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I believe that the older Final Fantasies had this in spades. Take Final Fantasy V for example: it had a robust job system that allowed an immense amount of flexibility in party composition. Similarly, it had a huge open world - though of course there was only usually one place you could go. It also had a pretty tight story. There you have freedom and non-paralyzing choices!
"Do I have any concrete suggestions on what games could attempt? Not right now, no."
Let me help you out....JETPACKS!!!
Aw yeah.
Anywho, I agree that the open sandbox sometimes isn't where I need to be. Choice is fine, but it is my choice if I want to play through a story or define it.
Let me help you out....JETPACKS!!!
Aw yeah.
Anywho, I agree that the open sandbox sometimes isn't where I need to be. Choice is fine, but it is my choice if I want to play through a story or define it.
I think that, early on in an open-world game, the developer should do a little hand-holding and lead you to some fun things to do, or at least put some clear and obvious guidance there. In Borderlands, Claptrap leads you to everything you need to do right away at first, then backs off when you've accumulated some quests.
By comparison, in Fallout 3 (which I love,) man I entirely missed Megaton on my first playthrough, even though it's right there. Just wandered off on my own into the desert and started fighting hobos for drug supplies in the nearest abandoned building. I enjoyed it the whole way but I can see how, at that moment, you might get daunted. The game's just begun, you really don't have any way of knowing what to work on or why!
By comparison, in Fallout 3 (which I love,) man I entirely missed Megaton on my first playthrough, even though it's right there. Just wandered off on my own into the desert and started fighting hobos for drug supplies in the nearest abandoned building. I enjoyed it the whole way but I can see how, at that moment, you might get daunted. The game's just begun, you really don't have any way of knowing what to work on or why!
@fulldamage
I did the same thing in Fallout 3. I went to the school and wiped some goons out, then went to the supermarket and proceeded to get stomped.
Then I noticed that I could follow a map to my objectives.
I did the same thing in Fallout 3. I went to the school and wiped some goons out, then went to the supermarket and proceeded to get stomped.
Then I noticed that I could follow a map to my objectives.
@fulldamage: "fighting hobos for drug supplies" lmao. A day in the life.
I totally know what you mean about being too daunted to even begin. When I found out LotRo had become free I immediately fired it up, only to receive about 19 simultaneous fetch quests, at which point I put it down forever. That's time could be spent fightin hobos, nahmean?
I totally know what you mean about being too daunted to even begin. When I found out LotRo had become free I immediately fired it up, only to receive about 19 simultaneous fetch quests, at which point I put it down forever. That's time could be spent fightin hobos, nahmean?
Games like Fallout 3 can certainly be frightening if you don't prepare yourself ahead of time. Hell, the main reason I haven't booted up New Vegas yet is because I just haven't been able to commit my mind to it!
Some of my favorite games are non-linear, but I really have to be in the mood for them. Focused, story-driven games will always be the first on my list.
Great blog!
Some of my favorite games are non-linear, but I really have to be in the mood for them. Focused, story-driven games will always be the first on my list.
Great blog!
I like games that offer both. In Oblivion it was perfectly easy to simply follow the main quest and ignore the side quests. I actually did just that - completed the entire main quest, then went back and completed the side quests in such a way that there was some form of linear action (I tacked each guild as a quest line). I like that Oblivion allowed for this and didn't force you to "level up" with side quests first in order to tackle the main quest.
Games CAN do both! - and it would be nice to have that option more often.
Games CAN do both! - and it would be nice to have that option more often.
@manasteel Heh, it took me a while to figure the map out - then it became indispensable, though I spent more time hunting for mysterious unknown locations than actually paying attention to my quest objectives. A good chunk of my story completion occurred by total accident.
@keelut2012 As the housing crunch continues, hobo-killing's gonna become the new baseball, mark my words! Er, but on topic, yeah - that's a great example. It's similar to how I find myself stalling out on the last disc of large RPGs - too many goals, not enough motivation. Fallout 3 suffers from that, but the random events helped to draw me in. "Ooh, where's that wild dog going? Hey, he's fighting a trader? Now, where's the trader going. Oh, he's getting killed by Enclave. Now where did this Enclave patrol come from? Hey, secret base!" Etc.
@keelut2012 As the housing crunch continues, hobo-killing's gonna become the new baseball, mark my words! Er, but on topic, yeah - that's a great example. It's similar to how I find myself stalling out on the last disc of large RPGs - too many goals, not enough motivation. Fallout 3 suffers from that, but the random events helped to draw me in. "Ooh, where's that wild dog going? Hey, he's fighting a trader? Now, where's the trader going. Oh, he's getting killed by Enclave. Now where did this Enclave patrol come from? Hey, secret base!" Etc.
My buddy seems to have that problem with any game that includes more than 3 islands. He never finished GTA IV, Red Dead Redemption, or inFamous, and each time he stopped right around reaching the third island. Something about that style of content just daunts him completely.. It's the strangest thing.
@manasteel88 How could I have not seen it? The solution is so simple. Jetpacks!
@Elsa Oblivion was a little easier for me to get through than Fallout 3. No idea why, especially considering I like sci-fi more than fantasy.
@Keelut2012 The weird thing is I beat inFamous twice and inFamous 2 once. I do all the sidequests and hunt for all the collectibles. Even in RDR I never felt the same type of indecision and lack of motivation I got when playing Fallout.
@Elsa Oblivion was a little easier for me to get through than Fallout 3. No idea why, especially considering I like sci-fi more than fantasy.
@Keelut2012 The weird thing is I beat inFamous twice and inFamous 2 once. I do all the sidequests and hunt for all the collectibles. Even in RDR I never felt the same type of indecision and lack of motivation I got when playing Fallout.
