youmeyou Posted December 9, 2013 In theory that's cool, but particularly with procedural tech, I think a lot of designers would struggle to make something that didn't either telegraph it (Huge! Teeth!) or fill with annoying gotchas (Haha! Poisonous!). Maybe a play on the anomalies of stalker. Though that could easily produce a whole shedload of "gotcha" scenarios. Since all anomalies in Stalker are mysteries until you fall victim to them or see what they do to NPCs. I found it added great tension to the game. Personally I don't think I'd be much drawn to Proteus ad infinitum. Proteus worked because of its abridged length. I suspect the gameplay layer above the exploration parts is what will make or break the experience. You can't just throw in space battles and expect them to be interesting, for example. How long has that one guy been working on Enemy Starfighter? Which is just one tiny piece of what No Man's Sky is promising? I agree it's a stunning trailer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
youmeyou Posted December 9, 2013 Some helpful detail in this RPS writeup: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/12/09/first-look-no-mans-sky/ As you make your way towards the centre of the galaxy, the planet’s you pass are stepping stones along the way. You’ll land your ship on them and go hunting for resources. Those resources then, in some unexplained way, aid you in upgrading your ship and yourself. These upgrades allow you to travel larger distances, or maybe make you faster, or probably improve your guns. It’s still ambiguous. No Man’s Sky isn’t a multiplayer game, in as much as you’ll never see another player. But the galaxy is the same between everyone and actions of “significance” will be shared. If you kill a single bird, that won’t be shared. If you make an entire species of bird extinct, then those creatures will blink out of existence for everyone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigJKO Posted December 9, 2013 Brilliant, that's a pretty thorough explanation of what to expect from the game. Satisfied, thorn? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SecretAsianMan Posted December 9, 2013 Some helpeful detail in this RPS writeup: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/12/09/first-look-no-mans-sky/ I admit to having a more tepid reaction to the initial reveal than most people here, but I am now definitely more interested having heard this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
youmeyou Posted December 9, 2013 The possibility of crash landing on a strange alien planet and being forced to survive after being shot down by space pirates is realllly exciting. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigJKO Posted December 9, 2013 Another great preview by Eurogamer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmuerte Posted December 9, 2013 bring on the griefers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brkl Posted December 9, 2013 Fantastic trailer, it really captures the imagination. Can I say I'd be happy with just a Proteus experience, but then with flying around on space ships and exploring oceans and skies and lakes? I want a new Noctis IV too. I bought MirrorMoon because it's inspired by Noctis (though it's definitely its own thing). I'd be happier with this if there were no hints of combat etc. That would make it easier to go wild with the procedural generation too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roderick Posted December 9, 2013 A fascinating and true thing in that Eurogamer preview, when the guy says that only a small team would be able to pull off something like this - a large EA-monger would get trapped in the planning and conception of it and it would never get off the ground. I agree. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
feelthedarkness Posted December 9, 2013 The possibility of crash landing on a strange alien planet and being forced to survive after being shot down by space pirates is realllly exciting. Haha, yeah that sounds pretty awesome. I love the idea of boundless exploration and survivalism, but there is a part of me that can never full buy in to this without some kind of "history" engine. Maybe the game will play out some galactic struggle, and you can choose to play your role or not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toblix Posted December 9, 2013 You guys know this game could end up sucking, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted December 9, 2013 HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGH Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorn Posted December 9, 2013 Satisfied, thorn? I have a better feel for what it's about, yeah. But I'm still going to take a 'wait and see' approach. I find the quazi-multiplayer aspect a bit worrying. What if I get the game months after release and all the planets have been claimed and bird species wiped out? I hope they're going to be spreading new players out across the universe in an organic fashion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Professor Video Games Posted December 9, 2013 Well, given the procedural nature of it, there really shouldn't be a theoretical limit to the number of planets that exist (assuming the galaxy they're setting this in is as big as I'm hoping it is ie really really big). The devs set the seed for the generation of the game world so anyone that goes to a given location sees the same thing, but worlds can be generated on the fly wherever you travel to based on the seed/coordinates. Obviously there'd be practical limits to that especially dependent on the multiplayer part of it and how much data they want to store server side but hopefully you won't have to worry about running out of birds. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted December 9, 2013 The way I understand it so far is that the game is procedurally generated, but not necessarily infinite. And it's all generated PRIOR to game release. As in, the procedural generation is part of the development phase, and not part of the play phase. I'm sort of just assuming things here, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
youmeyou Posted December 9, 2013 I have a better feel for what it's about, yeah. But I'm still going to take a 'wait and see' approach. I find the quazi-multiplayer aspect a bit worrying. What if I get the game months after release and all the planets have been claimed and bird species wiped out? I hope they're going to be spreading new players out across the universe in an organic fashion. Mirror Moon solved this by having seasons where the servers would reset and regenerate the universe every few months. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roderick Posted December 9, 2013 You guys know this game could end up sucking, right? Who's talking about the game? We're indulging in a wonderful fantasy, for a thing that won't exist for a long time. Reasonable expectations don't apply here! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted December 10, 2013 Proc-gen can feel very soulless and expansively empty, so I'm usually really sceptical of it. This is beautiful enough already though that I just want to play around in it for a few hours, regardless of whether it's any good as a game. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bork Laser Posted December 10, 2013 http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/12/09/first-look-no-mans-sky/ No Man’s Sky isn’t a multiplayer game, in as much as you’ll never see another player. But the galaxy is the same between everyone and actions of “significance” will be shared. If you kill a single bird, that won’t be shared. If you make an entire species of bird extinct, then those creatures will blink out of existence for everyone. Thank the heavens. I want a lonely space exploration game. I'm fine with SimCity/Dark Souls-esque online-but-not as long as it means that I don't have to actively interact with other humans. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Merus Posted December 10, 2013 I think, ever since Minecraft, that people have been re-evaluating their procedurally generated algorithms. The trick of having procedural generation take place on multiple layers - generate a high-level layout first, then drill down - helps give the worlds a soul they wouldn't otherwise have. Proc-gen can feel very soulless and expansively empty, so I'm usually really sceptical of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BigJKO Posted December 11, 2013 Here's the second part of the RPS interview. They talk about the procedural generation, saying that no one will ever see everything in the universe. And they explain the 'Every Atom Procedural' bit to a degree. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted December 11, 2013 I really appreciate that he took the time to specifically talk about procedural generation and what it is, because it seems like most people don't really know. They just think it means "oh everything's random". Procedural generation is the raddest thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Murdoc Posted December 11, 2013 Yeah I just listed to the Bombcast where they described what they were told. Sadly, no naming rights on locations. But man, everyone starts on the edge of the universe and your exploring the interior... sign me up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmbossy Posted December 11, 2013 After all of the legitimate coverage i've absorbed (RPS, Polygon, Giant Bomb) I'm kind of not excited for this game any more. Not that I expect it to be bad, in fact I still hope its amazing, but even if they manage to live up to their vision it doesn't seem like something i'm going to enjoy. I personally can never get attached to an open-experience game like this, minecraft, or even Skyrim. I guess I just enjoy purposeful direction (though Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3 both are, for more complicated reasons, exempt from that rule). I'll keep an eye on it regardless, as it seems like a fascinating GDC talk-to-come, but I'm kind of upset I won't be as excited as many gamers will be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dewar Posted December 12, 2013 Sounds like it could be as cool as the Spore space stages should have been, but it could quite possibly fall short and end up being as cool as the Spore space stages were in reality. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites