Disappointed with Terrain Generation

Let me get this out of the way. No Man’s Sky is my #1 computer game of all time. But with that said, I am still disappointed with the terrain generation. Terrain generation was so beautiful in vanilla, Foundation, and Pathfinder. Even if there weren’t a lot of game mechanics or flora variety during those releases, the terrain generation still made it worthwhile to go exploring just for the heck of it. One thing No Man’s Sky needs is large areas of flatness. I can’t stand the current terrain generation, it’s the same on all planets. I’m certain at some point in the future, Hello Games will improve terrain generation algorithms, I just wish we’d get there sooner.

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Sean Murray is on record as saying that when NMS was in development, it was capable of generating extremely varied planetary terrain. In the opinion of the team, many of these landscapes were impossible to navigate, and created a negative experience for the player - so it was decided to tone down the algorithms, and produce generally user-friendly geography. That’s what made it into the release version.

Then at some point in the last few years (I honestly can’t remember when they did it) they decided to bring at least some of the crazy geography back. The result was planets with ridiculously steep, high mountains and impossibly deep chasms. It’s not really possible to walk anywhere on these planets. Regular activities like resource gathering and base building are so difficult it’s not worth bothering - even landing your ship may not be possible.

I would be very happy to see a return to the terrain generation we enjoyed in the release version.

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I’m ok with the crazy terrain existing but I wish it was filtered out of missions & expeditions as an ‘extreme terrain’ because it can be so grindy trying to fulfill an obligation… & it stops being ‘fun’.

I find it an adventure if I’m just exploring but fetch-quest type stuff just hurts in those landscapes.

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Amen! I have spent many hours with twisted ankles trying to find a waypoint because there is no way to land a ship. Not fun at all

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I never really had trouble with the crazy terrain.Im always able to find a parking spot, and use mounts to get around. Especially a maxed out in size beetle flys faster than your ship in atmosphere, and a maxed out robohorse can get you to places along the ground. Wish the scanner worked more consistently so I wouldn’t need to pop off so often.

Quick note, the easy way to super size an egg, just feed it gold repeatedly (don’t need to wait for the egg to hatch) until the size outcome says “inherited” instead of “increasing”.

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My mech/batman bike LOVE those steep hilly chasms, it’s about the only time I summon them as a means of functional traversal. Get to catch some serious air like Tony Hawk.

Or as @BoomstickJoe suggested, the flying mounts are perfect, especially if you find one with good speed/sprint. You just float over those hills like there’s no tomorrow.

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In NMS there is always a way to skin the cat. The impassable slopes planets can be driven over in a roamer; drive uphill, fall downhill.

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Nah nah…jet packing from the top is always my preferred method.

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Sean just made me eat my own words. The new terrain algorithm now includes “sprawling plains”! This update is phenomenal.

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I had a big smile thinking about you when I read that part in the patch notes :slight_smile:

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landed in a typical flat area for this planet type


but was soon swept up and away by a gravity storm

and found myself in this terrain

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Agree - I too miss the terrain variety of old. It gave a special vibe, a vibe that was eliminated with NEXT etc. I still have all the old screenshots and I go back to them every once in a while to check I’m not imagining it. I have long been longing…when Mr Murray stated with this update he loves more than anything else to be working on terrain my heart leapt. But so far, it has sunk once more. I want base terrain variety, not more whatnots on top of it, like the ruins things.

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Correction. So far, so interesting on the terrain front. Way more variety than previously. I’m hooked on exploration once more. Such a thrill!

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It’s like they gave long time players a New Universe Plus mode, I don’t know if I can go back to the old systems terrain, purple star lifer :sweat_smile:

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Purple systems are the only systems I go to now.

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I like the world building immersion they’ve given the community now…

The ancients (that’s us) who built great cities and monuments across the universe have all but disappeared. New players keep coming across their ancient buildings, on planets discovered tens of months ago… What happened to them? Where did they go? Who were they? Why is there no living evidence of this civilization amidst the red green blue and yellow stars I venture through? Perhaps they all died off? Or transcended? Maybe I’ll meet one some day…

*Weathered and weary, hundreds of hours later, our traveller finally makes it to a purple system and suddenly finds all the day one players and where they’ve been hiding *

“Oh ancients, what great knowledge do you hold for me?”

“Oh hey new blood, got any Thamium9”

“Um, what now?”

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I still miss big blue heridium. You knew where you were with heridium.

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“Ahh yes my children, its true.
The first ancients once roamed the silent universe alone. Never crossing paths with another traveller, their primative pulse drives powered by simple iron.”

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It’s Valhalla for Travellers essentially… Travhalla? Travalvehavallaveller? Trafalgar… :face_exhaling:

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The Daewun.
Solo travellers in a universe of dead portals & no concept of their own appearance.
They were first, not last.

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