Starfield players have suggested how they think developers could make in-game shops feel more realistic.
RPGs from Bethesda Game Studios are typically known for ensuring their expansive worlds feel lived in. For instance, NPCs in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion followed a certain routine — they slept, ate, etc.
Over time, however, it seems the importance of defined schedules in BGS games has decreased. Unsurprisingly, some Starfield players are irked by this change. How is someone supposed to steal an NPC’s precious items if they never go to sleep?
A contingent of players seem especially invested in the idea of shopkeepers in the Settled Systems working on a clock.
Starfield fans offer tips on how to make shops feel more realistic
“As it stands, the NPCs and shops in Starfield are convenient but not realistic,” wrote user ‘Revenant62‘ at the start of a Reddit post. The Redditor went on to call out how in-game shops never actually close.
And other roaming non-playable characters don’t seem to follow a predetermined routine, either. “The NPC-run cities feel very plastic and inorganic as-is,” they continued.
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One way the player thinks Bethesda can fix this is by implementing “realistic working hours” for vendors, which will give store owners “free time and realistic sleep hours.”
One popular response to the thread agreed with the sentiment but argued the issue isn’t solely about Starfield shops remaining open 24/7. The problem is that vendors have the same person on staff at all times of the day. Switching out the front-facing NPC would help in this regard.
Someone else said Bethesda could also follow Fallout 4’s lead by having robots work nights while regular people operated shops during the day. Another person suggested they could “just have a kiosk for night ops… like in present day.”
Of course, the discussion then turned to why NPCs stopped functioning like they did in previous BGS titles. Some people chalked it up to laziness; meanwhile, others posited it could be because casual players don’t care.
Whatever the reason, the core audience has taken notice and wants Bethesda to revisit its old ways.
