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Community => Entertainment and Television => Topic started by: Lithp on February 15, 2012, 05:42:06 pm

Title: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 15, 2012, 05:42:06 pm
So, I've had a few discussions recently on how someone should know whether a given idea is stupid for a given setting. Is that giant monster meant to keep you from advancing too far in the world for the current section of the plot, or is it the first boss? Should you drink the strange bottle, which is your only clue, to advance, or is it poison? When the character warns you that the quest is too dangerous, are you supposed to heed them or not? That sort of thing. And it suddenly occurred to me, this would make a good thread.

List your stories of dumb as Hell videogame logic, or aversions gone terribly wrong here:

1. That dinosaur at the beginning of FFXII? It is not a random monster made to make you look like a badass. Don't attack it.
2. On the other hand, those giant werewolves that keep kicking your half-naked ass up & down the desert? They have a key item you need.
3. Kingdom Hearts 1. You just lost the Keyblade, the magic weapon that's basically been pulling your dead weight the whole game. Maybe you should regroup at Traverse Town, where you have half a dozen seasoned badasses at your disposal, or at least can try your hand with a staff? lolnope. Beat monsters up with a toy sword.
4. I've said a lot of good things about FFVII's plot, but blowing up Mako Reactors is a horribly expensive & inefficient way to go about protecting the environment. And as Cloud made it clear, if Shinra ever actually started taking them seriously, they'd be some greasy stain on a SOLDIER's sword. For added benefit, they were using leftover junk from a previous terrorist organization they knew next to nothing about.
5. The freaking .hack games. How should we figure out why people are going comatose? Consult the doctors? Do research on their history? Say it's someone else's problem? Nope. Play vidya games.

That's all I got for now.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 15, 2012, 07:29:37 pm
Re: 3...

Actually, that's the perfect time to go magic spammy on enemy's asses.  Staff?  Who needs a staff?


Unfortunately, I've brain fogged and can't think of any video game logic examples.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 15, 2012, 09:05:33 pm
That is actually what I did, but the point is really what the game suggests you should do.

Speaking of, one that holds true for most high fantasy RPs: Did I just meet a bunch of shady jagoffs with questionable pasts? Aw, damn, looks like I'm goin' on a quest to save the world with them.

Note also, while the title says "Video Game Logic," it can apply to other things. Videogames is just where I know this--creative--way of looking at the world from.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 15, 2012, 11:49:58 pm
Kingdom's of Amular has one where this guy will only give you something you need if you "test" one of his potions.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Art Vandelay on February 16, 2012, 01:04:20 am
Beyond Good and Evil: Aliens faking their being a friendly force to assist against another alien invasion? This calls for racing hovercrafts and taking pictures of animals.

Syberia: The plot revolves around searching for a hidden island that contains live mammoths, that's so totally secret its believed to be a myth. Funnily enough, nobody noticed the railway line that goes from the French Alps to an Inuit tribe that knows precisely where to find said island.

Fahrenheit: According to the developers, sexytimes should not be just a cut scene, but also a quick time event. I kid you not.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Da Rat Bastid on February 16, 2012, 01:48:24 am
Fahrenheit: According to the developers, sexytimes should not be just a cut scene, but also a quick time event. I kid you not.

We know how well that worked out for Rockstar Games, don't we? :P
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 16, 2012, 03:08:23 am
Just started the game? Let's throw you into a boss battle with a dinky ass sword and make it so one mistake kills you! (Dark Souls)

Oh hey did you remember to check that entire room five levels ago? No? You fucked yourself over. (Adventure games everywhere)

Have a squad to help you? Fuck that. You do everything yourself! (every FPS ever)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Art Vandelay on February 16, 2012, 03:23:28 am
Mercenaries 2: Heavy munitions and freaking pallet loads of cash can always be found just lying around beside major roads and in people's back yards. All you need is a friend in a helicopter and it's yours for the taking.

Planescape: Torment: You walk into a bar and the barman sells you an eyeball in a jar of $500. What do you do? Why, you rip out one of your eyes and shove your new purchase in the socket.

