Bethesda 's recent Starfield Direct showed off many of the game's features, including ship customization, interstellar combat, and detailed character creation. However, it didn't reveal how players are supposed to explore planets once they land on their surfaces.
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Planet exploration appears to be entirely on foot, with no rover or vehicle to traverse the surface. This is concerning, considering Starfield has over 1,000 planets to explore. In comparison, games like Mass Effect and No Man's Sky have vehicles that make it easier to explore their planets.
While the «manual» travel in open-world RPGs such as Skyrim can improve the player’s experience, leading to interesting encounters in the game, there are three significant differences between exploring Skyrim and Bethesda’s upcoming space RPG. First, the planets in Starfield are much larger than Skyrim’s map. Second, players can ride horses in Skyrim for faster travel, and finally, the planets in Starfield are procedurally generated and relatively sparse, a fact that can lead to long, solitary journeys through barren landscapes with aggressive wildlife and not much else.
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Starfield Direct didn't touch on planet transport at all, which is something that players are also concerned about. They're concerned about exploration on foot, citing Mass Effect's Mako as an example. The game seems to work like The Outer Worlds, where players park their ship and explore on foot. However, even in that game, getting around on foot can get tedious. Fast travel points can help, but there are concerns about the need for supplies while exploring. One possible solution could be a "fast travel flag" that allows players to quickly return to a point of interest.
Starfield looks impressive with many customization options, but there is concern about the lack of information regarding ground transports.
The Starfield Direct mentioned the “control” of local wildlife, but it appears to refer to using them for resources, not for travel. Bethesda may reveal this feature later or add it in a patch after the game's release based on player feedback. If not, the modding community could create a solution, but it would be a shame if exploration is hindered for players who are unaware of the mod.
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source of information:gamespot.com
