Fable

[A Black Falcon]

It be like if GTA was broken into a bunch of small zones and the game had to stop and load every few blocks, it mess the pacing of the game up completely. It's not quite the same for KOTOR, but the basic idea is the same. It detracts from the game having to load a bunch of small areas. Like on the planet with the Jedi academy, when you left the academy there were a few large open areas connected to each other by small "passages". I think it would have been a bit better with just one huge, open area for you to explore.

First, OB1, I do know what a really big open area is. I've played some (free) MMORPG. Not a lot, but enough to definitely know what a huge area you can explore is. And you know what? KotOR isn't a MMORPG! It also is not Morrowind. It isn't, it isn't trying to be, and it SHOULDN'T be. KotOR is a different type of RPG. And for this type of RPG, zones like this are just fine, IMO. Sure, you could combine all three zones in Dantooine, combine the various parts of Kashyyk, have Manaan be one city instead of five parts, have Tatooine be one big desert (with some kind of blocks so that there are only a few paths to the east part and you need the map, and so that approaches towards the Sand People base are greatly restricted)... would it make the game dramatically different? I would say no. Not at all. It'd be slightly different, a bit more open, but not to any dramatic extent. I just don't understand why you find this such a big problem.

And anyway, the areas aren't THAT small. For the most part they're about as big as I'd want them, given how the game is constructed... I wouldn't want the Tatooine desert any bigger, for instance! And it makes sense to have the three seperate sections as one has to be restricted until you acquire a certain item and the other has the Sand People base, which really isn't something that should be visible from the enterance to town. So, what would your solution there be? Having some massive expanse of desert to cross? Honestly, I would not want that desert any bigger. Getting across it takes a long time as it is, and bigger would not be good for an RPG of this type (ie not a Morrowind-styled game, but a console RPG/Baldur's Gate hybrid).

As for Dantooine, there are multiple connectors between each zone so I fail to see the problem. You aren't being railed... not that I'm particularly opposed to linearity. Maybe that's part of why I don't have a problem with it... I actually like some degree of linearity in my games... :)

Speaking of GTA (III, at least), they DO do that. When you go between parts of the city, there are only certain tunnels or bridges and I believe that it has to load... sure, the areas are huge. But my point stands.