If we add up all the hours played in ‘Starfield,’ we get 22,284,331.
At this point, I think we can all agree that we can classify ‘Starfield‘ as a game that, at the very least, has not delivered as much as it promised. We’re not talking about quality (everyone has their own opinion on that, after all), but pure and simple numbers. In June, 330,723 people were playing at the same time on Steam. In December, that number has dropped to 12,200. Bethesda should be worried, shouldn’t they?
Well, the truth is… not much. In fact, taking advantage of the holidays, they have celebrated reaching 13 million players, three million more than in September, adding that, on average, they have played 40 hours and have visited almost 2 billion planets. Quite something. The numbers may have dropped, but they are confident they will rise again in 2024.
And it is that Bethesda is already preparing ‘Broken Space’, its first expansion, in which we will be able to see new places and we will have a little more history. In addition, they are very aware that mods could keep the community alive, so they will provide the tools for them to be officially released at the beginning of the year and will add more possibilities for players to make ‘Starfield’, literally, to their liking.
As a curiosity, if we add up all the hours played in ‘Starfield’ we get 22,284,331, which is equivalent to 2544 years. Okay, let’s be honest, even though the game is not what many people were expecting, the numbers are impressive and it seems that sales are going well. And now we just have to sit back and wait to know more about ‘The Elder Scrolls 6‘. The ways of the palace…
“I have a lot of confidence that ‘Starfield’ will continue to be very important for many, many years”
How long has the longest-played video game lasted for you? If you’re a ‘World of Warcraft‘ player, the answer is probably “many years,” but typically after a month, the hype decreases, the desire to try other things sets in, and the trendy game ends up being a bit neglected. It’s the law of life. But Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft, hopes that you’ll play ‘Starfield’ for the next decade. Phew.
Bethesda‘s new release hasn’t pleased everyone. In fact, it has garnered quite a lot of criticism from people who found it repetitive. Active player counts on Steam have dropped astonishingly from an average of 145,882 at launch to 20,302 two months later, and the Game Awards decided to overlook it in their Game of the Year nominations. Yet, at Xbox, they continue to hold an unusual level of confidence in it.
In fact, when Phil Spencer was asked at Comic-Con Brazil if they intended for ‘Starfield’ to be played twelve years after release, much like ‘Skyrim‘ continues to be, his response was, “That’s our goal.” To achieve this, they’re still developing the ‘Shattered Space’ DLC with the aim of fostering space exploration, similar to how the sequel to ‘The Elder Scrolls’ expanded on dungeon crawling.
“I have a lot of confidence that ‘Starfield‘ will remain very significant for many, many years,” he concluded, without clarifying whether he’s concerned about the dwindling player base or the fact that in a year filled with triple-A masterpieces, it ended up passing by like a breeze. Will we still be talking about Bethesda’s game in 2035? It’s possible, but allow us to have doubts.
Can rain in a video game be a source of controversy? Apparently so, if it’s Starfield, even if it’s something all video games do
Making video games is like performing magic: there are always tricks that explain how it’s possible to achieve that. Almost never is what you see on the screen exactly what is happening at the code level, at the programming level, and that’s logical. Consoles and computers have limitations, and thinking that the tricks that make games more visually appealing are something new or bad is absurd. Unfortunately, it’s something that many players struggle to come to terms with.
Many players have discovered today that in Starfield, the rain doesn’t fall uniformly on the planets: there’s a particular cloud that follows players wherever they go. That’s it. This, of course, has angered many fans, who have rushed to declare that this proves Bethesda is lazy, incompetent, or both. However, as many developers have pointed out, most of them taking it with a good dose of humor, the reality is that this is not unique to Starfield. In fact, it’s a very elegant and extremely common solution in the world of video games.
Tom Francis, a special effects artist currently working on Darkest Dungeon 2, has given an explanation of why they do this on his Twitter. According to him, the reason for linking rain to the camera is that it consumes fewer resources than simulating particles everywhere. Something that, when you think about it, is just common sense, as it doesn’t make sense to consume valuable resources to render particles that won’t be seen when a few particles in front of the camera create the same effect.
Gamers have discovered our secret lol.. Could have been avoided if you parented the rain to the camera Bethesda pic.twitter.com/U0sTNgGQwH
In a conversation with Polygon, both he and other developers have elaborated more on these aspects. They’ve added that it’s also common to do this with snow, wind, falling leaves, or dust. Or as Karl Schecht, a 3D environment artist, puts it, video games have some clever tricks that have become a standard.
