So how do we feel about fast travel in today's games?

[supersaw]

I like the way it was implemented in Witcher 3 with the signposts. The other nice thing in that game was that quests were fairly localised. I was sort of disappointed that quite a few Skyrim quests would send you randomly across the map, it broke immersion for me as I liked how in Olbivion you would mainly be helping to solve local problems in each town.

 

[JTyrmi]

Naturally you have to open the locations where you want to fast travel, after that it should be free. But also make the locations far enough from each other so you have to explore the areas between them on foot. And naturally make the areas interesting enough to encourage the exploration. Lots of games do it well, but could also improve the system quite a bit. Even Zelda: BotW has too many FT points IMO, but the world could also gain from more interesting and optional stuff to do.

 

[Cbrun44]

A necessity in today's larger scale open worlds. Trying to play Final Fantasy 15, for example, without fast travel would have been unbearable.

 

[Flevance]

Served its role

 

[Soul Unison]

I tried to play without it in BotW. Conclusion: it's needed. Worlds are too big.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I promised myself I wouldn't use Fast Travel in my Master Mode playthrough, but I'm like 30 hours in now and I think I'm close to cracking.

A necessity in today's larger scale open worlds. Trying to play Final Fantasy 15, for example, without fast travel would have been unbearable.

Click to shrink...

And yet I've got about 150 hours of XV over several save files and a couple playthroughs and I think I've fast traveled maybe 3 times.
I really, really love just watching the scenery go by and fiddling with the radio.

 

[Aeferis]

I already tend to get bored silly by today's unnecessary huge open world maps so I'd probably drop every single one of those game without fast travel. When I feel I'm getting closer to the point of no return where I'll just drop the game, I start jumping from main quest to main quest too see where to story goes. On the other hand, if the game has a small enough map filled with meaningful little details, I like to avoid fast travelling and if possible I won't even use a map to immerse myself completely in that world, like in any Deus Ex game.

 

[Bugy52]

Its needed, but I typically prefer to travel with out it.

Once i feel I've explored everything I want to I'll start using it more in games.

 

[Arthands]

Can't say why fast travel is bad. Its taking out the tedious and boring part.

 

[RagingAardvark]

I like the flight master system in World of Warcraft. You talk to a flight master at one location, you select your destination, and you're taken to that destination - not instantly, but in realtime. While in transit, you get to move the camera around to take in the surroundings and anything that might be happening in the game world. It helps with immersion, and it makes sense - while still offering the convenience of a shortcut that's faster than the normal mode of travel.

To me, fast travel systems where you select a spot on your map and get teleported there instantly - while convenient - take me out of the experience. There's no sense of urgency when you can get to the next scene of conflict with the press of a button.

If a movie consisted of just a collection of cuts in different locations, stringed together with no transitionary scenes inbetween, it'd feel really disjointed as well.

I get why people like to have the option, though. Not everyone has time for the tedious things. I find myself taking shortcuts more often as well nowadays.

 

[KnightSword]

I always used fast travel in games, i mean fuck even pokemon red/blue had it. Its just so convenient, why go the extra mile and wast time? (really depends on the game though)

 

[ronaldthump]

As worlds get bigger, it's absolutely essential.

 

[Nooblet]

I think having Fast Travel as an option is always good, give a point to travel to in a general location that you've already been to and let people use th emap to fast travel there. Don't do it like Witcher 3 where you have to go somewhere else to even be able to fast travel somewhere else, just let people do it from the map.

I like how AC Origins does it, you automatically unveil the map and get a fast travel location in every area you go to but you can unlock additional fast travel points in the same area and surrounding areas (helps if it's a big city like Alexandria and Memphis) if you synchronize from a tower.

Fast travel is fine in games like Skyrim or Fallout 4 where the worlds hold little to find and explore.

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On the contrary those games are one of the few games where exploration matters, due to the fact that you can start entirely new quest lines with its own story that's totally unrelated to anything else just because you happen to come across someone or some town. Games like Xenoblade X on the other hand have an open world where people like to "explore" God knows what because there's absolutely nothing to do except kill enemies in that open world.

 

[Vareon]

Mostly I don't like them conceptually, but they are necessary convenience in most games.

I wish more games integrate it better with lore, like Pokemon's Fly or BoTW's shrines. I had to download mods in Skyrim so that my character don't just zap everywhere on a whim.