What I am noting is that the ambition is spent “horizontally” i.e. across many different visions and ways to accomplish the game, rather than “vertically” I.e. providing depth and consequence to a smaller number of features or ways of playing.
This is it exactly! Very well put! And while in an ideal world one could have both horizontal and vertical ambition in one game, I am extremely skeptical this can be successfully pulled off. I'm certain that Larian/Swen and also the diehard BG3 fans here will insist this is what BG3 does, and does successfully. I of course respectfully but profoundly disagree. And so, if it *has* to be one or the other and not both, then I very strongly come down on the side of vertical over horizontal ambition.
