As we eagerly await...

Expedition 3, coming soon?

As we eagerly (and sometimes, not very patiently) await the next update/next Expedition release, I’ve spent some time reflecting on my brief time exploring the universe.

I had friends who had preordered No Man’s Sky back in 2016, and they enjoyed playing it for a short time, but the issues started to creep in, and I didn’t end up buying it.

Fast forward to 2020, a group of friends started playing it again, and I ended up picking it up during a Steam sale.

…and I fell in love.

For a game that has no real direction, I got completely hooked. I completed the story pretty quickly, I explored everything that I came across, and tried to learn as much as possible. One of the main complaints after the game’s release was that it was empty, that there was nothing to do - I must have come in at exactly the right time - I have yet to get bored.

I am still delighted when I come across a majestic desert planet with seemingly insurmountable mountains, the bright blue volcano planets that sparkle amongst the dead trees, and the unbelievably toxic planets with the very photogenic fungi.

I love adding on pieces to a base that is just a stone’s throw (or quick swim) to my dearest gaming friend’s island, where she has taken the outpost theme to heart and created a post-apocalyptic masterpiece.

I enjoy booting up the game to do my daily chores: harvesting plants, sending out my fleet of frigates, doing just one more mission from the Nexus; and I’m always down to do that one derelict freighter that everyone does on repeat because of the guaranteed s-class freighter tech upgrade.

The Expeditions Update brought new joy to the game. Finally, a style of gameplay that brought objectives, as well as new friends. Starting on the same planet as everyone else, made it all the more likely that you would run into a fellow traveler, even when moving to one of the adjacent star systems from the main Expedition path.

Photo taken by @blakespot, featuring my wood shack, yours truly, and the NMSspot Wanderer (check out his blog - one of the oldest in the community - and his socials for beautiful pictures)

I can’t wait to see what’s in store for this game that means so much to so many. While we can speculate about what will appear next, odds are whatever it is, it will bring hundreds more hours of enjoyment.

Thank you, Hello Games, for continuing to plug away at this masterpiece. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to jump into my ship and find the next vista to photograph.

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