Ever wondered what an open-world game would look like? These video games allow you to experience a real-world-like environment where you can interact with the components of the environment. In an open-world game, you have your own will and are allowed to roam freely apart from just completing the missions. That sounds cool, right? You will find these games different from linear games that have a set of tasks for a player, like story-based games.
Table of Contents
We’ll tell you the key difference between an open world and a linear game, the fundamental difference is in the user’s ability to use his will. In simple terms, open-world games will let you use your imagination to explore and enjoy the various elements offered by the game. For example, linear games like Prince of Persia and God of War have designated missions for you and the game culminates once you complete all the missions. It’s not so fun once you’ve crossed all the missions, what to do after that? Check out the example of an open-world game.
Conversely, if you take the example of an open-world game like Grand Theft Auto, there is not only a set of missions to be completed. You can play an open-world game on a loop, meaning the game will never get exhausted. There’s a world with virtual cities, cars, mansions, and people. The best part is that you can customize all these elements according to your wishes. With open-world games, Game Development trends in the market have taken a rise.
Now you must be wondering how these open-world games are developed, fret not, in this section of the blog we will address this topic. Below-mentioned points are taken into consideration while building an open-world game.
Now we will dive in to explore the above points in depth.
The unique selling point of an open-world game is its world design, and through that, you will judge a game. Imagining and developing a virtual world where users have free will is the first and most significant step in building an open-world game. The popularity of a game is directly proportional to how immersive the world-building has been, consider the game being a non-immersive one, you wouldn’t like to invest your time in such a game, right?
Everybody needs a narrative, don’t they? The same goes with an open-world game, without any narrative, an open-world game can get boring, no matter how well a developer builds the virtual world inside the game. Adding a narrative to the game helps the players to have an aim in the game and it keeps them occupied.
Compare quest development with your short-term life goals, as in, if you are in school, you just want to finish it with flying colors. Now imagine you are in an open-world game, and you are playing the character of a schoolboy; getting good grades can be your quest and you can get rewards if you complete it.
For example, Call of Duty: Warzone has different modes of play, one of them includes several teams of players in a group of four, three, two, or one entering a battlefield and terminating each other, and the last team/player standing wins the game.
In an open-world game, it is pivotal for the developers to intricately design the game mechanics. It outlines the ways for you to interact with elements of the game. Game mechanics include basic things like limb movements and walking to complex behaviors like shooting and flying a jet. It is the replica of things that you do in real life, so if we drive a car in real life, if we do the same thing in an open-world game, know that it is a part of game mechanics and systems.
Artificial Intelligence has also a big role to play in an open-world game. Now you might get curious about AI’s contribution to the game. This blog will break it down for you, through AI game developers adding NPCs in the game, also known as non-playable characters, which we gamers call ‘Bots’ in our language. Through AI NPCs are added in the game for you to better interact with the components of the game.
While creating open-world games, companies often collaborate with different game development agencies, excelling in specific fields, which eventually helps them improve the productivity of game development. Outsourcing some of the game assets from other game development studios (like BR Softech) not only saves time but also helps in amalgamating creative brains working globally.
Have a game that needs outsourcing assets? Contact Us and get the best offers!
Since an open-world game has a heavy framework and a vast environment, optimizing it can be a hectic task for developers. Some of the key tasks that need attention in open-world games are:
For a good development of an open-world game, game developers are required to take care of all the above-mentioned points to give you a smooth experience.
You must be thinking, hell it looks like a hectic process, congratulations you are right, it surely is a hectic process, and if you want to delve deeper into the game development process, feel free to check out our blog covering in-depth the Game Development Process.
Additionally, there are challenges that agencies face while developing a AAA open-world game. That takes us to the next part of the blog where we will illuminate you with the challenges developers encounter in open-world game development.
Related: How are these web3 games developed?
Surely, it is clear that developing an open-world game is not child’s play. Most open-world games come under the AAA category, and developing them from scratch takes months and sometimes years, and yeah, a huge sum of money. If you are thinking about developing an open-world game, start searching for investors, coz you’re gonna need them.
These big game developers have a huge responsibility on their shoulders, making their game smooth in terms of performance. The aspects of the game like the time it takes to open, how smooth the animation is, smooth frame rates, and memory storage, among others come under performance and optimization. Let’s understand why it is crucial to work on the game’s performance and optimization.
Who likes buffering while streaming videos? Nobody, correct? The answer was pretty simple, because we treasure our time, and the same goes with open-world games. If you open a game, and it takes forever to run, or if a game takes a lot of time to match you with other players you might get disinterested in the game. And that is an issue of performance and optimization.
Do you know that there are many open-world games available for players worldwide? What do you think on what basis would you select one game over another? If you give it a thought, you will come to the conclusion that player engagement is one of the most important features of a game. Hence, if the game fails to engage you with new challenges, provide indefinite modification options for your character, or give you a relatable storyline, you will cease to play the game.
You have heard ‘free will’ quite a few times in this blog, it is because your ‘freedom’ is one of the selling features of an open-world game. However, without any narrative structure, the game will become bland and you will not wish to play it anymore. Hence, building a strong narrative is one of the challenges in developing these kinds of games.
Creating NPCs in a manner that looks real and displays realistic behaviors is not a piece of cake. Techies work day and night to produce AI stuff that resembles and behaves like a human in a game.
