Starfield's map could just be the biggest thing we've ever seen
If you tuned into yesterday’s ‘Starfield Direct’, I would imagine you were dazzled by what you saw. Bethesda have always delivered, but Starfield looks set to take gaming to the next level. This may just be the most expansive and intricately designed game we’ve ever seen.
The final countdown is on. As was revealed earlier this year, Starfield is set to launch on 6 September on Xbox Series X/S consoles and PC - and yes, it’s an Xbox Game Pass day one release which is something a lot of us will be taking advantage of. If you do want to nab a physical edition though, pre-orders are now live and last night, the very fancy (and very expensive) Constellation Edition was unveiled. The set includes a replica Constellation watch as worn by the characters in the game. If there’s one thing that’s for certain when it comes to Starfield, it’s that this game could have the biggest map we’ve ever seen.
Take a look at the brand new trailer for Starfield below that was released just yesterday.
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Yesterday, we got our first glimpse at Starfield’s Star Map. It reminded me a lot of the map systems used in the Mass Effect series. You’ll be able to explore various systems and planets, choosing between landing spots and fast-travel points - although you will need a Gravity Drive to make certain jumps. You’ll be able to survey each planet to see what’s there without the need for a visit which is very handy when you remember that there are over 1,000 planets to explore.
When you bear that in mind, Starfield’s Star Map in its entirety must be absolutely huge. During the Direct, developers confirmed that Starfield’s 1,000 planets will feature a mixture of hand-made and ‘procedurally generated’ content. Essentially, the terrain, atmosphere, and resources are generated by a programme, and then hand-crafted developer-made content is added on top so that these worlds never feel empty or barren. This content can include outposts, loot stashes, NPCs, quest points ... you name it.
As reported by GLHF, developers also teased that because of the way this process works, planets can generate differently on separate playthroughs. Guides writers everywhere just let out a sad sigh. You have to wonder what Starfield’s average completion time is going to be. We can’t wait to find out.