Bethesda’s space-faring action RPG Starfield sets itself apart by being on a much grander scale than the company’s prior games, with whole worlds to visit and spaceships to pilot through the stars. Its universe offers so much to explore and do, and even gives opportunities to customize ships in many ways. In a setting as large as outer space itself, the vast open world aspects of the adventure can be incredible, yet there is one noticeable exception to the game’s activities that could have made exploration even more limitless and engaging.
Set in the year 2310, space travel has come a long way from what humans are used to in the current age. Players are not only able to customize their character in the game, but can build their own ships of any creative or practical design they can come up with. Then, using these ships, they can travel to over 1000 planets in 100 systems to find resources, fulfill quests, and experience a journey of a lifetime. Even in 2310, however, it seems that not everything is easy to do, such as suiting up and experiencing what it’s like to step outside a ship in space.
David Harbour Is Right About Starfield (Mostly)
Starfield is a remarkable game in many ways, and the Stranger Things actor has taken notice, but he neglected to mention a few notable issues.
Starfield Should Let Characters Float In Space
A Feature Starfield DLC Should Have
Clearly, the main focus of the game is not on having a character aimlessly floating alone out in space, but the opportunity for spacewalking in small ways could be a fun and gimmicky mechanic which would add some extra bit of fun and realism to Starfield. It would also open up possibilities for more quests or even clever combat in the game. An alternative to doing ship repairs could be to require the main character to leave the safety of the ship and let them attempt to manually fix things from the outside in tenuous circumstances, for example. This could become a tedious activity if it was needed very often, but in small tastes, it would be entertaining.
Being weightless in a zero gravity instance and relying on the jets of a characters’ backpack is fun and gives a new sensation that is not able to take place in many games. Starfield has excellent examples of how the physics in the game are well-designed for other zero G locations, and therefore, that effect is already programmed into the game. Combat missions in zero G are particularly satisfying, but could be even more so with an added threat of being outside the walls of a ship.
Zero Gravity Combat Out In Space Could Be Epic
Possible Inside Ships Already
While a character is out on a spacewalk, there could be unique occasions for zero gravity combat with an added threat of floating away into the emptiness of space. Alien creatures or even backstabbing NPCs could necessitate some battling to occur in this type of situation. There are already fights that take place within ships in Starfield where zero G combat happens, and it is a very fun mechanic that is sorely underused in an action RPG adventure that takes place in the sci-fi setting of space.
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Mods And Console Commands Have Made It Work
Creative Players Can Get Outside Spaceships
The talented Starfield gaming community has already come up with some solutions to get around this problem of not having spacewalks built into the game. For some, the easiest way is simply to utilize console commands to trick the game into allowing a character to get outside the ship. An example of this is shown in the YouTube video below by user Dustee Starfield who explains how to make this work without mods.
Others have opted for a more improved, customized version through the use of mods that can add many features to the game. There are numerous such mods available online, including one called Real Grav Drive Supercruise And EVA Spacewalk that was created and uploaded by a NexusMods user named LeastDegenAzuraEnjoyer. Not only does this mod add the option for spacewalk, but it provides additional flight mechanics for steering with tight corners and easier stopping for the spaceships.
There are many mods like this one that allow for spacewalking in Starfield, and more will continue to be made. Often, mods each come with different subtle, or not so subtle, tweaks and adjustments, so there may be ones that could add even more abilities that would help make a game more personalized for a player.
Future DLC Or Updates Could Add More Space-Related Activities
Spacewalking Is Not Confirmed For DLC (Yet)
The first Starfield DLC pack is currently in development and will be titled Starfield Shattered Space. Unfortunately, beyond that name there has not yet been much information given regarding what the expansion will include. While spacewalking would be a great new feature, it is not confirmed. The title, Shattered Space lends itself to many speculations and rumors, including the idea that it could focus on having characters exit their ships and do more in the outerspace environment amid the asteroids and stars of the solar systems.
10 Things Starfield’s Shattered Space DLC Must Include
Starfield’s base game already has a ton to do and explore, but the upcoming Shattered Space DLC could expand the story and provide even more content.
There are many things, such as the ability to spacewalk, that it is possible the developers at Bethesda had to cut because of time constraints in creating such a massive game. As well crafted as the zero G physics in the game are already, it seems that more may have originally been planned for using this function, and that could come in a future update or DLC. In the meantime, the current use of console commands and mods allows players to still get a small glimpse at what it could be like to get to leave the safety of a ship out in the cold atmosphere of space and use jetpacks to explore the possibilities that are still present for future Starfield adventures.
Starfield
- Platform(s):
- PC, Xbox Series X/S
- Released:
- 2023-09-06
- Developer(s):
- Bethesda Game Studios
- Publisher(s):
- Bethesda Softworks
- Genre(s):
- Open-World, RPG, Sci-Fi
- ESRB:
- M
- Summary:
- Bethesda Game Studios presents Starfield – the first original IP from the studio in twenty-five-plus years. Set in the year 2310, the United Colonies and Freestar Collective are observing a shaky truce after a war set 20 years prior. The player will customize their character as a member of a space exploration team called Constellation while navigating The Settled Systems and the conflicts between the warring factions. According to Bethesda, players can explore over 100 systems and 1000 planets to find resources and build their ships, living out their own sci-fi journeys.
