Starfield is a relatively uncharted domain for even a gaming behemoth like Bethesda Game Studios. The vastness of the game’s space combat, riddled with challenges, was as much of a roadblock as the studio’s ambition to make a universe explorable. While the thrill of space exploration and spaceship battles allure players, the journey to get the mechanics right was long and arduos.
Todd Howard, Bethesda’s vision-bearer, shared candid insights about the game’s AI development in a recent interaction with the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. He highlighted that programming the AI for spaceships in Starfield was intriguing. “It’s very easy when you get out into outer space… to make the enemies really smart,” Howard says, But, the intricate dance between player and enemy was lost in jousting matches. The solution? Simplifying the AI, making it more predictable. He continued, “It turns out you have to make the AI really stupid. You have to have them fly, then they need to turn, basically like ‘hey player, why don’t you just shoot me for a while?'”
The challenge lay not in creating an AI too intelligent or too naive but in striking a delicate balance. Howard says that he found inspiration in games like FTL and MechWarrior. Their slower-paced combat and power allocation mechanisms resonated with him. Bethesda wanted to harness these elements, making them intuitive, avoiding any pause in space gameplay.
Despite these adjustments, players have expressed a universal distaste for the “stupid” AI in Starfield. It’s not unusual for the AI to fail to acknowledge the player’s presence, leading to underwhelming confrontations – a big no when you want to experience the thrill of the chase when you’re out venturing and living out your days as a space pirate.
Even in higher difficulty levels, the AI doesn’t get more complicated and difficult in Starfield. Instead, the enemies will only become bullet sponges to make it look like they’re more challenging to take out.
From comparing Starfield’s enemy behavior to AI from the times of 007 GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64 to recalling the quirky instances where NPCs blocked player movements, it’s clear that Bethesda could’ve done a better job with the enemy AI in the game.
However, beyond the debates and discussions, one thing is clear: Howard and his team made conscious choices to make the AI as “stupid” as it is. The intent was not to present players with a relentless, unyielding AI but to offer a more fruitful experience.
Starfield’s AI might not be the best, but, as with any artistic creation, it mirrors the creator’s vision. Howard’s AI design decisions showcases the candidness with which Bethesda approaches game development. It’s a tapestry of choices – some deliberate, some necessitated by player feedback, and often, regardless of potential backlash.
In the vast expanse of space that Starfield encompasses, battles are but one facet of the experience. While AI behavior can shape these encounters, the heart of Starfield lies in the stories it tells, the worlds it unveils, and the journey it offers to players.
As they navigate these celestial landscapes, one can only hope that the AI, in its current form or future iterations, evolve to better complement the tale that Bethesda wishes to narrate.
Speaking of Starfield, the open-world space RPG is now officially a worse-rated game compared to Fallout 76, at least on Steam. Finally, Cyberpunk 2077 is pulling more players than Starfield, largely on the backs of its most recent update and the release of the Phantom Liberty expansion.
