Interesting following the discussion. Okay here is my 2 cents on complexity in RPGs back in say the 90s compared to now in terms of non-combat systems. Combat systems could go on for pages.
- No quest compass, find your destination via talking to people and reading a map. So this feature requires more from the developers in terms of crafting conversations and quests to make them discoverable. I would call the quest compass streamlining and less fun. Most players find themselves looking at this little circle map during the course of their playthrough, rather than the world that developers spent ages on, as they travel to the quest. The rule of unintended consequences strikes again.
-Quest design varied greatly by developer. Some were simple fetch quests others were more involved and interesting. This doesn't seem to have changed much overall but I feel that (outside of Bethesda) quest design has been improving somewhat by allowing multiple outcomes, and involves more variables (Witcher 3). One would not say this if one was comparing Deus Ex to games today but games like that are an exception, even in the 90s.
- Factions and guilds were unique and you could only join ones not in opposition. In Bethesda games today you can join all factions and little (if any?) relevant skill requirements are necessary. This makes each playthrough far less unique than before. I'm not sure about other open world developers but Piranha Bytes seems to have kept unique faction systems going and Obisidian keeps track of lots of variables for its faction systems. That is not to say that Obisidians factions in Pillars of Eternity felt relevant or reactive through, so there are some deeper issues to say the least.
- The journal that keeps track of your progress wasn't a stable of RPGs until late 90s and a welcome improvement.
- Map notes were a thing in some RPGs in the 90s and largely unheard of today. I miss map notes.
- Day/Night systems were a thing as far back as Quest for Glory. They make the world seem far more alive and showcase how different places can feel at night. This translated into different monsters appearing at night and different quests being available at different times of day. A missed feature for my part.
Good points I think.
- No quest compass - I completely agree this is a negative in games. I do understand why devs have started using this, but I think it's one of those things that have made it into games because some devs built amazingly large worlds but writers who don't know how to give directions.
- Factions and guilds were unique - I think these are heavily dependent on the game. Most games I played in the past didn't even have joinable factions. When they did, they rarely had a major impact on the game. I may be very wrong of course, but that's been my experience
- Map notes - I completely agree with this one. Especially since it should be so simple to implement nowadays.
- Day/Night systems - I agree, although I do understand people who dislike this too. I think someone here on the Watch once said they play a game for fun, not to look for an NPC that travels around the world depending on time of day for a specific quest. I personally find it great though to have well implemented day/night systems.
However, again, I think you and a few others focusing on a few in the past that had it, and thinking that somehow translates to the majority of games having these systems.
Did the majority of games in the past really have all of these ? I very much doubt it.