That’s why video games, like magic, are largely about showing the audience what the creator wants us to see. So, instead of getting upset that the rain only falls on our heads, let’s applaud the ingenuity of these developers.
Starfield has made a strong impact among players. The game is still in its first month post-launch, as it was released on September 6, but it hasn’t needed more time to flex its muscles. There are already over 10 million players who have taken their first leaps into space and are enjoying the new immersive experience from Bethesda’s title.
This was revealed by the official Starfield Twitter account, which thanks the players for their support as the community has made Bethesda’s new title the developer’s most successful launch game. Achieving that number in just two weeks after its release is a significant milestone for the company.
Many times, major Xbox releases are accused of getting high traffic because they are part of Xbox Game Pass from day one, but Starfield has also topped physical sales in recent days, making it clear that it was a highly anticipated release by the community and is being widely enjoyed by both Xbox and PC users.
And it’s not surprising, considering that the game faced various setbacks that significantly delayed its release. There was a lot of anticipation for Bethesda’s new IP, the first entirely new one of this century, and while there are varying opinions, the general impression is that the game meets most of the expectations.
Starfield has managed to prove itself as a fun and appealing game for players.
What’s coming up on the Xbox calendar
There’s no need to look far to find Microsoft’s next exclusive release. On October 10th, we’ll have Forza Motorsport, a new racing simulator where, unlike Forza Horizon 5, we’ll be driving on closed circuits and iconic tracks instead of an open world like the last Playground Games installment.
There are also many exciting day-one releases from third-party developers. For example, on September 20th, Lies of P, the highly anticipated souls-like game featuring a more violent than usual Pinocchio, is already available. Payday 3, the heist simulator, is coming on September 21st, and Atlus’ Persona 5 Tactica, a spin-off, is set to arrive on November 17th.
It has happened again, because there are people who have become radicalized on the Internet to the point of becoming absolute cyber idiots.
1993 was a pivotal year for the modding community. I mean, groups of fans who tinker with a game’s code to change it, whether to add difficulty and enemies, remove impossible levels, or make Chiquito de la Calzada‘s voice sound when shooting. That year, ‘Doom’ was released, and modders became hordes eager to enjoy (and laugh) with the trendy game. But now, thirty years later, people aren’t in the mood for so much laughter. Sadly.
Nexus Mods is one of those websites on the Internet where you can search for the perfect modifications for your game: whatever you’ve thought of, someone has probably already created it. And if not, it’s time to do it yourself. What’s interesting is that the creators of the website have decided not to accept any mods that go against any community.
For example, in 2022, the website removed a mod from ‘Spider-Man Remastered’ that removed the Pride flags from Spidey‘s New York. The reasons they gave were frankly fantastic: “We support inclusivity, we support diversity. If we believe that someone is uploading a mod to our site deliberately going against inclusivity and/or diversity, we will take action against it.”
Now, it has happened again because some people on the Internet have become absolute cyber idiots. The supposed issue arises from the fact that in ‘Starfield,’ you can choose your pronouns. Nothing prevents you from choosing to be cisgender, but the mere fact that someone can create a transgender or non-binary character has angered a few very loud individuals who created a mod to get rid of them. They/gentlemen.
Immediately, Nexus Mods removed it from the website, and it has been filled with insults, threats, and the typical stuff from people who are overly passionate about their own views and could benefit from going outside. “It’s not a political statement. We simply believe in diversity and inclusion. Removing diversity, although some may be attracted to it, does not promote a positive modding community.” In other words: Were you planning to download this mod, and now you’re leaving the site angry? Close the door on your way out.
Starfield is the game of the moment, much like Skyrim was 12 years ago. With the release of this epic space adventure, Bethesda aimed to bring Xbox back into the console competition, which Phil Spencer acknowledged losing during the previous generation. It was a risky move, and amid a particularly tense climate, the launch of Microsoft’s flagship title was not without controversy. There were controversial reviews, discussions about the Starfield game engine, and concerns about its optimization on PC, which led Todd Howard to offer a provocative piece of advice on the matter. Now, controversy continues because the game still lacks official mod support.
