Do you guys not have phones?

[Proxima-b]

The sheer amount of messenger quests in this game is mind boggling, and the way we have to complete them does not make any sense
It's 24 century space age with FTL technology. Not medieval fantasy like TES or Post-Apocalypse like Fallout.
We should be able to use a phone or whatever high tech communicators in the 24th century whenever we want to "talk to XXX NPC"

Edit:
Just to be clear, I wasn't specifically talking about FTL transmission. I am talking about all form of radio transmission, like calling UC security from the lodge...

[MrSoul]

Originally posted by Xmasbeer:

As Cora said: Is there any way to fly faster than light? And I don't mean the grav drive cheat.
This is probably the hint towards communication. Most likely there could be dedicated grav drive relay ships that have to physically jump to another system before transmitting. Even that it can take days or months to transmit a signal one way within a system.

I mean, ya, can do those missions, what couriers are for but they pass along data slates right cos no system in starfield like this:
https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Hyperpulse_Generator

[Mowglia]

Originally posted by Proxima-b:

The sheer amount of messenger quests in this game is mind boggling, and the way we have to complete them does not make any sense
It's 24 century space age with FTL technology. Not medieval fantasy like TES or Post-Apocalypse like Fallout.
We should be able to use a phone or whatever high tech communicators in the 24th century whenever we want to "talk to XXX NPC"

Yeah, except you can't grav-jump a phone call.

So literally the fastest way to communicate in this universe is to send a messenger.

[Proxima-b]

Originally posted by xShapelessx:

I dont think you understand how technology works. Maybe a phone would work in Atlantis, but it would only be on that one planet in that one area lol. Like, do you think we can make cellular calls from other planets

I perfectly understand how phone works, that I can totally call from lodge to the UC Security on NA without going there personally

[Proxima-b]

Originally posted by Wilsonatron:

they made it very clear on multiple occasions in the game in lore that they do not have FTL communication, so to be able to send messages long distances, they need to be sent by ship an delivered...

But what about in-system, even same planet information delivery ???? I still have to meet someone in the tarven ? instead of just call them ?

[Proxima-b]

Originally posted by IEATFETI:

OP dosnt understand how communications and radio wave work lol and why FTL comms dont work lol

What do I not understand ? A tight beam transmission to the nearest moon is a lot faster than taking a ship and fly there, right ?

[Proxima-b]

Originally posted by kdodds:

Meh, encryption can be broken, that wouldn't change. If you want private communication, best method is face to face. Besides, this holds true for every sci-fi game/futuristic game, even when they have phones (like CP2077, Watch Dogs, etc.).

Watch dogs and CP2077 have way more phone contacts. Even fallout 4 with the post apocalyptic setting, players can get various quests from radio stations

[Xmasbeer]

Originally posted by Mr.Soul:

I mean, ya, can do those missions, what couriers are for but they pass along data slates right cos no system in starfield like this:
https://www.sarna.net/wiki/Hyperpulse_Generator

Now you referring to a setting, where universal currency is measured by megabyte per lightyear information transmission tariff, as set by the most aggressive and scary telephone company in the universe. In that sense it gives the perception of value the interstellar communication would have.

[Mathias Giovanni]

Originally posted by Proxima-b:

Originally posted by Wilsonatron:

they made it very clear on multiple occasions in the game in lore that they do not have FTL communication, so to be able to send messages long distances, they need to be sent by ship an delivered...

But what about in-system, even same planet information delivery ???? I still have to meet someone in the tarven ? instead of just call them ?

To get to Mars from earth at the speed of light it would take 3 minutes. So if you actually could communicate through earth type communication that was limited by the speed of light you couldn't even instantly communicate in system. It would be delayed. But you can communicate obviously it is just delayed.

Soon as you leave a system though those distances are years.

[Proxima-b]

Originally posted by Mathias Giovanni:

Originally posted by Proxima-b:

But what about in-system, even same planet information delivery ???? I still have to meet someone in the tarven ? instead of just call them ?

To get to Mars from earth at the speed of light it would take 3 minutes. So if you actually could communicate through earth type communication that was limited by the speed of light you couldn't even instantly communicate in system. It would be delayed. But you can communicate obviously it is just delayed.

Soon as you leave a system though those distances are years.

Since they don't use grav drive in-system, only normal propulsion system, I think a radio transmission would be faster than ship delivery. for example, from jemerson to it's moon

[TheOnlySolitaire]

Did nobody bring up the quest to rescue Barrett, you see it through slates but Barrett literally says "instant comms only work within the same system" and something like once we jump out of system we can't get a message to Lin (who is on Vectera).
And he is able to communicate a message for Lin about where they are (or the metadata has that at least), but he actually says when within system there is instant comms.

Even if just text/voice calls were too boring (i can understand that design decision), why couldn't we have had holographic displays of people for communicating in system without having to physically visit them in person constantly?

NASA communicated with their astronauts back in their day for crying out loud, right?

[PocketYoda]

Originally posted by Cooptimus Prime:

It's mentioned a few times in game that communications aren't FTL.

They work on planets though..

[Habeeb]

I think the main reason we don't have phones in Starfield is that the infrastructure to support them is just not there. From what I've seen in the lore (and I haven't beaten the main quest yet so if I'm wrong, I'm wrong) humanity has been busy either rapidly expanding or getting into wars. Maybe it's one of the reasons the treaty limited colonizations of the two major factions to 3 systems, it's so they can actually build some sort of infrastructure for freight and telecommunication and build an actual civilization instead of just expanding like crazy, building small outposts and mining sites that get abandoned after a few years.

[RakiaTime]

in the future people finally realized phones are a cancer

[PocketYoda]

Originally posted by RakiaTime:

in the future people finally realized phones are a cancer

Phones are for talking to each other, smart phones and social media is the cancerous aspect.

[AngleBoi7]

Lack of phones is also probably related to the lack of non-space vehicles.