Starfieldpromises to bring a new era to RPG games, and fans can’t help but be excited and eager to experience the game first-hand. Bethesda is known for bringing new features to their games, but the more the game technology progresses,the more demanding playersget when it comes to expectations.
Related:Things Starfield Already Shares With Past Bethesda Titles
WhileStarfieldhas all the possibility to create a whole new approach to standard sci-fi titles and action role-playing games, the question is still raised: what is so different about it that has everyone losing their mind over it? The reality is thatStarfielddoesn’t do just one thing that’s new – it borrows the most interesting features from previous games and blends them all together in an exciting mix.
7Procedural Generation
While procedural generationis nothing new, what the developers at Bethesda are doing, is, in essence, on a completely different scale. While the game itself supposedly boasts at least a 20% longer campaign, all of it is enhanced to a thousand procedurally generated planets.
Taking inspiration from theirDaggerfalldays, Bethesda clearly wanted to make a universe that their players can get lost in, not for days, weeks, or even months, but decades. If one considers thatMorrowind,Oblivion,andSkyrimare still popular in the modding community, what will they be able to do with a universe of this size? No wonderStarfieldwas Todd Howard’s dream baby that took 25 years to make.
6Base Building
Base building in RPGs has been around for a while. Some of it was just there as a filler, but in other cases, it created additional problems and mechanics to play with. Whether a player considers throwing down some resources into the expansion of a castle (like inNeverwinter Nights 2) as base building, or they think thatFallout 4’s settlement building was an unnecessary feature, the reality is they are both there more for fluff than anything else.
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The base building mechanics inStarfieldseem like they will go above and beyondwhat was offered inFallout 4, and the only question that is left is whether that mechanic will actually be more than just an annoying request (by someone like Preston Garvey to go save that base), or if it will actually offer a more interesting gameplay loop.
5Character Traits
Character creation is one of those things that quite a few people can spend hours on. Now, with Bethesda expanding theirsuite of choicesfor faces and bodies, they decided to add something they have never done before in the way they will be showcasing inStarfield.
And yes, character traits that might change the gameplay are not an entirely new thing, (especially if one enjoys games likeProject Zomboid), but the way Bethesda approached their version of it might change how people look at traits and their impact on replayability. Who doesn’t want to be a fugitive on the run that is constantly hunted by mercenaries, or a cultist that gets easy access to otherwise dangerous star systems?
4Character Interactions
Bethesda has changed its approach to character interactions multiple times over the years. From the simplistic system inMorrowindto the incredibly quirky one inOblivionwith its circle, to something more typical and underwhelming that everyone experienced inSkyrimandFallout,there’s been a good variety.
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It would seem the developers at Bethesda were unhappy with all of them and decided to go back to the roots while also innovating on theskill and trait-reliant character interactions. The question is, will the writers have enough imagination to cover a lot of different characters and their uniqueness, and how many speech options will players have?
3Absolute Freedom
When Bethesda releases a game, fans generally expect to get that Bethesda level of freedom, which few sandbox worlds can provide. The fans will take that freedom even with all the Bethesda “features”, also known as bugs.
Still, being able to set out to explore a massive chunk of the universe containinga thousand planetsis something that has never been done before. Not only will the players be able to just adventure and find Easter eggs, but they will be able to build bases, buy and mod ships and guns—all at their desired pace.
2Customizable Ship
Continuing the topic of freedom, customizable ships are also in the game. While RPG games often have some sort ofbase building and vehicle customization, it has not been done on a scale thatStarfieldaspires to reach.
Related:Starfield’s ‘Generation Ship’ Hints at Major Story Elements
Not only will the players be able to buy and exchange ships, but they will also be able to rebuild them and mod them from the ground up, turning them into either magnificent pieces of art, or a poor imitation of Optimus Prime. Along with customizable ships, fans will also be able to assemble their own crew, giving their ships that unique touch.
1A Sober Approach To Space
Games and movies set in space tend to show the humans as very advanced as inStar Trek, or a more dystopian look like inStar WarsandAlienmovies. Bethesda’s approach seems to bemuch more grounded, as they have worked closely with NASA and coined the term NASApunk.
From what was shown in interviews, not only do the ship designs seem much more in line with the tech that humanity has now, but also players might actually experience the profound loneliness of space while trying to find answers to the Fermi paradox.
