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I have cried twice in No Man’s Sky. The first time was upon my arrival through the portal at Lennon (aka Drogradur NO425), the capital planet of the old Galactic Hub, […]
I have cried twice in No Man’s Sky. The first time was upon my arrival through the portal at Lennon (aka Drogradur NO425), the capital planet of the old Galactic Hub, where I was greeted by dozens of players departing for the new Hub. It was the first time I had encountered material remains left behind by people, and after over a year of traveling alone, seeing a positive, human presence overwhelmed me.
The second time I wept was when I walked through the portal to the planet memorializing Glenn William, the father of player Torn_Pr1nc3. I discovered the story of the memorial base by accident when looking for other bases to explore on behalf of the No Man’s Sky Archaeological Survey. The story as told by the player is below:
August 11, 2017—the day Atlas Rises reset the universe—also affected the life of a player, and the two events are forever bound together.
I could think of no better way to honor all fathers on Father’s Day (June 17, 2018) than to make the pilgrimage to the portal and base. While not in the Hub per se, the planet lies somewhere near the Pilgrim Star, and should become part of a player’s pilgrimage to honor special, human things within this procedural—often cold—universe. Here’s how the galactic geography looks, thanks to the Pilgrim Star Path app:
It was very important for me to visit the Glenn William Memorial B&B in order to document it prior to the NEXT update (v1.4) scheduled for July 24, 2018, with screen captures and video, plus noting the location and content of each of the 20 communication stations left on the planet. This was the first time I had seen comm stations placed to remember the life of someone, and to encourage a player to keep going, to have strength at a time of supreme loss. This is mortuary archaeology, a burial in a synthetic world, but there are no bones, only memory and the evidence of time and materials taken to construct a monument tied so closely to what the father enjoyed. It’s not a cold statue, but instead a shelter from the storm for Travelers to enjoy, an invitation to keep memory alive.
This is not the only memorial in No Man’s Sky. The Monica Goebel Memorial Planet also exists as a permanent memorial to a lost loved one, as does the planet dedicated to the memory of Amanda Gallaty. Archaeologically speaking, the Glenn William Memorial B&B is the only built structure discovered so far, which commemorates the life of someone a player has lost. Finding and exploring this place in the course of my research has been bittersweet, and I hope Torn_Pr1nc3 has found some peace.
TwitchALGOS Reddit
System: Glenn William
Base Name: Dad’s Bed & Breakfast (aka Glenn William Memorial B&B)
Player: Torn_Pr1nc3
Type: Desert Planet
Weather: Parched Sands
Sentinels: Low Security
Flora: Ample. According to the Discoveries log, 12 plant species (all “common”) have been discovered.
Fauna: Copious. Also based on the Discoveries log, 11/11 animal species have been recorded.
Economy: Mercantile // Balanced
Dominant Lifeform: Korvax
Conflict Level: Tranquil
Planet Base Coordinates: 06EA:007C:0113:0040
Portal Coordinates: bird pie moon pie triangle shuttle galaxy bird moon tree tree whale
Resources (according to the log): Cactus Flesh, Aluminum, Nickel, Heridium.
Exterior Temp: Range between 100.5 F, 1.3 Rad, 6.5 Tox (day) and -89.6 F, 1.5 Rad, 5.7 Tox (night)
Storms: Frequent (extreme heat: 214.1 F).
Length of Day: 1 real-time minute = 45 minutes on TwitchALGOS Reddit. 32 real-time minutes = 1 day on TwitchALGOS Reddit.
Sunrise: 0400
Sunset: 2000
Circumference: ca. 10:30 minutes (630 seconds) at 4756u/s = 2,996,280u or ca. 2,996ku
Diameter: ca. 954ku
Volume: 4.55 x 108 u = 455,000,000u
The Earth’s moon has a circumference of: 10,921km (or nearly 4x that of TwitchALGOS Reddit).
The landscape of TwitchALGOS Reddit is that of the classic American desert replete with arches, hardpan, rocky hills and cairns, whittled mesas and hoodoos, and covered with varieties of cactus and succulents.
22 Waypoints discovered, dates ranging from August 12, 2017 to September 3, 2017.
4 on August 12, 2017 by Torn_Pr1nc3.
3 on August 13, 2017 by Torn _Pr1nc3.
4 on August 13, 2017 by Torn _Pr1nc3.
