Was Starfield's New Game Plus Worth It?

[@TheAtariBebop]

Starfield in my opinion would HEAVILY benefit to fun rogue like elements with its setting and new game plus, making things randomized, imagine different types of endings in new game plus, also slightly different starts or evil versions of good characters, that’s be pretty dope

[@rebecca99994]

I agreed with basically all of this, and it's nice to see a discussion of faults with aspects of Starfield from someone who actually enjoyed the game at some stage.

[@0periodproductions]

I am genuinely looking forward to the updates, the expansions, and mods. There's a good gameplay loop between combat, exploration, and space combat, but I very much understand why as a whole the game didn't click for everyone.

[@Darziak]

Starfield - A journey that never ends...literally. Pretty much with you on this George, having a piece of chocolate and finding out it might take 10 years for another bite.

[@thierry4140]

I have over 200 hours in one save game, and I actually completed NG+ 2 times. The first one I rushed, the second one I stayed in the universe and played the game all over again, and I don't regret it. The main quest line, if you choose to play again, has different twists and choices to do, which I felt was a great addition to the game, and the main side quests have some variations as well, but not near as the main story sadly. I feel like going through the unity repeatedly was bound to be senseless, in the lore it is more like a search for more power than to finding answers, that being showed by how the hunter and the emissary have both gone infinite times in that cycle, and both don't know the true nature of the unity. That being said, that's no excuse for the lack of variation in those universes. Honestly, I don't know where those 300k+ lines of dialogue are, and personally, I think great part of them are lost in miscellaneous quests made to feel that the game has more content than it has. If they had used their work force to make more variations instead of making hundreds of uninteresting misc quests, the NG would be insanely more unique and fun, and for me that's so much wasted potential of really in fact making the game more replayable and last decades, just as their goal was with this game. I think they had to have more time with this game, I have 95% of certainty that the game has unbearable amounts of cut content, such as travelling through planets, ground vehicles etc. The reason I believe in that are the shipping quests that you get on those terminals. For real those missions simply don't make any sense, basically all you do is get the mission and fast travel to the planet/main city that you need to do the delivery and the quest is done, you simply don't do anything besides fast travelling, which is why I think there was indeed planet to planet flight in the plans for the game. The point is that while I liked the game and the universe that bethesda created, I believe this game had so much wasted potential considering what NG+ and space exploration could be. I really hope with my heart that they add more content to the game and at least make it 80% of what it would be, have they had more time and availability from the execs.

[@hxce]

Not worth to grind ng+ 10 for some armor and ship. Spoilers :) Going to a planet walk 300m + flying around and try to catch some flying stars thing 4 times go inside the ring with the power 1/2 times there someone waiting for you to attack you Do that 240 times (sometimes it's bugged so you can't get all 24) Find all the artifact defeat hunter or emissary (or both) do that 10 times. What i recommend = Do just 1 time the ng+ and stay there because everyone lives happy there. Build there your fancy ships or whatever and than explore the game do your thing there. If you're on pc i highly recommend you difficulty mods. What it does NPCs get stronger but you're also get stronger so both are 3 times hit so you need to use more cover in fights. Makes fighting the npcs realistic and more fun to do it. So if you're hunter fanboy do your thing but it's going to cost you alot of patient and hours. Soooooooooo do what you want but i think it's not worth your time for some spacesuit and spaceship that isn't even the strongest in the game to grind for it.

[@nolgroth]

Simply put, the rush towards NG+ replaced the character and story with a mechanic and gimmick. There were some interesting set piece missions like the alternating timelines one, but mostly it became a literal jump through the hoops and claim your carnival prize. In subsequent play throughs, you can just skip over that storytelling completely, making it more about mechanical advantage over storytelling. Maybe if, by entering the Unity, you became a player on a much bigger stage, then it might have been something. If you discover that the ratrace for power is because of [insert real story here] and there are stakes and consequences, then maybe. As is, the reason you go hunt down powers is because the game tells you, the player, to. There's no story reason that matters. Maybe that will change with DLC. Maybe we'll get our "Alduin" in the form of the Great Serpent. Maybe there will be a reason that we need powers to fight it. Maybe we skip through universes is because we have to give ground, while getting more powerful, so that we can eventually learn the Dragonren....er power to defeat the big, bad existential threat to the multiverse. So no, we didn't need NG+. It's a gimmick at best and, considering how many buggy saves have been fixed by entering NG+ mode, probably just a glorified save repair tool from Bethesda.

