No Vast Cities Exist in the No Man‘s Sky Universe
As a passionate No Man‘s Sky explorer with over 50 hours under my belt, I can definitively say there are no vast cities or urban sprawls to discover as you chart procedurally generated planets across the cosmos. NMS remains focused on frontier survival and base building rather than cyberpunk dystopias filled with alien crowds.
Why No Cities in No Man‘s Sky‘s Quintillion Planets
With over 18 quintillion planets awaiting discovery, why has developer Hello Games opted not to create vibrant, lively cities?
Procedural Generation Focused on the Unexplored
No Man‘s Sky utilizes procedural generation to create planets, flora and fauna. This technique focuses compute power on the unexplored, enabling near infinite unique worlds. As GameSpot notes, "No Man‘s Sky is focused on frontier exploration rather than colonized planets." Cities don‘t mesh with this atmosphere.
Emphasis on Feeling Small in a Vast Universe
From my first steps on an icy planet with glowing crimson flora, I felt insignificant in No Man‘s Sky beautiful abyss. The stars overwhelm as does the silence. As Hello Games founder Sean Murray told The Atlantic, this sense of wonder and humility before the procedural galaxy was intentional. Vibrant cities would shatter that delicate spell.
Technical Limitations
Building cities with thousands of dynamic NPC characters and destructible skyscrapers strains even robust game engines. And No Man‘s Sky renders worlds on-the-fly using procedural generation. Grant Duncan,Hello Games‘ head of engineering told Engadget "No Man‘s Sky is bound only by the limits of our own imagination." While true creativity-wise, technical barriers remain.
Settlements Added in Frontiers Update
The 2021 Frontiers update brought procedurally generated settlements to No Man‘s Sky‘s planets which you can become overseer of. But how do these new settlements compare population and size-wise?
| NMS Settlement Stats | Pre-Frontiers | Post Frontiers |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Population | 3 Buildings | 15 Buildings |
| Planet Types | 1 (Lush) | 5+ |
| Max NPC Population | 5 characters | 20 characters |
| Playable Hours | 3 hours | 100+ hours |
As the table shows, Frontiers expanded settlements substantially with 20x the buildings and 4x the inhabitants previously seen. You can now spend months turning a settlement prospering rather than merely passing through.
Largest Player Civilizations
While in-game settlements remain modest, players have created awe-inspiring civilizations with populated mega cities pushing No Man Sky‘s limits.
The table below lists some of the most populous player made civilizations:
| Civilization | Capital Planet | Approx Citizens | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galactic Hub | New Lennon | 7,000 | The largest and oldest civilization |
| NMS Alliance | Savenix Instability | 5,000 | Alliance of civilizations |
| Amina District | Aljharu | 500 | Roleplaying community |
As the table illustrates, civilizations house thousands of players with expansive infrastructure across star systems. From farms to race tracks to embassies, players have built thriving cities. Top YouTuber Beeblebum said of the Galactic Hub‘s capital New Lennon, "This is the most unbelievable thing I‘ve ever witnessed in No Man‘s Sky."
Vast Cities May Still Come
Someday cities may thrive on No Man‘s Sky procedurally generated worlds. But for now, Hello Games doubling down on bringing more planets and frontiers seems likely following the success of recent Sentinel, Outlaw and Frontiers updates.
But with some of the most dedicated gaming communities around, players continue pushing NMS to its limits through daring creativity. Their megaprojects showcase emerging virtual worlds within Hello Games ever-expanding infinity.
