New Revelations: Starfield's Combat Developed Without Involvement of id Software
Contrary to previous reports, id Software did not contribute to the combat system in Starfield, as clarified by the game's director Todd Howard Instead, they assisted with a different aspect of the game's development
Recent rumors suggested that id Software was assisting Bethesda with combat in Starfield, but Todd Howard clarified in a recent interview that this is not the case. Instead, the studio behind Doom and Wolfenstein is providing assistance to the Skyrim and Fallout developer in a different area. Despite the leaked information, the improved combat gameplay showcased in the Xbox Games Showcase may not be the result of this partnership.
Bethesda received assistance from id Software for the development of Fallout 4's combat mechanics, but for Starfield, id Software's expertise in motion blur and the visual aspects of moment-to-moment gameplay were utilized for the upcoming space exploration RPG. According to Howard, there were additional features from id Tech that were integrated into Starfield's Creation Engine 2, but he did not provide further details on what these features entail.
Optimizing post-processing effects like motion blur is crucial for the player's perception of smoothness in Starfield, which is capped at 30 FPS on Xbox Series consoles. It's no surprise that a studio like id Software, with its extensive experience, would be tasked with this optimization. While it's unclear what else id has contributed to the game, it's evident that combat is not one of them.
However, this doesn't necessarily mean bad news. The fact that id Software hasn't been involved in combat development suggests that Bethesda Game Studios has been making strides in this area internally. The recent Xbox Showcase revealed significant improvements in combat since last year's gameplay demo, indicating that the developer has a handle on this aspect of the game.
With the Xbox Game Showcase contributing to the game's growing popularity, it comes as no surprise that some developers have attempted to mock Starfield prior to its release in September. However, these efforts have proved to be unsuccessful as the majority of the community is satisfied with Bethesda's previews and eagerly anticipates seeing the game come to fruition. As the release date approaches, the onus now falls on Todd Howard and his team to deliver on their promises. Come September 6, Starfield will be available on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: IGN
