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No Man's Sky just keeps getting better

polygon.com

141–150 of 176 posts

Re: No Man's Sky just keeps getting better

#142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a guitar in 2001 for $500 and I estimate that I've put in close to 150,000 hours on it.

A musical instrument is a tool for self expression - not exactly equivalent is it?

It can be, but not exclusively. Sometimes it's a toy, sometimes it's therapy. What's the difference between playing a level over 100 times until you beat the boss vs playing a rift 100 times until you get it right?

Re: No Man's Sky just keeps getting better

#143
post #139
post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm speaking more in general, not as a comparison between cyberpunk 2077 and starfield, there are plenty of games that do not have dark themes, and I don't think that any of that is required to make a good game.

None of games without these elements feel real. Not everybody prefer polished Disney-like worlds, thank you very much.

I mean if you only play games that needs to feel real than you are really limiting yourself.

Re: No Man's Sky just keeps getting better

#144
post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are only three games approaching 1k hours or even exceeding it: - Unreal Tournament (instagib) - Stardew Valley - Age of Empires 2 They all have one thing in common; they're extremely relaxing to play. Yes, even UT - I just turn my brain off and I stop thinking about life.

Factorio for me.

This. Best game to repeatedly burn out on.

For all its complexity, it's actually pretty much relaxing and autopilot once you've crossed a few hundred hours.

Re: No Man's Sky just keeps getting better

#145
post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The endless open world / survival / scavenger games are all like this for me. You learn the ropes, start playing well, and after a while go "now what?" In Rust for example people seem to wind up mindlessly picking off new players, or blowing up peoples bases to steal materials so they can... make explosives to blow up peoples bases.

An anecdote about Arma 3 Epoch mod. Context: Arma is a milsim, and Epoch is a mod with basebuilding, where one can place a "frequency jammer" that creates a sphere around it where its owner can build a base (walls, doors, safes, etc), while others (non-owners) are prevented from building anything in the area. A few friends and I played it for a while. Picked a server, built a base there, did some missions or just ran…

Sounds like you completed it to me, that’s pretty impressive!

I used to be very into Dayz Mod and over the years it devolved into holding FOBs and just maintaining, maintaining, maintaining. Once we held the FOB and fortified it, it was night on impossible to raid if we were online, short of finding and fixing a Chinook with the 4000rpm miniguns on with a great pilot/gunner combo and some ground support.

Re: No Man's Sky just keeps getting better

#146

No Man’s Sky and Street Fighter 5 both broke my heart in the same year. It was the beginning of a massive decline in quality and business practices. Video games haven’t been the same since. The free-to-play model, 2010 GDC/IGF indie game scene, and the mobile gaming market are largely responsible.

You are playing the wrong games. Go play Outer Wilds and Subnautica then tell me about the it’s all bad practices. There are gems, but they’re rare… like gems.

I can’t play Subnautica anymore, I finished it but now live with existential fear of deep water and vast open spaces. Would highly recommend ruining your ability to swim in the ocean just to play that game though, it’s incredible.

Re: No Man's Sky just keeps getting better

#147
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've racked up over 900 hours on Team Fortress 2 and I'm still terrible at it. I also wonder what I would have learned or built in the time that I've played that game.

There are only three games approaching 1k hours or even exceeding it: - Unreal Tournament (instagib) - Stardew Valley - Age of Empires 2 They all have one thing in common; they're extremely relaxing to play. Yes, even UT - I just turn my brain off and I stop thinking about life.

Brain off in AoE2?? (not MP right?)

Re: No Man's Sky just keeps getting better

#148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Were those really high-energy hours of your life that you really could have put in building something instead? Or have you actually gotten 900 recovery, low energy, brain dead hours out of it?

Indeed! Think of all the old men on their death beds reminiscing with regret, 'I sure wish I spent less of my life doing the things I love.' The obsession with productivity is weird. The entire point of earning money is to be able do the things you love. The biggest reasonable concern I can see in life is people spending immense amounts of times doing things they don't really enjoy, but somehow feel compelled towards…

Well put

Re: No Man's Sky just keeps getting better

#149

I got tired of the core gameplay loop by about 85 hours. I had a decent home base (looked janky AF, but what am I, an architect?), one or two secondary bases, and a mid-size freighter. Once I got at least one of every variety of ship in a B-class or higher, there didn't feel like much else to aim for. I'd send guys off on freighter stuff to do quests, and then just kill time until they got back, sell their loot, do s…

You should give star citizen a try. If you liked freelancer, it’s by the same guy!

Re: No Man's Sky just keeps getting better

#150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a guitar in 2001 for $500 and I estimate that I've put in close to 150,000 hours on it.

Not to be too pedantic, but I think you have one too many zeros on that, unless you're playing 18 hrs a day, every day.

They need to practice more. Ling-Ling is playing 40 hours a day.
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