Starfield Thread - now with Shattered Space horror expansion

[ind33d]

Here's an interesting little "mod"...

Consistent World - Custom Seed

Planet names and planet biome data are fixed and stored in the game files. The "landings" however are procedurally generated (points of interests and landscape) based on the Seed. Game subsystem, "Planet Content Manager" has a Seed value. Seed is randomly generated each time you create new character and is written into savegames. Same character will carry the same seed, but as soon as you create a new one - new char will explore a different universe.

[...]

There is a way however to change the seed midgame [...].

As a result, everyone playing with the same Seed will see exactly the same world. It will be procedural but not random.

And I'm a bit confused why this wasn't the approach Bethesda took to begin with. Is there really gameplay value in having each character explore a "random" universe as opposed to a static, more consistent space?


And another thing - if I'm reading this correctly, wouldn't that mean that initial reports that the game generates "new" spaces once you come back to a previously discarded landing zone is incorrect? If you got your landing pixel-perfect, shouldn't you get the same map that you got before on the same character seed?

This is what I've been saying the entire time. The modding required to make Starfield good is very minimal compared to something like VTMB or Daggerfall that was probably impossible to complete on launch

 

[Vic]

 

[Immortal]

I guess based on the leaks that Beth employee posted on retardera (under his real name lol) - It really was Ship mechanics and planet exploration that burned 5 years

Do you have any links? I would like to read about that.

Google "Hevy008 Leaks" - everyone thought he was full of shit until several beth co-workers started coming out of the wood work like "Uh no.. he worked here for 10+ years and recently quit" (I forget if it was 10 - but he'd been there a while)

Here's a choice quote:
https://wccftech.com/starfield-leak...and-has-a-lot-of-content-manual-flight-is-in/

It was a cool solid place to work, very secure. The engine is a piece of crap though. Todd is a charismatic guy for sure. Starfield is looking good, weekly Thursday playtest since the beginning of the year, more and more stuff coming online. Shooting feels alright, flying is terrible at the moment in my opinion, just not fun to me. Lighting and stuff is looking better and better, though it's not on the level of Horizon Forbidden West or anything like that but still a good looking game. In terms of if it will ship on time, well they will try that's for sure, they'll cut what they did to etc, they have an overabundance of content, probably too much, so that's not the issue, finding the fun and of course bug fixing is the big thing. It's a sexy date though and you only get one of those, beta is this summer, that's when the picture will truly become clear.

There's way more though - He was going for weeks before a beth lawyer tackled him to the floor and explained what a NDA means.

The latter reveal proved to be too much, though, as multiple ResetEra users pointed out that Bethesda Game Studios had never formally announced manual flying to be a part of Starfield. When Hevy008 realized that, he requested the cancellation of his ResetEra account and all of his posts to protect himself from potential legal troubles.

This quote from the article is kinda false btw, he was brushing off resetera users saying like "What space game doesn't have flying duhhhh.. it's not a secret" - then one day his account *poofed* lol.



--

Here's an interesting little "mod"...

Consistent World - Custom Seed
Planet names and planet biome data are fixed and stored in the game files. The "landings" however are procedurally generated (points of interests and landscape) based on the Seed. Game subsystem, "Planet Content Manager" has a Seed value. Seed is randomly generated each time you create new character and is written into savegames. Same character will carry the same seed, but as soon as you create a new one - new char will explore a different universe.
[...]
There is a way however to change the seed midgame [...].
As a result, everyone playing with the same Seed will see exactly the same world. It will be procedural but not random.

And I'm a bit confused why this wasn't the approach Bethesda took to begin with. Is there really gameplay value in having each character explore a "random" universe as opposed to a static, more consistent space?
And another thing - if I'm reading this correctly, wouldn't that mean that initial reports that the game generates "new" spaces once you come back to a previously discarded landing zone is incorrect? If you got your landing pixel-perfect, shouldn't you get the same map that you got before on the same character seed?

Having inconsistent seeds makes it more difficult to predictably inject new modded POI's that aren't tied to a specific landing space (which this game sorely needs)

I know exactly why they did this... the "Open World" mantra of hack designers is "No two player experiences are alike!!!!" - It's low hanging fruit like this that lets designers pat themselves on the back for crafting "UNIQUE EXPERIENCES" which usually amounts to "science lab is to the left instead of to the right" - marketing buzz for consumers but worthless.

 

[Bigfass]

If you got your landing pixel-perfect, shouldn't you get the same map that you got before on the same character seed?

You do. I was able to find this exact location that the guy talks about in the video, the landscape being identical. So did a bunch of people in his comments.



