Laptop1991
Member
Now that's completely True lol
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Bethesda responding to negative Starfield reviews on Steam - "it's not boring", it's "by design"
Flutta
Banned
This is a prime example of people not wanting or willing to listen to feeback.
I’m not sure if this is a typical response from Bethesda or is this some new attitude they’ve developed under MS?
Either way these pubs have the same weakness and it’s called money. Don’t buy their shit and they will change their attitude real quick.
I’m not sure if this is a typical response from Bethesda or is this some new attitude they’ve developed under MS?
Either way these pubs have the same weakness and it’s called money. Don’t buy their shit and they will change their attitude real quick.
ByWatterson
Member
Solidus_T
Member
It's definitely a marketing initiative from MS/Bethesda. The overall reviews for the game are in the "mixed" category on Steam, but if they manage to 'push' the positive reviews to 70%, it will say "mostly positive" which is likely the goal here. They are looking to achieve this by targeting user reviews that level basic, non-vitriolic criticism of the game, which is really pathetic. I'm sure this will backfire for them spectacularly
clarky
Gold Member
On PC at least its almost a non issue for me. I believe the load times are considerably longer on xbox though.
I can see it being annoying if they are long as they are frequent.
clarky
Gold Member
Really? I don't think it was a lot say compared with say Halo 3. That shit was everywhere. And awesome.
If i recall we had threads not too far off release asking why there was no marketing.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
And gets defended constantly for it by the derp-squad.
Majormaxxx
Member
Good. Looking forward to getting it cheap on xbox
VolticArchangel
Member
I'm glad that this is getting mainstream media attention.
These clowns need to pipe the fuck down on their passive aggressive feedback rebound, for their paying customers, let alone anyone else criticizing their overrated tripe.
Hey Bethesda, your last single player game release 12 years ago, shits all over this outdated, boring, empty, soulless, fucking energy draining piece of shit that you call a game named Starfailed.
Oh, also, Bethesda_Kraken and Bethesda_FalcoYamaoka, go fuck yourselves, sideways, dipshits.
Edit - and I haven't even started on the performace of Intel + Nvidia hardware.
These clowns need to pipe the fuck down on their passive aggressive feedback rebound, for their paying customers, let alone anyone else criticizing their overrated tripe.
Hey Bethesda, your last single player game release 12 years ago, shits all over this outdated, boring, empty, soulless, fucking energy draining piece of shit that you call a game named Starfailed.
Oh, also, Bethesda_Kraken and Bethesda_FalcoYamaoka, go fuck yourselves, sideways, dipshits.
Edit - and I haven't even started on the performace of Intel + Nvidia hardware.
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Mr Hyde
Member
I think it's in bad taste as a creator to respond like this to negative reviews. Sure it stings when something you've worked on for years gets a lukewarm reception or getting review bombed for various reasons, but you have to suck it up, take it on the chin and improve where you got it wrong. I remember when filmmaker Alex Provas (The Crow, Dark City) went on a meltdown when critics ripped apart his movie Gods of Egypt. Very bad look for him and even though I felt kinda sorry for him I also thought it was extremely cringe. The movie sucked ass. Just accept it and move on.
Regarding Starfield it was a massive disappointment for me. I'm a huge fan of Skyrim, having played it for at least a thousand hours across multiple platform, so naturally I thought Bethesda would hit it big again. It was also exciting with a brand new IP. Since M made the game exclusive, I even invested in an expensive PC set up so I wouldn't miss it. The pre-screening and deep dive made the game look absolutely phenomenal. I thought it was gonna be a once in a generation game. But when I played it I felt indifferent. It wasn't bad, but just mediocre, bland and uninteresting. Stiff animations, boring quests and characters and no real hook gameplay wise. The game felt like it came out a decade ago. I'm gonna pick it up eventually and give it a new try, maybe I was over hyped and it came crashing down on me, but in a year like 2023 I'm in no rush to play it anymore.
