After a few rounds of updates, Star Field is slowly evolving into something very different from what was originally launched on September 4, 2023. And I’m not just talking about cool new mods which are quick and easy to install now thanks to the Creations suite. Since May 2024, many new features have been added to Star FieldSettings menus that allow you to subtly and dramatically change the way the game plays.
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These new options include adjustable difficulty levels for different types of damage types, survival mechanics, environmental damage adjustments, and even one that I would argue makes the game a little more immersive. Let’s start with this one: the new(ish) dialogue camera toggle.
The Best New Option: Toggle Dialog Camera
Tired of how Star Field zooms in and frames the NPC you’re talking to in a very stiff and tired way? You can turn this off, and honestly I find it pretty crazy what a difference it makes. You’ll find this option in Settings > Accessibility > Chat Camera (on/off).
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When you turn off the dialogue camera, the result is a smoother transition from gameplay/exploration to talking with NPCs. It also keeps your character visible in third-person mode during dialogue.
Environmental damage and coping mechanisms
These options are likely to be a bit divisive, as survival mechanics aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. But hey, when almost all the damn planets are practically empty, adding survival mechanisms like hunger, thirst and the effects of environmental risks Base traversal can be a fun way to challenge yourself as you navigate the stars.
You’ll also earn more XP for harder settings. And if you really don’t want any of these mechanics, even the ones that appeared in Vanilla Star Fieldyou can also completely disable environmental damage and afflictions.
Subsistence
“Subsistence” is one of the new options and, as you might have guessed, it challenges you to maintain hunger and thirst levels in two different ways. In “Positive Only”, you won’t suffer from not eating or drinking, but it will still give you two new statuses, Nourished and Hydrated. They work as follows:
- Nourished: Obtained by eating food. Increases health by 30%, melee damage by 15%, and adds 25% more carrying capacity.
- Hydrated: obtained by drinking. Increases O2 recovery by 30%, sneak attack damage by 15%, and allows you to reload weapons 25% faster.
That’s not all Sustenance has to offer. If you want a greater challenge, you can also select “Positive and Negative” which will punish you for not consuming food or water. With this setting enabled, you run the following risk:
- Malnourished: Acquired by not eating food. Reduces health by 30%, reduces melee damage by 15%, and reduces your carrying capacity by 25%.
- Dehydrated: Achieved by not drinking. Reduces O2 recovery by 30%, reduces sneak attack damage by 15%, and reduces gun reload speed by 25%.
Bethesda’s vanilla survival options through Sustenance are very simple. You can be in a nourished and hydrated state for only 30 minutes at a time. This means you risk being undernourished and dehydrated quite often. I like to place food and water on the left side of the Favorites quick menu so I can easily snack on something or grab a drink when needed, avoiding the hassle of doing so. dive into Star Fieldclumsy menus.
Environmental damage and afflictions
Not only can you completely eliminate environmental damage in these settings, but you can also make things a little harder on yourself. If you set Environmental Damage and Afflictions to Advanced, you’ll need to deal with health impacts in addition to status ailments. When you suffer an environmental affliction, you will also begin to lose health. Part of your health gauge will turn orange, blocking the amount of health you can heal until your affliction is removed.
If you know how radiation works in To fallit will look very familiar to you.
There are also a range of other treatment options that affect how the treatment works and the prognosis. You can toggle whether or not you gain afflictions during combat and adjust how easily they heal over time.
Other Interesting Difficulty Adjustments
Star Field now has four difficulty options, broken down by the amount of damage enemies deal on foot and on board the ship, and the amount of damage you deal on foot and on board the ship. These options list how they change the game in the Game Options menu.
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But that’s not all. You can also change settings that influence your overall carry capacity, how you heal, and changes to the in-game economy.
Transportation capacity, provider credits, care and more
While these settings can enhance a survival experience, they can also simply amplify Star Fieldthe original gameplay loop (or, if you prefer, toned down some aspects of it).
Changes to item management, carrying capacity and supplier credits.
There are two handy settings for changing how much you can carry and how best to manage it. Carry Capacity (located under Game Options) allows you to either reduce the amount you can carry, or leave you with a lot more free space (unfortunately, you can’t turn off Carry Capacity Limitations entirely from of this setting, but there may be some mods to help you with that).
You can also choose to enable ammo weight. While this may seem like an unnecessary way to make the game more difficult, I’ve found that it encourages me to pay more attention to the ammo types my current weapons use.
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Cargo Access Distance (also under Game Options) also gives you more flexibility with your ship’s cargo. Although your cargo capacity will always be limited by the size of your ship’s hold, you can choose to restrict access to cargo only when you are actively inside your ship, or allow unrestricted access to your ship’s cargo, wherever you are. Another setting allows you to access cargo only when you are in colony outposts.
In the game options you will also find a setting to increase or decrease the amount of credits sellers have.
Healing Settings
Star Field Now grants you influence over three sources of healing: medical items, food, and sleep. For the first two options, you can influence how much or how little Med Packs, other healing-specific items, and food heal you.
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You can also adjust the amount of sleep that restores your health and base it on where you sleep. With Full Restore, you will regain all your health and all your afflictions cured simply by taking a nap. Location Limited limits sleep healing to ships, outposts, and colonies. Finally, you can turn off sleep healing completely.
Whether or not Star Field will never be live up to the gargantuan hype which precedes its launch in 2023 remains to be seen. But, these new options are a great way to start tinkering with this massive galaxy. And maybe there’s a nice combination of settings and mods that will finally give you that game you were hoping for Star Field would be.
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