Starfield vs. No Man's Sky: Which Game Does Exploration Better?

Patrick Armstrong: "Starfield and No Man's Sky take very different approaches to space exploration. When the pros and cons are weighed, which does it better?"

[mandf]

No man's sky. You can walk around the planet. You can fly from place to place. You can leave the planet and fly uninterrupted to the edge of the galaxy. The question is bait because all the aforementioned is fact. This article is meant to incite and devide.

Have a little class n4g, these articles are pointless and divisive.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

You won’t find class here

[Binarycode]

I'm here.

Remember. Class Never involves money like some people think.

[Sonic1881]

Definitely No man sky. Starfield has restricted it's boundaries on planet's and you have to click on the menu section to travel. As far as story and a campaign I give it to Starfield. I put in over 20 hours in Starfield and I still feel like I'm in the beginning of the game. I need to start focusing on the main missions

[jwillj2k4]

Spoiler alert, that feeling never goes away

[shinoff2183]

I've got in 35 hours and haven't even went to Sarah after she wanted to meet up

[spss11]

You don't need to use menus to travel. Just point your ship at the planet/mission area and press E to select and then R to travel on PC.

[Lightning77]

Besides flight freedom what else does it have going for it? Does it have a ton a main story?side quests? Romance? Leveling, crafting, radiant side quests, having a home in every major city etc? All people talk about is flight. Of course it does flight better that's the main selling point for the game but comes up short in every other way compared to Starfield.

It's no contest.

It's clear you haven't even played the game.

[EvertonFC]

The article title clearly states "exploration" not story, side quests, romance etc.
We know SF has great story and writing but this article is exploration.

[Sonic1881]

I do agree with you but I still don't think the game is a 10/10. It's more a 8/10 imo and it's not better than Oblivion or Fallout 4. Bethesda and the fans made it sound like it was going to be their best game ever and a GOTY contender. Not even close. The story and side quests so far is mediocre as well but that's my opinion. I do like the spaceship fights in space. That's awesome

[shinoff2183]

Way to miss the point lightning. It's talking exploration.

[Z501]

"Comes up short in EVERY other way"

How is Starfields underwater gameplay compared to NMS???

[MrNinosan]

Did you even play No Man Sky? 😏

[fr0sty]

It has a ton of crafting, the entire game of NMS is based around crafting... You can have bases on any of the literally billions of planets, and can build them yourself to your liking. It doesn't have invisible walls. It has plenty of side quests, you don't have to just try to reach the center of the Galaxy.

It's clear you haven't even played the game.

[IRetrouk]

It has multiple storys.
Side quests and radiant ones on every planet and moon.
No romance.
Loads of leveling.
Loads of crafting.
Homes wherever you want.
Plus 60fps.
Plus vr.
Plus 4 player coop with or without missions.
Plus you can own a capital ship and a shit Load of smaller frigate ships too, thats on top of the 10 or so starships you can own at one time.
Plus a squadron of fighters to call on in space.
While I'm not saying it does all these things better, it certainly does plenty that starfield doesnt🤷🏻‍♂️

[BehindTheRows]

Did you actually READ the question or decide to wear your heart on a sleeve to defend a plastic box? Some of you are seriously annoying with this. EXPLORATION - which one does it better? He presented it as he saw it.

It’s not that difficult.

[Jin_Sakai]

No Man’s Sky did exploration better which is what both these games set out to do. It’s also twice the frame rate on console.

[Lightning77]

Funny Ive been exploring planets. Finding new cities (yes random sprawling cities with different NPC's missions and recruitments and ships. Outposts, caves random encounters on each planet). Making things fresh and new so far. I probably discovers 25 maybe 30 planets and still have fully explored those planets that I've found because I'm constantly moving and doing other things.
The game has its issues that's for sure but Exploration like flying around to different planets freely is the only thing NMS has.

I'm not gonna sit here and argue this mind numbing facts that Starfield does way better because of the hate parade Ive been seeing across socials since it's release. Anyway back to it, I got more exploring to do.

[fr0sty]

AND in VR.