The Longest Journey: Need to get some sort of McGuffin off a railway line? Think you can just, you know, quickly grab it? Well fuck you, the only way to get it involves a slightly leaky inflatable rubber tube, a clamp, a piece of string and a band aid. Makes perfect sense if you ask me.

We know how well that worked out for Rockstar Games, don't we? :P

The amazing part is that it's not a mod, it's in the vanilla game, complete with a perfect view of the guy's rather poorly rendered ass crack moving up and down in time with your mouse click and drags (albeit that's the uncensored version).
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Eniliad on February 16, 2012, 04:13:28 am
Heh, I could go on for hours on Kingdom Hearts alone... but besides making me look like a pathetic fanboy it would completely derail the thread. So I'll just leave this here for now, until I get some sleep:

I hate when games throw random puzzles in that have no business being there. Puzzles can be fun and all, but they should at least make some kind of sense.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: MaybeNever on February 16, 2012, 04:51:33 am
Planescape: Torment: You walk into a bar and the barman sells you an eyeball in a jar of $500. What do you do? Why, you rip out one of your eyes and shove your new purchase in the socket.

If you're an immortal regenerating amnesiac who apparently possesses the power of genetic memory and it was your own eyeball, this makes perfect sense. A more worrisome example of the pre-game logic is that the barkeep was okay with taking some guy's eye for collateral on his tab.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Art Vandelay on February 16, 2012, 04:59:19 am
Planescape: Torment: You walk into a bar and the barman sells you an eyeball in a jar of $500. What do you do? Why, you rip out one of your eyes and shove your new purchase in the socket.

If you're an immortal regenerating amnesiac who apparently possesses the power of genetic memory and it was your own eyeball, this makes perfect sense. A more worrisome example of the pre-game logic is that the barkeep was okay with taking some guy's eye for collateral on his tab.

It sounded better without the context.

Though there's also the matter of the barman charging you $500 quid for your own eyeball in a jar, but he's perfectly fine with you reviving and simply walking away with Ignus, the main attraction of his establishment. It would be like the owner of a gentleman's club not batting en eyelid at you just waltzing in and taking all the strippers away.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Askold on February 16, 2012, 05:07:37 am
Gabriel Knight 3:
In order to disguise yourself to look like a man who has no moustache you must make a fake moustache for yourself.

Also said moustache is obtained by putting some tape into a fence and making a cat run past the tape in order to get cat hair.

I loved the first Garbiel Knight game but the puzzles in GK3 are illogical. And Art: I also have The longest journey, the game is beautiful and the story isn't bad but most of the puzzles would fit into this thread.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: MaybeNever on February 16, 2012, 05:12:43 am
Planescape: Torment: You walk into a bar and the barman sells you an eyeball in a jar of $500. What do you do? Why, you rip out one of your eyes and shove your new purchase in the socket.

If you're an immortal regenerating amnesiac who apparently possesses the power of genetic memory and it was your own eyeball, this makes perfect sense. A more worrisome example of the pre-game logic is that the barkeep was okay with taking some guy's eye for collateral on his tab.

It sounded better without the context.

Though there's also the matter of the barman charging you $500 quid for your own eyeball in a jar, but he's perfectly fine with you reviving and simply walking away with Ignus, the main attraction of his establishment. It would be like the owner of a gentleman's club not batting en eyelid at you just waltzing in and taking all the strippers away.

I always wondered about that too.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Art Vandelay on February 16, 2012, 05:19:33 am
I also have The longest journey, the game is beautiful and the story isn't bad but most of the puzzles would fit into this thread.
You just reminded me somehow of another gem from The Longest Journey. Need to get into the office building of the imitation-Scientologists to stop their leader from fucking everything up? First, try to argue your way past the receptionist. Fail miserably, then return ten seconds later holding a pizza box you dug out of the garbage, put on the worst Bronx accent you possibly can and say you have a pizza for the CEO. You'll be buzzed straight through without so much as a second glance.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: erictheblue on February 16, 2012, 08:37:33 am
I hate when games throw random puzzles in that have no business being there. Puzzles can be fun and all, but they should at least make some kind of sense.

