2) No Man’s Sky Marries A Distinctive Art Style With Complex Math
Minecraft has done procedural generation in the past, but No Man’s Sky takes it to an entirely new level, balancing delicate mathematics with a distinctive art style. Where Minecraft is a series of rather colourless blocks, No Man’s Sky makes an entire universe look vibrant. Creating something this beautiful and stretching it to such an expanse is a tall order, and yet somehow the art and the algorithm work together.
3) It Redefines Impossible
Beyond its aesthetic merits, the algorithm also works hand in hand with the way the game plays. Most procedurally generated games separate gameplay into different components. The rules are different for each component. There might be one for monsters, another for harvesting and so forth. The rules are different for each, and thus, form a web of interconnecting – but separate – threads.
In No Man’s Sky, everything works like a pyramid: one system determines another set of rules, which determines another, and another, and so forth. The gameplay builds upon itself naturally, ensuring greater variation. If that sounds complicated, it is – but the net result is a richer level of variety.
