Starfield

[phil bottle 9,845]

I've watched a few spoiler-free reviews.

 

A little worried how my little old 1080ti will cope but otherwise I'm looking forward to next week's peasant release.

 

I don't know when I did it, must have had some spare leave, as apparently I've booked Wednesday and Thursday off work 🙂

[MrBiron 1,465]

ACG liked the game.

 

From what I've seen it looks like a better looking The Outer Worlds but with space combat. This isn't a bad thing as that game was great fun.

[phil bottle 9,845]

1 hour ago, MrBiron said:

ACG liked the game.

 

From what I've seen it looks like a better looking The Outer Worlds but with space combat. This isn't a bad thing as that game was great fun.

 

The ACG review made me chuckle the way he kept setting up his sentences.

[J4MES OX4D 10,064]

This is gonna be a necessity

Having issues with Starfield's FOV? Well you're not alone, but luckily there's already a fix | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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Grab the tweaked .ini file now

 

2023 and Bethesda still can't incorporate a FOV slider in-game jeez! Good job the Creation Engine and configs are so moddable/editable..

[phil bottle 9,845]

18 minutes ago, J4MES OX4D said:

This is gonna be a necessity

Having issues with Starfield's FOV? Well you're not alone, but luckily there's already a fix | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

---

Grab the tweaked .ini file now

 

2023 and Bethesda still can't incorporate a FOV slider in-game jeez! Good job the Creation Engine and configs are so moddable/editable..

 

Hopefully they'll patch something in too but Bethesda have form for this tbf 😁

[phil bottle 9,845]

 

[J4MES OX4D 10,064]

I love how there are hundreds of mods already and the game is still 4 days away from release🤣

 

A few picks I will mark for myself that others may be interested in:-

 

 

Neutral LUTs - No Color Filters

WWW.NEXUSMODS.COM

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Removes the color filters from the game, making the colors more uniformly neutral with deeper blacks.

Starfield Upscaler - Replacing FSR2 with DLSS or XeSS

WWW.NEXUSMODS.COM

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Replacing the in-game FSR2 with DLSS/XeSS

 

Achievement Enabler

WWW.NEXUSMODS.COM

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An achievement enabler for Starfield. Stops your save from being marked as modded.

 

Starfield FOV

WWW.NEXUSMODS.COM

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Change Your FOV!

 

Smooth Ship Reticle (120fps Smooth UI)

WWW.NEXUSMODS.COM

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Fixes the spaceship targeting reticle looking choppy. Also includes an option to boost every UI element to 120fps!

 

Quantum Reshade

WWW.NEXUSMODS.COM

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MAJOR REWORK! Quantum reshade brings you closer to the reality YOU want. Make your game look like reality with new groundbreaking imaging tech and emulation-ReShade

 

[phil bottle 9,845]

My only concern for this game is with regards performance. I've seen some pretty hefty builds barely managed 60fps

 

I hope some optimisation is on the cards as my little 1080ti is currently shitting itself in anticipation 😅

[J4MES OX4D 10,064]

2 hours ago, phil bottle said:

I hope some optimisation is on the cards as my little 1080ti is currently shitting itself in anticipation 😅

1080ti will run this game just fine...

 

...in 720p

[TurboR56Mini 967]

Alright, just got home from a long weekend of expensive vintage cars, good booze, and steak. It's time to play! I ended up just buying it on Steam to play today and get the expansion when it comes. Fuck it, life is too short.

[J4MES OX4D 10,064]

Starfield gets the mod of mods, the granddaddy of them all: script extender | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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Hold on to your spacesuits.

 

[Riff Machine 2,108]

I'm gonna get to this eventually.  Once I'm finished with Sea of Stars, I'll dive in.  I've heard a lot of mixed things about it, but reviews seem to be ok.  

[J4MES OX4D 10,064]

7 hours ago, Riff Machine said:

I'm gonna get to this eventually.  Once I'm finished with Sea of Stars, I'll dive in.  I've heard a lot of mixed things about it, but reviews seem to be ok.  

Yeah reviews seem to be a bit mixed - on the one hand the game seems quite archaic in terms of design and tech but on the other, it's like a typical Bethesda experience with lots to see and do. I really don't know what to expect and I'm also taking into account how the game may start off slow before it really gets going. Either way, at least it's something new and original to experience!

[TurboR56Mini 967]

First 8 hours in, it's fallout in space but better. The gunplay is far superior to Fallout, the planets are beautiful, been to a few. It will be slow to start off and many many things seem to be locked behind the skills tree etc. I already found a random ship while dicking around on a planet, immediately stole it and I'm now flying around with the bodies of my enemies in the cockpit! :). So far it's fun and engaging but first thing I absolutely fucking hate is Bethesda's inability to support 32:9 resolution. It's 2023 and this should not be a problem to run a 5120x1440 resolution, especially in a AAA tittle. 

[J4MES OX4D 10,064]

2 hours ago, TurboR56Mini said:

First 8 hours in, it's fallout in space but better. The gunplay is far superior to Fallout, the planets are beautiful, been to a few. It will be slow to start off and many many things seem to be locked behind the skills tree etc. I already found a random ship while dicking around on a planet, immediately stole it and I'm now flying around with the bodies of my enemies in the cockpit! :). So far it's fun and engaging but first thing I absolutely fucking hate is Bethesda's inability to support 32:9 resolution. It's 2023 and this should not be a problem to run a 5120x1440 resolution, especially in a AAA tittle. 

Good to hear! I'm just glad they are 'supporting' 21:9 but it looks to be vert- so first thing I'm doing is doing a custom ini FOV and setting it to 120. The default seems to be in the 70-75 range which is absolutely nasty and people buying on Xbox will have a very boxed-in experience with no built-in slider. 