BioWare's fascination with the Tower of Hanoi. There are so many ways advanced alien civilizations could secure their technology, but they all use the same puzzle. (I know it shows up in KotOR and ME1. Probably other games, but those are the ones I remember.)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: TheL on February 16, 2012, 10:47:42 am
Streets of Rage:  You should always pick up and eat random apples and turkey legs that are lying on the ground.   In a city street.  In the bad part of town.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: e13 on February 16, 2012, 11:21:08 am
Also, the Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy game by Infocom. Where you must feed a sandwich to a dog at the very start of the game or else lose halfway through the game.
To be fair, the Hitchikers guite was a text game who's only purpose was a series of guess and check. You know, fake challenge. So you should probably just list that game.

Streets of Rage:  You should always pick up and eat random apples and turkey legs that are lying on the ground.   In a city street.  In the bad part of town.
Castlevania. Break wall, find chicken?! WTF?!
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Distind on February 16, 2012, 11:55:13 am
BioWare's fascination with the Tower of Hanoi. There are so many ways advanced alien civilizations could secure their technology, but they all use the same puzzle. (I know it shows up in KotOR and ME1. Probably other games, but those are the ones I remember.)

Just to comment on this, I was stuck on this in ME 1 for quite some time because I simply refused to believe that they used the Tower of Hanoi Puzzle for what amounted to flipping the breakers. Then for giggles I tried it, was done in about 30 seconds or so.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Sleepy on February 16, 2012, 12:30:22 pm
Leisure Suit Larry 2, where you'd better swim to the bottom of the pool (in which you almost drowned) and grab that bikini top so you can wear it later when you're on the beach.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Askold on February 16, 2012, 12:43:37 pm
BioWare's fascination with the Tower of Hanoi. There are so many ways advanced alien civilizations could secure their technology, but they all use the same puzzle. (I know it shows up in KotOR and ME1. Probably other games, but those are the ones I remember.)

Just to comment on this, I was stuck on this in ME 1 for quite some time because I simply refused to believe that they used the Tower of Hanoi Puzzle for what amounted to flipping the breakers. Then for giggles I tried it, was done in about 30 seconds or so.

I didn't realise how the puzzle worked until I had completed it for the first time. I knew the objective but I had no idea how it worked so I just tried random moves untill it was completed.

Another thing:

Finding power ups in random locations is not out of place in some simple 2d platformer but as the FPS games keep getting more "realistic" it gets a bit weird when you are supposed to go look for a health pack in a toilet or on top of a airduct. If the game world is supposed to seem realistic then you should try to put the ammo and power ups in logical places. When Mario finds a green mushroom that gives him extra lives it fits in with the world which already is surreal and not that serious, but even in Jedi Knight games it is a bit jarring that the empire hides stuff in places where you can only get to with force jumps. (Not to mention that many of the guards can only get to their work area by airlift.)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: e13 on February 16, 2012, 01:01:45 pm
Another thing:

Finding power ups in random locations is not out of place in some simple 2d platformer but as the FPS games keep getting more "realistic" it gets a bit weird when you are supposed to go look for a health pack in a toilet or on top of a airduct. If the game world is supposed to seem realistic then you should try to put the ammo and power ups in logical places. When Mario finds a green mushroom that gives him extra lives it fits in with the world which already is surreal and not that serious, but even in Jedi Knight games it is a bit jarring that the empire hides stuff in places where you can only get to with force jumps. (Not to mention that many of the guards can only get to their work area by airlift.)

I bring up Castlevania, because unlike Mario, it's theme was rooted in basic gothic horror. Finding legs of lamb around would have sufficed. But as a kid, it weirded me the fuck out.

Who walled that chicken in? Why? Why would I eat it? That's gotta be covered in some weird shit from the construction effort?

