No Man's Sky

[El Guapo]

I totally agree with that Forbes (about needing some purpose in a game), although that's ultimately a criticism of sandbox-style games in general.

[Max Peck]

I totally agree with that Forbes (about needing some purpose in a game), although that's ultimately a criticism of sandbox-style games in general.

And yet, I've seen other people lamenting that there are any gameplay elements in it at all, and wishing it was a pure walking simulator. There's no pleasing everyone.

[ColdSteel]

I think that sometimes we hardcore gamers tend to forget just how jaded we have all become. I saw this guy's story on Reddit and thought it was awesome:

Why NMS is already worth my money. 60 year old father is now a NMS explorer.
(self.NoMansSkyTheGame)

submitted 3 hours ago * by california_king

So I bought the game on launch night with a buddy who lives across the country. Played all night, all the next day, and can't wait to nerd out all weekend. Well, yesterday my father calls me up and says he wants to come over to my apartment cause we haven't really spent time together in a couple weeks. I told him better yet, fire up the bbq grill and I'll bring a few steaks over and I have this awesome game I want to show him. He agrees. So I get off work, head home pack my system up and bring it over to his house. While he cooks I set up the game and start playing. Mind you, my dad is a huge Star Trek and Star Wars fan. He saw Star Wars opening night in 1977 and fell in love. He comes in to see me play this game is is just captivated. I explain the game to him and everything you can do and he asks to take the reins. I give him a quick low down on the controls and exit to continue the bbqing. I tell him to just stay In the system I was in as it had 6 planets and few moons. More than enough for him to play around with. Fast forward about 4 hours, his steak is cold and he has completely taken over my ps4. He doesn't want to give up the controller lol. He spent the whole 4 hours in that one system. He named every planet, discovered and named dozens of species, built me 4 warp cells, he went nuts lol. After convincing him to give up the controller, he runs back to his room, hands me $500 cash and tell me to bring him a ps4 with the game. I run to Best Buy, and do just that. My pops has been up since last night playing NMS and I have to keep calling him to see if he's ok lol. Trying to get him to sleep. I talked to him 10 min ago and he's STILL playing. My dad is a retired school principle and has a lot of spare time and cash. I love NMS for this reason. It brought life back into my father. The look in his eyes when I flew into space from a planet gave me chills. This is the power of NMS. Don't know how long he will be addicted but it seems as though he's in for the long run. He said he's always wanted a game that can make him feel like a space explorer. NMS is more than a game, this is life, inspiration, childhood dreams come to fruition, freedom.

[A nonny mouse]

I think that sometimes we hardcore gamers tend to forget just how jaded we have all become. I saw this guy's story on Reddit and thought it was awesome:

Why NMS is already worth my money. 60 year old father is now a NMS explorer.
(self.NoMansSkyTheGame)

submitted 3 hours ago * by california_king

So I bought the game on launch night with a buddy who lives across the country. Played all night, all the next day, and can't wait to nerd out all weekend. Well, yesterday my father calls me up and says he wants to come over to my apartment cause we haven't really spent time together in a couple weeks. I told him better yet, fire up the bbq grill and I'll bring a few steaks over and I have this awesome game I want to show him. He agrees. So I get off work, head home pack my system up and bring it over to his house. While he cooks I set up the game and start playing. Mind you, my dad is a huge Star Trek and Star Wars fan. He saw Star Wars opening night in 1977 and fell in love. He comes in to see me play this game is is just captivated. I explain the game to him and everything you can do and he asks to take the reins. I give him a quick low down on the controls and exit to continue the bbqing. I tell him to just stay In the system I was in as it had 6 planets and few moons. More than enough for him to play around with. Fast forward about 4 hours, his steak is cold and he has completely taken over my ps4. He doesn't want to give up the controller lol. He spent the whole 4 hours in that one system. He named every planet, discovered and named dozens of species, built me 4 warp cells, he went nuts lol. After convincing him to give up the controller, he runs back to his room, hands me $500 cash and tell me to bring him a ps4 with the game. I run to Best Buy, and do just that. My pops has been up since last night playing NMS and I have to keep calling him to see if he's ok lol. Trying to get him to sleep. I talked to him 10 min ago and he's STILL playing. My dad is a retired school principle and has a lot of spare time and cash. I love NMS for this reason. It brought life back into my father. The look in his eyes when I flew into space from a planet gave me chills. This is the power of NMS. Don't know how long he will be addicted but it seems as though he's in for the long run. He said he's always wanted a game that can make him feel like a space explorer. NMS is more than a game, this is life, inspiration, childhood dreams come to fruition, freedom.

