Originally posted by: shortylickens
Originally posted by: WaitingForNehalem
The largest in game world so far belongs to Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall which is 100,413 mi². By comparison, Morrowind is 9 mi² and Oblivion is 16 mi². Far Cry 2 will be 31 mi²
I think that stat on Oblivion is BS. And dont tell me its authentic because Bethesda came up with it. They worked damn hard to ensure Oblivion sold better than Morrowind despite it being an inferior game. They made up all kinds of stories.
I've run from one tip of Vvardenfell to the other with a speed and aerobics of 100.
I did the same in Cyrodiil. They both took a long time but Morrowind had a much bigger game world than Oblivion. However, its actually got fewer interesting encounters in it, so in that sense Oblivion is actually a little more entertaining.
I dont doubt the stat on Daggerfall is correct but thats the same problem. Lots of space and relatively little to do all things considered.
For most RPG's it seems better to make the world smaller and have more stuff to do.
Baldurs Gate 1 vs. 2 is a perfect example. The sequel didnt have all those dozens of open wilderness areas but that was actually kind of nice. Most of them were pointless and you just wasted lots of time exploring empty map area looking for the one and only quest. BG2 had tons of good encounters packed in each map. It made for better gaming.
The stat on Farcry 2 is also unimpressive. Far Cry 1 was huge but it really didnt have much to do except admire the scenery. The big open spaces were kind of nice for sniper practice but once you sniped everyone you could it was back to close quarters combat. And if you didnt cheat with extra ammo you wouldnt be able to snipe too many people anyway.
I am afraid Far Cry 2 will be the same, along with Crysis. Lots of big open areas that just contain space and not much real gaming.
By contrast I thought KOTOR 1 and 2 could have used either more planets or bigger planets.