No Man’s Sky’s Worlds update, version 5.0, is bringing some big changes. Part 1 is here, and Hello Games is calling this update one that transforms the universe in so many ways.
Saying that your update transforms the world is a big claim to make, and here they talk about making things richer and more varied, which increases the immersion. It isn't just a gameplay content update, although there's that too, as there are updates to visuals for water, clouds, and even greater planetary diversity.
Planets are transformed in a whole bunch of ways, on and off the actual surface. A series of floating islands are drifting in the atmosphere above planets. Use your jetpack to get around, fly in your starship, even build bases in the sky. These floating islands also come with their own terrain, so one of the sites you might see is a waterfall cascading down from the sky off the side of one of these islands.
Visual changes to clouds include increased detail, definition, and realism. This comes by way of cloud coverage variety, more cloud types and details, and even making cloud coverage different from planet to planet and responsive to weather. Visual updates also apply to shadows which add more depth and realism to planetary surfaces and features. The shadows clouds cast are also calculated relative to the sun. Some planets will be particularly unwelcoming as they may be Ffrozen and have glittering glaciers and rocks, as new planetary surfaces are introduced. The team didn't forget the desert, since the biodiversity on dryer planets has also been expanded.
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The wind system has also been reworked for realistic and dynamic wind all over the place. depending on the planet you travel to you could find dust clouds, rain and snow impacted by wind, and more to discover. Finally, high definition realistic water with natural wave formations and foam generation are here. The water rendering technology makes for upgraded reflections and lit surfaces.
This is a huge update, and even with all the visual upgrades, there are gameplay additions too. There are some new procedurally generated creatures to discover, along with a new hostile creature, the Brood Mother, who is key to a new multiplayer mission to find and destroy the vile brood.The mother will protect her young. There's also a new Expedition, Liquidators, coming soon.
There are some quality of life changes and new features like the ability to craft and customize solar class starships, rename discoveries, new gestures, improved camera, UI changes, and a number of fixes.