Yeah, that is pretty cool! This is what games should do. Maybe not "the up all night" bit, but bring that childlike happiness back.

[Grifman]

Forbes does video game reviews?

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of No Man's Sky

Yes, they actually have pretty good gaming coverage.

[Holman]

I think that sometimes we hardcore gamers tend to forget just how jaded we have all become. I saw this guy's story on Reddit and thought it was awesome:

[...]

NMS is more than a game, this is life, inspiration, childhood dreams come to fruition, freedom.

Maybe I *am* jaded, but the above sounds like more hype. I'm sure it's an accurate account of the father's first-time experience, but does the game really have legs to sustain that sense of endless wonder?

I don't think we'll really know about this game for another week or so. The arguments and counter-arguments about what was promised seem like they're overshadowing what's actually there.

[Smoove_B]

Maybe I *am* jaded, but the above sounds like more hype. I'm sure it's an accurate account of the father's first-time experience, but does the game really have legs to sustain that sense of endless wonder?

I'm sure for someone that's never played a video game before, it has to be unreal. But I'm with you -- someone that's been gaming for 30+ years and is likely jaded. I want to believe but I've been fooled before with games like Spore or Black and White. Games that sounded amazing on paper and were indeed amazing for the first few hours...but then completely fell apart.

[Covenant72]

This is a small indie studio without a fleet of PR people and attorneys to prep and vette everything that they say. I guess thats why I have no problem with the whole MP issue. I just do not get the uproar. I do not believe there was any intention to mislead on their part. To me its the kind of minor issue that you just shrug off. It strikes me as internet mob mentality more than anything else. Could they have handled it better? Yes they certainly could have. Did they ever promise MP as a feature in any way shape or form? No, they did not. Of course now that its become a thing, people are scouring every little tidbit of every interview the company has been a part of to try and find anything at all to support their outrage. The whole "I told you so" attitude of this thing just seems petty to me.

This has been going on since long before the game even released. Before the multiplayer "controversy" it was endless questions of "but what do you DOOOOOOoooo in the game"? And no matter how many times that question was answered, people would not be swayed from their constant negativity. It has been stated ad-nauseum (sp?) that this is NOT a multiplayer game. The fact that this is considered such a big controversy is very telling about those who participate. I mean, we have a great new original game now available that's not yet another yearly iteration of the same crap and this is what people choose to discuss about it?

[Lorini]

I'm going to restart. I didn't understand how the discoveries work (be sure to scan everything because that's how you get money) and am stranded on a planet at the moment. Next time it'll work better. Also for PC people, no need to inventory iron or carbon, there's tons of it everywhere.

[Lorini]

This is a small indie studio without a fleet of PR people and attorneys to prep and vette everything that they say. I guess thats why I have no problem with the whole MP issue. I just do not get the uproar. I do not believe there was any intention to mislead on their part. To me its the kind of minor issue that you just shrug off. It strikes me as internet mob mentality more than anything else. Could they have handled it better? Yes they certainly could have. Did they ever promise MP as a feature in any way shape or form? No, they did not. Of course now that its become a thing, people are scouring every little tidbit of every interview the company has been a part of to try and find anything at all to support their outrage. The whole "I told you so" attitude of this thing just seems petty to me.

This has been going on since long before the game even released. Before the multiplayer "controversy" it was endless questions of "but what do you DOOOOOOoooo in the game"? And no matter how many times that question was answered, people would not be swayed from their constant negativity. It has been stated ad-nauseum (sp?) that this is NOT a multiplayer game. The fact that this is considered such a big controversy is very telling about those who participate. I mean, we have a great new original game now available that's not yet another yearly iteration of the same crap and this is what people choose to discuss about it?

Exactly. I'm so happy they made it, I'm keeping my PC pre-order even though I have it on the PS4.

[TheMix]

I'm still on the fence. But I actually like the idea of playing offline. I really don't want any evidence of other players in my single player game.

Maybe the people that are angry that their single player game won't act like a multiplayer game are just pissed off that they can't grief other players. (That's the cynic in me.)

I avoid survival and multiplayer games specifically because I don't find it remotely fun to be grief-ed... or even to have to worry about it. Likewise, I don't think I'd enjoy stumbling on planets/creatures/etc with stupid, juvenile names. I don't find that funny or entertaining. And it definitely would break the immersion.

[Holman]

I haven't played it, and I'm not trying to trash it, but I am interested in the phenomenon of over-promising and backlash. Whether the backlash is deserved is something we don't know yet.

It seems to me that this is essentially a procedurally generated walking (flying/warping) simulator: there's always more to see, but there's not that much to do with it, and it might not be too long before the limits of recombination cross the line into samey sameyness. Once you feel you've seen all the elements available, the further variation of those elements will be less interesting.

What I'd love to see is this engine grow into something much greater. What if you could design structures and build bases, new ships, space stations, etc? What if you could terraform and change the environment, and then watch the effects of terraforming on local species? What if you could alter the ecosystem in other ways, such as introducing new species for ecologically similar worlds, killing all the predators, breeding new creatures for special purposes, etc?

[Covenant72]

I haven't played it, and I'm not trying to trash it, but I am interested in the phenomenon of over-promising and backlash. Whether the backlash is deserved is something we don't know yet.

It seems to me that this is essentially a procedurally generated walking (flying/warping) simulator: there's always more to see, but there's not that much to do with it, and it might not be too long before the limits of recombination cross the line into samey sameyness. Once you feel you've seen all the elements available, the further variation of those elements will be less interesting.

What I'd love to see is this engine grow into something much greater. What if you could design structures and build bases, new ships, space stations, etc? What if you could terraform and change the environment, and then watch the effects of terraforming on local species? What if you could alter the ecosystem in other ways, such as introducing new species for ecologically similar worlds, killing all the predators, breeding new creatures for special purposes, etc?

The latest patch notes specifically mention them adding the ability to build bases and own freighter ships in the future. To me this indicates (hopefully) they plan to add major functionality/content over the lifetime of the game.

[msduncan]

How much PR expertise can we expect from a 15-person dev team?

Yeah. The current game credits list only 6 programmers, aside from Sean Murray. Back when the game was demoed at E3, the total programming team was just four (!) people. Total.

And who's the PR person working the biggest game of the year? At least publicly, it appears to be the lead programmer -- Sean Murray. Not like he doesn't have other things to do...

It's amazing to watch this all go down. Murray seems like a super-creative, charming, down-to-earth guy who's in way over his head (as a game PR guy, not a game programmer). I actually feel sorry for him. He's accomplished something unique that's bound to be very influential (in future game development, as well as other areas). Hard to do in this industry. I can't believe Sony didn't provide him with adequate promotional support. There's so much money on the table at this point.

I can also empathize. I too have found myself suddenly wearing too many hats on projects I was leading, with no one to delegate to and suddenly asking myself, "How the heck did this even happen?!" But the truth is, it's an easy pit to fall into when you're working on a project you started and care deeply about.

I don't feel too sorry for him. He now has more money than he will know what to do with.

[naednek]

So, not that I'm buying it, but I noticed Amazon only has the ps4 version. Anyone know why I can't find the PC version or why they may not be carrying it? Is it me? This was my observation yesterday.

[Smoove_B]

So, not that I'm buying it, but I noticed Amazon only has the ps4 version. Anyone know why I can't find the PC version or why they may not be carrying it? Is it me? This was my observation yesterday.

You could be forgiven for not noticing us discussing this on Tuesday. It's a big forum and the likelihood of us meeting up on the site at exactly the same time is like a Brazilian to one.

[Holman]

I've set the forum to a PvP environment, and now I can't see anyone's posts at all.

[Frost]

This is a small indie studio without a fleet of PR people and attorneys to prep and vette everything that they say. I guess thats why I have no problem with the whole MP issue. I just do not get the uproar. I do not believe there was any intention to mislead on their part. To me its the kind of minor issue that you just shrug off. It strikes me as internet mob mentality more than anything else. Could they have handled it better? Yes they certainly could have. Did they ever promise MP as a feature in any way shape or form? No, they did not. Of course now that its become a thing, people are scouring every little tidbit of every interview the company has been a part of to try and find anything at all to support their outrage. The whole "I told you so" attitude of this thing just seems petty to me.

