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Comment by ViktorRay | Hacker News Reader

It does absolutely matter because Bethesda’s older games like Skyrim and Fallout 4 have higher player counts than Starfield.

Starfield is only a few months old. Why is it less popular than those games? Clearly something went wrong with Starfield.

You see this in Steam reviews too. Skyrim and Fallout 4 have positive Steam reviews overall. Starfield is mixed overall indicating severe dissatisfaction with the game. This dissatisfaction is reflected in Starfield’s low player counted compared to the older Bethesda games.

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I don't have a dog in this fight (I haven't played Starfield or any of the Elder Scrolls games, and the last Fallout game I played was pre-Bethesda), so take this question as more curious than dismissive:

My understanding is that these games have been improved over time by both the developers and by third-party modders. Isn't a possible explanation for the older games being more popular that they're better games, not because something went wrong with Starfield, but rather that the earlier games have had much more time to be polished into what they are today? Isn't it a bit early to write Starfield off given the histories of these other games? I remember most of the Fallout games being written off as bug-filled, boring messes at launch, and now they're the "popular" games being compared against.

That is a good point you made

I will say though that one difference is that Skyrim and Fallout 4 were deeply beloved by most Bethesda fans when they released. Starfield on the other hand seems to have had a more negative reception than them.

That being said....everything you said could very well be true! I guess we shall see what happens.

One final point: Other Bethesda games are known to have highly memorable atmospheres. I strongly remember the emotions I felt when I played Bethesda's other games. Starfield, on the other hand, has a very bland atmosphere unfortunately. That was the biggest dissapointment I had with it. I don't know how Bethesda can"fix" this issue even if they fix all the other issues with Starfield.

Wonder what full conversion mods like Enderal (for Skyrim) show up like in the stats?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/933480/Enderal_Forgotten_...

do you want to explore the vastness of space and find nothing but grind? we're here for you.

want the seamless experience of flying from planet to space and beyond? play another game.

StarField is a series of loading screens with minigames between then.

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