Philaflava.com ::

ive been on a kick of turning off the hubs in many games now

too much hand holding going on and shit in the way of the game art

i gotta say its refreshing for most games and gives most games a better sense of discovery

theres some it just doesnt work well for though

waypoints are wack

Yeah they're getting better at directing the player without intruding. If a game needs a tutorial because the controls are so complicated, that's bad design.

Zelda botw and mario odyssey are both nonlinear, but they suggest options to a player. When you get to one spot, some tower or whatever is in your line of site, inviting you to the next goal. It allows the player a sense of agency without wandering aimlessly.

Ocarina actually had a hub. Back when i was a kid they did a pretty good job of making it feel open ended, but it's really a pretty basic map.

I don't want no hubs