Summary
AStarfieldplayer notices that the pictures taken in the game can also be used as loading screens. This makes thephoto mode inStarfielduseful for not only capturing memories but also for planning out the player’s next loading screen.
The first photo mode to make a splash in the video game world was the one included inGran Turismo 4, released in 2005. It was a basic photo mode compared to today’s standards, with only a few filters and options, but it paved the way for this extra mode in future games. Over the years, players were able to take photos in some of the biggest games ever made, such asHalo 3andThe Last of Us, and eventually, more intuitive and advanced photo modes were implemented in games such asMarvel’s Spider-Man,God of WarandThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. And as good as the photo modes were in all of those games, Bethesda’s newest title,Starfield, takes the concept of a photo mode to a whole new level.
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Reddit user qewman101 discovered that every time the playertakes a picture inStarfield, that image may become a loading screen used during gameplay. Much like a screensaver for a Windows PC, the game will choose a random image in the photo gallery every time a loading screen pops up. This is a feature that was first used in another Bethesda game,Fallout 76. The feature worked fine in the world ofFallout, butStarfield’s vast and beautiful galaxy is better suited for this design choice. Players can unlock photo mode early on, so gamers won’t have to wait long to start planning their next loading screen.
One of the common complaints fromStarfieldfans so far is the amount of loading screens. On an Xbox Series X, a loading screen will only last 2-4 seconds, but the loading screens forStarfieldon an Xbox Series Sor a PC without an SSD are much longer. Loading screens pop up every time the player gets on a ship, goes into orbit, jumps to a planet, selects a place to land, enters a building, and many times, one will appear when the player moves from one area of a building to another.
The ideal situation is to have no loading screens at all, but once more players realize they can create their own custom loading screens, maybe that will soften the blow.Starfieldhas one of the best-looking settingsin a video game today, and the game may produce some of the most beautiful loading screens to date.
Starfieldis available now during early access and officially launches September 6 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
