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Starfield
 Work In Progress This article is still under construction. It may contain factual errors. See Talk:Starfield for current discussions. Content is subject to change. |
Starfield is a 2023 science-fiction RPG developed by Bethesda Game Studios, being their newest IP in 25 years. Set in 2330, the game takes place within the Milky Way galaxy and features over 1,000 explorable planetary bodies, both real and fictional.
The following weapons appear in the video game Starfield:
Pistols
Colt M1911A1
The Colt M1911A1 appears in the game as the "Old Earth Pistol", one of a handful of Earth firearms. The trigger guard is slightly enlarged compared to a real M1911A1, presumably as a way to accommodate spacesuit gloves; this has the side effect of "stretching" the frame, most obviously seen by the larger space between the top of the grips and the slide catch / safety. On that note, the plunger housing for the springs that keep tension on those two parts is missing, though the two holes in the frame to which it mounts are present; in reality, the lack of spring tension on the slide catch and safety could cause them to shift up into the path of the slide, either locking it open or jamming it closed, respectively. The holes in the frame for the grip screws are also present, the upper one actually sticking up just above the grip due to the frame being stretched in that area, showing exactly how much height was added. The large lightening holes under the grips are similarly modelled, though not visible in normal gameplay; they can sometimes be seen by rapidly swapping between different grip attachment options, the pistol visible without grips for a frame or so as they switch. Additionally, there is another pin/screw hole through both sides of the frame forward of the slide catch, which doesn't serve a clear purpose. The small locking piece for the magazine catch appears to be missing at a glace, but actually seems to be bugged to sit too deep into the model.
The M1911A1's slide doesn't lock open when empty; as with (almost) all weapons in the game it has only an empty reload animation, thus the player character racks the slide after swapping mags whether the pistol is empty or not. Though on the flip side, if the pistol did lock open when empty and still only had empty animations, this would introduce a further issue of the slide teleporting the the rear when not empty; a "faulty slide catch" (empty) and unnecessary racking of the slide (non-empty) is likely a lesser evil than the physical impossibility of a teleporting slide. The M1911 also holds 9 rounds in its magazine, as opposed to a correct 7 or 8.
Outside of these issues, the pistol is quite faithfully modelled and well-detailed, featuring elements such as a modelled firing pin, extractor, and ejector (can be seen down the barrel), and is correctly depicted as being single action only. As with the other "Old Earth" weapons, it uses the correct type of ammo: ".45 Caliber ACP". The .45 ACP ammo box item oddly shows a bottlenecked cartridge, though the actual casings ejected from the pistol are correctly not bottlenecked.
"XM-2311"
A modernised M1911 pistol appears in the game as the "XM-2311", implying it is a prototype firearm that was developed in the year 2311 (400 years later, and 19 years before the game begins). The XM-2311 is conceptually in line with many present-day M1911 pistols; it features a different slide with large cocking serrations at both front and rear, lightening groves in the middle, lightening holes towards the front, and a more angular profile, while the frame has a longer dust cover with a picatinny rail, as well as black polymer grips. The pistol also sports a tan/bronze sort of finish, while the barrel, bushing, guide rod plug, and sights are a dark grey. Aside from the rail, the XM-2311's frame is otherwise the same as the game's M1911, and thus also features its quirks mentioned above.
This more modern M1911 variant can fittingly accept more attachment options than the original. Both versions can equip a compensator that matches the M1911's slide profile (due to its modernity and tan/bronze finish, it's clearly intended for the 2311), the M1911 can equip the 2311's black grips (though the 2311 cannot equip wood grips), and both pistols can equip an extended 10-round magazine (which somehow holds 15 rounds). Due to its rail, the XM-2311 can equip a red dot sight or scope, as well as a laser; the race gun style optics mount wraps over the left side of the slide and itself features a picatinny rail on the bottom, allowing the use of an optic and the laser at the same time.
Shotguns
Ithaca Model 37
The "Old Earth Shotgun" is an Ithaca Model 37, though it features the side-mounted ejection port from a Mossberg 500, a Trench Gun style heatshield, and an MG 42 pistol grip. The latter is certainly a reference to the Model 37 used in Aliens, which features an aesthetically-similar MP 40 pistol grip. The shotgun suffers from a rather unfortunate bug, where the pump's resting position is most of the way to the rear. The shell loading animation and pump animation both begin with pump in its correct forward position, which results in the pump quickly zooming forward to be where it should at the beginning of the animation; this has the side effect of making it seems as though the gun is being pumped "backwards". It's possible this bug is due to the Model 37 inheriting its "pump rest position" from one of the game's sci-fi shotguns, which does pump "in reverse" (rear is in battery), or some similar issue. The pump handle itself is much larger than in reality (as with the AK/VSS handguards mentioned below, likely for animation reasons) and features a cutout that resembles a much-enlarged version of that seen on the Mossberg 500, as well as an upper thumb rest area similar to a Remington Model 870 (or similar).
The Model 37 can equip a short barrel, completing the Aliens look. Unfortunately, the gun's tube capacity is an incorrect 6 with either tube length, instead of 7 by default and 4 with the shorter tube. This is an odd oversight, as the game also includes a sci-fi tube-fed lever action grenade launcher which does get a larger tube capacity with a longer barrel attachment. The Ithaca can also equip a choke, as well as a fixed polymer stock, which, in combination with the pistol grip and heat shield, is rather reminiscent of another shotgun kept handy for close encounters.
Despite most weapons featuring only one reload animation, the Ithaca 37 actually handles reloads well, forcing use of the pump before being able to fire if reloading from empty. The gun's ammo type is correctly listed as "12G Shotgun Shell". The only marking on the weapon is a very long string of text on the right side of the receiver, too long to be a serial number: "HL-8210957090114".
