It’s been a few weeks since the release of No Man’s Sky’s most ambitious update titled NEXT, which included a slew of features and improvements to the base game. Without getting too deep into the controversy of the initial release, NEXT was Hello Games’ second chance at winning fans back and from the update’s critical reception, it seems to have worked! Sure, there will always be naysayers or players that just can’t be won back, but Hello Games did the admirable thing by sticking with it and attempting to right most of the wrongs.
Although NEXT provides us with many much-needed improvements, there are still lots of things we’d love to see from a future update to Hello Games’ expansive, nearly infinite space sandbox.
Smaller-Scale Missions Featuring More Memorable Characters
6 No Man’s Sky Improvements
While the main focus of No Man’s Sky is to explore and find resources to use for crafting, being able to partake in smaller bite-sized missions could add some variety to spice things up. Think of how interesting it would be to land on a planet and stumble upon a family of aliens that need your assistance with something. It wouldn’t drastically change the foundation of the game, but if this were a recurring instance, it could give No Man’s Sky some more life.
If you’ve played something like The Witcher III, you’ll know how integral the sidequests are. Arguably, the sidequests are more memorable than a lot of the main quests. If No Man’s Sky had this, there are numerous avenues it could take. A quirky NPC could, at first, be apprehensive to give you a rare and coveted resource, but if you build him or her (do aliens have genders?) a new house, you may be in luck.
On top of that, the quest could be even more unique if the NPC had some personality. As it stands, the NPCs are largely forgettable and don’t do much to differentiate from one another. It makes interacting with them seem meaningless, for the most part. Imagine if this quirky NPC was kind of mean and grumpy, and hated other species, but was desperate for a new home. If you stepped in and helped out by using the base-building mechanics, there could be an interesting heartfelt moment in which the alien NPC would learn that not all other living beings are so bad. This is a wildly specific example, but it would be really cool to see complex characters that have emotions and depth.
More Players
6 No Man’s Sky Improvements
This one *may* be controversial if you’re of the opinion that No Man’s Sky is a game about being lonely in a vast universe. That’s a fair standpoint, but the beauty about this suggestion is that it would be optional. With the NEXT update, the player cap is four, which most certainly isn’t bad. It’s better than the amount of players that could play together when the game launched (zero). Some fans would love the idea of at least 16 players being able to explore and duke it out in such an expansive universe.
If this were to happen, things could get insanely complex and it would add more longevity to this already time intensive game. With 16 players, many things come to mind, like a team deathmatch-style game mode, or placing bounties on other members of that server. Like the universe, the possibilities are endless. Or almost endless.
That being said, it would be nice to allow all players to continue on their current save, regardless of who the host is. It’s great to be able to help out a friend, but when none of your progress carries over from your friend’s world to yours, it makes for a less than ideal use of your time. With the inclusion of more players, the ability to continue progressing towards *your* goals would be the way to go.
Redefined Combat
6 No Man’s Sky Improvements
Yes, No Man’s Sky is labeled as a space exploration game; But a large criticism has to do with the overly simplistic combat, specifically when traveling on foot. If you’ve put even a few hours into No Man’s Sky, you’ll understand. Very little is more frustrating than landing on a planet to mine for resources, only to be met by a swarm of sentinels looking to take you down. It’s a nuisance at best and a deterrent from exploring planets at worst.
No Man’s Sky doesn’t need to turn into Call of Duty or anything like that, but there are a ton of features that could be added to increase player engagement with the combat. The NEXT updated does include a fair amount of weapons, but it would be cool to see various types of weapons that would adhere to certain situations. Even adding in something like a sniper rifle and a shotgun would cover a wide range of distances and make it easier to take down enemies. This doesn’t need to get too complicated, but compared to the rest of the game, the shooting and combat seems to be an afterthought.
Even something along the lines of elemental strengths and weaknesses would give us at least something more to think about when fighting on foot; something other than just “pew pew pew.”
VR Support
6 No Man’s Sky Improvements
The thought of this is mind blowing. We got a small taste of VR in space with the short Star Wars Battlefront mission that was released a few years ago. Since most of us (probably) won’t make it to space, this is the closest thing.
Can you imagine coming up on a planet’s atmosphere and watching the sky and geological structures come into focus as you approach? It may even be *too* immersive. Part of what makes No Man’s Sky so intriguing is its sense of wonder and discovery that would be even more immersive and engaging if you felt like you were really there. If done right, it could even be revolutionary for VR.
It seems we aren’t the only ones suggesting this, either. After researching online and seeing what others had to say, the demand for No Man’s Sky VR appears to be high enough to warrant the inclusion. There is some speculation that it may even be in the works, but nothing concrete has been confirmed. Hopefully though, if it’s on the way, it’s full VR support, not an abridged version.
Pets
6 No Man’s Sky Improvements
Like the the suggestion of allowing more players on a server, this would be optional, too. However, many players find that the universe is just too lonely, so having a little companion to care for would introduce a fascinating dichotomy and help alleviate some loneliness. There is already the ability to feed and lightly interact with animals, so Hello Games could be thinking the same thing.
Perhaps each player would get a procedurally generated “pet” mission that tasks them with assisting a wounded creature and aiding it back to full health. Upon successful completion of this, the pet would join you on your journey and would, in turn, assist you.
You might be thinking, “Yeah, but how will said pet survive on other planets?” Well, Hello Games could include a quest for finding the materials to craft a little space suit for the pet. It shouldn’t be hard to use your suspension of disbelief. After all, it’s a game about flying around in space, interacting with weird creatures.
Some fans have suggested just having the pet at your base, instead of always with you, which isn’t a bad idea. Personally, the former is more appealing, but either way, having another living being to care for and connect with would give No Man’s Sky a deeper sense of comradery.
Less Clunky UI
6 No Man’s Sky Improvements
This is probably the most requested entry on this wish-list. Everything else that was suggested would act as an added bonus to an already stellar game. Nonetheless, it’s almost unanimous that No Man’s Sky’s user interface is clunky and annoying to navigate.
Even after dozens of hours of play, it’s easy to get confused as to what button does what within the menus. Aside from the amount of button prompts, the act of having to move a cursor around is sluggish and feels like a chore to maneuver. Maybe it’s better on PC, but since many players are on consoles, it would be worth updating.
The NEXT update did include a quick menu, but even that isn’t self explanatory. As No Man’s Sky has become more complex, the menus have gotten less user friendly. The quick menu is a neat foundation that could be simplified, or improved upon with the inclusion of customization. If you constantly find yourself using certain gadgets, it would be awesome to be able to place them in a slot that’s a button-press away.
One of the newer inclusions is the ability to switch between third and first person. Strangely, it’s not clear how to actually switch between the two, so much so, that there are numerous threads online explaining the process. That’s the thing: It shouldn’t be a process. Simple things like this should be mapped to a button, or at the very least, be designed more elegantly within the menus.
From a design standpoint, the more button inputs the player must do, the worse the user experience is, generally. No Man’s Sky is an otherwise innovative game that is slightly bogged down by an overly complicated menu.
Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like Hello Games is stopping support with No Man’s Sky any time soon, so it’s likely at least some of these wish-list entries could come true!
