Openworld Vs Instanced

[Tsukino]

I like to have instances, especially for endgame content and storyline battles where it wouldn't make sense for anyone else to be there.

But I'd prefer if more of a game were open world. Hell, it's the whole reason MMOs exist in the first place. We had games with lobbies long before UO and EQ showed up. The very purpose of MMOs is to create a world where everyone plays together, and I don't appreciate the current trend of turning the game worlds into giant lobbies because instances are so popular. If I wanted to have a chat room and small games with a small number of people I'd play Guild Wars or Diablo III or something. In an MMO I want to see other players, because it's just not "massively multiplayer" otherwise.

Someone in another thread had an interesting idea though, where you'd basically do both for the same area. Like say you could enter a dungeon normally to explore and fight things that are regularly there, but then there is also a quest that will put you in an instanced version with enemies that are placed specifically for the quest. That way you get both designs out of only one area map.