@Clemm I am backup mad but haven’t been as organized as you. Will start your Planet named folder idea now. Thanks.
5 Likes
My challenge is in taking the time to do it after every session. I often play for 3 hours and don’t feel up to file management after that. Then the urge to play again strikes. Before you know it I have over 1,000 screenshots to wade through.
To add to the record-keeping time, I now have so many screenshots that I can’t remember where a specific one was taken. So now I’m also adding photo “Tags” to each image to at least let me narrow down my image searches. LOL.
Then, of course, there is the Excel No Man’s Sky Log workbook I have. I record system name, star class and color, predominant faction, system portal code (not glyphs) planet data (names, description, weather, fuana found vs. total, flora prevalence, and key resources). I highlight planet name cells for ones with extreme weather and boldface the exotic biome planet names along with a different cell background shading.
I know – it seems excessive. But it really helps me find where I’ve been, where I can return to for a resource or discovery, which ones I still have to find more fauna, etc. It also helps me remember where I might get more great photos. (Xenophotography is my thing.)
6 Likes
Oh Ha! … great to know you aren’t perfect ! @Clemm
3 Likes
Happy 2nd Cake Day!
4 Likes
Impresssive! I am afraid my pics are a mess. I do have them organized by updates. I will start a new folder for BEYOND.
2 Likes
On PC. organize my screenshots into gameplay date folders /YYYYMMDD/ . Also sync’d to one-drive
3 Likes
Sounds like you should be the caretaker of the Galactic Atlas…, or maybe the Galactic Almanac.
3 Likes
I’ve been overwhelmed at times trying to keep track of things I find and want to record. There really ought to be something more practical to cross check things in game. It would be good if each time we screenshot something the image is titled with date and coordinate or portal code.
It would be helpful to see more extensive data display in the discoveries menu including portal codes. Also the info on the Analysis scanner, Galactic Map and Discoveries menu don’t share displayed information. The Discoveries Menu ought to be the goto menu to see everything about anything. Or at least, just one tool should do that. Maybe with Beyond we will get a Virtual Reality wrist computer or DON’T PANIC guide book we can tap into … 
My solution is Shotwell:
A Photo Library software used for REAL photos on Earth, (remember those) I don’t use Photoshop but a popular free open source Linux program called Shotwell. Simple and unfussy for tagging and rating photos etc. It’s 'non-destructive, so adds tag, comments or exif or xmp data etc. to files without losing photo quality. There is probably a simple Windows equivalent.
PC screenshot files from Steam are auto dated in this way 20190728121015, (Y/M/D/H/M/S) and I do not alter that original file name. The software can add a specific title, tag, rating, comments or anything else for clarity, associated with that original untouched file. I can label large groups of photos in a single click and find things just as fast by word. It isn’t a perfect system, but what it does, it does well and works for me keeping track of photos across external drives. Back ups and exporting photos is a breeze. You can even crop or re-touch a photo if needed,
You can tag things anyway you wish, planet, stormy, rainy etc but I have recently started to add the tags OR, PF, AR, NX, VN, BH(x) and BY respectively: Original Release, Path Finder, Atlas Rises, Next, Visions, Black Hole (numbers link planets) and Beyond, which has helped me filter the same planet through different updates, to see how things have changed. There are useful tutorials online how best to organise a library. The flexibility of Shotwell is really useful when renaming tags or modifying several photos at once without being a Godzilla of photo software.
I too still refer to a written note book, kept since release (which is really messy but just to remind me of useful planet portals and anything else interesting). A written note book makes visual recall much more familiar and friendly. But what I now also (try to) do is make a complimentary 4 screenshot note, snapping the signal booster co-ordinate, planet name, analysis scanner info and or the discoveries list info.
A 5th, glyph sequence screenshot of the planet portal, is an alternative but sometimes weary to look for at the end of a session. With those four screenshots I simply tag them all simultaneously in Shotwell (one click) using an appropriate term, to find later if needed. So book and photo collection work together. The original date name of the files also help finding any other images taken at the same time. Key though is the Signal Booster as I can always return to that planet in the photo converting it to a glyph sequence.
