Hello Games has released the patch notes for No Man's Sky update 1.3, and they include a couple of surprises. As previously reported, the patch adds new story content and portals which allow you fast travel between locations. On top of all that, though, 1.3 actually adds a form of multiplayer. Kind of.
The developer is calling it "joint exploration". Essentially, you'll be able to see other active players -- up to 16 of them at a time -- as floating orbs. It's a very basic implementation of multiplayer, but Hello Games does say "while interaction with others is currently very limited, this is an important first step into the world of synchronous co-op in No Man’s Sky", so you can expect the studio to expand on this further in the future. What's more, proximity-based voice chat will be available when exploring with your new spherical friends.
It's safe to say 1.3 is a big update -- huge, even. You can get a brief overview via the video that we've embedded above, but if you just want the details in writing, be sure to click through here and check the official notes. There are new dynamic missions, terrain forming, improvements to the user interface, and a load of other things.
What do you make of this big update? Are you still playing No Man's Sky, or will this patch tempt you back? Jet off into the comments section below.
[source nomanssky.com]
Comments 58
Very tempted to grab NMS in the sale now.
This is another super impressive update. I hope they realise that they need to ease lapsed players back in, though — all of this stuff could easily get overwhelming.
@ShogunRok Was thinking the exact same thing... starting to
become what it should have been on release
@ShogunRok how much is it in the sale?
I've bought it from a friend for $20, played it for a couple hours and mostly liked what I saw. Was right around the time ff15 came out so I stopped playing it for that. All these updates are tempting me to give it another go.
When does this update go live?
As a big critic of NMS at launch for false promises, I think it only fair to praise Hello Games for trying to deliver on the original promises.
It hasn't convinced me to get the game, primarily because I would more than likely wait until the patches start drying up.
It does make you wonder though how much better the reception would have been if this has been delayed 6-9 months though right? Or if a roadmap had been released near launch.
@daveofduncan £9.99 in the summer sale.
Is the patch out today? Does anyone know?
@get2sammyb would all these updates change push square review score if it was reviewed today? Be a good idea to re-review games for example drive club, just an idea pal love the site 🖒
@get2sammyb Really hope it's today...they did say 'this week', right? Really hope so - the new update looks great and this could be exactly what I need to play after a stressful week! It's another big step for NMS, looking forward to trying it out and seeing what happens next.
@MoorePs4 Thanks! This is definitely something we think about all the time as the nature of games is changing. We need to figure out the best way to handle it, and obviously we also have to find the time, because we struggle with new releases let alone going back to old ones.
But I completely agree with you: we need to find a solution to this.
Wow looks really nice might hop back in to see the changes
The list of changes really is fantastic, from the small details like low altitude flights to the bigger stuff like terrain modifying (!) - really, really cool.
Patch download available now- booted NMS and it automatically appeared.
Now I'm convinced.. bought from sale from PSN for 15 euros :]
@Denudingparadox Nice!
@get2sammyb maybe hire a few more people might help.
Breaking out my Limited Edition NMS after one year.
It is ridiculous. The developers should have done: a) release the game 1-2 years later when it's finished or b) don't promise things they couldn't deliver. I am so angry about this game (payed full price for the diginal version on release so I could not resell it) that I don't care about any updates. Won't play this game anymore.
Well done HG, looks pretty great. I'm gunna have a wee go this weekend!
@Sanctanox wanna cookie?
Might take more than just a cookie actually if you're still so angry about that £40 you spent a year ago :')
I'm going to use the new terrain manipulator to sculpt penises on every planet I go to. That's how you'll know I've been there.
@get2sammyb - so one the fiercest critics of No Mans' Sky (the less said about that damning article before the official review the better) now says that the changes could be 'too big' after having castigated Hello Games since launch for an underdeveloped game?
