Starfield's over-reliance on fast travel makes it feel tiny, but it's just part of a larger problem

You can visit new star systems at the touch of a button, but exploration takes a backseat.

[OptimusDK]

Yeah you might think so but the fun element of gaming takes the front seat. This is a RPG in space first and foremost not a simulator.. and thank goodness for that

[ThinkThink]

I love it. The fast travel is what keeps me engaged and allows me to focus on the fun parts. I don't want to spend an hour flying to and from planets. That's what NMS is for.

[MrNinosan]

Doesn't take an hour in No Man Sky.
Removing all the loading screens and menu tabbing in Starfield and you have almost the same amount of time it takes in No Man Sky to reach a new planet.

[bababooiy]

The whole point of exploration is to go out and stumble upon things that you didnt expect like fun activities or cool loot. Fun for many people is that element of surprise...

[ThinkThink]

@bababooiy, that's what I love most about it as well.

[JEECE]

I'm confused by this argument you and so many people seem to making that a game like Starfield has to have either fast travel or real space flight. Why not both? Elder Scrolls games have fast travel, but I can also chose to ride a horse around the world map if I want to travel that way.

[antikbaka]

emmm.... is it really hard to imagine any other alternative between fast travelling and hour/s long trips?

[ChiefofLoliPolice]

Very poor justification. But I know Xbox NEEDS a win right about now. So I guess you guys will take what you can get.

[anast]

They billed it as an RPG and a space exploration game. They failed to deliver half of the game.

[ThinkThink]

But it has both RPG and space exploration. If you tired playing it, you would know that.

Fly around in space, discover a planet that you want to explore. Select a location to land on the planet, then explore the planet. Get back in your ship, jump back into a main or side quest. Or just keep exploring planets in your ship. I personally spend 90% of my time on planets, except for when I'm dogfighting in my ship. I mean, all the pieces are there.

[Software_Lover]

So now having fast travel is a bad thing?????

[shinoff2183]

I think its more the fact fast travel is the only travel

[JEECE]

You and so many others seem to have forgotten that when game devs put fast travel in a game, that doesn't have to be the only method of travel. In fact, it's arguable whether a system counts as a fast travel system of it is the exclusive means of travel in certain situations. The whole point of fast travel in games is to allow you to quickly travel a distance in the game that would otherwise take a much longer time.

[Seraphim]

I don't think anyone will argue having fast travel is a bad thing. However some games can have an overdependence on fast travel that does detract from the game. Especially when some to a lot of the fun in open world games is the exploration, the encounters in the wild, etc. Anyway, I can't recall which game it was but earlier this year I was playing something that made me feel this way. Like with many things it's about finding the right balance. Afterall, I imagine a vast majority of people don't want a game like FarCry 2 where it literally takes an hour to travel across the map to your next destination, but they also don't want fast travel to be the primary means of going from A to B either. 2 cents

[EvertonFC]

Exactly, games like hzd are ruined imo if you overly use the camp fires to fast travel, I prefer walking everywhere in hzd hfw, days gone using the bike everywhere etc.

[EvertonFC]

Fast travelling can be bad, bless and Greg kfg fast travelled everywhere in "days gone" and completed the game in 30 hours yet slated the game for being crap and empty.
I played Days gone for 119 hrs and didn't fast travel once and loved the game.coming across all sort of hoards, and interesting stuff to find.
The same with HZD I know lots of gamers who fast travel using the campfires all game and I find that pointless cause you're missing the exploration factor which is the whole point of open world games.
SF just being fast travel is missing the whole point of space exploration and just filled with a complicated map and loads of loading screen.
One minute you're having a conversation with a NPC, accept side quest, run to ship, load screens, then getting frustrated finding the destination on the map, load screen, load screen then find yourself on a new planet? Like wtf.
I agree it gets you to the fun quicker but this isn't a space exploration game by any means.

[sadraiden]

In general, yes. Most people find fast travel to be immersion breaking.