Regarding Starfield it was a massive disappointment for me. I'm a huge fan of Skyrim, having played it for at least a thousand hours across multiple platform, so naturally I thought Bethesda would hit it big again. It was also exciting with a brand new IP. Since M made the game exclusive, I even invested in an expensive PC set up so I wouldn't miss it. The pre-screening and deep dive made the game look absolutely phenomenal. I thought it was gonna be a once in a generation game. But when I played it I felt indifferent. It wasn't bad, but just mediocre, bland and uninteresting. Stiff animations, boring quests and characters and no real hook gameplay wise. The game felt like it came out a decade ago. I'm gonna pick it up eventually and give it a new try, maybe I was over hyped and it came crashing down on me, but in a year like 2023 I'm in no rush to play it anymore.
BiggStankDogg
Member
TerribleAtThisGame
Member
I mean the game itself being this or that is completely irrelevant. Personally "lol you don't get it"-ing players should be mocked and shit on by anyone. It's unbelievably absurd, no matter who does it.
i didn't play the game, so i can't really judge it. but reading that statement, makes me feel like - why do i have to play a second playthrough to understand the uniqueness of my first one? i should get it while playing the first time. i played guardians of the galaxy not long ago and it isn't such complex game, but just that few options that the game has were implemented in such an impressive way, i got it while i was playing it and was very satisfying.
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Punished Miku
Gold Member
I cant read minds but its been extremely difficult for me to believe that the outrage about it isnt almost entirely performative. People have played games with load screens for the last 25 years. No loading is always a nice bonus, but its just not that big a deal for me personally. Its usually 1-3 seconds and you see some of your photos used for backgrounds. I think people exaggerate to "punish" Bethesda for using their engine to make similar games to their past stuff. But maybe I'm wrong and someone can explain how the reaction is proportionate.
BouncyFrag
Member
SF is so freaking dull.
Heisenberg007
Gold Journalism
I can accept that argument for subjective/artistic/creative things.
For things that are as objective as graphics or loading screens or lifeless 1000 planets, this argument by Bethesda is just plain stupid.
Heisenberg007
Gold Journalism
Why should people expect the same 25-year-old experience from a next-gen console and a next-gen-exclusive game that's being sold on a next-gen price ($70)?
Buggy Loop
Member
As i said in the review thread, I'm surprised that in that dev's comment that this is what peoples were triggered for, the RPG quest impacts for me is a lot more triggering and they clearly are oblivious to the game they made
"Most quests will also vary on your character's skills and decisions, massively changing the outcome of your playthrough" ...
What a load of BS. BG3 can claim that. Not Starfield. The outcome of every playthrough for one is deciding between you, one of the Starborn, or both of them. That's it. Nothing massive changes. Even the quests they direct you into 1 path even if they initially mirror many possibilities. It's one of the worst RPG in recent times.
This guy covers it all and I agree with all his criticisms.
It's not a good RPG, it's not a good space sim, it's not even a good Bethesda game where skills impact the gameplay loop that much. Even the base building is worse than Fallout 4 settlements. It's pure regression even for Bethesda "genre".
"Most quests will also vary on your character's skills and decisions, massively changing the outcome of your playthrough" ...
What a load of BS. BG3 can claim that. Not Starfield. The outcome of every playthrough for one is deciding between you, one of the Starborn, or both of them. That's it. Nothing massive changes. Even the quests they direct you into 1 path even if they initially mirror many possibilities. It's one of the worst RPG in recent times.
This guy covers it all and I agree with all his criticisms.
It's not a good RPG, it's not a good space sim, it's not even a good Bethesda game where skills impact the gameplay loop that much. Even the base building is worse than Fallout 4 settlements. It's pure regression even for Bethesda "genre".
StereoVsn
Member
This one was amazing:This shit is backfiring badly. Check out the responses to the "developer response".
Steam Community :: MOONSH☮T :: Review for Starfield
Boring, empty, soulless. Unpleasant to play. Todd told me I'd be exploring space, not fast travel menus. You don't really explore anything at all. You just teleport from desolate waste to desolate waste. Then your space ship sets down a 15 minute walk from the copy/paste POI you'be been...steamcommunity.com
“ChatGPT, you are a Bethesda developer with 20 years of work experience. Write a response for a negative Starfield review which states that this user is playing Starfield the wrong way. Make sure to state that every negative point in the review is actually how the game is meant to be played. Your response should contain about 300-400 words."
