you. The ability to make bases ANYWHERE you want, and the massive amount of base customization now compared to Foundation…the new planet types…the fact there are now actual deep oceans, and you can even build underwater…the improved cave systems…the look & feel of space, and the improved combat depth…the vehicles and mechs…the improved land combat and sentinels…the new fauna types…the expanded crafting…there is just SO. MUCH.

I honestly don’t even know the point of this post, other than to say this game always has had a special place in my heart, and playing it in its current form is one hell of a ride. This is one of those games I’ll probably never uninstall again. I can’t even put a finger on why I love this game so much…there’s just something…special about it. It gives me a inexplicable feeling when I play it. It’s like a warm mug of coffee on a Winter’s morning.

Thanks, Hello Games. You did right by us players. I can’t wait to see where you take NMS next.

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded post, and thanks for reading!