Games with an open mission structure

[Gilius Thunderhead]

Games that give you an objective but let you figure out how to go about it.

I know that it's common in RPGs to let the player choose which quests to take or, in some cases, the order in which quests can be taken. That's not the point. I'm also not talking about games that allow freedom of choice in the form of dialogue trees, like Fallout(not necessarily, I'll let you elaborate if you want) or Age of Decadence. The games I have in mind may have a rigid quest/mission structure, but allow you freedom to do them in various ways that are unscripted. I'm also leaving out open games with no fixed objectives, like Kenshi and Mount&Blade, or strategy games with missions fashioned like a puzzle, like most RTS(their inclusion may be justified in other ways, I leave it up to you).

Some examples come to mind:

Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis and expansions - use the map to navigate to objectives in any number of ways, including using vehicles; choose your method of approach; improvise as situations develop; ability to command a team and cooperate with friendly NPCs; very large game map allows lots of versatility.
Mafia I(original) - no GPS and other aids, the player should use the map and his knowledge of the city to determine the best course; unlike modern GTA, the mission won't be aborted nor is any visual indication given when the player does something wrong like, say, mistakenly following the wrong car in a stalking mission and ending up in a different part of town.
GTA games - early games(up to GTA 3) had missions with simpler scripting, which allowed more freedom in their execution, whether that was intended or not(in some cases it was). This was mostly gone with Vice City. Use your knowledge of the city to get certain powerups before the mission, and sometimes during it. GTA 1(and 2 iirc) had a point multiplier system(reset on death or capture) which also involved special challenges, so you may decide to "optimize" your playstyle by doing things in a certain order.
Mercenaries - choose stealth, direct attack or indirect(like calling an air strike); use the map to choose how to approach and escape situations; a variety of vehicles; different main characters to choose from; high level of improvisation required.
Deus Ex - Of course. You could also include Thief, not because you can also whack guards(allowed, but discouraged) despite it being only a stealth game, but because of the openness of the map(in the sense of logical openness, not just size and variety of elements). Deus Ex has a much broader definition of player freedom, though.

 

[Butter]

Hitman would be one of the foremost examples.

 

[Falksi]

Alpha Protocol
Starflight

 

[Gilius Thunderhead]

Hitman would be one of the foremost examples.

I mostly played the second game for the PS2, which I enjoyed but found a bit clunky. What is the best example of player freedom in the series, not merely in the sense of number of player choices(use a gun, use a strangler, use environmental prop, etc.), but letting the player improvise/figure things out? I suppose Blood Money?

 

[ADL]

MGSV
Ghost Recon Wildlands/Breakpoint
I'm a big fan of my open world operator simulators.

I suppose Blood Money?

Blood Money in my opinion remains peak but the new trilogy (that combines into one game if you have them) comes close if you disable tooltips that guide you through scenarios. My biggest complaint with the new trilogy is that it's extremely reliant on event trigger scripting whereas Blood Money's world operates almost completely independently from the player. If you're too slow to encounter a scenario you miss it.

One could argue Blood Money's approach is a bad thing and encourages minmaxing across multiple playthroughs so you don't ever miss opportunities but World of Assassination feels much less alive as a result and I think that's a far greater crime.

 

[Gilius Thunderhead]

MGSV

I thought about this one. Ground Zeroes has the best set piece, a fantasy Guantanamo Bay infiltration scenario that's extremely detailed and can be approached in many ways. I think Kojima poured his entire love for game design into that one. Phantom Pain is open-world, so you have to plan how to approach locations from farther way, which benefits the gameplay(specially relevant with mods that increase view distance for guards), but no single location is as intricate.

I will also praise the good parts of MGS IV, it has some extraordinary stealth segments, and it's more open than previous installments.

 

[Chuck Norris]

Far Cry 2 is a weak example. For example, the game gives you an objective to take over a base, but it's up to you to either take out people with Sniper from afar, blow them up with explosives, get close and personal with Shotguns or whatever else.

 

[Poseidon00]

I think this is the entire point of a game like Scribblenauts, which I unironically enjoy for just that reason.

 

[Iucounu]

Games that give you an objective but let you figure out how to go about it.

