Summary
A simple mod forStarfieldfinally solves what many consider to be one of the game’s biggest shortcomings: seamless space travel. Though the latest Bethesda title has seen great commercial success,Starfield’s space explorationhas easily been one of its most hotly-debated aspects. Those who enjoy the familiar sandbox experience of Bethesda games such asSkyrimandFallout 4will most likely have a favorable opinion ofStarfield, while those who wanted a bit more focus on the “space sim” part of its identity will be left wanting for more.
Though theship builder inStarfieldlets players build all sorts of creative designs or faithful recreations,Starfield’s gameplay is mostly spent exploring its numerous worlds. It plays to Bethesda’s strengths, where the loop of clearing random dungeons and exploring what lies over the horizon keeps people hooked on the game even after concluding the main story. However, features such as ship combat and vestigial mechanics such as ship fuel imply that space travel inStarfieldwas once a much more ambitious concept than its final iteration.
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Thanks to 105gun, a mod creator fromStarfieldNexus, fans can enhance theirStarfieldplaythrough by being able to seamlessly travel from one planet in a star system to the next.StarfieldSlower Than Light gives players new hotkeys to press while flying on their spaceship, through which they can dramatically increase the speed of their travel. Since the Creation Kit forStarfieldwon’t be released until early 2024, the solution achieved by 105gun is more akin to a workaround rather than a fully-realized feature, but given the circumstances, it’s no doubt a commendable feat of modding.
While one might argue that the exploration loop inStarfieldworks fine as-is, space travel with proper modding may end up elevating the experience even further.Starfieldmodshave already begun to transform the game for the better, and the release of its official modding tools will allow creators to push the envelope even further. Perhaps in a few years from now, players will be able to seamlessly land on planets through the use of clever “loading screens” such as those employed by theStar Wars: Jedigames.
An important limitation to consider withStarfieldSlower Than Light is that it only covers interplanetary travel. It does not allow a ship to go between different star systems, and given the existence ofStarfield’s grav jumping, both as a gameplay mechanic and lore entry, this is ultimately a sensible compromise to make. Though it remains to be seenhowStarfield’s modding will developin the coming months, it’s certainly off to an ambitious start.
Starfieldis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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