I prefer RPGs with a somewhat more linear structure. Acts give narrative purpose. In open world sandbox games, you're quickly swamped in quests and lose sense of direction. Everything blends together, and the quest log becomes a vital crutch for the quests to even give a sense of completion by the time they are finished.
BG2 was somewhat, mostly, linear and the many chapters divided story progression and geographical locations. Most of which you were locked out of once completed. Irenicus' Dungeon, Baldur's Gate region, Brynnlaw, Underdark, back to Baldur's Gate region. DOS2's acts weren't dissimilar to that. So much of the criticism directed at the linear form of DOS2 and by presumptive extension BG3, is also indirectly a criticism against the original game, which is funny to me.
