Bethesda’s forthcoming action role-playing game, Starfield, will not feature any land vehicles or creatures for transportation on planets, and the studio has no plans of adding a Performance mode on Xbox Series X|S.
Speaking on the latest episode of Kinda Funny Xcast, Starfield director Todd Howard stated that the game will not feature any land vehicles or creatures for transportation on planets, and that there are no plans of adding a Performance mode on Xbox Series X|S. In addition, he confirmed the existence of a space radio, but said that it is only available in one localized area.
Howard also mentioned that stolen ships can be modified, though they first need to be registered before doing so. He added that deeper ship building is meant to be more of a late game system, but basic changes can be made earlier on.
With regards to side quests, Howard stated that there will be ones that aren’t simply “kill ten things, get item, turn in for reward”. He mentioned Outposts as another “deep system” similar to advanced ship building. Players will be able to start up quick outposts earlier in the game, but the more intricate “go crazy” aspects are available later on. Resources and trade routes can be created between outposts in order to generate economy.
Howard also confirmed that Starfield will not feature fishing. He added that only about 10% of the game’s planets have life on them. In order to be able to rapidly explore planets, the latter will have some procedurally generated areas of interest that players can quickly reach and explore. Furthermore, he said that while there are no land vehicles or creatures available to use, it is still possible to traverse planets quicker using the boost pack.
With regards to the different biomes featured in Starfield, Howard mentioned that some planets have a single biome, while others have several of them. Suits play an important role here for dealing with the various traits of planetary biomes. Fully scanning a planet can yield information that can potentially be traded for in-game money.
Regarding the alien life form inhabiting some of the planets, Howard said that the game will feature both hostile and docile alien creatures, and they can attack each other in addition to the player.
With respect to NPCs, Howard stated that it’s possible to play the game without having AI companions joining you and following you around. Technically, there are enough robot companions to crew your ship with no need for human companions. Though, if you do choose for the latter to tag along, they’ll express their likes and dislikes over the choices you make. There are only four romance options available in Starfield i.e. the four main Constellation ones.
