And hearing about people trying to get refunds for the game because it "isn't what the original trailer showed" and all this other stuff, I went back and watched said trailer.

I think it's a pretty clear representation of what the final game was... CONSIDERING that it was a fucking WORK IN PROGRESS when the trailer was made.

What in that trailer didn't make it to the final game? A gigantic crashed ship with a bunch of sentinels looking at it? Some gigantic worms? Getting "discovery" for finding a "named" ocean?

So what? This trailer was made early in the development.

I think it's an astounding accomplishment of a game for ANY developer, much less a small (at the start) indie team.

Ever since playing Acclaim's "Star Voyager" on the NES in the 80's I've been fascinated with the basic concept of that game and honestly NMS is the perfect game for scratching that itch of wanting to land on planets just to see what was there.

This isn't a perfect game, none are... and this isn't the last game I'll ever need, but I think it's amazing and I play it more than anything else at this point.

Thank you HELLO GAMES for your efforts and I hope the entitled internet hasn't deterred you from planning a sequel to this game.

In 5 years we're going to look back on this and remark about the fact that a) people were idiotic to expect NMS to be some sort of "All-Game" and b) marketing will convince people that the sky is purple if it's good enough.

Mark my words, every marketing team in games has studied NMS' marketing campaign as a case study of how to whip people into a frenzy. We're going to see a lot more obfuscation in the years to come.

It isn't necessarily the trailer, but what were said or "promised" in different interviews and such. At least that's what I've gathered from paying semi-closely attention to this...

I don't think most people were upset that the game wasn't exactly the same as the reveal trailer. People were upset that, just a few months before launch, Sean Murray was promising features that aren't there. Personally, I honestly believe he thought they would be launching a different game as recently as the spring, and don't really feel any ill will towards the guy. For my part, the game is just pretty boring.

@impartialgecko: Actually, the sky is purple on at least 1/10th of the planets in No Man's Sky. Truth in advertising?

They lied and are still lying. Period. The Steam page description still list features that dont exist. And their 4 pillars trailers (that they were using to market the game a few days before release) showed content that are just not there.

I'm happy with what's in there right now, but I can understand how some people are not impressed. I never played Minecraft, and I will admit that NMS is the first game of that ilk to get it's hooks into me. I'd be really happy to hear from someone who played Minecraft in it's infancy and get their take on how that game built out features over time and how Notch decided to promote his game in the beginning. I don't even remember what the pricing model was like for Minecraft when it first came out, but I don't recall any kind of vitriol about what content was in that game or the lack thereof, and I'm sure a lot of that had to do with the fact that Notch never had to get out there and pimp his game to a television audience 2 years in advance. I just remember the angle for most news stories about Minecraft for years was just like "Minecraft now has this new thing in it now! Go check it out!"

Exactly. The game is just not what they said it would be. And that's stuff they said would be there a few months before release. So they did lie. Let's not beat around the bush regarding this.

That being said, though - the fact that people whipped themselves up into a frenzy is also a factor worth considering. I don't see why so many people are looking at this like it's one or the other. It's been a combination of both factors (Hello Games' awful communication and the folks who fell for the overhyped promise of this game).

For me, personally - the game just looks way too boring and repetitive. Plus, no one has anything good to say about the controls or how the combat feels. So I'm most likely never gonna get this game cause those matter to me. They might add something interesting later, but that's way off in the future and I'm pretty sure I'll have a massive backlog of better stuff to visit by then (already have a big pile of stuff I haven't been able to get to).

Honestly, I would have to go back and watch interviews and read "feature lists" to see what was promised that isn't actually delivered on.

I imagine it isn't THAT much, and even the "multiplayer" aspect never was a thing I cared about, so I didn't care it wasn't there.

But regardless, it's one of my favorite games in a long, long time.

Hello Games lied. Whether they lied because of panic or genuine malice I don't know, but the optimist in me wants to say panic. It's a safe expectation to think that most people don't take initial trailers seriously anymore, but there's something very deceptive about how NMS was advertised in the months leading up to it's release, even by regular marketing standards. Vague statements on top of vague statements on top of non answers.