[@guardian7284]

If you replay the story normally without choosing the option to admit everything to Constellation in NG+ you do get new outcomes to certain story elements and variations to the main questline, and I genuinely think that's the most 'satisfying' variation. It changes a lot of the journey with all the foreknowledge you have, the Starborn know you and are critical of you for trying to 'pretend to be human' again, etc. This doesn't really resolve the main themes of the artifacts like a story expansion would, but it makes a full, real story replay worth it if you enjoyed the first run, because it is actually different enough.

[@chaserseven2886]

The manipulation perk is its own thing and getting the amp is a short cut to getting it

[@pietro0games]

yeah, is just a free level 1 manipulation perk

[@danteunknown2108]

There's still a problem with it story wise. When it is given through the amp it's essentially equipment, and thus should be lost in the crossing. Honestly it could be a leftover from a discarded cybernetic system, or a teaser of a future addition cybernetics. Story wise and mechanically I think the CCs point is perfectly sound.

[@matthewrichardson2533]

My game killed Sarah like right after I married her. That's when I truly fell in love with the game

[@SC.KINGDOM]

The ol health insurance scam

[@Rednave69]

Starfield's needed a few things to make new game plus better: 1. Changing your traits on every reset - These traits are the only reason I'd make a new character, but NG+ makes me feel like I shouldn't make a new character, so there should be a way to have my cake and eat it too. 2. Morrowind style killable NPCs - If you are providing an option to reset the universe it would've been awesome to see the popup "you done goofed so reset the universe or stay in this doomed one" 3. Shuffling up quest characters - The big quests should've had some jumbles in it. Maybe the crimison fleet quest has NPCs swapped around. Maybe a different character murdered someone. Something to make easy playthrough feel like a neat surprise to re-do the factions.

[@thecoffeebadger5807]

I never played Starfield but I will soon, but by the way you explained it because I only listen to your videos to avoid visual spoilers, is Starfield the Groundhog Day movie in space? Because that is what it sounds like. I also think this might be a coincidence seeing that Groundhog day is around the corner. 😅

[@frutti_di_marius]

What I like most about Starfields NG+ is that it gives you the chance to actually start roleplaying. As you follow the main quest you're pretty much forced to team up, even befriend with the Constellation, whether you like them or not. One of the main parts of the game I hated was that you had to get involved with the good guys but then once you decided to play as a pirate all your good guy companions still happily accepted you to be their friend, Ranger and Vanguard which was a huge plot hole that made the story incredibly unimmersive. Now being able to start all over in a new universe you can basically leave the Constellation aside and choose your own path which really gives the game the freedom I would've liked it to have from the beginning.

[@TommyGuy1988]

Solid review.

[@Vahmung]

Starfield feels like it needs the modding community. It feels like it needs things like Base Object Swapper, SPID, etc from Skyrim. I can see one of the biggest mods for Starfield would be something that adds a lot more civilizations on remote planets or mods that add aliens. Of course, lewd event/animation mods will also sustain the game as well. I do not see this game maintaining the pace Skyrim or Oblivion have had. FO3 and FO4 have mods but rarely is there much to sustain them. I believe, depending on the CK and what frameworks are made for Starfield, this game will keep pace with something like FO4 and need to rely on big overhauls or quests from modding teams to keep it relevant. New game plus being story driven is interesting but I agree with you, if there is a way that after lets say... 10 NG+ you get a new optional quest to want to return back to your original world or meet the beings that created it all.

[@Greaseball_gamer]

I hope the story extension fixes a lot of the issues with base starfield and connects to the main quest, because they don’t call it the first DLC , they label it’s as a story extension.

[@jesselalonde8455]

Keep in mind any research made is kept as well

[@christinaedwards5084]

I think with new game plus you should plan to do one thing per playthrough. First run: main quest. 2nd run: vanguard 3rd run:vanguard again but choose opposite of previous run 4th run: sys def 5th run crimson fleet And so on. Just to take the monotony out of replaying the main question over and over and give you something to look forward too each time you pass through. Personally, I made a dedicated build each time for each faction. I didn’t want powers or skills that didn’t make sense. And starting with a new build each time it levels quite fast and can be made extremely specialist forcing you into different playstyles and weapons classes. Getting bored as a sneak pistol build? I’ve also got a samurai melee or a sniper, or a heavy weapons. Or a starborn Or a ………. New game plus imo offers nothing that a different character can’t.

