Hey ya’ll, for starters, this isn’t meant to promote any specific tool or method. I get that some people might not be aware of these kinds of things, but I don’t think that’s a reason to avoid discussing the topic more broadly. I am thinking of a specific tool, but the automod don’t like me naming it.
For a bit of context, there are external methods that allow players to obtain items, ships, etc. very quickly, sometimes with limited free uses and then paid options. In practice, this can mean accessing almost anything in the game at any time, across different modes (including permadeath), with some built-in restrictions depending on the method.
I’ve recently had a few discussions with people who have quite strong views on either end of this. Roughly summarised (not word-for-word):
Yes, it’s cheating. NMS is largely about collecting and progression, so if one player spends hours getting something rare and another bypasses that instantly through external means, it undermines that effort. There’s also the argument that it can negatively affect shared spaces (e.g. performance issues or unusual builds appearing where they normally wouldn’t), and that the devs have tried to limit these kinds of things before.
No, it’s a sandbox game. These methods just help people reach the experience they want on their own terms. From that perspective, it removes grind and improves quality of life, letting people tailor their playthrough. Some people also feel that attempts to limit these methods are more about control than player experience.
Personal opinion: I lean more against it—not necessarily because I fully agree with every argument above, but because if the developers have made efforts to restrict these kinds of shortcuts, it suggests they don’t intend for them to be part of the experience. For whatever reason that may be, it is their work. Imagine if Da Vinci had just painted the Mona Lisa, and some random came along and painted a moustache on her. Does that make it bad? Not necessarily. Does it take ownership away from Da Vinci, yes. Additionally, I’m genuinely concerned about what impact that has on future updates. Are the developers planning to make changes to the economy, or rarity of things, etc? We can’t know, but if they are, having ways to get everything you want in a few clicks makes certain systems totally redundant. TL;DR: External shortcuts may limit the direction and impact of future updates, therefore leaning negative.
I’m interested to hear what people think—does this feel like a divided issue, or is there a general consensus one way or the other?