If it want a really good 4X game

Is this for real?

There’s no reason that guilt would be absent from helpinghelp a specific person in need (like your struggling mother example). Plenty of people feel guilty taking handouts and will outright refuse help when they might need it.

As for the drive thru thing, I think you might be talking about something different than what I’ve seen/done, which is just paying for your own meal and the people behind you. There isn’t any expectation for them to continue some chain, and in many ways it’s a bit of an empty gesture (they are just taking that first person’s goodwill and passing it to the next in line).

My interpretation of paying it forward is the premise of receiving something when you’re in need, then, when you’re able, to give something back. Not to the one who helped you, as that would be repaying a debt.

In my opinion, open world doesn’t mean being able to complete any objective in an arbitrary order.

Progressive growth is one of the most rewarding things in an RPG for me. That means that I have to rethink my path forward until I gain the strength to overcome an obstacle. And that also means that some of my once difficult foes can be a showcase for my experience.

Areas aren’t blocked, they’re turned into goals for me to overcome. Yes, I should have a choice in how I explore the world, but having limits gives you something to break through.

This is my running complaint with most Bethesda RPGs. Just about everything scales by player level, which can put you in situations where enemies are downright impossible to kill if you’re too spec’d into non-combats.

Agreed. For the other side of the Atlantic, it is ground or 1st floor, 2nd floor.