Mario, on the other hand, is weird to begin with. I don't question anything there. :p
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 16, 2012, 01:29:06 pm
Of course, with most Silent Hill games, logic is thrown out the window and bashed with a twisty stick until completely unrecognizable... but it's still there.  Sorta.  Wallet in toilet notwithstanding.  I mean... Ew.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Juna Starrider on February 16, 2012, 01:41:34 pm
If you are about to do an ice themed dungeon (in a game that does top-down view), odds are you're going to be doing a least one "Slide from block to block in a correct order until you get to the other side"  If it's an ice themed platformer, odds are that you're going to be careful how you jump, as you will be sliding more.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 16, 2012, 01:48:43 pm
If you are about to do an ice themed dungeon (in a game that does top-down view), odds are you're going to be doing a least one "Slide from block to block in a correct order until you get to the other side"  If it's an ice themed platformer, odds are that you're going to be careful how you jump, as you will be sliding more.
Zelda, we're looking at YOU. ;)   Or... I am, at least.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 16, 2012, 02:56:34 pm
Of course, with most Silent Hill games, logic is thrown out the window and bashed with a twisty stick until completely unrecognizable... but it's still there.  Sorta.  Wallet in toilet notwithstanding.  I mean... Ew.

That reminds me of one of my friends playing Dead Island and finding deodorant in a broken computer monitor  WTF?
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 16, 2012, 03:07:02 pm
I like when I find gold inside of a dead wolf.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 16, 2012, 03:09:20 pm
Or light bulbs inside a sealed food can (Silent Hill 2).  How's that for a light snack?   Ugh.  Sorry.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 16, 2012, 03:14:01 pm
Elder Scrolls Oblivion: I'm wandering through some ruins doo dee doo oh look a barrel why does it have fresh fruit and meat in it these ruins were ancient when my great grandfather was born

Elder Scrolls Skyrim: Iron dagger dagger dagger dagger dagger dagger dagger dagger dagger dagger dagger dagger ... ... ... dagger dagger dagger dagger DAEDRIC GREATSWORD~ (Translation: Why does forging an iron dagger over and over again make it so I'm suddenly adept at forging stuff using epic-level material?)

Elder Scrolls Morrowind (GOTY): Why is there a high level assassin chasing me at level 1!?  And why won't any of the guards help me!?

Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 16, 2012, 03:14:13 pm
Or light bulbs inside a sealed food can (Silent Hill 2).  How's that for a light snack?   Ugh.  Sorry.

(http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luio92AE5S1r6sxfeo1_250.gif)

That made me spittake, I'll admit.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 16, 2012, 03:22:37 pm
It feels good to make people laugh. :)

Another Silent Hill anti-logic logic:  In SH3, you get a key from inside a dead dog.   A dead cooked dog on a platter.  A dead cooked dog cooked on a platter... in a Chinese restaurant.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Da Rat Bastid on February 16, 2012, 06:23:41 pm
I Wanna Be The Guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSXnYdgutpk).

That is all. ;D
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 16, 2012, 07:39:08 pm
That game is beyond Nintendo Hard.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 16, 2012, 07:59:49 pm
Quote
(Adventure games everywhere)

Oh, fetch quests are GOOD at it.

Quote
Beyond Good and Evil: Aliens faking their being a friendly force to assist against another alien invasion? This calls for racing hovercrafts and taking pictures of animals.

...I'm sorry?

Another common to FF: Treasure chests everywhere. Why are valuable things not only lying around in plain sight, but contained in chests for no in-universe reason? That doesn't protect them. Why the Hell do enemies sometimes just plain drop whole chests in more recent titles? Why the Hell do all of the Sky Pirates ignore the damn things in FFXII? Why do they sometimes pop up unassumingly with the monsters like they slid along behind them?
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 16, 2012, 08:09:21 pm
With very few exceptions, in most RPG and adventure games you're free just to go into any random person's house and ransack their entire place while they stand there and watch you like an idiot.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 16, 2012, 08:16:31 pm
With very few exceptions, in most RPG and adventure games you're free just to go into any random person's house and ransack their entire place while they stand there and watch you like an idiot.

And in Skyrim, they let you do this as long as you're their friend (which means you did a quest for them)

Granted, they won't let you ransack EVERYTHING, but still.

What's funny is that you can ransack a merchant-friend's house-shop and then immediately sell them everything you just took.

"Can I have this lovely blue vase?"

"Of course!  You're my friend."

"Great!  Now how much can I sell it to you for?"
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 16, 2012, 08:23:48 pm
Interestingly, VII addresses that. No one tries to stop you, but someone calls you a jackass, & by-&-large most people are just too jaded to care.

