2 ms·

As someone who bounced off Morrowind in favor of Gothic (II) because there weren't enough guardrails in place for my old self, how much of the old "here are som

As someone who bounced off Morrowind in favor of Gothic (II) because there weren't enough guardrails in place for my old self, how much of the old "here are some breadcrumbs and here's the game's final goal, but the way in between is up to you to find" design intent is in No Mans Sky? I love finding little niche stories, but they have to be crafted with intent, (procedural) environmental storytelling does not scratch that itch. Is NMS worth trying out?

darkwi11ow 21d ago
NMS has very different world building that sets it apart from both Gothic and TES series. The game world in TES and Gothic depicts "real" fantasy world, and the player personas in the series are bound to experience it from the point of view of characters inhabiting that fantasy world as if it was real for them. On the opposite side, in NMS the world is ontologically a simulation, and the player persona gradually becomes aware of it being a simulation while progressing a story (a.k.a. breaking the fourth wall). In that sense, procedurally generated environments, generated quests, NPC design and interactions are very logical to the lore and add to immersion, but there is no guardrails to the story because lore is tuned against having them. Whether you like it if you need more guardrails: probably not, it is kind of game and world building, where the final goal is to find out there was no final goal in a first place.
0x457 21d ago
Morrowind had no guardrails or quest markers, but it had a good story and clear final goal that you learn eventually. No guardrails here mean that you can kill anyone and make main quest impossible to finish, but it had a direction that you can choose to follow. Plus a ton of interesting side-quests. NMS lack of guardrails is "do whatever you want", story is lacking and only reason to progress "main quest" is to unlock certain things by doing the same thing over and over again: go to the system, scan the planet, investigate the anomaly, rinse and repeat.

darkwi11ow 21d ago

NMS has very different world building that sets it apart from both Gothic and TES series. The game world in TES and Gothic depicts "real" fantasy world, and the player personas in the series are bound to experience it from the point of view of characters inhabiting that fantasy world as if it was real for them. On the opposite side, in NMS the world is ontologically a simulation, and the player persona gradually becomes aware of it being a simulation while progressing a story (a.k.a. breaking the fourth wall). In that sense, procedurally generated environments, generated quests, NPC design and interactions are very logical to the lore and add to immersion, but there is no guardrails to the story because lore is tuned against having them. Whether you like it if you need more guardrails: probably not, it is kind of game and world building, where the final goal is to find out there was no final goal in a first place.

0x457 21d ago

Morrowind had no guardrails or quest markers, but it had a good story and clear final goal that you learn eventually. No guardrails here mean that you can kill anyone and make main quest impossible to finish, but it had a direction that you can choose to follow. Plus a ton of interesting side-quests. NMS lack of guardrails is "do whatever you want", story is lacking and only reason to progress "main quest" is to unlock certain things by doing the same thing over and over again: go to the system, scan the planet, investigate the anomaly, rinse and repeat.