Comments on: Lunchtime Discussion: Linear and Open World

By: BadBoyBoogie

BadBoyBoogie — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:19:30 +0000

I like both styles, but I don’t actually have a preference as it depends on the game. I’m currently playing Assassins Creed 2, and that seems to be the best of both worlds, where the missions are linear in nature, but you can choose to ignore them (all be it temporarily) and just explore, collect treasure, or do side quests etc.

By: clank250

clank250 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:22:25 +0000

Well certain games need the open world. i.e. Fallout 3 and most RPG’s. (imagine you being forced down a certain section of the capital wasteland throughout the course of the game… fail) and some games require the linear aspect. i.e. Uncharted 2 and most shooters/action adventure games (imagine exploring the mountains and having to travel between Nepal and the mountains open-world. I just don’t see it) So it all depends on the game type.

Mercs 2 for example was a good game that incorporated the shooter mechanic and the open-world gameplay at the same time without making it an RPG. It was blow everything up in site and kill a everyone who got in your way (except for civilians… those bastards were always in the middle of a giant shootout and always getting blown-up with my rockets).

So I would like a middle ground, an open-world that has boundries, with a primary goal to get to. Some parts of shooters have this mechanic, BF:BC is a great example, it was an open-world that was indeed linear at times, but you could choose how you where going to assault a certain situation. Operation Flashpoint : Dragon Rising seems like a game that I would enjoy, open-world, choices on how you will finish a mission, that seems awesome.

But also remember that some RPG’s have linear points in it, dungeons or tunnels that you have to go through to finish a certain mission or to retrieve something so that you can finish the mission later on. Oblivion and Fallout are great examples of this. Some caves and forts in Oblivion were needed to go into to finish a part of the game while most of them were optional to go into, but you would get something special for doing so. Same with Fallout (huh that’s a surprise…) you go into caves, and other vaults, but most aren’t needed to be done.

So, uh… I would like the middle ground, good open-world gameplay, getting to a point, and choosing how you will follow through with it. And sorry if I ranted a little too much… Just trying to get a few points across at the same time…

By: bunimomike

bunimomike — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:57:00 +0000

That’s a good observation. To many of us, it’s not about whether the game is linear or free-flowing but down to how the developers handle delivering that to us. The more important question if you ask me.

By: gideon1451

gideon1451 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:17:56 +0000

RPG levelling systems combat this difficulty problem occasionally [Oblivion's system .etc].

I see what you mean though, I do like not having to choose where to go, & the places to be a challenge.

By: Dexter17

Dexter17 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:21:09 +0000

Open World by far. I hate games (unless they are really good) that you force you to go down a certain path and force you to do certain things.

That’s why I absolutely love Grand Theft Auto IV.

By: iNsAnE_gAmInG

iNsAnE_gAmInG — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:18:40 +0000

I find huge open worlds quite a daunting prospect at first e.g. Fallout 3 or Borderlands.
Sometimes it is a more relaxing, less stressful experience when playing a game that is ‘too linear’.
As the game makes the decision for you, great cutscenes, set-pieces etc can be added with more priority. Fallout 3 is my favourite game though, so I guess open-worlds are not that bad if you can be bothered to get engrossed.

By: skibadee

skibadee — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:58:31 +0000

open world every time

By: djkaty

djkaty — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:59:42 +0000

From my point of view, which is 1. Casual gamer, 2. Not much time, 3. Not very good at games, 4. Not much patience for exploring, I prefer a linear game where you simply play through the levels and be done with it. For me that is usually the more satisfying experience. I totally agree with the other posters about Burnout Paradise.

There are actually 4 things reviewers always seem to mark games down for which actually appeal to me and make me more inclined to buy it if it gets a bad review score for that reason:

1. Game is not linear
2. Game is too short
3. Game is too easy
4. Game does not have online multiplayer

None of those things matter to someone with limited time and limited ability to aim and shoot quickly. I like games that are easy enough that you never have to repeat a section more than once or twice, because I like to just enjoy the experience, not get frustrated.

By: DJ Judas

DJ Judas — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:52:10 +0000

BF1943 and the Bad Companies pale in comparison to Battlefield 2 and 2142.

We need Battlefield 3! (In a shouty mood today).

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Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:05:00 +0000

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By: deadwelsh

deadwelsh — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:48:00 +0000

I prefer Open Worlds, but agree they can suffer from not having the linear storyline to keep you fully involved in the game. The best thing about open world is the replayability value once you have finished with the main game.

Linear games can probably keep me more focused on the story, but if i reach a part which is particularly difficult, i am stuck having to try and complete, rather than being able to try another area of the game, only to come back to it later once i feel i can tackle it.

For examples

UC2 – loved it 1st time, seemed very same old same old on the 2nd run through.

AC2 – great to have the open world environment, and all the improvements over he 1st AC, but i feel the assassinations from AC2 feel a bit less satisfying so far, and not as much fun when all hell breaks loose and you need to escape.

By: TheDeathAvenger

TheDeathAvenger — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:45:03 +0000

I love both. However I get more out of open world games. I am currently massively enjoying Assassins Creed 2. As long as there is a wonderful world full of side missions, tasks, items to find, etc as well as the main story of course.

By: DR-DAVROS

DR-DAVROS — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:33:52 +0000

Both I guess I just like whatever is new. I loved COD4 but then a while down the line I loved BF1943 and tried Bad Company because of it. I then tried Flashpoint dragon rising which im still unsure of as haven’t had much time to get back into since getting MW2 which im loving. I’m also in the Bad Company 2 beta which first play thru I really liked second time not so much. Therefore it all depends on mood and other factors on what type I like. So BOTH however my life is a little too linear at the moment.

By: shields_t

shields_t — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:32:12 +0000

Would you not say something like Arkham Asylum is a happy medium?

I suppose you still need to complete the objectives in the same order though so maybe not.

By: shields_t

shields_t — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:30:48 +0000

Burnout Paradise becomes a lot easier as you familiarise yourself more and more with Paradise City, though having platinumed it, I still always take the wrong route in the top left side of the map and end up going throughly the wrong way to the checkpoint in the mountains.

By: cam the man

cam the man — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:28:31 +0000

I totally agree.
Some games suit linear and some are best done non-linear.

By: shields_t

shields_t — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:26:54 +0000

Well they both have a place in my collection, this year I have loved Fallout 3 and inFamous from the open world camp, and Dead Space Extraction and Uncharted from the linear side of things and Arkham Asylum and Dead Space which sit somewhere in the middle.

By: hairfreax

hairfreax — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:12:35 +0000

As long as the game gets me to want to go to the next point/level/mission then im not fussed either way how the game plays. You know what you expect when you buy the game anyway

By: double-o-dave

double-o-dave — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:04:03 +0000

yep, that would’ve helped.

By: DJ Judas

DJ Judas — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:02:47 +0000

Precisely!I think while Paradise is good in it’s own right, I’ve not spent anywhere near as much time on it as I did the previous games. It’s just not as good.

Unfortunately, all the kiddies are expecting games to be open-world now