PixlBit

I hear you. There was a lot of that going on in Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2, which I find ridiculous in a Lego game. It's a Lego game, for crying out loud, I should just be able to smash things or build them, not have to collect a bunch of crap and then bring it back.

One of my more recent favorite games (Yonder) had some of that going on, too, but luckily most of the errand running fetch quests weren't required to move the story along, and the few that were, you could find what you needed nearby.

In a Legos game?! These are aimed at kids mostly. What kid enjoys running errands?

 I feel like this is less of a problem with the structure of these games, and more that it's the fact that every fucking game these days has this structure. Where once open world rpgs used to be a rare treat, and I'd really enjoy a Morrowind, a Baldur's Gate, or a Gothic II, now every fucking game is open world.

 And every game is so fucking long. Every game feels like it needs to be 100+ hours. Every game wants to be your "forever game". Where once we'd take joy in a game asking us to traipse across the country side and talk to every NPC questgiver because it immersed us in the experience, now it takes us out of it, because rather than it being something that adds to the world, it's just a selling point. That drives home the artificial nature of the game world, that breaks our immersion, and that makes us less inclined to want to put up with the game wasting our time - even for the most noble of reasons.

 Even when The Witcher 3 asks us to do it so we feel like we're inhabiting the world and entering a rich tapestry of immersion and narrative craft, it feels the same as when Assassin's Creed or Horizon: Zero Dawn asks us to do it so we keep playing to buy the DLC whenever it comes out.

 Or at least, I think that's why I'm feeling this way. Which is a shame, because I love these types of games. Do you agree, or do you think it's a problem with the structure of Prey.

 And since you mentioned Eve Online, have you played Guild Wars 2? It's by far and away my favourite MMO, and the one I've clocked the most hours in (nearly 900 at this point) because it respects my time. Quests are all contained to an area, you get them as soon as you enter the area, and they cross themselves off once you finish them. Even narrative quests generally don't ask you to go back to the questgiver (they do occasionally though). 

Yeah, there are a lot of open-world, errand boy games out these days, and they do not benefit from novelty.

I haven't played Prey yet, but being influenced by the Shock games, I suspect it doesn't suffer from these problems. You had objectives in those games, but you didn't have to keep running back to an NPC. You moved on to the next quest/objective. Also the traversable space is smaller, although I don't know if this is true for Prey.

But games like Deus Ex, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, and System Shock 2 supplanted the RPG for me. They offered the same character building and choices and consequences but in a more efficient package, more ambitious level design, more interactivity, etc.

THese 3D worlds are just too big for this mess. When games were top down affairs like Ultima 7, having to run back and forth was not the time sink it is now.

 I have played Prey for about 12 hours, and I haven't ever had to go back to a quest giver. Mostly, I suspect, because like System Shock, there's barely anyone left alive on Talos 1. I highly suggest playing it, as it truly feels like the successor to the System Shock games - even more than Bioshock. It's a little uneven, there are some weird design choices that I mentioned in my latest blog, but it is well worth a look especially since it spends a fair amount of time on sale.

 Have you played Divinity: Original Sin 2? It's basically the spiritual successor to Ultima 7 - right down to starting off solving a murder. It's an rpg that actually lets you roleplay, and there are tons of different ways to finish a quest. Really quite excellent in my humble opinion.

I feel the same way with a lot of games. That was why Breath of the Wild was so refreshing. You saw something with the binnoculars that looked interesting, went there, discovered what was there, then moved on to the next area. 

Yeah, I was thinking of BotW as an example of not having to report to a quest giver constantly. I haven't played the game, so there might be some of that, but most of what I've seen has you pushing forward in your adventure.

They're is, but it's all for side quests that mostly don't offer exclusive rewards. You can get rupees or weapons that you could also find just doing the main game.

Quest structure is especially annoying if you have to travel far between quest goals. My issue with large game worlds is traveling, specifically if it isn't scenic. I also don't want every game to be big ass world where you run everywhere. It's become the new padding next to grinding. One of these games a year is fine, but I don't want it in every game. At least in Zelda I don't have to return to every quest giver to complete them. You should try Guild Wars 2 like Blake said. It does quests in a reasonable way. You clear a map area before moving on, while there is a main arching story quest pushing you along to new areas. Respawn points are reasonably placed.

Yeah, travel time in general - not a fan. I mean how annoying is it in Rockstar games. I quit Red Dead Redemption because of the long rides I had to undertake to get to a quest location. Was it scenic? Yes. But still tedious to do over and over again.

Thing about GW2 is it's not EVE Online. I love all the tech stuff and the detailed RPG and simulation systems, but questing is a drag.

I don't mind it if there's fast travel, but my issue is when the game basically forces you to grind in side missions to continue the story. I would much rather go through the story and worry about extras later.

Saints Row 2 had you do side missions to earn points to unlock the next story node. Strange way of doing things.

I guess this is today's version of yesterday's difficulty. Both were there to extend gameplay. Sometimes it's ok to me because it's part of the realism of the game. Like you would have to travel to places in real life. Sometimes, though, it feels like I'm playing that Desert Bus game Penn & Teller did. BORING! (purposely so in their case and for great humor I thought). 

But with none of the perks, stimuli, or possible random occurences of traveling to places in real life.

Completely predictable. I know there's this guy I need to get this stuff to and he will say this exact thing when I get there. Makes the journey all that more tedious.