How is No Man’s Sky So Small?
While No Man’s Sky is famed for its seemingly infinite universe, boasting over 18 quintillion planets, the paradox lies in how such a vast space can be contained within a relatively small game file, around 15 GB. The answer is procedural generation. No Man’s Sky doesn’t store pre-made assets for each planet. Instead, it uses mathematical algorithms to create the characteristics of planets on-the-fly when a player approaches them. This includes terrain, flora, fauna, weather, and even buildings. Think of it as a complex recipe. The game has the recipe, but it doesn’t need to bake the cake until you want a slice. This allows for near-infinite variety without needing terabytes of storage. The game stores the seeds, or starting points, for the algorithms, not the finished product.
Procedural Generation: The Key to Compression
The Algorithm Advantage
Procedural generation allows the developers, Hello Games, to store the relatively small algorithms rather than huge amounts of data. Each planet is defined by a unique combination of parameters, which are then fed into these algorithms. These parameters determine everything from the height of mountains to the color of the sky.
On-Demand Creation
The game only generates the planet’s environment when the player is in close proximity. Once the player leaves, the planet’s detailed characteristics are no longer stored in memory, freeing up space. The game remembers that particular seed, so that the next time you visit that specific world it can reconstruct it.
Texture Economy
No Man’s Sky doesn’t rely on high-resolution, photorealistic textures like some other AAA games. Instead, it uses a more stylized art style and reuses textures across different planets. While the variety is immense, the underlying assets are carefully managed for optimal storage efficiency. The textures, while not cutting-edge, still allow the game to generate a wide variety of convincing biomes and alien landscapes.
The Illusion of Scale
Perception vs. Reality
The game presents the illusion of a truly vast, explorable universe. While you can theoretically visit 18 quintillion planets, the vast majority will be unpopulated and, frankly, quite similar to others you’ve already seen. The procedural generation, while impressive, has inherent limitations.
Content Repetition
A common criticism of No Man’s Sky is the repetitive nature of its gameplay loops and the limited variety of activities available on each planet. While the game has improved significantly since its initial launch, the underlying procedural generation still leads to some homogenization of the overall experience.
Networked Exploration
It’s important to remember that while theoretically an infinite number of people could play, the networked aspects that allow players to interact, share discoveries, and build bases also adds a practical limitation to how unique each planet can be.
Evolution Since Launch
From Promise to Reality
The initial release of No Man’s Sky fell short of expectations, with many promised features missing or under-developed. However, Hello Games has consistently updated the game over the years, adding new content, improving the procedural generation algorithms, and addressing player feedback.
Constant Iteration
Updates like Next, Beyond, and Origins have significantly expanded the game’s features, including multiplayer, base building, improved graphics, and more diverse planet generation. These updates also brought improvements to the core gameplay loops, making exploration and resource management more engaging.
A Redemption Story
No Man’s Sky‘s journey from a disappointing launch to a critically acclaimed, constantly evolving experience is a testament to the dedication of its developers and the power of community feedback. Its initial shortcomings are now contrasted sharply by the volume of improvements. For more on games and their impact, consider exploring resources like the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How can No Man’s Sky have so many planets if the game is only 15 GB?
The game uses procedural generation to create planets on-the-fly. It stores algorithms and “seeds” rather than pre-made assets.
2. Does No Man’s Sky actually have 18 quintillion planets?
Yes, in the sense that the game can potentially generate that many unique variations. However, they are not all pre-existing.
3. Is every planet in No Man’s Sky truly unique?
While the game strives for variety, the procedural generation has limitations. Some planets will inevitably share similarities with others.
4. How long would it take to visit every planet in No Man’s Sky?
It would take approximately 585 billion years to visit all 18 quintillion planets, even if you only spent a few seconds on each one.
5. What happens when you reach the center of the galaxy in No Man’s Sky?
You are transported to the outskirts of another galaxy. This essentially resets your progress and starts a new journey.
6. Has anyone explored all of No Man’s Sky?
No. Only about 1% of the first galaxy (Euclid) has been explored. The sheer scale makes complete exploration impossible.
7. What is the end goal of No Man’s Sky?
There isn’t a true “end” per se. The main goal initially was to reach the center of the galaxy, but the game is now more about exploration, base building, and completing various missions.
8. Is No Man’s Sky the biggest game ever?
In terms of the sheer number of explorable planets, yes. However, other games may be larger in terms of file size, content depth in specific areas, or map scale.
9. Is No Man’s Sky randomly generated?
Yes. Planets, creatures, ships, resources, and buildings are all procedurally generated using algorithms.
10. What language is No Man’s Sky written in?
The game’s engine is written in C++, and it uses its own scripting language for the procedural generation. While in the game, the writing is in English, it is written using a different alphabet.
11. How many people did it take to make No Man’s Sky?
The core team at Hello Games initially consisted of just six people, expanding to 15 by the time the game shipped.
12. Is No Man’s Sky just a simulation?
According to the in-game lore, the No Man’s Sky universe is a simulated universe run by The Atlas, a mysterious AI.
13. How much money did No Man’s Sky make?
In its initial release year of 2016, estimates suggest No Man’s Sky generated over $43 million in revenue on Steam alone.
14. Is No Man’s Sky bigger than Minecraft?
In terms of the number of explorable planets, yes. No Man’s Sky contains many more planets than possible block formations in Minecraft.
15. Why did No Man’s Sky have a bad reputation at launch?
No Man’s Sky suffered from overhype and unmet promises. Many features advertised before release were missing or underdeveloped, leading to disappointment among players. Fortunately, this reputation has drastically improved due to consistent updates.
No Man’s Sky‘s “small” size relative to its immense scope is a testament to the power of procedural generation, a technique that cleverly balances vastness with efficient storage.