Games have long since moved from the usual fun in the gaming halls to a serious global industry. According to Newzoo, in 2018 the total market volume reached $ 134.9 billion. Industry leaders are fighting with all their might for the attention of the players. Someone is trying to stand out with realistic graphics, someone with an open world, and others with cool technical features. But beyond that, the developers are very fond of the “hidden” mechanics that help you get involved in the game.
Last straw
How often did it happen that after a tense fight with a strong opponent you somehow emerged victorious from it, having a minimum amount of health? As if fate itself played into the hands and you don’t have to go through the level again. Most likely, it was not fate that played into your hands, but the developers. The creators of games like Assasins Creed, Far Cry, and Doom make a disproportionate health bar. In it, the last health cells have significantly more life than the rest.
As soon as the player realizes that he is about to die, he tries with all his might to survive, not even suspecting that he has more health than it seems. In case the player survives, he gets the feeling that his skills saved his life, and nothing else.
In Bioshock, at minimum health, the player is given invulnerability for two seconds. This leaves more enchanting sensations from the game, as if “here’s a little more and the end.”
This effect can be applied not only to health, but also to cartridges. So did the developers of System Shock and Gears of War. There, the last bullet in the store does double damage. This creates a “last gasp” effect. Imagine a situation when you are about to die, and the cartridges run out at the wrong time, but “luck” is again on your side, and the last bullet finishes off the enemy.
Slow down opponents
One of the basic optimization techniques in games is to hide objects that are out of the player’s line of sight. This simple solution is very good for performance. But what if you do the same with opponents, but don’t turn them off, but just slow them down? This applies to 3D games, both from the third person and from the first. It is unlikely that such a decision will somehow affect performance, but it will give more effect.
This is what the developers of the Devil May Cry series did. Often the player is surrounded by several opponents at once. Some of them run behind their backs, as if they want to insidiously attack. However, the developers deliberately slow down enemies that do not fall into the player’s field of vision. Thus, he has more time to react to enemies from behind in order to repulse their blow and inflict his own. This creates the effect of the “last moment”, as if the enemy is about to hit from behind, but at the last second the player turns around and still repels the attack.
Identical situation with Big Daddy in Bioshock Infinite. The developers managed to create a rather frightening and vicious enemy. They realized that at the sight of such an enemy, many players simply fled in search of cover. To prevent players from dying in an attempt to save their lives, the developers deliberately slowed Daddy down as soon as he disappeared from the main character’s field of vision. This gave the player more time to take a breath and gather strength.
The illusion of danger
Danger is a good motivation for the player. Most often, this is the risk of losing unsaved inventory or returning to the beginning of a location that you barely passed. But is this danger so natural?
For example, in Red Faction: Guerrilla, only opponents who are closer to you shoot at you. Moreover, if the enemy still hits you, then the next couple of shots will be a miss. However, the player usually does not even know about this and thinks that he miraculously escaped from enemy bullets.
