There are many lingering questions around Starfield, a role-playing game that promises hundreds of open worlds of all shapes and sizes. As Bethesda's first foray into a wider universe, and one that heavily references the history of human spaceflight, players have been curious about the range of planets and moons that might be seen in Starfield. The developer has confirmed that there will be roughly one-hundred star systems, each location ensuring varied environments and leveled challenges. Procedural generation is a fickle technology that is clearly necessary for the project's scale, but if it is applied with quality control in mind, discovery should be a motivating factor for in-game exploration.
Xbox and Bethesda have yet to announce a date for Starfield's upcoming deep dive, and some are still wondering how it will be possible to distribute a reasonable amount of content that keeps players invested in the journey. The fiction assumes a more grounded tone, which may indicate that these planets could be at least inspired by known properties of exoplanets and the possibilities of stellar evolution. Last year's gameplay reveal offered clues for differences in gravity, temperature, atmosphere, and more, so these world-generation systems have the potential to make a powerful effect that's satisfying but also ominous.
How Surface Conditions Could Affect Starfield
Landscapes in open-world games usually imitate the geology of Earth, but space games can construct the cosmos by speculating how alike or dissimilar other worlds might be. Even with restricting access to a small portion of the galaxy, Starfield ranges across vast distances in its futuristic universe, and those stars presumably carry peculiarities beyond anything that might be possible in the Earth's solar system. There is so much that is bound to be unfamiliar with such a setting, so it is important that Bethesda prioritizes semi-realistic variables to evoke an atmospheric mood in Starfield.
Although Starfield's locations seem to be differentiated graphically, the game has a vital opportunity to capture how inhospitable those exoplanets are for the unprepared. Like Bethesda's other games, biomes should have a purpose, or else the visuals become superficial rather than a plausible illustration of the worlds' functionality. Thankfully, planetary characteristics were featured in preview segments, implying game mechanics which account for gravity, surface types, and atmosphere. These variables may raise of stakes of certain encounters, seeing that Starfield will also procedurally generate quests, and those unexpected instances are likely on edge of the game's interstellar colonies.
Exploration is a major part of Bethesda's larger game loop of action and progression. Additionally, everything from jetpacks to hab suits might enable interesting options to traverse, fight, and survive on these harsh worlds. Hard sci-fi has a tendency to stress the practicality of its technology, and this plays into thematically appropriate hazards that can inspire off-world quests. Supposing Starfield's planets learn from No Man's Sky, Bethesda could use its more limited star systems as set pieces that uniquely interact with the player alongside accompanying NPCs -- essentially building worlds that are as complex as the characters themselves.
Real-life celestial bodies are oddly inspiring, and Bethesda's creative process must take advantage of that sense of wonder. Depicting space travel and other planets requires a lot of imagination, partially due to the unknown; faraway planets are still difficult to snapshot much less visit. While rock formations might split players' pathways, gravity potentially provides superhuman leaps, and the atmosphere may envelop players in varied sorts of weather too. Generally speaking, a mix of harsh, otherworldly elements would probably help encapsulate the breadth of the universe just as much as the deep themes in Starfield's sound design.
Starfield Must Embrace the Elements of Outer Space
Bethesda has a reputation for substantial worldbuilding, so it will have to generate compelling regions that play differently from one another in Starfield. The developer has clarified that Starfield will have more handcrafted content than past titles amid skepticism, and the larger wilderness needs to elevate the experience of discovering those creations. Players probably shouldn't expect to come across countless distractions -- that density would conflict with the scale and tone of the project -- but procedural details can be better appreciated if they are effective in distinguishing planets while also affording the choice of adventuring without restrictions.
On the note of choice, Starfield's ambitious quests might offer more freedom by stripping away arbitrary boundaries. Using distance, dangers, and the natural capabilities of the player character, the team could have a formula that pushes its open worlds further where gameplay and narrative work in agreement. One possibility is that invisible walls can be replaced with the physical limits of equipment that is specially designed for space. Logically, much of the challenge of surviving outer space is environmental -- in orbit or on-foot. The absence of Earth-like conditions is a constant challenge, and there should be a way for players to brave those fatal conditions on their own accord, if not from the start of the game.
Players may opt to find the most vibrant planets first, perhaps in search of aliens in Starfield, although the hostile conditions of space can deliver the same amount of intrigue. Bethesda could emphasize phenomena such as volcanism, poisonous climates, and temperature fluctuations, forming lethal layers in planets that defy players' expectations. There is an argument for Starfield to venture into awe-inspiring yet risky territories, but a role-playing game that dares to balance those deadly elements ought to avoid frustrations as well. Like its adventurous fans, Bethesda will have to approach this new IP's world variety very carefully.
Starfield releases in early 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.