Author: GX

SYSTEM:	Davikulandr XIV (Black Hole)
REGION:	Mifaximilc
Distance to the Center:	171512.8 Light-years
Signal Scanner Location Coords:	0695:007D:0172
Planet:	Betsukagan Ogli (Euclid Galaxy)
Planet type:	Viridescent Planet
Weather:	Freezing Rain
Sentinels:	Passive
Flora:	Generous
Fauna:	Copious

In my current walkthrough, I stumbled across a really cool system—only two planets, but the first one was so amazing that I probably spent more than three hours exploring it. Partly because it had quite well-accessible Rigogen. 🙂

Turns out it’s fairly “close” (approx 150 warps, see the screenshot below) to where the old Amino Hub once was—a long-forgotten civilization created by gamers back when the Foundation update was the current release. It seems I’ve somehow gone back in time to when the Amino Hub wasn’t yet established, but also into the future… Weird.

I really wish it were possible to create custom servers for NMS, with the ability to lock them to a specific version and customize them—similar to Minecraft servers.

You can read more about Amino Hub on the NMS wiki.

As I rediscover the old Foundation update, I’d like to reflect on game developers breaking game mechanics—a common occurrence in seemingly forever-running titles like Minecraft and No Man’s Sky. These games are built almost entirely on ‘emergent gameplay’, where the core content or lore is minimalistic and not always central to the experience.

As these projects evolve, creators and devs seek new inspirations and challenges to keep the game alive. It takes tremendous effort and investment to sustain such projects.

As players, we often get attached to specific versions of the game, and revisiting them in their original form can be a nostalgic experience. It’s cool that new systems increasingly support old games, though sometimes it requires a lot of tinkering. Windows is probably the best for this, but hey, the gaming experience matters to me. 🙂

This is a bit of a controversial… People tend to have strong opinions. Personally, I prefer the original 1.0–Foundation shaders, (left images). The Pathfinder update introduced a significant shift toward a more conventional shading style, similar to what you’d see in other games (maybe a bit like Unreal Engine, though I’m no expert). Kinda more ‘realistic’ I guess. For me, the original shaders were unique and alien, and they really defined the essence of No Man’s Sky. It’s hard to describe exactly, but the modern shading makes everything look like it’s made of cheap plastic, from animals to ships. I guess tehy try to look ‘better’ or ‘properly’ which technically accomplishes that, however the feel is just not there when you actually play the game.

The original 1.0, and especially Foundation are not perfect, but have this distinct feel I love… seems they are broken, the lighting is off, the base building elements are lit all the way around – from the back rather than from the player’s perspective and there’s this strong yellow or orange filter – in short, it is weird but it works!

Giving credit to Pathfinder graphics – there are some stunning lookign planets out there however I dislike especially the structures and NPC shading.

In defence of the Pathfinder graphics, I have to admit there were some truly stunning planets, and the underwater environments finally became interesting.

I wish you could by each version of the game separately, so I made this photoshop collage. Can’t remember how exactly I made that but I recall taking picture of empty PS4 game boxes and then imposing the NMS artworks.

Xmas came early this year. Which one I'm gonna play tonight…
byu/GalacticXplorer inNoMansSkyTheGame

One of my most popular Tweets (could not find it, so adding a Reddit repost). Here’s a screenshot from the very first version that shipped on PS4 (the original disc)—PC players had the 1.03 day-one patch preinstalled.

Despite the criticism (and let’s be honest – it was more like a beta release than a ready-to-ship product up until probably version 1.2), this is one of my favourite NMS versions. It is quite enjoyable to play – once you figure out when it might crash 😉 and save at strategic moments. The additional difficulty is that you cannot save whenever you want while on foot; you need to find a save beacon, which is always located near buildings. So if you’re up for a long hike, you’d better have enough time to get to the save point!

Just a 1.0 screenshot
byu/GalacticXplorer inNoMansSkyTheGame

The game progression is much more streamlined, as they’ve nerfed many aspects in later releases. Here are my key favorite features:

• Ships are easy to obtain and relatively cheap; not much grinding is required, and the same goes for multitools.
• You always find a better ship and multitool than you currently have (with more slots).
• You can discover very cool crashed ships, and it actually makes sense to acquire them (unlike in later versions).
• You need to look for beacons to discover planetary settlements; you can’t build them, which I think is a good feature.
• You must seek out save points when on foot, which is also a cool feature.
• A few things can only be found through exploration, such as ruins and some rare resources, making the experience more rewarding.
• Terrain generation is wild! Some planets are a bit hard to traverse but very interesting indeed. Plus, your jetpack doesn’t run out quickly and is relatively easy to upgrade so it is no biggie (as you can climb straight up using jetpack).
• Backpack slots are very affordable (or even free; I can’t remember), and the number of items in the game is much lower, so it’s less likely to fill up your inventory.
• You only have two inventories to manage—backpack and starship—unlike future versions where you have dozens. In modern versions, I don’t even know—probably you manage millions of items, similar to Minecraft, which can be a pain and disrupt gameplay, in my opinion.
• Also, there are no annoying refiners, crafters, etc. This is subjective, but for me, NMS is supposed to be about exploration and wonder, not inventory management.
• You can find black holes and Atlas stations whenever you want by browsing the galactic map, rather than talking to the same NPC or visiting the same station repeatedly.
• Basically, I adore the whole experience of 1.00 – just turn on the console, and with two clicks, you’re in space. Literally, there are no splash menus or options to distract you. You click the NMS icon in the PS4 menu, and it takes you directly into space.

Conclusion

While No Man’s Sky has evolved significantly since its initial release, I hold a special place in my heart for the original version. Its simplicity and focus on exploration made it a unique experience. As the game continues to develop, I always get back to the charm of that early release. For those who haven’t experienced it, I encourage you to take a nostalgic journey back to where it all began. You might just find that the original magic is still there, waiting to be rediscovered.