SomeStarfieldfans have already identified one annoyance with the game’s user interface, having taken to social media to bemoan the fact that enemy kills in Bethesda’s upcoming RPG will prompt a sizable XP gain banner in the center of the screen. Their complaints surfaced online shortly afterStarfieldreceived a bizarre new pre-order bonus.
The June 11 Starfield Direct debuted plenty of new footage from Bethesda’s next AAA game, including anin-depth preview ofStarfield’scombat. And while those portions of the showcase were largely meant to illustrate how the RPG will offer incredible combat variety, they also offered an unfiltered look at the game’s UI.
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Some fans have consequently taken online to describe the XP gain banner that follows each in-game kill as annoying, arguing that its central placement detracts from the action. Others opined that this perceived distraction is exacerbated by the fact that the banner lingers on the screen for several seconds per kill, which they deemed far too long. Given how combat will account for a significant portion of the overallStarfieldgameplay loop, some fans are saying they aren’t thrilled about the prospect of having this particular UI element obfuscate their crosshairs in the middle of the action.
That notwithstanding, the latestStarfieldshowcase also featured several combat clips that lacked the XP gain banner, suggesting that players might have the ability to disable this visual cue in the game’s settings. Even if that doesn’t come to pass, the fact thatBethesda intends to turnStarfieldinto a modder’s paradiseshould at the very least guarantee that UI overhaul mods allowing granular customization of the game’s HUD are only a question of time.
In the meantime, some fans are saying they’d be perfectly content with a UI that mimics that of Bethesda’sFalloutgames, at least as far as XP gain banners are concerned. For context, titles likeFallout 76andFallout 4place those notifications near the left edge of the screen, preventing them from getting in the way of the action by accidentally obfuscating the player’s crosshairs.Starfieldisn’t the first modern game to feature such unfortunate UI placement, as it was only recently thatCall of Duty: Warzone 2players identified a similar problem with mortar strikes.
UI design aside, Bethesda is promising thatStarfield’sactual combat mechanics will mark a new milestone for the studio in terms of weapon variety, animations, and overall attention to detail. The developer even went through the effort to implement realistic zero-G physics by ensuring that firing ballistic projectiles in low-gravity environments propels the player backwards, thus adding to the combat’s immersiveness.
Starfieldlaunches September 6 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
