Is it just me or does this game feel pointless?

[Elazul]

I've come to the point where the shiny and new has rubbed off an I feel like everything you do in this game is ultimately pointless. You collect resources to be better able to explore and collect resources to reach the center of the universe that is essentially nothing except to start over again. Sure you can build bases and farm for money... but for what purpose? I don't know if it's just me but the game feels wide as an ocean but deep as a puddle. I'm just so bored even though I should by all rights be entertained :/

[FoxPurple]

Did you read the game description before you bought it?

[Azarro]

You're right in the sense that there's really no "point". But this is similar to a lot of survival or open world sandbox games (but some have more refined endgames or more interesting core loops).

No Man Sky's loop, unfortunately, even with all the updates, has not changed one bit. There's more cool things to do now but they're mostly distractions and other things for you to do to make your pit stops and exploration of different (but functionally, pretty much the same non-unique) worlds more enjoyable. They can even help you construct your own goals should you choose to do so.

Tired of going to the center? Go to the Galactic Hub instead (region of space explored and documented by a large group of players).

Want to set up races on planets with your exocrafts? Do that.

Want to mark your territory on cool planets with cool bases? Do that.

Want to be a pirate/trader (typical space sandbox stuff)? Do those!

Want to take over a region of space, document it, make a wiki for it or a community with other players? Do that!

Ultimately, you make 0 actual impact on the game's world and this is where it gets broken for a lot of people or unsatisfying - that your actions really have no meaning. One could argue that it makes sense if you consider it in the context of the story but in reality, it's just not great.

At the end of the day, it's just about the pleasure you derive from the game! So if it's not your kinda game, that's fair. It's fun to watch now other people play it too imo in bits and pieces.
I personally like playing it while doing other stuff - it's just a casual, meaningless game. Just have fun with it :)

[Chuck]

Originally posted by Bob:

Maybe read what I said and stop missing an obvious point?

I cleary said ark/rust are different BECAUSE there is a purpose, and that purpose is player interaction (attacking/defending).

Man, some of you people are so quick to fabricate blatantly obvious points just to defend this game. Great, you enjoy it, congrats. Doesn't change what I said in the slightest. The point is that having a grind with no end goal is pointless. Having a grind with no end goal and minimal content in between outside of simply exploring genericly generated planets is unacceptable.

Minecraft had player interaction and a heavy emphasis on creativity, so another common example I see that is just plain stupid. The base building in this game is nothing to write home about. Compare to subnautica where the base building has substantial purpose and QoL changes that enhance your adventure through the STORY of the survival experience.

I'm sorry but what point did I miss and what other point did I fabricate?

Was the point that PVP makes a grind acceptable? Was it saying that your interest in specific video game aspects doesn't make a game without them bad design? What did I miss and what did I make up?

You don't like Mincraft because of the emphasis on creativity. You clearly need something telling you what to do. Don't mean that in a bad way. You and the OP just seem to need a purpose/story to give you a reason to do things. Not everybody needs that. That doesn't make the game a bad game or have a bad design. NMS's purpose is to explore the massive amount of planets. While you explore, you find artifacts, buildings, ships, so on, so forth. The "story" is just to introduce certain aspects for the game and to give those that need it more of a sense of purpose. If it's not enough for you, the game isn't for you. That's not bad design.

Originally posted by Bob:

The drive in ark and rust is to pvp; which is why the grind is acceptable. For those that don't want to outright attack, then you build your defenses and retaliate. In ark, you tame creatures, breed, build far more interesting bases than in this game, and there is actually a bit of a story to work towards with end game major boss fights and goals. It is actually moronic that anyone compare this game's 'purpose' with that of ark's.

You just sound like pvp isn't your thing, which is fine, but that is a massive drive in those games. To claim it doesn't give the grind some purpose is confusing to say the least. You are just scraping the bottom of the barrel for comments to make in order to justfisy the lack of content in this game.

I never played Rust but the drive in Ark isn't PVP. That's your drive in the game. I don't play PVP but still really liked ARK PVE. My drive wasn't PVP as their were only my friends in the same clan that I was playing with. And why would you say it's "moronic that anyone compare this game's 'purpose' with that of ark's." when you did exactly that? The purpose in Ark is defeating other clans, beating the bosses, or both. The purpose in NMS is to explore or build a large base, acquire a massive fleet, or whatever you want to do. Again, just because you don't like what you can do in the game, doesn't mean it's bad design. It just means you don't like the game.

