Starfield - Bethesda Softworks - Release Date - Sep 6th 2023

Bocephus86

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I haven't heard anything official about patches beyond the initial statement BGS made about adding an FOV slider, DLSS, etc. but the first release of the community patch just came out.

Will have to check this out, thank you!
 

Osprey

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Not really sure where to look this stuff up so I'll ask here: Any rumblings of upcoming patches/performance fixes? I've been playing for a little over a week and really enjoying myself, but I am getting a ton of crashing on PC. I basically can't access Akila without a crash every 10 minutes. I'm now having some issues wrapping up the Mantis quest.

I've downloaded a tool that allows me to limit my CPU usage to 90% for Starfield, and I have been running it in admin mode with very low settings. This was done after lots of googling and testing, and it has helped a ton overall, though I still have those major issues above as well as random stuttering.

I know I need to upgrade my CPU (probably PC overall, other than my GPU 1080ti). I run an older (~6 ish? years) i5 but I've been running games like Cyberpunk near Ultra with no issues so this is a new experience for me. From my googling, it seems pretty universal for people, at least PC gamers.

That being said, I am plowing ahead as Bethesda games are aimed squarely at me. It's scratching my looter/builder itch & I really like the gun play. I just wish it wasnt so prone to freezing/crashing.
I played for about 100 hours on PC and the game crashed only a few times, no more than any other game, it felt. I always used the most recent graphics driver, so make sure that you're updated. Also, I used one of the performance mods... this one, I think. It may reduce the stuttering, if not also the crashing. In fact, if you're already using any mods, you might try removing them and even re-installing the game, just in case one of them is causing your crashing. This is especially true if the mods use SFSE or some other loader.

Lastly, if you're on Windows 11, an update that Microsoft rolled out a couple of weeks ago is known to be behind some crashing of Starfield. See if you have it installed and try uninstalling it.
Windows 11 October 2023 Update crashing games and File Explorer
 
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Bocephus86

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I played for about 100 hours on PC and the game crashed only a few times, no more than any other game, it felt. I always used the most recent graphics driver, so make sure that you're updated. Also, I used one of the performance mods... this one, I think. It may reduce the stuttering, if not also the crashing. In fact, if you're already using any mods, you might try removing them and even re-installing the game, just in case one of them is causing your crashing. This is especially true if the mods use SFSE or some other loader.

Lastly, if you're on Windows 11, an update that Microsoft rolled out a couple of weeks ago is known to be behind some crashing of Starfield. See if you have it installed and try uninstalling it.
Windows 11 October 2023 Update crashing games and File Explorer
Will give it a shot, thanks. The game just pings my CPU. Probably a sign that it's time to put an upgrade on the list.
 

Jussi

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Anyone played the Juno's Gambit or Crucible side missions? I thought they were/are really "sci-fi" missions, especially the latter which feels like straight from an episode of Star Trek (TOS or TNG). I haven't finished it yet because I have to upgrade my Astrodynamics skill tree a bit so I can make the jump to a certain ship. FYI, the mission involves a planet full of clones, several based on Earth historical figures like Genghis Khan, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Wyatt Earp, Amelia Earhart, Ada Lovelace etc. A really f***ed up place and story with multiple possible finishes. There's also a potential bug early on it, where everyone starts shooting at you, which happened to me and I had to load an earlier save. I recommend saving frequently during the mission in case it happens. Reloading fixes it.
 

Bocephus86

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I have not got to that mission yet. I'm level 25 and sort of midway through the UC & Crimson Fleet missions. I play slow and explore/loot a lot.

As an aside, if anyone else has performance issues like me on PC, I found that deleting a bunch of unnecessary saves + increasing my graphics settings to a smattering of Medium & High has actually helped. I still use the CPU throttle tool to keep it capped around 92% and I run the game in admin mode, but those two extra things have had a huge impact.

Not unrelated to the saving thing, I turned off a lot of the auto saving. I started noticing that a lot of my crashes would connect to an arrival at a place kicking off an autosave + some random event (IE, running into hostile spacers). I think the combo would bork my machine and freeze it up. Now I just religiously quick save and clear them out before my next session.
 

Jussi

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I have not got to that mission yet. I'm level 25 and sort of midway through the UC & Crimson Fleet missions. I play slow and explore/loot a lot.

