It seems to me, in order to tell an 'incredible' story in an open world, the premise of the plot must be built upon the business of adventuring, and not merely saving the world: Thus, the more the player explores, the more of the story he discovers. In this way, such a game would need imitate life, wherein every experience shapes the protagonist, and his story. The events of each adventure would need to build upon one another -- even if only slightly in some cases -- to create a complex web of interrelations. These interrelated experiences, from the various quests the player discovered, and the many regions through which he travelled, would accumulate to shape the story's finale. A grand revelation, and climax to the long adventures could come at the end, but only when the player had explored every corner of the world, completed every quest, and collected all the artefacts, skills, and made the acquaintances of the population; at that point, when all the slowly accumulating links had been joined, then the story's conclusion could be revealed. Such a story, spanning the vastness of the game's world, would be a 'life story', rather than a single main quest.
Realistically, however, the complex calculations, computations, and imposing number of variables, which would need be taken into account to implement such a game, would require a near perfect virtual simulation of real life, and its many, often conflicting, consequences, causes and effects. I'd wager the resources required would put such a game beyond the means of most companies.
Realistically, however, the complex calculations, computations, and imposing number of variables, which would need be taken into account to implement such a game, would require a near perfect virtual simulation of real life, and its many, often conflicting, consequences, causes and effects. I'd wager the resources required would put such a game beyond the means of most companies.
Last edited: