Happy Thanksgiving Explorers: Since release, No Man Sky has received eight major content updates that not only addressed bugs but added much-wanted features to the game. The latest of those, dubbed Synthesis, arrived on Thursday.

Launching the newest version of No Man's Sky on Thanksgiving Day was apropos since, as a thank you to players who have stuck with them, Hello Games gave fans a feature they have been clamoring for almost since release --- customizable/upgradable starships.

Explorers can now add inventory slots and even upgrade a craft's class via a new Starship Outfitting Terminal located in any space station. The terminal also allows players to scrap unwanted ships to obtain salvage. This benefit addresses another player complaint about what to do when they want a new starship, but have reached the maximum number of craft allowed (six if you're wondering).

But HG wasn't finished there. Ever since introducing terrain modification in the Atlas Rises update, players have struggled with terrain regenerating. While fun for archaeologists digging up the ruins of long forgotten bases, the bug is a thorn in the side of players who have not abandoned their base.

For example, you dig out a cave in the side of a mountain to build a cool subterranean base only to return later to find it utterly inaccessible due to the mountain's magical regeneration abilities. Hello Games promises that this is fixed in Synthesis with "protected terrain edits," meaning once you flatten that hill, it stays flattened.

Speaking of flattening, the terrain editor now features new Restore and Flatten modes. Carving out a flat area with the previous manipulation tool was problematic at best and rarely resulted in a perfectly flat surface. The new editor makes yard building much more manageable and has unique visual effects (above).

In addition to addressing those frequently requested player concerns, HG has also implemented a few other exciting features and "quality-of-life" improvements. Players now have three slots to save customized avatar outfits at customization terminals. Exocrafts have a first-person mode, just like starships. Starship maps received an overhaul to improve clarity. Many of the most used interfaces have been streamlined to speed up the UIs. HG increased storage container capacity. Players can also own multiple Multi-Tools now, so no more trying to decide if you want to trade your favorite upgraded rifle for a cool-looking alien exotic.

The devs also added new technologies to the game, including long-distance inventory transfer to and from freighters, mid-air jetpack refueling, instantaneous emergency warping, and a personal refiner. This last one is particularly useful.

Refining in the field has always been a bit of a hassle --- build a refiner, place it on the ground, fill it with fuel and the material you want to refine, remove the end product, and pick up your refiner (which takes up space in your inventory). Now refining can be done right in your exosuit (after upgrading it with the new tech).

Base building, which has probably been one of the most used features in the game, has been improved with the addition of triangular pieces, improvements to the snapping system, optimization of the current inventory of parts, and lower resource costs for construction. So, go on and build your Millennium Flacon or Pac-Man.

Of course, the update also brings the usual polish and bug fixes to the game, which you can check out in the patch notes if you're curious.

As always, the update is free. This continuing free support is what has turned No Man's Sky, which was a flop at launch, into a success that is still being played by millions of users for over three years now.