i think the issue with big open world vs cram packed is that in previous games people complained about the low walking speed.
In reality most top down CRPGs dont have huge maps, they have many small ones.
The thing is that with BG3 having them all stitched together instead of strung together by loadscreens, it all feels much smaller
walking through long stretches of empty wildenress is cool in a third person game, but it doesnt work in a top down crpg
You wouldn’t need all the empty space if you utilized the overland map more. Like Pathfinder: Kingmaker or Solasta, you have points of interest and you travel in a line. There may be encounters or discoveries along the way but the travel is abstract but still makes the world seem bigger.
