Did free roaming games change the way you see the rest of games?

I recently got very hooked up with free roaming games, ranging from the GTA series to s.t.a.l.k.e.r., Oblivion, Fallout 3... I love the freedom of action and movement they grant you and the unpredictable, unscripted events that may happen anytime (a bandit assault in Fallout, a gang firefight in San Andreas, a monster attack in s.t.a.l.k.e.r.), I like the random items and weapons that make you feel great when you stumble upon some good loot.

Well, I noticed that, when I play a 'regular' action game, I feel kinda constrained, with the linear levels and the scripted events: that enemy will ambush me there, there will be a rifle on that rack, that wall will collapse... It almost feels like a rollercoaster ride: it's fun, but you know what to expect everytime you do it

Does anybody ever feel the same? Do you think freeroaming is the way all games will be in the future and level-based shooters will come to an end?

Yes. The game that really changed it for me was Mercenaries. I think it was the first game that I played that was truly free roam. Oblivion and GTA IV came next. Now it's X3: Terran Conflict. It's got an incredible amount of free roam. It takes free roam to a whole new level. However, you'll only enjoy it if you like the sandbox type of gameplay and like building your empire from the ground up. Sounds like I'm trying to advertise/promote the game but whatever. It really revolutionised the way I see free roaming games.

Hm, I grew up with the Ultima series, so I don't think modern free-roaming games have changed my opinion of anything.

...but yeah, free-roaming works for some games, but I think I prefer more linear games - they allow for a better story, better scripted events, and a more polished game in general.

Now look at Oblivion. Open free roam goodness... but when you want to get somewhere and don't have all day to walk across and fight the same bandit or animal 6 times along the way just quick travel. Sometimes free roam is great, other times not... I liked the fact I had the option to do either whenever I wanted. That is good game design.raahsnavj

On the one hand, fast travel killed the exploration aspect - especially when it had been done much better in Morrowind.
On the other hand, Oblivion was so dull that you'd want to just skip ahead to things without wasting any more time on it...so perhaps fast travel *was* the only good design choice in the game? :P

Yes. After playing GTA III, most of my games then are free roaming.

[QUOTE="raahsnavj"] Now look at Oblivion. Open free roam goodness... but when you want to get somewhere and don't have all day to walk across and fight the same bandit or animal 6 times along the way just quick travel. Sometimes free roam is great, other times not... I liked the fact I had the option to do either whenever I wanted. That is good game design.Planeforger

On the one hand, fast travel killed the exploration aspect - especially when it had been done much better in Morrowind.
On the other hand, Oblivion was so dull that you'd want to just skip ahead to things without wasting any more time on it...so perhaps fast travel *was* the only good design choice in the game? :P

How did fast travel kill the exploration aspect? Could you still walk everywhere you wanted and explore? The only thing fast travel did was let those that choose not to explore to cut to the chase, possibly missing the side quests forever (some of the best quests in the game IMO were side quests I found wandering around). That doesn't mean it was boring, it means the game gave players a choice... Open roam is about choice right? They took it a step further and allowed both free roam (more choices) or linear gameplay (less choices) in the same package, thus appealing to everyone regardless of their preference of linear or open gameplay. The only people that complain are the ones that claim to be 'open roam zealots' then fast traveled the whole time. raahsnavj

I'm pretty sure the idea of fast travel ruined exploration with the fact that the player didn't have to explore (my interpretation of argument). If you don't explore, there isn't exploration..

And, I don't think that was what the poster meant by boring. Oblivion itself, not the travel/exploration, was the boring part. Personally, I couldn't stand Oblivion after playing Morrowind for hundreds of hours.

Not really. I appreciate game for what they are. While I like exploring the countrysidein Oblivion, I don't find myself even slightly wanting to map the underdark in Gears. Different games focus on different things.

Free roaming games make me appreciate old games even more. Yeah, free roaming games are OK, but somehow I feel THEY are actually the games that are predictable and eventually boring. It also make the storyline nonexistant in a sense. If all games in the future become free roaming, I might actually lose interest in gaming.

