No Mans Sky Update 1.03 & PS4 Pre-Load Are Live

Detailed yesterday by Hello Games, No Man’s Sky update 1.03 is now available to download on PlayStation 4, weighing in at 824MB.

If you’re getting a digital copy of No Man’s Sky through the PlayStation Store, the pre-load is also live. According to reports, it’s a 4.22GB download for the entire file, with 3.68GB downloading initially. Adding in the update, you’re looking at roughly a 5GB download.

Today’s update “is the first of many,” and will require early players to delete their save game files to use it.

“If you had an early copy somehow, your save game will technically work post update, but you will miss out on new content and experiences if you don’t delete your save before updating (should be obvious why from notes below),” Hello Games explained. “We highly recommend deleting your save if you have played before updating your game (we won’t do this in future, but it’s a day zero update).”

Additionally, the servers were wiped yesterday, and will be wiped again today ahead of launch on August 9 in North America and August 10 in Europe.

[PATCH SPOILERS AHEAD]

You can read the full list of patch notes over here, with a few highlights below:

The Three Paths – there are now new, unique “paths” you can follow throughout the game. You must start the game on a fresh save, with the patch, as early choices have significant impact on what you see later in the game, and the overall experience
The Universe – we changed the rules of the universe generation algorithm. Planets have moved. Environments have changed biomes. Galaxies have altered shape. All to create greater variety earlier. Galaxies are now up to 10x larger.
Space Combat – advanced techniques have been introduced, like brake drifting and critical hits. Bounty missions and larger battles now occur. Pirate frequency has been increased, as well as difficulty depending on your cargo.
Ship scanning – scanning for points of interest from your ship is now possible. Buildings generate earlier and show up in ship scans

In the next update, Hello Games will add the ability to build bases and own giant space freighters. Visual enhancements should also arrive in the future.

[Source: Reddit (1), (2), Eurogamer, No Man’s Sky (1), (2)]

No Man's Sky Info Dump

No Man's Sky - Everything You Need to Know

Scrub up on your knowledge of Hello Games' space oddity in time for its long-anticipated release.

Your universe awaits.
First Gameplay Revealed

Six months on from its show-stopping unveiling, Hello Games took to the stage at E3 2014 heralding the first look at No Man's Sky in action.

It proved a defining moment in the game's development arc, not only wowing the industry with tangible gameplay, but aligning it closely with Sony and PlayStation 4. Which brings us to...
Why PS4?

Despite some confusion at first, No Man's Sky will be releasing as a timed PS4 exclusive, expanding to PC soon after its debut early next week.

But the power of Sony's system effectively shaped Hello Games' approach to No Man's Sky from top to bottom -- be it design, control or performance.

Said Sean Murray at the time: "We’ve always had PC in mind but in my head [console-y] means solid framerate and immediate controls."

During production, it's understood NMS had the "full weight of PlayStation" behind it.
Expect Journey-esque Multiplayer

In adding a sense of order to the chaotic cosmos, Hello Games is eager to implement seamless multiplayer that will evoke memories of thatgamecompany's Journey.

Given the sheer scope of No Man's Sky, the odds of you crossing paths with another player are seemingly "really, really small."

But that doesn't mean you're totally alone, with Murray revealing that, "you get a sense that you’re playing with other people, and you can see the actions of other people, plus you’ll share things that are significant – if you take out a space station, we’ll share that, and that’ll be shared across the entire universe."

In space, no one can hear you, ahem, gather resources. Whatever the case, let's hope the prospect of running into potential allies offsets any boredom.
No Load Screens to Report

Tedious or no, one thing Hello Games is confident about is its game engine, which all but negates the need for load screens.

That allows you to jump from planet to planet without interruption, with Sean Murray noting that the studio "demoed this at gamescom, just jumping round the universe to different planets. There are no load times, because nothing needs to load, as the planets are entirely computer-generated."
More Than Meets the Eye

Unbridled exploration isn't the only selling point of Hello Games' new IP, and as development wore on, new details began to emerge regarding combat and the in-game wanted system.
One Year Later

A lot can change in a year. By 2014, The VGAs were now known as The Game Awards and No Man's Sky, commemorating 12 months since its reveal, unleashed a new gameplay clip that thrust viewers out into the far reaches of space.
No DLC Plans

As things stand, Hello Games currently has no plans for downloadable content, and appears to be angling No Man's Sky to be more of a platform.

Besides, with upwards of 18 quintillion planets to explore, is add-on content really necessary? In fact, the game is so big that Hello Games had to employ probes to oversee creation.
Too Big to Spoil

Even if you watched every single YouTube video for No Man's Sky -- of which there will surely be thousands -- it's virtually impossible to spoil the entire experience.

That's a point of contention that re-emerged quite recently, too, with Sean Murray asking early adopters to refrain from delving too deep and instead waiting to experience those surprises for themselves.
Hands-On Impressions

Putting Hello Games' epic to the sword, our own Chandler Wood went hands-on with No Man's Sky at E3 2015. It nabbed one of PSLS' coveted Best of E3 Awards, too.