One of the promises Bethesda made in anticipation of the release of Starfield was that there would be mod support, both on PC and Xbox Series. In fact, the demand for the game was so strong that many modders paid for early access to the game, and the first modifications to the software arrived before the official launch (some of them were quite specific, like the Hello Kitty weapon skins). Besides, it’s shaping up to be one of the most successful releases of the year in terms of both digital and physical sales, which has left modders distressed by this decision. But why was this decision made?
Bethesda has not clarified why they chose to wait for mod support, but it makes sense when carefully considered: until an early stage of bug fixing is completed to prevent the game from breaking, mod support cannot be offered. Mods that substantially alter the game might cease to function. It may seem like a difficult reality to reconcile, but that’s how it is.
However, for any player looking to enhance their adventure in a more epic, bizarre, or curious way through mods, there is the option to turn to various unofficial mods. These work perfectly with the current configuration of Starfield, and many modders are committed to keeping their software up to date.
Xbox is pampering the launch of Starfield a lot, to the point of putting advertising on the court of the New York Liberty, women NBA team
The NBA is full of stars. People with a lot of money, a lot of fame, and whose presence is culturally gigantic. That’s why it’s surprising that none of them has yet dared to go into space. Even if it is a short trip, for tourism, as other eccentric millionaires have done, whose fortunes we don’t know where they come from. Perhaps the latter is why they have not done so. Because they have their feet on the ground, regardless. But somehow, Microsoft has made sure that, in their own way, they will be able to touch the stars.
Although perhaps not widely known, Xbox has a long-standing partnership with the New York Liberty, the New York women’s basketball team, with whom they do promotions. For the release of Starfield, they have decided to do something very original: add the game’s rainbow-style symbol on both ends of the court.
Although this action will only last two games, the one they had against the Los Angeles Sparks on the 7th and the one they would have against the Washington Mystics on September 10, this is not the only joint advertising action they have done. Already last year, in August 2022, they customized the court with Xbox colors and symbols in another cross-promotion. Something that seems to be working well for them.
Or so it is implied from the statements of Keia Clarke, the CEO of the New York Liberty. “This partnership comes to life during a historic time for both parties, with Bethesda Studios launching its biggest video game in a decade, and the New York Liberty having their best season in franchise history,” said the team’s CEO.
Starfield was published on September 6 for Xbox Series.
It seems that we have forgotten that behind all this smoke there is a game waiting to be discovered… And that, be careful, it can even save you from death. If you’re a little lucky, at least.
Much has been said these days about ‘Starfield‘, Bethesda’s new proposal for Xbox and PC: the absurd debate about whether a bad grade can lead to insults and threats to the editor, the American streamer offended by being able to choose pronouns for your character, the memes and jokes about its impossible menus… So much, it seems that we have forgotten that behind all this smoke there is a game waiting to be discovered… And that, watch out, it can even save you from death. If you have a bit of luck, at least.
starfield: An unprecedented journey through outer space
In the living room field
No, it’s not that ‘Starfield‘ got in the middle of a gunshot after gaining self-awareness or prevented falling down an open manhole: Reddit user Tidyckilla has told a story that Bethesda could put a sticker on the game’s box stating “Warning: playing many, many hours non-stop saves lives“. It ruins others, but we’re not going to get technical either.
On September 1, after a lot of time wanting to play, Tidyckilla decided to do a marathon and hit the keys until she couldn’t anymore and her fingers wore out. That’s why it’s not surprising that he was awake at 2:26 in the morning, the exact moment when, among the noises of the game, he heard a strange one: an explosion coming from his downstairs neighbor. And not a small explosion exactly.
When he came out of the game to see what had happened he discovered that flames were coming down the hallway and wanted to get into the house. Tidyckilla grabbed his wife and cat (thank goodness) and they managed to flee with minimal burns. “If I hadn’t been playing ‘Starfield‘ I would have fallen asleep and we would have all died from smoke inhalation.”
In the end the guy – of whom I absolutely do not recommend looking at the posts on Reddit if you don’t want to find out he’s a firearms fanatic – decided it was time to move to another state and left only one doubt about what had happened: did he get to save the game? Did he manage to save the console along with the cat? Doubts and more doubts about a trip to space that ended up with two more people on the planet.
Starfield is one of the most anticipated games of the year, and while it has sparked some controversial criticism, it is Xbox’s most significant release in 2023. This space exploration epic will take us throughout the galaxy as we undertake various tasks and discoveries, ultimately weaving one of the most ambitious RPG adventures we’ve seen.
