NMS’s Update 3.5, “Prisms”
Book a trip on Virgin or Amazon to see space? Yeah, me either. Sadly, it’s not a likely scenario for most of us. A space vacation is not going to be easy for the average person to be able to afford. Traveling to distant planets like Mars for a space getaway is probably another 20-30 years away. Luckily, in No Mans Sky, which has recently undergone a major graphical overhaul called, “Prisms” players can come pretty close to achieving that now in the comfort of their pandemic safe homes, and it won’t cost a quarter of a million dollars to boot!
When Hello Games first announced No Mans Sky, NMS, it was widely anticipated by players and the media as a game that would have an endless amount of worlds to discover and would never end. I knew when I heard that I was more than intrigued by the possibilities! Ambitious and ground breaking as it was, the goal seemed to have fallen short at its initial release. Players were greatly disappointed in the lack of features that were available in 2016, most notably the lack of multiplayer. The creatures and the worlds all looked the same. The repetitive nature of the available missions and the amount of bugs and game crashes had a lot of players disappointed and abandoning the game. That was nearly 5 years ago.
The game is currently under update 3.5 “Prisms”. This update made MAJOR graphical improvements to environments, lighting, textures, and animal fur. This was an entire graphic overhaul aimed at the utilization of the next gen console hardware and improving NVIDIA graphics cards on the PC side.
As players explore the unique lifeforms on different planets, the option to tame them as pets and even ride some as mounts has been available since the Companions update 3.2. Once a player finds a pet they like they can “tame” it or “milk” it for use in crafting consumable items. Once tamed, the creature will start to bond with the player and eventually lay an egg. Take the egg to the geneticist aboard the traveling space anomaly, a space station where other players can meet and take group missions, to alter the DNA of the pet to create an all new unique creature. The hatched version of the pet will have improved stats and loyalty to the player. Not all the pets are animals, some planets only give life to mechanical like creatures and fauna. These creatures will interact with the environment around them and also locate and mine resources. Since the Prisms update, flying creatures can now become pets. Yes, you can fly on the back of a space butterfly dragon and here’s how to do it:
Find a planet with flying creatures. The lower flying creatures are the easiest but turning to the online community is the best way to find the more rare and “sought after” flying mounts. Here’s a screenshot of a stargate location with flying dragon butterflies.
There have been several quality of life improvements, most notably aboard the space anomaly. Hello Games has added a synthesis lab which allows players to get upgrades and unlocks that you would have previously needed to unlock at a manufacturing facility on a planet. You can unlock ingredients used in crafting for nanites which allows players the ability to craft items faster than they used to be able to.
The UI Appearance modifier for customizing the colors on the players has been improved for simplicity, making the selection of parts easier to navigate and control.
The Space Stations were not only graphically overhauled with reflective services and small details like scuffed floors, but also a new visual AI has been added towards the back of the station. It hangs above a computer terminal which requires a station key to unlock. As of now, there is nothing that can be done and the key is extremely rare. This is potentially a hint for a future expedition event.
Expeditions was part of the previous 3.3 update which added more in depth complex missions and rewards. These longer quests reward players with rate items and badges.
The worlds in No Mans Sky are simply massive and beautiful to behold, now with this latest update, the environments come to life like never before. You can literally walk for hours and never reach the end of a planet. The major focus of the Prisms update is an extensive overhaul of the graphics for NMS and it is fantastic! Everything from creature fur to the shadows the clouds cast on the floor have been improved and make for more dynamic gameplay.
Cave exploration has been made more interesting with the addition of bioluminescent plants and reflective lighting to make them feel more alien. A lot of focus was put into making the caves actually feel like caves and it was successful! It’s a beautiful sight to see!
Rain and water effects the grass and surrounding areas as they would in real life. Fabrics change color as they get soaked with water.
Atmospheric lighting has been upgraded. Volumetric lighting gives more dynamic atmosphere. Bioluminescent type of light from plants is softer where as a sentinel droid has a harsher spot light which adds to the realism in the lighting of environments.
Hazardous events in the game now have the chance to spawn rare items so running out and playing in a meteor shower, might bring home more than the player would expect.
The music and graphics in warp travel has been improved. Even the stars in the sky went under improvements. Overall, No Mans Sky has been polished and is ready for the next generation of exploration. No Mans Sky has been what online gaming should be, an ever improving effort to deliver what was promised, even if it takes years. The exploration and countless possibilities for exploration make this a game that is hard to get tired of. If you are lucky enough to be able to play in virtual reality, you’re really in for a truly immersive gaming experience very few games have been able to achieve. Bravo to Hello Game and I look forward to seeing you in space!
For more on No Man’s Sky, see our previous write ups including the award-winning piece, ‘God is a Mildly Autistic Irishman.’
