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After news of a Starfield May update landed earlier this month, I finally felt like giving Bethesda's latest RPG another go. Since my major hang-up about the experience appeared to be directly addressed by the substantial patch, I'd hoped the Starfield map improvements would finally let me get lost in my own space-shaped fantasy. In fact, with the addition of interior ship decorating capabilities, I was actually quite excited to revisit the game and see if the update would essentially act as a second wind after hitting a wall last year. What I didn't expect, however, was for one setting to unexpectedly win me over far more than any of the big changes I was looking forward to.
With a suite of new gameplay options that let you adjust all manner of features to tailor Starfield's difficulty, carry capacity far outweighs (pun absolutely intended) all of the other tweaks you can make. After all, for an RPG where you're constantly collecting natural resources from a myriad of planets for crafting purposes, I was constantly struggling to juggle my loot. And nothing breaks the fantasy of space exploration quite like trudging back to your ship to stuff all of the rocks you've collected into your storage. But now that I've put the setting to max and greatly increased my carry capacity, well, just call me Captain "Carry Everything" because I no longer have to consider what's worth picking up anymore. It's all the loot, all the time. I'm a veritable item fiend and I'm honestly loving it.
Over-encumbered no more
While I've been having the best time making the most of the new carry capacity option, I'm currently trying to find my groove again in Starfield. After stepping away from it for some time, I was curious to see just how improved navigation - which took away from my space flight fantasy - was thanks to the update. Happily, it does already feel a little easier than before. The city map in New Atlantis, for example, has actually allowed me to find shops I didn't even know existed thanks to the markers, and the surface maps on planets make it a bit more straightforward to gauge the direction of an objective, or notable landmark.
That being said, I still don't get on with the menu and UI of Starfield overall. Accessing the map through the menu screen still makes it feel finicky to open, with it often taking you to the overall galaxy map and then pressing RB on Xbox Series S to bring up the surface map. I do appreciate that you can hold down B to exit the map altogether when you want to go back to your adventure, but I wish there was a shortcut that would directly open up the map without getting caught up in menu navigation.
When it comes to city map itself, like the one on Jemison, I think it would benefit from having some kind of legend indicator and filter to make it easier to read and use. I do like that you're no longer locked into your scanner when you're on the ground anymore to get a sense of notable spots on a planet. It's certainly an improvement on what the vanilla launch version of the game had; it's already evident that Bethesda is taking on board feedback.
While the maps and UI might not be there for me just yet, the new gameplay options are an instant highlight of the update. As soon as I clapped eyes on the slider to increase my carry capacity, I couldn't max it out fast enough. Within an hour, it had already changed the way I explore the galaxy. If there's one thing I've always disliked in sprawling RPGs, it's being over-encumbered. I've often been met with the common conundrum of finding a shiny new piece of loot - be it a powerful weapon or swanky bit of gear - I have no room for. Then it's a case of either leaving it behind or dropping a whole load of other items just to swipe it. When you're playing a game like Starfield, that has you hoover up all manner of resources from a planet for crafting purposes, it's not long before you're slowed down by your own load.
That's truly a thing of the past now. I can get swept up in planetary exploration for as long as I want and stuff as many shiny objects into my pack as I go, like I'm some kind of magpie. If I find a new space suit that has some weight to it? No problem. A hefty chunk of metal? In it goes. Everything is now mine for the taking, and I no longer have to worry about returning to my ship just to offload. Who would have thought increased carry capacity would be so free.
