No Man’s Sky in The New Yorker

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The New Yorker published a major new article about No Man’s Sky, written by Raffi Khatchadourian. Featured in the magazine that’s out this week, and online right here, it’s a super detailed account of how we work, and how the game works.

Murray played for a few minutes, dogfighting with enemy ships. “This is so much more enjoyable than it was on Sunday,” he said. But he was worried that excessive realism would confuse players who were unaccustomed to the frictionless quality of motion in space. He suggested some tweaks. During the testing, Murray noticed that his ship had exited a planet’s atmosphere too rapidly, without the drama it had in the E3 build. “We’re missing something that used to be there,” he said. “It was a surprise to be suddenly in space.” Hazel McKendrick walked over and said, “The atmosphere isn’t as thick.” She had adjusted formulas to provide a more natural effect of sunlight passing through it, and a better view of nearby planets. To re-create the old feel, she suggested, the atmosphere’s depth could be artificially increased as the ship passes through. “So, annoyingly, by doing it wrong you get a nicer effect,” Ream said.

It was fantastic to get to spend extended time with Raffi, talking with him about the game and seeing it through his eyes, and we’re incredibly proud of what he produced. Thank you so much.

Don’t miss the accompanying video, too, which has Raffi talking against a lovely soundtrack and visuals from the game.