Somewhere around yet again a long session of reading somewhere around at Tropes I came up with a neat and nice idea for a video game mechanic, that I would like to share and maybe see in a game some day. Unless, of course, its already been done, and I may simply have missed it. I don’t find the time to read all of Penny Arcade, or even TGSA, these days (did you know Blastwave moved?).
But here’s the idea: Instead of having the hero gaining equipment and strength and skills and guns as he progresses through the game, untill he finally encounters a Boss whilst carrying the whole TO/E of a small infantry brigade with him, invert the mechanics and fit them more to the plot of a novel: From being perfectly healthy and well-equipped, the hero slowly depletes his ressources. Sure, there might be the opportunity to restock, but basically the question is wether you can husband the limited ressources you own to solve even the final problems.
This mechanism also would “outsource” the learning curve to the player: He gets more adept at handling the problems the game throws at him by progressing through the game, not because the game arbitrarily decides that he will have more options now because his character has now completed 20 miles of runnning straight or has killed the evil witch.
Plus, arriving at the castle gates of the last enemy with only 50% of speed, dexterity and capability to jump left, being deaf on one ear, having no climbing gear left and only a second-rate gun captured from some enemy with three clips of ammo would not only seem more realistic, it would also create more anxiety and tension than the maxed-out shielded hero smashing the gate with three powerups, the magical monstergun while being at 200% health.
So here is the challenge, game designers: All while you design the game surroundings to become more realistic day by day, why stop at the hero? Make his BFG jam, punch him in the face.
I’d be the first buyer.