No Man's Sky News

No Man's Sky - a look back on our biggest year yet!

Hello!

Four years ago we announced FOUNDATION, our first major update for No Man’s Sky, we promised “It won’t be our largest update, but it is the start of something”. Those words have proved very true, as No Man’s Sky continues to grow and evolve. Each year since our game has changed perhaps more than most, with PATHFINDER, ATLAS RISES, NEXT, ABYSS and VISIONS - making No Man's Sky broader and deeper.

BEYOND came out last year, bringing VR and hugely expanded Online play, and since then we have focused on releasing even more regular updates. SYNTHESIS, BYTEBEAT, LIVING SHIP, EXO MECH, CROSSPLAY, DESOLATION, ORIGINS and NEXT GENERATION have been some of our most popular, surprising and transformative updates – leading No Man’s Sky to have its biggest year to date.

We know there is a huge appetite in the community for No Man’s Sky content, and the team has worked our socks off this year to deliver in difficult circumstances. We have been quiet, but we are always listening and focusing on improving the game that our team loves and feels so passionately about.

This game continues to be a labor of love in the very truest sense of the words, for us, but also for the community.

We're excited to have players old and new join us on this exciting journey as we continue to look forward to next year.

[previewyoutube]

[/previewyoutube]

We appreciate your support.

Thanks so much,

Sean

No Man's Sky Next Generation Update

Hello!

We are excited to let Steam players know that our Next Generation update will allow PC players access to all graphical enhancements from day one.

By now many of you will have seen the announcement that the latest in a long list of 2020 No Man’s Sky updates, Next Generation, will be released in a couple of weeks’ time along with the new console hardware from Sony and Microsoft.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

While we appreciate that this update is, by definition, focussed towards our console community, we did want to highlight the benefits that the all-important PC audience will get from this update and into the future.

First of all, there are a number of benefits which will be available to those with high end PCs on November 10th.

Those with high end PCs will benefit from all-new ultra biomes. The universe will be lusher, richer and more densely populated universes than ever before. Planetary surfaces will be even more detailed, with thousands more rocks, alien grasses, and exotic flora on screen at any time (with your settings set to Ultra). Alien vistas will have improved shadows, greater draw distances, thousands more objects on screen and improved lighting and volumetric effects.

Secondly, Next Generation marks a moment in time where No Man’s Sky can start to build towards a future which is less restricted and full of possibilities. This is just another stepping stone.

The full Next Generation patch notes can be found here.

Our journey continues.

Sean

No Man's Sky spruces up its visuals in the Next Generation update

No Man's Sky's next update isn't really for us. The Next Generation update was announced today, and its headline features only come into play if you end up buying either Microsoft or Sony's new tellyboxes next month. But bringing the space romp up to scratch for the new consoles comes with some nice visual benefits for those of us exploring the galaxy on PC. Cut through the console-specific new features (which, let's be fair, largely bring those versions up to par with the PC build), and you'll find some lovely new visual upgrades for players on 'Ultra' graphics settings. The density of detail models like grass, rocks, fungi and weird space hexagons has been ramped right up, while there's been a general bumping-up of draw distances for all objects. Model and texture definition has also been "significantly increased", and grass should now push aside nicely when walking through fields. It does all look quite nice, too, with comparison shots showing worlds that suffer less from that dramatic detail fallout I've come to associate with No Man's Sky's worlds. There's a few other fixes and improvements to go along with the visual upgrade. Target locking in orbital dogfights has been tightened up, a number of icons have been updated, and a particularly nasty crash involved in loading older, larger saves has been fixed. The full list is available to scroll through in the 3.10 Patch Notes at the bottom of the update page. No Man's Sky's Next Generation update will be free to download when the new consoles launch, which probably means it'll drop alongside the Xbox Series X on November 10. Until then, there's still time to dive into some eerie space derelicts to unlock goofy monster hats in No Man's Sky's Halloween update.

No Man's Sky is getting a free graphics update on PC

The randomly generated worlds of No Man's Sky are about to get all the prettier on your PCs. Hello Games has revealed that the space game is getting a free upgrade to make it next-gen ready. That's all well and good for the console folk, but there are some nifty bonuses for PC players, too.

