*S*T*A*R*F*I*E*L*D* / Starfield

I’ve been sidetracked to a different area during one of the tutorial missions- it was a blip on my scanner half a kilometre from my objective, so off I went wandering. Played a few hours and haven’t even made it out of the starting system yet. A promising start.

Well yeah, with 1000 planets you are likely to get some (or a lot) of copy-paste. I guess modders can add more interesting content, though.

Top tip for encumbered scavengers early on (guessable from previous games but I’d forgotten): your robot buddy can carry things for you.

I’ve taken the Introvert trait because I never liked companions in previous games, and now I’m regretting it because using them as packhorses has a certain appeal.

Also regarding encumbrance/storage, something I think is new to this game?

I've got a pile in the corner of my ship

but not for the main quest, its understandable for side quests and the crappy "radiant" AI quests the studio does

I cant help but feel that both Starfield and Baldurs Gate 3 are better left till they are polished up a bit more.

I will say, this game seems to do most things right for me following my utter disappointment in Fallout 4. I am a bit surprised at how impressive it runs on series S, but feel they really have not optimized the series X version as much.

Why not both.gif

I’ve put 3.5 hours in - level 6 -  and I’m not sure about it. I want to like it but it all feels so stilted.

Travel around space is literally just navigating a menu system and pressing buttons to fast travel. Load screens for take-off, landing, travel from location to location on world, into and out of buildings. Nothing is organic and you’re in control of very little. I don’t really understand how this is supposed to feel like exploration, which is literally the heart of the game.
Because everything is broken up by loading, the gameplay is all 10 minute chunks punctuated by load screens. I’ve not had any gameplay that’s felt particularly sprawling yet, it’s all fairly small scale, short duration.

The structure seems to be:
Talk to person to get mission.
Leave building - load.
Walk around outside. If transit system, load to next area.
Walk up to ship - load.
Walk up to cockpit - scene.
Press button to take off - scene.
In space, if enemy ships, play for 5 mins shooting and looting.
If no combat, open menu to find system/planet/location. Press button to set course - load.
Looking at planet, press button to land - load.
On planet, walk from ship to building - load.
Inside building, actually play the game for 10 mins, shooting, looting, talking, completing objective.
Open menu, select next location to travel - load (unless you’re carrying too much in which case you can’t fast travel so need to walk 60 seconds back to your ship, load in to that and then open the menu to the star map to travel).

I’ve boarded a ship and fought in it, but it’s not any different to the steps above. You shoot the ship until you can board it, fly up to it and press a button to load in. Inside you shoot, loot and talk, then press a button to load back.

Combat is fine, but I can’t get the aiming to feel good. It feels too loose all the time. I think it’s an aim acceleration issue but I can’t find anything to adjust it, only sensitivity for look speeds which don’t solve it.
Inventory management is pretty bad, and I’m not looting everything. I’ve only stuck to looting corpses or chests. Now I’m thinking about not even doing that so much as you become weighed down very quickly (I’m using weightlifter, and have it at level 2).
I think the thing I like most so far is the ship combat. Not because it’s particularly good - it’s also very simple, but having to balance the engines, shields and weaponry feels like I’m in control of it all for the few minutes it lasts.

So, yeah. Don’t know. Maybe it’s just Bethesda games that aren’t for me but I loved Fallout 3. Played, like, 100 hours in a week. Nothing else they’ve done seems to capture my attention in the same way. I don’t even know if it’s that their games aren’t for me, I think it’s the constraints of the engine that ruin it - it all just feels dated. No Man’s Sky isn’t much of a game, and also massively repetitive, but you’re in control of everything and that goes a long way to keeping engagement and the fantasy intact.
I’m curious what the turning point is as I’ve seen a number of reviews that said they weren’t getting on with it until something in the story happens and then it got it’s hooks in. I’d also like to know how far in that is.

The entire conversation system they use is way better here than previous games. Character models look far better, VO and delivery is very good. Facial animations aren’t totally fluid but it’s generally much improved and the whole system feels more natural.

You don't have to fast travel but they went for realism and it will take ages.
So far travel all the way!

Its very much a Bethseda RPG in space, doesn't feel like it at first, everything felt a bit empty when I landed at the first main city but nearly every building has a quest or something to do. Soon had a full quest log and loads of systems are unlocking.

It's fucking great, 2.30am finish last night and It's on my mind all the time, feel like I'm playing Skyrim for the first time again.

I'm a big fan of all of the Beth RPGs so ymmv.

Seen a few people on here say how it looks last gen. Then other people on here and I'm reviews saying how gorgeous it is for the most part. Which one is it? It certainly looked gorgeous in the one video review I watched.

Looks pretty good from the videos I've watched. Some of the Z lister NPC models are pretty rough, but aside from that it looks as good as I could've expected from this creaking engine.

Getting close to pulling the trigger and getting the Iceland method even though I still need to finish off FFXVI.