Doom_master1122
Neo Member
I have long come to the conclusion that Bethesda doesn't make RPGs that resonate with me any more. They aren't made for my tastes, and probably won't return to it.
My first Bethesda game was Oblivion, and I adored it.
I went back to Morrowind, Daggerfall and Arena over the years, and I enjoyed them even through the jankyness. Morrowind is what set in the most for me. I have 0 nostalgia for it as I played it much later in life, I just think its a phenomenal game. Sure there is some wonky mechanics which haven't aged nearly as well, but the core design with how free and open the world is, allowing for role playing. Tons of replayability with the abundance of factions and choices. I can fail quests, choose to kill any NPC and have consequences for that decision. The game forced me to look at the world, explore every corner and pay attention do details instead of a floating quest marker.
Skyrim didn't hit for me as well. Sure it was fun to play, but since dropping my initial time into the game, I've played it once more since its release. The game was heavily watered down compared to the prior games. Quests can't fail, MORE unkillable NPCs than Oblivion, and much much more.
I've played the Fallout games. 1-4, New Vegas and 76. Much of the same experience is there. While I can't compare 3 to the likes of Fallout 1 and 2. Fallout 4 was basically the Skyrim of the Fallout series.
As for Starfield...
Starfield took more of the role playing and freedom out of an RPG. Most NPCs can't be killed. Choices are very watered down and ultimately don't matter. I feel like I received a No man's Sky Lite. Watered down Fallout game with lite No Man's Sky designs. Major difference being the parts that were great about No Man's Sky are entirely missing in Starfield. Planets are insanely underwhelming, I don't just mean how empty they can be, I mean even down to their landmarks. Ill run into 15 prefabbed caves giving me a million resources. Resource scanning in No Man's Sky makes sense, and you can scan nearly everything. It feels SO tacked on in Starfield as just another check box to tick to say you "completed".
In my first 5 hours of the game, I was 3 whole gun fights. All of which in the main story quests. Exploration just left me bored. I can't just walk from point A to B and find 50 things to explore on the way, and fight handfuls of enemies. Every bit of traveling is encumbered by menus and loading screens. Hop in your ship, Leave planet, Loading screen.. Open a menu, Select planet, Loading Screen... Open Menu, Select land, Loading Screen........
The companions are incredibly stale and uninteresting. Adoring fan is basically the only NPC which lets you freely act without having to worry that someone is gonna frown at me because I chose money over another option.
I've dropped around 80 hours into the game on Steam and I've stopped playing. Did I have fun? Sure! The game was enjoyable for a while, but I have no desire to hop back in again.
How Bethesda makes their games now, no longer aligns with my tastes and what I look for in games. I've come to acceptance that I'm no longer their market when it comes to their games. Do I still check them out? Yes, but I'm prepared to enjoy the games, but never love them.
My first Bethesda game was Oblivion, and I adored it.
I went back to Morrowind, Daggerfall and Arena over the years, and I enjoyed them even through the jankyness. Morrowind is what set in the most for me. I have 0 nostalgia for it as I played it much later in life, I just think its a phenomenal game. Sure there is some wonky mechanics which haven't aged nearly as well, but the core design with how free and open the world is, allowing for role playing. Tons of replayability with the abundance of factions and choices. I can fail quests, choose to kill any NPC and have consequences for that decision. The game forced me to look at the world, explore every corner and pay attention do details instead of a floating quest marker.
Skyrim didn't hit for me as well. Sure it was fun to play, but since dropping my initial time into the game, I've played it once more since its release. The game was heavily watered down compared to the prior games. Quests can't fail, MORE unkillable NPCs than Oblivion, and much much more.
I've played the Fallout games. 1-4, New Vegas and 76. Much of the same experience is there. While I can't compare 3 to the likes of Fallout 1 and 2. Fallout 4 was basically the Skyrim of the Fallout series.
As for Starfield...
