Unveiling the Spectacular Feat: Achieving 'True' Space Travel in Starfield, No Mods Required
A determined Starfield enthusiast sets out to demonstrate the possibility of interstellar travel within the game, showcasing the ability to navigate between celestial bodies without the need for modifications
Highlights
A Starfield fan has discovered that players can theoretically fly between celestial bodies in the game, showcasing the hidden capabilities of the ships.
The game's travel system omits atmospheric flight in favor of a streamlined experience featuring loading screens and fast travel. However, the current method of seamlessly traveling between celestial objects requires modifications and is impractical without mods, leaving fans eagerly awaiting a future mod that can strike a balance between immersion and convenience.
Bethesda's new RPG, Starfield, has garnered attention from a crafty fan who has discovered a feature that allows players to fly between celestial bodies without the use of mods, at least in theory. This revelation showcases the hidden capabilities of Starfield's ships, although it does not completely address the recent criticism regarding travel that some fans have expressed.
Bethesda Game Studios is known for developing AAA projects that blend approachable action RPG elements with immersive sims, making them appealing to a wide range of players. However, this diversity of preferences has created division within the fandom since Starfield was announced in 2018. While some fans desired atmospheric flight similar to No Man's Sky, others preferred a more streamlined experience when traveling between planets in Starfield.
The latter group's desires were fulfilled when Bethesda chose not to include atmospheric flight in Starfield. Instead, the focus was on an efficient fast travel system that separates smaller spaceship sections and allows for surface exploration with loading screens. However, a YouTuber named Zombiefruit has demonstrated that players can seamlessly travel between some neighboring celestial objects in the game. In a video documenting the journey from Mars to Phobos, the larger of its two moons, it is evident that this feat was achieved by speeding up the game by 6,400% using hacks and then further accelerating the recording by over 4,000%. The player estimated that without any modifications, the in-game voyage from Mars to Phobos would have taken 27 real-life hours. It's worth noting that in reality, Phobos orbits Mars at a distance of approximately 3,700 miles, while most celestial bodies in Starfield's multiple star systems are much farther apart.
The experiment's author also discovered that they had to disable the in-game orbits before starting their journey. They suspected that the planets were moving faster than their ship after they accelerated the game. If this assumption was correct, flying between different celestial objects without modifications would be even more challenging, as players would have to calculate the future position in orbit instead of simply heading straight towards their visible destination. Currently, Starfield fans who desire an interplanetary travel method that combines immersion and convenience have limited options, relying on the hope that a modder will create such a mechanic for PC.
However, this doesn't mean that the game's existing fast-travel system will necessarily ruin the overall experience for everyone. On the contrary, Starfield already offers an alternative space travel method that is much more immersive than repeatedly navigating through menus.
Starfield launches September 6 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
