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No Man's Sky

Given that this is looking like a divisive game, I have a couple of additional questions that would be good to collect in addition to the other reviews out there.

1) If I am looking for an immersive, somewhat relaxing game, is this something to Seriously consider? I know it's quite simple in comparison to Skyrim and Fallout, for instance, but I'm wondering if people are getting similar vibes of "immersion."

2) Given the stated issues between both the console version and the PC version, is there yet a clear cut preference?
-Consoles, at first, seem to run the game better, but the game's navigation system seems to be at odds with the console's ordinarily preferred means of selecting options and so on.
-The PC Version, while originally not being efficiently optimized for rigs even with far superior hardware, would seem to have better luck with using a cursor for menu navigation (unlike the console).

I own both a PS4 and a PC. The PC was purchased last summer and has a GTX 980, 32 GB of ram, and I purposefully avoided 4K displays, so everything is strictly running 1080p. I heard reports of the Nvidia 1080s not coping with this game either, so I am wondering where things stand.
 
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Yes it was.. and easy "illegal install".. and nothing works. Hmm okay it is an illegal copy, so that might be it... but what the hell, I start googling. No it is a common problem even with Steam. Why? Oh, look at the requirements...

OS: Windows 7-10, 64 bit version - CHECK.. but wtf 64 bit version requirement?
Processor: Intel Core i3 ... CHECK, but no AMD?
Memory: 8 GB ram..CHECK, but wow wtf?
Graphics card: nVidia GTX 480, AMD Radeon 7870... NOT CHECK..quite high requirements to be honest.. why? Oh because the game requires OpenGL 4.5... seriously? No wonder there are so many complaints over the game not working, as AMD does not support OpenGL 4.5, and nVidia barely does..

Thank god for pirate software as it saved me 60 euros for a game that can not play because of the developer being a dick.

I am not used to people taking pride in being a thief. Quite the accomplishment for you...
 
Another thing that's been bugging me about the discussion surrounding this game. We ought to all agree that a small team of people, even with the extended timetable they had, would still nevertheless have limited properties to use in creating creatures and unique geological shapes.

Nevertheless, I am wondering if people are expecting a little too much-even conceptually, about what an entire galaxy's planets will look like. If we were the proverbial space travelers with hyper-speed, would we be somewhat likely to find the content of each planet not *dramatically* different from another? Just how much variety ought we expect from hundreds, thousands, millions, and quintillion planets? Undoubtedly more or much more than what this little development team has produced, but I am wondering if people are looking at it with somewhat the wrong perspective.
 
I am not used to people taking pride in being a thief. Quite the accomplishment for you...

Hey when there is no demo to play, then you have to find alternative ways. I mean you dont buy a car without getting a test drive do you?
 
If your graphics card is less powerful than a 7870 or 480, it's ancient and the fault is not the developers.

If your graphics card is more powerful than that, odds are you need to update the drivers.

Well it is an old card yes, but still requiring OpenGL 4.5, when 4.4 (which my card does support) is just fine.. is just idiotic. AMD does not even support OpenGL 4.5 officially yet.. and Nvidia only just did..
 
Given that this is looking like a divisive game, I have a couple of additional questions that would be good to collect in addition to the other reviews out there.

1) If I am looking for an immersive, somewhat relaxing game, is this something to Seriously consider? I know it's quite simple in comparison to Skyrim and Fallout, for instance, but I'm wondering if people are getting similar vibes of "immersion."

2) Given the stated issues between both the console version and the PC version, is there yet a clear cut preference?
-Consoles, at first, seem to run the game better, but the game's navigation system seems to be at odds with the console's ordinarily preferred means of selecting options and so on.
-The PC Version, while originally not being efficiently optimized for rigs even with far superior hardware, would seem to have better luck with using a cursor for menu navigation (unlike the console).

I own both a PS4 and a PC. The PC was purchased last summer and has a GTX 980, 32 GB of ram, and I purposefully avoided 4K displays, so everything is strictly running 1080p. I heard reports of the Nvidia 1080s not coping with this game either, so I am wondering where things stand.

Personally, I find the game to be quite immersive. It's a total solo affair and there isn't much of anything in the way of a quest line or completion objectives so you really need to be the kind of person that enjoys finding your own entertainment to get that sense of immersion. I happen to enjoy just flying over the surface of various planets and landing when something catches my eye. Some of the landscapes are truly spectacular and I've run into a number of incredible creatures. Outside of general exploration your main objective will be collecting the resources necessary to explore some more. There is very little combat (unless you want to start some) and very little NPC interaction beyond answering a question in a foreign language to get an upgrade or some supplies. You can't really hoard resources because your inventory is quite limited. That means you can't make a ton of money in short order but even if you could you also can't buy your way to top tier equipment. For folks that like to make speed runs through a game it just isn't going to happen with this one.

