While Bethesda Game Studios has confirmed that the official Starfield modding tools will not be released until 2024, modders continue their sacred work to improve the game in various aspects.
Since before the launch of the game, one of the main wishes of Starfield players was to create larger spaceships. The default setting is limited to 40 meters in length and width, which is not really enough to represent the scale of some of the famous spaceships from film and television, especially the aircraft carrier/destroyer types.
Fortunately, NexusMods user AccursedPrism uploaded by mod that exceeds the size limit. File download options range from relatively safe sizes like 60 meters or 80 meters to huge sizes like 4/5 kilometers, which will likely slow performance and potentially also create game-breaking bugs. It is recommended to stick to the recommended version as it would still provide much more space when creating your favorite design or coming up with a brand new one.
To install the Bigger Ship Size Limit mod, place the shipsize.txt file in the root folder (where Starfield.exe is located) and add sStartingCjavascript-event-strippedbat shipsize to the (General) section of your StarfieldCustom.ini file.
As a bonus mod for dedicated shipbuilders, modder MedievalAI unlocked the maximum number of custom ships from the default 10 to 50. The installation process is essentially the same, requiring placing the StellarFleetExpansion.txt file in the same folder as Starfield.exe and then adding this command to the (General) section of the StarfieldCustom.ini file: sStartingCjavascript-event -strippedbat StellarFleetExpansion.
If you use more than one such command at once, be sure to add them one at a time, separated by a semicolon:
sStartingCjavascript-event-strippedbat shipsize; sStartingCjavascript-event-strippedbat StellarFleetExpansion
Several modders are also trying to make Starfield more realistic in different ways. One interesting mod is the Height Randomizer made by carxt (who made the same mod for Fallout: New Vegas) which introduces random different heights for all NPCs.
This mod requires the Starfield Script Extender (SFSE) mod to function. Once SFSE is installed, just copy the HeightRandomizer .ini and .dll files to the sfse\Plugins folder.
By default, NPCs (Non-Player Characters) in Starfield do not run out of ammo, which can lead to prolonged firefights. Self-explanatory Mod ‘NPC Use Ammo’ by ArmoredTroll forces them to use whatever they have in their inventory instead, and then have to use the built-in NPC scavenging feature to get more ammo from containers or nearby dead bodies.
It’s definitely a step towards more realistic combat, although the NPC inventory may default to too little ammo to cope with this change; maybe a mod that increases the amount of ammo he carries would fix it. It will definitely be done sometime.
If you want to try it as is, add this to your StarfieldCustom.ini file:
(Combat)
bForceNPCsUseAmmo=1
Additionally, as longtime Bethesda fans may have noticed, NPCs rarely drop their equipped armor when defeated. This is due to a specific setting that can be changed with a mod created by NexusMods user shad0wshayd3. Download its main file, place it in the same folder as Starfield.exe, and add the following to the StarfieldCustom.ini file:
(General)
sStartingConsoleCommand=bat AlwaysDropArmor
Check out this article for more great Starfield mods and tweaks.
