For those who liked and didn't like MEA, do you think DAI was better?

Ubisoft is also terrible at making Open World games, maybe even worse than Bioware. (Don't know about their newer games because I'm boycotting Ubisoft and their shit-tier releases and downgrades for quite a while now). It's also true that there are a lot of bad Open World games out there, which isn't surprising really because there are few things harder than making one for a developer. Unfortunately, all these facts don't automatically make Bioware's Open Worlds in DAI and MEA Godtier or even 'good'.

Opinions always differ and that's okay, but for me and a lot of people the Open World was the weakest aspect of this game. This has been discussed to death already in other dedicated threads so I'm not going into detail here, but Bioware most certainly isn't pushing the frontiers on this department. Instead, they are lagging behind. And that's the problem. Their worlds might have been solid a couple of years ago but they just don't cut it anymore now. Bioware has played it safe, instead of pushing the frontier. That honor goes to Rockstar and CDPR, and a few other daring developers. I considered Bethesda to be part of that list as well but their biggest critique is that they just don't innovate. Even they are also starting to lag behind now.

In order for Bioware to be competitive, they seriously need to work harder to make their worlds feel alive. Have people walk around and do things according to accurate schedules. Fill the worlds with more unique vista's. Improve on the side-content. Trim down on the filler. Create more diversity in flora, fauna and enemies. Remove backtracking and useless traveling. It seems simple but Bio still isn't there unfortunately.

Anyway, I understand that you already like the way Open Worlds are done in Bioware games and that's fine. I'm just trying to give you some insights in why other people possibly feel ME:A's Open World just isn't good enough.

It wasn't even me that brought it up, you think if anyone would. 

I KNOW! Now it's EVERYONE!!!   

Actually I'm writing this to the Gwent theme cause TW3 is paused on my PS4 right now so...............

Actually, some game mags mentioned that exploration was more tedious than in DAI. I didn't think it could get worse, not because I thought it was bad in DAI, but because I didn't think, the devs would roll back on what they already had. I was wrong. It is more tedious and lifeless in MEA and the first thing I did on every new planet was activating the fast travel points, so I didn't have to drive the whole mile again for some wayward task.

I saw people talking about TW3. Seriously, you may not like the game. You may think "it's not for you". But you can't deny it's damn good and it's damn well written.

One thing all games should learn with TW3 is how to make sidequests. In Bioware games, sidequests don't matter, you do them mostly for xp. You usually make some binary choice, but you never suffer any real consequence for that choice (except in loyalty missions), but in TW3, even small things you do have CONSEQUENCES, and that's what makes the game feel so immersive

When I entered Novigrad the first time, I insulted a priest. Later, that priest sent assassins to try to kill me. I also set free a man who was tied on a rope and left for drowners. Later I found out he was actually a bandit and killed some people after I had set him free. On the first part of the game, I gave a girl a potion to cure her disease. Later, her lover found me and told me she survived, but was going mad. Not to mention the side quests where you can change all of the world's politics.

I'm not trying to sound like a TW3 fanboy (though I am), but Bioware seriously could learn a thing or two with TW3, especially about narrative, characters and immersion.

Edit: Oh, and about respect with the players, as well. Especially that. 

I feel that the only real advantage that TW 3 has over recent BioWare titles is the side quests.  Everything else is either a virtual tie, or an advantage to BioWare.  

I forgot about that side quest.  

I'd also give them animations.  But presentation?  No.  Not after I had a bug which turned both the Spirit in the Tree and the Witches of Crookback Bog into mutes.  Also no music.  Turned my favorite scene in the game into a stupid self parody.  Though I also find the game to be a self parody at times. 

I don't see the humor in being a dick. 

To hazard a guess, same reason as some of the other limitations: they had to account for the Xbox 360 and the PS3. I know other games on those consoles could do day and night cycles, but those tended to be easier to run and consisted of only a single map. 

I think that is just a convenient excuse.

Games like Horizon, GTA, and TW3 all work well in terms of story and narrative and they all have day/night/weather cycles.

Open world design/immersion is the new "hair" for Bioware. They will always drop the ball on it and never get it right.

It's because I don't know how to explain, but it's really funny on the game, how Geralt is like "Oh, sorry, the other druid told me you were cursed..."