For Travellers at heart, lovers of exploration and discovery. THE TRAVELLER beautifies what is already present in NMS by redefining the User Experience.
See, feel the worlds of No Man’s Sky with greater clarity and purposeful struggle.
For both VR and nonVR.
Installing this mod takes 1 minute! Control-F “MOD Installation”.
UPDATED!! FULL PATCH NOTES AND DOCUMENTATION
This is a mod to facilitate adventure, journey, struggle, discovery, loneliness, determination…
‘PATCH OVERVIEW’ VIDEO
Expanding on my first mod, The Traveller emphasizes immersion and world-presence through 2 core pathways:
1) high impact UI/UX change gets rid of information that reduces the worlds around you into data points and checklists. Exist in a connected player <-> world.
2) Starship launch systems overhaul makes launching/summoning your ship more challenging. This makes for purposeful journeys when separated from your ship – exploring, gathering resources, searching for buildings. Inspired by NMS at first release, when you couldn’t call your ship anywhere you wanted.
Additional features like enhanced Target Sweep and Fusion-powered Rocket Boots empower the player to explore the universe with the minimalist UI.
These technologies and the organic learning curve of exploration without UI comforts develop a deeper, more fulfilling sense of progression.
This mod is 100% focused on facilitating immersion in this universe we love, making exploration more challenging, more interesting, and more fun!!
A lot of care has been put into making sure everything in this mod feels organic and consistent to the universe of No Man’s Sky.
You can play the full game with this mod, no functionality is lost. Complete missions and story, play multiplayer, expedition, gather resources, etc. etc.
**All users, it is advised (optional) to dismantle rocket boots before installing this mod. You may want to dismantle Starship launch upgrades as well. I want you to work for these upgrades (the recipes are altered)!
**VR users, it is advised to disable Head Bob in the control settings, if using full body. It will not play nice with the new rocket boots.
You can play on any file or game mode, but my special recommendation is to start a new normal or expedition game with this mod!
…if you start expedition, and suddenly realize you have no idea where your ship is… welcome to the mod 😉 don’t fret! Find high ground and make note of where you are. Your ship won’t be far!
A new normal save is a gentler start for first-timers with this mod, because you’ll get a mission marker for your ship.
And remember: with this mod, your ship won’t have a marker, but beacons will! Build beacons to keep track of important locations!
There are 4 variations to this mod.
1. hilightnotes_TheTraveller –The complete experience. Recommended, and what I use.
2. hilightnotes_TheTraveller_WithMarkers –For anyone not quite ready to be rid of certain UI comforts. Keeps interaction labels, icon labels.
3. hilightnotes_TheTraveller_TrainingWheels –New/inexperienced players may want to use this. Keeps interaction labels, icon labels, and tutorial popups.
4. hilightnotes_TheTraveller_NoMarkers_WithHighlight –Alternative for VR players. Minimal UI like the full experience, but keeps the interaction highlight effect.
Go to the Files tab on NexusMods (this page) to download one.
**VR-only users are advised to also download hilightnotes_NoIdleAnimation, listed as an “optional file” below the others.
**VR users who want to try an extra oppressive, scary atmosphere on Derelict Freighters can choose hilightnotes_TheTraveller_TooScary, listed as an “optional file” below the others. This contains the full mod (ie. it replaces hilightnotes_TheTraveller).
There are also 4 standalone derivatives of this mod. Note that some of them have conflicting files if installed separately.
The complete vision of these components is THE TRAVELLER mod, but these are available for standalone use.
1. hilightnotes_AtlasPass –Standalone mod for the reworked AtlasPass Target Sweep upgrade
2. hilightnotes_Hungry_LivingShip –Standalone mod for fueling Living Ship launch system using food
3. hilightnotes_NuclearBoots –Standalone mod for new Fusion-powered Rocket Boots
4. hilightnotes_CleanHUD –Standalone mod for UI/HUD reduction
A. MOD Installation
This mod installs the same way as any regular mod for No Man’s Sky. It’s very simple! Extract the mod to your mod folder.