I know that it's common in RPGs to let the player choose which quests to take or, in some cases, the order in which quests can be taken. That's not the point. I'm also not talking about games that allow freedom of choice in the form of dialogue trees or quest items, like Fallout(not necessarily, I'll let you elaborate if you want) or Age of Decadence. The games I have in mind may have a rigid quest/mission structure, but allow you freedom to do them in various ways that are unscripted.

Does it count if a game lets you choose between stealth or fighting with magic, melee or archery? Or choose between a few different paths to an enemy base? Then almost every game I've played fit the bill, even Skyrim.

Or are you thinking of more truly emergent gameplay, like building your own custom traps or ambushes? That mostly applies to survival crafting games.

 

[deuxhero]

Red Faction Guerrilla. Most missions task you with destroying targets, but rarely past the tutorial are you given an explicit method of doing so (and when you are it's optional).

 

[NecroLord]

Hitman games.
Do you go on a rampage or stick to eliminating only your targets and complete the rest of your objectives in a stealthy and nonbloody manner?
Personally, my favorite is Contracts.
Nearly all games in the series are worthwhile, beginning with Codename 47, which was a wonderful experiment, albeit a rough and unpolished one. Silent Assassin is awesome, if a bit frustrating at times. Blood Money is also awesome.
Avoid Absolution...

 

[Hammer Of The Heretics]

If you go very old school, Ultima V. The goal of the game is to rescue Lord British. The actual mechanics of doing so are simple: obtain a McGuffin and bring it to where he is held captive. The core of the game is figuring out what you have to do, and that can be done in any way or order you desire.

 

[Gilius Thunderhead]

Does it count if a game lets you choose between stealth or fighting with magic, melee or archery? Or choose between a few different paths to an enemy base? Then almost every game I've played fit the bill, even Skyrim.

Or are you thinking of more truly emergent gameplay, like building your own custom traps or ambushes? That mostly applies to survival crafting games.

I was thinking of more structured games where you are given objectives. Some of the quests in Elder Scrolls games can fit the bill. Choosing between stealth or fighting--yes and no. If you're just taking the "stealth path" or the "combat path" based on your character, that's just roleplaying, which doesn't exclude the thing I'm talking about, but it's not identical; if the game forces you to figure things out by yourself because there isn't an obvious "correct" solution, and there are different possibilities available to each player, then that's exactly what I'm looking for.

I was trying to avoid terms like "emergent gameplay", "immersive sim" etc. because I didn't want to focus discussion on abstract concepts, specially those which have a lot of baggage.

 

[NecroLord]

Does it count if a game lets you choose between stealth or fighting with magic, melee or archery? Or choose between a few different paths to an enemy base? Then almost every game I've played fit the bill, even Skyrim.

Or are you thinking of more truly emergent gameplay, like building your own custom traps or ambushes? That mostly applies to survival crafting games.

I was thinking of more structured games where you are given objectives. Some of the quests in Elder Scrolls games can fit the bill. Choosing between stealth or fighting--yes and no. If you're just taking the "stealth path" or the "combat path" based on your character, that's just roleplaying, which doesn't exclude the thing I'm talking about, but it's not identical; if the game forces you to figure out different things by yourself because there isn't an obvious "correct" solution, then that's exactly what I'm looking for.

I was trying to avoid terms like "emergent gameplay", "immersive sim" etc. because I didn't want to focus discussion on abstract concepts, specially those which have a lot of baggage.

STEALTH ARCHER!!

 

[Nifft Batuff]

Ultima Underword 1&2. Also Baldur's Gate 3.

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

Cyberpunk 2077 has an open mission structure. The game is, or at least was, basically a not as good, less thought out version of MGS5...but in a city. You can attack missions in whatever way you want, but they’re pretty clearly meant to be taken on in a stealth manner given how often your handlers from around the city want you doing things without killing and without being seen. The little mission arenas can’t touch stuff like MGS5 or Hitman though.

Crackdown, which was created by DMA Design founder David Jones, has open missions. It’s actually got a pretty cool way of doing things. All the bosses are on the map, you can attack them in any way you want, and each boss oversees some aspect of the gang they’re part of which will have some effect on their area of the map (and final boss fight of each gang) they control. It’s easy to imagine 3D GTA missions working just like they do in Crackdown if Jones never left, and it’s kind of weird this formula wasn’t adapted by other companies doing their GTA knockoff games.

