Non Linearity: A Necessary RPG Element?

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Written by BuckGB on January 12th, 2010

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Baldur's Gate 2 and Mass Effect are interesting because they provide the player with some amount of non-linearity. There are many quests/places which can be taken/visited in any order, and yet the game follows a strong story line. But the game itself is linear, no matter in which order you do the quests, you end up going down the same path.

Then there are the games which are purportly non-linear. Examples being Morrowind and Two Worlds. In these games you may visit any place in any order, this gives you a feeling of freedom, at least initially.

So if the designer is aiming to give the player a feeling of freedom, then it makes sense to design a game like this. But this also means that the designer needs to design interesting places for the player to visit, tough monsters to conquer, and worthwhile loot. If all you get is yet another cave with skeletons as monsters and skeleton knuckles as a reward, then the exploration gets boring soon. And, unfortunately, if the player can go anywhere and meet any one in any order, then it becomes impossible to design an emotional experience.

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