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Starfield planets got nerfed by Bethesda, Todd Howard explains why

Bernoulli

M2 slut
Howard was talking with Insomniac Games founder and CEO Ted Price for Game Maker’s Notebook, and the two got to discussing prioritization in game development. Starfield planets came up in the discussion, as Bethesda’s newest RPG game went through some ideas that were changed or cut in favor of changing the player experience.
Howard says Bethesda doesn’t always fix in-game problems by removing the issue completely but instead doing what he calls taking it “out of the spotlight,” using the environmental damage on Starfield planets as an example, which we’ve transcribed for you below.

“The way the environmental damage in the game works on planets and your suit, and you have resistances to certain types of atmosphere effects like radiation and thermal, that was a pretty complex system, it was very punitive,” Howard says.

“What we did at the end of the day, and it was a complicated system for players to understand, is we just nerfed the hell out of it. It matters more in flavor. The affliction you get is more annoying knowing you have it, than the game result,” Howard continues, clarifying that he’s generalizing the feature of planet afflictions on Starfield when saying this.

 

IntentionalPun

Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
One system got nerfed != planets got nerfed lol

The planet afflictions are still annoying and punitive though.
 
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Magic Carpet

Gold Member
So is that why I see a status effect but it doesn't really do anything?
I've not visited very many planets but that's what seems to be the case.
Maybe there is a planet with super freeze or heat or something that requires a special suit.
 

IntentionalPun

Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
So is that why I see a status effect but it doesn't really do anything?
I've not visited very many planets but that's what seems to be the case.
Maybe there is a planet with super freeze or heat or something that requires a special suit.
Yeah don't get frostbite, it's annoying as fuck lol
 

L*][*N*K

Banned
Man people hate that guy, I don’t think there is a game developer as hated as this guy ever, maybe Dennis Dyack.
 

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Man people hate that guy, I don’t think there is a game developer as hated as this guy ever, maybe Dennis Dyack.
Um, Druckmann?
GIF by Jason Clarke
 

fallingdove

Member
What happened to those Starfield apologists that said the game was meant to be realistic which is why you couldn’t land anywhere, traverse the entire planet, or fly from intergalactic destination to destination?

This unsurprisingly is very video game-y which was always the primary intent of the title. The systems Bethesda created and their ‘vintage’ game engine were always the problems.
 

Kuranghi

Member
The ones they make now with the foam balls are awesome. So much better than the darts back when I was a kid.

Oooo good knowledge, time to do some research. I need a small compact one that can be concealed under a retail display at work for when its not busy to shoot the sales staff and make them stack the shelves faster, but also when it is busy also so I can shoot annoying customers in the back of the head and when they turn round I'm facing the other way and I go "the cunt went that way!" and point to the front door.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
No imagination, could have used it as some kind of preparation demand or gameplay variety thing or progession obstacle/trigger by having you have to first acquire protection against such things, Metroid style (but obviously from a number of different sources and paths as it's not a linear game like those but more sandboxy), before venturing to those planets or certain areas of them and that protection may also come at the cost of something else you've come to rely on in combat or other means requiring you to change your play style and what not.
 

Pelta88

Member
The non PR version...

Ted Price: Why did you reduce the scope of Strafield's exploration?
Todd Howard: Because of Series S limitations.
 
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cireza

Member
Remember when Mario Galaxy released and Ted Price said something like, "yea those small planets are cool, we did something similar in R&C" Nintendo fanboys proceeded to have a meltdown. Lol.
We all know it originated from Sonic Adventure 2's Mad Space stage anyway. SEGA :messenger_sunglasses:
 

Tomeru

Member
Dude literally throws shit to the wall and see what sticks. Then throws shit around it and give excuses.
 

RavageX

Member
Maybe Im missing something, or maybe its just because i didnt follow any hype but ive enjoyed the game so far. Theres annoying things that could use tweaking, but ive run into no game breaking bugs, crashes, etc.

Cyberpunk was different, I did get hyped for it only to be massively let down. Worse than Mass Effect Andromeda.
 

anthraticus

Banned
Jesus Christ. This guy should be running and hiding right now instead of digging himself deeper and deeper.

He knows all the popamolers he peddels this shit to is too fucking retarded to realize anything. Pathetic.
 

MarkMe2525

Gold Member
Yeah, I have learned to ignore the afflictions, though I have yet to receive frostbite. It's still hard to not attempt to min max my characters resistance attributes even knowing they don't matter much.
 
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