Starfield - Epic Shit Takes from Bethestards

[Hellraiser]

About the only things Starfield did better than prior Bethesda games is the persuasion mechanic and the inclusion of extra dialogue choices for different backgrounds - which are of course mechanically meaningless and just fluff, but that's still incline by bethpizda's low standards.

 

[mediocrepoet]

I thought the requirements for skill upgrading was a step in the right direction, so you couldn't just brute force your upgrades. It was a marked improvement on what they'd had before and a "truer" version of it for trying to make a system with improve by use mechanics. The game really felt like it was trying to be an actual RPG not just a walking simulator. If they hadn't fucked up the content and presentation of that content, they might've had their best RPG instead of this belly flop.

It sucks because I felt that the game *almost* hit and it was a disappointment as a result.

 

[cvv]

Btw last year I read they planned to keep patching the game throughout this year, including city maps, are those in yet?

 

[Hellraiser]

If they hadn't fucked up the content and presentation of that content, they might've had their best RPG instead of this belly flop.

Bruh, the content is the whole fucking game, might as well write "if they made a good game it could have been their best RPG". There's a very long road from making one "good"* system to making a good game.

*I can agree the direction has potential, but the execution sucked (it should keep track of some milestones before the skill level requirement is met) and again it ends up being another jack of all trades master of all system like in Toddout 4.

 

[Gargaune]

another jack of all trades master of all system like in Toddout 4.

You know what's interesting about Fallout 4's progression system? Its single biggest flaw is the uncapped levelling. The game's actually only structured for 1-50, that's the top tier of the level scaling despite it letting you go to whatever, but what I've found is that it gets much more interesting if you mod-cap it at around 35. Suddenly those perk points mean something and you gotta actually focus on stuff, it seemed more appealing than Skyrim's perpetual learn-by-doing crap.

 

[Butter]

Fallout 4 system also suffers from over-choice. It feels great to level up and earn a perk point, but as soon as you spend it you get hit with regret that maybe you should've spent it elsewhere. Too much freedom can be a bad thing for your players.

 

[ind33d]

another jack of all trades master of all system like in Toddout 4.

You know what's interesting about Fallout 4's progression system? Its single biggest flaw is the uncapped levelling. The game's actually only structured for 1-50, that's the top tier of the level scaling despite it letting you go to whatever, but what I've found is that it gets much more interesting if you mod-cap it at around 35. Suddenly those perk points mean something and you gotta actually focus on stuff, it seemed more appealing than Skyrim's perpetual learn-by-doing crap.

Sounds like Epic 6 in D&D. I wonder if other games can be improved by imposing gameplay restrictions on yourself. I know Deus Ex and W_D are much shittier if you play them lethally

 

[mediocrepoet]

If they hadn't fucked up the content and presentation of that content, they might've had their best RPG instead of this belly flop.

Bruh, the content is the whole fucking game, might as well write "if they made a good game it could have been their best RPG". There's a very long road from making one "good"* system to making a good game.

*I can agree the direction has potential, but the execution sucked (it should keep track of some milestones before the skill level requirement is met) and again it ends up being another jack of all trades master of all system like in Toddout 4.

Kind of. I found the potential of the game to be compelling at least at the beginning, where I didn't love it, but I kept coming back to it to see if it paid off anywhere. It didn't, so that's a bummer, but I think if you integrated that sort of progression system back into something like Skyrim or Morrowind, you'd end up with an objectively better game and possibly something actually good. YMMV.

 

[ind33d]

Am I supposed to do all the faction questlines on the same character? It makes zero sense to be in UC, Freestar, Ryujin, and Constellation at the same time. Are you supposed to do like half then make a new dude?

 

[Butter]

Am I supposed to do all the faction questlines on the same character? It makes zero sense to be in UC, Freestar, Ryujin, and Constellation at the same time. Are you supposed to do like half then make a new dude?

The game has NG+.

 

[Bulo]

The persuasion system is ass. It allows you to resolve the final quest by speaking literal nonsense

 

[jackofshadows]

Am I supposed to do all the faction questlines on the same character? It makes zero sense to be in UC, Freestar, Ryujin, and Constellation at the same time. Are you supposed to do like half then make a new dude?

Is this your first bespizda game?

