I think freedom has become a grossly overvalued concept in modern role-playing games (and "linear" has become carelessly maligned).
Freedom only seems like an overvalued concept within the confines of the Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition forums, a niche enthusiast community founded to help relaunch the RPG which did it best. Everywhere else the order of the day is linearity. It was only until Skyrim that companies really sat up and began considering the possibilities of the sandbox in the modern day and this, I would argue, is probably the greatest thing about the game.
Linear games are exercises in futility. If linearity is what you want there are movies and books - the former is always going to look better than a contemporary game, and the latter is always going to be deeper and more intellectually stimulating. Sandboxe offers what both movies and books cannot - the chance to shape the narrative yourself, on your own terms. If Skyrim seems to do this poorly it is because Bethesda is simply poor at building compelling narratives, not because sandbox is innately poor at communicating them.
I dunno, I don't think books/movies are an apt comparison - you can have linearity where decisions still matter and where your main character's personality is shaped by your choices. Take the Mass Effect series, for example (up until the franchise-ruining ending that was guilty of exactly what you're saying): yes, your dialogue choices were set, but there was enough variety that you really felt like it was *your* main character up until the very end.
If you're basically playing pretend (not an insult) in a sandbox game by providing all of your character's motivations, reactions, beliefs, thoughts, etc (you barely even get dialogue options, and those you do are intentionally lifeless), then how are NPCs supposed to react to you in any meaningful way?
That's why I see these types of games as dichotomous: If only you (and not the game) knows anything about your character, then how can the game provide you with anything but shallow character interaction? It seems to me that, with the current limits of technology, you're going to have to choose between freedom and depth...and I'll always choose depth.
This doesn't limit me to BG, either - NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer, Dragon Age, Knights of the old Republic, the upcoming Project: Eternity, and future Bioware games (if they can get over themselves and return to their roots) should all provide me with what I'm looking for: a good story where I can roleplay a strong character with memorable and interactive NPCs.
@Kitteh_On_A_Cloud Of course I've tried it, but it doesn't work as well as in real-life roleplaying (I mean PnP like DnD or Warhammer). Or maybe my capabilites of roleplaying are limited, I don't know.
Seriously? What did you expect? This is youtube, you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
For my two cents, Skyrim is a fun game but not very original. The story is clichéd, it's set in a stereotypical fantasy world and the side quests are repetitive. Having said that, the game can be very enjoyable if what you're looking for is mindless fun. It's a power fantasy and that's why so many people love it.
Comments
If you're basically playing pretend (not an insult) in a sandbox game by providing all of your character's motivations, reactions, beliefs, thoughts, etc (you barely even get dialogue options, and those you do are intentionally lifeless), then how are NPCs supposed to react to you in any meaningful way?
That's why I see these types of games as dichotomous: If only you (and not the game) knows anything about your character, then how can the game provide you with anything but shallow character interaction? It seems to me that, with the current limits of technology, you're going to have to choose between freedom and depth...and I'll always choose depth.
This doesn't limit me to BG, either - NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer, Dragon Age, Knights of the old Republic, the upcoming Project: Eternity, and future Bioware games (if they can get over themselves and return to their roots) should all provide me with what I'm looking for: a good story where I can roleplay a strong character with memorable and interactive NPCs.
Of course I've tried it, but it doesn't work as well as in real-life roleplaying (I mean PnP like DnD or Warhammer). Or maybe my capabilites of roleplaying are limited, I don't know.
For my two cents, Skyrim is a fun game but not very original. The story is clichéd, it's set in a stereotypical fantasy world and the side quests are repetitive. Having said that, the game can be very enjoyable if what you're looking for is mindless fun. It's a power fantasy and that's why so many people love it.