Starfield Check-in
Added 2023-10-07 14:02:00 +0000 UTCJust checking in to report that yesterday I completed the rough draft for my Starfield script. I'll be spending a few more days doing research and footage maintenance and then moving on to finalizing the script. Right now it's shaping up to be a 6 hour video.
If anybody would like to share their thoughts on the game, I'll be reading replies to this post.
Comments
The Ghost of Liurnia sends their regards.
Coz Cozm
2023-12-02 06:40:56 +0000 UTCChief. Wya. Hope you had a good thanksgiving though
Nocturnal987
2023-11-25 18:12:37 +0000 UTCThe Magic just isn't there.
OFFICIAL DOKTA
2023-11-23 03:01:43 +0000 UTCStarfield would have worked a million times better if earth hadn't been destroyed in the backstory. Why are there so few actual colonies? Why does everything seem so underpopulated? How come mechs have been unilaterally banned despite being such supposedly powerful weapons? Why is the United Colonies set up as a totalitarian society where service guarantees citizenship? Because a united and powerful earth still exists as either a benefactor or antagonist in the setting, instead of it having been stripped of its atmosphere for ~reasons~.
drkeiscool
2023-11-07 01:16:59 +0000 UTCHaving not tried Starfield, a deep dive into any updates into Bethesda's quest design, world building, and balance (haha bethesda balance) would be great. Looking forward to it. If there are any notable side quests that stand out as great or terrible, I would love some asides about those. But I understand how that could detract from a larger narrative that you may be building
Mark Holmes
2023-11-06 14:06:03 +0000 UTCSPOILERS. I played for a sprint on release, quickly stopped, but got back into it and finished a playthrough. I think Starfield is a good game that attempts some interesting things but you have to push through the first dozen or so hours until you figure out how the game works. It might be worth $70 depending on what DLC they add. Not much is notable but the debate regarding the end of the main story will be the game's legacy. Positives: - Prior to Starfield I always spent time clearing most rooms. I tried clearing that Kreet science lab on my first character and learned that strategy wont work in Starfield. I made a conscious decision to only pick up expensive things like weapons and decorations that had a weight of <3 but a value of over 100. Eventually I started hitting the terminals for credits and while some of those missions are literally a loading screen and free money, I find most of them more compelling than spending even 1 minute in a room making sure I grabbed all the valuable items. Even after being able to bypass the worst of the weight limitations, I haven't gone back to old habits. I would like to revisit Skyrim and see if not being a klepto improves the flow. - I like the "meta" elements of the story. It takes itself seriously and doesn't paint an objectively best decision. There's good roleplay and meta reasons for either decision. - While I haven't found the rest of the galaxy as interesting as the main story, I do like Bethesda tackling a post-war society where the two major powers are relatively well off. - I enjoy what appears to be the genuine optimism of the setting. It doesn't seem like a joke they prop up to beat with a stick when they want to show how edgy and grim their universe is. Neutral: - The amount of loading screens isn't an issue for me since they're very quick (Nvme on PC). - During marketing I recall interviews with employees saying to give the game time to cook. which I found it to be true. Those first dozen hours were rough and I initially dropped it. I felt overwhelmed at first and the game didn't provide much help. I felt it similar to Runescape as a kid; overwhelming at first but many people picked up on it and it stuck throughout adulthood. I don't think Starfield has the staying power of Runescape, but it did feel "new" for a brief time - You have an option to grind by killing aliens on higher level planets. It's a nice mindless way to maybe get a few levels, but is inherently dull and I've had bad luck with finding aliens on supposedly populated worlds. Akila was fun for this but it was early game. Negatives: - Ass-pulls like "Everyone in the universe has decided to never use mechs despite having abandoned factories lying around" seem more obvious here. - Menu navigation can be sluggish with the "flashy" animations that kill the flow. It's cute and thematic the first few times but gets old. The menu itself could be fleshed out more with things like putting digipicks in Aid, and letting you flag items to automatically be stored in either a dedicated Junk tab or Misc. - Some bits of story seem overly sanitized and "safe". It's jarring compared to how thought-provoking the main story gets and most faction questlines aren't even close. - The shops having so little credits and no way to increase their supply. It's not as bad in the early game but becomes a routine problem later. - The filter. Side-note: I ran a mod to stop the "flashy" menu animations and removed the filter. Just those two made the game look and flow better. I imagine it'd help console players the most as they're probably already getting wrecked by the lower framerate and loading times. - Crafting. Nothing you can store items in with unlimited weight and close proximity to crafting stations other than the Lodge's basement. Miscellaneous: - Bethesda didn't appear to market the Starborn or Multiverse which I personally found nice. Not including it fits the theme of exploration. The execution was essentially just improved Space Th'uum but it was interesting they'd not lean into marketing those powers considering they were a big part of Skyrim's identity. - I wonder how DLC will work regarding the Starborn-question. My brief take: I think the Starborn-question is the best Bethesda debate since Imperials vs Stormcloaks. It could be left as-is but I personally feel roleplay-wise, it's too easy to justify not going Starborn. I encourage Bethesda to touch the topic again but they have to be very careful. My full take: You're limiting yourself by staying in your original universe but do you need that power? You've handled every Starborn you've come across. What about being a Starborn? The ones that don't immediately shoot you paint their existence as speedrunning a rat race where most either want power for the sake of it or will kill people to keep them from being involved. Being Starborn comes at the cost of your humanity and the universe you're attached to. You might be able to get "attached" to another universe down-the-line (NG+ enough to max out powers and settle down), but at the point you're an omniscient god choosing to settle with ants. I'd like to see them adding a GOOD roleplay reason to go Starborn. The only idea I could offer is if they give you the choice to either find your original companions in another universe after they've gone Starborn, or you can return to your original universe to see how your decisions played out. If you meet your companions you're no longer a "god among ants" and have true companions. If you return to your universe you could see how Constellation has changed, introduce completely new companions, and throw in some flavor about the fallout of your faction and questline choices. That would likely be too big of a pro and would undercut the sacrifice you make, but if Bethesda wanted to push people to go Starborn I wouldn't hate this. A very fucking horrible reason would be anything that forces you to leave your universe like paying for a DLC that infects your character with a sickness and the only cure is to keep hopping universes to reset the clock. Ruining the Starborn-question would ruin the best story and probably Starfield's legacy.
Philip Silk
2023-10-20 22:29:02 +0000 UTCFair Enough.
Apo
2023-10-16 00:09:30 +0000 UTCNo.
Darkhymn
2023-10-15 02:36:20 +0000 UTCHaving recently just finished the game myself, I'm looking forward to seeing what you think about it Pat. Best of luck with all the work. 👍
Lord Basilisk
2023-10-15 00:52:29 +0000 UTCGet a grip.
Apo
2023-10-13 19:34:30 +0000 UTCI look forward to your take. I really wanted to love Starfield. I've loved the Bethesda formula since Morrowind, and I've loved nearly every game since. I even managed to find the positives in Fallout 76. This, though? There are things here that I like. The ground combat fundamentals are there, boostpacks are a welcome addition that I enjoyed greatly. The ship customization sucked me in thoroughly, and I spent tens of hours in that editor, making what was functionally little more than a drivable loading screen, but it was my perfect loading screen. The dialog writing, voice acting, and direction weren't objectively excellent, but they were the best Bethesda has ever managed. A lot of the side quests have interesting setups, and a handful of individual quests manage to actually be a good time, despite Bethesda's best efforts. Additionally, the lockpicking minigame is actually quite fun for the first several hours of the game, which I've never said of a Bethesda minigame before. Unfortunately, nearly every other part of the game seems tailor made to appeal to nobody. The exploration is the blandest, thinnest excuse for gameplay that they could have given us. I'm genuinely shocked that they left it in the game. In 168 hours of gameplay, I can only recall seeing 13 different interiors on explorable planets. They weren't shuffled or randomized, they didn't have varied enemy spawn points... 13 interiors copied and pasted across every world I took the time to explore. Pixel perfect copies, with the same maps, the same loot, the same enemies having the same conversations, the same datapads and terminals. Worse, more than one of these is recycled in the major questlines, so as I was working my way through those, I sometimes found myself repeating content I'd already done in the procedural section of the game. Outpost building is similarly repetitive and unfulfilling, unnecessary busy work that doesn't really pay off until you've invested more time and effort than the game frankly warrants. It seems that Bethesda knew that the game wasn't very good, outside of the settlements, as most quests won't ask you to leave them. It's almost entirely just running from place to place, talking to people and fetching things. Don't get me started on the terrible, contrived, uninteresting, weak attempt at emotional manipulation and "deep" thought that the main quest turned out to be. Drivel. Nothing could have prepared me for the sheer extent to which this game has disappointed me. I enjoyed parts of it. There were moments that I absolutely loved. They were just buried in a sea of bland, unfun, unfocused, half-implemented and poorly assembled ideas which ultimately made the game a slog that I regret engaging with.
