How to Rate Open worlds Openness
Checklist:
a) Can we return to anywhere we were throughout the game?
b) Is there any attempt to provide large areas dedicated to exploration between major locations? for N Major Locations: we want (N^2 - N) + 1 Exploration Areas
c) Are the major locations all arranged on a line going one direction? Does the world feel like it lives in stages?
d) Are we being sandwiched into hallways, corridors for most of the game (in terms of space and time)?
e) Were unnatural means repetitively used to block player's travel where it looks like they should be able to go? (not including the map edges)
f) Is the game forcing us to participate in its story, rather than having the reactive harshness keeping us in our place?
g) If the developer used an impressive name like "The Outer Worlds", does it feel like there's Worlds out there?
h) Do interesting things progress even if the player doesn't continue the MQ or SQs for a while?
i) Was h), unfortunately used to force player back to the story or make player feel rushed?
I'll stop there. List was beginning to touch upon reactivity.
Debugging doesn't mean you have to design your game, or quests, around quest markers.
I'm not even entirely opposed to Quest Markers in some cases. It's a pain in the arse tracking down NPCs for quests sometimes. It's still better to be able to ask a guard and have him say 'oh yeah McBeard the dwarven blacksmith is always in his shop at this time', or 'the blacksmith? He'll be at the tavern at this hour, I expect', though.
But having inanimate objects, or dungeon-quest locations, with a magic floating quest marker? Just, no.
Development still isn't over. My point was they were playing for a different purpose all this time. Don't give up hope. It's in the past now. What needed to be said was said if these are the people we believe they are.