ODE TO THE TRUE NO MAN’S SKY FANS
… (and Happy 2nd Birthday, NMS!)
Here’s to all of US: TRUE No Man’s Sky Fans –
we, who UNDERSTOOD the Vision for an Exploration-focused game concept;
we, who saw THE POTENTIAL, and dared to take the Pre-Order plunge;
we, who felt our DREAMS come true, when we watched the previews;
we, who waited, PATIENTLY, but with excited anticipation . . .
And we were all rewarded for our Patience.
2016: 9th August..
Worldwide Launch – No Man’s Sky Day
++ Day Zero (8/8/16) Update v1.0.3
++ patches roughly every 2 weeks, based on our feedback!
Here’s to all of US: TRUE No Man’s Sky Fans –
we, who held on to Hello Games’s Word, that all they pledged would come, in time;
we, who kept our nerve, when all around us were the angry cries of
– the over-expectant: believing they were OVER-hyped, venting angrily to hide their embarrassment;
– the unappreciative: looking for reasons to hate No Man’s Sky, rather than enjoying what we had;
– the unsatisfied: like the trigger-happy PvP griefer kiddies, with nobody else’s fun to spoil;
And -we- all stayed Loyal, to the Dream and the Devs who birthed it…
There was all the FUSS: CRUEL, No Man’s Sky Flamers–
they, who jumped on the “Refund” bandwagon, claiming purposeful “false advertising”,
… while we kept our faith (and the game), seeing beyond the erroneous statements of an introvert;
they, who, sadly, know no patience (spoiled in today’s environment of immediate gratification),
… while we, as a community, enhanced our games with MODding, experimenting & sharing;
they, who clubbed together in child-like, salty tantrums to “down-rate” a reasonable game,
… while we continued to post videos, pix, & share Good experiences, to prove its worth;
they, whose bitter, pessimistic rallying cries of an “incomplete game!” echoed,
… even as we downloaded the regular FREE updates & patches, and played on . . .
And we all held our breath, hoping the radioactive acid-ice-storm would blow over.
2016: Thanksgiving..
Launch of FOUNDATION 1.10, a MASSIVE UPDATE (and a whole new start!)
… with 3 Game Modes, Base Building, Teleporting, Farming, Auto Resource Gathering;
… FREIGHTER ownership + customisation, Recruitable Crew, Item Stacking (5s), PHOTO MODE ;
… New Ship Weapon Tech + Formation Flying + “Drift” turns + Docking in (Lead) NPC Freighters;
… “More Taste, Less Fat!” (More Life, more colours; less drab, lifeless planets), re-balancing…
& … SO … MUCH … MORE.
++ pre-Christmas Patches = Bigger space battles, MOD recognition, a temp SLI fix, . . .
HG did it all for US: TRUE No Man’s Sky Fans –
The Hello Games Team, under @SeanMurray, have worked continuously since the beginning for us;
… and for themselves, with their own growth as a small, independent development studio;
… but also for anyone who’d open their minds and take a new chance, or another chance.
And we were all Grateful to Hello Games for continuing to improve, streamline, & develop.
Here’s to <ALL> of US: TRUE No Man’s Sky Fans –
we – including all who joined (or rejoined) since FOUNDATION – who continue to enjoy NMS;
we, who loyally downloaded each new patch, tested various MODs, and played the hell out of the game;
we, who continued to send our bug reports & feedback to Hello Games so they could keep improving it;
And we all laughed with delight when they announced Another Major Update.
2017: March.. (7mo along)
Launch of PATHFINDER 1.20 MEGA UPDATE
… with Planetary Vehicles, Online Base Sharing (Steam Workshop), more Visual Improvements;
… Permadeath (Hardcore Survival), Specialised Roles (AND CLASSES) for Ships AND Weapons;
(( Hauler / Fighter / Explorer / Shuttle )) … ((Pistol [mining] / Rifle [combat] / Experimental [scanning] / Alien))
… “part-exchange” old for discount on New, OWN UP TO 6 SHIPS, & park them all in your freighter;
… NEW TRADER NPCs on Space Stations & Bases, and 40+ new Base building modules + colours + materials;
… FREE CAMERA mode, incl changing time of day, weather effects, photo filters, and camera position.
++ “weekly” (avg.) patches in March: summon Exocraft anywhere w/ Geobays, + various improvements . . .
Here’s to all of US: TRUE No Man’s Sky Fans –
we, the wider NMS Community, exploring the newer features, building community-shared bases;
we, those who came across, and participated in, the new A&S ARG, Waking Titan, from May’17;
we, who Stayed The Course, even as Hello Games otherwise went silent… (-ly deep into work);
And we were all given another side of the over-arching story to investigate, interact with, & enjoy.
2017: August -- NMS' FIRST BIRTHDAY
Launch of the ATLAS RISES 1.30 SUPER UPDATE
… with Overhauled, expanded storyline (30hrs), Branching Narrative, 2x the Lore, PORTAL TRAVEL;
… new “Interdimensional Race” to encounter, System Economics & Conflict levels, NPC Guilds & Standings;
… completely Overhauled Galaxy Map w/ filter views, Improved Navigation, Waypoints, & Journey history;
… expanded variety of Planetary Biomes, brand new EXOTIC PLANT types;
… Crashed Freighters – can be Scavenged, Salvage Missions, Mission Agents in Stations, ProcGen Missions;
… Analysis Visor upgrade – more info, greater rewards, wider variety of Upgrades;
… Enhanced & Improved UI, Discoveries page, Journey Milestones, Mission Log, Commodities Guide;
… NEW TERRAIN MANIPULATOR fool to re-shape the landscape around you;
, New & Improved FLIGHT - low flight, better Manoeuvrability, new HUD & Communicator;
… addition of new S-Class ships, incl EXOTIC Alien vessels (Squiddy & Birdie)
… and an early iteration of Multiplayer (up to 16 “floating orbs” in the same instance) . . .
And many, many more improvements across the board…
Here’s to all of US: TRUE No Man’s Sky Fans –
we, the Community Builders, Creators, Dreamers, Explorers, Fauna & Flora Scanners, Gas Harvesters;
we, the Black Hole Jumpers, Freighter Captains, Galaxy-Hoppers, Pirate Hunters & Sentinel Shooters;
we, the Portal-Openers, Racers, Spelunkers, Starpilots, Terrain-Manipulators, . . . Travellers, all . . .
And after what felt like A Very Long Year, we were finally Blessed with the NEXT BIG UPDATE.
2018: August -- No Man's Sky turns 2
… and is a Very Chubby Baby indeed!!
… but we will still play with it, explore with it, and maybe even learn a thing or two from it.
Launch of the NEXT 1.5 SUPERLUMINAL UPDATE
LOADS of updates, improvements, tweaks, bug-squashes; some more new bugs, too…
++ we ALREADY have had Patches within the last week or so – so dedicated is the HG Team!
Here’s to all of US: TRUE No Man’s Sky Fans –
Don’t forget to be Grateful . . . and Always Have Fun!