'Course, you could say "poor people don't care about having their shit stolen" is vidya game logic in & of itself.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 16, 2012, 08:26:29 pm
With very few exceptions, in most RPG and adventure games you're free just to go into any random person's house and ransack their entire place while they stand there and watch you like an idiot.

And in Skyrim, they let you do this as long as you're their friend (which means you did a quest for them)

Granted, they won't let you ransack EVERYTHING, but still.

What's funny is that you can ransack a merchant-friend's house-shop and then immediately sell them everything you just took.

"Can I have this lovely blue vase?"

"Of course!  You're my friend."

"Great!  Now how much can I sell it to you for?"

LMAO... Ahh... exploits like that are fun :D
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 17, 2012, 12:56:19 am
Speaking of RPG's:  Trying to sneak when you have a companion with you.  If I'm trying to be stealthy, I don't need Lydia or Boon going all Leroy Jenkins on me and rushing the enemy.


I always love it too when you get the scenario where you rush an enemy base you just discovered with no intel, no support, and no plan.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Cloud3514 on February 17, 2012, 02:05:07 am
With very few exceptions, in most RPG and adventure games you're free just to go into any random person's house and ransack their entire place while they stand there and watch you like an idiot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kedjhnguKhc
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: RavynousHunter on February 17, 2012, 03:48:41 am
I got a few choice ones I've been savin up...

Explosives in games.  You know em when you see em, those big, red things that explode violently when you so much as sneeze on them by accident.  If these things are so volatile that they can be set off by (giving examples from DDO) being struck by a wooden fucking stick, being pierced by an arrow...OR BEING HIT BY A FUCKING MAGIC RAY OF COLD...why aren't they behind lock-and-key in a secure location where their exceptionally volatile contents don't run the chance of killing people by sheer happenstance?  You'd think that places like Stormreach would have laws about that kinda shit...

Doors.  I know, this is -extremely- nitpicky, but...say I'm a big, strapping hero who can easily deadlift a Volkswagen.  Why, then, do I have to go through the convoluted process of going through a dungeon filled to the brim with monsters of all varieties, dodging traps that have killed dozens of would-be adventurers, and solving puzzles that would leave even the most astute wizards scratching their heads?  Why can't I just break down the flimsy, wooden door with an axe?  Hell, if I'm a mage, I should be able to blast the motherfucker open with a fireball or two.  If its a metal door, whip out the acid.  For fuck's sake, its a few plinths of wood held together with iron bars and studs, I should be able to break it open with a sledgehammer, if I have one.  Or, alternatively, drag one of those explosive barrels over to it and flick a rock at it, blasting the bastard open.

And don't get me started on Load-Bearing Villains...

Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 17, 2012, 04:50:13 am
With very few exceptions, in most RPG and adventure games you're free just to go into any random person's house and ransack their entire place while they stand there and watch you like an idiot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kedjhnguKhc

Bwahahaha! :D
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Da Rat Bastid on February 17, 2012, 07:23:59 am
That game is beyond Nintendo Hard.

Therein lies the appeal. ;D
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: TheL on February 17, 2012, 11:20:12 am
I like when I find gold inside of a dead wolf.

"No Cloud, I have no idea why that monster was carrying 500 Gold and a Fire Ring.  It will forever remain a mystery!"

Also, you can only use a key once.  Even though they're all identical in every dungeon.

(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/katietiedrich/comic20.jpg)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 17, 2012, 02:48:43 pm
Quote
"No Cloud, I have no idea why that monster was carrying 500 Gold and a Fire Ring.  It will forever remain a mystery!"

Some games "fix" this with some kind of poaching/loot system...but that rarely makes any more sense if you actually look at what you get.

How does cobbling together some dead dragons somehow make a fire sword?

Why the Hell do I need to collect 50 Bear Asses to make a Health Potion?

Also, how come I can get some piece of crap like a magic bottle of water-breathing or a scuba helmet & fight in the underwater temple, but I still need a ship to traverse the ocean? And why does shit climb on deck to fight me? Are sea monsters' primary sources of food driftwood?

Speaking of water temples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARzHpMx3l28&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 17, 2012, 04:30:52 pm
I like when I find gold inside of a dead wolf.

"No Cloud, I have no idea why that monster was carrying 500 Gold and a Fire Ring.  It will forever remain a mystery!"

