Bethesda Game Studios has announced a series of ambitious updates for Starfield, promising to enhance the gameplay and the experience with regular updates and new features, including novel ways of traveling within the game’s vast universe.
The promise of bringing continues improvements to its expansive space exploration game comes amid player feedback and a commitment from Bethesda to refine and expand the game’s universe. A studio representative outlined the plan on the game’s Reddit forum, indicating a strategy to release updates approximately every six weeks throughout 2024. This schedule is designed to maintain a steady flow of enhancements, addressing both minor issues through hotfixes and major updates that add substantial content and features to Starfield.
One of the most anticipated additions to Starfield is the introduction of new modes of transportation. While the specific details about these new travel methods remain undisclosed, it has given players something positive to talk about.
Given Starfield’s emphasis on space exploration, the changes could range from everything like improved space travel, a possible minimization or complete removal of loading screens, or the inclusion of ground vehicles, which have been a topic of discussion among players and developers alike.
Todd Howard, the game’s director and CEO of Bethesda Game Studios, had previously noted the exclusion of ground vehicles, focusing instead on an exploration experience centered around on-foot traversal. However, given the feedback from players and the studio’s willingness to evolve the game, it’s plausible that ground transportation could be a part of future updates.
Alongside new travel methods, Bethesda also plans to introduce city maps and mod support. The lack of city maps has been a notable point of criticism. Navigating the game’s urban environments is unnecessarily difficult, especially for a game about exploration. The inclusion of detailed maps aims to enhance the player’s ability to explore these densely packed areas more efficiently and enjoyably.
Mod support, a feature long associated with Bethesda’s games, will also empower the community to create and share custom content, further diversifying the gameplay experience. Although it remains to be seen if its addition is enough to bring back prominent modding groups who have since abandoned their Starfield projects.
The studio’s commitment to regular updates reflects an understanding of the dynamic nature of modern gaming, where post-release support and evolution are increasingly important for the longevity and success of a title. This approach is crucial for Starfield, which have since been met with mixed reactions in recent weeks. By actively addressing issues and incorporating player feedback, Bethesda aims to not only refine the game but also keep the player base engaged and invested. It might not be enough to bring players back into Starfield in droves or make sure that it enjoys similar longevity as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but it wouldn’t hurt.
In addition to these significant feature updates, Bethesda has also focused on resolving the many technical issues that exist in the game. Recent patches have addressed various bugs, including a peculiar one where asteroids would become attached to player ships. These fixes are part of the studio’s broader effort to polish the game and ensure a smooth, immersive experience for all players.
Unfortunately, as Starfield has pretty much become the butt of the internet’s jokes lately, Bethesda’s post-launch efforts have often been criticized as a classic case of “too little, too late.”
As Bethesda navigates the criticism-filled asteroid fields of the internet, its promise to enhance Starfield with innovative travel options and other features will play a crucial role in the game’s success. The constant updates scheduled for and promised by 2024, including the intriguing new ways of traveling, are eagerly awaited by fans, who are keen to see if all these changes are enough to give them a reason to continue their adventures in Starfield or, if they’re better off playing this year’s GOTY winner, Baldur’s Gate 3, instead.
