The bigger a game is, the more likely people are going to find ways to tamper with it for entertainment and functionality purposes. Even though Starfield hasn’t technically been released yet, people have already gone to town on the mods to affect the game’s mechanics and content. While they might not all be appealing, one in particular has been highly sought after due to how it affects how the game plays — DLSS 3. This feature can only be enabled through modifications, but the most popular of those mods, from user PureDark, is now getting flak for locking advanced features behind a paywall.
Starfield DLSS Mod
One of the biggest conflicts that arose over Starfield was the fact that Bethesda had signed an exclusive agreement with AMD to use its processing software. This meant that it would not be supported by Nvidia, a software most frequently used in the gaming community to run HD titles. That’s why people were excited to see that someone created a DLSS 3 mod that would provide this support, giving the game some much-desired upscaling.
The big issue that players are having with it, according to the Verge and other sources, is that the full version of the mod is locked behind a paywall of sorts. The mod creator PureDark has made it so that only those who give money to their Patreon will get full access to the most advanced features.
As the internet has grown into a platform for many digital creators to etch out a living, Patreon has become widely used to help support their endeavors. From filmmakers to graphic designers to musicians and more, many depend on Patreon subscriptions to survive on their work. Despite this, many consider that mods should be free, since their work is based on altering a game’s already existing processes — and in some cases aren’t always permitted by the developers. To put it another way, imagine buying a hot dog from a vendor, only for a completely unrelated person to grab the ketchup and charge you to put it on a certain way.
Mods are incredible things, and there are many instances of them changing a game in very creative and impressive ways. The DLSS 3 mod can definitely change Starfield for the better, but — for now, at least — you’d better prepare to pay for it.