[Sephiroushin]

@Lightning
Fresh?
I have put like 40 hrs, cave, outpost, laboratories, crashes ship and so on are repeated on every single planet, they are like big assets reused, i wouldnt call that fresh

[xenz]

@Lightning77 Starfield re-uses assets on every planet. Even side-stuff uses assets, buildings and areas found in the main campaign. Even enemies have the same placement.

[fr0sty]

Considering Starfield promoted itself on its exploration, it is not divisive at all to bring this up, it is making a valid point.

[Lightning77]

When did I say it didn't have crafting? So where's the rest of the content that does better than SF? I named and gave a list of things it did better. Where's your list? Flying, seemless exploration outposting and what else?

[Flawlessmic]

Exploration no man's sky....

Literally everything else starfield!!

[JEECE]

The ideal game in this category would be one that feels like NMS when you are in your ship but like Starfield when you are on foot. Also remove the boundaries on planets lol.

[neutralgamer1992]

Ninosan

Agreed hopefully Bethesda will make improvements via patches to make the game even better. This is where NMS is today and it got here with a lot of hard work and feedback from players

[MrNinosan]

@neutralgamer1992
IF Bethesda would put a percentile of the effort to fix their singleplayer games compared to Hello Games, we would see progress Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind etc...

Skyrim is as buggy and broken through all 3 generations it's been released, so not buy wanting money, they care, as long as their fanbase says the games are perfect and the community fix the rest through mods for PC players.

So I wouldn't hold my breath, sorry.

[MrNinosan]

Not everything else.

No Man Sky:
- Exploration
- Basebuilding
- Ship and gear upgrades
- Item management
- Surviving mechanics
- VR
- Water/swimming
- Vehicles
- Animal breeding and riding
- Jetpack usage
- Space combat
- FPS (performance over all)
- Loading screens
- Multiplayer

Starfield:
- Quests
- Character development
- Shipbuilding
- Dialogue
- Cities
- RPG elements

[shinoff2183]

Ouch I forgot that. It was kinda sad getting in the water and finding out I couldn't dive. Wtf

[MrNinosan]

As I see many doesn't agree with me, I would love to know which points I was wrong at? 😏

I've spent 40 hours on Starfield as of writing this, and still going (and loving) the game, but would still be interesting to hear from the ones who disagree in my above comment, where I went wrong. 🕺

[goldwyncq]

And how many of those features were already in NMS on launch?

[MrNinosan]

@goldwyncq
Not that it matters as I'm responding to Flawlessmic who talks about the present, but 8 of the 14 lines were there from start.

Do you also want to ask how old No Man Sky is, or how big the team was, making it?

[phoenixwing]

I'd love a game with nms exploration and adventures on a galaxy with starfields content for story. would make a great game. unfortunately they're separated experiences.

[EvertonFC]

Underwater ?

[raWfodog]

Yeah, your character can swim and explore underwater in NMS? Was that what you were asking?

[Terry_B]

Nah..the music and the creativity in NMS is miles ahead as well.

[gametrotter]

I gotta say, I'm disappointed by the exploration in Starfield. I don't really care that you can't run across entire planets, but the actual mechanics of the game as related to flying around space basically boil down to clicking menus. It's all fast travel, and so I don't get that same sense of wonder that I had in NMS. I really wish the game had a smaller scope and just included NMS mechanics :/

[343_Guilty_Spark]

It was never billed as a survival/exploration game

[Christopher]

It 100% was billed as an exploration game.

From Bethesda: "In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery. [...] Venture through the stars and explore more than 1000 planets."

[Z501]

What does "Unparalleled freedom" mean???

[CrimsonWing69]

@Z501

I'd assume "unparalleled freedom" means freedom in a game that can't be compared to another game side by side or "parallel" in comparison... but I mean, y'know, it's marketing terms.

[badz149]

don't forget that Todd also said "limitless possibilities"

[gametrotter]

I never said anything about survival components; simply, that space travel lacks depth and intrigue. There are too many menus, and I get no sense of distance or discovery.

[mrcatastropheAF]

@christopher

They 100% billed it as an RPG hence "in this next generation role-playing game".

