Bethesda have released their second dev diary for upcoming space roleplaying game (RPG), Starfield.

As with the previous one, we didn't love everything they had to say.

Open World and Immersion

It begins with all of them talking about the importance of immersion and big open worlds.

Game Director Todd Howard says:

There's certain types of entertainment where you're just experiencing it. You're taking in what the creator wants you to see and they draw that dotted line between this happens, go here, do this.

This is quite topical and an astute launching point for this dev diary.

Much of the gaming world is presently very enamoured with fantasy RPG Elden Ring and apart from being a big open world, one design element which is the focus of heated debate is it's extremely minimal UI and lack of something which has become an RPG staple - a quest log and quest markers, i.e. a dotted line.

You're dropped in the game.

You talk to people.

Some tell you to do stuff and might tell you where to go.

But there are no quest markers on your screen or map and no in-game quest log.

You do what they ask or don't and the world might change a bit in response.

Bethesda don't say that they will follow suit but there's a lot of talk about player choice and Design Director Emil Pagliarulo says:

We don't just make RPGs. We make simulations.

Factions

Factions are an RPG staple and have featured in many Bethesda games.

Everyone was expecting them in Starfield and we had some info about them before this, but there was one particularly interesting comment.

In earlier Bethesda games, players begin factionless and have the opportunity to join one or more later.

When discussing the Ryujen (sp?) corporate faction, Lead Quest Designer Will Shen says:

I think it has one of the best starts of any of the factions.

Are they taking a leaf out of Cyberpunk 2077's book and players will start the game already belonging to a faction, or is the start he refers to here just the beginning of that faction's quest line?

Persuasion

There is some talk of a more evolved version of Oblivion's persuasion mini-game in Starfield, but rather than a skill check and / or roll of the dice, you make a series of dialog choices which make you feel like you're really persuading your target.

Sounds like a lot of work but if done well could significantly enhance immersion.

Getting Hard-Core

This is where we think they might have veered off course.

Todd Howard says:

A lot of us have been doing this for a long time together and it's nice with Starfield to go back to some things we didn't do. The backgrounds, the traits, the defining your character, all those stats and I think there's so many games now which do those things that people are ready for something that does a lot of the things that older, hard-core RPGs, some that we used to do, doing those again in a new way.

This is certainly a matter of personal taste which unquestionably varies, but we think that Elden Ring and before it, Bethesda's Skyrim have the right amount and flavour of RPG stats.

Minimal and uncomplicated.

Buggering about with a calculator is never immersive.

Unless you're roleplaying a scientist.

Admittedly that could fit this game but still, this "hard-core" notion doesn't thrill us.

[ Main Image: Starfield Dev Diary, concept art. Credit: Bethesda via YouTube. ]

References

Bethesda Softworks (March 17, 2022). Into the Starfield - Ep2: Made for Wanderers. YouTube.