Legitimate question about player encounters once full game is released.

[Shoklar]

I get a feeling that once the game goes live, everyone will gradually start drifting away from the starting area, and the longer the game is live, the less likely you will be to run into another person. Within a few months, the very few amount of players playing this game will be scattered sooooo far away from each other... This leaves me wondering, whats the point of this game being online to begin with? The only player encounters I can imagine in the long run is gimped out pirates who go back to the starting area to pirate beginners, but the majority of the player base will be spread so thin that actual player encounters simply wont happen anymore.
Is there a way to avoid this, is there a plan that I don't know about, such as certain hotspots that would be generally known to players? I'm just starting to think that leaving the starting systems will basically be saying goodbye to player encounters.

Many, will automatically stay in the core systems. They know where to find most hardware and ship upgrades and what to trade, it's a safety net of higher security and many will stay here for fear of the unknown. The more adventurous will of course dive deeper into the galaxy, that's a given. Those who decide to pirate or bounty hunt will be close to populated areas where many frequent. It makes little sense for a bounty hunter to go off into the galaxy. Unless of course roaming npcs are en-mass, of which I doubt since many will moan about far too much with the whole interdiction mechanic. Perhaps, it would be better if they just took the interdiction mechanic out and let close proximity drop you into normal space and you can find multiple enemies or whatever like the original elite. Even if it does thin out, perhaps the npcs that largely run in the background will pick-up the slack from lower numbers. We won't really know what is in until pre-release (gamma) so we can get a better idea of what's on offer. Also, there's almost 60,000 backers, that's a lot of players if all do decide to play the game.

Shok.

 

[CmdrDanPos]

Those who travel often come back. Just picture coming back in the baddest ship full of alien technology when everyone is still on propeller engines...

Another scenario is when I fly that far and suddenly where I did not expect the living soul I meet somebody... may be a friend may be a foe. I'll never find out until I knock...

Multiplayer option adds much depth in the game while the lack of imagination takes it away.

I'm thinking this is how it will work best. When you're in deep space and you see a ship in the distance and lock on to scan it until you see it say "CMDR", which it may be rare but the one time you do see the name start with CMDR it will be such a special moment.

This has been mentioned in the publicity around No Man's Sky, about the fact that the universe is so big coming across someone will be an event within itself. Either someone will open fire or you'll sniff each others bums like dogs and see if the other will make a move first.

ALL THE POSSIBILITIES.

 

[Shoklar]

I'm thinking this is how it will work best. When you're in deep space and you see a ship in the distance and lock on to scan it until you see it say "CMDR", which it may be rare but the one time you do see the name start with CMDR it will be such a special moment.

This has been mentioned in the publicity around No Man's Sky, about the fact that the universe is so big coming across someone will be an event within itself. Either someone will open fire or you'll sniff each others bums like dogs and see if the other will make a move first.

ALL THE POSSIBILITIES.

Or, perhaps you could act like a civilized human being and just say hi or open comms with them. Discuss events or what you've both seen and if something was found that needed more firepower, you could team up and do some co-op game-play.

Shok.

 

[Monk]

Or, perhaps you could act like a civilized human being and just say hi or open comms with them. Discuss events or what you've both seen and if something was found that needed more firepower, you could team up and do some co-op game-play.

Shok.

Humans with big space guns need careful evaluation before interaction. You can't trust 'em.

 

[metatheurgist]

Are you sure
so far i have only ever seen one live player and that was just for a few moments before he hyperdrove out
i have joined a group, and as yet never seen anyone
for me Group and MP is the same thing ie: open MP or Private MP and both dont work

When I was still in the core systems I saw 5-6 players regularly in OM. I'm currently at the bottom edge of the pill and every once in a while I bump into a player (they are however usually unsociable). I tried to meet a friend in the game once (I knew he was flying around Aulin), met him first try. I know there are lots of complaints about the netcode not working, but, aside from some slowdown occasionally, the game works great for me. And ever since I upgraded my router, I don't even get SC delays anymore. Guess I'm just lucky.

 

[JosefEk]

I was also thinking about this problem. It's like letting ten hamsters free in the big wood. Doesn't it feel scary to be alone in the space?
On a second thought i think that many SF fans would like that idea. But i wouldn't.