>>38618079So, reading a ton of stuff here aside from the empty non-arguments, something came to me:
I wonder if the problem here isn't that people absolutely want an open-world Pokemon, but rather they're seeing that as the solution to other frustrations they have with the game. You always see a ton of "muh straight lines" doled out defensively for open worlds, and a lot of "muh empty spaces" against. I think we might be able to glean some idea as to the real things people have a problem with.
1.) Aesthetic claustrophobia. I think a lot of people are just tired of spaces that SEEM limited, closed-off, and directed. It's not so much that they want open spaces, but they want something that FEELS open. Something that feels like a complete, cohesive world. And I think even Pokemon now could fix that by simply opening up the camera and make paths wider with more things going on in them. Yes, that'd require more art/asset development, but I think for something like Pokemon, world design (and presentation) is important.
2.) Shallow world population. This to me has been a problem plaguing Pokemon forever. For a JRPG the content in it might seem okay, but bear with me: I don't think Pokemon was meant to ONLY be a JRPG. You can even see it in how GF tweaks it. Contests. Pokeathlon. Pokemon-amie. All the little things scream a desire to add simulation elements more overtly into the game. And I think people might kinda see that too. I myself think Pokemon-amie was an idea they had in mind since long ago: Pokemon's stories always constantly trumpet your so-called "love and caring" for your mons, but then turns around and... makes a naive stat for it... I think some people want the world to not just look open, but to have more to do and maybe, just possibly, more to do in the game than replay the story for the Nth time, use it as a fighting-game-surrogate, or yet another gacha trap.