Maybe this magical seed influences the POIs that are generated upon landing, but other than that, it seems to be bullshit. You can definitely get the same terrain that others have if you find the exact pixel. Which isn't that hard given that you can override the maximum allowed zoom with:

setgs "fStarMapInspectCameraDistanceScaleZoomMin:StarMap" 0.235
setgs "fStarMapInspectCameraDistanceScaleZoomMinMoon:StarMap" 0.170

 

[Gargaune]

This is what I've been saying the entire time. The modding required to make Starfield good is very minimal compared to something like VTMB or Daggerfall that was probably impossible to complete on launch

Now if only Todd unclenched his buttcheeks and let us have the CK, we could put that to the test.

I know exactly why they did this... the "Open World" mantra of hack designers is "No two player experiences are alike!!!!"

It's dumb, it's not like lacking replayability was a common criticism against Bethesda games. You'd think having "a thousand planets" with a bajillion landing zones should be enough "content" without having to also randomise most of the playspace per character.

You do. I was able to find this exact location that the guy talks about in the video, the landscape being identical. So did a bunch of people in his comments.

See, this is what I meant about Starfield's launch being very confusing, there's a lot of contradictory info floating about and Bethesda seem content not to clarify anything. Why not come out and tweet "hey guys, so this is how X works" every once in a while, it's not like the basics of a proc-gen algorithm constitute spoilers.

 

[Rhobar121]

You do. I was able to find this exact location that the guy talks about in the video, the landscape being identical. So did a bunch of people in his comments.

See, this is what I meant about Starfield's launch being very confusing, there's a lot of contradictory info floating about and Bethesda seem content not to clarify anything. Why not come out and tweet "hey guys, so this is how X works" every once in a while, it's not like the basics of a proc-gen algorithm constitute spoilers.

They would have to know how the game works.

 

[potatojohn]

See, this is what I meant about Starfield's launch being very confusing, there's a lot of contradictory info floating about and Bethesda seem content not to clarify anything. Why not come out and tweet "hey guys, so this is how X works" every once in a while, it's not like the basics of a proc-gen algorithm constitute spoilers.

Game developers that just do their own thing are the best.

Chad Bethesda, making cool games, not caring about what haters think, patches only technical issues

Virgin Larian forever early-access cringe factory, reddit humor, constant game-changing patches gaslighting you

 

[Vic]

Another retardation fixed by modders you didn't know you needed

Call Your Ship​

Call your spaceship from anywhere outdoor. The ship will take off and then land in front of you, ready to be used!

Features

• Call your ship from anywhere outside. Yes, also in main outposts... your choice if you want to devastate a city
• The ship takes off and then lands near your position
• Receive notification on E.T.A.
• You can then safely enter the ship and take off manually from there!

Of course, if you don't choose a proper flat spot, there will be clipping. If that happens, then just call again somewhere else. There's nothing I can do about it, for now.

https://www.nexusmods.com/starfield/mods/4923

 

[abija]

I was bitching about this in the CP thread too.. Why are these 20 hour long games taking 8 years to make?
These game dev studios are twice as big...
Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield had twice the budget as Skyrim and Witcher 3..

If you really played both those games and do not understand why they take so long to make... that's on you.

A correct question would be "Why is AAA so wasteful?" or "Why aren't the director, designers and other decision makers flogged in a public square?". The reason they took so long to make is quite obvious, there is a LOT of shit in them.

 

[Vic]

I was bitching about this in the CP thread too.. Why are these 20 hour long games taking 8 years to make?

why do 90 minute movies take years to make?

 

[Tyrr]

I was bitching about this in the CP thread too.. Why are these 20 hour long games taking 8 years to make?

why do 90 minute movies take years to make?

Both are often the result of bad project management.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I have been avoiding looking at this game since a few reviews but then I get slapped with some damn google notice from:
https://gamerant.com/starfield-water-city/

https://gamerant.com/search/?q=Pokemon+ships+starfield

https://gamerant.com/starfield-handsome-squidward-custom-character/

Is shipbuilding and basebuilding as good as these articles hype?

 

[Vic]

Is shipbuilding and basebuilding as good as these articles hype?

what do you think

Spoiler

it's better than FO4 and with mods it might be truly good but at this point, while you can create cool ships, a lot of it serves no function, like non-working interiors, or just having powerful ships being pointless more or less. same goes with base building, no reason to do it. the "incredible" water city looks cool, but it's probably just a shallow setpiece that you can't really do anything in. also, trees randomly re-generate through buildings so it helps to build your city on water lol

It's cool sure, but wait for mods.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Trees regenerate through your city/house? How fucking retarded and lazy. God Bethesda WTF!?!!

 

[vitellus]

Another retardation fixed by modders you didn't know you needed

Call Your Ship​

Call your spaceship from anywhere outdoor. The ship will take off and then land in front of you, ready to be used!

Features

• Call your ship from anywhere outside. Yes, also in main outposts... your choice if you want to devastate a city
• The ship takes off and then lands near your position
• Receive notification on E.T.A.
• You can then safely enter the ship and take off manually from there!