Starfield took more of the role playing and freedom out of an RPG. Most NPCs can't be killed. Choices are very watered down and ultimately don't matter. I feel like I received a No man's Sky Lite. Watered down Fallout game with lite No Man's Sky designs. Major difference being the parts that were great about No Man's Sky are entirely missing in Starfield. Planets are insanely underwhelming, I don't just mean how empty they can be, I mean even down to their landmarks. Ill run into 15 prefabbed caves giving me a million resources. Resource scanning in No Man's Sky makes sense, and you can scan nearly everything. It feels SO tacked on in Starfield as just another check box to tick to say you "completed".
In my first 5 hours of the game, I was 3 whole gun fights. All of which in the main story quests. Exploration just left me bored. I can't just walk from point A to B and find 50 things to explore on the way, and fight handfuls of enemies. Every bit of traveling is encumbered by menus and loading screens. Hop in your ship, Leave planet, Loading screen.. Open a menu, Select planet, Loading Screen... Open Menu, Select land, Loading Screen........
The companions are incredibly stale and uninteresting. Adoring fan is basically the only NPC which lets you freely act without having to worry that someone is gonna frown at me because I chose money over another option.
I've dropped around 80 hours into the game on Steam and I've stopped playing. Did I have fun? Sure! The game was enjoyable for a while, but I have no desire to hop back in again.
How Bethesda makes their games now, no longer aligns with my tastes and what I look for in games. I've come to acceptance that I'm no longer their market when it comes to their games. Do I still check them out? Yes, but I'm prepared to enjoy the games, but never love them.
ShadowkillXNA
Member
Is this crybaby act ever going to end?
Microsoft/Xbox have earned their image in this industry through nothing but their own actions.
kurisu_1974
is on perm warning for being a low level troll
Or fucking long range comms instead of going all the way to some outpost to deliver a one line message.
Topher
Gold Member
Bethesda:
You can add me to that list: ES6 will be a shitshow.
One of the biggest reasons for that will be Starfield and its negative reviews, and how Bethesda will be in 2 minds regarding what to do and what not to do.
Well I certainly hope not. I love ES games and I was thrilled when they announced 6. Hard to imagine that Bethesda is going to stick with this antiquated engine and design yet again.
Where is Phil Spencer in all this? He likes to brag about how much they "listen" to their fans, but we have this nonsense going on that is the opposite of listening.
Heisenberg007
Gold Journalism
I posted about this earlier a few weeks ago. What should Bethesda do with ES6:
- Stick with Creation Engine and all its problems (ES6 will have similar issues as Starfield)
- Switch to something like Unreal Engine 5 (ES6 will have new issues and, most importantly, it will not be a typical Bethesda RPG that Bethesda games are known for and that Creation Engine allows them to make).
Topher
Gold Member
I think the main issue is whether Todd Howard is able to grow beyond this Skyrim/Oblivion template he seems to want to reuse over and over. I think that is the crux reason for sticking with CE. It is a common tale in many professions where people are so experienced and hardened in what they know that they can't move beyond it and embrace something better. It may be time for Howard to pass the reigns to someone else. I can imagine many a game designer would love to be able to take over Elder Scrolls.
Punished Miku
Gold Member
They are 100% sticking with it. No one should expect differently. If I have to read more posts about the "expectations" its just going to be mind numbing.
- Oblivion, Fallout 3, Skyrim were all one group relatively on the same level graphically.
- Fallout 4 is a step above that.
- Starfield likely was in development long enough to have some parts on par with FO4, and some parts are a step above.
Best I would expect is maybe it will be more consistently like the higher asset portions of Starfield.
Alebrije
Member
Do not see how time will fix the game if they no change it
And people still believe them..
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MidGenRefresh
*Refreshes biennially
That's because he's good with words. He put all his points in charisma stat. And the way he talks about things, it's not necessary straight lies, just half-truths, omissions and in general stuff that's vague and can let people imagination run wild.
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Topher
Gold Member
I don't think expectations are going to be anything like they were for Starfield. Probably a good thing.
