New Story Content
One of the main additions brought to the game is new story content for the Atlas story branch, hence why the update is called Atlas Rises. The developers have said that this will total 30 hours overall, which is more than the length of a lot of single player games.
The story may not be the most important aspect in an exploration game like No Man’s Sky, but the fact that the developers have added to it in an update that released around one year after the game came out is a good thing. For some players, an enhanced story gives them a sense of purpose while playing through the game.
First Addition of Multiplayer
Multiplayer has always been a big talking point when it comes to No Man’s Sky and it’s understandable why. Fans were left unhappy and angry when they learnt that No Man’s Sky didn’t actually have multiplayer. While it was briefly talked about by Sean Murray in some videos during the development of the game, nearer release he warned fans to not expect an experience with other people.
The first form of playing No Man’s Sky with others has arrived in the 1.3 update. You are now able to see up to 16 players as floating orbs, with voice communication in the game now possible. They mention that this will be the start of the journey to having a co-op experience that could become even more in depth.
Interstellar Missions
Quests in the game have usually been a way to guide players from their starting planet through to the story paths that they can choose to explore. Outside of this, there are beacons that can show a player the location of an area of interest on the map. There have never been missions in the traditional sense because of the style of game that No Man’s Sky is.
Now you have the chance to gain and complete small missions through a mission board. They will revolve around combat, salvaging, and deliveries, with missions like scanning minerals for a blueprint or delivering an item to another NPC being what you can expect. These give you something to do if you want to do something outside of just exploring.
Terrain Manipulation
Players are now able to manipulate the terrain on planets if they so choose to, although others who come across the same area will not be able to see it yet. Using the terrain manipulator, which can be added to your trusted multi-tool through a schematic or already be a feature of one that you come across on your adventure, you can both add and remove terrain quickly.
This addition is currently useful for helping players get unstuck from falling through the map, an issue that will surely be fixed in the near future. For the most part it may be used to change the terrain around the base a player has built. Some have already started to create underground areas to house their buildings.
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