[jabberwok]

Originally posted by Dex:

Originally posted by jabberwok:

Go paint a picture? Watch a movie? Play a flight simulator? Have an existential crisis? ;D

Every day I walk outside and have to look at the same sun made of the same gases, and the same street filled with the same carbon monkeys as every other day. What's the point?

What a silly comment. I assume you're working towards some goal in your life? Something that you want? Or at the very least you're saving up for something, trying to meet someone, etc.

NMS gameplay loops is to gather resources so you can get faster at gathering resources. The entire premise of the game is a lie. Moving towards the center of the galaxy changes nothing. you might as well stay on the same planet.

Exploration would mean something if it were more like Elite but in NMS every planet has already been visited by thousands of other travellers. Every planet has premade bases already set up, npcs to talk to and quests to give.

By travellers, you mean the NPCs, I guess.

I want to know in what way exploration should be more like Elite. By getting rid of the outposts and NPCs?

I don't really understand how the premise is a lie, either.

Nobody sets a goal for you in life. Can you set one for yourself in a video game?

Also, you took my comment way too seriously. And you are kind of a jerk.

[GrandTickler]

as pointless as waking up every morning

[jabberwok]

Originally posted by Bob:

I like how some of you say most survival games are the same as a line of reasoning. You aren't completely wrong, but most survival games are horrible to begin with.

Rust and ark have a huge advantage in replayability and purpose. Defense and attack. Players are the threat in a hostile PvE environment and confronting people for one reason or another is the purpose.

In this game, you grind resources for ages and explore randomly generated planets that have no unique features. There is no great reason to keep looking other than to see color swaps (after the first few anyway). So while it is easy to sit there and say the OP's preference for wanting greater purpose is faulty (some of you keep saying all games share that same flaw, which is absolutely false), I am sitting here wondering why they made the game so grindy if this was an exploration game?

Sanbox games are fine. Sandbox games that have you grind for a crappy end game goal and little to do in between other than walk around are not so fine. Bad design is bad design.

If the difference for you is that it's pointless without other players to fight, then that right there is the problem.

Rust, for me, is about hacking at the same tree for five minutes, then getting shot in the head by someone with more free time than you, then repeating it again. I have had a hundred times more fun in NMS than I had in Rust. The resource collection grind is way less tedious here than in that game. If you need other players to enjoy yourself in these environments, that is a matter of taste. I have no interest in playing this game competitively against other people. This is a subjective issue of what kind of game you're looking for, not a simple matter of bad design.

If you believe they missed the goal they were aiming for in making this game, then that would be bad design. But maybe, as the people you have dismissed have said, this game just does not possess what you're looking for in a game.

It's possible that they could have made a game without the resource collection. Unfortunately, I imagine you would have at least as many people shouting that there was no point to playing it. Probably more.

[BeachyBlues]

Originally posted by Blaze:

This game is a survival open world sci fi game. Its a lot like Minecraft, Terraria, Ark: Survival evovled, the long dark, Subnatica and other survival games. The point is exploration

I think what sets this game apart from the previous mentioned games, is the lack of story and concrete goals. In Minecraft the main objective was to explore, but there are incentives such as combat and building. Same with Terraria and Subnautica. It's not and rpg, which I think surprises a lot of people who are used to seeing Exploration RPGs.

[jabberwok]

I see people complaining that the endgame isn't the endgame, as if they just want the game to give them an excuse to stop playing it. If you reach this point and the game informs you that you can now do more of the thing that you were doing before, and your reaction is anger, then you may not have been enjoying the thing to begin with.

NMS says: "Here's a massive universe to explore." Then it gives you another one and that is somehow a bad thing?

If the exploration and other tasks are boring, there may be legitimate criticisms to be levelled, ways in which they could be improved to make them engaging. But it seems like a strange reaction to be upset that the game would invite you to keep playing it.

[jabberwok]

Originally posted by BeachyBlues:

Originally posted by Blaze:

This game is a survival open world sci fi game. Its a lot like Minecraft, Terraria, Ark: Survival evovled, the long dark, Subnatica and other survival games. The point is exploration

I think what sets this game apart from the previous mentioned games, is the lack of story and concrete goals. In Minecraft the main objective was to explore, but there are incentives such as combat and building. Same with Terraria and Subnautica. It's not and rpg, which I think surprises a lot of people who are used to seeing Exploration RPGs.

NMS has combat and building, as well. There may be a bunch of issues with this game that people are reacting negatively to, but I don't think it is any more directionless than Minecraft was.

