Open world, sandbox, multi path, multi choice, tell your own story, suspension of dis-immersion required (sometimes) or the "Living Breathing" world 'Illusion'....
Basically my point is that these games are always revolving around what you do and even when strategy is implemented it falls short or is an illusion or just becomes something lke the war table - a plot device and/or a new kind of side mission world forming mechanic. Because in the end that's what you do. The world is scripted and if its subtle enough like in some games then the illusion and immersion holds. The post is long so im just telling you this: Think of XCOM and imagine its strategic dynamic and the systems at work while you manage your armys resources and opertations as a few scripted tings do happen BUT in between you have to keep everything together or the XCOM operation will fail and thus the game will end. You literally have to beat the game as it competes agaist you just like in life or in a more realistic RPG the forces and entities of the world are competing, some competing against you, some with you, and although your choices have consequences the world shouldn't revolve around just your choices and consequences. A giant to do list of quests type of Structure design needs could be replaced be an organic( virtually organic with cleverly hidden and very subtle scripts deep in the subtext) changing world of oppurtunities, stories, goals, success, failures, deaths, tagedis, glories, victories, sex, and what have you aren't just going on in your adventure but gears are turning and chaos will always prevail. We just have to try and hold back the worst of it (Kind of like the random item drops every time you start a new game or reload a old save can be the "worst of it" or the best. That's a simple parallel to the concept im porbably gonna overexplain but just in case you didn't cath it in these bold words....
If you've read my posts in othe threads, you might of seen me mention my frustration of Frostbite Engine (im not a tech savvy person but i like to know what engines games are made on to get an idea of what they might feel like and idk why Frostbie was cosen. Its beautiful but it semms like it prevented a fully absolute unbroken open wold OR OR OR Ferelden and Orlais split into separate open worlds with their cities and other special ares like forbidden oasis, fallow mire and such being places you can travel to from the map only while all else is connected. Even if there where loading Screen cutscnese showing your party cross into one region from another making it connected and still Unbroken. But i digress. The open hubs are cool.
A living breathing world would consist of the Illusion of order, the reality of chaos as separate and.or connected cycles like Day and Night where time that passes means something (perhaps bng too late for a happy ending for instance) economic changes, changes that don't ALWAYS REVOLVE AROUND YOU AND YOUR CHOICES or lack of choices. I'd like some more effects or dynamics of events that happen because of a choice i didn't make. I'd like a realistic system of Time and a sense of Urgency with some quests. If an NPC says "hurry or my son will die, then a timer should appear on that deed (calling everything a quests doesn't seem appropriate as a plotpoint, mission, voyage, activity, path, or deed, executed plan etc. The entirety of multiple deeds or missions and the games story is the quest) or perhaps on other similar type deeds or plot points, encounters or discoveries , raids, etc, the timer is something like "he'll die after the sun rises and falls three more times said the witch when she cursed hm" or something. Then it would just fit into whatever 3 days is in game time.
This tme system/cycle would then allow for strtagey to be taken seriously and even deciding when and wehre to go next would be critical descisions in some cases because fast travel would pass in game time to scale with the distance traveled. A three days ride... is a three days ride (and a 3 minute loading screen no doubt). You should actually be able to see the strength or weakness of the inquisition from the war table. If soldiers are getting eatin alive cuz you didn't kill a dragon but sent them into the area where it may be the consequences could be fucked..
The War table would be a place of strategy an a place to view the worlds state and the world shoud be turning instead of hanging on YOUR "Agent of Change" created character every choice. Im not expressing disappointment only a POV but most RPG \s like this are still Scripted... just with flexabilty and alternatives. Its nnot a well oiled machine where if you throw a monkey rench into Vall Royeau might be in ashes, Cassandra eaten by a pride demon, you return to haven to find Iron Bull has gone crazy from re education and slaughtered everyone and you have to sve your remaining companions or perhaps NPCs that can then become main characters.
With a true "Living Breatihing world" with moving parts and even the most basic social and economic dynamics, the chaos of nature (**** rn into a keep and turns out it wasn't abandoned but a wolves den. The child we were escorting was eaten alive along with Iron Bull. Handling the deths of main characters could be a dynamic mplemented in context of the MAIN path as you , the player have choosen, sown, etc. the effects you have caused, random effects of nature and chaos,things that happened because you didn't try to stop or failed to stop (while there still being a chance that something else, or another dynamic or "agent of change" be it a force, an entty, or a outcome of events, or actions of a person/s. This would make for a story more interesting than a Giant "to do" list of Multiple Choice based "quests".
STil, things would have to be scripted BUT the script would be deep beneath, in the subtext of the individual "atoms" that give the virtuall world the strong illusion of a completely organic structure of history nd current events. The foundation would have to be well designed so Narrative would still exist but a Narrative that you create as you role play an a narrative you fll victim to as we all do in are own "Real life narratives" (stories in our everyday lives get lost in the chaos of evry though feeling descision, event , hour, day and month that occur and only our search for purpose, truth or whatever is important when we go to bed. Although we aren't even aware of our search for truth because we have bills to pay. RPGs allow experiences that no one would wan to be involved in in real life but offer intriguing dynamics for intriguing stories. And in a true living world with chaos being a factor as well as time and the systems of civilization plus the conflict of the central narrative and the foundations of everything established in the prologue and first few quets in act one, anything could happen in act two, three, and four. Perhaps the story never ends or the wold is in ruins be act 3 and you're "King of te ashes"
An EXAMPLE of what the war table could of been. Eithr Acting as the center of the games plot or a major part of the STRATEGY and the narrative of being the person at the top, the leader, the Inquisitor,
IN XCOM (IM not comparing XCOM to DRagon age im using it as an example) you actually have to beat the game or the game beats you.You can handle money poorly and then be forced to let things happen as you wait for money to come in so you can hire soldiers after a couple missions where they where all massacred. Your star soldier can go from being the "Hero" to a broken man if "gravely injured as a permanent decreas in willpower takes affect along with other stats.
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