Definitely no scaling whatsoever, and how about an open but somewhat changing world? You can go to most places (if you can find a way to survive) almost from the start, a few open at story nodes, a few close, others change in various ways, but you get clear warnings and a chance to go back and finish up before something gets locked away / quests become impossible to complete / etc.

"We're all humans." Let's try to be more!
"The chief obstacle to the progress of the human race is the human race."
"If you're falling off a cliff you may as well try to fly, you've got nothing to lose."