What gameplay element are you most looking forward to?
I have been dying for a space sim like this -- story, ship combat, classic Bethesda RPG elements, etc. The direct showcased so many features that, if pitched to me in writing, I wouldn't have believed possible to fit into a single game. But oh man am I a believer now.
I honestly think one of my most anticipated gameplay elements is just being able to survey different planets and enjoy the strikingly beautiful vistas and starscapes. I've often fantasized about having my own little space ship to just cruise around and hang out in. With this game, I can (almost) make that a reality.
There were a few things in the Direct that really got me hyped, but to name a few:
The gunplay looked like it has taken huge strides since the first gameplay reveal (I read somewhere that they had help with this from the iD developers)
When they showed VASCO saying the player's name I was excited, although they didn't go into this too much to say how it would work or if it's going to be a pre-existing list of names. I don't have a very common surname so if it's some text-to-speech kind of thing, I might stand a chance and that'd be sick
Although I usually spend way too much time in character creators, I'm not usually the type of person that spends ages customising vehicles or items in games, but the ship customisation really took me by surprise. I just kind of assumed there'd be a starting ship and you might be able to buy other pre-existing ships in the game, not that it'd be so granular/modular with so many options
When they showed VASCO saying the player’s name I was excited, although they didn’t go into this too much to say how it would work or if it’s going to be a pre-existing list of names.
It probably will be a pre-existing list. They had something very similar in Fallout 4 where the robot butler would say your name (if it's in the list). It was pretty comprehensive though.
Likely, yeah. It does seem like they're basically doing things they've done before but up to 11, so maybe they'll only have a pre-existing list but it'll be even more comprehensive than in F4.
(I read somewhere that they had help with this from iD developers)
In the recent IGN interview following Starfield Direct, Todd confirmed that this was for Fallout 4 I believe? And for Starfield, the improvements to FPS combat were done in-house by Bethesda.
The skill tree for sure. If they really nail the RPG elements like in Fallout 3 this game is going to have a ton of replayability. Seeing a build where you can just punch people really hard makes me excited. Fallout 4 really lacked that. Choosing traits that can radically affect your playthrough in character creation has sooooo much potential.
Everything looks amazing, but ship customization has stood out to me from the moment it was announced. I can't wait to make a huge freighter ship like Serenity from Firefly live out my Firefly dreams.
i'm happy that this looks like a mix between two of my favorite games: Skyrim and No Man's Sky. No Man's Skyrim, if you will. I look forward to ignoring the main quest and spending more time exploring, like i usually do in those games anyways
I've got almost 300 hours in No Mans Sky, the majority of it pre-Atlas-Rises (completely off-topic, but I was pretty sad when they regenerated the universe for Atlas Rises as it got rid of some incredibly pretty planets I'd found and documented, and it's sad that those worlds straight-up don't exist anymore). Scanning all the fauna and flora on planets was always my favorite thing to do, so I'm stoked to see similar creature scanning in Starfield. (plus confirmation in the scanning UI of planets having multiple biomes!)
I tend towards the completionist side of things so I'm really gonna have to not even try to fully scan all 1k planets... 😅
I'm also thinking of letting the scanning help inform my first character - eg. start off with traits and background that fit the whole "planetary explorer" vibe.
I think for me it's the roleplay. So few games let you tell your own story the way Bethesda games can. I've been playing Skyrim religiously for almost 12 years now. Being your own character, deciding what/who that character is... I can't wait.
Skyrim feels a bit limited though in the RP? You are very free to choose class options, but in convos I don't feel like I make many choices and that's a very important part of the RP. I hope Starfield will take strides in that aspect; the starting backgrounds having an impact makes me excited!
do you have any ideas what kind of character you’ll be on your first playthrough?
I feel like I generally play a “meta” character my first time though any game because I’m not ready to restrict the sort of choices I’m making. I think knowing a game better also helps in knowing which choices I could make to shape a later character in specific directions.
I wish Bethesda released their character creator early the way some MMOs do. :P
The idea that there’s a bajillion planets out there for modders to play with is super exciting. I can’t wait to see what kind of crazy stuff they put out.