When players venture into the vast expanse of the universe presented by Starfield, Bethesda’s latest creation, most will find that they aren’t subjected to an overwhelmingly punishing experience as they traverse diverse biomes. There’s a good reason for this. Apparently, the original blueprint, as shared by game director Todd Howard, had to be redefined and streamlined.
In his recent appearance on the Game Maker’s Notebook Podcast, Todd Howard shed light on a series of decisions that formed the space exploration we know today in Starfield.
While Starfield offers a delightful canvas of planetary exploration, beaming with secrets and resources, full of different kinds of vibrant lifeforms, the initial design was oriented more towards challenge. The ambitious concept entailed the players to continually account for environmental damage, a facet of the gameplay that revolved around a player’s spacesuit’s resistance to various atmospheric effects such as radiation and thermal fluctuations.
This design, even though intricate, was a double-edged sword, with Howard describing it as “a pretty complex system – actually, it was very punitive,” potentially creating numerous “afflictions” for players. These afflictions, Howard further elucidated, could range from effects like spraining an ankle from a lofty fall to sustaining lung damage due to inhalation of toxic gases, or even grappling with frostbite on cold planets.
Bethesda’s earlier vision was to integrate more survival elements, akin to what’s seen in games such as Don’t Starve and Rust. Players would have had to gather an array of spacesuits, each tailor-made for specific planets. But, upon its closer evaluation during testing phases, Bethesda found this mechanic cumbersome. The complexity risked overshadowing a lot of things, specifically the player’s experience, making planetary exploration a chore rather than an adventure. As a result, Howard mentioned that Bethesda opted for simplicity, “we just nerfed the hell out of it.”
Despite the changes, Bethesda has yet to rule out revisiting the game’s design. Fallout 4, for example, introduced a new Survival Mode post-launch. It’s not impossible to envision the game to receive a similar treatment. A harder, potentially survival-mode-esque update might re-introduce the more punishing system for planet exploration.
Howard’s suggestive phrasing further cements this speculation. The game’s director hints at the possibility of adding in the more nuanced mechanics to Starfield, saying it’s something the studio “might” address in the future.
While some players have appreciated Starfield’s current state, calling it “more approachable for most gamers”, there’s a sizable chunk of gamers who long to see a more fully realized version of Starfield.
One of the many criticisms of Starfield is its relatively lackluster exploration mechanic. Would public opinion have been better had Bethesda opted for a richer and deeper survival experience? What if Bethesda added it into Starfield and introduced a slider so that everybody wins?
Starfield is only a few weeks old, yet people talk about it as if it’s been out for several years already. This is the problem when a storied developer like Bethesda constantly talks about their next big game. It’s a shame that the feedback on Starfield is steadily growing on the negative side.
As we start to find out more about what Bethesda meant to put in Starfield, it’s hard not to feel as if Bethesda short-changed fans and are instead relying on contributions from its robust and, more importantly, willing modding community, to fully realize the game’s potential.
Howard’s candidness in acknowledging that the easier route in game development is to excise problematic content has highlighted the challenges that developers face. Bethesda’s decision to simplify Starfield’s space exploration and make the game’s AI less challenging, among others, underscore the precarious balancing act between realism and playability. The studio’s past track record, combined with the success of Starfield, however, suggests a bright future, one where both gamers and developers might find a sweet spot between challenge and enjoyment.
