• taladar@sh.itjust.works
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    20 hours ago

    I wonder how many trillions of floors Diablo 1 had if they had used this weird way of marketing No Man’s Sky uses.

    • Nibodhika@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      I write a planet generator. All of the planets are the same to begin with, so realistically I can only generate “1” planet. Then I add one toggle which is random, if it’s on the planet will be completely water. I now have “2” planets. Now I add another toggle for one huge mountain, I can now generate “4” planets (dry,water,dry-mountain,water-mountain). Keep adding toggles, sliders and parameters until you have “trillions” of possible planets and you’re done.

      The funny thing is that the changes are cumulative, so if I release a game that can generate X planets and I add a binary toggle I can now claim I added X planets to the game. If I add a slider from 0-9 then I added 10X planets. So since No Man’s Sky already had a giant number of planets, adding trillions of them could mean something as stupid as they added a new resource to the game so now every planet can have that resource in different amounts.

      • birbs@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        I thought I’d check which 2^N gets you to a trillion, it’s N=40. So you can have 40 parameters per planet and add one more, then suddenly you’ve created an extra trillion planets.

        • Nibodhika@lemmy.world
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          4 hours ago

          And that’s assuming just toggles, if each parameter has 10 levels you only need 12, then add one toggle and you get trillions. Heck, I can name 12 parameters that have at least 10 different values off the top of my head:

          1. Amount of water overall (oceans and lakes)
          2. Amount of mountains
          3. Amount of Forrest on the land
          4. Amount of life forms
          5. Temperature
          6. Amount of moons/rings
          7. Size
          8. Amount of rivers
          9. Whether the landmass is one big continent or multiple small islands
          10. Amount of volcanoes
          11. Amount of caves
          12. Amount of iron (or any other resource)

          Congrats, if you now add a does the planet rotate toggle you’ve created trillions of planets.

    • surph_ninja@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      It’s a procedurally generated universe(s). These systems haven’t all been pre-generated, but will rather be generated to explore when a player visits a system for the first time.

      • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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        21 hours ago

        Right, but that still counts. Although I guess it’s kind of an “if a tree falls in the forest” question. If the world doesn’t exist unless you find it, was it really there before?

        • zqps@sh.itjust.works
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          10 hours ago

          The point is rather how meaningful this statement is. It doesn’t really matter if your algorithm can come up with trillions of ways to place trees, if it’s the same handful of trees it’s still gonna feel samey after the third time.

  • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
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    1 day ago

    I’d trade that update for one that fixed the jank combat. I will continue to complain about the gun being auto-holstered after 2 seconds without firing as one of the worst parts of combat, so “line your shot” is a terrible strategy because by the time it’s lined, you’ll miss due to the animation creating a 1s lag between click and shot.

    The almost random targeting of what you’ll interact with when holding E is another big annoyance.

    Capital ships are a total letdown, too. All they do is sit around motionless in space. Can’t destroy anything bigger than a fighter.

  • NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone
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    1 day ago

    When they say “trillions of new planets” they mean one new biome with the plants and rocks in a trillion different places.

  • Fades@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Just more procedurally generated and boring as fuck “new planets”

  • junkthief@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    2 days ago

    I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum, as the review scores keep improving so obviously folks are liking it, but you’re not alone if it still doesn’t click. They keep polishing it and piling on more stuff, but the base game is still rather disjointed and in my opinion, easy to burn out on. Procedural generation doesn’t mean any of the procedurally generated things are going to be interesting.

    • NoFuckingWaynado@lemmy.world
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      22 hours ago

      I like to pop in every time they drop an expedition. Those let you speedrun the game and get reacquainted with it with not much effort. You also get introduced to whatever new thing they added. It’s a bit like playing ARK on a 20x resources 20x taming server so you can just play the game without so much grind.

    • Tiefkuehlkost@feddit.org
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      2 days ago

      True, i put something between 100 - 200 hours into it and while they repeatedly add “special stuff” i cant really motivate myself to go back, exploring feels boring after some time and the pve is ok but not good enough to be a motivation in it self, but to be fair im also not the collector type of guy and there may be a dedicated fanbase who enjoys this.

      On the other hand not every game has to life for ever and if the average player has 50-100 hour of fun and than never again touches the game than that is also totally fine.

    • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Yep, I had my fun on it, but without true PVE it’s just another exploration/building game.

          • Nibodhika@lemmy.world
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            7 hours ago

            Which is? Admittedly I’ve only played the game for a couple of hours, but I remember there being PvE, so you’re going to have to be more specific into what is it that you think is missing.

            • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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              2 hours ago

              It has no real pve. It’s got a few things that might attack you on a planet or the pirates in space. But there is no real danger in the game. There aren’t factions on planets trying to kill you or systems controlled by groups that require a lot of work to clear out. Planets feel lifeless and space feels like a walk in the park… add in 2 friends or more and it’s a joke.

              • Nibodhika@lemmy.world
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                2 hours ago

                By that definition Minecraft also doesn’t have PvE. Factions are not required for a PvE, and lots of PvE games don’t have them.

                You could say that you wanted the PvE to be harder, or more unforgiven, or even more complex with factions. But to say the game has no PvE is just wrong.

                • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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                  2 hours ago

                  Minecraft has no real PvE. It’s literally not billed as a pve game, pve on Minecraft is a side thought. My example with factions is just that an example, it’s not to say that the game lacks pve because it doesn’t have them. I don’t care how hello would implement more pve but I just want more of a challenge. NMS has no real challenge because it lacks real pve.

          • MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.de
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            13 hours ago

            Did you forget that single-player and perma-death are things?

            That said, the real problem with what you’re looking for vs this game is down to the premise: Interstellar travel without tech that feels like cheeting isn’t a pew pew space-ship game. Generation-or-cryosleep-ship-simulator-gone-wrong isn’t out … yet.

            • SupraMario@lemmy.world
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              13 hours ago

              Huh? No, I’m literally talking about coop PvE. It would be nice to have a challenge when I am in space or when I’m trying to build a base.

    • Psythik@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Yeah seriously, no matter how much they tack on, it still doesn’t make the base game fun to play. Nothing more boring than a game that feels like a job.

    • Sprucie@feddit.uk
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      2 days ago

      I confess I haven’t popped back in for a few updates now but it still was missing the slick/dynamic animal behaviour that even the very first trailers had, which I was most interested in.

    • Default_Defect@midwest.social
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      2 days ago

      It seems like the kind of game that sort of requires a lot of time to make it really click, but I wasn’t having fun within the first 2 hours, so it got refunded.

      • SkyezOpen@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        I had a blast starting out and discovering new materials and what I could do with them, upgrading my ship and guns, building bases, etc. I hit a wall when I unlocked most of what I wanted and was just logging on every few hours to check my settlement and send my fleet out. The quests are repetitive, exploring planets isn’t really exciting, and the combat system is honestly not great. There’s like 2 viable weapon attachments and the only hostile things are critters and robots, the latter of which are basically the cops so the more you kill the more come to kick your ass so you either have to fight wave after wave or run for your life.

        Oh and the planetary vehicles are pretty cool but I think you have to have them on your capital ship to use them elsewhere, but I don’t have the upgraded drive to be able to actually take it to the places I would really like to have them. So I just move my ship around the surface instead, and that takes fuel just to launch it which is a hassle.

  • minibyte@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    Can anyone recommend a decent space sim? I’ve talked myself in and out of buying No Man’s Sky a dozen times, and all this shade will probably remove it from my wishlist.

    • VoterFrog@lemmy.world
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      1 hour ago

      I wouldn’t base your decision on what Lemmy says. They’re pretty unreasonably salty about the game. Reviews from players are very positive and the game’s only $23 right now.

      • Despite what they’re saying, there is actually a lot of legitimately interesting and sometimes fantastical biomes and this update has added even more.
      • There are a lot of different parts of the game that you can pretty casually engage in. Various missions, settlements, settlement management, ship collecting, manufacturing, fleet management, trading, piracy, archeology, and more.
      • It’s a relaxation game for me. Just hop on, pick a direction, and go. Do whatever piques your interest in the moment.

      If “casual” and “relaxing” are dirty words for you, then it probably isn’t up your alley. It’s certainly not going to be intense and action packed (though it does have its moments). But it’s a good game if you, like me, sometimes get tired of the sweaty online shit, crunchy brain melting games, and the overall weight of life in the real.

    • LostAndSmelly@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      I fucking love No Man’s Sky. I play video games to relax. Most of the time I ignore objectives and find my own way around. I used to follow people and creatures around Skyrim. I had been playing a ton of Red Dead Redemption 2 just to go ride hourses and look at stuff. My friend Trudi had me play 20 minutes or so on her computer and I bought my copy that day. I have been playing it off and on for a few years now.

    • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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      20 hours ago

      I’m enjoying x4. I also liked Elite Dangerous but that one was more limited in what you could do. They have added more in the years since I’ve played it though

    • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
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      1 day ago

      Depends on what you want out of the game. Freelancer is old, but it’s still one of the best experiences you can get. If you really want to feel like a nobody pilot going from rags to riches, X4 or Elite: Dangerous can scratch itch, but both have considerable learning curves, with X4 allowing you to own space stations and pilot anything from fighters to frigates.

      • moleverine@lemmy.world
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        20 hours ago

        I put so much time into Freelancer. The multiplayer was really fun if you had a friend to fly with.

        Rebel Galaxy feels a lot like it, but it’s focused on capital(ish) ship combat (broadsides, etc) instead of fighters.

        • I Cast Fist@programming.dev
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          16 hours ago

          I need to get back on Rebel Galaxy, I think I got some 2 or 3 missions past reuniting with your aunt. The sound track is fucking amazing, though the gameplay being essentially naval battles in space really let me down at first, as I personally prefer 6 degrees of freedom, but the game does all things well.

    • Chaotic Entropy@feddit.uk
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      1 day ago

      Depending on what you want, Freespace 2 and all its mods/updates are still excellent. Wing Commander Saga is a standalone game based on it of remarkable quality.

    • barkingspiders@infosec.pub
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      2 days ago

      if all it takes to keep a developer improving their game is to hype it to the moon and then turn it into a meme when it releases then maybe we should do that more often /s

      forreal forreal though these game devs are the shit and I’m grateful for all the work they keep putting into this

  • Crankenstein@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Honestly I think it is time they put NMS to bed and focus on their upcoming title, LNF.

    They have added so much over the years, and I understand as their first project they are probably incredibly attached to it, but lately it has been feeling like diminishing returns on updates.

    What good are a bunch of new planets gonna do when they still all basically look and interact the same as every other planet?

    • Squizzy@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      They have added new planet types and civilisations. Indont play the game but its being heavily praised all day that theybhave greatly expanded with gas giants, full water planets and lost/failed civilisations. Sounds fairly impactful.

  • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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    2 days ago

    Recalling when two people found the same planet and did not see each other, disproving any implied multiplayer -

    What’s the birthday paradox look like for “trillions?”

    • MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.de
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      1 day ago

      I’ve played with two of my children at the same time. During the Utopia expedition, we saw dozens of other players. Where have you been?

      • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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        1 day ago

        Did you know the word “recall” refers to events that happened in the past, when things were different?

        • Dadd Volante@sh.itjust.works
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          8 hours ago

          You’re referring to something from the initial release. Which isn’t relevant anymore.

          That’s like complaining that Bethesda hasn’t released the Creator’s Kit for Skyrim (since it was a legitimate complaint at one time) and expecting it to be a solid addition to the conversation.

          Don’t be a dick just because you’re a decade out of the loop.

          • mindbleach@sh.itjust.works
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            8 hours ago

            You’re referring to something from the initial release.

            Yes, I am. Why can you only interpret that as a complaint about right now?

            When someone goes ‘hey, remember–’ that doesn’t mean they’re unaware of anything that’s happened since.

            I had a stray thought about mathematics and a silly moment from a decade ago. Y’all are being dicks by reading that as impossible ignorance. Like I just woke up from a coma and this was the most pressing thing to comment on.

  • FiveMacs@lemmy.ca
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    2 days ago

    I still want my money back. I’ve tried all their updates and the game still feels bleh, underwhelming and just overall boring

    • 1984@lemmy.today
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      2 days ago

      I can only speak for myself but I didn’t like it because it felt like the same experience over and over. I admit I haven’t played since launch, but back then, i quickly realized all the planets had the same minerals. They had different randomized animals and colour’s but they were generally just the same. And then I lost interest, because I was hoping to be able to find rare minerals, unique items, stuff that wouldn’t exist in other parts of the universe, and perhaps he able to trade it with other players or npcs.

      I guess I wanted a different game than what the makers wanted.

      Looking at the video now, it still looks like the same basic experience with improved graphics.

    • Ogmios@sh.itjust.works
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      2 days ago

      I think of it like an oil slick on a pool of water. Very pretty, but absolutely zero depth. They indulge heavily in the aesthetic of a space sim, without actually having anything of substance tying it all together into something coherent.

    • ImminentOrbit@lemmy.world
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      23 hours ago

      Yeah, they overpromised and then didn’t deliver on half of what they claimed. That they are applauded now for doing some of what they said they’d do is laughable to me.