You asked about "relaxing". Yep, you can relax in this game. There is no rush to get anywhere or do anything. If you want to land on top of a cliff and just look at the sky that's not a problem and, frankly, I highly recommend it.
 
Hey when there is no demo to play, then you have to find alternative ways. I mean you dont buy a car without getting a test drive do you?

I do not steal a car either to test drive it.
 
Personally, I find the game to be quite immersive. It's a total solo affair and there isn't much of anything in the way of a quest line or completion objectives so you really need to be the kind of person that enjoys finding your own entertainment to get that sense of immersion. I happen to enjoy just flying over the surface of various planets and landing when something catches my eye. Some of the landscapes are truly spectacular and I've run into a number of incredible creatures. Outside of general exploration your main objective will be collecting the resources necessary to explore some more. There is very little combat (unless you want to start some) and very little NPC interaction beyond answering a question in a foreign language to get an upgrade or some supplies. You can't really hoard resources because your inventory is quite limited. That means you can't make a ton of money in short order but even if you could you also can't buy your way to top tier equipment. For folks that like to make speed runs through a game it just isn't going to happen with this one.

You asked about "relaxing". Yep, you can relax in this game. There is no rush to get anywhere or do anything. If you want to land on top of a cliff and just look at the sky that's not a problem and, frankly, I highly recommend it.

I am assuming you are on the PS4 version, correct?

How irksome do you find using the controller during menu navigation? I heard that using a cursor on that platform is quite annoying.
 
I do not steal a car either to test drive it.

Demos were also somewhat rare during the 1990s, until magazine subscriptions.
 
Yes it was.. and easy "illegal install".. and nothing works. Hmm okay it is an illegal copy, so that might be it... but what the hell, I start googling. No it is a common problem even with Steam. Why? Oh, look at the requirements...

OS: Windows 7-10, 64 bit version - CHECK.. but wtf 64 bit version requirement?
Processor: Intel Core i3 ... CHECK, but no AMD?
Memory: 8 GB ram..CHECK, but wow wtf?
Graphics card: nVidia GTX 480, AMD Radeon 7870... NOT CHECK..quite high requirements to be honest.. why? Oh because the game requires OpenGL 4.5... seriously? No wonder there are so many complaints over the game not working, as AMD does not support OpenGL 4.5, and nVidia barely does..

Thank god for pirate software as it saved me 60 euros for a game that can not play because of the developer being a dick.
How is the developer a dick because they create a game which only requires computer components which have been around for at least 5 years? That makes as much sense as getting upset at a developer who only makes games for the PS3 and PS4 and not the PS2.

It's not like they try to trick you. It very clearly says on the Steam page what the requirements are. No, people who pirate the game aren't privy to seeing those requirements, but then again, you're stealing from the developer anyways. So it's kind of hard to call the developer a dick when they make a game which works on systems at least 5 years old and tell you upfront what the requirements are, unless you're trying to steal from them.

What exactly makes the developer a dick?
Hey when there is no demo to play, then you have to find alternative ways. I mean you dont buy a car without getting a test drive do you?
This is a copout. In this day and age, you can find plenty of YouTube or Twitch videos on just about any big name game you want (and a sizable number of smaller name games as well).

Don't use that as an excuse for acquiring a game illegally.
 
I am assuming you are on the PS4 version, correct?

How irksome do you find using the controller during menu navigation? I heard that using a cursor on that platform is quite annoying.

I'm on PC with a GTX 970 and haven't had any problems even after boosting graphics from the default.
 
Yeah... That's the one I'm going for too. A 17 incher, decked out to all of the highest specs they have available.

I'm glad they allow you to finance these things. I'm pretty sure I could buy a used car for the price they're asking. :lol:

Yup, i have an alienware 17".

The new 15" has the beautiful OLED screen i want one.

Be careful moving the laptop around while its cords are plugged in.

Also, it's pretty easy to add an SSD yourself- i think i saved a lot of money buying a lower end 17" and upgrading myself. If you're on a budget, i'd recommend just buying a lower end also, and then upgrading later (after 1-2 years) to help extend the usable life of the rig.
 
I do not steal a car either to test drive it.

That's because car dealers let potential buyers demo the cars.

Someone who's trying to sell you bad art at a high price is going to expect payment up front.
 
How is the developer a dick because they create a game which only requires computer components which have been around for at least 5 years?

What exactly makes the developer a dick?

It is not the components.. it is the standard... which No Mans Sky is pretty much the only game that uses... it is not 5 years old tech, it is from late 2014.

This is a copout. In this day and age, you can find plenty of YouTube or Twitch videos on just about any big name game you want (and a sizable number of smaller name games as well).

