Steam doesn’t do this to me, but most other platforms, Epic Games, EA, Ubisoft, etc., make me login every second time I open them. It makes literally just launching them a pain point, especially with 2FA etc. It’s a psychological barrier to me wanting to use them.
One of my favorite RPGs is Risen, and what hooked me early on in the game was discovering a crypt that lead into a cave system with no real objective other than to explore and treasure hunt. I wasn’t told to go there, it was just there for me to explore. That first fond memory hooked me to the game and it was a delight throughout, especially in part due to the ample caves, crypts, tombs you could find.
Another memorable experience is the MMORPG Tibia. The game world, I believe, had 7 floors above main floor, 7 floors below, and I would argue at least half of your time in the game is underground, navigating serpentine mazes of cave systems to hunt mobs or find loot. I always liked this system because, at the time I played, a lot of the game hadn’t even been explored yet, so it was like exploring uncharted cave systems. You would feel genuine fear (thanks to the harsh dealth penalties) to explore new areas because you never knew what you’d find.
A design philosophy of …