If life's most common question is "Why would anyone support Liverpool?" then "What do you actually do in No Man's Sky?" must be a pretty close second. A query that's got more mileage than your uncle's fudged Ford Focus, it's been adopted by both fans and haters alike. Perhaps recognising that Hello Games hasn't done an especially great job at explaining the gameplay in its intergalactic adventure, Sony recently released four trailers outlining everything that you can get up to in the title's procedurally generated universe. And we figured that we'd compile them into one feature-length clip so that there can be no more questions.
But for those of you that have watched the embedded video and still don't really understand the concepts of the ambitious PlayStation 4 exclusive game, here's the definitive answer to what you do in No Man's Sky. At last.
Explore
No one will ever see all of the planets in No Man's Sky because it would take several lifetimes for you to visit every single one. Despite this, you will be able to leave your mark on the planets that you do land on. Any flora and fauna that you're first to discover can be named, and any other players that happen upon the same species will know that you were the one to initially discover them. Your ultimate goal, of course, is to reach the centre of the universe – but that doesn't mean that you can't stop and soak up the scenery on the way.
Fight
Not everyone is going to be pleased to see you, however. Wildlife may turn hostile, forcing you to engage in combat – while you'll happen upon other computer-controlled explorers in the wide expanses of space. Targeting trade routes will enable you to steal riches away from your fellow inter-stellar compatriots, but if you dare to upset the balance of the universe too heavily, you may find yourself under the intense scrutiny of the galaxy's guardians, who will track you down and attempt to put a stop to your questionable activities.
Trade
Of course, if you've pillaged all of the raw resources from each planet that you've visited and successfully stolen from your peers, then you'll be in a good position to make some meaningful trades. You'll be able to swap resources with intergalactic merchants in order to upgrade your ship, space suit, and arsenal. This is the core loop of progression: explore, garner resources, trade, and explore more. Gradually you'll find yourself able to travel further and withstand greater threats – all of which will enable you to see more and more of the universe.
Survive
No game in 2016 is complete without survival gameplay, and No Man's Sky will subject you to some challenging conditions. A high temperature will overheat your cooling systems, while the bitter cold may have the opposite effect. Poisonous atmospheres also need to be contended with, so you'll need to make sure that you're equipped with the very best gear at all times – or that you're able to think quick. Tunnelling into an ice planet's core, for example, may blot out the hazardous cold a little and keep you warm. The time of day will also play a part in your survival.
And there's more
As mentioned, your primary objective is to travel to the centre of the universe, and who knows what you'll find there? But along the way you'll also stumble upon alien lifeforms, many of which have their own languages and stories to tell. What do you actually do in No Man's Sky, then? Quite a lot, to be honest – there are a lot of systems to wrap your head around here, but we quite like the way that they all tie into the same core idea: to see as much of the galaxy as a single lifetime will allow.
Are you ready for this varied voyage through space? Have all of your questions regarding No Man's Sky's gameplay been answered? Embark on a ten quintillion mile trip in the comments section below.
Comments 34
Less than 2 weeks. Got it pre-ordered, and very much looking forward to it!
Nice work putting it together and making it simple. This game can't come soon enough. It will live up to the hype I have for it.
Common misconception is that you travel to the center of the universe. Sean has stated several times that everyone will start in the same galaxy, and the goal will be for everyone to reach the center of that galaxy. I have been speculating that if you reach the center of the initial galaxy you will gain the technology needed to travel even further, to the billions of other galaxies. Pretty cool imo.
I cannot wait to explore the universe in this game and it sounds like I can discover new planets and lifeforms for potentially the rest of my own life
Do I get it at launch or wait for a few reviews? Hmmmm
@carlos82 You can!
@kyleforrester87 You mean you haven't already pre-ordered?? Not sure what country you are in but at my local gamestop the guy said they are expecting physical copies to be very hard to find the first few days, maybe on the second shipment it will ease up some. I say if you like everything you see in the trailers and you know you will eventually get it anyways, why not preorder? You can always cancel a preorder within 3 days after launch, plenty of time to read reviews, and reserve yourself a copy just in case you decide you have to have it.
@kyleforrester87
Coin Toss! Coin Toss! Coin Toss!
I haven't been this excited for a game in a while, in a world of sequels and franchises, this actually feels like a game release, rather than a quaterly profit driven entertainment installment.
I can't wait!
Hopefully ShopTo will deliver my copy the day before release like they mostly do. I really can't wait. I'm going to shut the world out while I'm of exploring millions of others.
@RPE83 @Majic12 Naw, the game does look like it could be really good but procedurally generated games have never really done it for me before (or at least, the procedurally generated parts of them haven't been what's ultimately retained my interest in them, if that makes sense?!).. That said, 70's scifi, realistic take off and landing from planets, a 65DOS soundtrack...what's not to like there? It depends how well the fixed systems (trade/fight/yada yada) fit into the procedurally generated world.
We'll see!!
Beyond ready. Got the Collector's Edtion ordered, hoping it shows up on the release date.
