i honestly don't see the issue with using your imagination. this is a tabletop dnd simulation. how is that any different from on-screen dice rolls to simulate lockpicking for example? pretending is part of it
Well, fundamentally you of course always have to use your imagination to enjoy a game (you're not actually an adventurer on faerun, you're pressing buttons on a keyboard). But you don't have to pretend like the bandit camp in bg1 is difficult to find, it actually is difficult to find. In bg3, you have to pretend like the grove is difficult to find, even though it's not. I just think it's generally superior design when a game doesn't force you to pretend, but actually is the way it says it is.