[jabberwok]

Originally posted by Azarro:

You're right in the sense that there's really no "point". But this is similar to a lot of survival or open world sandbox games (but some have more refined endgames or more interesting core loops).

No Man Sky's loop, unfortunately, even with all the updates, has not changed one bit. There's more cool things to do now but they're mostly distractions and other things for you to do to make your pit stops and exploration of different (but functionally, pretty much the same non-unique) worlds more enjoyable. They can even help you construct your own goals should you choose to do so.

Tired of going to the center? Go to the Galactic Hub instead (region of space explored and documented by a large group of players).

Want to set up races on planets with your exocrafts? Do that.

Want to mark your territory on cool planets with cool bases? Do that.

Want to be a pirate/trader (typical space sandbox stuff)? Do those!

Want to take over a region of space, document it, make a wiki for it or a community with other players? Do that!

Ultimately, you make 0 actual impact on the game's world and this is where it gets broken for a lot of people or unsatisfying - that your actions really have no meaning. One could argue that it makes sense if you consider it in the context of the story but in reality, it's just not great.

At the end of the day, it's just about the pleasure you derive from the game! So if it's not your kinda game, that's fair. It's fun to watch now other people play it too imo in bits and pieces.
I personally like playing it while doing other stuff - it's just a casual, meaningless game. Just have fun with it :)

^^Good description. Really, you can still have an impact within the community if that's your thing. But I think it's entirely suitable that the player's actual impact on the universe is negligible. It is an actual universe, after all. Personally, I've played a thousand games where every choice I made was to determine the fate of the galaxy or some crap. For once, it's nice to be in a setting that feels bigger than me.

[Ghostlight]

To those saying open world non-PvP survival games are, by their definition, pointless, I say you are wrong. Let's take my favourite such game, 7 Days to Die. It's a bit like this game in that you explore first and foremost, collect stuff, and build better stuff to make your exploration and collection more efficient. You also build and improve a base as well. However 7 Days has a purpose....the zombies.

As well as the entire map being hostile, making exploration dangerous at all times, the game also spawns a massive horde of zombies every 7 days (hence the title) directly against the players and their bases. These hordes get increasingly stronger each time, meaning the entire loop is an arms race between the players and the zombies. If the players fall behind this race to equip themselves, they will be overrun and potentially lose eveything. This gives eveything PURPOSE and generates huge amouts of suspense - it's brilliant.

So don't let anyone tell you that a survival game has no purpose beyond the exploration. That's nonsense....POORLY DESIGNED survival games have no purpose. Exploration is not fullfilling unless there is something worth exploring. A planet that is a different colour/size/temperature from the last one does not count as worth exploring. A small town that has a locked up gun shop when the previous one did not *Does count*.

[TruebornJester]

Originally posted by Elazul:

I've come to the point where the shiny and new has rubbed off an I feel like everything you do in this game is ultimately pointless. You collect resources to be better able to explore and collect resources to reach the center of the universe that is essentially nothing except to start over again. Sure you can build bases and farm for money... but for what purpose? I don't know if it's just me but the game feels wide as an ocean but deep as a puddle. I'm just so bored even though I should by all rights be entertained :/

You're missing the point. You are meant to find yourself in the game. 16161616161616161616161616161616

[BeachyBlues]

Originally posted by jabberwok:

Originally posted by BeachyBlues:

I think what sets this game apart from the previous mentioned games, is the lack of story and concrete goals. In Minecraft the main objective was to explore, but there are incentives such as combat and building. Same with Terraria and Subnautica. It's not and rpg, which I think surprises a lot of people who are used to seeing Exploration RPGs.

NMS has combat and building, as well. There may be a bunch of issues with this game that people are reacting negatively to, but I don't think it is any more directionless than Minecraft was.

I was referring to final bosses and constructing freely. I don't doubt that the game isn't fun or has a variety of things to do, but the on-foot combat falls short, and the building is limited. Maybe if the possibility to introduce modding is added to NMS, then it could spice things up for the better, and make it less bland.

[Ghostlight]

Originally posted by DarkFox:

Did you read the game description before you bought it?

Do you mean the true one or the massive lie one?

[Tsvetomir]

Some people expect empire management game from No Man's Sky, and it is not, although I wouldn't mind enslaving humanoid inhabitants to produce me weed while I pay them with weed, meanwhile training some of them to be soldiers to colonize other planets and raid other player's bases, expecting futile resistance from the fleet of the enemy player haha.