Sammy, its a bizarre reversal to now say players could be 'overwhelmed' by the changes - clutching at straws there, fella 😂😂😂
No Mans Sky may not be the sci-fi collosus many wanted, but it IS a very different type of game which does hold intrigue and mass exploration - which Elite: Dangerous lacks as you can't just get out and explore each planet on foot in that game.
Hello Games should be acknowledged for the amount of DLC they have added for free since launch, for free. They have absolutely addressed concerns at launch and it looks much better, too.
Will be downloading the patch and playing over the weekend, unless GTA Online continues to wrench my time with gunrunning / crate runs 😜
I got bored with NMS a couple of months ago even though I thought it was a great game, It's still installed on my Pro as I've been praying for PSVR support so I will download the patch when I get home from work and start the game from scratch, just like I did a year ago (I will back up my old save just incase )
Basic technical multiplayer has been in it for a while, stealing crops from other players bases, leaving and reading messages to/from other players etc, the real game changers for me though were the introduction of home planets/base building with staff and a quick teleport back home from anywhere in the universe, and the buggy to traverse planets quicker. Heartening to see the amount of goodwill towards it nowadays from the general gaming public, too. Will definitely be dipping back in, 65DoS's awesome soundtrack has been expanded upon with more tracks, too. Good job HG. 😊
@Galvatron That's not what I said, though, is it? I said that I hope they ease lapsed players back in — i.e. people who haven't played the game since the last update and need a reminder of the systems and mechanics.
I think that's fair?
@Galvatron Can people not have a change of opinion? Don't understand why someone should be held to account for things they said a year ago under different circumstances.. unless they are like, bigging up Nazis or something.
@Galvatron to be fair, after the previous huge updates, I started again with new saves as there was a whole lot more to get used to, right down to the UI etc.
Wont jump in for this update, but if theres some interesting story/quest content id consider. I got the platinum a year ago
thing is this LITERALLY is a Stargate
not sure how MGM are going to take this?
@Sanctanox Or you could get over it and maybe have a good time.
@ShogunRok @get2sammyb
"But I completely agree with you: we need to find a solution to this."
I think the solution should have been to re-release the game as NMS 2 or NMS: Stargate and give the update free. Don't know what that costs are but there is precedent. MH has a new "version" of practically every game, and full price at that. So does Pokemon, though not as often, but Ultra games are coming out this holiday only 1 year after the originals, and they'll sell. I think (you guys would know better than I) Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen was just an improved DD. Heck even 3 year old Animal Crossing New Leaf came out w/ a new cartridge version AN:NL: Welcome amiibo, but if you had the original game all the new stuff was available as a free download.
https://www.polygon.com/2016/11/3/13507948/animal-crossing-new-leaf-new-features-update-welcome-amiibo
So as they continue to add stuff to NMS, a game that was pretty much written off and sued shortly after launch, I think when they're done with these updates they need a new game to release. Or at least NMS: Complete for $20 so you guys can review it again.
@MadAussieBloke If that happened I would be straight out to go buy a PSVR. No question.
YOU CAN SUMMON YOUR SHIP!!!! The lack of that one feature really killed the game for me, why go exploring when you would have to walk all the way back to your ship.
I never really expected much from the game to be honest, and still even I was underwhelmed by the state of the game at release. (though I did still enjoy playing about 30 hours of the game before I got tired of it) but this update sounds like it should finally be moving the game out of that "Early Access" feel.
@FullbringIchigo Well I guess we just won't tell them now will we >> << ...
@kyleforrester87 - holding a damning article just before a review on the same site to account? That's not comparable to the Third Reich, thankfully.
I was bemused by it and said so at the time.
But of course we can change our minds, it's only fair though that we also give credit where credit is due - and Hello Games have evidently not taken the cash into the sunset, they've worked hard to address fan feedback and added some decent, substantial DLC to give it some meat and bones. So if we are particularly visceral in our initial thoughts, 'fess up 😂
I'll be back on this and despite the shocking spoilers plastered online about the disappointing ending, it's all about the journey, which is a sign of a good game 🚀
@rjejr who sued them?