If this is your first time installing a mod for No Man’s Sky, it takes 1 minute. Follow these steps:
1. Navigate to your game folders. For me (Steam user), that means I go to:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\No Man’s Sky\GAMEDATA\PCBANKS
2. Delete the file DisableMods.txt
3. In that same folder (PCBANKS), create a new folder for your mods. It can be called whatever you want, I just call it “MODS”. https://i.imgur.com/38kXMmP.png
4. Download the mod from the Files tab here on nexusmods. It will download as a zip file. Extract the .pak file contained within the .zip file (I use 7-zip) into the MODS folder you created.
5. All set! (When the game starts you will get a screen that warns you that you are using mods).
Deleting the .pak file fully uninstalls the mod. You can leave the mod folder you’ve created.
Sometimes when the game updates, it will recreate the DisableMods.txt. Just delete it again to continue using mods.
Sometimes when the game updates (usually just major updates), the mod will be temporarily incompatible. I update the mod within 1-14 days depending on circumstances, at which point you just replace the old version with the new version to keep using the mod.
B. Strategy Guide Q&A
The minimalist UI, while refreshing, can be a bit of a shellshock! New and inexperienced players in particular may face overwhelming challenge without typical UI information. Here are some tips!
Q: Where’s my health gone?
A: Audio cues inform on shield and health status. Don’t worry, shield recharges, and you don’t take health damage until shield depletes! Your Exosuit will inform you when you are in danger. Listen up!
Q: Uh… where’s my ship?
A: No ship marker with this mod. Did you get lost? First thing is to learn to get a sense of your bearings. Utilize high ground to get a good view and establish landmarks. You can also build a beacon to mark a location, like your ship. Beacon markers are still around, and now actually serve a purpose! If you’re feeling bold, you can try keeping an eye on your longitude/latitude co-ordinates.
Also, if you lose your ship without launch fuel to summon it, my philosophy is to just keep wandering! Build a signal booster to help you locate buildings. If you find a landing beacon or landing pad you can summon your ship (beacons cost 1 Nav Data, but don’t worry you can get one by interacting with one of these things. Every building with a landing beacon has one!
Remember, you can pick Beacons and Signal Boosters up to carry them in your inventory (point at them in-world and hold the ‘dismantle’ button).
Q: Where’s the Space Station?
In the same places as before! Navigate to the Space Station or Nexus using the holographic map on the ship dashboard. The Space Station appears on the map as a yellow-orange diamond. Line it up with the ‘horizon’ center of the map and pulse toward it as usual.
Q: I don’t know how to charge my launch thrusters. What’s atmospheric gas?
A: Atmospheric gas can be found in a variety of places. On most planets, some plants have it as a secondary resource. Scan plants to find out. Other ways to acquire atmospheric gas: Destructible depots, rare floating or rolling plants. Sometimes can be purchased.
Q: Help! I’m stranded!
A: You might find planets that don’t have what you need to fuel your launch thrusters. Even with this mod it’s almost impossible to get truly stranded though (I think it might be possible only at the very beginning of the game, if you land on an ‘impossible’ planet without yet having visited a space station). Here’s some ways to get yourself out of a pickle:
– Find a building with a landing beacon or landing pad (build a signal booster to help). Your ship doesn’t need fuel to be summoned to, or take off from, one.
– If there’s no buildings and all hope seems lost, build a base with a teleporter and whisk yourself off to another planet or space station!
– I don’t expect this to happen, but if you are ever truly, irreversibly stranded, don’t panic. You may be 100% immersed but as a last resort you can always remove the mod and get yourself off the planet. (And then reinstall the mod, I hope!). I am interested to know if you get irreversibly stranded, shoot me a message.
Q: I’m trying to complete this mission but it doesn’t tell me the mission details in the Log. How do I find out what to do?
A: Detailed mission info is contained in your binoculars (analysis visor)!
Q: My mine beam is always overheating. Am I doing something wrong?
A: Your mining beam will start to overheat as you use it without pausing. Pausing for a brief moment will cool it quite a bit. You can see how hot your mining beam is getting by looking at the colour of the laser! Get to know the colours and you’ll get to know when your mining beam is about to overheat.
Q: How do I know when my weather protection is running low?
A: When at risk of exposure, in your binoculars (analysis visor) it will show exactly how long is left before exposure. You can also listen to your Exosuit, which will speak to you to let you know of draining life support, shield, or hazard protection.
Q: What if I die? Is it scary?
