A couple of small tests of unfinished content has made me realize that people will happily exhaustively explore a space for no other reason than trying to make sure they see everything.
It's obvious ...
@nprofile1q... Yes.
See also, Dungeon Encounters. No plot really happens, interactivity/strategy is almost empty, but uncovering every space and fighting each encouter is totally addicting anyway.
If you make a world that rewards exploring, everyone playing will try to find all the things to do. It's really easy for us developers to get stuck in the "playable content" headspace. But if the game is fun to explore/play, the player can be trusted to be motivated themselves!
See also, Dungeon Encounters. No plot really happens, interactivity/strategy is almost empty, but uncovering every space and fighting each encouter is totally addicting anyway.
If you make a world that rewards exploring, everyone playing will try to find all the things to do. It's really easy for us developers to get stuck in the "playable content" headspace. But if the game is fun to explore/play, the player can be trusted to be motivated themselves!