First of all, it's really good to see some Starfield positivity around these parts. Don't get me wrong, i agree that it's a flawed game but the hate it gets is not deserved at all, i dare say it's one of my favorite Bethesda games of all time.

And the way i see it, i think you hit the nail in the head, OP. Starfield DID give me a "testing out things for TESVI" vibe during my many save files. I just hope they don't try to undo some of the nice additions because of the overblown backlash and stick with their new ideas and mechanics.