And it shows me absolutely nothing other than pretty pictures. It shows nothing about how the game is to play.. is it logical, fun or not.. and so on. Take Stellaris.. I really loved how the game looked, and was tempted to buy it. I got a pirated copy to test it out, and found it was absolutely garbage after 5 minutes because some of the game mechanics. So there I saved 50 bucks. Had there been a demo of the game, then I would have had to pirate the game to find out that it was not my kind of game.

Don't use that as an excuse for acquiring a game illegally.

Well if Devs start releasing demo versions of their games again, then there would be no need to do it... but then again revenue would collapse for them.. it is a classic "quick lets get their money before they realise they were conned". And considering that games are getting more and more expensive because of Steam.. then well **** them.

And for the record I do pay for the games I actively play.
 
If your graphics card is less powerful than a 7870 or 480, it's ancient and the fault is not the developers.

If your graphics card is more powerful than that, odds are you need to update the drivers.

Old graphics cards and simple old age are the present bane of my laptop.

It was actually on the above average side of "high end" when I first bought it back in 2012; 16 Gs of Ram, 1.5 TB HD, 1080p screen, etca, etca. Unfortunately, however, as I bought it from HP, rather than a dedicated gaming company, it's only got a 650M graphics card. That card, especially when combined with the problems of four years worth of hardware fatigue, just hasn't cut it for the last year or so. I either have to run everything on low, or it runs slow as crap and runs the risk of burning out my computer due to all the excess heat.

Yup, i have an alienware 17".

The new 15" has the beautiful OLED screen i want one.

Be careful moving the laptop around while its cords are plugged in.

Also, it's pretty easy to add an SSD yourself- i think i saved a lot of money buying a lower end 17" and upgrading myself. If you're on a budget, i'd recommend just buying a lower end also, and then upgrading later (after 1-2 years) to help extend the usable life of the rig.

I ordered a maxed out 17 incher with an external graphics accelerator GPU. I also opted for the extended support and warrant plans, so hopefully Dell can keep it running at something remotely resembling original quality for at least three years, and maybe for as many as five.

I'm just disappointed that they scrapped the 18 inch series. Those things were BEASTS.

Up to 64 Gs of Ram, with two desktop sized high-end graphics cards, AND a giant internal fan actually capable of keeping it all cool? Sign me up! :lol:
 
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Well it is an old card yes, but still requiring OpenGL 4.5, when 4.4 (which my card does support) is just fine.. is just idiotic. AMD does not even support OpenGL 4.5 officially yet.. and Nvidia only just did..

Certain hardware simply wont support the new features in 4.5.

Not all developers have the resources to code support for every old GPU people want to run their games on. This isn't some arbitrary cutoff, a new version of a rendering API isn't just a couple bugfixes and such.
 
It is not the components.. it is the standard... which No Mans Sky is pretty much the only game that uses... it is not 5 years old tech, it is from late 2014.
But what component can't run the standard, if the component has been manufactured in the last 5 years? If the NVidia 400 series and newer, which was released in 2010, supports OpenGL 4.5 (which it does) and OpenGL 4.5 is what you're complaining about...then you're basically talking about tech which is at least 5 years old or more. The AMD HD 7000 series and newer also support the standard and that came out in January 2012 (so almost 5 years).

So the standard your talking about is compatible with components roughly 5 years old and newer. So, again, how does that make the developer a dick because you haven't upgraded your video card in the last 5 years or more?

And it shows me absolutely nothing other than pretty pictures. It shows nothing about how the game is to play.. is it logical, fun or not.. and so on.
Umm...what?

You can find plenty of No Man's Sky playthroughs on YouTube. You can see what a person is supposed to do, you can see how much content there is, you can see how the game is laid out...what are you talking about?

Take Stellaris.. I really loved how the game looked, and was tempted to buy it. I got a pirated copy to test it out, and found it was absolutely garbage after 5 minutes because some of the game mechanics. So there I saved 50 bucks. Had there been a demo of the game, then I would have had to pirate the game to find out that it was not my kind of game.
What does that have to do with the fact you can watch YouTube videos and Twitch streams on a game before you buy?

In fact, I'll even help you out: https://www.youtube.com/user/meatwagon22/videos

There's the YouTuber I like to watch for many different games (I've actually bought three games just because of his videos...Rust, 7 Days to Die and Call of Duty World at War). He's doing a playthrough on No Man's Sky right now. He's playing through on the PS4, but he also has a video of him playing on PC and I see he just put up part of a Twitch stream he did with PC on No Man's Sky.

Watch the videos and that's basically a demo. No, you can't feel the controls, but you can basically determine everything else on whether or not you're interested in playing. And since No Man's Sky is basically a sandbox survival game, it's not like anything is going to be spoiled for you.

Well if Devs start releasing demo versions of their games again, then there would be no need to do it
There's no "need" to do it now. You do it because you want to, not because you need to. You do it because you think you're entitled to it. If the devs choose not to provide a demo, and you want a demo before you buy, then don't buy.

