Starfield is a highly-anticipated RPG coming from a studio mostly known for its repertoire of games that fuse emergent gameplay with simulated worlds. Bethesda's last major outing, Fallout 76, suffered due to an unfortunate launch that failed to impress fans of the post-apocalyptic franchise, breaking the studio's track record for producing excellent, highly interactive sandboxes. In the last four years, the multiplayer spinoff has since stabilized as Bethesda recommitted itself to the project in the form of long-term support. Furthermore, several of Fallout 76's quality-of-life fixes could translate well into Starfield if the development team intends to evolve using the lessons learned from past games.
By humbling itself and improving the game via community feedback, Bethesda Game Studios has been on a journey to gain the trust of many fans who were left disappointed by the lack of substantial content in Fallout 76's initial release. Recently, it was reported that Fallout 76 hit over 13 million players, proving that some of its underlying issues have been addressed to a degree where growth has been possible. Balanced resource management and a more intuitive user experience have been appreciated enhancements to the title, and Starfield could be influenced by those iterative improvements in similar respects.
Crafting Systems Between Fallout 76 and Starfield
As a result of Fallout 76's emphasis on survival and crafting elements, Bethesda introduced stash boxes as a method for players to accumulate crafting components, ammo, and equipment. Through updates, these stash boxes have also benefited from increases in storage capacity which meant fewer limitations in conserving resources. Starfield is a space exploration game that includes, quite possibly, hundreds of alien worlds with resources that are unique to the setting's tone of discovery, which could make stash boxes essential.
Similarly, Bethesda could design a cargo system that is rather lenient with its size across the sci-fi journey. Fallout 76 eventually resolved key issues with its player storage, and Starfield could apply some of the lessons learned from that live service. Certain ship compartments might even be geared for those playstyles as long as players have the freedom to build without too many barriers. There is potential in Starfield being a hardcore RPG, however, fine-tuned crafting systems would be an exciting feature for fans who also wish to immerse themselves in that form of play.
New UI and Quest Tracking in Starfield
Starfield's aims have already been clarified to focus on single-player questing and character interactions, so the community has been looking forward to all the narrative opportunities that this new IP promises. Bethesda Game Studios struggled with the absence of NPCs in Fallout 76, which was later rectified in the Wastelanders update, but the title has provided additional ways to prioritize quests by category. In the case that Starfield has more handcrafted content than The Elder Scrolls or Fallout games, an updated compass and mission log should be essential in streamlining information to players without overwhelming them either.
It is possible that Bethesda could be listing missions respective to each faction and storyline, yet it would be refreshing to see the company implement forward-thinking solutions in guiding players within a larger universe. Starfield is one of 2023's biggest open-world games, and interplanetary navigation has the chance of becoming complicated unless the game orients players with intelligent design. The HUD, which was on display in last summer's gameplay showcase, included a compass that indicated time-of-day, directional bearings, and oxygen meters. Icons appear to be visible around the perimeter of this interface as well, which might lead players to nearby locations.
Planetary data could be helpful for varied surface conditions, and if the interface serves as a useful reference, the flow of Starfield's gameplay can have a smoother landing than some may suspect. Other quality-of-life features, such as a FOV slider and performance enhancements, would help future-proof the user experience in Bethesda games on a fundamental level. Fallout 76 proved that expansive games require a clear direction before they can properly captivate the player base; thankfully, the community served as a positive force to keep that game alive until its resurgence. Fans may doubt Bethesda after its last major launch, but there has been discussion around Starfield playtesters reportedly loving the game which could be a good sign of the team's progress.
Starfield releases in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.