Starfield game files reveal the game we could've had

Starfield didn't quite make the splash it wanted to, and for many, hasn't justified the amount of work that went into it as Bethesda's first new IP in a quarter of a century. Even fans who have been incredibly forgiving of Bethesda's approach to developing RPGs found themselves disappointed by the shallow nature of the space-faring adventure.

It's actually pretty sad that the Starfield hasn't reached the soaring heights of the likes of Fallout 3 or Skyrim. While it might not have hit the right notes for dedicated RPG fans, it seems that there was once a chance that those players could have been much more engrossed in Starfield.

Early concept art hints at a more RPG-heavy Starfield

Gamers may be devastated to learn that, according to some recently revealed concept art for Starfield, the game was once expected to feature a lot more RPG elements in the game. Especially when it comes to the much-maligned space travel, it sounds like Starfield was once a very different game. 

An early version of the game's star map has been discovered in the Starfield data files. It shows a much more scientific approach to space travel - each star is positioned across a grid that helps to illustrate exactly where every star is when compared to another.

A look at the right-hand menu shows that there was once a time when players would have to take solar radiation and micrometeoroids into consideration when traversing the game's massive universe. Although it's the sort of thing that could turn some players off, it's a dream come true for others.

Fans are desperate for Starfield to restore lost content

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Players have taken to the comments to share that these are exactly the features the'’d hoped would appear in the game, and they've now started to plead with Starfield to introduce them again.

"I so badly want map filters back. Show me where staryards are, or where the trade authority vendors are," says one user.. "Thanks for posting. Here's hoping the devs restore some of this." "God I wish they continued that way," says another. "Every day is more evident we had a washed version of the game."

We know the Shattered Space DLC is on the way, as well as regular updates every six weeks in 2024, so there's a chance Bethesda could return Starfield to this form. It's a shame that players are now feeling robbed of a game that could have blown them away - but alas, we'll take what we can get, even if it's not an instant classic.