Unveiling the Secrets: Starfield Planet Exploration Made Easier
Todd Howard sheds light on the intricate development of Starfield in a recent interview, revealing the previous complexities surrounding planetary exploration Discover how the game's exploration mechanics underwent significant refinement
Highlights
Spacesuits in Starfield provide protection against extreme weather on hostile planets, but their significance has been reduced from earlier builds of the game.
Environmental hazards and resistances in Starfield serve mainly as added atmospheric elements, allowing players to disregard them unless they engage in reckless behavior. Bethesda's choice to downplay the impact of these mechanics initially can be seen as justified, but there is potential for them to be reevaluated in the future with official content packs or mods.
The planetary exploration in Starfield captures the Bethesda sandbox charm, but the role of environmental hazards has been simplified since its launch. Spacesuits in Starfield serve as valuable equipment and offer crucial protection against extreme weather conditions on the inhospitable worlds of the Settled Systems. Different spacesuits provide varying levels of thermal or radiation resistance, but unless players recklessly encounter environmental hazards, this mechanic can easily be overlooked.
However, some fans correctly assumed that these resistances were a leftover feature from the game's development, where characters faced severe consequences for landing on an unprepared Starfield planet. Similar to radiation in the Fallout games, the various hazards in Starfield were intended to enhance realism for players venturing into the vast expanse of space.
During a recent Game Maker's Notebook podcast interview, Todd Howard and Ted Price discussed the development of Starfield and the content that didn't make it into the final version. Howard mentioned that earlier versions of the game focused heavily on environmental damage, requiring players to prepare for various atmosphere effects. However, this complex system was ultimately scaled down as it became more of a hassle rather than an engaging gameplay mechanic.
Although hazards and resistances still exist in the game, Howard emphasized that they are mainly for aesthetics. The development team suggested implementing a spacesuit loadout, where each suit would automatically handle different extreme environments. With Starfield's continued success on Steam and its relaxing planetary exploration aspects being well-received, it could be argued that Bethesda made the right decision in toning down the severity of environmental hazards.
Todd Howard has not dismissed the idea of Starfield exploring environmental mechanics in the future. This could be achieved through official content packs or mods. The release of Starfield's modding tools in early 2024 is expected to enable the development of content similar to Skyrim's Frostfall, which introduced an immersive and optional survival mode for the game. Currently, Starfield is accessible for PC and Xbox Series X/S users.