From my knowledge Hello Games has yet to even make a statement on the multiplayer that doesn't exist, or even acknowledge the statements that they had made. Here's quote I like courtesy of PC Gamer on the subject : 'When developers are silent, it allows outspoken players to influence the narrative about what's happening'.

For as much as people like to call Hello Games that little indie team that just wanted to make a good game, it is really weird that they are less personal than say, a behemoth like WB Games in wake of the Arkham Knight PC shitstorm.

I'll bite: what features don't exist in the game that are on the Steam page? I've been playing the game since release and I never felt lied to... Game page says nothing about multiplayer, says you can fly around from space to planet without loading screens, upgrade ship weapon and suit, fight pirates and trade resources, survive or die, explore planets and discover life. All of that is in there and I do all of those things pretty much every time I fire the game up!

Warner Brothers is a huge business that needs its customers to buy its next game (and go to its movies and watch its TV shows) so customer satisfaction is important to them, even if they sometimes don't show it.

Hello Games had a big hit and whoever had ownership in the studio or game is now pretty darn rich. Who knows if they will continue in business as a going concern, or what their plans are. The founders may just take the money and retire rather than trying to rebuild trust and an audience. Even if they do put out future games it will be years from now and there is plenty of time to engage with the press and the public before then. Warner Brothers doesn't have that luxury because they need you to buy their new thing soon.

@retrometal: You should probably do that. There's plenty of articles and forum posts listing what was promised/said and what wasn't delivered on. This topic has been discussed to death.

If nothing else, the trailer that they showed to sell the game is still the same trailer they're using now to sell the game and that trailer is not accurate of the game. It suggests more than what the game delivers.

The current game looks like a knock off kickstarter project of what the original trailer showed.

LOL you can't just disregard actual evidence of them lying because you can't be bothered or didn't care it wasn't there. You like the game, great, I wish I did too. But they lied, and that's pretty irrefutable.

When people reference the Steam page they're usually talking about the trailer that plays when you go to the page, which is super outdated and unrepresentative of the final product on multiple levels (graphics, creature AI, NPC ships that can fly into atmosphere with you). It might not seem like much to you, but they are displaying something that inaccurate front-and-center on the store page to represent the game which is going to rub a lot of people the wrong way.

@teddie: Ah ok. A game trailer = Lies. Got it. Maybe they should cut a new trailer, but plenty of that stuff is still in the game. I think the game still looks that good on a pretty enough planet. I don't think its fair to call them liars just because every detail didn't make it into the game. Really the only thing standing out to me is the dinosaur so large hes knocking down vegetation. I've seen NPC ships doing all those things in the trailer.

Sean Murray made this post the day before NMS released. In it he references two user guides created to explain what will be in the game and what you are doing in it. Both those guides contain aspects not found in the game, that was to be released the very next day!

I've been commenting in a different NMS thread on here, so I'm a little angrier about this game than I have been in a while. Sean Murray lied. Which sucks for people like me who tempered their expectations and said as long as the game just contains what they've shown and talked about I'll be happy. If they cut something that's ok, I'll adjust my expectations accordingly. But then they went and cut things and never said shit about it. I'm glad I didn't buy this game and waited it out instead.

It is when they're still prominently featuring said inaccurate trailer to sell their game. Like, at least make it so your outdated trailer from years ago isn't the first thing people see when they open your store page. It's dishonest by definition.

@teddie: It's the video game version of being on a dating site and using a picture of you at 23 when you're actually now 34, balding and a little out of shape.

I don't think Hello Games deserve a lashing or anything, but the people out there still defending their words and actions (or lack thereof) really come off as if they're grasping at straws at this point. "Come on, guys! The videos all said 'work in progress!'" There are a huge amount of features that were lied about in the lead-up to this game's release, and the near-radio silence that Hello Games have chosen to take post-release certainly doesn't help.

I agree. It's up to the fan to follow the game and make the decision. Anyone who was paying attention at all knew it, if anything, would have a very limited interaction with other players. If you wanted MP then play Destiny. All games are a work in progress. If it has info on the box and one buys the game due to that info and it's not in the game then that is a problem. HG had a lot of items the WANTED in the game but eventually you need to scale it back a bit.