After just a few rounds of updates, Starfield is slowly shifting into one thing fairly completely different from what initially launched on September 4, 2023. And I’m not simply speaking in regards to the cool new mods which might be fast and simple to put in now due to the Creations suite. As of Might 2024, a bunch of recent options have been added to Starfield’s settings menus that allow you to subtly and dramatically change how the sport performs.
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These new choices embody adjustable issue ranges throughout completely different sorts of harm sorts, survival mechanics, tweaks to environmental harm, and even one which I’d argue makes the sport a bit extra immersive. Let’s begin with that one: The brand new(ish) Dialogue Digicam toggle.
The very best new choice: Dialogue Digicam toggle
Uninterested in how Starfield zooms in and frames the NPC you’re speaking to in a really inflexible, drained type of means? You may shut that off, and truthfully, it’s kinda wild to me what a distinction this makes. You’ll discover this feature in Settings > Accessibility > Dialogue Digicam (on/off).
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Whenever you shut the Dialogue Digicam off, the result’s a extra seamless transition from gameplay/exploration to NPC chats. It additionally retains your character seen in third-person mode throughout dialogue as properly.
Environmental harm and survival mechanics
These choices are more likely to be a bit divisive as survival mechanics aren’t everybody’s cup of tea. However hey, when practically all of those darn planets are nearly empty, including survival mechanics like starvation, thirst, and the results of environmental hazards to fundamental traversal could be a enjoyable technique to problem your self as you chart out throughout the celebs.
You’ll additionally earn extra XP for the more difficult settings. And if you happen to actually don’t need any of those mechanics, even those that appeared in vanilla Starfield, you may also flip off environmental harm and afflictions solely.
Sustenance
“Sustenance” is without doubt one of the new choices and, as you may’ve guessed, it challenges you to take care of starvation and thirst ranges in two alternative ways. In “Constructive Solely,” you received’t undergo for not consuming or ingesting, however doing so will nonetheless provide you with two new statuses, Fed and Hydrated. They work as follows:
Fed: Gained from consuming meals. Will increase well being by 30%, melee harm by 15%, and provides 25% extra carrying capability.Hydrated: Gained from ingesting. Will increase O2 restoration by 30%, sneak assault harm by 15%, and allows you to reload weapons 25% quicker.
That’s not all Sustenance has to supply. If you would like a larger problem, you may also choose “Constructive & Unfavourable” which can punish you for not consuming meals and water. With this setting on, you’re vulnerable to the next:
Malnourished: Gained from not consuming meals. Decreases well being by 30%, reduces melee harm by 15%, and docks your carrying capability by 25%.Dehydrated: Gained from not ingesting. Decreases O2 restoration by 30%, lowers sneak assault harm by 15%, and reduces reload velocity of weapons by 25%.
Bethesda’s vanilla survival choices by way of Sustenance are quite simple. You could be in Fed and Hydrated standing for simply half-hour at a time. This implies you’re more likely to hit Malnourished and Dehydrated pretty usually. I like mapping meals and water to the left aspect of the Favorites fast menu to simply snack on one thing or seize a drink when wanted, bypassing the necessity to dive into Starfield’s clunky menus.
Environmental harm and afflictions
Not solely are you able to solely shut off environmental harm in these settings, you may also make issues a bit more durable for your self. Should you change Environmental Harm & Afflictions to Superior, you’ll need to handle impacts to your well being along with standing afflictions. Whenever you tackle an affliction from the surroundings, you’ll additionally begin shedding well being. A portion of your well being meter will flip orange, blocking the quantity of well being you may heal up till your affliction is eliminated.
Should you’re in any respect aware of how radiation works in Fallout, this can sound very acquainted.
There are additionally a group of different affliction choices that have an effect on how remedy and prognosis works. You may disable whether or not or not you achieve afflictions from fight and might alter how simply they heal over time.
Different cool issue tweaks
Starfield now has 4 issue choices, unfold out throughout how a lot harm Enemies output on foot and on ship, and the way a lot harm you output on foot and on ship. These choices checklist how they modify the sport within the Gameplay Choices menu.
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However that’s not all. You may also tweak settings that affect your general carry capability, the way you heal, and alterations to the in-game economic system.
Carry capability, vendor credit, therapeutic, and extra
Whereas these settings can improve a survival expertise, they’ll additionally simply amplify Starfield’s unique gameplay loop (or, if you happen to want, attenuate sure features of it).
Adjustments to merchandise administration, carrying capability, and vendor credit.
There are two useful settings to vary up how a lot you may carry and the way finest you may handle it. Carry Capability (discovered beneath Gameplay Choices) enables you to both cut back how a lot you may carry or permit you way more room to spare (sadly, you can not flip off limitations on carry capability solely from this setting, however there may be some mods that will help you out with that).
You might also select to modify on ammo weight. Whereas this may seem to be an pointless technique to make the sport more durable, I’ve discovered it encourages me to pay extra consideration to the sorts of ammo my present weapons take.
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Cargo Entry Distance (additionally beneath Gameplay Choices) affords you extra flexibility together with your ship’s cargo, too. Whereas your cargo capability will nonetheless be restricted by the scale of your ship’s cargo maintain, you may select to limit cargo entry to solely once you’re actively inside your ship, or permit limitless entry to your ship’s cargo regardless of the place you’re. One other setting permits you cargo entry solely whereas in outposts in settlements.
In Gameplay Choices, you’ll additionally discover a setting to both enhance or cut back the quantity of credit that distributors have available.
Therapeutic settings
Starfield now provides you affect over three sources of therapeutic: Medical Objects, Meals, and Sleep. For the primary two choices, you may affect how a lot or how little Med Packs, different healing-specific gadgets, and meals heals you.
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You may also alter how a lot sleeping restores your well being, and base it on the place you sleep. With Full Restore, you’ll get all of your well being again and all afflictions cured simply by going for a sleep. Location Restricted restricts therapeutic by sleep to ships, outposts, and settlements. Lastly, you may shut off sleep-healing solely.
Whether or not or not Starfield will ever reside as much as the gargantuan hype that preceded its launch in 2023 stays to be seen. However, these new choices are an effective way to begin tinkering with that huge galaxy. And possibly there’s a pleasant mixture of settings and mods that’ll lastly provide you with that sport you had been hoping Starfield can be.
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