Innovative Mod Enables Shared Galactic Voyages in Starfield Universe

Bethesda Game Studios has communicated that official mod tools for the gaming universe Starfield will only be available in 2024. However, that hasn't stopped avid modders from creating new mods for the sci-fi role-playing game. Recently, Flexcreator, a modder, launched an innovative Custom Seed Starfield mod.

In Starfield, there are 1,695 planets with landscapes and points of interest (POI) procedurally generated, a feature revealed by the developers ahead of time. Although it heightens gameplay novelty, the randomness means that every player experiences different landscapes and POIs. Hence, no two players can explore the same Mars or Moon alike.

Flexcreator designed the Consistent World - Custom Seed Starfield mod to combat this lack of shared experience. The modder offered a comprehensive explanation of the game’s default mechanics and the modifications the mod brings:

In the game, planet names and biome data are static and saved in the game files. However, the POIs and landscapes are generated as per a procedural methodology based on the Seed value held by the "Planet Content Manager" subsystem. This Seed value itself is random for every new character and stored in the savegames. Thus, each new character journeys in a distinctive universe.

However, Flexcreator's mod allows the seed value to be set using a batch file downloaded from the Starfield mod's "Files" section. Players can place this in their Starfield.exe directory and apply the console command "bat consistent", followed by saving the game. This ensures that the saved games carry the same seed value.

This modification enables players with the same Seed to encounter the same world: it remains procedurally generated but not random. This means if Player A and Player B land at the exact location on any planet, they will uncover identical POIs and landscapes. Weather and events might differ, though.

The primary motive behind this Starfield mod is to create shared gaming experiences, granting the gaming community an opportunity to exchange their findings and discoveries while charting the expansive universe of the game. Players must concur on a set Seed to experience this shared journey.

While Starfield gamers anticipate the first considerable update, promised almost a month ago, this mod certainly provides a fresh dimension to game exploration. The update is supposed to add brightness and contrast controls, an HDR calibration tool, a Field of View slider, NVIDIA DLSS, and 32:9 Ultrawide Monitor support (PC), along with an eat button for food.