However, this ambition goes hand in hand with inconsistent performance on PC, closely tied to the components each user has chosen for their system configuration, as Starfield has been optimized for AMD systems. Nvidia, on the other hand, has developed its own driver but hasn’t achieved as efficient performance as Radeon systems, and the same is happening with Intel. Starfield users with Intel processors have reported various issues related to corrupt textures, slow loading times, and many other occurrences that make the gaming experience much worse, potentially causing fatal errors.
As a result, in the run-up to the launch of its fourteenth generation of Core processors, Intel has increased the size of its gaming driver package by 50 megabytes, from 635 to 685. This additional weight could be due to precompiling shaders to reduce loading times and even prevent the game from being unable to launch.
A much heavier Intel driver
It may not seem like much, but it’s an almost 10% increase in weight. However, while Starfield is the primary subject affected by these bug fixes, other games like Synced, Uncharted, and Halo Infinite are also impacted in areas such as application stability, lighting flickers, game crashes during rendering operations, and corrupted textures on characters.
Do you also want to make money in Starfield? Well, you can sell your survey data to make some extra cash in the game. Today, we will show you how and where to sell Starfield survey data.
In the vast universe of Starfield, there are many ways to make a fortune. You could be a seasoned adventurer, exploring uncharted worlds and finding lost treasures. Or you could be a savvy trader, buying and selling goods and commodities across the galaxy. But there’s another way to make a lot of money in Starfield: by becoming a freelance scanning technician.
As a scanning technician, you’ll travel to different planets and moons, scanning them for valuable data. This data can be used by corporations, governments, and even private individuals to make informed decisions about exploration, colonization, and resource extraction.
The demand for survey data is high in Starfield, and the prices can be very lucrative. For example, a single survey of a gas giant can sell for thousands of credits. And if you’re able to find a rare or valuable planet, you could make even more money.
Of course, there’s no such thing as a get-rich-quick scheme in Starfield. Scanning planets can be a dangerous and time-consuming process. You’ll need to have the right equipment and skills, and you’ll need to be willing to take risks.
Let’s take a look at how and where to sell Starfield survey data!
Scanning planets and gathering survey data is a straightforward two-step process, albeit with a few variations depending on the planet’s characteristics. Survey data typically consists of a planetary scan from orbit and detailed scans of the flora (plants) and fauna (animals) on the planet’s surface. Once you’ve collected all the required data, it consolidates into a survey data disk in your inventory, ready to be sold.
Here’s how you can collect survey data in Starfield:
Set Your Course: Choose the planet you want to survey and set a course for it. Navigate your way to the selected celestial body.
Orbit Scan: Upon reaching orbit, equip your scanner, select the planet, and open the planet map. Choose the “Scan Planet” option to initiate the survey. If the planet is a gas giant or lacks any significant resources, flora, or fauna, you can conclude your survey at this point.
Surface Exploration: If more data is needed, you’ll need to land on the planet’s surface. Here, you’ll gather data on the planet’s flora, fauna, resources, and any unique traits it may possess.
To collect data on flora and fauna, scan multiple species to achieve a 100 percent scan. For resources, a single scan of each resource is sufficient. To gather information on planetary traits, locate unexplored geographical or biological features, like the Corraline Mineral Pools on Gagarin, and scan them. Invest a skill point in Surveying to make your surveying more efficient, increasing your scanner’s range from 10 to 20 meters.
Now that you’ve amassed valuable survey data, it’s time to turn your efforts into profit. While other potential buyers may be yet to be discovered, selling your survey data to Vladimir is the most lucrative option.
To sell your survey data, follow these steps:
Find Vladimir: Vladimir can be found on The Eye space station near Jemison within the Alpha Centauri system, home to New Atlantis. You’ll encounter Vladimir early in the campaign during the “Into the Unknown” mission.
Initiate the Transaction: Engage Vladimir in conversation and inquire about his research. Your willingness to sell him survey data will undoubtedly pique his interest. From this point forward, each time you interact with Vladimir, the option to sell survey data will be available in his dialogue options.
It’s worth noting that you can potentially sell survey data to other vendors, but Vladimir offers the most generous compensation. By consistently scanning planets and visiting Vladimir, you’ll find your credits accumulating steadily, ensuring you’re never short of resources in your Starfield journey.