7 Likes
I feel your pain. The Steam screenshots do use date time (yyyymmddhhhh) format, but that’s not enough. I take the below screenshots when I enter a new system to make sure I know where I was at the time:
- System arrival screen
- Galactic map system view zoomed in as far as it will go
- Scan from space for each planet or moon
- “Landing” shot when you exit your starship for the first time on a planet
- View from Analysis visor
- Exosuit HUD view showing planet name, hazard, etc.
- Signal Booster coordinates
- Portal glyphs for a planet’s portal
- Analysis visor view of any key location (to record Lat/Long)
- View of space station Terminus listing (just the top ones showing)
My wife says I’m a “Documenter”
7 Likes
So I feel really inspired by all the organization you all have…I may have to turn over a new leaf when BEYOND hits…so yeah, I will likely s t a r t over… … … . . . .
6 Likes
Likely, I will start over if I want to play right after the update. I don’t mind…its the best way to learn the new features.
The larger updates always had game-killing bugs for the older save files that I would need to wait out. I had my save files backed up, while playing on an an unused file or an alternate account.
6 Likes
You guys are troopers, I don’t think I can face a restart myself. I just want all the new toys to play with 
I lost a 1000hr save in the Atlas Rises era and learned the hard way, usb backups are definitely your friend . When Next hit I had to reboot my save about a half dozen times due to game breaking bugs too…I don’t expect Beyond to be any different. Fun times ahead.
6 Likes
not sure where to ask this… Will I have to buy an expensive headset to play beyond or will I be able to play it as 2D?
6 Likes
It’s not required. You can still play as normal
6 Likes
@dersvr thank you for that. looking forward to this Beyond.
6 Likes
I feel your pain. Hello Games ensured that all could play this without VR equipment. Good thing. With the equipment cost, very expensive lens inserts I’d have to buy, potential motion sickness, and the fact that it’d be the only game I’d play VR, for me VR is a “no-go.” (I have an artificial lens in one eye, a growing cataract in the other, and severe myopia. Lucky me I blame myopia on my myopic Mom.)
Of course, I’m not a true “gamer.” I just got drawn into No Man’s Sky by the premise of procedural generation of the vast universe of galaxies and Sean’s general descriptions. I pre-ordered primarily to reward Hello Games for developing their “Skyscraper” of an idea. I’ve loved it ever since, and I’m not easy to please .
8 Likes
@Clemm Sounds familiar I get car sick so I might find VR tricky. But It would be fab to feel the surround experience.
Maybe one day I’ll get the headset but bills and Brexit fears are sapping my money plans at the moment.
And again like you I don’t class myself as a gamer I just wander about taking photos and scanning.
I love the game. Can’t say how grateful I am the updates are FREE!
5 Likes
I’m somewhat the same;
During a long period of ill-health that timed up well with NMS, I found myself very devoted to NMS from it’s first day.
More recently I’m up, out & about much more so game time is just a chill-out thing for when I’m worn down.
I too am unsure of VR & am mostly tempted by the long association I’ve had with NMS. I’m considering a refurbished/secondhand headset only. Much cheaper & less investment of a commitment for if the novelty quickly wears off.
5 Likes
Totally get the worry looking forward with brexit. I’m your tiny island neighbour and have no idea what effect it will have for us, we can’t even settle on a good border policy that doesnt interfere with the good friday agreement.
Theres also a lot of ex pats returning temporarily out of fear of whats going to happen, which is havign an effect on job availablity and an already crippled and low supplied housing/renting market. Recently a lot of the british insurance companies have been pulling out of ireland, we’re already a bit of a sham for insurance and how easy it is to claim over here so I don’t blame them but obviously the unknown repercussions of brexit on businesses was just not worth the added financial risk.
And of course if its already effecting us in ways here and there I can only imagine the worry you folks must have over there about what exactly is going to happen down the line. I hope this works out for everyone and the government doesnt screw the people for once, I really do <3 And if it doesnt, I’ll see you in the Sim where we can hide and make more Through The Window and On the Other Side shots
I hope you get lucky like I did and get one slightly under half price, returned to store but never opened (cables still wrapped, lens’s still covered) <3 Then we can make eachother get sick as we lag around eachothers bases IN VR!
8 Likes
how do we really know that is also safe??? lol
5 Likes