Dead Rising. Dead Rising will randomly throw missions at you, from a pool of events it has. Dead Rising is interesting in that at the beginning, when you’re at low levels, and you don’t know all the ins and outs of the map it doesn’t even expect you to do all the missions, or even any missions. Because it’s on a timer you can finish the game without even doing the main storyline, and without trying to save any of the survivors.

MGSV

I thought about this one. Ground Zeroes has the best set piece, a fantasy Guantanamo Bay infiltration scenario that's extremely detailed and can be approached in many ways. I think Kojima poured his entire love for game design into that one. Phantom Pain is open-world, so you have to plan how to approach locations from farther way, which benefits the gameplay(specially relevant with mods that increase view distance for guards), but no single location is as intricate.

I will also praise the good parts of MGS IV, it has some extraordinary stealth segments, and it's more open than previous installments.

I wouldn’t even say Guantanamo Bay is the best location in the game. It’s up there, but there’s a few locations in the main part that I think rival it. Although you’ll probably not be going over those as much as the Guantanamo Bay map in Ground Zeroes.

 

[Gilius Thunderhead]

Crackdown, which was created by DMA Design founder David Jones, has open missions. It’s actually got a pretty cool way of doing things. All the bosses are on the map, you can attack them in any way you want, and each boss oversees some aspect of the gang they’re part of which will have some effect on their area of the map (and final boss fight of each gang) they control. It’s easy to imagine 3D GTA missions working just like they do in Crackdown if Jones never left, and it’s kind of weird this formula wasn’t adapted by other companies doing their GTA knockoff games.

This game has completely escaped my notice, thanks. DMA were amazing.

I thought about this one. Ground Zeroes has the best set piece, a fantasy Guantanamo Bay infiltration scenario that's extremely detailed and can be approached in many ways. I think Kojima poured his entire love for game design into that one. Phantom Pain is open-world, so you have to plan how to approach locations from farther way, which benefits the gameplay(specially relevant with mods that increase view distance for guards), but no single location is as intricate.

I will also praise the good parts of MGS IV, it has some extraordinary stealth segments, and it's more open than previous installments.

I wouldn’t even say Guantanamo Bay is the best location in the game. It’s up there, but there’s a few locations in the main part that I think rival it. Although you’ll probably not be going over those as much as the Guantanamo Bay map in Ground Zeroes.

There are some locations just as large, but I don't remember any with the same amount of detail and variation. Don't get me wrong, they're still pretty good, they're the reason I still love the game despite... other things.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Games that give you an objective but let you figure out how to go about it.

The Syndicate games. They're old, but they offered quite a bit of craziness.

 

[Hell Swarm]

Hitman games.
Do you go on a rampage or stick to eliminating only your targets and complete the rest of your objectives in a stealthy and nonbloody manner?
Personally, my favorite is Contracts.
Nearly all games in the series are worthwhile, beginning with Codename 47, which was a wonderful experiment, albeit a rough and unpolished one. Silent Assassin is awesome, if a bit frustrating at times. Blood Money is also awesome.
Avoid Absolution...

Absolution isn't unplayable. It's not a good hitman game but it's not a bad game on it's own merits. The newer ones are insanely good but you have to avoid using exploits because other wise a single throwable item breaks the game.

Cyberpunk 2077 has an open mission structure. The game is, or at least was, basically a not as good, less thought out version of MGS5...but in a city. You can attack missions in whatever way you want, but they’re pretty clearly meant to be taken on in a stealth manner given how often your handlers from around the city want you doing things without killing and without being seen. The little mission arenas can’t touch stuff like MGS5 or Hitman though.

Crackdown, which was created by DMA Design founder David Jones, has open missions. It’s actually got a pretty cool way of doing things. All the bosses are on the map, you can attack them in any way you want, and each boss oversees some aspect of the gang they’re part of which will have some effect on their area of the map (and final boss fight of each gang) they control. It’s easy to imagine 3D GTA missions working just like they do in Crackdown if Jones never left, and it’s kind of weird this formula wasn’t adapted by other companies doing their GTA knockoff games.

