Yesterday, developer Hello Games rolled out on 4,521,781. free update for its popular simulation of the universe, No Man’s Sky. Called “Outlaws”, among other new features, it adds a “pirate underground”, filled with an entire black market economy. But some players say it has been added too many pirates.
No Man’s Sky, first released back in 2016 for PC and PlayStation 4, is a procedurally generated space exploration game. Over the years, Hello Games has rolled out more than a dozen major updates, which introduces features such as mechs and planetary bases to the mix. “Outlaws”, which fell on all platforms yesterday, renewed how the game’s air battle works; air battles can now take place in the planet’s atmosphere, and “pirates can plunder your settlements.”
Onto No Man’s Sky subreddit, players say the attacks by NPC pirates happen a little too often. One person dished up how pirates allegedly invaded their home system six times in 10 minutes, wondering if, “Seriously !! Is that the new normal !!” Others came in with stories of how it is currently “broken” and “carnage.” (A clear bell for how far public opinion has shifted about the game: Many players noticed how, even though they are saddened by the pirate attacks, they are optimistic about Hello’s ability to rectify it.) One player shared a video of an invasion. You can see them painting around the earth and obviously taking care of their own affairs when a bunch of enemy ships come out of nowhere with lasers that make them jump into their craft and retaliate. I’m sure this player was frustrated, but I do not want to lie, the clip is cool AF, like something from a movie I would definitely like to see on the big screen.
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It is not that people are bored by pirate invasions per se; it’s part of the game, and is by most accounts a fun and welcome part to boot. Players are just annoyed at the frequency with which pirates seem to show up in otherwise peaceful moments, something they only noticed after the rollout of “Outlaws”.
Xaine, the popular No Man’s Sky YouTuber and internet personality, has recently uploaded a video explains the future – if not exactly the rubber stamp (yet) to the public – updates from No Man’s Sky‘s experimental structure. Per Xaine, the next patch, which will soon be rolled out, includes a fix for “a problem that caused pirates to attack planetary buildings too often.” Hello Games confirmed this to Kotakubut did not specify a specific date.
“This issue has already been resolved in our experimental build, just hours after release, along with several other of our most critical issues,” said a Hello Games representative. Kotaku. “Once [it’s] through testing we would expect this to do [be released] on all platforms in the next day or so. “
In the meantime, be careful out there.