Darkhymn
2023-10-12 13:34:30 +0000 UTCI’ve not played it so this is more a thought on the reaction to it - as in the lack of one. Like it doesn’t seem to have made any waves? Maybe because it’s an Xbox thing but most of my friends, if I bring it up, are like, wait Bethesda made a new game?
Roo
2023-10-11 12:51:03 +0000 UTCI think starfield is an enjoyable mindless experience, fun gunplay and flying, interesting yet really flawed shipbuilding. The stories seem like extremely linear experiences with minor choices from the ones I've done, I haven't seen any choices that actually affect the world, so it seems really static and unchanging. Haven't done the ng+ or worked a lot on outpost building, so I haven't seen the full extent of the game.
Lithonator
2023-10-10 16:26:19 +0000 UTCI thought you were gonna wait for dlc to come out before making the video?
Capt2000_price .
2023-10-09 17:55:47 +0000 UTCI believe Starfield can be summarized from a dialog you have with Barrett after doing the terrormorph questline for the UC. During this dialog Barrett "Squee's" in excitement at the players heroic actions, but this isn't what happens. The voice actor confuses this stage direction in the script and reads out and acts the literal word "Squee". My thoughts ping pong between "How did that not get a second take?" and "Is this how the Bethesda writers think people talk?" and in the end there's no answers and I'm confused. Starfield is confused.
Steven Young
2023-10-09 14:25:51 +0000 UTCIm eagerly awaiting your Starfield video :)
domisPL2
2023-10-08 15:27:46 +0000 UTCI tried playing a few different times but I ultimately stopped just past New Atlantis in the Sol system. Im not sure what about it didnt click with me, but the main quest didnt really hook me in the same way as even Morrowind could. Its actually kind of crazy because similar to Morrowind you are given very little explanation as to what you are doing before being given the choice to do your own thing. However what Morrowind HAD was an interesting setting that made me feel grounded immediately. Space isnt that interesting exploration wise imo outside the advanced physics and quantum mechanics.
Lucius Colbanus Cotta
2023-10-08 14:46:16 +0000 UTCYou said something in your Skyrim video that unfortunately came true. I forget the exact quote, but it was something along the lines that you are afraid Bethesda will dumb down their world making to fit seamlessly into the AI generated worlds. And it came true brother. I like Starfield, Bethesda scratches an itch no one else can in rpg games. But I you nailed it, not a single setting feels actually human generated, even the world directly outside the major cities. Maybe a human made it, but it doesn't feel like it.
Why u wanna know my name
2023-10-08 07:29:18 +0000 UTCIf this was a universe i cared about the incredibly stupid writing would be frustrating, but instead its just hilarious most of the time. In a way i think Bethesda really benefited from this being a new IP instead of a universe with an existing history that people already care about. Good thing Bethesda doesn't have any of those, right?
Zacty
2023-10-08 05:51:10 +0000 UTCOut of all the BGS games I've played it's the only one where the main quest has completely failed to make me want to progress it.