[@chaserseven2886]

Not keeping our ships in some way sucks and maybe there wasn’t too much changes. As for new game plus I think it has some huge potential that they can use it to be more relaxed and not feel too bad that if a player isn’t able to do everything in one play through

[@publiusdos5925]

That was one of the more baffling things about the game, Bethesda stuck to their philosophy of not cutting off content in a game with a new game plus gimmick. What?

[@chaserseven2886]

@@publiusdos5925yh, I do hope we get a dedicated new game plus dlc

[@chaserseven2886]

@@publiusdos5925I hope there’s a new game plus dedicated dlc or update

[@SimmerCK]

I don't mind losing my ship, but we should at least be able to save the design and simply buy the ship again. Some ships take an extra effort to get the proper parts and it's a pain to have to source it all over again. I have enjoyed creating variants of my favorite designs across 4 NG+. I wish I could save them.

[@eroden9]

Only reason I did NG+ was to fix a game bug. I had no wish to ever do it, I'm not a fan of the mechanic at all. My orginal plan was to scan every world in the game...bugs made that a non-option. And I used a mod to keep some of my gear and all my money. Screw that 'taking everything away from you' B.S.

[@nolgroth]

When a save gets buggy, I have a batch file that puts me into NG+ without the super powers. No grinding through the stupid alien temples. No artifacts. No Constellation. Just appear in the Unity. Walk to the bubble. Skip through credits. Appear above Vectera. Since I have played through all the story stuff, my gameplay loop is basically Mission Board, Survey Worlds, Capture Ships, Build Ships, Repeat. The only thing is that I get to find new stuff to use. Perfect solution.

[@Legacyartist]

For me NG+ made me realize I didn't like the core game much. My first time around I had a blast, well except for the main quest. Everything was new it really felt like Bethesda fixed a lot of the problems of Fallout 4. Then I went through my first NG+ and was honest with constellation and found out it was the short cut to jump into a new NG+ and for the first time the game felt off. So I went into NG+ 2 and decided to redo the fraction quests differently only to find there was no difference except with the Crimson Fleet ending. The excitement was gone I've played the same repetitive Skyrim quests still having fun but the second time going through the UC quest was just boring. Then it hit me nothing is happening in-between the quests. No side tracking, no random events, nothing was breaking up the repetition. I get a guest and do it until completion with no variation. The game was only fun for a single playthrough which for any other studio would be perfect but for a Bethesda game it left me leaving the game on a sour note. I don't think I would have felt that way if NG+ wasn't there it's an odd experience.

[@celebril]

While I don't disagree, the game can be just as fulfilling if you do not go through Unity. And you question about final answers, two thoughts come to mind... 1) We are only at the very beginning of the story. You have no idea where they are planning to go over the course of the game. 2) You probably don't want to read a lot of Arthur C. Clarke.

[@0periodproductions]

I think storytelling in a book is a very different medium than an interactive game. Something like the Starborn, universes, etc would work much better in a more traditional form of media where you're not creating the character yourself and then losing a lot of what you've actively acquired. I did make the point towards the end that maybe the real lesson is not going through the Unity at all. While I'd love to see where else we can go in Starfield, I also can't help but feel that if we have to wait for an expansion to explain or conclude the story, it won't feel satisfying knowing that we didn't get the true "ending" in the base game.

[@celebril]

@@0periodproductions You are SO right about the Unity. I've given the advice countless times not to unless you have a roleplaying reason to do it. Even if it's only a pure power chase, it needs to be part of the character roleplay. Not having some in-game reason could easily kill the game for players. I certainly can't disagree with your first point, either. Back in my tabletop and dice days, I've run and played in both approaches in campaigns; i.e., the BSG approach and the more computer-traditional. Personally I enjoy both and I think the throwback to may have a lot to do with my enjoyment of SF. It's really a personal pref thing and no right or wrong answer.