@MadAussieBloke That would definitely be tempting if it was a UK deal. At the moment it seems to hover around the £380 mark for the headset and camera over here. If there's a good enough bundle around Christmas then I might be tempted.
Heck with it, I might have to start the game back up, download all of these updates and try the game again. I'm really starting to like what I'm hearing.
Props to Hello Games.
I'm gonna start all over again from the beginning. It'll be like a new game.
I wiped out my old save yesterday and started a new game. Looks like today I'm wiping out yesterday's progress to try out the update from the beginning. 😱😱😱
@get2sammyb I think the best way to do this is some kind of retrospective on a relevant game. A game has to be reviewed as it is at launch.
It's clear to me that HG weren't intentionally lying to people, they clearly ran out of time and money to deliver on what they wanted. This was the same studio that had death threats for delaying the game by two months, imagine the backlash if they delayed it by a year.
"Expectations are predetermined disappointments." Best to get a hold of them now, people. Life is challenging enough without you adding in emotional results before events happen.
Still such harsh feelings about this game. smh And then mad at them for continuing to improve the game. How dare they! Yep. Diablo 3 should've stay at launch version. 😜
@rjejr Er, releasing a NMS 2 would be bad. Bad business. Bad marketing. Who would buy NMS 2? No, best they keep improving NMS and build their reputation back up. Maybe a future DLC cost, but if they make a new game, best they shy away from the same type of game, imo.
I enjoyed the base building release but I haven't been back since. I think I might hop back in. Maybe follow others and create a new game.
I'll never cease to be amazed by people who had such specific and steadfast expectations for this game. I was very excited about it and read every preview I could find, and what I remember most are articles saying "what do you actually do in No Man's Sky?" And the answer was... what we got on day one. And it's gotten so much better since! Can't wait to check out this update.
Peoples expectations for the game were way to big to begin with. What people wanted the game to be and what the game actually is are two different things. I liked it at the start and they have made good and significant improvements over the last year.
I have the physical version as I grabbed the SE at launch. Laugh if you must but I enjoyed the game even then, though it did get painfully boring after about twelve hours.
I just grabbed the digital version while it's on sale as I tend not to play games I own physically nearly as often as I do games I can just launch with a click.
I'm hanging out for the GOTY edition, lol.
@BowTiesAreCool "who sued them?
Can't you just jump in the TARDIS and find out?
Well first it was Sky TV -
https://gamerant.com/no-mans-sky-lawsuit-109/
and then this guy -
https://techraptor.net/content/kekraptor-lawsuit-filed-no-mans-sky-says-game-isnt-revolutionary-enough
and then there was the ASA advertising investigation, which I suppose technically was more of an investigation than a lawsuit -
https://www.polygon.com/2016/11/30/13791782/no-mans-sky-false-advertising-results
Certainly hasn't been smooth sailing.
@Hoodie718 - yeah there was a whiff of hypocracy from a few dank corners of the internet who evidently gave berating reviews and articles to ride the wave of clickbaitville.
The game lacked a number of key things so let's be clear - but it didn't deserve the maelstrom that followed.
There are gamers on this site alone who DID enjoy the game, who I suspect managed their expectations and focused their enjoyment to the isolated exploration; the game requires patience and evidently a number of these 'reviewers' do not have that - boredom they cited, as, you know, how dare a game not signpost every required action or not have a kaleidoscope of different atmospheres on every planet.
Some of us got what we wanted and didn't really care about the ending - it was the joy in flying from planet to planet, system to system, and the disappointment was in the lack of variety, but NOT the core experience. Therein lies the difference.....as for those claiming Hello Games lied, funny how virtually none of these people liked the game anyway!
May be a bit of a daft question but i want to start a new game after getting this update am i right in thinking all the planets and animals and such i discovered still in the game regardless? I got this game day 1 enjoyed my time with it and moved on. No sour grapes on my end.
