Future Update Speculations

[Dragonsire]

Well this is interesting…Amazon listing for ps5 version (Canada)

• Include 6 years of updates (Certain features and content like Multiplayer, cross-save/play, settlements, etc. currently being explored for free post-launch updates).

Amazon.com also has something interesting:
Includes the following major updates since launch: Foundation, Pathfinder, Atlas Rises, NEXT, The Abyss, Visions, the 2.0 BEYOND update, Synthesis, Living Ship, Exo Mech, Desolation and the 3.0 update, ORIGINS, Next Generation, Companions, Expeditions, Prisms, Sentinel and Outlaws. An epic voyage to the centre of a shared universe awaits, allowing you to explore, trade, fight and survive.

Ignoring Endurance / Leviathon…notice anything missing?

[sheralmyst]

Frontiers, no settlements?

[Crimsontine]

@Dragonsire

settlements, etc. currently being explored for free post-launch updates

Settlements being expanded into city building? Swathing cities, wrapping entire planets?

“etc.” meaning ‘4.0’ (content)? “free post-launch updates” meaning… 4.0 (content) not incl. w/ PS5 physical edition, and thus not with Switch digital/physical edition, or any other platform, console or otherwise device?.. but instead 4.0 (content) coming next year, ie. as a post-launch update, next year?

Other than cities, I seriously doubt they’ll delay 4.0 this year. I mean, why do that? What is this 4.0 (content) update that it is so special and complex that it must continuously be delayed year after year, after year!?

(The description in that post as described from Amazon seems as if written by a new seller.)

[Dragonsire]

The descriptions I found in a whole bunch of sites. Both mentioning the settlements removed, and Frontiers Absent. That’s a lot of base parts…could explain a lot.

[ThatBomberBoi]

Not exactly the most impactful feature if they decided to remove it. They can run like crap on my (frankly pretty old tbh) PC so I guess switch wouldn’t fare too well with them, unless they did some sort of full engine rework for the optimizations, which knowing HG probably isn’t the case.

[Dragonsire]

Ah yes, but all the base parts would be gone also possibly. That would suck.

[ThatBomberBoi]

I feel like this is most likely an oversight on the part of sellers, since the trailer and notes on the site mentions 20 updates being included again and again, even before we got Endurance. Not entirely sure but I believe it’s artwork shows up on the galaxy loading segment of the trailer?

[Dragonsire]

CANADA

USA

Both of these descriptions can be found all over the web in various sites.

[Dragonsire]

EBGAMES IN NEW ZEALAND
http://www.ebgames.co.nz/product/ps5/286035-no-mans-sky

Description

The sky’s the limit.

Inspired by the adventure and imagination that we love from classic science-fiction, No Man’s Sky presents you with a galaxy to explore, filled with unique planets and lifeforms, and constant danger and action.

In No Man’s Sky, every star is the light of a distant sun, each orbited by planets filled with life, and you can go to any of them you choose. Fly smoothly from deep space to planetary surfaces, with no loading screens, and no limits. In this infinite procedurally generated universe, you’ll discover places and creatures that no other players have seen before - and perhaps never will again.

Includes the following major updates since launch: Foundation, Pathfinder, Atlas Rises, NEXT, The Abyss, Visions, the 2.0 BEYOND update, Synthesis, Living Ship, Exo Mech, Desolation and the 3.0 update, ORIGINS, Next Generation, Companions, Expeditions, Prisms, Sentinel and Outlaws.

An epic voyage to the centre of a shared universe awaits, allowing you to explore, trade, fight and survive.

Features:

• Embark on an epic voyage, find your own destiny in this epic space adventure
• Includes 6 years of updates*
• An entire universe to explore on the go in the palm of your hands
• For the first time ever, PlayStation 5 physical edition as well as Nintendo Switch

*Certain features and content (multiplayer, cross-save/play, settlements etc) currently being explored for free post-launch updates.

Clearly these can’t all be typos lol, well besides the fact I think the copy and pasted the nintendo to the PS5

[Crimsontine]

Thank you for the screenshots, these provide authenticity and clarification.

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If this is written by Namco Bandai, (as I’m sure it is), then Switch will not initially come with multiplayer, cross-save, crossplay, settlements and potentially more, until future updates.

I would not expect Frontiers left out by mere oversight. -{(I do question Endurance being left out though. Will the freighter update not be there? Or was this written and delivered to Namco Bandai before Endurance was released?)}- But it would appear that the content in Frontiers (or specifically ‘settlements,’ as mentioned) may not be included.

After all, it would be hard to list Frontiers among that list of updates when settlements was the main feature and selling point of that update - (with base-building overhaul as a side-point, even though that was one ‘MAJOR’ side-point, so the new base-building parts may still be included; we’ll have to wait and see).

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What stands out to me is: “Cross-save.”

We’ve never had that before, and it would be very fitting now with all these platforms, consoles or otherwise devices.

So this would seem as if to tease 4.0 (new content and features) potentially coming with cross-play -{(since they felt a need to mention it, when it’s not even a thing we had before, and thus wouldn’t expect)}- and Switch getting cross-save later…

Which almost as if helps better confirm a content update associated with Switch on or before Oct 7.

---

Enabling cross-save allows you to maintain your progression regardless of which platform you’re playing on, meaning you can finally move things between platforms and freely jump between console and PC at your leisure.

Cross-save — best teaser, so far.

