Summary
AStarfieldplayer recently showed off their incredible collection of potatoes, demonstrating the impressive physics implemented in the space-faring RPG by Bethesda. Many people have voiced discontent with the fact thatStarfieldonly runs at 30 FPS on Xbox Series X/S consoles. However, that was a conscious choice made by the developer to ensure consistent quality and performance across the board, even when people accumulate massive quantities of in-game items.
LikeFallout 4andSkyrimbefore it,Starfielduses the Creation Engine, though an upgraded version of it, and one of the features of the tool is that many items spawned into the game remain there indefinitely. This means loot, armor, and other objects dropped on the ground or inside buildings can usually be retrieved days later, and the evidence of chaos wreaked in shops and houses will remain throughout a playthrough. Even corpses of some NPCs can be found lying about, usually stripped of valuable goods, long after they’ve died.
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AStarfieldplayer who goes by the Reddit user name of Moozipan demonstrated this aspect of the Creation Engine in a video recently shared on the social media site. Titled “Time To Let Something Go,” the uploaded footage shows the player opening a hatch on their spaceship, out of which spill thousands of potatoes. Not only is it impressive that the game still performs well with that many in-game objects spawned in, but the realistic manner that the potatoes tumble out of their enclosure is equally noteworthy.
Like the iteration before it,Bethesda’s Creation Engine 2 utilizes Havok, a 3D physics engine that is owned by Microsoft. Among other things, Havok provides real-time collision for objects, including bodies, and it also simulates the movement of cloth, hair, and foliage. Combined with the increased level of detail that was implemented forFallout 76and Creation Engine 2’s improved real-time lighting,the effect on something as mundane as a pile of potatoes is pretty remarkable.
Some people might wonder why Bethesda’s latest titlehas collectible potatoes in the first place and why they can be gathered in such large quantities. As withSkyrimand theFalloutgames,Starfieldfeatures cooking and crafting, which requires stockpiling necessary ingredients like carrots, tomatoes, a variety of fruits, and of course potatoes. There are numerous recipes to be found throughout the game, and the meals prepared at a cooking station or found in the game world can recover lost health and provide other temporary benefits, like improved oxygen recovery or damage resistance.
Starfieldis available on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