[ArmrdChaos]

Don't like fast travel? Here's a novel idea.....DON'T USE IT. Had Bethesda forced lengthy travel then everyone would be bitching about the excessive travel times. Seems like the pettiness has people complaining about the stupidest crap. I guess you have to consider the source(s).

[MrNinosan]

In this game, you're forced to it thou. There is no other way to travel to other planets than fast travel and menus.

[Tedakin]

You want to fly for 10 hours to each planet? You lightspeed like in Star Wars.

[MrNinosan]

@Tedakin
I can see that the only experience you have with space is Star Wars and no Starfield. I feel sorry for you.
Lightspeed in Starfield however is not a way of transportation, it's a loading screen to hide obvious limitations.

If you ever played No Man Sky, you know that "lightspeed" or gravjump as it's called here, is a thing there as well, but with difference that it's not acting like a loading screen but instead a way of travel.

[Kaze88]

Funny how the option is only 10 hours or fast travel screen, always the opposite ends when we already have the middle ground in other games. Travelling from a place to another is not always just fodder, but part of the immersion and experience (death stranding, snowrunner, NMS). Either the developers do not know how to make it enjoyable or like most likely in this case their engine is not equipped for loading huge assets and gameplay systems on the fly. So I get whey it is like that, but it does rob the immersion and the size of the world and makes it feel tiny.

[ocelot07]

Okey I'll take your advice. I plan on playing this when I have free time next week. I would like to explore like I did in say Death Stranding.

Please can you provide me with a step by step guide on how I can travel from planet to planet without fast traveling and loading please.

[ThinkThink]

You should try and figure it out on your own. A step by step guide feels too much like a short cut. A fast travel if you will. You got this, man.

[MrNinosan]

@ThinkThink
You missed the point. The reason ocelot07 said this is because it's not possible.

[Marz]

with death stranding, traveling without fast travel is fun. in spiderman, traveling without fast travel is fun. There are a number of games that make movement fun.

I think a lot these articles share the same sentiment of missing fun in the way you travel. Clearly starfield isn't fun to travel through, nor does it look like they tried to make travel fun. It certainly is an RPG first and no one wants boring lengthy travel. But they are missing a key element that is core to the outer-space fantasy. Perhaps to fulfill the fantasy of space travel, Starfield would benefit from fun travel, not fast travel.

[ocelot07]

@ThinkThink

Most of what I said was just me pointing out a very big flaw in the users argument. I have not played starfield. But I do plan on. I don't think the user I replied to has.

Because from what I understand and I have watched a fair few starfield videos over the last few days. You can't travel from one planet to another freely. You have to fast travel.

The user says if we don't like fast travel then don't use it. Well it's kind of forced on us in starfield. You can't progress if you don't fast travel as you can't freely travel your self.

[Crows90]

Did you play Morrowind? Their best game.

[Stanjara]

He didn't play Skyrim either

[Charlieboy333]

@Stanjara None of these Starfield fangirls have played Bethesda's other great games....so they can't understand that Starfield just doesn't make the grade. They are just praising this crapfest to please their MS overlords.

[ArmrdChaos]

Hey that's nice. Guess what....your opinion, and it only has value to one person....you. Personally I preferred Oblivion...but that's me. It is rather obvious who the Sony Bethesdites are by the responses....yeh you guys just keep doing you. We won't get into the false comparison of single map versus multimap game design, but hey....you guys are all experts. Keep fighting that fight....I am sure your favorite corporation loves you for it. Starfield is already successful and will continue as such despite your whining. Back to the game.

[shinoff2183]

They could of made travel sort of no man's skyish. Rather not have anything but fast travel. As I'm playing this game I'm seeing more and more things that make me wonder if this was rushed even with the year delay. Things that are missing that are usually in bethesada games. Going under water being one, means of regular travel, etc.

I'm still having fun with it so don't take my negative as a whole negative.