The persuasion system is ass. It allows you to resolve the final quest by speaking literal nonsense

The system itself is okay, promising even. But yeah, the wording is so fucking bad most of the times that it's essentially no upgrade over Oblivion's laughable bingo wheel mini-game.

 

[Butter]

The persuasion system is ass. It allows you to resolve the final quest by speaking literal nonsense

That's a writing problem more than a systems problem. There's no helping Bethesda's kindergarten level writing squad, but transplant that system into a better game and it would be great.

 

[Bulo]

The system itself is reliant on vague, nonsense dialogue. If each line were bespoke, there'd be no need for the system in the first place

 

[SomeGuyWithAnOpinion]

Fallout 4 system also suffers from over-choice. It feels great to level up and earn a perk point, but as soon as you spend it you get hit with regret that maybe you should've spent it elsewhere. Too much freedom can be a bad thing for your players.

Are you kidding?

When I played FO4, I found levelling up extremely boring because the perk choices were lackluster and boring. Hmm do I want a 10% damage increase or a 10% range increase...

Starfield definitely had more interesting perks, with most perks having some unique influence on gameplay or adding a new mechanic, but that's not exactly a high bar to beat.

The system itself is reliant on vague, nonsense dialogue. If each line were bespoke, there'd be no need for the system in the first place

It's also a diceroll fest devoid of gameplay. You click the button and the system decides at random whether you succeed. The only choice is taking the high vs low risk options, but the middle option is almost always the best choice and will win the minigame 90% of the time. If it doesn't, you can mash the quickload key like a trained seal and try again. You need to be literally retarded (please see a doctor) to think this system is good.

 

[0wca]

Fallout 4 system also suffers from over-choice....

 

[ind33d]

The whole UC/Crimson Fleet dynamic is great. I don't know any other game that even attempts something like that. It's the equivalent of if Deus Ex had actually let you stay with UNATCO

 

[SomeGuyWithAnOpinion]

The whole UC/Crimson Fleet dynamic is great. I don't know any other game that even attempts something like that. It's the equivalent of if Deus Ex had actually let you stay with UNATCO

Except no

Eventually after the relatively short questlines you'll find that the world is basically the same afterwards.

It's literally the Fallout 3 "the water has been purified but everyone is still begging for water" scenario all over again.

 

[jackofshadows]

The whole UC/Crimson Fleet dynamic is great. I don't know any other game that even attempts something like that. It's the equivalent of if Deus Ex had actually let you stay with UNATCO

You're trolling, right? The idea is very nice. The execution however is fucking horrible, especially telling the moment when you might get arrested by the UC and then you may choose the attack option which does nothing because OF COURSE all the NPCs are immortal. To pull such idea off you must give the player at least an illusion that he's in charge of things and playing both sides until some point. Here we have some dull scripted shit.

 

[Haplo]

Am I supposed to do all the faction questlines on the same character? It makes zero sense to be in UC, Freestar, Ryujin, and Constellation at the same time. Are you supposed to do like half then make a new dude?

Welcome to Bethesda games!

 

[Yosharian]

Something something player freedom something something accessibility

 

[Caim]

Am I supposed to do all the faction questlines on the same character? It makes zero sense to be in UC, Freestar, Ryujin, and Constellation at the same time. Are you supposed to do like half then make a new dude?

Welcome to Bethesda games!

People tracked down Todd Howard's year book and they found out that he joined all factions during high school, thinking this is normal behaviour.

 

[ropetight]

Am I supposed to do all the faction questlines on the same character? It makes zero sense to be in UC, Freestar, Ryujin, and Constellation at the same time. Are you supposed to do like half then make a new dude?

Welcome to Bethesda games!

People tracked down Todd Howard's year book and they found out that he joined all factions during high school, thinking this is normal behaviour.

No chess club?
Todd, you lied to us, how could you?

 

[Caim]

Am I supposed to do all the faction questlines on the same character? It makes zero sense to be in UC, Freestar, Ryujin, and Constellation at the same time. Are you supposed to do like half then make a new dude?

Welcome to Bethesda games!

People tracked down Todd Howard's year book and they found out that he joined all factions during high school, thinking this is normal behaviour.

No chess club?
Todd, you lied to us, how could you?

Formatting error. Guy is part of too many factions and the chess club got pushed out of the menu screen.

It just works.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

Welcome to Bethesda games!

saddest thing is that it's not always been like that. [cries in morrowind]