the "not making things too in service of the player" thing makes me think of older entries in the animal crossing series (So like, I think it's a good idea.) still think scaling options is a good idea for an option though!
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Yeah I think that has become something of a lost art. Well I mean, not entirely, obviously the Soulsbourne genre has been very much keeping the convoluted no hand-holding game design philosophy alive – but you're right, I think Animal Crossing is a perfect example of games generally trending away from being worlds to explore, and worlds for the player to control every aspect of.