So, I was curious as to why all the space station interiors are pretty much the same even with the update adding what Hello Games described as being “vastly different from station to station”.

The answer that seemed most prominent is that people get lost and frustrated inside space stations. So Hello Games makes it the same so people don’t get lost.

Do you find it hard to navigate space stations to the point where they have to be laid out roughly the same exact way? Or are you able to pretty much get your bearings in a game in a few minutes of exploring?

Coming from games like WoW where capital cities provide similar services with vastly different architecture and layout, I just find it hard to believe that a game full of explorers can’t navigate the tiny space station without getting frustratingly lost or turned around.

List of all updates in chronological order as well as what they added/changed at the bottom.

Here are the statistics: an average of 3.7 updates per year, and keeping at the current average rate, by the 10th anniversary in November 2026 there could be more 7/8 updates to come. February/March and June/July seem to be guaranteed months for big updates for the last 4 years.

I find it hard to believe that after 8 years of regular updating they’d just stop short of a 10th anniversary, so this probability is extremely likely in my opinion. It could also coincide with the release of Light No Fire and a passing of the torch for the team.

Also worth mentioning that there has been 5 planet generation overhauls (in bold) some greater than others, the last one being Origins in 2020. I could see another generation update being planned for v5.0 (later this year?), personally.

09/Aug/2016 Initial Release
26/Nov/2016 Foundation v1.10 (Base Building)

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08/Mar/2017 Pathfinder v1.20 (Vehicles/Exocraft + Permadeath Mode)
11/Aug/2017 Atlas Rises v1.30 (Overhauled storyline + Portals + Procedural Missions + Economies)

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24/Jul/2018 NEXT v1.50 (Multiplayer Mode + Freighters + Graphics Overhaul + Character Creation)
29/Oc/2018 Abyss v1.70 (Oceans Overhaul +Underwater Bases + New Fauna and Flora)
22/Nov/2018 Visions v1.75 (New Biomes + New Creatures + Weather Effects)

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14/Aug/2019 Beyond v2.00 (VR Support + Base Building Overhaul + Discovery page + introduction of Nexus)
28/Nov/2019 Synthesis v2.20 (Upgrade/Salvage Ships + Terrain Manipulation Overhaul)

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18/Feb/2020 Living Ship v2.30 (Living Ships and Questline + Space Encounters)
07/Apr/2020 Exo Mech v2.40 (Minotar Mech)
11/Jun/2020 Crossplay v2.50 (Crossplay Support + XBOX Release + Friends System)
16/Jun/2020 Desolation v2.60 (Desolate Freighters + Freighter Customization)
23/Sep/2020 Origins v3.00 (Universe Overhaul + Sandworms)
10/Nov/2020 Next Generation v3.10 (PS5/XBOX X Support + Save Transfers + 32 Multiplayer Sessions)
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17/Feb/2021 Companions v3.20 (Creature Taming and Breeding)
31/Mar/2021 Expeditions v3.30 (Introduction of Expeditions + Improved UI + Starships Visual Overhaul)
02/Jun/2021 Prisms v3.50 (Graphic Overhaul + Flying Companions)
01/Sep/2021 Frontiers v3.60 (Settlements + Base Building Overhaul)
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16/Feb/2022 Sentinel v3.80 (Sentinel Pillars + Combat Improvements + New Sentinel Presence, Types, And AI)
13/Apr/2022 Outlaws v3.85 (Outlaw Stations and Missions + Solar Ships + Squadrons + Capes)
20/Jul/2022 Endurance v3.94 (Freighter Overhaul + Asteroid Fields Overhaul)
07/Oct/2022 Waypoint v4.00 (Nintendo Switch Release + Custom Game Mode + QoL improvements)
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22/Mar/2023 Fractal v4.10 (PSVR2 Support & VR Overhaul + “Wonders” Section + Utopia Expedition + A Trace Of Metal Questline)
05/Apr/2023 Interceptor v4.20 (Corrupted Planets + Interceptor Ships)
07/Jun/2023 Singularity v4.30 (Singularity Expedition)
24/Aug/2023 Echoes v4.40 (Introduction of the Autophage race and Questline + Pirate Faction)
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14/Feb/2024 Omega v4.50 (Omega Expedition + Starborn Runner + Atlas Helmet/Sceptre)
27/Mar/2024 Orbital v4.60 (Space Stations Overhaul + Ship Customization)

I haven’t seen a guide for this that explains it good enough, so here we go.

1. Go to a space station and buy emergency cartographic charts.

2. Go into space and activate chart. If it reveals anything other than “Distress Beacon” don’t go to it. The charts will only find one building of each type at a time, so leaving an icon for each type will ensure you won’t find any more of those types.

3. If it reveals a distress beacon, go to it and get just close enough to see if there is an npc pilot. If there is, leave. If there isn’t, congrats you’ve found a claimable ship.

Leaving the distress beacon icon for the npc ship will guarantee the rest of the distress beacons will be claimable ships. So now that have all 4 icons you will only be able to find claimable ships with emergency cartographic data.

It seems that your current location within the system determines what the planetary chart will find(you’ll get a lot of “building of similar type already charted”), so pulse around repeatedly attempting to plot the data until it works.

Using this method you will find ship after ship, and can claim dozens within a short time. Return to the space station, salvage, rinse and repeat. Happy hunting!