[EvertonFC]

Here's a novel idea......It would have been great to have had both options wouldn't it ? You dumb fu*k

[Father__Merrin]

Just like fallout had its own universe and has Skyrim etc Starfield would have been much better with one giant map open world

[Tedakin]

Fallout and Skyrim are all in one small piece of land. Starfield is on a ton of different planets. How would one giant map work?

[Eonjay]

Perhaps something like Star Ocean TDF approach.

[mkis007]

The option to go to hyperspeed between planets/ moons in each solar system is all im looking for ( including the ability to stop midway. There is something amazing about seeing a planet or star zoom into view, go look up rebel galaxy or eve online). Reserve the forced fast travel to between solar systems...that way the world feels that much more connected... every other space game i know has this. Rebel Galaxy and no mans sky being the freshest in memory. I rate this game an 8.5 20 hours in...the lost 1.5 is solely due to limitations ( not limited to just this one limitation)that should not be in a current gen game in 2023.

[LoveSpuds]

You only need to look how Elite Dangerous handled hyperactive travel between star systems to know you can easily implement a method of travel that allows for exploration whilst nit having hugely time consuming travel.

[Crows90]

That's not the argument here.

[franwex]

I have yet to play this game, but I’m assuming it’s like Daggerfall. Where fast travel is pretty much required. I’m not worried about it.

[Crows90]

Close. It is more like people are saying you have to fast travel because if you don't you're in for a lot of time doing boring running and boring ass traversal.

[mkis007]

On planets you are right...but the maps are small. In space you literally cant fly from planet to planet to moon without a loading screen. Each area above a planet is its own area, you have to click on the planet to go there.

I will say the game is fun enough to warrent a buy...but the first 12 hours getting used to(coming to grips with) this issue is the hardest if it is the kind of thing that bothers you going through menus.

[anast]

Daggerfall was released in 1996.

[franwex]

Yep. The map is the size of Britain. So going from town to town is basically a waste of time. So one is required to fast travel. I don’t know if actually walking will actually get you to a town though, if one has the 12 hours to try (I’m sure they have like they did Starfield). But the developers never intended for anyone to actually do it. So its vastness is technically overstated. Again, it’s not a big deal to me.

[Tedakin]

Why would you want to have to run or fly everywhere for hours? I don't get this at all. Every game has fast travel. When I'm half a mile away from my ship, I don't want to have to run all the way back to it. If that's you're thing, go ahead and start running.

[Crows90]

Not the argument. You're misrepresenting it.

[mkis007]

The option isnt even there in space...you have to fast travel.

[SpacedDuck]

Terrible take. Game is fantastic and if you want to be bored flying everywhere go play NMS or better yet keep funding the scam that is Star Citizen and enjoy 20fps on the highest end PC's in the world.

[Crows90]

It's not an overreliance...it's just the only thing that makes sense. In other Bethesda games traveling to your destination could net you surprise encounters or other content could distract you. It sounds like that's not the case here. No reason to go through 5+ loading screens if you only need to go through it once. It's not like you'll encounter anything on the way....that's what the argument and issue appears to be.

[mkis007]

So the idea of a big planet zooming into view under your own power doesnt sound cool? The option to see that wouldnt add points to your score?

[Crows90]

You mean like destiny loading screens?

[HyperMoused]

On planets you have to walk there first

[GotGame818]

People are specifically looking for reasons to bash this game. It's really not a big deal. Most of the fake outrage is coming from people who don't game on PC/Xbox anyway!😂🤣

[anast]

People are coming up with creative ways to defend this game and this is coming from Xbox and PC fans. (some stupid emoji here)

[Soulsborne]

Best part of this game releasing is that TES VI is now in full development.

[Shiro173]

2 hours in and I can agree that the space exploration is lacking. I wish we had that no man sky freedom with the ship. I was flying towards a planet thinking I could get there just by flying n nope felt like I wasn't moving at all.

[kirankiran]

I don't like this