Gameplay Features Showcased in No Man’s Sky Video Series

We are mere weeks away from the release of No Man’s Sky – assuming there are no further delays – and fresh gameplay footage has emerged this week. Hello Games has released a new series of videos show off-key features – Explore, Fight, and Trade – which, while short, give us a tantalising glimpse of what to expect from the eagerly anticipated game.

Explore:

“There are 18 quintillion planets in the game. Even if each planet was visited at a rate of one per second, it would take five billion years to explore them all – by which the Sun in our solar system would have burnt out, essentially giving the game a near infinite number of worlds to explore!

To help guide players through such a vast number of locations No Man’s Sky has an overarching goal of reaching the centre of the universe, where there are more bountiful resources and more challenging locations to discover. This, however, is just a guide, and players are free to explore the game however they like.”

Fight:

“On a planet, players are equipped with a multi-tool to defend against deadly predator creatures and mine resources. Attacking creatures – aggressive or otherwise – or mining resources will call the attention of the Sentinels, a robotic force who seeks to keep each planet in a natural, undisturbed state. The more you fight back against the Sentinels, the higher your Wanted level, and the tougher they will become – from flying drones to quadrupedal machines, towering walkers and eventually dropships.

Space is also patrolled by the Sentinels, so attacking traders for their valuable goods or scavenging resources from freighters will also see you gaining a Wanted level, with Sentinel police ships coming to defend the natural order.

It’s not just the Sentinels who you need to beware of in space – pirates will swoop on the unwary, requiring you to evade and escape or fight back to defend your cargo.”

Trade:

“Resources are a vital part of exploration, trading and survival. No Man’s Sky has its own periodic table of elements – some familiar to our world, some new and unknown – and each one is used in different ways. Some can be used to craft new items and weapons once the player has learnt the technology. 

While planets might be unexplored, they aren’t necessarily uninhabited. Alien races have their own distinct languages, which can be learned a word at a time at ancient structures or through conversing with the aliens themselves. Unlock their vocabulary and your chance of a successful interaction increases, raising your standing with them.

Common resources on one planet could be scarce in another – mining on one planet to sell on another can be a lucrative trade. Players can also craft Products from resources, which can be sold for higher prices – discover a certain race’s preferred Product and you can make a living from supplying them.”

Fears have emerged regarding the release of No Man’s Sky – which is due to drop on 8^th August – after Hello Games was accused of using a patented “Superformula” in the game’s procedural generation engine without permission.