Starfield director Todd Howard has shed light on the decision to exclude ground vehicles in the space RPG, emphasizing the focus on on-foot exploration.
During an interview with Bloomberg Technology, Howard addressed an audience question about the absence of ground vehicles on planets. He explained that the decision was made to maintain the gameplay experience. Howard stated, “Once you do vehicles, it does change the gameplay.”
He further elaborated that by emphasizing on-foot exploration after landing from your spaceship, the development team could control the pacing and player experience. While there are no ground vehicles, players have access to their spaceships for space travel. Additionally, they can use a jetpack, which can be upgraded, providing a unique experience. Howard also mentioned that different planets have varying levels of gravity, adding to the game’s diversity.
Regarding PC optimization, when asked why Starfield was not optimized for PC, Howard clarified, “We did.” He emphasized that Starfield is designed as a next-gen PC game, pushing technological boundaries. He acknowledged that some players might need to upgrade their PCs to fully enjoy the game but noted the positive response from fans.
Starfield has seen a successful launch, garnering over six million players and achieving over one million concurrent players across all platforms on its launch day, making it Bethesda’s most significant game launch to date.
