Why are the bad guys never actually in the video game world?

[Gingerbread Demon]

I'm playing Far Cry New Dawn, and this isn't just about Far Cry but about large games like this series in general. You never actually see the bad guys in the game world.

I'm inside the game world, my buddies and allies are in the game world but why are the bad guys nowhere to be found? Why can't you find them hanging out somewhere doing their own thing, but you only ever see their minions around the world until the game says "here we are" and engage in a final game battle with them?

It just bugs me and breaks immersion.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Good point. I think a lot of that has to do with scripting and the devs only wanting you to see them when they're ready to reveal them.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Good point. I think a lot of that has to do with scripting and the devs only wanting you to see them when they're ready to reveal them.

I guess but there could be ways to work that into a game like you find them, and they run off but taunt you or they are invincible so that you can't kill them by accident before the game ends properly. It just would make the world feel more real.

 

[ED-209]

I've never "just ran into" Boris Johnson or Nigel Farage. It's quite believable, the Worlds a big place. I get your point though..

 

[SPCTRE]

I'm inside the game world, my buddies and allies are in the game world but why are the bad guys nowhere to be found? Why can't you find them hanging out somewhere doing their own thing, but you only ever see their minions around the world until the game says "here we are" and engage in a final game battle with them?

I don't know if you've ever played World of Warcraft, but the Wrath of the Lich King expansion did a very good job of making sure you met the main baddie out and about several times even before the Big Fight (i.e. the raid encounter)

Half-Life is another example that comes to mind, you meet (okay, almost meet) the G-Man several times over the course of the story missions

as @Owain Taggart pointed out, not every story and game world lend themselves to physical encounters with your main opponent(s) - if they even have those

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I don't know if you've ever played World of Warcraft, but the Wrath of the Lich King expansion did a very good job of making sure you met the main baddie out and about several times even before the Big Fight (i.e. the raid encounter)

Half-Life is another example that comes to mind, you meet (okay, almost meet) the G-Man several times over the course of the story missions

as @Owain Taggart pointed out, not every story and game world lend themselves to physical encounters with your main opponent(s) - if they even have those

Oh for sure I know that but in some games it's a little off putting, like the Far Cry series for example. New Dawn isn't exactly a big game world so where the heck did those two nutbags hide out?

 

[matthunter]

They could put them in, but like a D&D adventure you'd either have to let the players get away with "scry and die" and whack the bad guy, or have the bad guy expect that and still have the evil plan in motion, or you'd have to make the bad guy undefeatable to the heroes at that point, which means "go away and level up" or "you need artifact X to let you hurt the bad guy".

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

They could put them in, but like a D&D adventure you'd either have to let the players get away with "scry and die" and whack the bad guy, or have the bad guy expect that and still have the evil plan in motion, or you'd have to make the bad guy undefeatable to the heroes at that point, which means "go away and level up" or "you need artifact X to let you hurt the bad guy".

I don't think any of those ideas are bad.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Fire Emblem 3 Houses is not like this.

Most games are set up to be played in an episodic manner per mission. They only want the player thinking about the immediate next thing.