SpinningBirdKick
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What open world game has the perfect balance of a large map and plenty to see and do?
- Thread starter Kadin
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CenturionKei
Banned
While it's my favorite open world in years, MGSV's open world is pretty...bad. The strength it has is allowing you to complete any object the way you want to biggest there's so many approachs for doing missions.
eso76
Member
You're not in disagreement with me
In fact we're saying the exact same thing.
I said "Hand-placed" not as in "artificial".
I said "Hand placed" as in, the map wasn't built with an editor and copy-paste of the same few models, arranged in slightly different ways (which is what most games do).
There was no automation in the process of building GTAV's world, or at least it isn't apparent anywhere.
Every square inch of the map was modeled individually, no two spots look the same, or even alike. The game never breaks the immersion by giving away it was made with tools.
This sets GTAV apart from any other open world.
it's true, as others have said, that there's not a lot that can be done with the map.
But the feeling of being there, developing a sense of directions thanks to every place being recognisable, every area having a distinctive feel, the world feeling so organic and natural is by far the best thing about GTAV IMHO.
TheChewyWaffles
Member
Original Gothic game always felt like that.
kavanf1
Member
Cool, yeah we're saying exactly the same thing in that case.You're not in disagreement with me
In fact we're saying the exact same thing.
I said "Hand-placed" not as in "artificial".
I said "Hand placed" as in, the map wasn't built with an editor and copy-paste of the same few models, arranged in slightly different ways (which is what most games do).
There was no automation in the process of building GTAV's world, or at least it isn't apparent anywhere.
Every square inch of the map was modeled individually, no two spots look the same, or even alike. The game never breaks the immersion by giving away it was made with tools.
This sets GTAV apart from any other open world.
it's true, as others have said, that there's not a lot that can be done with the map.
But the feeling of being there, developing a sense of directions thanks to every place being recognisable, every area having a distinctive feel, the world feeling so organic and natural is by far the best thing about GTAV IMHO.
I absolutely loved that about GTA V, it really brought back my love for the series after the bittersweet feelings I had about IV.Enter the Dragon Punch
Banned
World of Warcraft. It was the truly first open world game for a lot of people, but it also has the most finely crafted with attention to detail open world of all time (IMO)
D
Deleted member 325805
Unconfirmed Member
Witcher III.
GTAV for sure.
Other open world game either have terrible combat, redundant plot, lifeless world or all three of these. While GTAV isn't the best in any of these criteria, I think it does everything good enough that wont be an instant turn-off to anyone.
The Yakuza series
They aren't as open as titles such as GTA, but the smaller map makes it for a great diversity of things to do. The maps are also modeled after real life locations so it can also act as some kind of virtual tourism.
The activities range from battles, gambling, sports, driving, fishing, hunting, dancing and much, much more. Even some side quests can be big and take a lot of time.
Usually the main quest takes about 25% of the whole content of the game.
At the very least, almost every block in the maps has something to do and see.
The only ones that aren't that dense in content are Yakuza 3 to Yakuza 5 because they increased the number of cities.
Yakuza 5 has the another life into it's gameplay and goes whole stories about driving, hunting, dancing and baseball. Each with it's own gameplay and things to do.
Disaster Nebraska
Banned
inFamous series. Maybe it's because of how the mechanics mesh with the open world, but there's a lot to explore and mess around in without ever feeling like "oh, I have to go all the way over THERE?"
kavanf1
Member
I didn't think Infamous SS (haven't played the others) had lots to see and do at all...it was more soulless and repetitive than a Ubisoft "open world by numbers" game. I agree on the size of the map though, it never felt like a chore to traverse because they kept it to a nice size and gave you cool ways to navigate it. It just got boring very quickly for me.
I forgot to say that in Might & Magic 6 with the right spells or potions you can fly, walk on water and teleport to the last city visited or to a point where you used a certain spell.
Monochromaticx
Member
Saint Row2
I don't know if the world itself was all that special, but collecting those orbs sure was a great time. The traversal was really fun. The world itself though aside from being the place where the orbs live wasn't memorable or interesting to me so much.
I'm gonna vote for the Witcher 3 here. I can't remember any other game that had me exploring just to see the view from the top of the next rise. If the game was just a walking simulator in that environment I still would have enjoyed it. But it wasn't just a walking simulator every other turn presented an interesting little side story full of interesting characters with motivations that seemed compelling. Exploration was well rewarded with scenery, with quests/stories and with loot.
Of the games I played I agree about GTA 5. Even when you finish the games you can just continue living, playing in the world. I never finished San Andreas so I dont know how the end game is on that.
paragonpro
Banned
Bethesda are the kings of this.
The Witcher 3 and STALKER are the only ones that come to mind. Skyrim and Fallout also do a decent job, but you start to see quests eventually repeat with sometimes little narrative.
The Witcher 3 succeeds because so many of its quests are as fleshed out as the main story, providing narrative context to most of what you do, even if mechanically they're not incredibly complex. Even the few called out mission types have context, like monster contracts existing because Geralt's profession is to deal with that stuff.
STALKER takes a different approach, by having a more systemic world that has so much persistence and randomness. Anomalies that can come out of nowhere, prompting your reaction. AI have full life cycles, engaging in them persistently even when the player isn't there. They eat, sleep, perform jobs, explore, and attack other enemy AI types they can happen across. It uses various interlocking systems to generate unexpected behavior or events, giving it that dynamism a real world would have.
GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Saints Row, every Ubisoft open-world game, Infamous, Red Faction: Guerrilla (love the destruction tech though), Batman Arkham City & Knight, Dragon Age Inquisition, and most other open-world games...don't do what the Witcher 3 and Stalker do. They create overt mini-games that have the thinnest context to exist, and pad out missions with little to no story outside the main missions. Worlds aren't persistent, but instead have AI that don't change until the player accomplishes tasks. The only interlocking systems tend to be built around combat scenarios where the player has some freedom of approach, rather than making the world feel alive.
The Witcher 3 succeeds because so many of its quests are as fleshed out as the main story, providing narrative context to most of what you do, even if mechanically they're not incredibly complex. Even the few called out mission types have context, like monster contracts existing because Geralt's profession is to deal with that stuff.
STALKER takes a different approach, by having a more systemic world that has so much persistence and randomness. Anomalies that can come out of nowhere, prompting your reaction. AI have full life cycles, engaging in them persistently even when the player isn't there. They eat, sleep, perform jobs, explore, and attack other enemy AI types they can happen across. It uses various interlocking systems to generate unexpected behavior or events, giving it that dynamism a real world would have.
GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Saints Row, every Ubisoft open-world game, Infamous, Red Faction: Guerrilla (love the destruction tech though), Batman Arkham City & Knight, Dragon Age Inquisition, and most other open-world games...don't do what the Witcher 3 and Stalker do. They create overt mini-games that have the thinnest context to exist, and pad out missions with little to no story outside the main missions. Worlds aren't persistent, but instead have AI that don't change until the player accomplishes tasks. The only interlocking systems tend to be built around combat scenarios where the player has some freedom of approach, rather than making the world feel alive.
Skellig Gra
Member
I don't really think it exists yet. If I had to pick one I'd say World of Warcraft but I'm not sure that even qualifies.