Game environments can be some of the most creative, and fantastical places as well as some of the most realistic and believable environments. But what makes some environments better than others?
One of the elements can be its style. If your creating a completely cartoon and fantasy universe with system limitations it can often be a better option to have everything stylized. It may stop the world being as believable but if made correctly is believable in its own universe. If it all stays to a similar style with few inconsistencies then theirs no reason to deny that that is how everything should look in that "world".
One of the elements can be its style. If your creating a completely cartoon and fantasy universe with system limitations it can often be a better option to have everything stylized. It may stop the world being as believable but if made correctly is believable in its own universe. If it all stays to a similar style with few inconsistencies then theirs no reason to deny that that is how everything should look in that "world".
Though realism can also be just as important in environments. With them being very accurate we naturally will recognize elements and believe what we are seeing around us. Yet if done incorrectly we can quickly lose interest.
But even with some of the greatest visual environments they can still be hindered by there restrictions in often being simple corridors where the player can't explore. This was one of the greatest criticisms of Final Fantasy 13. As even though it was one of the most beautiful games. The majority of the time you were restricted to simply following one singles path.
Often worlds can feel empty. They could be very vast and give the player lots of exploration. but if the environments are very simple and empty the player will lose interest quickly. One game I can think of that did open world environments very well was Skyrim. Each city, area, dungeon had its own unique feel, architectural details or habitats. It also helped that there were often specifically designed elements which would act as unique markers for the area. Such as an unusual rock formation or waterfall. It made the world seem very vast even though you could walk from one end to the other in possible less than an hour.
One of my personal favorite games for its is Final Fantasy 12. This games world is so vast. So many areas in maps and even hidden ones. This meant you could spend hours going over the same places and finding new areas which in turn made exploring very rewarding. Not only that but each area on the map had its own unique feel. Even desert areas, which there are multiple of, because of them having weather systems in some, and slightly different plants or being open or closed in by cliffs they each feel unique.
Its when environments can create environments that in whatever style are recognizable and believable in their own way. they allow the player to explore and not force them down a path where things will "randomly" occur. Each area should be unique and non repetitive so the player will recognize certain areas apart from reused assets. So the keys to great environments is giving the player areas to explore, them being unique and believable and also stylized in a way that represents that world and that stays consistent.
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