I get that some people don't care about story and just want to explore, but for me personally, I just don't really feel like there's much point in exploring if nothing comes of it. Like, okay, I filled out the map and collected some objects. I'm more interested in how the lives of the player character and NPCs are changed by the journey, and it's difficult to create that kind of emotional impact without some amount of linear storytelling.
I feel like also maybe people don't understand the high cost of player choice. Like sure, there could be an interesting story about what would happen if a player character did something else to what they actually do. But that's not the story that the creators wrote? If you want infinite choice, you're essentially asking the creators to write infinite stories, and that's just not realistic. If you want a lot of choice, you're either going to have a game that takes forever to develop and costs a ton, or you're just going to get a bunch of half-assed stories that don't mean anything. And that's not even considering the mechanical aspects, such as making sure enemies are balanced, gameplay progression is satisfying, player has the abilities/tools they need for the current challenges, etc. Which in an ideal world would also be chosen to complement the story for optimal story-gameplay resonance.
gummygunk
romaincrisis
ellievsbear
gamechangershow