No Man's Sky: Next Generation comes with a graphical upgrade that'll be available to you. Hello Games also explains that the upgrade will benefit from "fuller worlds". Basically, next-gen tech has allowed Hello Games to boost No Man's Sky's procedural generation to create "lusher, richer, and more densely populated universes than ever before". That means the planets you stumble across should be more detailed with rocks, grass, and exotic flora.

No Man's Sky: Next Generation is set to come out "in a couple of weeks' time", and should coincide nicely with those new toys you've likely been hearing about. While it's primarily console focused, having more vibrant worlds to snap pictures of sounds good to me, especially at the low price of, eh, nothing.

Read the rest of the story...

Halloween Update

Hello Everyone!

Even though the drama, adventure and exotic colours of Origins are still fresh in our minds, as the nights have drawn in and the skies have darkened we can’t help but be drawn back to the lost ships and haunted wrecks of the Desolation update.

With Halloween around the corner, we wanted to give players a reason to return to the darkest corners of the galaxy. The corroded hulls of derelict freighters can now be mined for a strange new material – Tainted Metal – and rumours abound that highly valuable Quicksilver has begun to leak from their lost cargo holds…

These crumbling space hulks are more dangerous than ever. The aliens that lurk within have mutated into stronger, faster, deadlier versions; the security systems are in overdrive; and the haunting freeze of their sub-zero environment will chill you to your bones.

Those brave enough and strong enough to collect Tainted Metal from these ghastly wrecks will find the space station Scrap Dealer keen to exchange it for an assortment of ominous base decorations and creepy customisation options.

Scrap dealers now stock the sinister Orange Pustule and Detoxified Slime to infest and putrefy your bases, as well as a Wriggling Companion for those who hold the wailing interstellar abyss close to their hearts.

A selection of placeable decals and banners are available, to add a touch of macabre decoration to planets and profiles.

And, finally, dedicated wreck explorers may want to save their Tainted Metal to acquire the Horrific Flesh-Helmet. Transform your appearance via the application of a flesh-hungry parasite.

Development Update

Update 3.05 is available now. Alongside the new spooky content and derelict freighter rebalance, the update includes a number of fixes and improvements. Full patch notes can be found below and a community log of recent missions and creations can be found here.

This year has been so busy for No Man’s Sky, with the release of five major updates – including the massive Origins – so we hope this Halloween update comes as a nice surprise! We’re not quite done with this year yet, and should have a bit more news to announce very soon.

Our journey continues.

Thank you so much,
Sean

3.05 Patch Notes

Derelict freighters have been rebalanced for increased challenge.
Low temperatures are more extreme, security systems are tougher and more efficient at locating intruders, aliens are more aggressive, and all hostile lifeforms are more difficult to defeat.
Added the possibility of looting Quicksilver to derelict freighters. This will be available for the next few weeks.
The scrap dealer on Space Stations now stocks a range of base parts, decals, banners and a Horrific Flesh-Helmet.
The scrap dealer now trades in a new black market currency, Tainted Metal, which can be salvaged from derelict freighters.
The scrap dealer also now stocks Repair Kits.
Added two new player titles, which may be earned via in-game achievements and selected at the Appearance Modifier.
Improved the notification icons shown when entering freighters and derelict freighters.
Fixed an issue that caused hostile creatures to fall through the floor of derelict freighters.
Fixed an issue that caused derelict freighter doors to take too long to open.
Fixed an issue which could cause derelict freighter messages to linger after leaving the freighter without fully exploring it.
Fixed an issue which caused the Lost in Space mission to linger after leaving a derelict freighter.
Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause the guild envoy and scrap dealer rewards for completing a derelict freighter to be the wrong way around in Korvax systems.
Fixed an issue that could cause derelict freighters to despawn if the player attempted to fix or install technology on their ship while at a distance.
Fixed an issue that could cause aquatic fauna to be listed as “extinct” when discovered.
Fixed an issue that could occasionally prevent creatures from spawning where or as often they should.
Fixed an issue that could cause teleporters to display the wrong galaxy name for some early galaxies.
Fixed an issue that prevented the Exocraft mining laser from harvesting resources from terrain deposits.
Fixed an issue that could cause freighter base parts to be unpowered when constructed in specific locations within the freighter.
Fixed an issue that could cause weather effects to occur beyond the planetary atmosphere.
Fixed an issue that could cause frigate expeditions to reward deprecated products.
Introduced a memory-management optimisation and fixed a number of memory-related crashes on console.
Fixed some rare crash issues.