Starfield’s Todd Howard speaks out about its ‘stupid’ AI
Todd Howard has spoken on designing the AI of enemies in Starfield when they're piloting ships - and that they need to be dumb for players to be able to engage.
27th Sep 2023 08:44
Images via Bethesda
Starfield’s Todd Howard speaks out about its ‘stupid’ AI
Todd Howard has spoken on designing the AI of enemies in Starfield when they're piloting ships - and that they need to be dumb for players to be able to engage.
27th Sep 2023 08:44
Images via Bethesda
Naturally, a lot of people have had a lot to say about Starfield. Bethesda's sci-fi game is a pretty big deal in the industry right now, but given that games from the developer always seem to be controversial for one reason or another, the conversation has been amplified even further.
Bethesda's titles aren't for everyone, and many players have poked fun at their notoriously wonky AI for some time now. It looks like Mr. Bethesda himself agrees, although, there could be a good reason for those blundering enemies - or so he claims.
Todd Howard talks 'stupid' AI in Starfield
Bethesda boss Todd Howard has touched on the very particular AI of characters in Bethesda games in an interview, and he has revealed to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences how the team have been making the AI "stupid" entirely on purpose.
"It's very easy… to make the enemies really really smart," says Howard. "Forever we were just jousting. It turns out you have to make the AI really stupid. You have to have them fly, then they need to turn, basically like 'hey, player, why don't you just shoot me for a while?"
Howard is referring to ship combat in Starfield, making sure that you don't have to be a wannabe Luke Skywalker when zooming around the galaxy. Howard continued, "[Once we'd] settled on our pace, and how the enemies are gonna move, that's where it came together."
It's interesting to learn that the AI which has rubbed many players the wrong way over the years is designed to help them along. It'll be frustrating news for the most dedicated "difficulty is gameplay" crowd, but it's hard not to be grateful for the assistance on the outside.
Todd Howard talks power allocation in space travel
One of the most fascinating new additions to Bethesda's gameplay in Starfield is the power allocation system that appears in space travel. Many have pointed out is similar to that of FTL: Faster Than Light. And it turns out that the influence is more literal than we had expected.
"I like the way [FTL: Faster Than Light] does some things with power allocation, you can kind of see that in the game," he says. "I really like MechWarrior, the old ones that I played a lot—where the pace of combat is a little slower, and you're looking at systems and power allocations … that part worked out pretty well."
Players have criticised space travel in Starfield to no end, but it's clear that plenty of work went into its intricate design. After all, we can't help but be grateful for how satisfying it is to crank your grav drive all the way to the top of its allocation when preparing to take off into the unknown.
About The Author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