9 on August 16, 2017 by FuyuShimo
2 on September 3, 2017 by Torn _Pr1nc3
The Glenn William Memorial B&B is a massive, black-and-gold, 3-story complex consisting of a cluster of nine rooms linked together by twisting hallways. The entry to the central base unit opens to the SW and is flanked by a signal booster and beacon to one side and two comm stations on the other, one of which was placed by Torn_Pr1nc3 to honor his real-world father. Just off the western wall are two geopads, one for a Nomand and one for a Roamer exocraft.
Entering the base unit one sees the familiar base ID, vendor, and teleporter. A central ladder leads up to levels 2 and 3. A short hall to the left leads to a room with two beds, an Atlas decal above the headboards, a weapons station, a desk, and a table with two chairs. An airlock opens onto the desert floor with easy access to another airlock.
This airlock leads to a botany room with two standing planters, and six hydroponic trays, two for Coprite and four for Frostwort. A central ladder leads up to Level 2 to a room with another weapons station and a short hallway to an empty room.
Returning to the base unit, the ladder brings one to the Level 2 landing (so marked) with one hallway as well as a ladder continuing up to Level 3. The hallways leads to a black-and-purple bedroom with two double beds, a bar, a central table and chairs, and two observation chairs. The room is pierced with four windows and an airlock opening into space.
The ladder up from the central unit lead to the landing for Level three with hallways opening to the front and back. The back hallway leads to a bedroom with a king bed and windows with hallways exiting to the left and right. The left hallway leads to an observation bubble. Taking the hallway by the bubble, one heads to a round table with chair and then on into a winding hallway leading back to the landing for Level 3.
Returning to the ground floor of the base unit, one may head to the back hallway, which opens onto a computer bay with airlock and a central ladder leading up to Level 2. Another ladder is down the hall to the right. The first landing for Level 2 contains a tire rack. The second landing for Level 2 is another botany bay with hydroponic trays for three frostwort and two coprite plants. Another hallway leads to another botany bay with with three solanium, two frostwort, and one coprite plant. Two hydroponic trays remain empty. Heading down the second ladder back to Level 1, a short corridor leads to an empty room.
A cluster of 17 communication stations surround the front (exit) side of the portal, all with notes of condolence. The first comm station to broadcast its message to the player says “I’m sorry for your loss.”
To the north, one comm ball lies two hours away next to a red shelter, and two sit right outside the front door to the memorial base, which is a five-hour walk north.
| No. | Color | Placed By | Text | Note |
| 1 | Blue | nudeplanetsympho | Never forget, but always be moving forward | Portal |
| 2 | Orange | Wick-1984 | Sorry for your loss. | Portal |
| 3 | Orange | prueljr | Hang in there man, it gets easier. | Portal |
| 4 | Orange | salford9723 | May you find peace | Portal |
| 5 | Orange | AssassinMinecraf | Sorry 4 UR Loss 😦 | Portal |
| 6 | Orange | Ninjabird3 | Stay Strong all the way from the Carribbea | Portal |
| 7 | Orange | zombiekilla2108 | Stay Strong Buddy. May He find peace. | Portal |
| 8 | Orange | prowess-fs | Rip | Portal |
| 9 | Orange | bigtrist10 | RIP Avidgwentplayer’s Dad. He’ll be proud. | Portal |
| 10 | Orange | Anikin_Harris | Sorry for your loss, may he be in heaven | Portal |
| 11 | Orange | Theblackdawn | RIP, hope the best for you man! | Portal |
| 12 | Orange | xblack_jacketx | God Speed | Portal |
| 13 | Orange | Chief_Matz | RIP | Portal |
| 14 | Orange | nhueb76ytghd | Stay strong | Portal |
| 15 | Orange | GUYNESG | He forever has a home among the stars | Portal |
| 16 | Orange | Mr-wayne- | He’s in heaven now | Portal |
| 17 | Orange | turbobigmoist | Stay strong traveler | Portal |
| 18 | Orange | ChillStorms | I’m vert sorry for your loss, lovely B&B | Base |
| 19 | Orange | Torn_Pr1nc3 | Glenn William Memorial B&B | Base |
| 20 | Orange | FuyuShimo | Hope this helps | Shelter |
—Andrew Reinhard, Archaeogaming
Archaeogaming is a collective of gamers who are interested in applying archaeological methods while exploring game-worlds. We are interested in the evolution of gaming worlds and in the use of archaeology while in-game. Archaeogaming was founded by Andrew Reinhard on June 9, 2013.
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