Oh, that game sounds a lot like Savage Lands, at least in the sense the author focuses on.
Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design
101–110 of 172 posts
Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design
#102Elden Ring is a wonderful game, but by far not the first open world game which ignores the "Ubisoft collectathon formula". Another somewhat recent example which creates a wonderfully unique world: Witcher 3. Or going much further back in time, the Ultima games (which peaked at Ultima VII). Such games are much more appealing to 'explorer types', less to 'completionist/achiever types'.
Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design
#103I 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'm surprised many sing high praises for BoTW. When compared to the rest of the Zelda franchise, BoTW looks unloved to me. Shrines and Korok leaves are chores and treasures are just variations of stats.
In prior Zeldas, dungeons were architecturally complicated and treasures would bring a new kind of ability.
Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design
#104I 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…
Zelda BOTW is just the first NES Zelda for the modern era. Nintendo's open-world is the only open-world I liked. I can't get immersed in GTA's open world because I'm just a random going on a killing spree for 15 minutes then shut the game down. I hated Skyrim, the world is big but empty. There is nothing particular about the landscape that makes me want to "go there". Most of the time, I discovered areas because I wa…
First thing I switched off in Witcher 3 was the "GPS". It's a much better game without.
Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design
#105Earlier quoted context omitted.
Quoted post unavailable.
People are going to hate on you for being sexist. You could have said little kids but nope, you went with little girls.
The person is simply falling into that all-too-human trap.
Where they see something they don't understand, and assign an "alien" status to it. They might as well be saying that BOTW is for Klingons, for all the rationality there is behind it.
In that poster's vein, we might as well refer to all GTA players as criminals and thugs (of course they're not!). When in reality, the player base of both GTA and BOTW has a massive overlap - both games are largely played by the same people. "Computer gamers".
Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design
#106Plea for tips... I tried to play Elden Ring, no knowledge, lover of BotW, and ... I first picked Wretch. I didn't know that it matter and maybe it doesn't but it seemed more cool to start with wimpy looking character and see it get built up. But, AFAICT after getting to the first hard character in the training pit, Wretch is meant for a hard challenge So I started over with whatever the first character is (already fo…
Did you miss the tutorial? You said 'training pit', which should be it. It literally tells you what to do. Basically, use target lock, roll when enemy attacks and then try to hit.
Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design
#107This YouTube video is a much better treatment of the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-as8kVASgXw
Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design
#108I know the Gothic series[1] isn't that well known outside Europe but it feels weird to see ER hyped for things that a nearly twenty old series was famous for.
Organing Learning
You don't matter
There’s Always a Plan B
Letting the Player Breathe
Everything you need to learn, you learn by exploration. There are no tutorial, no hints, no hand holding. You are just some dude. Nobody even cares to know your name and even low level NPCs can beat you up. (Though of course the power fantasy here is that after many hours of playing you earn your place and become the hero but again, that needs to be earned.)
Enemy too strong for you? You can try to run around it. You can use a magic spell. You can master the combat system. You can lure it towards an NPC that might finish it off. Or you can just grind up your stats and come back later. So many ways to solve a problem.
Sadly even the studio was never able to recreate the magic fully in further games. Though Elex is quite decent but sadly had to make a few compromises.
[1] Gothic 1 and 2 and add-on explicitly excluding Gothic 3 which plays differently
Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design
#109Earlier 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.
Not sure about Elden Ring, but BOTW has also a main-mission with story progression and location-targets you are supposed to go to. It's just not forced into your face, as there is not much of a quest-tracker and flags telling you what you are supposed to do. The main-mission is just there, but you can basically forget it without any reminder.
Re: Elden Ring Succeeds by Ignoring 20 Years of Open-World Design
#110This is just plainly false. While not quite as bad as the average Ubisoft game, Elden Ring's world design is very similar to Elder Scrolls, Skyrim in particular. Most of what the author brings up are aspects of the game not related to the open world. The open world itself is not nearly as trend-bucking as a lot of other game design decisions From Software make, which is honestly a bit disappointing. In general, Elden Ring is their closest game to a typical AAA title, a lot of the quirks and contrarian elements from their earlier games are absent in it.