Three years after its announcement Starfield finally had a gameplay trailer unveiled at E3 2021. Although Bethesda fans gained more insight into the studio's first new IP in over 25 years, the teaser was still light on gameplay mechanics, instead painting the broad strokes of the setting.
There's one feature Starfield will need, however, if it's going to please the die-hard sci-fi fans Bethesda likely needs to bring on board to launch its latest RPG. Not only have fans received little information about this feature so far, but Bethesda will need to make sure the system fulfills a set of very specific criteria that learns from both the Elder Scrolls and Fallout series.
Ship Customization In Starfield
A recent Bethesda survey contained a conspicuous question asking players how long they spend customizing their character, home, or spaceship in Bethesda RPGs. Fans were quick to note that there have been no spaceships to customize in Bethesda's two main RPG series so far, concluding that ship customization would be a key part of Starfield.
This wasn't the first time ship customization had been raised as an important feature among Bethesda fans looking forward to Starfield. The first four Starfield images leaked contained several details that pointed to ship customization. First, an image depicting a ship itself seemed to show a very modular design, as if it was intended to be easily broken down into parts that could be replaced or reordered.
This kind of modular design was immediately recognizable to fans of Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, both of which had a similarly modular system for building bases. However, Starfield's ship customization will need to fulfill requirements far beyond those asked of static settlements. Starfield's ships will need to serve a dual purpose as both the player's home and their battle station, especially if Starfield has spaceflight and space combat as many fans are hoping. Fortunately, there are some clear ways Bethesda can learn from its past games to develop a strong ship customization system.
Battleships As Homes
Bethesda RPGs have had great house customization systems in the past. Skyrim began with a simple system allowing players to purchase, renovate, and decorate houses in some of Skyrim's hold capitals. Skyrim's Hearthfire DLC changed that, allowing players to build their own houses, laying the foundation for the building system later developed for Fallout 4. Across those systems, a few key features are clear necessities if Starfield's ships are going to feel like homes.
First, players will need to be able to decorate their ships in a variety of styles, not just the sleek "NASA-punk" aesthetic of Constellation, the organization the teaser suggests the player is a member of. Other concept art for Starfield shows shanty towns made from what look like old ship parts, and characters whose clothing makes them look like they've stepped out of Star Wars or a space western. Players should be able to turn their ship interior into a pirate's den a smuggler's sloop, with the range of designs reflecting the same player freedom that developers have claimed will be Starfield's focus.
Players will also need to be able to make room for their companions, assuming Starfield has a follower system with some resemblance to The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. Early on it may make sense to attach a single room filled with bunks to accommodate the ship's crew, but as the player gains more resources they should be able to build each of their companions their own room.
Home customization shouldn't just be limited to the player's ship, of course. Hopefully some of the cities seen in the Starfield concept art revealed so far will also have houses or apartments that the player can buy, giving them an immersive place to go in these settlements without forcing them to sleep out of their ship.
Homes As Battleships
Bethesda has yet to give fans much insight into space combat if it is included in the game. The latest Starfield teaser trailer showed the player character strapping in for launch in a scene which revealed their ship control panel. The monitors included readings for three weapons, shields, brakes, and boosts. Another piece of concept art showed a small robot doing maintenance on a ship with smoke billowing out of the top, suggesting that space battles that do serious damage may require planet-side repairs.
It could be very interesting if parts of the player's ship were subject to permanent damage during dogfights. It might be possible, for example, for the ship's loading bay to be damaged, requiring the player to stop for repairs at a frontier town on a nearby planet. The player might then be able to get this part of the ship repaired, but the repairs might now reflect the scrap-metal style of the town they got it repaired in. Features like this might have to be optional to prevent becoming frustrating, but Starfield's developer should look for opportunities for the player's ship to change over their adventures, reflecting the journey they've been through.
Bethesda should also allow players to significantly upgrade their guns and shields, perhaps at the expense of other aspects of the ship. The player should be able to cover their ship in guns, but that may cause their power to be drained and their ship to be left vulnerable if their initial barrage of attacks doesn't manage to take down their target.
Fallout 4 already allowed players to set up automated weapons systems in their settlements, but it would seem like a missed opportunity if players didn't get to control their Starfield ship and its weapons directly. For now, however, solid details about ship customization and combat in Starfield have yet to be released, though ship customization is high on the list for die-hard sci-fi fans hoping that Bethesda's hard sci-fi RPG will finally be the epic space adventure they've been waiting for.
Starfield releases November 11, 2022, for PC and Xbox Series X/S.