As an aside, if anyone else has performance issues like me on PC, I found that deleting a bunch of unnecessary saves + increasing my graphics settings to a smattering of Medium & High has actually helped. I still use the CPU throttle tool to keep it capped around 92% and I run the game in admin mode, but those two extra things have had a huge impact.

Not unrelated to the saving thing, I turned off a lot of the auto saving. I started noticing that a lot of my crashes would connect to an arrival at a place kicking off an autosave + some random event (IE, running into hostile spacers). I think the combo would bork my machine and freeze it up. Now I just religiously quick save and clear them out before my next session.
I forgot where and when it popped up but it shows up in the mission list as "answer distress signal.

"To get the “Operation Starseed” mission, you’ll first have to reach the Charybdis system." You might have to scan the planets/systems on the route there before you get to travel.

Quest description and walk through here: How to make the best society choice for you in Starfield’s Operation Starseed I recommend stocking up on weapons that do extra damage on aliens. I gota few level 85 things on my go (I'm level 31).
 
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WeDislikeEich

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Anyone played the Juno's Gambit or Crucible side missions? I thought they were/are really "sci-fi" missions, especially the latter which feels like straight from an episode of Star Trek (TOS or TNG). I haven't finished it yet because I have to upgrade my Astrodynamics skill tree a bit so I can make the jump to a certain ship. FYI, the mission involves a planet full of clones, several based on Earth historical figures like Genghis Khan, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Wyatt Earp, Amelia Earhart, Ada Lovelace etc. A really f***ed up place and story with multiple possible finishes. There's also a potential bug early on it, where everyone starts shooting at you, which happened to me and I had to load an earlier save. I recommend saving frequently during the mission in case it happens. Reloading fixes it.
Yes I did both. Juno’s gambit was a cool mission. The crucible missions may have been my favorite in the game. I never got the distress signal I just stumbled on the planet while exploring. Such a fun surprise considering most planets I found we’re hardly worth exploring.
 

Jussi

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Another good sidemission or location I discovered, "Vulture's Roost" on Jaffa-IV. You can get a ship there but it's not very good. But there's loads of good gear and contraband there.
 

93LEAFS

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I've played maybe 30 minutes of Starfield. When this new patch goes live for PC Gamepass, I might go back and give it another shot. When I first tried I was not ecstatic with the performance I was getting for a set-up that generally runs modern AAA games pretty well (3080ti/13600k).
 

GreytWun

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I've played maybe 30 minutes of Starfield. When this new patch goes live for PC Gamepass, I might go back and give it another shot. When I first tried I was not ecstatic with the performance I was getting for a set-up that generally runs modern AAA games pretty well (3080ti/13600k).

I have a 3080 and 5800x and didn’t have any issues with the game.
 

93LEAFS

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I have a 3080 and 5800x and didn’t have any issues with the game.
It was playable, but it def wasn't up to a standard I wanted to play at 1440p/high getting below 60 fps at points, and wanted DLSS integration. It absolutely could have been optimized better than it was, especially for Nvidia GPUs. I guess it varies on how much you wanted to play it at launch, what settings and what you were willing to wait for.
 
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x Tame Impala

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You guys should just buy a console already and stop caring so much about your PC optimization. Obviously devs continuously struggle with matching everyone's specific specs.
 
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Osprey

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You guys should just buy a console already and stop caring so much about your PC optimization. Obviously devs continuously struggle with matching everyone's specific specs.
6de4a7d90e63ddaf65da4f4f7883bd0d.jpg
 

Mikeaveli

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You guys should just buy a console already and stop caring so much about your PC optimization. Obviously devs continuously struggle with matching everyone's specific specs.
This game runs at 30 FPS on consoles. 30 FPS is not acceptable to most PC gamers. If it was, they wouldn't buy a console, they would just lock the game to 30 FPS.

Either way I'm excited to jump back into this game, it ran okay with the frame generation mod but the performance improvements combined with official frame gen support and the HDR update should be a nice upgrade over the launch game.
 

93LEAFS

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You guys should just buy a console already and stop caring so much about your PC optimization. Obviously devs continuously struggle with matching everyone's specific specs.
I have a PS5 and a Switch Oled along with my PC. No chance I was buying a 3rd console. I'd rather have my PC for Microsoft exclusives and use it for most 3rd party titles as long as companies don't butcher ports or at least plan to optimize a game before release. My PC will run the game better than a Series X will. This game got kneecapped at launch for Nvidia users because of AMD sponsoring it, which is a terrible practice (which Microsoft never should have agreed to).
 
