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Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design

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Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design

#11

Post by whoknew1122 »

I think author is forgetting a very important part: From it's beginning, Elden Ring was positioned as a soulslike game. People walk into a soulslike game knowing they're going to get wrecked often and things are going to be difficult. This gives developers freedom like abbreviated tutorials, making the player character a non-hero, etc.

Linear storylines and sidequests, are often used as interactive tutorials. They give the player some structure within the game. For example, in Dying Light 2, a level 1 player is partitioned off from level 6 areas. A level 1 player facing off hordes of level 6 zombies, volatiles, etc. will have no shot. That would be frustrating for players not explicitly looking for that sort of experience.

In soulslike games, it's expected that your hand isn't going to be held and you might blindly walk into areas for which you're severely under equipped. That's a part of the experience, which again, is expected by players when they load up Elden Ring for the first time.

TL/DR: Elden Ring can have an organic open world without linear quest elements, because that's what players expect when picking up the game.

Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design

#12

Post by uejfiweun »

MisterBastahrd wrote: post #9

My own thoughts on Elden Ring are pretty simple. Give the players an absolutely gigantic open world map that you can basically travel from one end to the other without fighting anything, just for exploration's sake. Fill it with thoughtful mob-level NPC placement, making the higher level areas have higher level NPCs. Throw in a giant array of weapons, spells, skills and upgrades to choose from. Throw bosses around ev…

Yeah, one thing that Elden Ring did very well was the pacing. In other open world games, generally my first action item is to go and collect every fragment of the map, then start doing missions. In Elden Ring this is impossible, it literally took me over 100 hours to find some of the map pieces. Makes the game feel much larger and more like a grand adventure.

Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design

#13

Post by holyyikes »

libertine wrote: post #2

I hate to be that guy, but it's not fair to dismiss one of the best open world games released in the last 20 years, and which I believe inspired many things on Elden Ring - I'm talking about Breath of the Wild. Just like how you're introduced to the world is literally how BoTW introduces you to it's own world (could it be a homage?), or something as simple as picking up consumables with a simple press of a button wit…

Elden Ring has absolutely nothing in common with BOTW.

The whole "exiting the cave to reveal the world" is Socrates cave shit. Old as the hills.

Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design

#14

Post by holyyikes »

intsunny wrote: post #5
libertine wrote: post #2

I hate to be that guy, but it's not fair to dismiss one of the best open world games released in the last 20 years, and which I believe inspired many things on Elden Ring - I'm talking about Breath of the Wild. Just like how you're introduced to the world is literally how BoTW introduces you to it's own world (could it be a homage?), or something as simple as picking up consumables with a simple press of a button wit…

Yah, it seems very strange the article completely fails to mention Zelda Breath of the Wild. It is amazing to see how many games today have taken inspiration from Zelda BOTW. The first time I played the game, I decided it was more fun just exploring the open world and visiting all the Sheikah Towers. I didn't have good armor/equipment/food/etc, and I had a complete blast doing it. That was one of my fondest memories…

Because Elden Ring is about as far from BOTW as you can possibly be. It's not inspired by it at all.

Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design

#15

Post by bitlax »

libertine wrote: post #2

I hate to be that guy, but it's not fair to dismiss one of the best open world games released in the last 20 years, and which I believe inspired many things on Elden Ring - I'm talking about Breath of the Wild. Just like how you're introduced to the world is literally how BoTW introduces you to it's own world (could it be a homage?), or something as simple as picking up consumables with a simple press of a button wit…

Everybody steals from everybody.

https://twitter.com/DarkSoulsGame/status/768525788844961792

Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design

#16

Post by glouwbug »

uejfiweun wrote: post #10

Just a phenomenal game. IMO, all the From Games are great, but none of them really matched up to the original Dark Souls... until now. I've literally played this every day since it came out, I have over 150 hours, and I still haven't beat it. And still I'm discovering cool new areas, items, and lore. The amount of times I've gotten to a new area and just gone "what in the actual fuck" is too many to count, it's just…

You sure? Bethesda has rereleased the same game 7 times in the last 10 years.

Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design

#17

Post by KptMarchewa »

whoknew1122 wrote: post #11

I think author is forgetting a very important part: From it's beginning, Elden Ring was positioned as a soulslike game. People walk into a soulslike game knowing they're going to get wrecked often and things are going to be difficult. This gives developers freedom like abbreviated tutorials, making the player character a non-hero, etc. Linear storylines and sidequests, are often used as interactive tutorials. They gi…

>In soulslike games, it's expected that your hand isn't going to be held and you might blindly walk into areas for which you're severely under equipped.

Game even goes out of it's way to place Sellia Crystal Tunnel teleporter extremely close to start point if you immediately start going east.

Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design

#18

Post by tomnipotent »

defterGoose wrote: post #8
libertine wrote: post #2

I hate to be that guy, but it's not fair to dismiss one of the best open world games released in the last 20 years, and which I believe inspired many things on Elden Ring - I'm talking about Breath of the Wild. Just like how you're introduced to the world is literally how BoTW introduces you to it's own world (could it be a homage?), or something as simple as picking up consumables with a simple press of a button wit…

I just want to point out that although BOTW is perhaps the most recent example of a widely lauded (though rightly criticized as well) expansive open world, it is in no way the only or even the primary inspiration that Elden Ring draws on. Yes, it has crafting, dungeons and long vistas. But in that sense, Skyrim is equally valid. Heck, even GTA games fill most of those criteria. And if you're going for sheer quality o…

It's not about the open world dimension, it's dropping the player into a world with little to no training.

Skyrim, GTA, and RDR2 all share the same "Main Mission" mechanic that helps keep players centered on overall story progression while leaving room for side quests and exploration. This "go there, do this, go there" cycle doesn't exist in BOTW or Elden Ring.

Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design

#19

Post by istorical »

tomnipotent wrote: post #18
defterGoose wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just want to point out that although BOTW is perhaps the most recent example of a widely lauded (though rightly criticized as well) expansive open world, it is in no way the only or even the primary inspiration that Elden Ring draws on. Yes, it has crafting, dungeons and long vistas. But in that sense, Skyrim is equally valid. Heck, even GTA games fill most of those criteria. And if you're going for sheer quality o…

It's not about the open world dimension, it's dropping the player into a world with little to no training. Skyrim, GTA, and RDR2 all share the same "Main Mission" mechanic that helps keep players centered on overall story progression while leaving room for side quests and exploration. This "go there, do this, go there" cycle doesn't exist in BOTW or Elden Ring.

Good observation and if I may I think a great term for this is just 'sandbox' gameplay.

Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design

#20

Post by sushid »

holyyikes wrote: post #14
intsunny wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yah, it seems very strange the article completely fails to mention Zelda Breath of the Wild. It is amazing to see how many games today have taken inspiration from Zelda BOTW. The first time I played the game, I decided it was more fun just exploring the open world and visiting all the Sheikah Towers. I didn't have good armor/equipment/food/etc, and I had a complete blast doing it. That was one of my fondest memories…

Because Elden Ring is about as far from BOTW as you can possibly be. It's not inspired by it at all.

It's literally their highly refined tried and true formula with BOTW. Hard to believe that you don't see the parallel in open world design if you've played both games.
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