No Mans Sky is a crafting/survival game with light RPG elements (and a narrative that nobody remembers or can reference without a google search)

Starfield is a traditional Bethesda RPG with space exploration and crafting elements.

I would say the only deception here on Bethesda's end was the "unparalleled freedom" tidbit; everyone else is just mad that they had different expectations than what we were told (and should've known from prior Bethesda RPGs) to expect.

[Christopher]

That's some stretching to ignore what is right in front of you in text alone let alone the whole presentation at gamescom and thereafter.

[anast]

This is why Bethesda makes so much money.

[computeSci]

Fair enough. But which game does questing better? Starfield is a Bethesda RPG first and foremost. No Man's Sky was always about the exploration.

[pezking]

yeah I think digital foundry said it best when upon playing it for a minute, they tempered their expectations in that it's just a classic Beth game using space as a backdrop.

Once you accept this, it really opens up and I treat it like a new Mass Effect title and can't put it down.

[MatrixxGT]

That’s how I always expected this game to be and I wasn’t disappointed. At 35 I haven’t wanted to go home to play a game in a loooong time.
All the little Easter eggs like a 🥔 randomly sitting on an old computer or my ship being hailed by a foreign ship asking about my ships extended warranty.
Always a little chuckle…

[Eidolon]

That's how I will go in.. we'll never get the space exploration adventure we dream of because it takes too much work designing worlds, the best we get is procedurally generated.

[EvertonFC]

So basically before playing starfield role play it's another game called Mass effect pmsl.
They got the RPG right then Haha

[anast]

Why should anyone temper expectations when the expectations were built on what they had said?

[computeSci]

Why all the disagrees? Starfield does do questing better. And No Man's does exploring better. Crafting maybe about equal? These are 2 diffrent games really. In Super Mario Galaxy, space is a theme and setting. Starfeild is simply a Bethesda style RPG set in space. It's that simple.

[MaximusPrime_]

Obviously it's No Man's Sky...

[mastershredder]

Interesting. One is clearly a child's game. Are you gonna compare Ratchet and Clack to Call of Duty next?

[shinoff2183]

I'll take ratchet any day over cod

[MrNinosan]

You call Starfield a child's game?
Doubt many childs would be able to play through Starfield, less so even escape the first planet in NMS.

[Eidolon]

Maybe he's comparing NMS to Minecraft?

[EvertonFC]

No contest NMS

[SpacedDuck]

If I want to be bored flying forever No Man's Sky is the game. Just because it bores me doesn't mean it doesn't entertain others.

I've played both and Starfield for me is the better game.

Others will pick NMS.

Welcome to gaming, not everything needs to be compared.

[MrNinosan]

You haven't played both, if you think NMS is about flying forever. The flying in NMS is probably less than 5% of the game.

[EvertonFC]

Flying off ground and using the map in NMS to get from planet to planet and land is far quicker than starfield load screens, complicated map watch animations and then more load screens.
If you select a mission in starfield, I can guarantee you I've already flew to another planet and landed in NMS.
You don't fly forever in NMS you hyper speed to it very quickly.

[z2g]

Starfield isn't as flexible when it comes to just flying from planet to planet and checking out the planets, its not even as seamless... but as a game, Starfield is better in just about every other way, and the exploring in Starfield isn't really the same. in no mans sky that is the point of the game, in Starfield, you still have a AAA rpg with proper storylines, set pieces, battles and an arc. The worlds in starfield are exponentially more gorgeous and lifelike/

[mjchitown]

two different games stop the bs thenerdstash.com. never heard of this site. you should said the outer worlds or mass effect . funny Starlink: Battle for Atlas is really closed to no man sky and nobody played it

[MrNinosan]

I played Starlink: Battle for Atlas, even got the Platinum 2 days after release and no, it's not anything like either NMS or Starfield. It's a very Ubisoft like openworld game, just way shorter.

[thesoftware730]

See the problem I had is that always flying off the planet in NMS was fun at first but after I did it 50 times I was like...I just wanna fast travel.

That flying directly on/off the planet is time consuming and losses it's "wonder", for long ass extensive games, I'll take the fast travel any day. Flying on/off worlds 1000 time is akin to constant backtracking, is there something different that I will see? Nope, It sounds cool when people say it(most are saying it to diss SF lol) , but in practice it's completely unnecessary and a waste of time....fast travel me please.

