New Experimental Branch Released for No Man’s Sky

Hello Games has unveiled a fresh experimental branch for No Man’s Sky on Steam, designed to address certain multiplayer and performance issues that have been bothering players. Though these fixes may appear minor, they might significantly enhance the experience for those venturing through No Man’s Sky in 2024.

Even though No Man’s Sky first launched back in 2016, Hello Games hasn’t slowed down with their updates, continually refining the game and expanding its universe with new content. Initially, the game had a rocky start, but over time, its trajectory has transformed into one of the most remarkable comeback stories in the gaming world. This year alone has seen several free updates, like the Worlds Part 1 update, which revamped the planetary environments with stunning volumetric clouds, enhanced water effects, and introduced entirely new types of planets teeming with previously unseen wildlife.

As 2024 draws to a close, Hello Games is venturing to test more updates, demonstrating their ongoing commitment to quality. On November 28, they launched a new experimental branch that Steam users can try out. Among the updates are solutions to multiplayer issues on the PS4 and crashes occurring on the PS5 when using the PS4 version. The team has also addressed a bug that merged ship inventories and improved performance issues previously experienced on Mac devices. Moreover, wind calculations have been optimized, paving the way for an even more immersive experience in No Man’s Sky.

To join in on this experimental adventure, here’s what you need to do: open your Steam Library, right-click on No Man’s Sky, and select Properties. From there, head to the Betas tab, enter the access code “3xperimental,” and check it. Once this is done, you can choose the experimental branch from the available options.

While Hello Games encourages players to explore this new branch, they stress the importance of backing up save files to avoid any potential mishaps. If you’re on PC, you should make a local copy of the st_[userid] folder found at %appdata%\HelloGames\NMS\. On a Mac, this folder is located at ~/Library/Application Support/HelloGames/NMS/. Also, if you decide to step back from the experimental branch, it’s advisable not to carry over your save to the main game until these updates officially roll out.

Hello Games’ unwavering support for No Man’s Sky is quite admirable, and their efforts have clearly paid off. Player engagement remains strong, with thousands actively roaming the universe on Steam, and the overall reviews on the platform have climbed to “Very Positive.”

Looking ahead, fans can expect more exciting developments as Hello Games announced plans for the 2024 holiday season. They’re set to re-run five expeditions throughout the season, each lasting about two weeks, with the Omega event already underway.

For those curious about the specific changes in this experimental patch, here’s a quick rundown: an infrequent issue causing the merging of ship inventories has been fixed; optimizations were made in wind calculations; multiplayer connection problems on PS4 are being addressed; and there’s a fix for crashes when running the PS4 version on PS5. Additionally, an issue linked to poor performance due to the application losing focus on Mac has been resolved.

Explore the boundless possibilities of No Man’s Sky, where you embark on an interstellar journey in an ever-expanding universe. Whether you’re constructing colossal freighters or battling space pirates, the adventure is yours to shape. The latest developments only add to the vast galaxy waiting to be discovered.