[Dragonsire]

That was my thoughts too. It was delivered to Namco before Endurance, and settlements as feature left out, so they also removed Frontiers from the list…no way it a typo.

Also Cross Save caught my eye also.

[Crimsontine]

Variation Overhaul

I think it’s interesting that HG are releasing Switch with some content and features missing, and yet noting that they will work on adding these later.

Why? Because…

1. It proves NMS Switch is capable of such things.
2. It means that soon it will ft. everything missing.
3. It means they ran out of time…

What did they run out of time for? It would appear that we have a long overdue 4.0 (content) ‘variation overhaul’ awaiting release, over 2 years in development. After all, 1.3, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0 anniversary updates ft. a ‘variation overhaul’ and started a pattern in conjunction with big number changes, where 4.0 was next, but delayed over 2 years.

So came 3.99 and we expected 4.0. Right? Well it’s now 3.99.1 with 4.01 on PS4. Why? Because again, they ran out of time. — Coming soon: 4.0 (content) is due!

[Jupiter.blues]

Considering how no special 4.0 content has been talked about(or even teased) except releasing on switch… and the marketing of the game on switch isn’t showing anything new… and we are in September. Im going to speculate that we arent getting anything but ports for 4.0 right now and perhaps a new expedition. I think their focus has understandably been on Switch and iOS right now so anything “big” may be pushed out for later.

I’m fine with that. I rather they take their time.

[Dragonsire]

I certainly think switch development /apple has affected 4.0
I still believe we will get 4.0 before switch release. It just might not be as large as other Milestones have been. I wish we were getting better marketing on this. I believe this will be backend improvements, story and a lot of little things.

[sheralmyst]

He RT’d it

[Crimsontine]

Question…

In light of the development of all these new platforms, consoles or otherwise devices, and other updates over the past couple years, how could HG possibly release a huge 4.0 ‘variation overhaul’ 2 years in the making?

Answer…

THEY HIRE IT OUT.

Star Citizen has a whopping 300+ developers, whereas HG has only 30+. But because HG is a small team and with a very successful game, they have the flexibility and income to hire outside artists and animators (from DeviantArt, ArtStation, Behance, and/or etc.), remote workers. They don’t need more programmers to deliver a huge 4.0 ‘variation overhaul’ 2 years in the making, they only need more artists and animators.

Result?

“Expand the universe!” - and so it came to be.

Freed from all that, they could then go develop all these new platforms, consoles or otherwise devices, and other updates over the past couple years, while a smaller portion of the team (programmers, etc.) work with the hired artists and code a huge 4.0.

[Dragonsire]

i’m wondering if since the versioning is screwed, if maybe we might get a mini story expedition, without much of the way of new content, that leads to something for the switch release… might expalin why they adjusted the ends dates… or we have a very quiet hair pull few weeks wait…one or the other lol

[Clemm]

I’ll be happy with whatever comes, even if none of it is on my wish list. The amount and scope of free enhancements has far exceeded my expectations.

[Crimsontine]

I think most people would be understanding if a greatly anticipated 4.0 ‘variation overhaul’ never even happened; (in fact, not 5.0 or ever again); Or was skipped this year, just like the last year, due to the addition of all these platforms, consoles or otherwise devices, and other updates over the past couple years.

BUT… that won’t stop dreamers from dreaming.

The Mystery of ‘4.0’

It’s like the update that never happened, or will it happen? But it does present a mystery, and we still have this matter of screwed numbering. We’re left with questions: Why did they skip a greatly anticipated 4.0 last year? Why would they skip 4.0 this year?

Couple of theories…

Because 4.0 became greatly appreciated by many as a ‘variation overhaul’ (as had become tradition), and that’s not been their focus. Or it has been their focus (among other things), but they’ve needed more time.

So what do they do with 4.0? Skip it entirely, turn it into something small, drop it with something huge? Was 2 years enough? Might they need 3? If 3 years, then we continue on with screwed numbering.

So, listen! Opinion…

HG is up to something, something is brewing, something ambitious, complex and/or otherwise time-consuming. Otherwise, they would not continue avoiding that very specific number, ‘4.0.’

1. Skip 4.0 this year, just like the last, due to no ‘variation overhaul’ this year - 4.0 next year.

Continue on with 3.99.2+ and 4.02+ on PS4.

But if they did that, what happens after 4.09? Well, 4.10, 4.11, etc. So next year comes, are they to then go back to 4.0 and then jump ahead to 4.20?

I don’t think that’s what’s happening. So…

2. Drop 4.0 this year with at least some level of ‘planetary variation’ update - or a bigger and more expansive ‘variation overhaul,’ but only if they hired out some remote artists and animators, to help.

Otherwise, 4.0 becomes like Frontiers (a normal content update), and then we question why they ever even skipped 4.0 in the 1st place? So yeah, something’s up and we’ll understand better in time.

Quoting Sean:

“With plenty of new content for NMS underway, and the Nintendo Switch, PSVR2 and MacOS updates all rapidly approaching, the team are keeping very busy! Our journey continues. Sean.”

“Plenty of content coming,” it’s okay to speculate!

[Clemm]

I think it would be really cool if they added a way to travel to a new universe (dimension) and back.

OTOH, the percentage of players, like myself, who have not seen left Euclid means that adding such a new dimension/universe might not be wise right now.

Unless … The new universe had different “rules” and more to be unique and hence a lure.