[MrNinosan]

You can fast travel in NMS aswell, after exploring and building Outposts with portals.

[thesoftware730]

Lol i never said you couldn't, I'm solely talking about the ability to fly off and on planets is tedious and only cool for a short while.

[MrNinosan]

@thesoftware730
You had a "problem" in NMS that you always had to fly sounds like you didn't know about fast travel.

[thesoftware730]

Lol ok? I guess it may seem that way, let me clarify, my point is that it gets tedious and boring after doing it a lot, maybe I shouldn't say the problem with the game, more with the mechanic of flying on/off worlds, you know the one people are making a big deal about cause you can't in SF.

The overall point is that it's unnecessary and fast travel is what most people will use anyway.

[EvertonFC]

It takes less than 30 seconds to leave a planet in NMS and about 2 mins to fly out, select destination on the map and hyper drive to another planet.
It takes longer to watch a take off animation, load screen, select destination with complicated map, load screens, then landing animation then load screen in starfield.
Starfield takes way longer than NMS. Btw it's also tedious watching the take off and landing animations over and over. Loads of loading again tedious.
Do you even read what you type, and yes I'm enjoying SF but let's not pretend it hasn't got loads of faults.

[anast]

You have a point.

[wiz7191]

These comparisons are kinda stupid and is just PS only fans feeling salty at this point .. NMS and Starfield isn’t even in the same genre of games , one is built around endless exploration and Starfield is not .. Starfield just have space as an environment in which you can explore lol let’s not also forget that NMS launched like shit and it took years for it to get where it’s at now ..

[EvertonFC]

Funny how jaffe, Mike, bless, Paris, Matty and cog all massive Xbox fans off kfg, jaffe, and duke (sacred symbols) ALL say the same.
It's ok to like a game and enjoy it but point out it's faults and what needs improving you know.
Why is it you're a fanboy if you point some negatives out pmsl.

[wiz7191]

@Everton I never said you couldn’t point out a games flaws , that would be wrong because no game is perfect and every game have flaws .. all I’m saying is comparing these two games when they’re completely different and bashing one because another does something better .. plus I also remember all the crap NMS got when it launched , which I see a lot of ppl seem to forgot. One is built around exploring endless planets while the other isn’t

[aaronaton]

Ratchet and clank did space travel better than starfield.

[Scarpa123]

NMS, of course.

[Knightofelemia]

No Man's Sky I can at least explore with out running into an invisible barrier. The planets just look lively with alien wildlife and even when interacting with Aliens.

[StarkR3ality]

2 different games going for 2 different end results, just because a game is in space doesn't mean they have to be all alike. Why don't you compare Mass effect or Star wars battlefront while you're at it.

[Viljong]

I just played about 4 hours pc and xbox version. Its not bad as redfall but pretty close. When you get to atlantis city the roamin npcs look much like redfall character models. 3 times i got bugged on a quest(raise your hand to join the vanguard) and had to load autosave.

[Profchaos]

Nms easy win the entire game is about exploration and a seem less experience.

Apples to oranges though starfeild features a ton of thing that nms doesn't.

It's articles like this that remind me of the 90s where you had to be a sonic kid or a Mario kid you could've possibly be both

[anast]

The score has dropped to an 86.

[Terry_B]

Easily No Man's Sky.

[ChiefofLoliPolice]

No Mans Sky hands down. Hell even Elite:Dangerous does it MASSIVELY better then Starfield and thats a MMO.

[TheEroica]

No man's sky is a masterpiece....

[isalas011981]

This post just convinced me to buy No Man's Sky. Thanks yall.

[gold_drake]

no mans sly, hands down.

[talocaca]

Is that even debatable? I mean, one actually let's you get on a ship and fly to space while the other shows you a glorified loading screen.

[Viljong]

Definetly goty one of the best games ive ever played. Had zero hype for it but huge suprise. It got fluid fps shooting, looting, awesome story, missions and characters, space and space combat. GOTY GOTY GOTY. Its awesome on rog ally prefer over series x version.