Open-World or Plot-Driven?, Which do you prefer? Options

[TheDreamWriter]

This is the basis of a new long-term game project that I am developing (Explorer, exclusive to RPGRev).

It is an open-world explorer with no pre-set plot. The game will evolve around the player's game style.

If you complete a quest, it may unlock one quest but lock another from access. But, at the same time, you could sit at home farming.

Do people think it would be better for a game to be open-world or plot-driven?

~TDW

[TheDreamWriter]

So, samer95, you're saying an open-world game that still has a set storyline?

So, for example, the player can do certain things (such as gambling at a casino) as long as it does not use money needed later in the game or use up precious time in a time-based game?

I think that a basic back-plot is needed to keep open-world explorer's valid and feasible, but their vast openness allows the game to shift around the player, rather than the player have to adapt to the game. Surely?

[bulmabriefs144]

So, samer95, you're saying an open-world game that still has a set storyline?

So, for example, the player can do certain things (such as gambling at a casino) as long as it does not use money needed later in the game or use up precious time in a time-based game?

I'm saying the same thing. I assume you haven't played the Elder Scrolls (Skyrim, Morrowind, Oblivion, Daggerfall) games, or you'd know what I'm talking about. They're mostly open-world. But they have a main quest, that you can choose to do. Or not, and go rob houses, gather mushrooms, or just be a general goof. And in the first case, there should be ways off earning money (such as getting employed).

Maple Story is another good example. You can do a great number of things, from chatting, to grind, to random jump quests, to just exploring (even areas you are way outclassed for). They have a few core quests though, that sorta tie together into a main story.

Not so much a balance between the two, so much as totally open-world, with a plot you can go back to if you really want (memos or journals help in this regard, getting you to figure out what to do next).

In order to make a successful open-world game, you need:

• A big world with cheap transport.
• A working sidequest system.
• A working journal system, that keeps track of what's happened so far.
• An original story, possibly one that offers item bonuses which can't be had just from wandering about.
• Lots of cool things to do (pets, unique spell systems, maybe class changes)
• Possibly the option to steal from or kill other characters, depending on the game (disallow this for plot characters, since it's literally game-breaking)

The actual code is simple or in some places nonexistent, except for the sidequests part (usually it involves at least three switches for acceptance, completion, and post-collection of rewards; I can't think of an easier way except maybe using a variable).