Too much hard sci-fi and “You’d die in space

Janvi RajputOctober 14, 2022

0 2 minutes read

Too much hard sci-fi and "You'd die in space

Now that the countdown to Starfield has begun, Besthesda is laying the groundwork for what we can expect from the game. Starfield’s relationship with hard sci-fi is number one on the list today.

“Starfield is more like hard sci-fi to us,” Creative Director Todd Howard said in a Q&A video. That said, we probably won’t see space wizards, but rather what happens in the game is within the realm of scientific possibility. Although most science fiction movies are based on science and the known possibilities of our universe, they can still break the rule of what is and isn’t possible in our physical universe. In hard sci-fi, for the most part, you see technology that could theoretically exist, along with the limitations that come with it – such as long travel times.

Finally, Howard points out that Starfield may never meet all the requirements of hard sci-fi because “in a hard sci-fi video game, you’d die in the cold of space.”

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Hard sci-fi

Bethesda has tried as much as possible to bring Starfield into the broad reach of hard sci-fi. From ships to quantum physics, you’ll see many elements in the game that are a clear sign of that goal, Howard says.

Looking at the Starfield ships, Howard says they have “a certain visual identity” in human spaceflight history. Creating that viable timeline, where there are acknowledgments of what came before, is critical to Starfield. Not only to create an immersive and believable experience, but also to fit into the purview of hard sci-fi.

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Howard also describes the hours he spent understanding quantum physics, reading papers and familiarizing himself with space travel. All of this serves to create a product that will delight lovers of hard sci-fi or just the casual connoisseur of the genre.

Through this research, Howard also encountered the problems that would exist in Starfield as a result of hard science fiction. The biggest of these is refueling your spaceship. This quickly became “very punitive for the player,” he says. Once you ran out of fuel you were dead in space with no chance to help yourself. So a compromise was made. Now, “the fuel and grav drives in your ship limit where you can go immediately,” Howard says, “but it’s not running out of fuel.”

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However, games are designed to be fun. If you want reality, you should play a simulator game like Brewmaster, where the developer refused to break the laws of physics for its players, or maybe pick up the Powerwash simulator – it’s an extremely chilled time.

Even then, many simulator games have to balance reality and entertainment. So these changes to Starfield seem like a good indicator of what’s to come. A space adventure that is realistic and creative while keeping the well-being of the fans in mind.