5th Gen The Trail We Blaze

This is a pretty good question. On the one hand, Unova was designed to be simpler for younger players to "understand," but on the other hand, the linearity does tend to be less appealing to more seasoned players.
If I had to redesign it, I wouldn't change how the map is now, but add a few more branching routes in some locations. This would keep the linearity and simplicity of the region intact, but also add more options so that as you're going along your journey, you can visit different places before going to your next story-designated destination.

After regions like Hoenn and Sinnoh, Unova's linearity is something that makes me dislike the game a bit. Like Rivvon said, it's great for beginners, but if you've played the games since the beginning, or even started with the Sinnoh region, then you're not going to be challenged at all. One of the things that made those regions interesting was having to travel to different parts of the map instead of it being in one long line.

I wouldn't redesign any of the locations, but I would move some and make it so that you would have to travel in different directions once you reach a certain point. Once you make it to Nimbasa City, I think that's when the game should become more challenging with where you should be headed to and from. Instead of following the circle around, switch White Forest with Mistralton City, or Driftvale City with Opelucid City. Make it so that you'd have to go back to go to the next location, instead of following the line forward.

I would probably add a lot of different Routes, as you can see there is all the forest and desert space in between cities, so I would probably add a few Routes branching off and maybe block off the main Route with a sleeping Pokemon or something so that you'd have to go the long way around. I would chuck out the Entralink and fill the space in the middle more, maybe move some cities from each side in more or just add minor towns.

I agree with Aerinoctis, the linearity bothered me a lot while playing the games. :/ I was surprised about it, when I first got to Nimbasa (I think) I was excited when I saw that the city split in different directions, but only to realize that one was blocked :/

I would make there be something more...significant at Anville Town. It would be interesting if it was a Gym City or something. Or maybe the location of some sort of extention to the Subway (frontier plz?) But that will never happen, not even in BW2.

One thing I'd do is add water Routes. We have exactly one water Route in the game, and it's not even part of the maingame (Route 17); in fact, you do not require Surf at all to reach the end of the game. Therefore, having Routes between the two bridges on each side would be the first thing I would do, and connect the land areas to the entry/exit points of the bridges somehow. Another option is get rid of two bridges completely (Tubeline was a waste of time, and Marvelous has no land element at all) and make them basic water Routes, and connect those Routes to the ones already on either side. The huge area in the middle, I agree, was a complete wasted opportunity that they try to help resolve with the new town and Rebirth Mountain, but the bridges are still there and a huge empty space as well. The new town could have had a Route connection as well, especially via Village Bridge.

That's the main thing, more thoughts as others post.

Cyclone

I like the design. I would not redesign it.

I would have made some of the towns a little bigger.

I disliked the linearity of the Unova region, don't get me wrong it had some great locations, deserts, snow, mountains and forests, Unova has it all. The middle of the map is wasted though, IMO. I hardly use White Forest or Entralink and they could have given it it's own island or something, and added a crossroads/city that serves as a capital city. Add in a few route branching off the other route and we suddenly have a non-liner Unova. I didn't really understand why they designed Unova this way.

Ciax said:

I disliked the linearity of the Unova region, don't get me wrong it had some great locations, deserts, snow, mountains and forests, Unova has it all. The middle of the map is wasted though, IMO. I hardly use White Forest or Entralink and they could have given it it's own island or something, and added a crossroads/city that serves as a capital city. Add in a few route branching off the other route and we suddenly have a non-liner Unova. I didn't really understand why they designed Unova this way.

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Fully agreed, this could have been where Nimbasa City is and connected to Opelucid City in some way, but with limited access (i.e. create sprites of something on the road ahead and block the way until later). It would have four-way access like the Saffron City of old. Kind of odd, come to think of it, that Castelia has two entries and exits (three in B2/W2 if you count the boat).

Cyclone

Requility said:

Nimbasa connected to Opelucid? Hmmm nah, I'd actually like it if it was Castelia connected to Opelucid [snip]

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I wish it was Castelia, too. But unfortunately, they put Nimbasa City in the way and didn't want that connected to Castelia, plus Castelia was not designed well for multiple entry and exit points. I kinda wish it became a central point to the story where Nimbasa City is (possibly rearranging the rest of Unova afterwards to be among the multiple connections) instead of just being passed through once.

Cyclone

Ciax said:

I disliked the linearity of the Unova region, don't get me wrong it had some great locations, deserts, snow, mountains and forests, Unova has it all. The middle of the map is wasted though, IMO. I hardly use White Forest or Entralink and they could have given it it's own island or something, and added a crossroads/city that serves as a capital city. Add in a few route branching off the other route and we suddenly have a non-liner Unova. I didn't really understand why they designed Unova this way.

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Exactly.

I personally think that Anville Town would have more significance to the game, otherwise it's just a waste of space.

Unova is poorly done to be honest.