No Man’s Sky is one of this generation's most unusual success stories. What started out as a dangerous hype machine became a major disappointment when the game released with far less than players had been promised. No Man's Sky was impressive as a tech demo of what procedural generation could do, but didn’t provide much in the way of gameplay for its fans.
Overtime, Hello Games worked hard to deliver periodic expansions to No Man's Sky’s concept, and in the form of the Next, Beyond, and Origins updates, made the game into an experience that takes players to all corners of a diverse, beautiful, and often dangerous universe. The tech behind No Man's Sky is able to produce everything from mountainous scenic paradises to barren desert wastelands filled with sand worms.
With the next generation of game consoles on its way, players are eager to find out what could be in store for this fan-favorite unending space exploration sim. The enhancement in power output could potentially increase No Man's Sky’s abilities to deliver unique experiences and encounters. Players have long been asking for certain major additions to the game that may not be possible with the current hardware. Here’s what a next-gen No Man’s Sky could look like.
Enhanced Graphical Fidelity in No Man’s Sky
The first thing that could be better about a next generation version of No Man’s Sky would be the graphics. On PlayStation 4, the game reached a point when all of the graphics felt perfectly balanced and crisp. This was about a year ago, long before the new Origins update. Origins added so much to every planet, and with that massive enhancement, pop-in has once again become a problem in No Man’s Sky.
When flying or driving across the surface of a planet, plants and animals will rapidly pop into view without warning. It is very common for players to mow down unseen creatures in their Exocraft while driving quickly. A new version of No Man's Sky on the PlayStation 5 would likely be able to handle the additional power that would go into rendering the highly-detailed procedural assets on the fly.
Enhanced Sentient Life in No Man’s Sky
No Man’s Sky currently features three main races of sentient aliens that players can interact with. These aliens are mostly found hanging out on space stations, trade outposts, and can now land on the planet’s surface for a short time. Players are able to walk up and interact with these aliens from time to time, but can do little else other than buy and sell from them. With the power of new consoles, these aliens could potentially be programed to land in groups and patrol together similar to how gangs of Super Mutants can be found roaming the countryside in Fallout 4.
This could make way for fellow exploring groups as well as bandits who want to tear down players’ bases. Imagine setting up base defenses to fend off hordes of Vykeen warriors, watching their command ships land a mile away, and waiting as they come charging down the hill toward a well-fortified base filled with players and their friends.
Enhanced Wildlife in No Man’s Sky
The animals in No Man’s Sky have already reached a point where they are jaw dropping to look at and interact with. The newest No Man's Sky update finally fixed their AI and now allow players to experience roaming groups of animals moving from place to place. One interesting addition to the game powered by next-gen could be the addition of special creatures that could be found on certain planets dotted across the universe. These could potentially be Monster Hunter-like behemoths that are animated to behave differently than the other creatures. These would still be procedurally generated, but would be ultra-rare. Imagine taking a group of explorers into a cave and finding some kind of enormous squid-like being nesting there, waiting to devour any players who come near.
Players are already using sites like Reddit to catalog special ships and animals that they find so other players can go there too and take part in the fun. It would be so interesting to have unique battles with monsters that drop rare items, and then be able to tell the world about it. This addition would make the experience of discovery one that is truly unique to each person, and periodic updates would only need to add one or two new creature types to keep up with the rate of discovery.
Procedurally Built Cities in No Man’s Sky
One feature that No Man's Sky players have been begging for since launch has been the inclusion of procedural cities. The most recent update to the game has added new archival buildings to planets that pose as both meeting places for aliens and trading posts. These buildings are grand in scale and are amazing to stumble upon. A next-generation version of No Man’s Sky could potentially involve fully developed cities that are visually unique from one another. It is unlikely that a procedural game could create something as detailed as Grand Theft Auto 5, but with a handful of necessary shops and buildings, these cities could at the very least be places for players to explore and congregate.
It would be very interesting to see how aliens on the planet’s surface would react to the changing weather patterns and wildlife encounters that have been added to the game. Imagine going to a city that is built to defend itself from giant sand worms, or one where all of the residents flee to their homes during acid rainstorms. It would also be great to see how the Sentinels play into the experience of life within fully developed cities of living beings. Currently, the Sentinels are some of the only interactions players have on the planet’s surface, so adding organized residential bodies of aliens would be wonderful, and would only need to be slightly more detailed than the communities that are generated in Minecraft.
Overall, the next generation of consoles could do wonders for No Man’s Sky’s procedural potential. Hello Games has already given players so much to work with in the current game, so these additions would really push the simulation into a new level of immersion. Players will just have to wait and see what No Man’s Sky has in store for them in the coming years.