[@jamesocallaghan2699]

Starfield has many problems, but I don’t hate the game. The one thing that does keep me from going back to it though is the horrendous way of acquiring powers. The temple ‘mini game’ is frustrating, repetitive and boring. It kills my enthusiasm.

[@isthatyoursomnomnom]

Didn't need or want NG+ from my (supposedly) RPG. What I want is a well written story with actual choices that mean something - something BGS is incapable of.

[@chaserseven2886]

well its a good thing a new game plus can help with that

[@Direwolf9818]

When has Bethesda actually ever given choices in their game outside of Daggerfall? I don’t remember Morrowind or oblivion having choices? The only RPG elements they have is the class creation/selection

[@human3504]

​@@Direwolf9818Fallout 3 had that Megaton nuke choice, it also had that other choice with the president. Fallout 4 probably had something.

[@nywolf9798]

It's totally worth it, but the bug that forces you to do it or you start crashing isn't worth it. It's great to start a new game and not have to grind all over again, so that part works for me, I just don't like being forced to NG because my game got to big.

[@pietro0games]

I used the newgame plus to "revive" the person from the first universe and to fight both of the main starborn, and helps leveling up faster

[@FranklinLongallnitelong22]

I am on my third NG+...I find it better then, like in Skyrim. Just building a new character...You have one character playing the game over again with maybe different outcomes. The only way to change the outcomes in Skyrim is through mods...There are mods coming to Starfield along with DLC's that may flesh out more of the universe...The story is not complete yet...even with all the quests in it. Just like there is an incompleteness with Skyrim...What happens to the Dragonborn after he/she finishes it all.

[@christinaedwards5084]

I made each race faction dedicated in Skyrim. Nords and imperial were Dragonborn, each outcome of the respective civil war, the imperial destroyed the DB (for the empire) my nord took on miraak. To be the greatest dragon born. My khajit did DB. My dark elf was a mage DB where Cicero lived. My Argonian did thieves guild. Pacifist playthrough. My woodelf also did thieves guild but had weapons and became nightingale. My Altmer was head of the college. My orc was a companion. And destroyed the vampires. My Breton was a necromage vampire and destroyed the dawnguard. I never like using one character for everything, takes too long to level and gets kinda annoying being a god and yet nobody really knows you and talks to you like garbage. Like being dragon born and told you smell like a wet dog, and pist “I know you, hail sithis” I’m saviour of the world , head of the college, Thame of every hold everyone knows me yet nobody does 😣

[@PeoplecallmeLucifer]

9:20 I think that someoneneeds to create the mod of you chucking the artifects into the sun! and then have the Emissary and the Hunter just going insane over that!

[@christinaedwards5084]

Depends on the level of ‘realism’ they want to go for. It’s virtually impossible to launch anything at the sun, it’ll always orbit unless you could get light speed.

[@PeoplecallmeLucifer]

@@christinaedwards5084 well ya can always program a ship to gravjump there XD

[@neandeteren418]

if you take time to really think about it, its very simple... THE PERSON WHO CREATED THE ARTIFACT AND LED US ON THIS JOURNEY IS TODD HOWARD, HES THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE.

[@sourcacti8790]

The concept of multiple universes and the philosophy of existentialism are so very exhausting and depressing to me... I wish we went back to telling the stories about people whose lives matter. Even in Elder Scrolls, yes we have dragonbrakes and multiple kalpas, but it's not like there's a infinite number of universes. Everything will eventually end. There's a meaning to here and now. If TESVI tels us that "um actually every playthrough of Skyrim is technically canon, even the moded ones with Thomas the Tank Engine" I'm not sure if I wouldn't lose the motivation to play any TES games...

[@ZerebusPrime]

Without randomizing more aspects of main quests and companions to make each universe unique and more cross-faction consequences to player choices and affiliation, Unity as a game function is lacking. You should be locked out of entire factions if you go pirate. You should find a universe where companions have different opinions and viewpoints than they did in the first iteration. There's more impetus to go into the Unity if you know the next world could be very different in strange and exciting ways. Instead, we get whatever this is.

[@anotherranger2924]

I just wanted the starborn to be aliens and a gateway to a more diverse universe. What were these guys doing for 8 years?

[@RottenPineGames]

I stopped at NG+ 3, I didn't see a point in going on, but it ruined the story elements for me and I have now completely started over.

