Before No Man’s Sky was released, there was a space exploration game released in 2003 that offers the similar space-exploration gameplay. EVE Online is an MMORPG game set in a procedurally generated virtual world. The game was developed and published by CCP Games and was released for Microsoft Windows and OS X gaming computers.
Background
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqoxRcP5kbo]
The game takes place 21,000 years in the future. After using up all the resources on Earth, humanity has found a way to travel through space and through a wormhole that leads to a whole new solar system, New Eden. To stabilized the wormhole, the humans built a gateway known as “EVE.” However, the Eve gate suddenly collapsed, and those that were left in the New Eden were left to fend for themselves. Thousands of the colonies left eventually died out, and only a few survived. From those that remained, five factions stood out: the Amarr Empire, the Caldari State, the Minmatar Republic, the Gallente Federation, and the Jovian Empire.
Races
Ammar
The Ammar is the largest empire in the world of EVE. It is ruled by a ritualistic and authoritarian imperial state; that enslaved the nations they conquered, causing a rift between other races.
Caldari
The Caldari is a state built on corporate capitalism, where patriotism and hard work is necessary. The state offers its people both the best and the worst living conditions.
Gallente
The Gallenteans are the virile liberalists of the EVE. Many races have considered the Gallente Federation as the Promise Land due to the freedom it has.
Minmatar
Minmatar is the youngest empire in the world of EVE. They gained their independence from the Minmatar Rebellion and are divided into seven great tribes.
Jove
The Jove Empire was once a dominant faction, famous in DNA Engineering. But one day, their study cause them to create a Jovian Disease, killing many of them.
Gameplay
The game starts by letting the player create a new character and choosing one of the four playable races. Once your character is created, you can now freely explore the world of Eve. Participate in some in-game activities which like mining, manufacturing, trading, exploration, and combat. In the persistent world of EVE, you’re free to become anyone and do anything you like.
Interested? You can download this game on Steam at https://store.steampowered.com/app/8500/.