Of course, if you don't choose a proper flat spot, there will be clipping. If that happens, then just call again somewhere else. There's nothing I can do about it, for now.

https://www.nexusmods.com/starfield/mods/4923

fuckin' built into elite: dangerous horizons which was released eight years ago. i am extremely satisfied that i didn't buy this dumpster fire. i also absolutely refuse to pay seventy freedom fucks for a goddamed game. i put 1500+ hours into ck2, and still wouldn't pay that much for that game knowing what i got out of it.

 

[Bigfass]

Another retardation fixed by modders you didn't know you needed

Without calling your ship:

1) Stand literally anywhere
2) Bring up map and fast travel to anywhere with 1 loading screen

With calling your ship:

1) Stand literally anywhere
2) Call your ship, it does its thing, lands, blah blah
3) Enter ship with 1 loading screen
4) "Liftoff" with 1 unskippable cutscene and 1 loading screen
5) Float in "space"
6) Bring up map and fast travel to anywhere with 1 loading screen

Oh wow, they managed to add 2 loading screens and a cutscene. It was thought impossible but they made starfield shittier.

Is shipbuilding and basebuilding as good as these articles hype?

Shipbuilding is super cool. Base building is alright - kind of half-assed, but you can have fun with it. The problem with both is that they're kind of pointless. Ships are mostly useless boxes you fast travel with. Outposts can earn you a ton of XP through crafting and inifnite cash if you sleep on vendors' doorsteps so they restock money to buy your endless supply of crafted materials, but it's not tied into the rest of the game at all in any other way.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

So…… no drifting through space finding hidden shit or encounters (set or rando generated), it is all fast travel? How fucking odd considering since ES Arena, you could walk around aimlessly and find shit. Todd getting more lazy?

 

[Gargaune]

why do 90 minute movies take years to make?

Are they making 90-minute movies again? I ain't been to the cinema in years, but back then the torture was 2 hours minimum. Plus ads.

 

[Vic]

Are they making 90-minute movies again?

well, dune is 2hrs 35mins but for the most part, they're still using the same formula Aristotle defined in 300 BC

 

[Late Bloomer]

Update

https://bethesda.net/en/game/starfield/article/5IleyfqI44NacBQGGC20Km/starfield-updates

Starfield 1.7.36 Update - Fixes and Improvements
General

FOV: Sliders are now available in Settings that allow players using first person or third person to adjust their FOV.

Performance and Stability

[PC ONLY] Improved stability for Intel Arc GPUs.
Various additional stability and performance improvements.

Quest

Echoes of the Past: Addressed an issue where tunneling creatures could pick a location that would prevent progression.

 

[Rhobar121]

Update

https://bethesda.net/en/game/starfield/article/5IleyfqI44NacBQGGC20Km/starfield-updates

Starfield 1.7.36 Update - Fixes and Improvements
General

FOV: Sliders are now available in Settings that allow players using first person or third person to adjust their FOV.

Performance and Stability

[PC ONLY] Improved stability for Intel Arc GPUs.
Various additional stability and performance improvements.

Quest

Echoes of the Past: Addressed an issue where tunneling creatures could pick a location that would prevent progression.

XD

 

[Vic]

Update

https://bethesda.net/en/game/starfield/article/5IleyfqI44NacBQGGC20Km/starfield-updates

Starfield 1.7.36 Update - Fixes and Improvements
General

FOV: Sliders are now available in Settings that allow players using first person or third person to adjust their FOV.

Performance and Stability

[PC ONLY] Improved stability for Intel Arc GPUs.
Various additional stability and performance improvements.

Quest

Echoes of the Past: Addressed an issue where tunneling creatures could pick a location that would prevent progression.

XD

yeah

 

[potatojohn]

So…… no drifting through space finding hidden shit or encounters (set or rando generated), it is all fast travel? How fucking odd considering since ES Arena, you could walk around aimlessly and find shit. Todd getting more lazy?

There are plenty of random encounters, but they happen around planets.

"finding hidden shit" during interplanetary/interstellar travel doesn't really make any sense, once you take into account how big space is.

 

[Rhobar121]

Update

https://bethesda.net/en/game/starfield/article/5IleyfqI44NacBQGGC20Km/starfield-updates

Starfield 1.7.36 Update - Fixes and Improvements
General

FOV: Sliders are now available in Settings that allow players using first person or third person to adjust their FOV.

Performance and Stability

[PC ONLY] Improved stability for Intel Arc GPUs.
Various additional stability and performance improvements.

Quest

Echoes of the Past: Addressed an issue where tunneling creatures could pick a location that would prevent progression.

XD

yeah

At this rate, we'll see DLSS3 by the end of 2024, not to mention basics like a map.

 

[ArchAngel]

Took 3+ hours

Spoiler