You may’t assist however get a bit excited when a brand new replace arrives. There’s a small thrill that comes with the prospect of leaping into an outdated favourite, particularly whenever you haven’t performed shortly. The newest Starfield replace guarantees enhancements and new options however for me, it has been an actual letdown. It’s not as a result of the additions are essentially dangerous, it’s all simply arriving somewhat too late.
As I searched for information on the brand new Starfield replace I noticed so many articles stating how it’s ‘a sport changer‘ and ‘essentially the most thrilling replace but.’ So think about my shock after I see a listing of bug fixes and some options that ought to have been a part of the sport when it was first launched.
I rapidly up to date the sport and jumped in to see what the fuss was about. Certainly there was greater than only a mini-map with signposts and some items of furnishings to brighten the ship? The very first thing I did was take a look at the brand new ship decor characteristic. In accordance with the replace notes, we will now embellish our ships in the identical manner as our outposts. Should you liked constructing ships and adorning areas, it is a good addition, however it doesn’t add something particular to the gameplay. The checklist of obtainable objects is okay however missing in selection and magnificence choices.
I’d take pleasure in this extra if I didn’t first should exit and harvest supplies for the privilege of inserting an armchair within the dwelling quarters. Am I lacking the purpose in what’s a sport of crafting and useful resource gathering? Maybe. However these facets are secondary to me. To be trustworthy, I didn’t do a whole lot of crafting throughout my first playthrough, so why begin now?
There’s a lot extra that might have been achieved right here. What about being able to create particular areas on the ship? Or with the ability to assign a job to a crew member, reminiscent of medic or armorer, and have them stationed completely. That manner, you would go to the medbay to be healed or go to the armory for upgrades to the ship. As it’s proper now, it nonetheless feels unfinished. For a really immersive roleplay as a ship’s captain we’d like a completely crewed-up ship, don’t we? If this turned an possibility you’d have gamers recreating any variety of well-known area crews from Captain Mal on the Firefly to Picard and the Enterprise.
The most effective a part of this replace is one thing we should always have had from the very begin: floor maps. As somebody who struggled to search out their manner round Jemison, this must be a welcome change however it does make me surprise: why didn’t we now have this characteristic within the first place? And why has it taken so lengthy to get it? The dearth of a floor map has been a problem for the reason that sport’s launch in September final 12 months, and for it to take eight months for Bethesda so as to add them is irritating, to say the least.
Floor maps are nice for when you find yourself in a metropolis with tons to discover. They might help a participant discover their manner from level to level. The one actual drawback is that they spotlight one evident challenge Starfield has at all times had: planets with huge, empty lands. Now you should use a floor map to see how flat and boring a whole lot of the locations are. Examine this with Fallout 4 environments and Starfield is severely missing.
The rise in environmental harm has made for a extra immersive planetary exploration. All we’d like now are extra diversified planetary surfaces and attention-grabbing POIs. Additionally, fewer copy-pasted decor objects inside buildings wouldn’t go amiss to assist with the immersion. I can not rely the variety of instances I’ve seen the console or desk cluttered with the identical 4 objects in the identical positioning.
The checklist of bug fixes was a welcome sight however this was a short-lived pleasure. It appears bugs are alive and properly in Starfield. I jumped again in for the primary time in months solely to be confronted immediately with a brand new bug.
As I explored a constructing and fought with enemies, they appeared to die too simply and with out the same old XP notification. To check if one Va’Ruun Zealot on the bottom was actually lifeless, I aimed my weapon at her physique. My gun’s sight was purple as if I used to be aiming at a dwell enemy so I shot her once more. Nothing. Intrigued, I shot her with my cutter as a substitute and she or he received again up! Perhaps I restarted her coronary heart. Perhaps I used to be unfortunate sufficient to come across a brand-new bug. Both manner, it appears Bethesda hasn’t fairly completed selecting out all of the bugs simply but regardless of the large checklist of fixes.
The added modifications to settings are nice to mess around with however many gamers wished this characteristic was carried out the primary time round. Now you can enhance the problem of fight — be it among the many stars or on the bottom — or decrease the settings. Virtually every thing might be altered to fit your temper and these might be modified mid-combat too. Harm dealt, harm acquired, and even carry capability, might be switched from Very Simple to Excessive and every thing in between. These courageous sufficient to go for Laborious or Excessive are rewarded with a small XP proportion increase too.
One other bonus I take pleasure in is the flexibility to change Traits and look after getting into Unity. I didn’t do a whole lot of post-story play because it appeared very repetitive. The addition of those modifications makes additional play somewhat extra engaging however is it sufficient of a change? These little changes all add up to what’s primarily an enchancment nonetheless, it comes too late for these gamers who binged the sport when it first launched.
Starfield’s graphics and efficiency clearly wanted the enhancements provided on this replace. These will make a big distinction to your sport if you’re nonetheless enjoying frequently. I’m undecided the small polishes are sufficient to attract in gamers who’ve since stopped enjoying, nonetheless.
Maybe it’s my fault for having such excessive hopes for this replace. Perhaps these smaller modifications imply the Shattered House DLC shall be extra polished and thrilling than anticipated. For now, I really feel barely let down by this ‘main game-changing replace’. Nonetheless, I await the upcoming DLC with bated breath. I actually need to bounce again into a brand new and improved Starfield however at this second I’m left unconvinced.