Also, you can only use a key once.  Even though they're all identical in every dungeon.

(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/katietiedrich/comic20.jpg)

Unless, of course, the key has a lion head on it, which makes it just awesome.  Because it can actually, you know, be used more than once.  MAGIC!
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 17, 2012, 06:55:54 pm
Hey, there's another thing. Why does magic often get applied to mundane problems? Shouldn't it take MORE energy to operate an elevator through magic than by a simple pully system? And even if that's not the case, it would be expensive. In most settings, magic materials are rare & valuable, while wizards are highly trained specialists. This is particularly bad in settings that try to combine magic & advanced technology. Don't get me wrong, I like that, but it helps if you know what to put where, as opposed to just slapping shit together.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Cerim Treascair on February 17, 2012, 07:03:09 pm
Hey, there's another thing. Why does magic often get applied to mundane problems? Shouldn't it take MORE energy to operate an elevator through magic than by a simple pully system? And even if that's not the case, it would be expensive. In most settings, magic materials are rare & valuable, while wizards are highly trained specialists. This is particularly bad in settings that try to combine magic & advanced technology. Don't get me wrong, I like that, but it helps if you know what to put where, as opposed to just slapping shit together.

Dresden Files comes to mind...
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: VirtualStranger on February 17, 2012, 11:47:33 pm
How can you have a thread like this without mentioning the omnipresent red exploding barrels?
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 18, 2012, 01:05:02 am
How can you have a thread like this without mentioning the omnipresent red exploding barrels?

Well, it was sort of addressed here:

Explosives in games.  You know em when you see em, those big, red things that explode violently when you so much as sneeze on them by accident.  If these things are so volatile that they can be set off by (giving examples from DDO) being struck by a wooden fucking stick, being pierced by an arrow...OR BEING HIT BY A FUCKING MAGIC RAY OF COLD...why aren't they behind lock-and-key in a secure location where their exceptionally volatile contents don't run the chance of killing people by sheer happenstance?  You'd think that places like Stormreach would have laws about that kinda shit...
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: RavynousHunter on February 18, 2012, 01:38:16 am
Hey, there's another thing. Why does magic often get applied to mundane problems? Shouldn't it take MORE energy to operate an elevator through magic than by a simple pully system? And even if that's not the case, it would be expensive. In most settings, magic materials are rare & valuable, while wizards are highly trained specialists. This is particularly bad in settings that try to combine magic & advanced technology. Don't get me wrong, I like that, but it helps if you know what to put where, as opposed to just slapping shit together.

Saw this, and Eberron immediately came to mind.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Random Gal on February 18, 2012, 02:58:02 am
The fact that I can somehow carry a sword, two or three different shields, a bag full of bombs, a hookshot, a longbow, a slingshot, three bottles of potions, 300 Rupees, and tons of other items just by stuffing them into my tunic comes to mind.

Just where do video game heroes keep all this stuff, anyhow?
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 18, 2012, 03:22:04 am
The fact that I can somehow carry a sword, two or three different shields, a bag full of bombs, a hookshot, a longbow, a slingshot, three bottles of potions, 300 Rupees, and tons of other items just by stuffing them into my tunic comes to mind.

Just where do video game heroes keep all this stuff, anyhow?

Bag of holding.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: StallChaser on February 18, 2012, 04:00:44 am
Nature hates your guts.  You'll get attacked by all sorts of animals, and they won't give up, even if they don't stand a chance.  Critter #493 has seen all of its buddies slaughtered effortlessly by your party.  What does it do?  ATTACK!!!

We really need you to save the world.  If you fail, we all die.  I happen to have some really awesome weapons and armor.  But if you're short even one gold piece, it's worth us all dying over me spotting you that 1G.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 18, 2012, 04:17:52 am
The fact that I can somehow carry a sword, two or three different shields, a bag full of bombs, a hookshot, a longbow, a slingshot, three bottles of potions, 300 Rupees, and tons of other items just by stuffing them into my tunic comes to mind.

Just where do video game heroes keep all this stuff, anyhow?

Bag of holding.

