No Man's Sky release date remains unannounced, even though tidbits of information continue to surface ever so often. In the sections below, we will look at what we know so far. The game will be available on PlayStation 4 and Windows PC upon release.
Release Date Announcement Postponed
Admittedly, the game has had a relatively long development. No Man's Sky was first announced at VGX 2013. The title was mentioned again at E3 2014. Later, more extensive gameplay details were revealed at E3 2015 in June. Participants at that gathering were treated to stunning visuals and immersive environments.
Hello Games has yet to announce the release date for No Man's Sky, and has given no indicators concerning the current state of progress. The company initially planned to announce the release date at E3 2015, but refrained from doing so due to unknown circumstances.
"I guess there's two things, when the release date is, but also when we announce that date. We can't announce the date right now, because of things that are not entirely in our control, but honestly for good reasons," Hello Games founder Sean Murray said to IGN. "It'll be announced as soon as we can."
According to PlayStation Lifestyle, Sony had said No Man's was slated for Holiday 2015. However, it has since then replaced that information with TBD. Since then, there have been no further announcements from either Sony or Hello Games.
Exploration and Combat
During the E3 2015 demonstration, developers revealed mechanical sentinels that guard planets' resources from players. There are also dangerous native creatures that are just as deadly. What has been shown so far is just a sample of a much larger universe that combines exploration and space combat.
Developers also announced that there are options to upgrade shield, ship and weapons depending on what players uncover during exploration. There are inventory slots for cargo, weapons, resources and upgrades. Players can choose to conduct legitimate trade or piracy.
Still, partaking in criminal activity is not without its consequences. Gamers can incur the wrath of the intergalactic military by attacking creatures or other ships. Like Grand Theft Auto, players can increase their wanted level if such actions continue. This results in the police seeking the player out. Nonetheless, players can wipe their slate clean by escaping the planet or traveling to specific access points.
One important thing to remember is to monitor the fuel situation. Fuel can run out, leaving the player stranded. The resource can still be still be purchased, but it is very expensive. It is cheaper to harvest fuel from planets, but this requires more resources and time. Overall, both choices have their pros and cons.
Immersive Environments
During that E3 demonstration, viewers were treated to gigantic beaver-like creatures and fishes. Each map featured in the game is apparently planet-sized. Additionally, every planet featured in the No Man's Sky will orbit around their respective sun. This results in an accurately recreated full day and night cycle. Also, each world contains their unique vegetation and animal life.
The online and offline player experience will vary. Those who play online will have the chance to register discoveries to the central computer network Atlas. After registration, players have the right to rename the planet or creature encountered. As a general rule, no two players can make the same discover. Once a finding has been logged into Atlas, no other player can register that same discovery. Even so, developers are keeping the online naming activity clean. In short, there will be filters for profanity and reference to certain parts of the human anatomy.
It is possible to die in this game. Should the player expire on a planet, he or she will lose discoveries. Those who are killed in space will lose their ships before resurrecting on a space station.
