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Sandman
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Sinister Penguin
Aug 2001
time: 05:34
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It's been a while since we've had one of these.
It's thread to list those game cliches you love to hate.
Here's mine:
Exploding barrels. I mentioned these in the last cliche thread; but damn it, they really do suck. Seems like every action game, and even a good portion of strategy games have exploding things (90% of the time barrels) oh so conveniently placed so as to help the player. It really helps to destroy immersion when the enemies have 'barricaded' themselves behind bright-red containers of highly flammable fuel.
Air vents. When was the last time you played an FPS without air vents? Obviously with convieniently weakened grills connecting two key rooms. And some indestructable grills within the air vents to give the appearance of an actual extensive air vent system. I'm sure we all felt a thrill the first time we went into an air vent - but the thrill becomes somewhat less when you realise that "air vent = corridor without enemies that enemies can't get into."
Sewers. Every game has to have sewers. Seriously. Try to think of an action game that doesn't have sewers. It's quite difficult, isn't it? In the real world, sewers are undergound pipe systems that take effluent out of our homes and places of business. You certainly wouldn't want to hang about in them due to the overwhelming stench, pitch blackness and claustrophobic lack of space.
In the game world it's the exact opposite. Sewers are gigantic cathedral-like vaults - often more impressive than the city above. Within the sewers there are often secret labs, religious cults, military bases, gigantic waterfalls, lost cities, alien outposts, portals to the underworld; you name it, it's there. Hell, the sewer is often the best place to meet people. And of course, only the very choicest items can be found there.
In real life, you'd be stupid to go into a sewer. In games, you'd be stupid not to. They might as well put a big sign saying 'COOL STUFF DOWN HERE' next to the manhole or whatever.
Anyone else got any cliches which they'd like to share?
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Arnelos
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of the Free World
Sep 2002
time: 00:34
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I find healing potions in the AD&D mold to present an interesting little problem:
Now, if you're playing in a game world where healing potions represent concoctions of various medicinal herbs and such, it would make sense for you (or your local apothecary) to be able to brew a healing potion.
The real problem of healing potions presents itself in the AD&D game system (or related systems) where the only magical healing abilities that exist come about due to divine prayer. This means that in an AD&D-based game, such as NWN, a potion of cure moderate wounds, nevermind a potion of heal or a potion of restoration, is a "prayer-in-a-bottle"(tm).
I mean, just try to wrap your mind around that problem from a theological point of view. Consider for a moment that within the AD&D system, a healing spell is essentially a deity agreeing to heal a wounded creature because their cleric prayed (as part of the invocation of the spell) for them to do it.
Now, consider the problem this presents for bottling such a prayer. Do the contents of the bottle represent that the deity has already given its healing power to the hand of the cleric in the instant that the cleric brewed the potion? Does it, rather, represent a "request in a bottle" that doesn't have restorative powers until the potion is drunk by a wounded creature and the deity either grants or does not grant healing?
Aside from that issue... what exactly is in the bottle anyway?
For systems that blur the distinction between apothecaries brewing potions and clerics imbuing them with divine power, it just gets even more confusing. 
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12-08-2004 01:25
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