faetal on 17/11/2021 at 18:33
Does anyone remember a game where you are told you have to go and do something urgent and to not waste time, and if you ignore and spend too much time dicking around in the hub searching for secrets, something bad actually happens? Like someone dies, or something is destroyed? It's driving me nuts.
catbarf on 17/11/2021 at 18:34
Quote Posted by Tomi
That works in FTL though, because it's a roguelike (unless there's a better genre for it) and the games are rather short. Imagine spending three hundred hours playing your generic RPG, and then having an army of orcs wipe down the entire kingdom or an evil dragon that has been chasing you burning you to a crisp, if you fiddle around with the side quests for too long. :D
Fallout, the original, did exactly that. You're being sent out into the wasteland to find a chip to repair water production, and if you don't complete that task in time, you get a game over cutscene. I didn't feel rushed when I played it, but it would be pretty frustrating to run into, just because it's so binary.
Pathways Into Darkness isn't an RPG, but it used a similar mechanic integrated it directly into gameplay. Your mission is to stop an elder god awakening and you have a few days to do it, tracked in real-time. The catch is that resting is your primary healing mechanic. So, it's not so much a race to complete the quest as it is about being cautious and avoiding damage. Burn too much time healing and you hit game over.
A softer implementation, and more FTL-esque, is in the game Everspace. You're on a branching-but-directional quest a la FTL, and spending too long in a single sector calls the attention of the alien faction that's after you. So you can spend 15-20 minutes exploring and fighting, but the game nudges you to move along. House of the Dying Sun did something similar, but it was within minutes, really emphasizing the game's hit-and-run style.
I think there's room for innovation in including timed elements in games. The typical approach of the story hurrying you along while the game mechanics let you pick flowers has always been clunky.
Aja on 17/11/2021 at 18:42
Quote Posted by reizak
I also just got a PS5!
Congrats! Still waiting for mine to ship, but I'm sure it'll be any day and that they won't cancel my order. I wanted to upgrade my computer, too, but with graphics cards in seemingly in even greater scarcity and more expensive than they've ever been, it doesn't seem worth it. You used to be able to get a decent upgrade for like $350, but to get an equivalent jump in performance now I'd have to spend a grand.
Quote:
I can definitely recommend
Horizon Zero Dawn... I also got
The Last of Us Got these two as well, only $26CAD for both! After having mainly played on Switch for the last few years, it's nice to see some decent sales for once. I'm more interested in the Last of Us II, but I figure I should start at the start. Plus, they filmed a bunch of the upcoming TV show here in Edmonton, so I wanna be up to speed when it finally comes out.
Aja on 17/11/2021 at 18:44
Quote Posted by catbarf
I think there's room for innovation in including timed elements in games.
I'm gonna keep chiming up about it until everyone here has played it, but
Outer Wilds does exactly this.
You guys know it's an
immersive sim, right? Does that help at all??
EvaUnit02 on 17/11/2021 at 18:46
Quote Posted by faetal
Does anyone remember a game where you are told you have to go and do something urgent and to not waste time, and if you ignore and spend too much time dicking around in the hub searching for secrets, something bad actually happens? Like someone dies, or something is destroyed? It's driving me nuts.
Second mission of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. IIRC if you dick around too long in your HQ before going on the mission, the hostages will be dead (or something along those lines).
Mass Effect 2: After your crew gets captured, if you do too many side missions before continuing the main questline you'll be unable to save them. I remember Dr. Chakwas was one of the captured crew. Actions have consequences, she doesn't show up in ME3 if you choose to import a "botched" ME2 save.
WingedKagouti on 17/11/2021 at 19:15
Quote Posted by EvaUnit02
Second mission of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. IIRC if you dick around too long in your HQ before going on the mission, the hostages will be dead (or something along those lines).
Not only do at least some of the hostages die, you also get chewed out by Sarif for faffing about and some of the police officers berate you as well. You more or less have time to get your HUD fixed and briefly check out your own office. On the other hand, it's also implied that there really isn't much else to actually do at that point. You're not being hounded by other characters walking up to you and wanting to talk, nor do the people in the lobby have large exclamation marks over their heads.
Anarchic Fox on 17/11/2021 at 22:11
Quote Posted by faetal
Does anyone remember a game where you are told you have to go and do something urgent and to not waste time, and if you ignore and spend too much time dicking around in the hub searching for secrets, something bad actually happens? Like someone dies, or something is destroyed? It's driving me nuts.
Starker mentioned Exile/Avernum 3 earlier, and that's a great example. The game is structured around a continent divided into six territories, each plagued by a different kind of monster. At fixed times various towns will be destroyed, with most of their residents killed (though a few will migrate to other towns). If you solve the territory's monster infestation in time, the surviving towns are spared. These aren't all superfluous towns, either; one of the series' most iconic locations goes boom partway through too. Only about half of the towns can be destroyed, so the game remains winnable at every point. Avernum 3 was recently remade as (
https://store.steampowered.com/app/691830/Avernum_3_Ruined_World/) Avernum 3: Ruined World which is far less creaky than the old 90s versions.
Starker on 18/11/2021 at 09:37
Quote Posted by Aja
I'm gonna keep chiming up about it until everyone here has played it, but
Outer Wilds does exactly this.
You guys know it's an
immersive sim, right? Does that help at all??
It seems far less innovative if you've played Majora's Mask.
faetal on 18/11/2021 at 11:36
Quote Posted by EvaUnit02
Second mission of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. IIRC if you dick around too long in your HQ before going on the mission, the hostages will be dead (or something along those lines).
Yes, that was it - thanks!
Aja on 18/11/2021 at 16:45
Quote Posted by Starker
It seems far less innovative if you've played Majora's Mask.
I'm sure it was an inspiration, and there are some thematic similarities, but Majora's Mask is still a relatively linear Zelda-type game whereas Outer Wilds is entirely open with almost zero gatekeeping. I can't think of many (or really any) other games where the main reward isn't items or upgrades but simply knowledge. But hey, if two of the greatest games of all time share some traits, who am I to complain?