[@edcliff4627]

Starfield needs it's creation kit, and an 'Enderal' level re-write. P.S. when I log in to endorse or comment, I'm taken away from the video I have watched.

[@chaserseven2886]

11:12 that was Phil Spencer who said that

[@JesseJamison-o8c]

It sounds like you're saying that this wasn't an original story overall, it was heavily themed on games that already exists which to me doesn't sound like it's worth it at all.

[@danteunknown2108]

Fundamentally i don't think it's right to even call it "new" game plus. It plays more like a rogue like. You're not starting over but are in fact *continuing* your current game.

[@pietro0games]

The questions in 09:00 are all answered by "yourself": Gods or god will and the game gives a philosophy around it. Starfield isn't atheist

[@jrny8922]

No

[@brendanelson8669]

George,Why are you covering new game plus without even posting any lets plays of starfield on your page? I hoped you'd play starfield and put up a playlist for us to watch...nothing so far...hmm.

[@0periodproductions]

I have a full playthrough on Twitch, but decided to wait until I did a full Modded Playthrough for KZbin, which I do realize is a while out. Part of this was also that I'm slowly trying to transition into having more scripted / essay style content such as this in addition to gameplay focused videos.

[@gallendugall8913]

New Game Plus actively makes the game worse. They put so much focus, energy and effort into "way kewl" new universes and 90% of players stop playing when they finish the main story. They should have grown the universe so it doesn't feel so empty.

[@airiannawilliams3181]

Starfield, more like StarLoad. I really wanted to love the game with over 256 hours "playtime", more like "Loading Screens time", and 1 character. The story line couldn't hold my interest anymore than Skyrim, or Fallout. I got to help 1 member of Constellation back "home" to the lodge, then instantly went and started surveying all the planets, got 1 power, and rolled my eyes, "Dragon shouts", but having to go through 5 loading screens just to change planets in the same system got to be rather tedious. So much for exploring planets, you land and get 6 square km to run around in. Hit the "wall" and you get to move the ship, oh, you can forget the very next zone over, and with enough landings on the same planet, the landing zones also vanish. Only way to make the zone permanent is to place down an outpost marker, and never pick it back up. Meaning, there is NO stumbling on the Star Temples, even if you know there is one on that planet due to how the anomalies line up. A precision landing on any given planet where it will be revealed to have a temple, you will always land in a zone without the temple till it is revealed by Vladimir to contain a temple. The most memorable part of starfield, Loading screens. Say something nice about Starfield, "It's easily uninstalled, and that too can be counted as a 'loading screen'."

[@CommunistHydra]

first playthrough was good. after that, it was boring NG+ was a bore

[@lorddrakkon5336]

No, no we didn't

[@enzosw]

Let me ask and answer another question instead. Was Starfield worth the hype? No.

[@Irudium1]

Can people stop enabling these shit greedy companys ?

[@whendarknessfalls6969]

The whole game wasn't worth it

[@emanuelkonrad4270]

it's a game, if you don't like it, don't play it, it could have been improved yes, but still a good game :P

[@whendarknessfalls6969]

@emanuelkonrad4270 played with the gamepass and didn't like it. Like most people. But it's not a good game, don't act stupid.

[@emanuelkonrad4270]

@@whendarknessfalls6969 sorry, there is no point arguing, the game is good, just not for you, you stop thinking that everyone has the same experience like you.

[@whendarknessfalls6969]

@emanuelkonrad4270 no, it is not good as there's actual good space games. Not broken fallout set in something like space. Good day

[@publiusdos5925]

Aren't you required to pontificate on design documents and exploiting modders for half of this video?

[@chaserseven2886]

What does that mean?

[@punpun7164]

?????

[@pietro0games]

i can't get it why people keeps relying on this thing about bethesda not making design documents, if their showcase 1 year before release was a design doc by itself

[@0periodproductions]

The design doc comment isn't my favorite, but I also don't know enough about game development to consider myself qualified to speak on it. And I have spoken on the paid mods situation before, my thoughts are that we still need more transparency about the program, but I'm probably a bit more optimistic about Creations than most people are right now.

[@0periodproductions]

I think they're trying to say that anyone who complains about Bethesda usually goes to those 2 talking points. However this video wasn't intended as a "I want to shit on Bethesda," it was me wanting to have a conversation about a specific aspect of the game