Dead Rising. Dead Rising will randomly throw missions at you, from a pool of events it has. Dead Rising is interesting in that at the beginning, when you’re at low levels, and you don’t know all the ins and outs of the map it doesn’t even expect you to do all the missions, or even any missions. Because it’s on a timer you can finish the game without even doing the main storyline, and without trying to save any of the survivors.

All of these are good recommendations. any open world game is interchangeable with cyberpunk. The modern Deus Ex games feel very similar, so does sleeping dogs if you want to kung fu people. The GTA formula is quite flexible. Saints row has a lot of fun options and you can play as a fat asian transvestite who only fights with his fists and rides a moped around. That's the fun of Saints row!

Crack down 2 is the best one. 3 is a mess.

Dead rising 2 has more freedom but 1s still solid. Takes a while to get rolling and then Weeellllllll

I always seem to be recommending it but Halo is the king of FPS freedom. It's designed as a giant sand box with fun enemies to kill and it's up to you to figure it out. Infinite can be a foot slog with lots of grappling up mountains, it can be flying across the ring ignoring everything or it can be you and 5 marines carrying volatile skewers and raining mortar fire on every alien you meet.

 

[Gilius Thunderhead]

Games that give you an objective but let you figure out how to go about it.

The Syndicate games. They're old, but they offered quite a bit of craziness.

Bullfrog(RIP) games in general are quite good examples of openness in RTS format. Dungeon Keeper is the one I've played the most, by far. You can use "outside the box" strategies like possessing a certain creature to raid the enemy, or exploit a resource very quickly; your dungeon's layout(the map you end up playing) is also up to you to a large extent. Populous 3(the one I remember playing somewhat seriously) was very versatile with its fully 3D terrain and the ways it let you weaponize your shaman.

 

[luj1]

The first Mafia, the first Hitman games...

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

I miss the era of realistic games that would do something like this:
A-10 Tank Killer
Assault Warrior (DOS game)
Delta Force I/II
Red Baron
Now that I think about it, a lot of flight and tank sims have this. And it's actually quite common in the '90s in general, so much so that it seems like it would be easier to mention such games from the '90s that don't do something like that.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Ultima Underword 1&2.

I went over this in another thread here just this weekend.

Ultima Underworld 1 certainly fits the bill, though more in the "you're free to do these objectives in any order, but you have to do these objectives in this manner".

For example you have no choice but to kill the Chaos Knight.

And you must fight the Golem for the shield.

And you must have Shak reforge the sword.

But you can do these objectives in any order!

Ultima Underworld 2 is almost on-rails by comparison.

 

[Machocruz]

State of Decay 2 - Open world, community building, zombie survival game. Everything there is to do in the game, whether fighting zombies, doing missions, helping strangers, kitting out your base, offers multiple options. For example, there is a hostile enclave on the map you wish to get rid of or are given a quest to get rid of, you can:

-CQB. Guns, melee, or both. Alone or with a follower.
-Get zombies to kill them for you by attracting large numbers to their location (ideally with multiple "freak" zombies, which are quite dangerous), either by:

A.) driving around the enemy honking your horn to attract zombies.
B.) loud noises like unsilenced gun shots, explosives, fireworks, boombox
C.) throwing Zombait at them to attract zombies

-throw Bloater Gas Grenades that creates a highly toxic cloud that can whittle their health down in seconds.
-Snipe them from a far with 50 cal. rifles. One headshot. Loud though, prepare to attract Zs.
-Grenades, grenade launchers, and other handheld explosives. Drone strike.

Generally anything in the game can be approached through all out combat, or stealth, or a combination of both depending on what weapons and items you have, what skills the character you are using has, your whim. Evasion and retreat are also useful when the odds are too stacked against you. All kinds of items suited to each purpose, some that even make you nigh invisible for a time.

As far as scripting, a lot of missions have a time limit, but campaign progress is not hindered by missing any missions, and some of them reappear. Also some have proximity limits where the mission ends if you go too far away, but again these are not story critical missions you have to repeat to advance like in a Rockstar game. Tactics and angles of approach are completely up to you though.

 

[ind33d]

Rainbow Six/SWAT