[QUOTE="raahsnavj"]How did fast travel kill the exploration aspect? Could you still walk everywhere you wanted and explore? The only thing fast travel did was let those that choose not to explore to cut to the chase, possibly missing the side quests forever (some of the best quests in the game IMO were side quests I found wandering around). That doesn't mean it was boring, it means the game gave players a choice... Open roam is about choice right? They took it a step further and allowed both free roam (more choices) or linear gameplay (less choices) in the same package, thus appealing to everyone regardless of their preference of linear or open gameplay. The only people that complain are the ones that claim to be 'open roam zealots' then fast traveled the whole time. muthsera666

I'm pretty sure the idea of fast travel ruined exploration with the fact that the player didn't have to explore (my interpretation of argument). If you don't explore, there isn't exploration..

And, I don't think that was what the poster meant by boring. Oblivion itself, not the travel/exploration, was the boring part. Personally, I couldn't stand Oblivion after playing Morrowind for hundreds of hours.

I'm pretty sure the idea of fast travel ruined exploration with the fact that the player didn't have to explore (my interpretation of argument). If you don't explore, there isn't exploration..

muthsera666

I'm with raahsnavj on this one. If you don't want to use fast travel in Oblivion, then you don't have to. I only used it when going between cities, and then only if I'd traveled the route to get there before. Once you've walked along a highway once, there's really nothing to explore there ever again. The fast travel just speeded things up, even for people who do like to explore the countryside.

[QUOTE="muthsera666"]

I'm pretty sure the idea of fast travel ruined exploration with the fact that the player didn't have to explore (my interpretation of argument). If you don't explore, there isn't exploration..

Palantas

I'm with raahsnavj on this one. If you don't want to use fast travel in Oblivion, then you don't have to. I only used it when going between cities, and then only if I'd traveled the route to get there before. Once you've walked along a highway once, there's really nothing to explore there ever again. The fast travel just speeded things up, even for people who do like to explore the countryside.

The only person making you use fast travel...is you. If you're using fast travel instead of uncovering the game map, then you didn't want to explore very badly. In that case, the game is actually letting you do what you want. That's a good thing.

[QUOTE="muthsera666"]

I'm pretty sure the idea of fast travel ruined exploration with the fact that the player didn't have to explore (my interpretation of argument). If you don't explore, there isn't exploration..

I'm with raahsnavj on this one. If you don't want to use fast travel in Oblivion, then you don't have to. I only used it when going between cities, and then only if I'd traveled the route to get there before. Once you've walked along a highway once, there's really nothing to explore there ever again. The fast travel just speeded things up, even for people who do like to explore the countryside.

I think you better replay it again... you can only fast travel in Oblivion once you have been to said location once...raahsnavj

You can warp anywhere that's on the map at the start of the game, which includes Weynon Priory. You mustwalk to any location after that, even ones mentioned in quests.

Yes, free roaming games made me expect more of other games. I don't really see "free roaming games" as a particular genre, but more as a natural progression of game design now that technology can handle open worlds. If I play a game that is still very linear, but see that it could have benefited from a free roaming world, or that an open world would have made sense in the grand scheme of the game, then I usually see it as lazy design on the developer's part and the game loses points in my book.

So then, is there exploration in Oblivion? Anyone that has played it would have to say yes... Does oblivion have fast travel? Yes again... So I guess Fast travel didn't 'kill' exploration at all now did it...raahsnavj

There is exploration in Oblivion, but it is optional. For many people, if they are not forced to explore, they won't. That is why there is the saying that it killed exploration.

Keep in mind, this is not my argument. Personally, Oblivion killed Oblivion. I was just trying to help explain the argument.

You can warp anywhere that's on the map at the start of the game, which includes Weynon Priory. You mustwalk to any location after that, even ones mentioned in quests.

Palantas

Thats a really good observation. Games like driver, gta etc... have indeed affected my way of seeing the games. before we used to play games to make points and evade from traps etc but in the games of today its like the whole game is in your hand. So where there is a room for free roaming in the game then it becomes more then just a game in my view.

i think free roam is how all games should be and when i look for games to get, i will only buy free roam, unless its a sports game.jcopp72