So far, I've been able to talk to Helios once. Just the first time, and never again. Same with Ares, though I keep getting reminders to talk to them. At least 100 game hours and a couple three IRL weeks have passed since first entering the Anomaly.

I usually prefer to play games blind, but it's disturbing that I cannot seem to advance the clock, so I checked out all the typical sources, including Youtube, and it sure appears there's just something wrong.

Is this something goofy, like the Anomaly refuses to update unless I have GOG Galaxy active? Is there a problem, other than I lose one source of nanites, which isn't really a problem, since I've already unlocked all the tech and have all S and better modules.

Yeah, I took on a settlement a while back, and it's awful. Still burning through 3 units per "tick", and the decisions I get to make either puts us further in debt or gets settlers killed. I've had one and only one productivity enhancement decision available. Otherwise it's just upgrading a house here and there to increase happiness. But at least that doesn't increase the debt.

A follow-up, if I may. If I install Galaxy, does that commit me to doing that game on-line, or all games, or neither? Can I still not load Galaxy and play solo? Just go on-line long enough to get the Ares and Helios awards, and maybe try out a mission?

My actual main gaming computer has no connection to the internet, thus I had no reason to ever use Galaxy.

I hope somebody else can answer your questions.

If you install Galaxy, it does not commit you to doing NMS on-line, you can still start NMS without using Galaxy (but you have to hunt down the NMS exe). To have a completely solo experience launching NMS through Galaxy, go to the in game Settings > Network and toggle Multiplayer "Off". The setting is persistent across all your saves. This will give you the complete experience, including Expeditions when they are live, but solo without any other player.

Long story short, launching the main shortcut or through Galaxy enables MP features, going into any game directory, copying the game exe to desktop, and launching it that way SHOULD avoid Galaxy components.

Thanks, @Enjay64, @EquivocalMonkey. I think maybe my next playthrough might be Galaxy. Not this one. I've had the Signal Booster and Planetary Maps lead me to places I've already looted. SB is particularly bad, as it sometimes refuses to point at anything other than the feature I'm standing on top of, particularly resource depots I've already destroyed (while standing in the middle of the burning silos!) and Beacons. Even fully looted Ruins! I've taken to digging a big hole near everything I've looted so I can tell without landing.

I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to spend all my Navigation Data on maps to places someone else has already looted.