@kyleforrester87
I have a feeling even though it might be considered "pants", it will be "my kind of pants" at the very worst. A 6/10 for this will be more enjoyable than a 10/10 new CoD or Fifa 17 (NEW SOCKS! ROUNDER BALL! MORE CARDS TO BUY!)
@RPE83 Yeah I wont be surprised if it ends up not being a game for everybody.
The problem is, because it's so big, people won't accept it as a great game if they just get 10-15 hours of enjoyment out of it. Destiny, for example, gets rubbished by people who've spent over 100 hours on it, on the basis that it was sold to them as something else. Since NMS has been sold as (essentially) a limitless game, people will crap on it if it doesn't meet their insane expectations and they get bored with it after a couple of weeks. Meanwhile a game like Uncharted 4 that gets played through once and then sits gathering dust is lauded. Good luck to it, its audience is a fickle one.
@kyleforrester87
Ha! I also like Destiny mostly becuase of the small team Co-Op, and the fact there is always something to do, even if it is grinding/helping others in the dreadnaught etc, even though the story is well, um, spartan on Bungie's part (pun intended). I don't really play PvP, I like doing hard strikes with my friends, court of oryx, even though they may be deemed repetitive.
I do see why people don't like it though, though equally I do find it odd when people moan about the cost of something like The Taken King which, for me was an excellent upgrade.
The problem with a high hype, low patience/attention span society I guess (hype/satisfaction).
@RPE83 Yup...video games, eh?
Waiting anxiously for reviews!
Every now and then a game comes along and I just take a leap of faith on. This is one of those games.
If you come across a planet where everything is named using the names from Bart Simpson's prank phone calls. That was me!
I personally don't care what anyone else thinks about NMS. I have seen enough trailers and read enough from Sean thst I KNOW it will be fun for me. Plus that ps4 limited edition was just to sweet to pass up!!!
I'm waiting for reviews on this one. It just doesnt look very fun for me once I get past going from one planet to another without loading.
People keep asking "what do you actually do?"
Not because it hasn't been explained but because it's so boring that people assume there just has to be something more to it.
::Raises flame shield::
I was born a Liverpool fan , unlike many fans of I dunno say Man United who just chose to support them because they where going through a successful period whilst they where a child in the late 90s to mid 00s instead of supporting their local sides . Man United fans of that period are so so self entitled and are now only just finding out what footballs all about since SAF left and whining about Moyes then Van Gaal and soon Mourinhio (the older Mancs I speak to are fine though)
Why don't we all just support the team that's currently dominating and play to empty football stadiums . Hope that clears up why I support Liverpool and don't just switch allegiances to the current best team.
Enjoyed article about No Man's Sky though as I had no idea also about what to do ! Got U4 new through post today for £26 and I'll be waiting for a similar price for this and let everyone else review it for me..
@MinerWilly Same here, life long Liverpool fan. Couldnt agree with you more on every point there! Heres hoping for a good season!
I was wondering how long it'd take for a scouser to bite the bait ;'D 20 tiiiiiiimes haha but yeah playing this in the dark with a decent sound system and big tv will be perfect, can't wait!
This sounds fun.
I remember exploring Planet Mirai in Xenoblade X, just a huge immense world so strange and beautiful and alien...
I've been dying for another experience like that. This game doesn't have flying mechs but, it has the crazy alien worlds and that draws me like a magnet.
I could spend hundreds of hours just exploring. Just hope the combat is good.
If the entire game is randomly/procedurally generated then will each playthrough be different? And if it's randomly generated then how will each player see the same planets and animals?
Cannot wait for this game. Haven't been this hyped since Red Dead Redemption. I know it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I love sci-fi, space exploration (both in game and real life), and the art direction looks amazing. I'm guessing the combat won't be as intense as the common Fps, but this is more of an survival/exploration game. I can see this game being the type that once you complete the story/reach the centre of the universe, you'll continue playing for years, switching on randomly, discovering new planets for fun.
I can't wait.....1 week and 5 days to go (in the UK), I got paid today so I will be pre-ordering through the Playstation network so I can pre-load before launch...I am still undecided whether to stay up till midnight on 9th (going into the 10th) and play for a couple of hours from launch but then I would not be able to sleep without dreaming the game or to go to bed early and get up about 5.30am and play a couple of hours from there????
@stupidget , it's not completely random. They likely use a pseudo-random number generator. A complex formula. So you can see the same planets you've already visited.
@GraveLordXD It can indeed.
@chris730920 I've already planned to get to bed early so I can get up and play from midnight. Once I start the game there's no way I'll be pausing or quiting the game for a few days.
@Draythedestroyer My new main mission in this game will be to find the planet, Seymour Butz.
Check out the reddit on NMS. A guy got a copy early and sold it for 1250, someone actually paid that for a copy less than two weeks early. They streamed 7 minites on twitch before being banned. Everyone who say it says that gamers are going to be very happy with the final product. Said people should expect putting in some work before they can fly into space....
@GraveLordXD Yes, it can be played completely offline, it's just that your discoveries won't load up for everyone else to see and you won't see anyone else's discoveries.
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