Dynamic Supernova Events

General Discussion
1

Hey everyone,

I’m still new to No Man’s Sky, but the universe has already filled me with wonder. One vision kept coming back to me, the explosion of a supernova, lighting up the stars. This image is my way of capturing that feeling.

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The scale, the atmosphere, the feeling of exploring something endless… it’s amazing.

One idea keeps coming to mind though: what if supernovae could happen in the game?

Imagine this: you’re exploring a peaceful star system. Nothing unusual. Then, days later, you return… and the star is pulsing strangely. Glowing red, flickering. Then suddenly… boom, it goes supernova. You see the blast from nearby systems. Maybe it lights up the sky, maybe it affects planets for a while, new storms, radiation, strange resources, or even weird visual anomalies.

Here’s what I picture:

A rare, beautiful visual event: shockwaves, drifting debris, nebulae

Maybe it changes the system: new materials, a collapsed star, strange tech

Could even tie into missions or hidden lore

And above all: something players talk about, hunt down, or stumble into

It wouldn’t have to be frequent. In fact, the rarity is what would make it feel legendary. Like a cosmic event you remember and share with other Travellers.

I know something like this would take work to implement, especially if it affects systems dynamically. But even if it were just a purely visual event, it would add a whole new layer of immersion and wonder to the galaxy.

The game is already packed with beauty and mystery. This could be another step toward making the universe feel truly alive and evolving.

Thanks for reading, and for building such a unique experience.

— Traveller

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Welcome to the forum @KaTaKu !
I would love to see this in the game. I am not sure it is likely but then again, we never expected waterfalls from floating islands.

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Thanks a lot for the welcome, @sheralmyst!
The image is AI-generated, so the waterfall isn’t actually supposed to be there.
Still, I hope it captures the idea well.

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Since not everybody (myself, for instance) claims their discoveries, there’s no reliable way for HG to know whether a system has been discovered or not.

Randomly allowing an existing star to go supernova risks destroying some player’s favourite system / planet. It was precisely to avoid this problem that HG introduced purple stars - so they could have new planet types and terrain, without damaging the existing ones.

To make your idea function, you’d probably have to create a new star system, then blow it up with a supernova before anyone could discover it. It’s the only way to avoid damaging the work of someone who had built bases on the planets.

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It would be a nice visual on the Galactic Map. Systems you can’t visit because they went supernova ages ago.

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You brought up great points, the risk to existing systems makes sense. I like the idea of using new, undiscovered systems instead, and the concept of “dead” systems on the Galactic Map sounds really atmospheric.

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