No Man's Sky: The Infinite Fame of Galactic Exploration
Generated through complex mathematical equations, a game simulates a universe with all the same physical, atmospheric, infinite laws.
A just-released computer game about the universe has heightened expectations and desire in thousands of people for the past two years. Apparently, it’s everything that was promised. No Man’s Sky is a massive, even dizzying experience of infinite possibilities. One boards a spaceship and flies to a very carefully generated other planet. Created by programmer Sean Murray, the game is based in a mathematical foundation that simulates the complex behavior of what we know of the cosmos.
Mathematical equations define geography, water, textures, climate, the ages of the stars, the force of gravity, the arcs of orbits, and the density of atmospheres. Planets are separated from each other by light years in digital space. A small fraction of these planets are home to complex life. Players can choose to stay on one planet, with plenty of time to discover all that’s on it, or go somewhere else to accumulate the resources necessary to surviving on the ship.
No Man’s Sky is a tribute to the science fiction that Murray loved in his youth – Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein – and not even Murray has explored everything in it. Because it’s made up of equations and algorithms, the possibilities are virtually endless. The main mission is to reach the center of the universe (there is an option for displaying a galactic map so as to know where you’re going), but every player will have a unique experience in documenting a story of galactic exploration.
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