This has been going on since long before the game even released. Before the multiplayer "controversy" it was endless questions of "but what do you DOOOOOOoooo in the game"? And no matter how many times that question was answered, people would not be swayed from their constant negativity. It has been stated ad-nauseum (sp?) that this is NOT a multiplayer game. The fact that this is considered such a big controversy is very telling about those who participate. I mean, we have a great new original game now available that's not yet another yearly iteration of the same crap and this is what people choose to discuss about it?

Exactly. I'm so happy they made it, I'm keeping my PC pre-order even though I have it on the PS4.

I'm curious. What is the benefit to having the same game on both systems? Isn't it virtually the same thing? Except for maybe some better graphics on the PC, wouldn't the content be identical for NMS?

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

Well, by owning both, he can most likely never run into his friends on both the PC and PS4 servers!

[rshetts2]

Well, by owning both, he can most likely never run into his friends on both the PC and PS4 servers!

But what if he runs into himself while playing, wouldn't that cause a time/space paradox and annihilate the entire universe?

[msduncan]

So... critics aren't being too kind to it thus far:

link

[Max Peck]

Yup, those are some savage reviews.

[Holman]

Rock Paper Shotgun seems to find it superficially beautiful but ultimately very shallow.

[TheMix]

I haven't read the other reviews, but the RPS one was definitely a first for me. On the surface, the review seemed to pan the game. However, he also couldn't stop playing. To me it boils down to: do I enjoy playing, and will I get sufficient value for the cost of the game? Beyond that...

[Lorini]

This is a small indie studio without a fleet of PR people and attorneys to prep and vette everything that they say. I guess thats why I have no problem with the whole MP issue. I just do not get the uproar. I do not believe there was any intention to mislead on their part. To me its the kind of minor issue that you just shrug off. It strikes me as internet mob mentality more than anything else. Could they have handled it better? Yes they certainly could have. Did they ever promise MP as a feature in any way shape or form? No, they did not. Of course now that its become a thing, people are scouring every little tidbit of every interview the company has been a part of to try and find anything at all to support their outrage. The whole "I told you so" attitude of this thing just seems petty to me.

This has been going on since long before the game even released. Before the multiplayer "controversy" it was endless questions of "but what do you DOOOOOOoooo in the game"? And no matter how many times that question was answered, people would not be swayed from their constant negativity. It has been stated ad-nauseum (sp?) that this is NOT a multiplayer game. The fact that this is considered such a big controversy is very telling about those who participate. I mean, we have a great new original game now available that's not yet another yearly iteration of the same crap and this is what people choose to discuss about it?

Exactly. I'm so happy they made it, I'm keeping my PC pre-order even though I have it on the PS4.

I'm curious. What is the benefit to having the same game on both systems? Isn't it virtually the same thing? Except for maybe some better graphics on the PC, wouldn't the content be identical for NMS?

Just because I'm happy that they did the game. I wouldn't suggest anyone else doing this. And yes, the graphics should be better, plus I'm hoping for better controls.

[Lorini]

Well, by owning both, he can most likely never run into his friends on both the PC and PS4 servers!

But what if he runs into himself while playing, wouldn't that cause a time/space paradox and annihilate the entire universe?

Well if he ran into himself, he would be in a real tizzy since he is a she .

[TheMix]

Well, by owning both, he can most likely never run into his friends on both the PC and PS4 servers!

But what if he runs into himself while playing, wouldn't that cause a time/space paradox and annihilate the entire universe?

Well if he ran into himself, he would be in a real tizzy since he is a she .

Ah, but what is the sex of your in-game character?

I thought about correcting them, but figured I'd leave that to you. And I liked your response much better. "Tizzy" is a word that really doesn't get used enough.

[Victoria Raverna]

It seems strange that the developer hadn't expected players to actively try and meet up, especially when given tools that make it possible. Knowing human nature, it was an outright certainty that it would happen basically immediately. If they designed their game on the assumption that nobody would do that, it makes me wonder what other bad assumptions they made.

It'd be like including an emblem editor and assuming that people wouldn't immediately start drawing dicks with it. That's a bad assumption.

Maybe they added the ability to scan for other's discoveries late in development. Without that, it'll be highly improbable for two person to be in the same location in game. So for a while they assume no one will meet, at least not within 24 hours of the release.

[FishPants]

I really don't get the frustration and concern.. Mind you my brother made me aware of this game only four weeks ago. I paid $80 Canadian on a ps4 preorder, and I regret nothing.

