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Emergent open world gameplay lies in the hands of GTA6, Starfield, and Zelda TOTK

Which do you think will deliver most?

  • Total voters
    164
GigaBowser

GigaBowser

The bear of bad news
After Cyberpunk completely failed to capture the imagination of open world gaming which was a crushing blow, these three games have the most potential right now.

This "emergent" open world sandbox style of game pushes the medium forward so all three titles I listed are very important to the future of gaming.

Which of these games do you expect to deliver?

Starfield-gameplay.jpg

zelda-botw-2-screen.png

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Emergent gameplay is a game design term that refers to video game mechanics that change according to the player's actions. Emergent gameplay includes a number of relatively simple decisions that a player must make, the sum of which lead to more complex outcomes.
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K2D

K2D

Banned
Starfield is the best bet, but never trust the guys who promised radiant ai.

I have no reason to believe the Rockstar we knew from the beginning of the century still exists after GTA Online.

BotW 2 will expand on everything from the first game and take it to the skies, but I don't see it being on the scope of a GTA or what Bethesda promised with earlier Elders rolls titles.

Hoping to be proven wrong on all accounts!
 
adamsapple

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Gaiff said:
GTA games have played like shit since at least GTA III. Why would that change?

Bethesda has never made a game that plays well and based on the gameplay footage, this isn't changing with Starfield.
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Still, both of those are a little while away and when it comes to the topic of emergent open world gameplay, R* is probably the most likely to have the most compelling version of it.
 
remember_spinal

remember_spinal

Banned
I dont really see any of the above games reinventing the wheel. They’re all gonna be iterative sequels

Zelda might introduce the most unique mechanics into the open world. I dont think I saw one actual new idea introduced in the starfield gameplay demonstration.

The best shot for some new inventive open world game is a new IP from a new studio
 
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Boss Man

Boss Man

Member
They’ll all be fun I’m sure, but emergent open world gameplay? Nintendo somehow managed to nail it on their first try with Zelda: BoTW while Bethesda and Rockstar both seem to be moving in the opposite direction towards more storytelling/cinematic experiences.
 
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Kumomeme

Kumomeme

Member
itseems Zelda Tear of the Kingdom probably gonna include lot of vertical exploration, something that rarely we get in videogames open world.

while other game like GTA6 obviously gonna be just similliar as its predecassor. town, vehicle, etc. something that common which is also already been done by other game.

we know nothing much about Starfield so better wait for more information or footage. considering the engine, better we see first.
 
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GigaBowser

GigaBowser

The bear of bad news
Gaiff said:
GTA games have played like shit since at least GTA III. Why would that change?

Bethesda has never made a game that plays well and based on the gameplay footage, this isn't changing with Starfield.
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GTA has amazeballs driving, flying and vehicles in general.
 
Pasta la Vista

Pasta la Vista

Member
I misunderstood the question so I said all 3.
I thought it said something along the lines of 'which game relies the most on emergent gameplay'

OK, with that out of the way, it's a toss up between GTA and Zelda for me.
I think I personally will enjoy Zelda more, but nobody has surpassed Rockstar as far as creating worlds that really feel alive and reactionary. The AI is just above and beyond any other dev.
 
Pimpbaa

Pimpbaa

Member
Hope they are all good, as I will be getting all 3. But I doubt the next GTA and Zelda will change much from their previous games. Starfield has a chance since it’s a new IP. Dying for some space exploration after Elite Dangerous was cancelled for current gen consoles (I know the scope of Starfield is much much smaller, but still)
 
TheInfamousKira

TheInfamousKira

Reseterror Resettler
You know what else is emergent? Steaming shit. Food for thought.

Probably GTA, not because of faith in the IP, but because RDR2 fucking could send you off into six hours tangents that have nothing to do with any quest or main storyline event.
 
Robb

Robb

Gold Member
Voted for all three. I’m most excited for TotK but I’m sure they’ll all be fantastic.
 
A

Admerer

Member
GTA6, 🤔.
Who knows what GTA online has done to the development of this game?
If GTA online never existed, then GTA6 would get my vote.
But now, why spend money and time on a revolutionary "emergent" single player mode when you can craft an "adequate"
story mode and then try to get players to switch to Online mode (that's where the real money is at).

Starfield has the best chance, but we know so little about it still, I assume it's Skyrim in space?
Which would be fine with me, but does Bethesda even remember how to make games anymore?

