Bethesda’s highly anticipated sci-fi RPG, Starfield, is facing renewed scrutiny due to recently unveiled exploration restrictions imposed by Planet Zones.
On social media, passionate debates ignited as a leak emerged divulging fresh insights into the game’s planetary structures.
I don’t care about the stupid console wars, but I think for a game marketed as “do anything, without limits” it just FEELS dishonest where, not only can we not go across the whole planet, we can’t even walk from 1 landing spot to another? (Source)
You then have 3-5 landing spots where you can land anywhere and once that limit is reached, you just land somewhere else and it basically rewrites/deletes your oldest spot. (Source)
Prominent gaming insider Tom Henderson recently leaked new information about Starfield.
His report disclosed that the player’s exploratory ventures on numerous planets would face greater limitations than the community had anticipated.
According to the insider, the planets will be divided into multiple zones, allowing players to land solely within these designated areas.
Easiest way to view it is like the planet is divided into 500 tiles (not the actual number). You land in one tile, explore, etc. And then jump back into your ship to select another tile to explore. If you really wanted to, you can just select the tile next to the one you’ve just explored and continue doing this around the whole planet. (Source)
Each zone harbors points of interest for exploration, yet movement between landing zones is prohibited.
This revelation incited discontent in the community (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), as the initial game promotion had implied unrestricted planet-wide exploration.
Each zone is explorable to a limited distance due to the limitations of the ‘oxygen supply’.
Look at it like you can only go so far because of your oxygen supply or something idk. (Source)
Will planet zones truly be an issue for Starfield players?
While some players criticize this revelation, forecasting it as detrimental to the overall game experience. A notable faction of fans and community members embraces this feature.
They posit a counter-argument suggesting that partitioning planets into zones contributes to game optimization.
This actually makes me more interested in the game. It slightly increases the odds of a nice, curated experience. Being able to explore a whole planet is neat, until you do it in No Man’s Sky once. (Source)
Furthermore, this approach affords developers increased opportunities to infuse planets with captivating elements, departing from the concept of vast, seemingly empty open maps.
It’s a tricky issue to solve. If you allowed people to infinitely explore a planet, you’d either have to generate duplicate and generic locations of interest (i.e. No Man’s Sky), or stop generating them wholesale. While it’d certainly feel less limiting, neither option seems particularly engaging either. (Source)
Currently, the developers have not released an official statement regarding this issue. These assumptions are purely based on unofficial leaks.
We will vigilantly monitor the situation and provide updates as further developments unfold.
Feature image source: Bethesda
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