What secrets hide the space the most anticipated games of the summer: No Man's Sky
Game No Man's Sky was a hit long before the publication. Its creators have promised the players as much 18 quintillion planets with a unique biosphere, the possibility of space travel and battles, and much more. "To Lenta.ru" play in the No Man's Sky and share their experiences.
Acid trip
The traveler opens his eyes to the sound of rain. He does not remember anything, but guess what happened, it is not difficult. Next - a broken spaceship around its scattered fragments.
This green planet, but definitely not Earth. Perhaps she had once looked like the Earth, but now there is constantly pouring acid rain. Local flora, apparently, somehow adapted to the environment of toxic and aggressive radiation background. The emerald-green plants, green grass - the same sky and the color of swamp water.
For such a hostile environment will require a special suit - the traveler, getting out of the cabin of the spacecraft, including block of toxic protect his suit. The ship should be repaired, after collecting all the necessary for this by means of multitool (something like a plasma or a laser pistol, crossed with the emitter of the transport beam from the TV series "Star Trek"). The desired materials, and chemical elements and minerals contained in plants.
Traveler gets down to business, it scans the terrain, looking for rare elements ... but soon realizes that he does not want to do this. So he just goes ahead, the sound of acid rain and the sound of their own footsteps. Dull landscape is gradually changing. Suddenly, there are huge green trees, resembling squid - yes, the giant squid, just let the roots. A traveler comes to one of them and hear what the tree is very loud bleats, grunts and hoots like an owl.
The traveler continues to move forward, finally spat on resource gathering. The terrain changes again: the cave is now everywhere, hanging from the ceiling that strange glowing minerals. Block protection toxic discharges, and the stranger have to hide in one of these caves to wait until the device is recharged. And again in the way.
The whole universe
This is not a crazy man of vision, under the influence of hallucinogenic substances, and the game is No Man's Sky. Five years ago, it has developed a small independent studio Hello Games, which released up to this unpretentious two-dimensional couple of races. The idea at the basis of the game, the impression: to create a universe of quintillion star systems, where each planet is characterized by unique ecosystems, landscapes - but in general everything. The vast expanses of space ships travel through the highly developed civilizations, and all that lives its life, without the intervention of the founders, in obedience to a complex algorithm written by them.
In No Man's Sky every form of life, each uneven terrain on the planet, the appearance of spaceships and position of the stars in the galaxy - all procedurally generated. Of course, the algorithm builds the world from certain "bricks" - the texture, body parts of animals, plant stems and inflorescences. But the program combines them in a way that often receive unexpected results.
In theory and in demonstrating early versions of the game, this concept looks very attractive. No Man's Sky gained a lot of fans long before. Head developer Sean Murray fell threats by mail, when it was announced that the premiere is delayed by two months. And here's a game on the market. And then it had doubts: Is No Man's Sky - it's so entertaining, as it seemed?
Everything is allowed
Sean Murray in numerous interviews and product demonstrations stated that in this game you can do whatever you want. Move from one star system to another, gradually approaching the center of the galaxy, where lies the answer to the question of why it was. Collect the resources to improve their instruments and spacecraft, or trade them. Go to the pirates and engage in large-scale battles, capturing and destroying enemy space ships (again, for the sake of resources). And finally, you can simply explore the planet, where nobody has ever been, to study their biosphere and geology, discovering alien artifacts and getting acquainted with the history of a way of their civilization.
All this is true. But for those who are prepared to meet with the universe, there is a disappointing news - she does not care for the player. People are used to the fact that in any modern game they compulsively show where to go, what to do, and the purpose of it - passing scene, premeditated developers.
In No Man's Sky analogue of this story - the need to get to the center of the galaxy, but no one is doing is forcing. If you walk down the surface of the toxic planet in the path will not have the helpful stranger, telling the player that in some corner of the cosmos was a momentous event in which he is invited to participate. This does not mean that these events did not occur to anyone simply do not care about a lonely man and his spaceship.
Decide what to do, have the most, and not everyone will like it. The first taught by No Man's Sky: a player - not the center of the universe, not a hero, not a member of some epic events.
The irresponsible waste of time
No Man's Sky robs human time, and does it completely irresponsible. Even if a player wish to simply explore the planet after planet, he could not relax.
To fly away from the planet, we need fuel and special motor. To move quickly in space, we need a different engine and fuel. Even the collection of resources is far from being a meditative exercise - multitul constantly overheats, on many planets the player watching robot guards. If removing too many resources or kill too many animals, the guards will attack, reminding who's boss. On the move did not even want to talk between star systems. This requires a special battery warp transition, and create them - dreary darkness.
In the end, the game frustrates the player to the limit, because nothing can not be obtained immediately, but simply to explore a planet, no matter how vast and exciting it was, quickly bored.
Victims of procedural generation
procedural generation algorithm, alas, does not protect against the monotony of all that we have to contemplate. Yes, all the planets are beautiful, do not seem repetitive, colorful, with radically different biosphere and climate. But whatever may be the color of the vegetation, we can vouch for the fact that it is on the planet - even the seemingly most unfavorable for life. If completely lifeless planet and there, then could not find them.
Almost everywhere - the alien base and factory, and almost always on one of the planets orbit the star system - the space station with the standard interior, let not a rich set of her cabins and shuffling algorithm.
History alien civilizations sometimes too far-fetched, is not detectable artifacts appear to be linked to specific characters, who meet on the way. The mysterious ancient race Atlas generally perceived as decoration, built only to push the player to commit a trip to the center of the galaxy. In general, if you find yourself in a kind of "The Truman Show", where everything - from the creepy cross between a monkey with a deer to the stranger with frightful muzzle - seemingly live by logical laws, but in reality it is just a soulless robot extras.
Giant planets lacking. For some reason the developers decided that they will only irritate players (although, for example, in the upper layers of the atmosphere of planets could collect useful items). Those planets that are, are very close to each other, giving the impression of a picture from a science fiction movie of the last century, when the horizon is piled two or three huge planetary disk. It's beautiful, but quickly bored, besides of acid colors eye fatigue.
If the planet green and red, and its sky is blue, so it will be everywhere. There is no ice caps at the poles, there are no deserts in contrast to the jungle (and vice versa). Finally, no matter how many options there were no living creatures, they still do not look alien. When a chimera, which is a cross between a tiger and rhinoceros and camel, with two tails, a reasonable question arises: why? No answer.
And there will be
But this does not mean that the answer should be. Although the game is annoying, teetering on the brink of meaninglessness of existence of the protagonist, unable to maintain balance. This causes the console or not to turn off the computer and go and develop deposits of zinc, to fix the pulse motor or fly to a distant base for drawing the new device.
You can spend hours fascinated to look at the sky or unnaturally colorful expanse of the cosmos by tracking subtle tracks left by alien spaceships land and take off, carrying cargo to the station or to her. Nothing can convey delight at finding something familiar, but at the same time looking absolutely fantastic - the same screaming, squid trees. And of course, the heart just stops when you realize that it's a huge planet, the surface of which you stand - one of the 18 quintillion points in the vast infinity.
No Man's Sky - restless, screaming game kitsch metaphor of the real world, people who have just started to learn. Looking at the sea of stars, romance, and scientists are trying to imagine what will be the meeting of civilizations that will be able to find on planets orbiting distant suns. The anticipation of this moment causes the imagination to paint a fantastic picture, to represent the Earth navel of the universe and that all changes after the contact, advanced aliens will lead us to a brighter future. No Man's Sky - vaccination sobriety, giving a clear signal: "Earthlings, no one will take you by the hand and help to cope with your eternal boredom, but yourself."