STACK August 2016 Issue 142

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"A mbitious” is the word used
most often to describe this
title. No Man’s Sky is a
procedurally-generated open world that
encourages players to explore, fight,
trade and survive. If you’re wondering
what procedurally-generated means, it’s
basically a massive world that spawns
as you explore it. When you discover a
new planet in-game, it gets named after
you, and you can even share it with
your mates so they can go check out
XxSnipesxXtopia for themselves. Every
planet you discover will be uploaded to
The Atlas for the community to enjoy,
giving you the chance to truly feel like a
galactic ranger.
No Man’s Sky has
18,446,744,073,709,551,616 planets
in its universe. For those playing at
home, that’s 18 quintillion. If you visited
each of these for merely a second,
it’d take you almost 600 billion years
to see them all. The universe is so
expansive that some planets may never
be discovered at all. Each has its own
inhabitants, some of which you may
have to learn an entirely new language
to communicate with.
You’ll get a vast array of landscapes
and climates in Hello
Games’ new title. Planets
closer to the sun will, of
course, be hotter and more
barren, and those further
away will be cooler and less
abundant with life. There’s
also a full day-night cycle,
with different creatures
appearing at different times
of the day.
It isn’t just about the
exploration. Being the huge
universe that it is, you shouldn’t
be surprised if you come across
a turf war or two, with
factions constantly vying
for territorial control. Be
careful who you pledge
your allegiance to though, as that
could affect your encounters with
other beings throughout the course of
the game.
Even the soundtrack is procedurally
generated - kind of. The game's
developers have created software that
models the calls of animals dependent
on the size and shape of their throats,
so you're getting a realistic sound
despite the fact that these creatures
perhaps don't exist. The music of
the game itself is orchestrated by
It’s been waiting in the wings for a few years, and
now indie developers Hello Games are finally ready
to release their highly-anticipated, procedurally-
generated No Man’s Sky for PlayStation 4.
65daysofstatic; the soundtrack will
change depending on where you are
and what you're doing, though we're
told there are some more specific,
timely pieces that are triggered as a
result of certain events. Looks like it's
up to you to discover exactly what
those events may be.
When you’re not busy exploring
planets and enjoying the music, you’ll
probably be fighting for your life. As
mentioned before, there are other
species out there, and not all of them
will be overly friendly. Some may even
try to eat you. Be careful who you
choose as your enemies, and ensure
you don’t kill off too much of a planet’s
flora or fauna, as the galaxy EPA – the
Sentinels – will have your head for
ecosystem damage.
If you fancy yourself as more of a
man of barter, you can trade your way
through the planets. Haul rare resources
(we’d recommend avoiding Rathtars)
and sell them where they’re most
valuable to maximise profit and upgrade
your vessel. Just make sure to keep an
eye out for pirates.
No Man’s Sky is all about your
journey to the centre of the universe
and how you choose to take it. Discover
the abundance of life, ecosystems,
stars, and other planets as you
traverse the galaxy and
make your mark for
others to follow.
Space Missions
That Never
Happened
Project A119
In the late '50s, the
good ole US of A
felt the need to flex
some muscle after
falling behind in the
Space Race with the
USSR. The planned
demonstration
involved detonating
an atomic warhead
on the Moon.
Fortunately the idea
was vetoed.
The Zambian
Space Program
A rather ambitious
1964 plan by a
Zambian scientist to
send 12 astronauts
and a cat to Mars
fell out of orbit when
UNESCO refused a
£7 million grant for
the project.
When you're not busy
exploring planets,
you'll probably be
fighting for your life
visit GAMES FEATURE
72 AUGUST 2016
GAMES
• No Man's
Sky
is out
August 10