But the idea you should get to acquire a game from them illegally and not pay them for it, just because you can't be bothered to watch YouTube or Twitch is pretty silly.

it is a classic "quick lets get their money before they realise they were conned". And considering that games are getting more and more expensive because of Steam.. then well **** them.
I can't speak about the cost of games where you live, but No Man's Sky is $60 here in the United States. PS3 games, from the time they were first released, were $60 and that was nearly 10 years ago. And when you figure in the regular sales of games on Steam, I must seriously question your statement that games are getting more and more expensive because of Steam. In fact, I'd basically say that's downright false, at least in America.

And for the record I do pay for the games I actively play.
Good, you should. I don't see what that has to do with this though, unless you're trying to persuade me into thinking it's somehow less immoral and less wrong for you to pirate them in the first place.

At the end of the day, you're ranting because you haven't upgraded your video card in 5 years, you can't be bothered to watch a video and you want to acquire a game illegally because the developer chooses to not provide a demo. If I were you, I'd probably hold off on calling anyone a dick.
 
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It is not the components.. it is the standard... which No Mans Sky is pretty much the only game that uses... it is not 5 years old tech, it is from late 2014.



And it shows me absolutely nothing other than pretty pictures. It shows nothing about how the game is to play.. is it logical, fun or not.. and so on. Take Stellaris.. I really loved how the game looked, and was tempted to buy it. I got a pirated copy to test it out, and found it was absolutely garbage after 5 minutes because some of the game mechanics. So there I saved 50 bucks. Had there been a demo of the game, then I would have had to pirate the game to find out that it was not my kind of game.



Well if Devs start releasing demo versions of their games again, then there would be no need to do it... but then again revenue would collapse for them.. it is a classic "quick lets get their money before they realise they were conned". And considering that games are getting more and more expensive because of Steam.. then well **** them.

And for the record I do pay for the games I actively play.

If you gave up on Stellaris after 5 minutes...LoLz.

Why are you blaming others for your being a thief? "If he didn't want me to steal his car, he would not have parked it where I could get to it": that is how stupid you sound.

If you do not want to pay for games without demos, then do not play them. Integrity is easy.
 
Certain hardware simply wont support the new features in 4.5.

Not all developers have the resources to code support for every old GPU people want to run their games on. This isn't some arbitrary cutoff, a new version of a rendering API isn't just a couple bugfixes and such.

4.4 is supported by far more, and the differences are minimal between 4.4 and 4.5.
 
If you gave up on Stellaris after 5 minutes...LoLz.

Why are you blaming others for your being a thief? "If he didn't want me to steal his car, he would not have parked it where I could get to it": that is how stupid you sound.

If you do not want to pay for games without demos, then do not play them. Integrity is easy.

Yes pretty much.. might have been more but when I hit 6 planets and was forced to make a region... that just pushed me over the edge. It is sad because I loved Europa Imperialis series and still play and yes own it.
 
4.4 is supported by far more, and the differences are minimal between 4.4 and 4.5.

No, the differences aren't minimal.

Your hardware is nearly five years old. It can't handle what they want to do.
 
Just finished watching some reviews on this.
Seems like it's a children's version of elite dangerous.

Plus they didn't deliver on a lot of the promises about content, with it likely coming later in paid dlc.
I'm going to pass, maybe get it on sale for $20-$30 later on.
 
Well, as I normally do with games once I get a good handle on them...I started over with a new game. Still just as addicting. Now, instead of just randomly wandering the universe, Captain Lee Harvey Keitel has a purpose...acquire the elusive AtlasPass (whatever the hell it is). Funny though...seems the game looks a little different now that I've started over. The old game barely had any ambulatory life forms. Now, I see them everywhere. Might just be the planets I've been on, but the sentinels leave me alone more as I raze the landscape of resources. Also found that monoliths are harder to spot. I've found them in craters and caves now.

...and if you come across a star system called "Lee Harvey Keitel," well sir...go name your own system.

For what it's worth, I read an article yesterday where the studio promised that all DLC would be free. In your face, EA.
 
So I have been hearing about Star Citizen and now another one. I guess it looks like there's no gold standard yet.
 
So I have been hearing about Star Citizen and now another one. I guess it looks like there's no gold standard yet.

There's a lot of Star Citizen vs. Elite Dangerous stuff going on right now.
With that said, Star Citizen looks interesting, but they've yet to deliver a fleshed out game, while taking in loads of money (I'm talking over $100 mil iirc).

At the moment, in my opinion, Elite is the gold standard.
Combine it with third party voice software Voice Attack (to simulate an on board voiced computer) and you're in immersion heaven.
Be forewarned though that the flight controls need a good deal of practice, they aren't plug and play.
 
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