How Base Building Saved No Man’s Sky

Nearly five years after its original launch, No Man’s Sky is a markedly different game than the one we first played. Hello Games not only delivered on its promises with a multitude of updates and new content, but also transformed its previously mediocre survival sim into an unforgettable space-faring adventure. While the vanilla experience lacked the necessary hooks to keep players engaged for the long term, today No Man’s Sky offers a plethora of meaningful activities to participate in, including character customization, underwater settlements, cooking and farming, derelict freighters to creep through, technology trees, and most recently, tameable companions and pet trading. The game supports virtual reality.

In addition to introducing new and expanded systems that have bolstered the weaker aspects of No Man’s Sky, Sean Murray and team have reinforced the strengths of the original project that were worth sticking around for. Multiple facelifts have made the title’s mesmerizing planets even more arresting with the addition of fluorescent foliage and landscapes that are straight out of your favorite sci-fi films. 

But the game wasn’t always this great.

Regardless of being home to over 18 quintillion planets, No Man’s Sky was largely a hollow experience at release. The title’s procedurally-generated biomes offered little variation in their offerings to the player, and without flagship features like multiplayer or large-scale space battles, it was the husk of what was first promised. The gameplay was the same in the original version: repair and explore a ship and then harvest resources for survival and funding further explorations. What was the problem?

The Analysis Visor was the sole system to encourage planetary exploration at launch. It is a multi-tool technology that allows players to search for unknown flora and fauna as well as minerals. The Analysis Visor not only shows you your location to these curiosities; it allows you to also upload your results to earn credits, which you can use to buy ships and other equipment. Though the Analysis Visor is a well-designed game mechanic, Hello Games desperately needed to create additional avenues that would incentivize players to continue playing No Man’s Sky.

After all, the game’s main mission, which was to reach the center of the galaxy, was yet another victim to an overhyped and misleading marketing campaign. After spending potentially hundreds of hours on the game, those who managed to make it to the center would then be at the end of another level, without any of their items. When you are deprived of all your achievements and reward points, the hours-long journey becomes meaningless.

So how exactly did base building save No Man’s Sky? 

In a world that is increasingly proceduralized, the players need an anchor to keep them engaged and reward them for their time.

Get the latest Foundation updates. 

Released in the Fall of 2016, the Foundation Update established the game’s base-building system. None of us knew it at the time, but this first update would ensure a legacy for No Man’s Sky, as I’d argue that it was crucial to the game’s resurgence and eventual success.

What content was this patch able to add? First, the ability to create modular structures with decorations. You could build your base by connecting floors, walls and doors. Yes, No Man’s Sky was now “Minecraft in space,” and it was cool as hell. Shelters were not only a place to call home on the planet you chose, they offered new functions that make exploration and survival easier. For instance, instead of fleeing to the confines of their ship’s cockpit, players could seek solace from hazardous storms by simply hanging out in their base.

For more financially-driven players, the game’s brand new farming system allowed them to cultivate and harvest crops either outside or via hydroponic labs. There’s a lot of money to be made by selling these Harvested Agricultural SubstancesThey are, according to the game’s eloquent description.

However, what happens if one player decides to move out of their home star systems? Wouldn’t creating a base on a planet discourage them from pursuing the far reaches of space? Luckily, no. Hello Games spotted this issue and developed a solution. Soon, the studio added teleporters as well as freighters to their game. Teleporters enable players to move between any base or freighter at will.

The base building solution also solves many of the quality-of-life issues faced in the early versions, including a lack of storage space and inventory. A terrestrial roof above their heads meant that players were able to store valuable materials rather than selling or discarding them in order to make more room in their wallets.

With all of these new features to explore, No Man’s Sky was finally starting to feel like a game that prioritized player freedom rather than a ruleset that simulated worthwhile progression. Yet Hello Games didn’t stop there.

13 subsequent content updates eventually made their way to No Man’s Sky, and nearly every one of them was built on the Foundation Update’s framework. Atlas Rises and Path Finder were released at distinct times in 2017. They added starship and multitool specializations, a slew of land-based vehicles, hangars for them, more exterior finishes, and a tiered crafting process that allowed you to unlock valuable items using different combinations. In 2018, Hello Games released No Man’s Sky Next, Visions, and The Abyss. These three chapters established the game’s full multiplayer suite, cooperative base building, massive underwater environments and settlements, and a submarine exocraft to offer new avenues of exploration. 

One of the most significant and necessary additions to No Man’s Sky was the Construction Research Station, which permanently linked the game’s base building and exploration systems after it was introduced in the Beyond update.

Here’s how it works. 

Salvaged Data is a currency that has been hidden underground in technology modules. Players who venture into space may search for it. In order to pinpoint the item’s location, which can be scattered across almost any planet, players need to scan the environment around them with the Analysis Visor. Once excavated, the Salvaged Data can be redeemed back at their base’s Construction Research Station for a myriad of base-building parts, including agricultural modules, aquatic construction, illumination, transportation, and sci-fi decor. The Construction Research Station has made base-building a more attractive option for exploring. Previously these recipes were only available from special NPC’s, but now can be more easily researched with this process. If you’d rather, the Salvaged Data that you collected can be refined into a separate currency called Nanite Clusters and instead be used to upgrade your starships and multi-tools.

Even more base tools have been added to No Man’s Sky, including Exo Mechs, a new terrain editing system, and a Nutrient Processor that works as a cooking appliance. All of these aforementioned features provided the carrot-on-a-stick that No Man’s Sky so desperately needed at launch. And still, even five years later, Hello Games continues to push update after update, molding their game into what we’ve always hoped it would be. It wouldn’t have been possible without base building, which introduced foundational gameplay systems. 

As I mentioned, today’s version of No Man’s Sky is far different from its original release. Today, No Man’s Sky is an experience that truly captures the awe of space and the wonder of the unknown. It’s a game that sparks our curiosity as we ignite our hyperdrives and warp to lightspeed in search of what’s next.

Despite everything, No Man’s Sky is simply intoxicating.