Starfieldis Bethesda’s first new IP in decades, though not much has been announced about the upcoming title. However, it is known that the game will be a space-set RPG and will feature a large in-game world spanning multiple planets that Bethesda will create with the use of procedural generation.
Based on some leaked screenshots, it seems likely thatStarfieldwill include settlement building mechanics. A system like this was first introduced into a Bethesda RPG inFallout 4. However,Fallout 4’s settlement system left a lot to be desired.Starfieldhas an opportunity to completely redefine Bethesda’s settlement building mechanics and to truly take them to the next level in the upcoming RPG.
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The Problems With Fallout 4’s Settlements
Fallout 4’s settlement building system had some key problems. First, it had very little impact on the power of any of the factions inFallout 4’s wasteland. If players ally withthe Minutemen, for example, the faction receives no notable upgrades to their weapons or armor when the player builds settlements and expands their control over the Commonwealth.
The Brotherhood of Steelwill not defend settlements that the player builds, which means that players who side with the Brotherhood alone have little motivation to build towns at all. Similarly, the Institute does not help or get involved in settlement building or defense, despite establishing bases and infrastructure on the surface aligning with their goals in the main quest.
TheFalloutgamesare all set in the ruins of American civilization, but most ofFallout 4’s settlement building involved constructing new modular buildings instead of renovating and restoring some of the buildings players can find across the Commonwealth. At times, there was even junk which could not be cleared away and turned into scrap parts, making building in certain otherwise-convenient locations impossible. This is particularly noticeable in the Castle, where much of the rubble can’t be cleared away without mods.
There were almost no acknowledgements of the new towns springing up across the Commonwealth in in-game dialogue, orthe Lone Survivor’s role in restoring post-War Boston. Even the NPCs in towns had dialogue which felt limited, and without mods, NPCs rarely engaged in immersive activities like farming, instead wandering around their settlements waiting for raiders to attack.
When it came to raider attacks,Fallout 4’s settlement system also came up short. Raiders would just spawn right by or within a settlement’s borders. There was no way to predict or prevent raider attacks in advance, only set up increasingly robust defense systems. Ultimately,Fallout 4’s settlement systembecame one of the game’s most heavily modded features, both indicating its lackluster execution in the main game and showing some of the ways Bethesda could improve a similar system in future titles.
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Settlements And Survival In Starfield
It seems likely thatStarfieldwill have some form of settlement building mechanic.LeakedStarfieldscreenshotsshow structures which do not resemble the spaceship image leaked, making it likely that these are building modules similar to the ones found inFallout 4. IfStarfielddoes include a settlement building mechanic it already has one advantage overFallout 4’s.
A lot of the structures players couldbuild inFallout 4looked unnaturally modular forFallout’s setting, but that could be far more immersive inStarfieldwhere the buildings are likely to be literal modules designed for easy construction and flexibility while travelling the galaxy. There are also some key waysStarfieldcould rework and improve the settlement building mechanics found inFallout 4.
First, the system could be far more necessary than it was in the Commonwealth. The UI revealed in the leakedStarfieldscreenshots shows a compass which also contains several interesting meters. These include CO2 and Oxygen levels, as well as what looks like a meter for measuring gravity. This makes it seem likely thatStarfieldwill include some survival mechanics. WithThe Elder Scrolls 6rumored to include survival mechanicsas well,Starfieldmay be an opportunity for Bethesda to start experimenting with integrating aspects of survival games into its RPGs' base games.
While players could ignore settlements entirely inFallout 4, they could be absolutely necessary forsurvival inStarfield. Settlements could provide food on planets that can’t sustain plant-life, and Oxygen and stable gravity on worlds very different to Earth. Requiring players to engage with settlement building to some degree may be risky; it will require the system to be far more robust this time around.
New Galaxy, New Opportunities
AtBrighton Digital 2020, Todd Howardindicated that bothStarfieldandThe Elder Scrolls 6’s worlds would make use of extensive procedural generation, potentially making them far larger than the worlds seen in previous Bethesda RPGs. Procedural generation creates a landscape which developers can then add detail to. Unlike older Bethesda games likeDaggerfall, the world still remains consistent across every player’s experience.
A larger world could allow players to build truly expansive towns and cities inStarfieldin a way they could not inFallout 4. For this to be immersive,Starfield’s NPCswould need to act more naturally in settlements than NPCs do inFallout 4. At the moment, however, it’s unknown just how many NPCs will be included inStarfieldand whether they will resemble the NPCs found in other Bethesda RPGs. If nothing else, the greater use of procedural generation may present players with landscapes where they can set up huge systems providing them with food, water, and other necessary resources.
Starfieldis a new IPand its universe is a blank slate. While Bethesda began experimenting with settlement building inFallout 4, it was harder to expand the system to its full potential without potentially compromising the features already required for aFalloutgame.Starfieldhas no such limitations, and could allow for Bethesda to completely redefine its settlement system by integrating that system far more naturally into the core mechanics of the game.
The opportunity to truly experiment with such a system inStarfieldcould even allow for a more robust settlement system to emerge inThe Elder Scrolls 6. For now, fans will have to wait and see whatStarfieldhas in store, and which elements of pastBethesda RPGswill be returning in the new IP.
Starfieldis in development.
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