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Osprey

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$1200 gets you a PS5 and XSX. You don't have to fiddle with hardware swaps for 7 or so years after that initial purchase. Just sayin'
PC gamers don't have to upgrade more often. Many are still using 7-year-old hardware, older than even the PS5 and XSX have. Many others choose to upgrade more often, though, because they can. They're willing to pay to get things like higher framerates and image quality. They also often enjoy fiddling with hardware and software. Building, upgrading and maintaining PCs is a hobby unto itself. It's similar to how car enthusiasts like to tinker with and upgrade cars to get more performance and features than they came with. Telling a PC enthusiast to just buy a console is like telling a car enthusiast to just keep a car in stock factory condition. It misses the fact that it's a hobby. For people who don't enjoy fiddling with hardware and software, though, consoles are probably more suitable, you're right.
 
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x Tame Impala

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PC gamers don't have to upgrade more often. Many are still using 7-year-old hardware, older than even the PS5 and XSX have. Many others choose to upgrade more often, though, because they can. They're willing to pay to get things like higher framerates and image quality. They also often enjoy fiddling with hardware and software. Building, upgrading and maintaining PCs is a hobby unto itself. It's similar to how car enthusiasts like to tinker with and upgrade cars to get more performance and features than they came with. Telling a PC enthusiast to just buy a console is like telling a car enthusiast to just keep a car in stock factory condition. It misses the fact that it's a hobby. For people who don't enjoy fiddling with hardware and software, though, consoles are probably more suitable, you're right.

That's a great point and something i hadn't considered.
 
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93LEAFS

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PC gamers don't have to upgrade more frequently. Many are still using 7-year-old hardware, older than even the PS5 and XSX have. Many others choose to upgrade more often, though, because they can. They're willing to pay to get things like higher framerates and image quality. They also often enjoy fiddling with hardware and software. Building, upgrading and maintaining PCs is a hobby unto itself. It's similar to how car enthusiasts like to tinker with and upgrade cars to get more performance and features than they came with. Telling a PC enthusiast to just buy a console is like telling a car enthusiast to just keep a car in stock factory condition. It misses the fact that fiddling with hardware and software is a hobby. For people who don't enjoy doing that, though, a console is probably more suitable, you're right.
Yeah, it's an enthusiast hobby for a lot of people such as cars or even audio where you are chasing the best possible quality available. As someone who recently got into it, while expensive and frustrating on a first build, it is rewarding building a PC and chasing better performance. Probably not cost-efficient (atleast in my case). Granted, Steam sales and not paying for stuff like PS Plus or X-Box Live do save money if you are big into multiplayer games do knock some of that down. There is definitely a culture around PC building which has grown in recent years.

Also have to remember last-gen both Sony and Microsoft offered mid-gen refreshes for better performance, similar to how a lot of people like to upgrade their GPUs every 2 gen cycle. Now, whether that happens this gen will be interesting, because a major reason for that last-gen was that 4K tvs became commonplace and the launch 8th gen consoles only output games at 1080p, so both companies wanted in on that 4K craze (even if it was mostly just checkerboard upscaling).
 

The Crypto Guy

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Havent been paying attention to how the game is going but seems like the game was a complete letdown by most just looking around online now.

Oh and this is just such a sad response by a developer to defend the empty and boring planets:

IMG-6098.jpg
 
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GreytWun

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Havent been paying attention to how the game is going but seems like the game was a complete letdown by most just looking around online now.

Oh and this is just such a sad response by a developer to defend the empty and boring planets:

IMG-6098.jpg

Game was fun when it came out but after you beat the side and main quests there just isn’t anything else to do. Most are just waiting on DLC.

As for the empty planets I don’t know what people were expecting when there was like 1000 planets. I think if they focused on maybe 10-15 planets it could have been much better.
 

Bocephus86

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$1200 gets you a PS5 and XSX. You don't have to fiddle with hardware swaps for 7 or so years after that initial purchase. Just sayin'
Many of the games I enjoy most are not console games, or are best played on PC (ex. Total Wars, Civ, etc.). Plus I find it much easier to tweak and mod games on PC.

Consoles are for sports games IMO.
 
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