I disagree. I am not trying to say that BG3 is open world. I just think it's embracing open world game design to a limited extent.
An open world means you'd be able to explore the entire world from end to end without transitioning between levels.
I agree that it falls under the definition of an open world game. But where I disagree is that the map design falls in line with modern day open world philosophy. It much more closely resembles hub design. I feel similarly about DoS2.
There's nothing wrong with this design. These are all just different ways to design the game with different philosophies. However, for Baldur's Gate, I'd prefer the more traditional style of level design as represented in games like Expeditions: Viking and to a lesser extent Pathfinder: Kingmaker.
I haven’t played either of those games but I have played Tyranny, which I loved. So I wouldn’t be against that style of level design. However, and correct me if I’m wrong, none of those games are considered triple A or had a triple A budget.
My problem with this line of thinking is that the Baldur’s Gate games were the cutting edge of technology at the time of their release. If the developers made BGII today it would no doubt utilize different map design elements than a game made in the late 90s/early 00s. That said, I can buy the argument that the map shouldn’t be as dense as it is currently to replicate how spread out everything feels in the original games (although this might be less of a problem once the rest of the paths currently not in EA are available, as act 1 is clearly unfinished). In this respect, I agree with the OP that we shouldn’t be beholden to the past. There are other ways to invoke the spirit of the og games, including themes, motifs, music, characters, and setting (which means DnD, which means DnD rule set, to keep this on topic, haha).
I think that time in video games is a dangerous thing. Having a quest that changes after a certain amount of time passes is generally not a good idea, in my eyes. I think it's best to represent the passage of time in other ways. Like, if there's a quest where the story involves some kind of "time limit", then this should be represented with branching paths, where you are given the choice to get distracted.
That’s fair. Most people hate timers for very understandable reasons. I just think the way it’s currently implemented is a very strange middle ground.