Composite Armour
2023-10-08 02:55:39 +0000 UTCPlayed for a little over an hour. Just got bored once I got to New Atlantis. Plus the cluster fuck UI broke me.
MisledOhio
2023-10-07 23:10:04 +0000 UTCI wanted to test if James Newill’s wife, Rosa, would take over his store in Neon if something terrible happened to him. Much like how in Skyrim, if Hulda from the Bannered Mare died, Ysolda would take over as the proprietor. Well, all the shopkeepers in Neon are essential NPCs. I quit playing after that. Also, the introduction to the Crimson Fleet through the UC SysDef is a free bounty wipe.
ken’wah
2023-10-07 17:36:45 +0000 UTCLooking forward to it. Excited to see another story analysis from both a meta perspective and in-universe perspective.
lance bernardo
2023-10-07 17:23:05 +0000 UTCI’ve been avoiding seeing anything cause I’m not allowed to play the game. Cause I jus have my gaystation
Nathan Cabisca
2023-10-07 16:52:09 +0000 UTCThe main story makes me feel like Rick Sanchez. It feels nihilistic. Why should I care about any decisions I make in any of these quests when I am an hour or so away from resetting the universe.
Gonk
2023-10-07 16:20:54 +0000 UTCA large, explorable, handcrafted world, which would constantly drag you this way and that, the hopping between systems via fast travel just makes it feel so gamy. In the Elder Scrolls they also have rich lore from decades ago to that helps to immerse yourself if you know it and even if the current game is not up to snuff. There is really nothing interesting in this new universe (maybe apart from why earth was abandoned). Just generic empire/cowboys/regligious zealots/pirates but in space.
M
2023-10-07 15:52:03 +0000 UTCI have a ton of thoughts, but instead I'll tell you about a location I found that summed up some of the main plots issues for me. I stumbled upon a UC observation post high on a hill that had clearly been occupied very recently, that was in visual distance (less than 1KM I think) from one of the massive temples of the unknown, never before heard of aliens. Got a screenshot of it too from the observation deck. Priceless.
Austin Powell
2023-10-07 15:51:55 +0000 UTCWhile I liked some parts of SF (better Gunplay, a main story that at least had an interesting concept) I could not get over how they sacrificed their biggest strengh and appeal since Morrowind:
M
2023-10-07 15:47:54 +0000 UTCI got bored and stopped playing it fairly early on, might return to it at some later point. Had the same thing happen with Fallout 4. I will say that while it was downright comical how hard the game forces you to join Constellation with minimal explanation, the plot is not super urgent (from the start, not sure how it becomes down the line) and once you meet with Constellation you can say that you want time before doing their missions and can go off to do your own thing.
H4mmaster
2023-10-07 14:43:36 +0000 UTCTying certain really important features of the game to perk points with challenges you need to do is an insane design decision among many of the other baffling things Bethesda has done in this game.
The Phasewalker
2023-10-07 14:43:16 +0000 UTCStarfield was a rollercoaster for sure. I didn't mind the main quest, I actually quite enjoyed it in terms of story and locations. Also did the UC quest as a mole among pirates and it was quite alright. Then I went into NG+ just to see what it is and finished playing after that. What surprised me is that there is a lot of dialogue if you just do quests and nothing else, and it's generally alright. As for the other parts... Most skills are fucking useless. I spent a lot of skill points on research and outposts, and built a couple of outposts with links only to realize that it's easier and faster to just buy resources, and the things that research unlocks just isn't useful or fun (who need an automatic med kit injector if I have an item wheel, etc.) Exploration is boring. Minigame to aquire magic powers is shit. UI is shit. Combat is okay, but nothing to write home about. Well, melee is boring, but shooting is okay. Space combat sucks ass. Overall the game is fun when I do the hand-made quest lines, and I'm sure other people can also find something that's fun for them, but with so many mechanics that suck ass I don't think it's worth playing. I'm not optimistic about TES VI at all after playing this.
vlp
2023-10-07 14:17:06 +0000 UTC
