I really don’t think the empty planets are the problem. Space Engineers has empty planets. Stationeers has empty planets. But they have interesting things to do on those empty planets. Problems to solve. Systems to build and improve.
Everything in Starfield feels like more clicking through (horribly outdated) menus and inventory screens. Between those and the loading screens, the only time the game is really fun is when you’re shooting pirates. But there are games that do that part much much better.
I think that’s how I’d summarize the whole game: lots of things to do but none of it has any depth and everything has been done much better elsewhere.
Draegur@lemm.ee 1 year ago
To be fair, most of the cosmos in real life is literally empty. However, realism is overrated. The whole reason we play video games is because real life sucks.
Kichae@kbin.social 1 year ago
I mean, some of us play sci-fi games because we want to experience the reality that's still out of reach to us.
Not Bethesda products, of course, but, you know. Games.
Psythik@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Unless it’s a driving game. Arcade-style racers just aren’t fun. You barely have to use the brakes (if at all), and the AI cheats. I much rather play a racing sim.
Otherwise I agree.
Sami_Uso@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I have a sim race setup in my living room and play ACC and compete in iracing events. That being said, you’re not going to tell me Burnout Paradise isn’t fun. It serves a purpose. I don’t go into it looking for ACC level brake temperatures or tire wear, i go into it to drive 150mph around corners and smash into other cars.
bermuda@beehaw.org 1 year ago
Sad trackmania noises
Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
To me, the only fun racer is Initial D.
Sethayy@sh.itjust.works 1 year ago
And like of we were space faring, you think that shit wouldn’t be capitalized on?? If there was a dollar to make on it someone would be there, and that alone opens so many possibilities for world building
Draegur@lemm.ee 1 year ago
This borders upon one of my favorite topics actually - there ARE resources up there, which WOULD be valuable, but the cost of getting machinery and equipment up there is literally astronomical. Little known in public circles is the additional (and also enormous) cost of getting shit back down safely.
In order to be cost effective, the stuff we put into space would need to stay there. Asteroid mining is only better than break-even in terms of resources if it DOESN’T come back to earth! For instance, if we had an orbital (or lunar) habitat for refining and manufacturing, where an asteroid capture and retrieval vehicle can be built, fueled, and launched, and then return to, ONLY THEN would it bring back more useful minerals, chemical compounds, and other materials than it would take to launch…
… because the simple fact is that it takes a shit ton of energy to leave Earth’s gravity well and destroys a lot of resources in terms of making (and surviving) that journey.
And then instead of building stuff on earth that consume an order of magnitude more than their construction in just transit, we can build it ALREADY UP THERE. That brings us to the last problem, though:
It’s no use to any person except someone who is already up there, too.
I’m not even talking about money cost here. Money has no point here until there are humans who want things and need a means by which to measure those wants against the context of what productive capacity is available, represent the magnitude of their want, and represent the transfer of material goods to satisfy those wants. AKA respectively a store of value, unit of account, and medium exchange–the definition of currency.
Space will only be profitable in space.
Boxtifer@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Yeah, a lot of people play video games to extend their hobbies.