Zelda, Nintendo has been a generation behind when it comes to cutting edge technology, (hardware and software) lately.
Can the Switch hardware/Zelda engine handle an "emergent" world? Even if it can, does Nintendo want to spend the resources to develop it, I know they have the talent for it, but they always seem to be too frugal for this type of stuff.
 
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E

Elios83

Member
Starfield based on the E3 trailer doesn't seem to be doing anything new, it's Fallout in space with some procedurally generated contents ala NMS.
Zelda will be limited by hardware and seems a derivative sequel of BOTW.
GTA6 with Rockstar, a huge budget, next gen focus and uncompromised development cycle seems to be the only game that can afford the chance to innovate gameplay.
But even then looking at what they did with RDR2 it's hard to be sure.
 
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Chukhopops

Chukhopops

Member
As much as I dream about playing Starfield I think TOTK will be more innovative.

It will be another Majora’s Mask moment where the foundation is built in the first game and the second just subverts everything.

Plus the fact that it uses the TP universe means a lot more craziness can happen.
 
GymWolf

GymWolf

Member
I hope they deliver that way because combat in these games is gonna be acceptable at best and miserable/ultra basic at worse, if the past is anything to go by...
 
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Drizzlehell

Drizzlehell

Banned
I'm guessing you're not playing too many games that aren't triple-A, huh?

Getting emergent gameplay in big budget titles is wishful thinking and none of these games are likely to be built this way. These game devs are too preoccupied with serving you a directed experience and are petrified of gamers "breaking" their games by doing something that they didn't plan for. If you want games that let you be creative and unpredictable, then you'll have to look towards indie games or niche titles.
 
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gaming_again

gaming_again

Member
Zelda for truly emergent gameplay mechanics, GTA6 for emergent scenarios with NPCs etc. I expect the mission structure in the latter to still be fairly rigid. Rockstar can't afford to mess around with the formula too much, right?

I don't see Starfield delivering emergent gameplay at all. Just a feeling, but that doesn't look like its vibe at all.
 
vaibhavpisal

vaibhavpisal

Member
Unfair fight really.

Starfield is rpg that's made to adapt to player actions.

Other 2 are fixed in narrative, choices and possiblities.
 
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Yoboman

Yoboman

Member
GTA6. It's been so long in the making I'm expecting something mindblowing

Zelda is a continuation still on Switch hardware
We've seen Starfield and it looked not great so far
 
H

HL3.exe

Banned
Immersive Sims deal with emergent gameplay way better than all three options. And actually intergrade emergent gameplay into their structure and story outcomes.

An immersive sim (simulation) is a video game design philosophy that emphasizes player choice. Its core, defining trait is the use of simulated systems that respond to a variety of player actions which, combined with a comparatively broad array of player abilities, allow the game to support varied and creative solutions to problems, as well as emergent gameplay beyond what has been explicitly designed by the developer.
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(Games like Deus Ex, Thief, Dishonored, Prey (2017), Hitman, etc)

But it's definitely good to see this design principles being more common in the biggest of AAA.

Bethesda comes from a lite Immersive Sim background, but kinda stagnated after Oblivion in pushing their design/structure. I feel Zelda will push harder on emergent mechanics and systems, BUT I secretly hope Rockstar is finally going to make a immersive sim design push into their games (instead of linear theater shows with fail states, their structure has been outdated for years).




Rockstar's always been so close, but always fails in it's use of structure. GTA Vi is a prime candidate to finally make that jump, Their tech is excellent, their physics implementation is second to none. It just needs a better structure to actually engage with these detailed systems in a emergent/player driven way. Instead they opted to spoon-feed the player with linear follow the dot design, which is such a waste of potential. Hope they finally make the jump to intergrade their emergent mechanics into their actual story/structure this time. Make it a true Immersive Sim.
 
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gaming_again

gaming_again

Member
Guilty_AI said:
People citing GTA/RDR2 over and over clearly have no idea what emergent game design even means.
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How are the unscripted shoot-outs you can create in GTA not emergent? They are unpredictable, dynamic situations with hundreds of factors involved, many of which you can influence.
 
vaibhavpisal

vaibhavpisal

Member
gaming_again said:
How are the unscripted shoot-outs you can create in GTA not emergent? They are unpredictable, dynamic situations with hundreds of factors involved, many of which you can influence.
Click to expand...

So basically like swordfight you can start in Skyrim with one of peaceful NPC?

Never thought that will be brought up as example of emergent gameplay.
 
Wunray

Wunray

Member
Rocktstar mission design is kinda garbage but GTA6 will push the medium forward as it does with every GTA release.
 
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