The next update for No Man’s Sky will visually overhaul the game with new textures, lighting and other visual effects. No Man's Sky has built an ever-growing community with frequent and sometimes large updates adding new features since its release in 2016. 2021 has been a big year for Hello Games' once-troubled space adventure title. So far in 2021, two extensive updates for the game expand upon the Origins update that arrived in 2020 - Companions and Expeditions.
Companions added the option to tame the many procedurally generated creatures players could discover on their interplanetary travels. These creatures can develop specific traits through breeding and can also be trained to wield tools while exploring the planet. The following update, Expeditions, added a new game mode by introducing community missions on specific planets with a fresh save. Space stations received an overhaul, reworking the missions and balancing the rewards. Most recently, No Man's Sky had a unique crossover with Mass Effect. If players completed an expedition before May 31, they would net themselves the Normandy ship.
No Man’s Sky’s newest update is called Prisms, and it will visually overhaul the game in a major way. Update 3.5 adds new visual features such as screen space reflections, new texture effects, and lighting enhancements. Volumetric lighting and refractions add to the atmospheres in space stations, force fields, and cockpits. Visual improvements are shared between next-gen consoles and PC, but PC players will also get to experience more planetary detail on Ultra settings throughout different environments. Those with capable Nvidia graphics cards will also be able to make use of DLSS as well. These enhancements, with the exception of SSR, are also coming to VR.
Also in this update are changes to the hazardous weather events. Players have a chance to find valuable objects to sell during events such as lightning impacts and meteors. The Space Anomaly is getting a new research terminal that produces component crafting recipes when traded for nanites. The space station hanger has been overhauled too, adding a mysterious new Space Station Core. A significant increase to the amount of creatures that can be encountered and tamed is coming, and some animals will also be sporting new fur textures. Low-flying creatures like giant beetles, butterflies, and flying worms are among the creatures that players can now tame.
Hello Games promises even more content is coming this year to No Man’s Sky. The enhancements to the visuals push the game further to next-gen parity and the new content additions may be setting up for the next big update, which could have something to do with the mysterious core that has appeared in the space station. Only time will tell what's next for the infamous space simulator.
Source: Hello Games, No Man's Sky