Mozzarella
Member
I mean the game is disappointing according to most people including the Bethesda fans (i dont know i still havent played it)
But i feel the gaming community just found a new bandwagon to jump on, ok we get it Starfield is not what it was marketed (expectation) to be, but can this meme die already? its getting ridiculous.
But also those responses are hilarious...
You can fly..You can shoot..You can mine..You can loot
Well played.
But i feel the gaming community just found a new bandwagon to jump on, ok we get it Starfield is not what it was marketed (expectation) to be, but can this meme die already? its getting ridiculous.
But also those responses are hilarious...
You can fly..You can shoot..You can mine..You can loot
Well played.
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digoutyoursoul
Member
They don’t respect the consumer
Codes 208
Member
Because people will eat their shit again and again.
Skyrim the re-re-remaster proves this.
Which is a shame, the devs for no mans sky (and rare when they launched sea of thieves) got blasted for similar issues and ultimately they went out of their way to fix them by rehauling their games with update after update.
But thats not how bethesda works, theyll launch a good or mediocre game and whatever needs to be fixed is usually done by the community via mods
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Lucie Goosey
Member
Punished Miku
Gold Member
I'll believe it when I see it. It's pretty easy to guess what will happen as it will likely be exactly the same as with Starfield. Most people will just expect the same type of game they've always made. A small group of shills on twitter will hype it up for console wars. Then other console warriors will pretend that everyone believed it's the game of the entire time space continuum, and 100% of Xbox's future depends on this moment and it will be exactly the same as we just saw.
Icymanipulator
Member
Them trying to change peoples minds by going into reviews and telling them they are wrong is about as desperate as it gets. I would rather clean dog shit then do a job like this.
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Madflavor
Member
What concerns me is that Bethesda not giving me confidence that they're taking criticisms to heart, especially after this. It's entirely possible that they'll be content with the fact that TES:VI will sell a shit ton of copies on brand recognition and hype alone, and just stick to the status quo in terms of their design approach.
KXVXII9X
Member
Ehh... This kind of response makes me worried for future games if this is the attitude of developers (assuming this story is real).
"You can fly, you can shoot, you can mine, you can loot!"
Okay?... Is any of that fun though? It is like the amount of content is the only thing that matters and not the quality of said content. Is any of the content meaningful? They are acting like these mechanics aren't common in recent modern games. These kinds of games do nothing for me. I find it pathetic that a person of the team is trying to sway negative opinion as such.
My negative gripes about the game may not be what others consider negatives and that is okay. Telling people how they should feel about your game isn't.
"You can fly, you can shoot, you can mine, you can loot!"
Okay?... Is any of that fun though? It is like the amount of content is the only thing that matters and not the quality of said content. Is any of the content meaningful? They are acting like these mechanics aren't common in recent modern games. These kinds of games do nothing for me. I find it pathetic that a person of the team is trying to sway negative opinion as such.
My negative gripes about the game may not be what others consider negatives and that is okay. Telling people how they should feel about your game isn't.
digoutyoursoul
Member
It would be a lot less hassle to make a better quality product in the first place.
The big give away was selected reviewers , a complete waste of time and a shitbag tactic.
R6Rider
Gold Member
It's real. You can go to Steam and read them.
Kagoshima_Luke
Gold Member
Well, Bethesda haven't moved very far along the 5-step process, have they?:
Hawking Radiation
Member
Well said mateYou might want to calm down. Just a suggestion.
It's time for realise that your own personal opinion and the echo chamber that the OT was (this isn't a slight by the way, OT's are always echo chambers by nature, it's just how things tend to transpire), don't align with the opinions of the masses who have played the game.
Hundreds of thousands of people are not buying this game on PC to "pile on". There's a much cheaper avenue by which people are able to do so if that were their prerogative.
semiconscious
Member
first post. this's the explanation in a nutshell. the biggest map featured in any bethesda game - but you can't actually explore it...
newtypepilot
Member
Of course it's by design. You fanboys will buy anything.
Stare-Bear
Banned
If it had come out in 2016, it would’ve been impressive tech. But it’s 2023. We’ve been spoiled with game that look better and above run better.