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Starfield Early Access is finally open to everyone who purchased the Premium or Collector’s Edition, but after such a long wait, many players are frustrated that they have to spend a lot of time staring at loading screens.
Reviews for Starfield are generally very positive, though falling short of the general acceptance of Bethesda’s 2011 opus Skyrim. However, with the galactic anticipation leading up to the game’s release, it’s only natural that some moments may disappoint some players. In particular, judging by the many posts on the subject throughout the launch day, one of the first problems was the loading screens.
Most of the complaints about multiple loading screens come down to the fact that they are numerous but short-lived. Here is a list of loading scene triggers compiled by one of the players:
Board a ship (Loading screen) Go into orbit (Loading screen) Choose a jump spot (Loading screen) There is no hyperdrive animation or anything to create a sense of travel, it just fades to black and you arrive at your destination motionless. Choose a landing spot (loading screen) Enter a building (loading screen) Walk through several rooms in the building (another loading screen).
I expected to see loading screens, but I’m shocked by the number of them and the complete lack of attempts to disguise them.
It’s worth clarifying that while interplanetary travel isn’t seamless anyway, there is a way to jump to different planets without having to open the boring Starfield map and move fast. Your ship has a scanner that you can interact with to trigger a mini-scene that shows you actually flying into space towards the planet and landing, which can be a little more exciting than just a black screen between locations. Again, this is not entirely seamless, but potentially less immersive.