Rifles
AK hybrid
The "Old Earth Assault Rifle" is a stockless AK rifle, primarily an AKM, though with many elements borrowed from other variants. The AK's muzzle device and front sight are from the original AK-47 (or RPK) rather than the AKM's slant brake and skinnier sight, the cleaning rod's central support position has been moved forward of the gas tube (instead of being part of it) like the additional forward support on the RPK, the gas tube design is that of an AKM but also has gas holes like an AK-47, and it features a "Type 3" AK-47 pistol grip. The AKM's stamped receiver is mostly authentic, with the pins and rivets correctly positioned (though not all are present) and features the "dimples" above the magazine well. Unlike the real version, the top cover's vertical reinforcing ribs extend all the way to the bottom, while the horizontal ribs normally found at the bottom have been moved onto the receiver; the combination of full-height vertical ribs and "lack" of lower horizontal ones gives it a look reminiscent of the AEK-971. The charging handle features an odd small hole through its base, while the rear of the bolt carrier (as seen through the charging handle slot) is visibly detailed. The elephant in the room is the large black polymer handguard (resembling an enlarged Magpul MOE handguard) dubiously secured with tape over the original; it may be present to allow animations to be shared with other weapons.
The standard 30-round magazine is of the correct dimensions, though its reinforcing pattern appears to be fictional. Alternate magazine options include the RPK's 75-round drum (holding 100 rounds) or rather oddly the VSS's 10-round magazine, which does at least correctly hold 10 rounds. While 7.62x39mm rounds may potentially fit into a 9x39mm magazine, the much straighter mag would certainly prevent them from feeding properly; the 7.62x39mm rounds used are steel cased. The AK can also be fitted with a shortened barrel and gas tube, similar to some custom-shortened AKMS rifles, and a black polymer pistol grip with finger grooves. A red dot sight on an AK-style side-mounted bracket is also available, as is a PEQ-style laser clamped to the barrel. Curiously, despite the Ithaca and many other weapons in the game being able to equip a stock, the AK cannot. Similarly, although many weapons can be swapped between full-auto, semi-auto, and/or burst, the AK can only be used in full-auto; despite this, the selector lever is in the semi-auto position. The AK's rate of fire is quite high by default, and can be increased to a rather extreme speed with use of a weapon mod.
Like most weapons, the AK only has empty reload animations, with the player character pulling the charging handle every time. Though as the game doesn't have a "+1 in the chamber" mechanic, this technically means its ammo count is always correct (100 rounds in 75-round drum aside). The AK's rear sight is graduated out to 800m, the numbers visibly marked on the sight. Its ammo type is correctly listed as "7.62x39mm", and the rifle features a "Cal. 7.62x39mm" (in English) marking on the left side of the receiver. Above this on the top cover is the rifle's year of production and serial number, "1962 Sk 4088", which is the layout/style used on the Romanian md. 63. Further adding to this AK's mixed heritage, the right side of the receiver is amusingly marked "MADE IN CHINA" (again in English), which would be the Type 56 or a copy from PolyTechnologies.
VSS Vintorez
The VSS Vintorez appears under the name "Old Earth Hunting Rifle", perhaps implying the covert sniper rifle's original purpose has been somewhat lost/forgotten over the centuries. This said, a weapon like the VSS (integrally suppressed with subsonic ammo, a scope, compact size, and full-auto if needed) would be exceptionally handy for the sort of self-defence/hunting/etc one would expect in the story's "exploration in the final frontier" setting. The VSS's most notable difference compared to the real one is the replacement of the black polymer handguard with a two-piece wooden one with AK-like vent holes, and which is about fifty percent longer. Outside of this, the most notable stylized element is the addition of a thumb groove on the left side of the stock, otherwise the rifle is quite authentic to the original, including both springs visible inside the receiver. It does, however, feature two odd external additions, namely the same MOE-style handguard from the AKM, but this time only the right half of it, and an extremely large laser sight clamped under the integrated suppressor, which has a makeshift-looking wire leading to a pressure pad taped to the MOE handguard. Unlike the lasers found on other weapons in the game, this one stays on the weapon model even when not using the laser sight weapon mod. The laser sight itself looks more like a flashlight, which makes sense as it appears to be inspired by a photo of an airsoft VSS with the exact same setup (pressure plate and all).
The VSS's PSO-1M2-1 scope uses the reticle of the SVD's standard PSO-1, as opposed to its unique reticle calibrated for the much different trajectory of 9x39mm; the standard PSO-1 reticle is, at least, far closer to being authentic than some generic or sci-fi reticle. The VSS uses a 20-round magazine by default, usually associated with its assault rifle twin, the AS. The more typical 10-rounder can be equipped, though despite having the correct capacity when used with the AK, here they oddly hold 12. Inverse to the AK, the VSS cannot be made to fire full-auto, while its fire selector is set to that position.
As expected, the VSS only has an empty reload animation, always pulling the charging handle, while its ammo type is correctly named "9x39mm". The rifle features serial number markings, with "СР - 0401" (this is Cyrillic, converted to Latin it's "SR - 0401") on either side of the magazine well, and "0401" repeated on the bolt and top cover. The scope has Cyrillic text on the windage and elevation knobs, range markings on the latter, as well as range markings out to 420 metres on the rear iron sight, which is correct. The scope's mounting bracket is marked "1М3-4" and "NP0649" (a Latin "N"), the former possibly implying it's a fictional iteration of the PSO-1M2-1, and its rubber eye cup is secured with a healthy amount of tape.
