Starfield's next update is bringing some big changes to the game
Starfield has been dropping some big updates since its release, but this one might be the biggest one yet, as it brings in new city maps, custom gameplay tweaks and a lot more. The developer update below will give you the highlights. The update will arrive on May 15th.
Before we get into the details, lets talk about the vehicle that they teased at the end, this is something that the game should have had from the outset, so I am very happy to see it finally coming to the game, exactly when is not yet known though.
Right, so the above video provides highlights, but Bethesda have been kind enough to reveal more details, so buckle up.
One feature that apparently is something people didn’t gel with were the maps in cities, not an issue for me, but for others it was. So the May update is bringing updated surface maps to the game, which includes replacing dots with terrain markings. What that allows for is the ability to see the points of interest on the map, ensuring you have a better idea of what is around you.
If that was not enough, the city maps are being updated, first they will be now fully 3d and when you are in the scanner mode, you will see icons for all of the vendors, be they food or supplies and you will now be able to fast travel right to them, no more using your feet.
Before the game first launched, it was revealed that the console release would only support 30fps and that set people off, and while the PC release has had a lot of frame rate options added since, now the Xbox Series X version is getting a few options.
The first big one is that the game will now support 60 frames per second, doubling the slow 30fps that is the default. Xbox Series S owners will remain at 30fps however, so its not a big win for the entire Xbox Series line just yet. In addition to the new 60fps mode, the game will also support VRR, which stands for Variable Refresh Rate. If your TV or computer monitor, or whatever device you are playing on, you can select for 30, 40, 60 or an uncapped framerate.
Finally the game will also offer up an option of Visuals or Performance, letting you choose between fancy looking or fast looking. As you might expect the Visuals mode locks the frame rate down, in order to keep the resolution and all the lighting and effects going. The Performance mode lowers the resolution and visual flourishes, in order to keep the action locked at your frame rate of choice. There are going to be pros and cons to each mode and being able to swap between them means you can enjoy the ones that suits you.
In terms of gameplay there are a lot of options coming, both changeable by the player and overall updates to the game, so lets start with the overall.
One of the major additions is the ability to turn off the dialogue camera, meaning that the game won’t snap to someone’s face when you start speaking with them. That means you are unlikely to see things like this, but as its something you can turn on or off, you can embrace the potential for background chaos if you like. The other major update for the game is that when you are in store menus, you will now have a much clearer view of which bucket of goods you are looking at, something that has caused me some confusion at times as well.
Now we are getting into the tweaking gameplay options, which can either make the game super easy allowing you to become space god, or super challenging, if you wanted to be punished from all angles. These are just a few of the options:
Vendor Credits - Allows you to increase the vendor credit amount
Carrying capacity - Allows you to carry more than ever
Ship Cargo Access - Allows you to access your ships cargo, no matter where you are
Food effects - Changes how some foods impact your character
Environmental effects - Environmental impacts can be dialled up or down
Gun combat modifiers - Guns can do more or less damage
Ship combat modifiers - Ship combat can be easier or harder
There is also a new difficulty level in Extreme, which will turn most dangers up to 15, if you want that. While it would be easy to turn up all the options to give you the best rewards, if you do become space god, your xp earnt will drop. That is the trade off, finding a balance between making the game play out how you want and actually achieving progress, will be up to you.
If you thought that was all, there is still more to go and following on from the new game difficulty option above, there is now an all new New Game+ mode. Currently when you jump into a new universe, your character stats are the same, though you lose all your cool stuff, however with the New Game+ you can respec your character. That means you can pick new traits, modify your face and treat things as if you were starting out fresh, but of course, keeping all your cool stuff.
Finally, yes we got there, but the final addition is ship customisation, which means that you can now remove all the crap that comes with all the ships you obtain, either legally or not. In addition you can add more stuff if you really want to embrace that hoarder lifestyle, or if you want to take the minimalistic style to the extreme, you will be able to buy empty habs, which you can then fill out as needed or not.