A: Not really, you get to read a fun quote! If you die you can make your way back to your grave, which will be marked with an icon, allowing you to retrieve your items. (This is not medical advice).
Q: How do I find out what’s on a planet?
A: Go to it! (When you’re on a planet, your binocs (analysis visor) show detailed info about the planet you’re on. You can also poke around your discovery menu if you’ve already been to the planet.
Q: I researched the AtlasPass 1 but I can’t build it. How do I use it?
A: AtlasPass 1 and 2 aren’t items to be built. They are signal databases that you can sync to your Exosuit Target Sweep functionality to locate certain objects. To sync the AtlasPass to your Exosuit, open the game menu and navigate to the “Catalogue” tab. Go to “Constructed Technology” and select AtlasPass 1 or 2. This will ‘pin’ it, syncing it to your Exosuit. Whenever it locks onto an object, if you open your binoculars it will open straight to the Target Sweep page. So no need to guess whether it’s found something! If it opens up to your regular analysis visor then it hasn’t picked anything up.
Q: Why are rocket boots so hard to build? I can’t make any of these parts!?
A: Rocket boots are the pinnacle upgrade technology, few Travellers even know what they do let alone experienced it for themselves. You can unlock blueprints for the required parts at secure Manufacturing Facilities. Keep on your journey Traveller, you’ll get there!
Q: I heard something about different ships having different launch requirements. Is that true?
A: Different types of ships use different amounts of fuel to take off. Haulers (the big ones) use the most, then fighters. Explorers and shuttles are more lightweight and efficient. Launching an Exotic ship is smooth as butter. Living Ships… that’s a whole other story!
Q: Why can’t I use fuel canisters to fuel my ship anymore?
A: The Galactic Federation calculated universe-wide ecological collapse some billion years into the future and thoughtfully took proactive action (yeah, I’m jealous too), banning all disposable fuel canisters. What do you think happens to those things once they’re empty? You keep making new ones, don’t you? It is for this reason that the new launch thrusters were developed. The compressed gas sits directly in a permanent chamber that converts it into fuel. No need for any disposable canisters!
If you’re feeling especially bold, pop a thermic condensate into the chamber for peak efficiency.
Q: I found a Ruin but there’s nothing there except some half-buried structures. What’s going on? Someone told me I’d score a valuable artifact.
A: Without a signal database that can locate subterranean objects, your only shot is to dig, dig, dig. I’d look into researching those AtlasPasses!
Q: How do I find buildings? I don’t see many building icons while exploring..?
A: “Unknown building” markers have been removed, so you won’t see them off in the distance as you wander. Sometimes you’ll still be bumping into buildings at every twist and turn, while other times you might wander for ages with no sign of permanent shelter. To find buildings more reliably, you can build a signal booster, exchange Nav Data for planetary charts, or go the old fashioned route and seek out high ground for an effective lookout.
Q: I’m staring at this building icon. Staring. Staring… it’s not telling me how far away it is anymore?
A: Marker labels are removed in the recommended version of The Traveller! It is up to you to ascertain how far the marker is and make your own judgements. While this may feel difficult or frustrating at first, like anything it is a skill/judgement that can be developed, with its own rewarding learning curve. That said, if you find it demoralizing or unfun, try out TheTraveller_WithMarkers instead!
Q: Why can’t I interact with anything anymore?
A: You can! But the labels telling you that you can are removed. You may have grown accustomed to ‘instructed interaction’, after years of being taught to see the universe through data points and checklists. Some things you might not even know you can interact with, but you can. There’s no rush to adjust or learn everything, most important is that you have a drive to keep going. If that’s no longer the case and you’re feeling paralyzed or depressed, sounds like its time for some serious change… if possible under whatever circumstances you face.
What were we talking about again? Oh right, you can always change to TheTraveller_WithMarkers, which will bring interaction labels and other in-world labels back.
C. List of Changes:
Documentation of the latest version changes, plus a FULL changelog for this mod is found HERE!
(use the google docs sidebar outline to navigate straight to “Latest Changes” or “Complete Changelog”
D. Compatibility
When you have multiple mods editing the same files, they will conflict. You can run a compatibility check against any other mods you’re using by downloading AMUMSS, following the setup, and running the BUILDMOD WindowsBatchFile. Just press ‘y’ on your keyboard when it prompts to check for any conflicts in your mods folder.
