Map comparisons

[JiveTurkey]

I saw a (the?) dev mention in a post a couple weeks ago that Kenshi is the largest map of any game. Are there any comparisons available?

[Hatsune Neko Gaming]

second largest static map with 870 square kilometer's
The Elder Scrolls Daggerfall with 160579km, but it has a lot of random generation as well.

[Shidan]

There are plenty of games with larger maps than it out there, but it is one of the largest that isn't purely seed RNG, or a driving/flying simulator.

For instance, on this list it would fit right between Just Cause 3 and True Crime. Kenshi has about 335 square miles of map.
https://gaminggorilla.com/biggest-open-world-maps/

[Morkonan]

Something worth noting, I think:

Kenshi's map is static and was created by "hand."

HOWEVER, a lot of in-game maps/terrains make that claim, too, but do not also have the same degree of emphasis on that map's carefully curated "player experience" of it.

Plenty of game maps start from some heightmap and then get textured and water layer limits are generated and someone gets a tree generator working, etc... and then they add a town and call the world "hand crafted." But, they don't bother going into the weeds to put in "content" a player may never see. They would consider that largely "lost work hours." :) Kenshi's world map most certainly has that "if you don't go here to see it, you will never experience that hand-crafted content."

Exploration in Kenshi is a game reward mechanic. (Or, evolved to be one even if the intent wasn't entirely focused on that. :))

Kenshi's map is a value-added experience and has, itself, turned out to be "content." In that respect, it was certainly designed like some of the regions in Skyrim that were tuned specifically for the visuals or lore content presentation. In that aspect, with the constant content presentation during seamless travel and lore value, IMO, Kenshi lends itself to a "walking simulator" sort of experience. ("Myst"-like) Though, if it had more mechanics, like Skyrim, I'd probably liven that description up a bit. But, I am very appreciative of that experience, nonetheless - It "makes" the overall game.

It's worth noting that the player never enters into any overtly instanced content in Kenshi. The player experience relies completely on that one world map. That's terribly important in how Kenshi's overall play "feels." You are never given some feeling of being secure in an obvious player-instance and you never feel as if you're cramped in some pigeon-hole box, separated from the world. (The realities are a bit handwavey, but what matters is the presentation and the experience it generates. )

So, to sum: If a game claims comparable or greater "map size," it doesn't mean it has equitable map or travel-related "content." (ie: The Daggerfall ref, above. Though, it was revolutionary for what it did manage to do. :))

[GIJoe597]

Microsoft Flight Simulator is listed as "197 Million Square Miles " shrugs. (flying simulator as Shidan typed above)

WWII Online has a static map which is 135,136 sq mi. " It uses a single, non-instanced, ½ scale map of western Europe"

It holds a Guinness World Record for largest map for a Shooter. But I think it is a large map in general.

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/95413-largest-playable-area-in-a-shooter-videogame

Keep in mind the game came out in 2001 and is still played today.

[Bandy]

These are the most entertaining comparisons, but I can't seem to find the one that includes Kenshi world map - I have seen it included, and its big, but certainly not among the biggest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny8piyFbLfQ