Summary
The original version of theStarfieldfuel system could make a return if Bethesda were ever to add a survival mode to its hit game. While this possibility is by no means new information, its confirmation was seemingly lost in all theStarfieldchatter over the past several years.
Having originally entered pre-production circa 2015,Starfieldhas marked by far the longest development cycle for any Bethesda game to date. While it’s unclear when exactly it entered active production, the studio itself confirmed that many of its features have changed significantly over the years, while others were scrapped. The game’s fuel system falls somewhere in the middle of that spectrum; it was still present in the version of the RPG that went gold, but one of its major mechanics was cut. Specifically, by October 2022, Bethesda haddecided thatStarfieldspaceships would not run out of fuel mid-flight.
What fuel mechanics remain today are merely a temporary impediment to one’s ability to performStarfieldGrav Jumps. Some players have previously criticized that feature as underbaked, while others pondered why Bethesda hasn’t at least made a more realistic fuel system optional instead of scrapping it altogether. The answer to some of those questions was recently dug up by Reddit userpicabo123, who came across an old episode of theLex Fridman Podcastin which Bethesda Executive Producer Todd Howard directly reflected on the company’s train of thought concerning theStarfieldfuel system.
Bethesda Found Realistic Fuel Mechanics To Be a ‘Fun Killer’ in Starfield
Around the 1:04:45 mark, Howard recalled how an early version of the game made it possible for the player to run out of fuel and then get stranded on a planet. Mining for resources would have been one way to get out of such a predicament, while sending a distress beacon and hoping someone friendly responds would have been another. And while the idea sounded great “on paper,” Howard’s team concluded it was a “fun killer” in practice. The developers ultimately decided to revamp theStarfieldship fuel tanksto only affect a given spacecraft’s Grav Jump distance, essentially making them much less consequential.
Starfield’s Original Fuel System Could Still Return, If Paired with a Survival Mode
Be that as it may, Howard noted that a realistic fuel system would fit in a “hardcore survival mode.” The Bethesda official also left open the possibility of the studio revisiting that idea in the future.
If you had, like, a hardcore survival mode, [a realistic fuel system] is the kind of thing you would do. Maybe we’ll do it in the future.
While there has been no indication of that happening in the 15 months since Howard’s interview, Bethesda did repeatedly promise that its space-faring RPG would receive long-term support.A recentStarfieldleakhas also suggested the work on the game’s more hardcore aspects might have been more advanced than Howard initially implied; specifically, one dataminer has discovered many survival-like mechanics that were seemingly cut from the game ahead of release. But even if Bethesda itself never revisits this idea, some modders have already started experimenting with adding a hardcore mode toStarfield. However, none of those community projects have yet attempted to replicate the developer’s original vision for the game, realistic fuel mechanics included.
Starfield
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.
