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No Man's Sky 'Path Finder' update brings vehicles, base sharing, permadeath and more

A couple days ago we reported that No Man's Sky would be receiving an update. While at the time details about the update were slim to none, developer Hello Games has now revealed all the juicy new features that will be arriving to the game.

First and foremost, let's talk about the visual upgrades the Path Finder update will bring. The team at Hello Games has done quite a bit to make the game look better like introducing higher resolution textures, accurate ambient lighting, HDR mode, and more. The title will now offer support for the PlayStation 4 Pro that will allow gaming at 4K resolution. This will also apply to those playing it on a PC, as the 4K resolution has been optimized. Below is a total list of visual upgrades coming to the game.

  • High and ultra resolution textures
  • More accurate Ambient Lighting
  • Horizon Based Ambient Occlusion
  • High contrast lighting effects
  • Crepuscular Rays from the Sun
  • Improved post-processing with several filter options
  • HDR mode for compatible monitors and televisions

Moving on from graphics tweaks, bases can now be shared online making it easier for people to find your unique space. For the PC, there will be Steam Workshop integration that will allow "players to upload their bases to the Workshop, making it easy for other players to discover, visit, rate and subscribe to your creations".

Beyond just adding a hangar for the purpose of being able to collect starships, there will also be something called "specialisation", which will give ships characteristics. Depending on the type of ship, its characteristics can vary as detailed below.

  • Each starship has a specialisation (Shuttle, Fighter, Hauler or Explorer) that improves performance in specific areas.
  • Shuttles are all-rounders, Fighters specialise in combat, Haulers have expanded cargo holds and Explorer vessels feature increased warp capabilities
  • In addition to new ship types, all ships will now be class-rated: A, B, C or the ultra rare S class.
  • When purchasing a new ship, you’ll now be given the option to trade in your current ship for a discount.

Now to the juiciest part of the update - new vehicles. While flying about was enjoyable, you will now have the ability to travel the surface of your home planet using an 'Exocraft'. There are a few different options being made available for use during exploration, each with its own special and unique attributes. You can even take it a step further by building your own race track and competing for the best times.

  • Obtain the Race Initiator and place it inside your Base Building zone
  • Hop into your vehicle and drive the route you’d like to map out, dropping checkpoint markers anywhere on the planet
  • Once a circuit is complete, race the track over and over to set an unbeatable lap time
  • Players visiting your base via Base Sharing will be able to race using the circuit you created, challenging themselves against your split times.

While there are a lot of added items and customizations in the update, one of the more grim additions is 'Permadeath' mode. This will be a new mode for the game that will make things severely challenging by making death your final and last destination.

The updates and improvements listed above are only a small sample of what the Path Finder update will bring. If interested, it is highly suggested to take a look at the source material which can be found in the link below. The update is now available for download for the PlayStation 4 and PC.

Source: No Man's Sky

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