It's fair to say that No Man's Sky arrived as something of a disappointment when it was released in August 2016. Over-hyped and under-delivering, it prompted an immense backlash from gamers more than willing to resort to the still-unfamiliar Steam Refund system. Nonetheless a few loyal consumers stayed on through the tumultuous launch period, beyond the Foundation update and some even as far as The Atlas Rises update in August of last year. This week, Hello Games were finally able to unleash No Man's Sky NEXT, a huge update to the title that brings it more into line with their launch vision.
No Man's Sky NEXT brings with it:
- Multiplayer, including shared and small group progression in the procedurally generated world
- Visual upgrades to ships, NPCs, buildings, terrain textures, space vistas & more
- More complex base structures can be built,
- Bases can be built anywhere on a world
- Switchable first and 3rd-person modes
- Character Customisation
- Starship Fleet building and customisation
- Visual upgrades to ships, NPCs, buildings, terrain textures, space vistas & more
- More complex base structures can be built,
- Bases can be built anywhere on a world
- Switchable first and 3rd-person modes
- Character Customisation
- Starship Fleet building and customisation
All credit to the developers. They could have shelved the game and moved on, but instead they invested the time into a free update that anyone with the base game can access to the fullest extent.
Well, almost anyone. It turns out that the DRM-free version of the No Man's Sky sold on GOG.com doesn't include the multiplayer features of the NEXT update. Posting on their official forum, GOG & Hello Games said the following:
"From launch, the DRM-free edition of No Man's Sky will include all single-player content introduced by NEXT: third-person mode, upgraded visuals, better base building, player customization, and more.
However the multiplayer component will not be ready at launch; we expect it to be released later this year as full multiplayer parity remains in the pipeline.
For a small, independent studio, developing the feature across multiple platforms is a hugely ambitious and technical challenge which resulted in this delayed release. Hello Games is however joining forces with GOG.COM to introduce full multiplayer via the GOG Galaxy platform.
We appreciate your immense support and patience."
- Hello Games & GOG.COM Team
However the multiplayer component will not be ready at launch; we expect it to be released later this year as full multiplayer parity remains in the pipeline.
For a small, independent studio, developing the feature across multiple platforms is a hugely ambitious and technical challenge which resulted in this delayed release. Hello Games is however joining forces with GOG.COM to introduce full multiplayer via the GOG Galaxy platform.
We appreciate your immense support and patience."
- Hello Games & GOG.COM Team
GOG can't simply piggyback the Steam edition's multiplayer as the latter uses Valve's proprietary Steamworks platform. DRM-free owners of the game are naturally somewhat chagrined, especially those who picked it up recently in advance of the NEXT update. That the multiplayer component is in the pipeline will come as scant relief, especially if GOG owners are fenced off into their own isolated sandbox away from the larger Steam community.
No Man's Sky is available from both GOG.com and Steam for £19.99 inc. V.A.T. As it stands, if you're buying on PC, Steam appears to be your best bet for the complete experience.
SOURCE: GOG.com
