Starfield Leak Suggests Game Was Once More Complex and Hardcore

Highlights

Datamines suggest Starfield was a more complex and hardcore game during development, with many space travel mechanics being cut prior to launch.
Public reception to Starfield’s exploration loop has been lukewarm, with criticism of repetitive gameplay and un-immersive elements.
The discovery of Starfield’s old star map suggests that space travel played a bigger role before launch, with discarded mechanics such as fuel consumption and interstellar trade.

A recent datamine suggests that Starfield used to be a far more complex and hardcore game during development, and that many of its space travel mechanics were cut prior to launch. While Starfield has undoubtedly been a commercial success for Microsoft, numerous players have expressed disappointment with the latest Bethesda sandbox, especially when compared to the company’s previous titles such as Skyrim or Fallout 4. Starfield‘s recent rating on Steam sits at an uncomfortable 28%, and its player count keeps dwindling by the day.

Though Bethesda should be commended for taking a bold swing by adding procedural generation to Starfield, it’s safe to say that public reception to the game’s exploration loop has been lukewarm. While many fans have praised the ship builder feature in Starfield, an equal number have critiqued how repetitive it feels to wander the barren planets of the Settled Systems, connected by un-immersive loading screens and a user interface that leaves a lot to be desired.

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However, it appears that Starfield used to lean much more into its survival aspects during development, which Todd Howard confirmed in an earlier interview. A fan named redsaltyborger uncovered the remains of Starfield‘s old star map tucked away in the game’s files, and what makes the discovery so interesting, is the fact that star systems seemingly had traits and hazards for players to contend with. This suggests that space travel in Starfield played a bigger role prior to launch, with the datamined map confirming discarded mechanics such as fuel consumption and interstellar trade.

The map shows Leviathan IV with a brief lore blurb, stating that it’s a mineral-rich system that pirates use for stashing valuables. This feature is missing from the current user interface in Starfield, and it could be argued that its inclusion would have given plenty of atmosphere to the Settled Systems and its lore. Moreover, Leviathan IV used to have Solar Radiation and Micrometeoroids, two hazards that could have made space travel difficult – with the former causing minor hull damage, while the latter having a chance to cause a catastrophic stop to a player’s ship.

According to Bethesda, it took seven years of development for Starfield to become fun to play, so there’s a very good chance that these mechanics were removed for a good reason. The economy in Starfield is static, players jump from one planet to the next using fast travel, they don’t have to worry about running out of fuel, and there are no hazards in space. While this makes for a stable gameplay loop, some players in the Reddit thread have argued that the final iteration feels watered down.

With a big Starfield update slated for release in February 2024, Bethesda’s post-launch support for the game has kicked into gear. Though it will mostly deal with bug fixes, the developers have teased that a “new way to travel” will be added in the first half of 2024. Ultimately, it remains to be seen if these cut features will ever make a reappearance.