I'll give it another whirl. I haven't played in a while, but I was quite happy with the game. I didn't let my hopes run away with me, and it was pretty much what I expected.
@rjejr haha, it took me nearly a full minute before realising the first one wasn't a joke article! Yikes, didn't realise Sky had got involved because they used a word in the English language 😂 I thought they'd been successfully sued for a second, but yeah it's not all plain sailing eh
This is cool, already sold the game but will buy it again if it's discounted.
I have a question...
The new update is HUGE and awesome, I want to install the game again...BUT my question is, my favorite part of the game is discovering the new species of plants and animals, so how is the animal variety after the updates??
It seems as though it became "cool" to hate NMS. I feel that most people who mock, or wish HG staff pain and suffering are just on the bandwagon. I always knew this would be a solo, placid exploration game, a kind of romantic notion that you are on your own and free to discover. The game gave me a lot of joy and wonder, and has done every time they add more content. I bought the physical and always kept it, I'd have kept it even if the trade in value was decent. I kept it because it was refreshingly different and ticked a box no other title could for me. Elite dangerous is a very different game. It's like comparing need for Speed and Driveclub. Both racing games but the core experience is difference. There's been so many games released over the years that were outright broken. NMS was never broken at launch.
And let's remember that they are an indie developer who refused money from Sony. Self developed, self published.
@Grieva-SeeD- I think a lot of people were upset about all of the false promises before the game launched. Even as a fan of the game when it first launched I found it very hard to defend.
Hello Games really needed to rein in Sean Murray; he went full Molyneux on No Man's Sky. The game may not have done as well without him hyping it, but there would not have been nearly as much backlash.
https://youtu.be/AE0nuW-mQ8A
@Constable_What
I think it was purely an issue of time. Sean wanted to create this vast complex space exploration game, with no real experience of this scale. In the end they were a victim of time. I guarantee that Sean and the team realised that they had to release it. They delayed by 2 months and recieved death threats, can you imagine if they asked for 6 months? I really wish it released and got the good attention it deserves. It's heading in the right direction, which shows the team give a toss.
@Grieva-SeeD- I do think the folks at Hello Games care immensely about No Man's Sky. Still those were lies (Probably not intentional and probably well lies, but still lies) told only about 6 months from release. Peter Molyneux did the same thing with Fable. He got excited and presented these features that were never in the game, and it caused a lot of tension at Lionhead studios at the time.
I think most of the reason we hear so little from Sean Murray now is that he overextended and got too excited about the possibilities and what he wanted to see in his game.
It's hard for me to agree that it deserved anything less than the scrutiny it received. It was a pretty interesting game that was pretty fun and chill in short bursts sure, but it wasn't what was promised.
As a comparison it would be like buying a car and the salesman excitedly telling you about all of these cool new features, and how unique it is only for you to buy it and see its just kind of a mediocre vehicle with like a tan paint job. The car is...ok, but it was too expensive for what it was and you bought it because the salesman basically lied to you.
We can't forget that that game had a AAA price tag, and when a game has that at very least a consumer expects to be delivered a product that was promised. At least!
The death threats were terrible though. The people that choose to do that need to seriously re-examine their life-choices so that they can find and understand just how wrong their life went, and devise a way correct the course they are taking. That's a garbage decision and they need to grow up. However, I don't think they'd get much more in the way of threats had they delayed the game from 2 to 6 months. When people make a death threat it isn't rooted in reason or logic, they simply see something and react to it in the most moronic way possible. These people obviously don't have a lot going on in their lives, and they're too callow to actually do anything (Although they still shouldn't be ignored they still should be punished!).
They deserved criticism at launch, but didnt deserve as much as they got IMO. Now they deserve some credit too for trying to deliver, when so many devs (steam early access..) would have just cut their losses & left it to rot. It definetely wasn't worth the retail price at launch, though, & I cant see many people buying a copy now.
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