[phil bottle 9,845]

The peasant launch was 1am last night and I played the Xbox version until 2.30am. I liked it.

 

My Steam version is currently updating and I'll be on that this morning before the sun forces me outside to sit in the park 🙂

 

 

[phil bottle 9,845]

So, I notice that @Bluebear already has over 45 hours in the game 🤪

 

Not a peep about it on here. Nick, sort it out, let's have your thoughts 🤗

[Luseth 1,988]

I will be playing this some point this evening, I am working atm and actually have a busier day than normal so making the most of it 😄

 

I am out for a meeting this afternoon but when I get back I will jump on it. I have it installed on what some on here consider sub-standard devices in the Series S and the Asus ROG Ally and can't wait to dive in ^_^

[J4MES OX4D 10,064]

I've played about an hour and a half so far and at the risk of finally getting banned, I have submitted a refund request. It's not a bad game by any means from what I played early on but I just don't think I can be bothered with Bethesda's archaic and limited game design any more. Performance is all over the place and the combat is pretty atrocious, as is the AI. If the game is as slow to get going as they say then I'd rather just have my money back than risk playing longer and still not really enjoying it. The initial story premise is about as generic as it can get. 

 

The interface is pretty awful as is the optimisation options and I cannot believe they've made AMD GPU tech an exclusive. Certainly not letting them get bailed out with mods on that one and many other aspects. The game does look good in places but at its core, it does feel a decade out of date and Bethesda have failed so evolve as a developer with real ambition and scope. 

[phil bottle 9,845]

Oh wow, I'm loving it so far. Feels like a game I'm going to spend a lot of time in.

 

I was really worried my GPU wouldn't cut the mustard. But no, on medium settings it runs really well.

[TurboR56Mini 967]

3 hours ago, phil bottle said:

The peasant launch was 1am last night and I played the Xbox version until 2.30am. I liked it.

 

My Steam version is currently updating and I'll be on that this morning before the sun forces me outside to sit in the park 🙂

 

 

 

Peasant launch 🙂. I was not going to get the pre-release until I saw it came with the expansion. That, and it let me play a day and change early after my long weekend so I said fuck it, will be buying it on Steam for the mods anyway! I did see @Bluebear playing quite a bit, no review, no word, no nothing... tisk tisk Nick.

[TurboR56Mini 967]

29 minutes ago, phil bottle said:

Oh wow, I'm loving it so far. Feels like a game I'm going to spend a lot of time in.

 

I was really worried my GPU wouldn't cut the mustard. But no, on medium settings it runs really well.

Yea i'm doing side quests and playing around in the shipbuilder, since I keep getting my shit pushed in on the main one as I jump into a system and get borked by 3 ships.... As of last night, I'm now a Ranger! I've also sent up my first tiny mining outpost for aluminum. Will be doing an Iron one next. I think I'm running on ultra on a 3080 and it's not nearly as hot as playing 7DTD so I'm happy with that. It really feels like an ultra-extended space fallout which I'm good with. Still trying to figure out the mechanics as there is some automation and factory production in the game too. Lots to figure out! Up to 3 ships at the moment too. 

[TurboR56Mini 967]

Oh, and FUCKING SNAPPING or lack there of in building, drives me up a god damn wall. It's worse than the monitor thing. All the cool shit to build and absolutely no snapping to a world grid capability. It's infuriating and makes me want to punch things. Yes, I apparently have some OCD and yes, I love the game Satisfactory!!!!

[J4MES OX4D 10,064]

I managed to secure a refund in the end. Disappointed but massively relieved!

 

Biggest issue I had was the lack of exploration - go to ship > cutscene > sit down > cutscene > loading screen > press space > cutscene > map > click > cutscene > loading screen > exit seat > loading screen > resume within points of interest areas.

 

Comparable indie titles such as No Mans Sky and Outer Wilds - go to ship > sit in cockpit > activate manual controls > manually fly to destination > land anywhere > turn off engine > exit seat > leave ship manually > walk anywhere.

 

Bethesda's design formula just looks so limited and outdated for me. I honestly thought I wouldn't mind it being a fan of their previous works but it's just got too old and archaic for my liking as is the basic interactions which are quite frankly pathetic compared to Baldur's Gate 3 which was made in less time. 

 

Starfield is basically a fragmented open world game where you visit scaled down areas under the illusion of this unlimited universe which is merely made up of menu screens and tiresome loading and cutscenes. The immersion just died every time I walked into a building and I was met with yet another loading screen. Nowhere near as seamless as the developers initially portrayed.  They are either deluded or as dishonest as they've always been. 

[Luseth 1,988]

So I have played a few hours on the Series S now and about 2 on the ROG, first impressions are really good, it does feel quite fallout esque to me just without the VATS, I think I have dived right into sidequests, the main story I had not interest in almost immediately lol but the side content seem's quite good and fun.

 

The fact it's not open does not bother me, it feels a bit Mass effect in that regard but it never bothered me then and won't bother me now. I love the setting, I'm just in the first city you come to at the moment but still see me being there for hours yet as I seem to have about 10-12 side quests already and I'm quite happy pottering about and exploring Atlantis.

 

The xbox is handling it pretty well so far as I can see and the lack of the extra power from the Series X does not bother me. The combat's pretty fluid for a Bethesda game, it's certainly more refined and improved over previous titles.

 

The ROG also handles it pretty well, I had a couple of slowdowns but I think it was updating in the background, on the whole though it handles the game well.

 

I think the only thing I have not liked so far is the film grain, it seems a bit over the top and I have ended up turning it off completely.