First and foremost, this is not a gaming review. I have played several games that have blown me away, such as “Last of Us” (undoubtedly one of the greatest games I’ve ever played).
However, “Hello Games” amazed me differently with their game “No Man’s Sky,” which has been hit with mixed reviews since its release, with me feeling slightly mixed about the game.
I think it could be the case of overselling on Sony’s part and miss-selling game features that aren’t actually in the game.
I could spend a long time writing about things I thought would feature in the game but haven’t. However, I believe a new patch is coming out soon that may fix some of that, and that’s not what this blog is about.
So why has this independent gaming company “Hello Games” amazed me with “No Man’s Sky”? Well, here it is. They are only a tiny team of roughly 10-18 staff which have achieved the following:
- They created a procedurally generated universe with over 18 quintillion planets now. To put the number in perspective, it would take a player around 5 billion years to visit every world in the game.
- The planets themselves are large planets with unique echo systems; on top of that, planets have tunnel caves under the planet’s surface.
- Even the life forms on the planets are procedurally generated, which means those life forms are unique to that planet so that you won’t find the same life form on another planet.
- Even the sounds these creatures make are procedurally generated.
- There aren’t even any loading times between arriving and exiting a planet.
- Plus, a load more.
The point of the game is to explore, survive and make your way to the centre of the universe. Are the guys at Hello Game the most excellent game developers today?…… I have no idea. But this small team had the self-belief, confidence, and drive to pull off this unbelievable achievement.
So, if this blog were to have a point, anything is possible if you have self-belief, confidence, and drive.
