Todd Howard, the director and executive producer at Bethesda, revealed during a Reddit AMA today that ladders are still the game studio’s arch-nemesis, even in the upcoming and highly anticipated Starfield. Bethesda has become a household name in gaming thanks to its successful Fallout and Elder Scrolls franchises, which are two series that Todd Howard led the development of. Anyone who has played one of these games in the past might have noticed a distinct lack of functioning ladders; anytime the player character interacted with a ladder, the game would cut to a loading screen instead of allowing the player to actually climb it.
The lack of ladders in Bethesda games has become something of a joke online. Todd Howard has even spoken on the subject before, claiming that Bethesda’s engine doesn’t work well with ladders and they often cause problems with characters. Thankfully, this doesn’t detract from the gaming experience too much. Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, are still some of the most popular and well-reviewed games of the last decade, despite the lack of ladders. But with a new project on the horizon, Starfield, which has been called Skyrim in space, some players are curious if Bethesda will climb to the next rung.
Today during a live Reddit AMA under his account ToddBethesda, Todd Howard received a question about the presence of ladders in Starfield, and he claimed they are still an issue. A Reddit user by the name OdahP asked how ladders will be handled in the upcoming sci-fi action RPG. Howard replied, saying that “despite the advent of super-computers and next gen hardware - ladders are our arch-nemesis.” The Bethesda director also confirmed the user’s suspicions that there will be a ladder animation in Starfield and that it will be used sparingly.
Hi, I’m Todd Howard, Game Director and Executive Producer at Bethesda Game Studios. Here to celebrate Skyrim’s 10th anniversary, but of course, Ask Me Anything. Thanks! from IAmA
With no real consequence to gameplay, the lack of a simple mechanic is prime meme material for genuine fans to poke fun at the game studio. A few users in this Reddit thread jokingly called the game “Ladderfield.” Overall, it doesn’t seem to be too much of a bother for Bethesda fans. Perhaps because Bethesda already announced that Starfield will have an updated Creation Engine, fans are less worried about potential glitches and issues that have been all too common in previous games and which might spring from the inclusion of mechanics like ladders.
Fortunately, Starfield bears no gameplay resemblance to the classic board game Chutes & Ladders, so the lack of dynamic ladders will likely have minimal impact on the game’s success. However, it is a strange detail for such high-budget and technically impressive games to miss the mark on. It is possible that the updated Creation Engine being used for Starfield will function as a testing ground for future Bethesda games, like Elder Scrolls 6. For now, fans will have to wait and see how this decision on ladders will affect the finished product.
Starfield will release on November 11th, 2022 for Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Source: ToddBethesda/Reddit, OdahP/Reddit