No Man's Sky Features Alien Languages
By Maxwell Jeffery 26 February 2016
No Man’s Sky contains unique alien races, each with their own languages to learn. Players will have to pick up new dialects in order to interact with the NPCs.
Whilst we’re still not entirely sure what players will be doing in No Man’s Sky, according to a post on the PlayStation blog, Hello Games’ latest project will see players learning alien languages in order to interact with other races on one of the over 18 quintillion unique worlds that they can explore in the game.
Creator Sean Murray from Hello Games stated that the team has always wanted to incorporate foreign factions into the game and are finally at a point where they’re happy enough to show it. As players travel No Man’s Sky‘s vast universe, they may encounter individuals from other distinct races whose appearances and speech patterns are procedurally generated based on a set of variables defined by the game’s developers.
Once the player has encountered the new species, they will be able to trade resources with them, as well as learn more about the game’s lore. You may even be able to forge alliances for assistance if you wish, though none of this is as simple as one might think. According to Murray:
“With NPCs in No Man’s Sky, you actually have to learn their language; they speak to you in their native tongue. The more you travel around the universe, the more you learn their language, and the more you can communicate with them.”
Whilst players may struggle to pick up the dialects at first, as they explore further into the universe, fill your “Intergalactic Pokedex“, and talk to new NPCs, you’ll gradually get a deeper understanding of how the language works. According to Murray, there is real value in developing a relationship with a new race and learning to speak their language may allow you to receive preferential treatment such as cheaper prices or better equipment. On the other hand, if you blunder into conversations without any knowledge of the race’s language, there can be real negative consequences. Selecting the wrong option in the dialogue tree could lead to your standing decreasing, the trader ripping you off, or your new-found alien friend attacking you.
Each species will have a particular aspect of the game that they focus on. Some races may be more into exploration and science than military, meaning that allying yourself with them may lead to you gaining new technology to aid your exploration. Or you might prefer befriending a race of warmongers if you’re looking to be more military focussed yourself. Every individual race will have a unique language for the player to learn and Murray predicts that each dialect would take “hours and hours” to learn, with the majority of people never becoming fluent unless that’s something they’re particularly seeking.
But whilst the languages are there for players to use, Hello Games stresses that the interactions with NPCs are just a tiny part of the game, so don’t be expecting the universe to fill up with dialogue trees.
“It’s more about creating a really interesting reason for people to explore the game and get some really emergent results.”
Now that No Man’s Sky finally has a release date, players don’t have long to wait until they can finally begin their adventures exploring the universe. With just a few months remaining until the game’s release, it’s likely that developers Hello Games will soon begin to release new information about their upcoming title so stay tuned for more news as it’s unveiled. For now, it’s already easy to see why so many are putting the game in their lists as one of the most anticipated games of 2016.
No Man’s Sky is set for release on 24th June for PlayStation 4 and PC. Xbox have also expressed an interest in the title.
