No Man's Sky gets alien settlements you can take charge of

No Man's Sky just celebrated its fifth anniversary, and to underscore just how far the game has come since its rocky debut, Hello Games has released the 17th major update for the space exploration and survival sim. The headline attraction of the Frontiers update is the addition of alien settlements, which you can take charge of and rule however you like.

You'll be able to name towns, expand them, defend them against Sentinels, welcome visitors, resolve disputes between residents and even commission festivals. As with the rest of the game, interiors will be procedurally generated. You'll be able to see the population's overall happiness level, earn income from the town and gain insight into the intentions and thoughts of residents, all of which add Sims-esque layers to the game.

Hello Games

Base building has been revamped with a grid-based menu system and automatic contextual placement of features like windows and arches. There are more than 250 new base parts, including timber, stone, alloy and decorative pieces. You can even place parts inside of each other.

You now have 15 save slots instead of five, and you can save more discoveries on locally. Hello Games says it has upgraded some visual effects too (the previous big patch brought in more substantial visual improvements). For one thing, you'll start to see pretty, multi-colored nebulas in space. Players can choose "monstrous companions" as pets as well.

Hello Games

A new Twitch campaign is on the way, through which you can earn in-game rewards by watching others play No Man's Sky. Meanwhile, the next expedition season will commence soon. The Frontiers update is now live on all platforms.