Eight years after launch, No Man's Sky gets computer-generated space stations that are different each time

No Man’s Sky is still getting major updates. Developer Hello Games’ “Orbital” update, due Wednesday, adds procedurally generated space stations (so they’ll be different every time), a ship editor and a Guild system to the nearly eight-year-old space exploration sim.

Up until now, space stations have been one of the few parts of No Man’s Sky that weren’t created and randomized by algorithms as something truly unique. That changes with today’s update, which uses game engine upgrades to “create vast interior spaces and exterior spaces, with improved reflection and metallic surfaces.”

The stations’ broader scale will be evident from the outside, while their interiors will include new shops, gameplay and things to do. Hello Games describes them as being “uniquely customized” based on their virtual inhabitants’ system, race and locale.

Hello Games

Inside the stations, you’ll find the new ship editor. Hello Games says it previously withheld ship customization to maintain the title’s focus on exploration. (If players could build any ship they wanted at any time, it could ruin some of the fun of scouting out existing ones to buy in-game.) In that spirit, you’ll still need to collect, trade and salvage the parts to build yours how you like it.

The game’s upgraded Guild system, also in today’s update, makes factions a bigger part of the experience. You can find new Guild envoys on space stations, where you can join the club, get supplies and precious commodities and donate to boost your status in the group.

Fleets are getting better, too. With today’s update, you can send your frigate fleet on away missions — and if they run into trouble, you can swoop in and save the day. It sounds like a fun nuance to help scratch anyone’s space fantasy itch.

No Man’s Sky owners can install the Orbital update — also including engine improvements, a UI refresh and “much more” — today.

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