I know this isn’t strictly related to patient gaming, but I think it fits the ethos of this community and I can’t think of a better choir to preach to.
The director of Dragon’s Dogma II made the following statement regarding limiting or removing fast travel
Just give it a try. Travel is boring? That’s not true. It’s only an issue because your game is boring. All you have to do is make travel fun
I think this is fairly compelling. Though I will say, I don’t think the answer is to limit fast travel. The real limitations developers should be placing should be on filler quests that have you traveling from point a to point b and then back with some slight pretext as to why you’re doing so. It’s not fast travel that’s the issue so much as mission design and the manners in which the player is compelled to cross the game world.
Metroidvanias are a great example of how to allow for fast travel while still making traveling around the game world compelling. The latest Metroid, Metroid Dread, was really fantastic in this aspect. You have this sense of progression and exploration even as you’re backtracking.
Would removing fast travel from Metroid Dread have made it any better? I don’t think so. The inclusion of fast travel feels thematic. You have to work for it so it feels like an achievement to unlock. It augments the game.
So in short, I agree with some of the sentiment expressed, with regards to lazy gameplay design being boring. I disagree with the opinion that fast travel necessarily is boring, or causes lazy desing.
One really memorable gaming experience for me was taking acid and then playing Black Desert Online. I went out questing for around 7 hours, visiting different towns and generally progressing the MSQ, no fast travel just me my friend and our horses to get us across the land.
Upon finally returning to what was my home city at that time I had a genuine feeling of delight for being back ‘home’. Not only had we put in work on the quests but we had travelled to far flung unknown places with the journey’s being interesting as well as time consuming. We had to plan where to go so as to not waste our time with unnecessary travelling and overall it just gave a sense of adventure that I don’t think I have had before or since that day.
I fucking love that game but it was also a life consuming addiction that I don’t wish to return to any time soon but I will still always fondly remember that sense of wonder and adventure that was nurtured by having to travel everywhere for our selves rather than just fast travelling around the map in seconds.