If you’re like me, you lovedStarfield, but found a few flaws here or there. I’m not talking about bugs! We’ve trained ourselves like puppies to wag our tails and do a cute flip whenever there’s a game-breaking bug in a game that cost hundreds of millions of dollars to make. Oh, a character’s head is missing while their eyes inexplicably float where their face should be? Haha, oh, you guys! What a treat! Oh boy, I’m stuck in a wall? Can’t wait to see how I get out ofthisconundrum! Life is pain!
But, despite its many entertaining bugs, Starfield had some issues with the core game itself. Some players found base building to feel irrelevant. Others complained that cities were confusing and planets were nearly empty. Also, if your character picks up a tennis ball, they immediately become encumbered and walk at a pace of two meters an hour. Oh, andyou can’t fly between planets without some smart, still-not-really-working trickery. While we’re on the subject, some of the sequences in the main quest are a little repetitive. But building a ship is pretty fun! And that deeply depressing Son-Of-Batman(ish) side quest was great!
That all said,Bethesdahaspromised some major updates to the gameandShattered Spaceis probably going to add a lot of new content and make some big fixes. New stories, new characters, new planets. With that in mind, here are some changes I’d like to see in future updates for Starfield.
Maps
Okay, the good news is this appears to be getting fixed in a new update that might even be out by the time this article goes up. Great. Starfield came out about eight months ago and it took that long to put in maps of its cities. True, role-playing games have had city maps for decades, including Bethesda games, but that only makes it easier to forget to put one in. It’s like accidentally leaving out the baking soda when making cake. You use it all the time, so you forgot to grab it off the shelf! Making games isn’t easy. Implementing even the smallest changes is difficult. However, this could immensely improve the player’s quality of life. Hopefully when the Starfield Map update arrives, we can easily grab it. Unless it’s somewhere in one of Starfield’s cities but nobody can find it because, you know, there isn’t a map.
More Activities On Planets
One of the big appeals of Starfield was the ability to explore strange new worlds and do other Star Trek-like things on said worlds. The good news is almost every planet is gorgeous and, when the combination of lighting and alien life hits just right, it can create some beautiful moments. Which is great cuz otherwise you are gonna be walking from Cave A to Cave B and you’re going to be doing thata lot. It’s sort of like Skyrim’s promise of being able to walk to any mountain you may see, except here it’s featureless space-y ground. Hopefully the new updates to Starfield populate the planets with more to discover. Not everything has to be part of an epic journey! More, small moments could add texture to the world!
Weight Capacity
Bethesda games have trained us all that if something isn’t nailed down, it’s worth picking up. Cups, mugs, glasses, and even objects that don’t hold drinks! All can be put in your pack. All can be sold. But Starfield tends to push back against this with a draconic inventory system. Or, rather, an inventory system that’s a bittoorealistic. I respect that no human being could carry an entire arsenal of guns and a pharmacy of meds, but perhaps we can gently set that aside and let the player carry more than two bottles of water and a book. Encumbrance keeps a game from becoming too easy, but it shouldn’t keep a game from becoming too fun.
Better Space Travel
This is probably a hard feature to implement - andfast travel will obviously remain the best optionfor most players. But it would be very immersive to be able to just fly in a straight line towards a speck in the distance. “But that might take a long time! Even forever!” Folks, we live in the age ofDragon’s Dogma 2ox carts. Let it take a long time. Add some hours to the journey! Let me watch the stars pass through my window in (somewhat) real timeas I talk to my Adoring Fan. Starfield already does a great job at emphasizing the vastness and wonder of space - let’s add a relaxing journey to the mix!
The thing is, this game takes place in thefuture. Can’t my guy have an exoskeleton that, like, I dunno, does all the lifting for him? And myspaceshipdoesn’t have enough room either? In a game that breaks the laws of physics for the service of a sci-fi romp, we’re sure as hell a little tight on space restrictions, ain’t we? I guess I’ll throw out all my books.
Character Framing
Maybe this is a minor complaint, but after playing games likeBaldur’s Gate 3- a statement that adds more stress toLarian’snext project every time it’s uttered - it’s a little hard to return to the Bethesda style of someone talking straight at your face for every conversation that involves just two people. Dead eyed conversations with barely any body movement outside of four preset poses. This sounds odd if you haven’t seen it, but every character stands about a foot away from you and stares directly into your eyes while telling you their tragic life story. We need more dynamic angles! Let’s make a show, baby!
I just don’t understand why I can’t carry about a couple space suits for every occasion. Sometimes I wanna fight! Sometimes I wanna look slick! You’re telling me I’ve got to travel all the way back to my Dream Mansion in Nesoi to switch up my wardrobe. Also, that mansion? Pretty beautiful from the outside, right? It’sfullof garbage I picked up.
Sex With Vasco
The people have spoken and they want it even more than maps.
Starfield
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new IP from Bethesda in a quarter of a century, launched for the next-gen Xbox Series X|S and PC. Taking place outside our own Solar System, you play a member of the Constellation, a collective of explorers set on discovering new worlds.