What if I tell you that one of the biggest challenges comes after the game’s development, surprise? You read it right, even after the game is done with its development phase, testing, and QA take up a lot of time, especially in AAA games where testers play the game for months and address bugs. This is a lengthy process which makes it challenging.
Related: Cross Platform Game Development
Have you ever taken assistance from AI in your workplace or outside? Few people can say no to that question. In the same way, artificial intelligence plays a significant role in building a video game.
Developing an NPC and its ability to interpret and change its behavior according to you is done with the help of AI. It adapts to the environment and indulges in combat according to the situation. In the above-mentioned points, developers take the help of AI to get the work done.
It’s high time we discuss the kinds of open-world games. You must have some idea about these kinds, and we will explore more on this topic. But first, let’s list down all the types for you before we move on and discuss them.
As the name suggests, Action-Adventure games involve action along with adventure like combats and solving riddles. Three of the best examples for this genre are Spiderman, Batman: Arkham Knight, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. You will experience adventure along with different levels of combat.
Again, this kind is also descriptive by its name. You take on someone else’s identity to play the game. For example, you take the identity of Bruce Wayne while playing Batman: Arkham Knight.
Yes, you guessed it right, we basically have to survive in a survival-based game. Each person is for themselves and you have to fend yourself from others. The most common examples of this kind are Subnautica and The Forest.
This type of open-world game features freedom as its primary USP. You can play these games without stressing on any objective. You can freely stroll on the map, modify, and drive a car around the city. GTA is a good example of a Sandbox game.
As the word simulation means creating something that looks and feels real but is not, you will feel like a real character and your story is being told in a simulation game. Red Dead Redemption is a kind of simulation game only.
A Quick Comparision of Unity and Unreal Engines to decide which best suits your open game development
Okay, I know you are dying to know about the best open-world games. Few examples of open world games are Red Dead Redemption, GTA V, Elden Ring and the latest hot shot Black Myth: Wukong among others and we are going to discuss them in this section of the blog.
Intrigued by fantasy kingdoms? Legend of Zelda offers a world where you will walk around the Kingdom of Hyrule, sounds fascinating, right? It is a free-world game where you will encounter action and adventure in a different style.
One of the finest games developed by Rockstar Games, set in 1899, the game will give you a chance to relive the American West life where outlaws were common. The world-building is intricately done in the game, paying attention to detail in every environmental feature like mountains, animals, weather, forests, and towns. The unique feature of the game is that its storyline is not streamlined but changes according to your choices in the game.
Isn’t this the best game to experience a simulation of San Andreas City? GTA 5 will allow you to indulge in missions, and take part in activities like robbery, racing, and brawls. You can also mess with cops, and engage in chases, and a rap sheet is generated. GTA also has an online community where you can interact with friends inside the game and partake in missions together.
A perfect example of an RPG, Witcher 3: Wild Hunt lets you live the life of Geralt of Rivia. You play a monster hunter in this game, who is known as Witcher. Apart from getting the open-world experience from this game, this game offers a mission where you have to rescue Ciri, your adopted daughter.
A highly-praised AAA game rolled out in 2022, Elden Ring is also an RPG game. The eventual task of the game is to see yourself as the Elden Lord. And the way to become an Elden Lord is by collecting the shards of the Elden Ring.
Related: Top Games Similar to Genshin Impact
Of course, creating an open-world game is pretty expensive. However, if you choose an agency that is cost-effective and understands the needs of its clients, you must choose BR Softech.
Mentioned below are some of the reasons why you should choose BR Softech for your game development:
Developers at BR Softech have a knack for building exceptional world design and development. Their outstanding skill in game development helps them to create an unmatched environment that is aesthetically pleasing.
If you want to provide a lively NPC character for your audience in your game, you are at the right spot. We amalgamate state-of-the-art AI technology to elevate the experience of the users.
The team at BR Softech is well-versed in adding game mechanics according to your requirements. We provide customization tailored to your vision. We interpret your imagination and replicate it in our game development process.
We are committed to building a game that is devoid of performance issues and surpasses industry standards.
At BR Softech, you will get game development solutions that are budget-friendly and best in the market. You get the best services at less cost only at BR Softech.
Already made up your mind on developing a game that sets the bar high for open-world games, feel free to reach out to us.
You can consider BR Softech, one of the best outsourcing companies to get your game assets outsourced, with multiple creative minds and our expertise in creation of game assets, we might become one of your best choices to do so.
Contact us now to get the information on outsourcing your next big hit’s assets!
There are a number of open-world games that are played by millions of people. Some of these games are Grand Theft Auto, Minecraft, Spiderman, Red Dead Redemption, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla among others.
Open-world games are designed to meet the user’s ability to play the game indefinitely. Conversely, linear games have a set of missions and culminate once those missions are completed.
No, although there are many open-world games like Batman, Red Dead Redemption, and Spiderman among others are single-player, games like Grand Theft Auto V, and Minecraft are multiplayer and can be played online as well.
Yes, considering the mega environment that the open-world games boast, they are significantly bigger in size than the linear games. Other factors like several characters, quests, and rich game mechanics also make them larger.
Preferring one kind over another is a subjective thing, and differs from player to player. However, a large audience is influenced by open-world gaming and prefers to play it more.
