Non-linear story telling in open world games Options

[Licentia Per Ori...]

Ok so this is something that i have been thinking about quite a lot recently.

now in yer "traditional" game - the story can and probably should be linear - the writer is in direct control of what players will discover, when, and how.

but in open world games, this is not the case.

Personally I have yet to see an open world game - that has a genuinely "open world story".

Even in games with open worlds, it appears the story is very much written in a linear way.

which makes me wonder - is it even possible to really write a truly open world story?

to compare to a book - a standard game would have a story where you start at page 1 - then read till page 100.

an open world story - would be a book where you read the first 3 pages in order, but can then read pages 3 to 97 in ANY order you chose but still have the story make perfect sense, be immersive and engaging.

is this even possible?

for the variables alone will surely become exponentially complex.

In open world games - the world is open, but the story is not.
you can for example go to the super secret hideout where the final battle takes place - but it will probably be a deserted, empty, shell

we don't see this as immersion breaking per-se because we have it as an established flaw in open world games, we accept it.

is it possible for me to kill the final boss at the start of the game (no doubt on 2nd playthru ) and still be able to enjoy the rest of the story?
The story / game world would have to adapt to this.
It's an extreme example - about as extreme as it could get,
what would the rest of the story even be?

[Licentia Per Ori...]

See the thing is I can see a way of it working - on a small scale.

in a small open world.

the game world is a Hotel

someone has been murdered - the game starts as you find a body - there are lets say 5 other people in the hotel and yourself.

there are also 5 "clues" you will need to find to know 100% who the murderer is.

equally you can at any point go up to any suspect - and interrogate them with the clues / evidence you have so far.

in this way - the beginning is set (there is a murder - you find the body) the ending is also set - you catch the murderer / he gets away.

but regardless of the order you find the clues / information in - still tells the same result.

so perhaps you find out he is a wealthy billionaire first - and that he was visiting a prostitute in the hotel 2nd

or the other way round. - you still get the "revelation"

now - would you be able to apply it to something other than a murder mystery?