Seriously, it's the cost of two cases of beer -- yet I've already racked up ten hours in it and stop only because of my home situation that's way more important (my wife is sick).

I now have an atlas stone, I farmed 1.8 million units to buy a kickass ship, I've shot down ten pirates (killed once myself).. I've discovered alien artifacts, fed alien animals that led me to further discoveries.

Sure go ahead and be pissed at previous promises, but in our decade of "reboots" where people can't use their imagination for new content -- this was an easy buy and one I don't regret. Sure combat can be clunky, but it's not a shooter.. It's exploration and it's amazing.

This is Sundog meets Xwing and I'm ecstatic about that. If you're too young to know what Sundog was, well, screw you and your youth. Get off my lawn!

[Reemul]

I really don't get the frustration and concern.. Mind you my brother made me aware of this game only four weeks ago. I paid $80 Canadian on a ps4 preorder, and I regret nothing.

Seriously, it's the cost of two cases of beer -- yet I've already racked up ten hours in it and stop only because of my home situation that's way more important (my wife is sick).

I now have an atlas stone, I farmed 1.8 million units to buy a kickass ship, I've shot down ten pirates (killed once myself).. I've discovered alien artifacts, fed alien animals that led me to further discoveries.

Sure go ahead and be pissed at previous promises, but in our decade of "reboots" where people can't use their imagination for new content -- this was an easy buy and one I don't regret. Sure combat can be clunky, but it's not a shooter.. It's exploration and it's amazing.

This is Sundog meets Xwing and I'm ecstatic about that. If you're too young to know what Sundog was, well, screw you and your youth. Get off my lawn!

Excellent write up, I am getting it tomorrow on PC and this is exactly what I wanted it to be.

Still in this day and age everyone is a critic as well as having a sense of entitlement that if it isn't exactly what they want rather than ignore it and move on to something else they instead deride and slag it off just because they can.

There are hundreds of games I cannot stand, or hoped I would like and end up not buying because they aren't really what I wanted but I certainly don't bother spamming forums with a I told you so, or it's crap etc. yet this game more than any seems to have this happening.

[IceBear]

What kills me is with the outrage about the delay, it still doesn't unlock on Steam until 1pm EST (and I find that rarely happens with anticipated games) and no preload. I would have thought someone would have thrown a bone and setup a preload on Steam with a midnight unlock given how anticipated this is

[Skinypupy]

I paid $80 Canadian on a ps4 preorder, and I regret nothing.

Seriously, it's the cost of two cases of beer

Cases of beer cost $40 in Canada? Damn.

[Max Peck]

This is Sundog meets Xwing and I'm ecstatic about that. If you're too young to know what Sundog was, well, screw you and your youth. Get off my lawn!

On the other hand, since I know why the Sundog reference is high praise, now I feel really old. Thanks, Obama!

I've still got a few hours to go before I can dive in, but from what I've seen I think I'd add a dash of Starflight to the Sundog/Xwing vibe.

[ColdSteel]

What kills me is with the outrage about the delay, it still doesn't unlock on Steam until 1pm EST (and I find that rarely happens with anticipated games) and no preload. I would have thought someone would have thrown a bone and setup a preload on Steam with a midnight unlock given how anticipated this is

Sean had an AMA on reddit a few days ago and said they are still working hard on adding 'nice-to-have" things to the PC version right up to the release. Some of the things they are adding are FOV sliders and AA settings. He was hoping to get it all wrapped up by sometime today. So, I think that's why no midnight release or pre-loading and probably why you haven't heard much from them. They're all still in heads down crunch mode.

[IceBear]

I paid $80 Canadian on a ps4 preorder, and I regret nothing.

Seriously, it's the cost of two cases of beer

Cases of beer cost $40 in Canada? Damn.

That's $20 for 24 beer x 2 But yeah, our beer is taxed to hell and back to pay for all the medical treatment for alcohol medical issues

Edit: At least that's what I think he meant by a case (that's less than a dollar a beer if so, not something I've really seen here -there are some "buck a beer" beers, but yeah, I don't drink those). When I came from Newfoundland and ordered a case of beer here in Ontario they gave me what we called a Two Four, so I now specifically ask for a dozen beer (which tends to cost me $22 or so) as opposed to a case of beer.