Fast forward some nine months and we got our hands on a more complete build of the studio's space title. There's also a chat with Sean Murray himself.
Virtual Reality Not Off the Table

During our chat, the prospect of VR support inevitably came to the fore. That's something that Hello Games has flirted with before -- it could be the "perfect fit" -- even when the PlayStation VR was still referred to as Project Morpheus.
Smooth Sailing on PS4

Despite reports to the contrary, No Man's Sky allegedly runs smoothly on PlayStation 4, and Sean Murray has allayed fears that the game will be hamstrung by frame rate issues and other technical hiccups.
Lore, Languages and Alien NPCs

That's reassuring, too, considering the amount of lore here to discover. From NPC interaction to alien languages, No Man's Sky comes packing a rich, unfathomably complex universe to explore.

It's an interstellar narrative mapped out by the talented duo of Dave Gibbons (Watchmen, Kingsman: The Secret Service) and James Swallow (Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Star Trek).
Planetary Weather

Such a boundless scope entices you to jump in the nearest spacecraft, right? Not so fast. Whether it's scorching hot temperatures or bitter-cold lows, many of the planets found in No Man's Sky are inhospitable.

"There are things like rain, dust storms, snow, blizzards, storms and a bunch of other things possible. There are also more alien weather types, effectively like radioactive and toxic hazards, and atmospheres made from different compositions to ours."
Prolonged Development

First showcased in the latter stages of 2013, it's fair to say No Man's Sky has been a long time coming.

Confirming initial reports to be true, Hello Games announced plans to postpone its hotly-anticipated title back in May, pegging No Man's Sky to the now-final release date of August 9 in North America.

If you're wanting to delve a little deeper, check out our piece recounting the road so far.
Hello Games Came Close to Pulling the Plug

Fearing that the game wouldn't garner much interest, Sean Murray admitted that Hello Games came close to never revealing No Man's Sky in 2013.

That wasn't the only time when doubt was cast over the ambitious space sim. Only a few weeks after said announcement, the studio's home base in Guildford, England was hit by a devastating flood.
The Flood

Christmas Eve, 2013. It's a time when Hello Games should have been riding high coming off the back of The VGAs. But a cruel flash flood brought that fairytale down to earth, with the studio revealing at the time that a significant chunk of work and development tools had been lost.
Legal Tussles

Hello Games' struggles stretched beyond natural disasters, too, after the developer was forced to settle a "secret" dispute regarding the No Man's Sky title, not to mention the allegations made against the patented superformula. Both were settled with relatively little fuss.
Most Anticipated Title of 2016

It makes for quite the comeback story, though; according to a straw poll conducted by Amazon, No Man's Sky stands as the most-anticipated title of 2016.
Soundtrack

Featuring music from instrumental band 65daysofstatic, the official No Man's Sky soundtrack will be released in tandem with the game next week with the promise of additional music further down the line.
No PlayStation Plus Necessary

Though it's recommended to get the full experience, PlayStation Plus is not required to play online in No Man's Sky.

The only drawback is that you can't contribute to the in-game Atlas: "PS Plus won’t be a requirement to play online, however you will need to connected to the internet for your discoveries to register with the universal atlas." Speaking of which...
The Atlas

It's the floating translucent diamond that has been synonymous with No Man's Sky from the start, but that symbol actually represents The Atlas, the mysterious fixture of Hello Games' universe that is seemingly harbor a secret or two of its two.

Players will use the Atlas to chronicle their discoveries -- be that planets, flora, animals and everything in between.
PC Version Pushed

Once set to launch alongside its PS4 brethren, we learned recently that Hello Games had postponed the PC version of No Man's Sky by three days.

It'll now arrive on August 12, though the studio failed to explain its reasoning behind the last-minute delay.
6GB on Disc

Though the digital size is yet to be determined, No Man's Sky will weigh in at 6GB on retail discs.

Although it seems someone paid an exorbitant amount of money to get their hands on an early copy...
$1,300 on eBay

eBay user daymeeuhn forked out a whopping $1,300 for an early retail copy of No Man's Sky.

That's quite the headline, but in responding to questions via Reddit, the user posted a fairly reasonable response.

"I’m a lucky guy. I’ve done well for myself. I have disposable income and I’m happy in life. I’m in a state of being where I don’t look at a purchase and determine the overall value by the price tag, but rather by how much happiness it will bring myself or the people I care about."
Done Deal

In a second update, that same flush eBay user claimed to have beaten the game. That is, reach the center of the universe. Mild spoilers within.
Top 5 & Trophy List

In anticipation of the No Man's Sky's arrival, we here at PSLS ran through the Top 5 reasons why we can't wait to delve into Hello Games' procedural universe.

The Trophy list has also popped, revealing the game's wealth of sci-fi inspirations.
Four Pillars & First Post-Launch Update

In educating would-be explorers about the moment-to-moment gameplay of No Man's Sky, a recent four-part video series covered the primary pillars: Survival. Combat. Exploration. Trading.

Beyond that, there's also word of the first post-launch update. It'll add "new features, balancing and content."
Rated T for Teen

Citing laser blasts and explosions, the ESRB has officially rated No Man's Sky T for Teen.

Here's the rundown:

"From a first-person perspective, players travel between planetary systems to explore alien worlds for resources, upgrade equipment, and discover unique life forms. As players pilot spacecrafts to different planets, they can engage in space combat against enemy ships and space pirates; combat is accompanied by laser fire and large explosions."
Limited Edition & Faceplate

Priced at $79.99, the No Man’s Sky Limited Edition bundles together the game itself, steelbook, art book, comic, and more.

There's also a sleek faceplate to add to your PS4.