If you’re feeling brave you can also learn how to merge mods.
This mod edits a lot of files. Listed below are most, but not all, the edited files. I will clean this up/improve this list over the next week.
GCBUILDINGGLOBALS.GLOBAL.MBIN
GCCREATUREGLOBALS.MBIN
GCGALAXYGLOBALS.GLOBAL.MBIN
GCGAMEPLAYGLOBALS.MBIN
GCPLAYERGLOBALS.GLOBAL.MBIN
GCSPACESHIPGLOBALS.GLOBAL.MBIN
GCUIGLOBALS.GLOBAL.MBIN
DAMAGETABLE.MBIN
REWARDTABLE.MBIN
NMS_REALITY_GCPRODUCTTABLE.MBIN
NMS_REALITY_GCTECHNOLOGYTABLE.MBIN
LEVELEDSTATSTABLE.MBIN
LEVELEDSTATSTABLESURVIVALMODE.MBIN
HUDHAZARD.MBIN
HUDHEALTH.MBIN
HUDINDICATORS.MBIN
HUDINDICATORSVR.MBIN
HUDLINES.MBIN
HUDNOTIFICATION.MBIN
HUDPLANETINFO.MBIN
HUDWEAPONS.MBIN
HUDBINOCSLEFTPANELNEW.MBIN
HUDBINOCSRIGHTPANEL.MBIN
HUDBINOCSRIGHTPANELNEW.MBIN
QUICKMENULAUNCHER.MBIN
WEAPONMENU.MBIN
TOPBAR.DDS
DRONEDIRECTION.DDS
ARROW.DANGER.DDS
DECSLASH.DDS
SCANNERICONS.MBIN
TUTORIALMISSIONTABLE.MBIN
NMS_LOC1_ENGLISH
NMS_LOC1_USENGLISH
HUDBINOCULARMARKER.MBIN
HEADSUP.MBIN
SIDESCREENSOLARSYSTEM.MBIN
DARKJETPACKSMOKEMAT.MATERIAL.MBIN
PIPELINEDEFERREDVR.BIN
BINOCULARS.DDS
WARNING.DDS
WARNINGLARGE.DDS
PICKUP.DANGER.DDS
CREATUREEXCLAMATION.DDS
CREATUREFRIEND.DDS
CREATUREFRIENDLOOK.DDS
CREATUREFRIENDSCARED.DDS
CREATUREMILK.DDS
BLASTDECAL.DDS
MAXBLASTDECAL.DDS
BUILDING.ANOMALSTATION.DDS
BUILDING.ATLASSTATION.DDS
BUILDING.SPACESTATION.DDS
DIAMONDOUTLINE.DDS
HEXOUTLINE.DDS
NEXUS.DDS
OCTOUTLINE.DDS
WEATHERHAZARDS.MBIN
LINE3D.MATERIAL.MBIN
HUDFANCYNOTIFY.MBIN
HUDINTERACTIONMARKER.MBIN
HUDMARKER.MBIN
A LOT OF MODEL ENTITIES, (mostly under BIOMES/COMMON folder)
This is a list of mods I currently use, none of which conflict:
– Asteroid Fields
– No DOF Blur
– No Flying Pollens
– No Glowing Plants
– No Red Landing Arrows
– No Ship Speed Effect – Almost
– No Space Dust, No Space Plasma
– ReLight
Much love to Lo2k who made every one of those mods.
E. Credits/thanks
Big thanks to the NMS modding community for the tools they’ve created to make modding more accessible. Thanks also to the “No Man’s Sky Modding” Discord community, where I was able to ask questions to help me figure some things out.
Special thanks:
hilightnotes
Lo2k. I adapted their mod, to remove a few space icons, as well as using their blank texture to help me remove other textures. I also included their “No Space Metric Lines” mod in my UltramersionPLUS mod variation.
Mijstral. I included their wonderful mod that removes the ‘VR highlight’ effect when looking at objects.
Rayrod and Cyrus. They modded the transparent menus.
Ignacio. Pulse drive that brings you closer to planet is their idea.
Devilin Pixy. Provided big help removing the HUD arrow icons that track buildings outside of your vision.