[Max Peck]

What kills me is with the outrage about the delay, it still doesn't unlock on Steam until 1pm EST (and I find that rarely happens with anticipated games) and no preload. I would have thought someone would have thrown a bone and setup a preload on Steam with a midnight unlock given how anticipated this is

Sean had an AMA on reddit a few days ago and said they are still working hard on adding 'nice-to-have" things to the PC version right up to the release. Some of the things they are adding are FOV sliders and AA settings. He was hoping to get it all wrapped up by sometime today. So, I think that's why no midnight release or pre-loading and probably why you haven't heard much from them. They're all still in heads down crunch mode.

That makes sense. The unlock time is 1800 BST, so that allows them to prepare for and oversee the rollout during normal(ish) working hours rather than (necessarily) needing to pull an all-nighter just for the launch.

[IceBear]

What kills me is with the outrage about the delay, it still doesn't unlock on Steam until 1pm EST (and I find that rarely happens with anticipated games) and no preload. I would have thought someone would have thrown a bone and setup a preload on Steam with a midnight unlock given how anticipated this is

Sean had an AMA on reddit a few days ago and said they are still working hard on adding 'nice-to-have" things to the PC version right up to the release. Some of the things they are adding are FOV sliders and AA settings. He was hoping to get it all wrapped up by sometime today. So, I think that's why no midnight release or pre-loading and probably why you haven't heard much from them. They're all still in heads down crunch mode.

That makes sense. The unlock time is 1800 BST, so that allows them to prepare for and oversee the rollout during normal(ish) working hours rather than (necessarily) needing to pull an all-nighter just for the launch.

Yeah, it makes sense. Was just looking forward to playing before work started...oh well

[Isgrimnur]

I paid $80 Canadian on a ps4 preorder, and I regret nothing.

Seriously, it's the cost of two cases of beer

Cases of beer cost $40 in Canada? Damn.

That's $20 for 24 beer x 2 But yeah, our beer is taxed to hell and back to pay for all the medical treatment for alcohol medical issues

Edit: At least that's what I think he meant by a case (that's less than a dollar a beer if so, not something I've really seen here -there are some "buck a beer" beers, but yeah, I don't drink those). When I came from Newfoundland and ordered a case of beer here in Ontario they gave me what we called a Two Four, so I now specifically ask for a dozen beer (which tends to cost me $22 or so) as opposed to a case of beer.

I'm pretty sure there's some incorrect math in here. Either you're stating that a Canadian case is 48, or you managed to half the case cost from $40 to $20.

But if two friends both buy cases and meet at the same place to drink them, will they be able to see each other?

[hepcat]

Bought the PS4 version (I've become addicted to couch gaming, and the PS4 has become my favored tool of vice in that arena) last night and promptly put in three hours. For roughly two thirds of that time, I roamed the starting planet. It felt a little...well...lonely. But after a while I started seeing ships overhead. Then, after leaving the planet, I stumbled across some distress beacons and that led me to some actual NPC characters.

I like that the game just tosses you into the middle of things. It doesn't hold your hand...hell, it doesn't even offer you a hand, really. But that makes it all the endearing to me. There's a real sense of accomplishment when you start building stuff, exploring, getting in fights and winning.

I just wish there were more characters to interact with. Although being only a few hours into the game, that could very well change.

[IceBear]

I paid $80 Canadian on a ps4 preorder, and I regret nothing.

Seriously, it's the cost of two cases of beer

Cases of beer cost $40 in Canada? Damn.

That's $20 for 24 beer x 2 But yeah, our beer is taxed to hell and back to pay for all the medical treatment for alcohol medical issues

Edit: At least that's what I think he meant by a case (that's less than a dollar a beer if so, not something I've really seen here -there are some "buck a beer" beers, but yeah, I don't drink those). When I came from Newfoundland and ordered a case of beer here in Ontario they gave me what we called a Two Four, so I now specifically ask for a dozen beer (which tends to cost me $22 or so) as opposed to a case of beer.

I'm pretty sure there's some incorrect math in here. Either you're stating that a Canadian case is 48, or you managed to half the case cost from $40 to $20.

But if two friends both buy cases and meet at the same place to drink them, will they be able to see each other?

Well, more like incorrect reading

For some reason the only number that stuck in my brain was $40....I completely goofed on the $80. So, yeah, 24 beer costs about $40 up here, so that was a correct statement. I obviously need more sleep and/or coffee today