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Playing recently through several very well designed games and observing forum discussion I am increasingly becoming aware that streamlining when implemented correctly can have very favourable results: Fallout for instance is a tight, coherent and very well designed game, with just enough content to make an interesting and viable world, but without the unnecessary flab that its successor has in my opinion a little too much of. KotOR 1&2 both have enormously dull and pedestrian opening segments in Telos and Taris, however the first game quickly opens up and provides a rollicking roller coaster ride similar to the original movie, while the Sith Lords gets a little too bogged down in crashing again and again in different areas. I personally was not invested after Peragus until facing Atris, except of course for my conversations with Kreia, which are an undisputable highlight of the game. Compare the original campaign of Neverwinter Nights 2, which had some remarkable potential hidden by so much pointless meandering and slaughter, to the tight, dense, reactive and unique setting of mask of the Betrayer. It seems that there is a trade off to be found here, trimming the repitive flab that weighs down a game in order to present far more highly detailed and replayable areas, that add to the experience rather than force one to endure them. Normally I champion the improvement of mechanics, the addition of content and features, because we have seen games scope shrink over the years, but here I think is one point where streamlining may be attractive and beneficial. To take NWN2 as an example, consider what might have been if the companions had been fewer, but far more detailed, reactive and integral to ones struggle. The areas we travelled through had been fewer, but held far more content, reacted far more to the players actions and were viable to visit in the late game, rather than being abandoned after a single trip through them. Perhaps if we have interesting, multilayered and reactive locales, then the constant usual demands are not needed to occupy our time. Instead of a dozen combats along a linear corridor, open up alternate paths, informative NPC's, and give us many means to solve situations according to our character. What is your view, is this a degenerate opinion that will lead to more features being stripped and less content, or will it focus on the exciting at the expanse of pointless grinding, or will it rob players of their urge to roam, meander and explore which is a very viable gaming experience?