I was gonna say Magic Pants.  Or dimensionally transcendent pockets...
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: VirtualStranger on February 18, 2012, 04:31:39 am
The fact that I can somehow carry a sword, two or three different shields, a bag full of bombs, a hookshot, a longbow, a slingshot, three bottles of potions, 300 Rupees, and tons of other items just by stuffing them into my tunic comes to mind.

Just where do video game heroes keep all this stuff, anyhow?

By the time you get to the end of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Ezio is outfitted with:

1 long robe,
1 full set of plate armor,
1 sword,
1 dagger,
2 hidden blades, (with a poison vial)
3 smoke bombs,
15 poison darts,
25 throwing knives,
A crossbow with 25 arrows,
A gun with 10 bullets,
And 15 medicine vials.

Which of course raises the question, how does he even move, let alone scale completely flat walls.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Danarth on February 18, 2012, 05:23:04 am
The fact that I can somehow carry a sword, two or three different shields, a bag full of bombs, a hookshot, a longbow, a slingshot, three bottles of potions, 300 Rupees, and tons of other items just by stuffing them into my tunic comes to mind.

Just where do video game heroes keep all this stuff, anyhow?

By the time you get to the end of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Ezio is outfitted with:

1 long robe,
1 full set of plate armor,
1 sword,
1 dagger,
2 hidden blades, (with a poison vial)
3 smoke bombs,
15 poison darts,
25 throwing knives,
A crossbow with 25 arrows,
A gun with 10 bullets,
And 15 medicine vials.

Which of course raises the question, how does he even move, let alone scale completely flat walls.

Plate armour. Well known for aiding in stealth.

To be fair, the stealth in Assassin's Creed was never particularly...stealthy. The first one even had you assasinating people in the middle of broad daylight, in public.


Speaking of carrying too much, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas, so long as you don't go over the weight limit, you can carry multiply heavy weapons and regular weapons, all the stimpacks you need, all the ammo you need and any bits of useful clothing and armour you might happen to have, and still be able to carry it all 'and' pull it out of thin air when need be.

Where in the hell would one store Power Armour when not using it? O.o
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 18, 2012, 05:38:52 am
NSFW:

(click to show/hide)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Vypernight on February 18, 2012, 05:44:22 am
How about Skyrim?  You can carry 100 of each kind of arrow and 10,000 septums and not be weighed down at all!


Left 4 Dead:  You can survive for days without food and water as long as you have medi kits, pills, and adrenaline shots.  Also, apparently amusement parks keep firearms hanging around all over the place (I once found a chainsaw behind the workers' counter in the Tunnel of Love).

Saint's Row:  Blocking traffic is a crime punishable by death on the spot.  Also, speeding and going the wrong way down a one-way road is okay, but if you so much as sneeze on a cop car, they will run over anyone in their way to beat you to death.

Mass Effect:  Never try to intimidate, blackmail, or humilate a Spectre.  It never ends well. 
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: DarkfireTaimatsu on February 18, 2012, 05:51:43 am
Video game logic?

OPEN THE BOTTLE FIRST. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Uninvited)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: shadowpanther on February 18, 2012, 05:54:47 am
Saint's Row:  Blocking traffic is a crime punishable by death on the spot.  Also, speeding and going the wrong way down a one-way road is okay, but if you so much as sneeze on a cop car, they will run over anyone in their way to beat you to death.

To be fair, the fuzz are pretty much itching for ANY excuse to take you down.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Vypernight on February 18, 2012, 06:43:57 am
True.

I also forgot; whoever the ambulance is taking to the hospital is ALWAYS more important than whoever's on the road/sidewalk, and the EMT's will not think twice about running over pedestrains that get in their way.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Art Vandelay on February 18, 2012, 06:53:14 am
More Saint's Row fun: Pilots won't react at all if you shoot at their plane as long as they're in the air. Once they touch the ground, however, they'll see fit to veer off in any old direction and more often then not slam their aircraft into the side of a hanger if you so much as look suggestively at their plane.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 18, 2012, 09:22:58 am
Saint's Row:  Blocking traffic is a crime punishable by death on the spot.  Also, speeding and going the wrong way down a one-way road is okay, but if you so much as sneeze on a cop car, they will run over anyone in their way to beat you to death.

Or when a pedestrian runs you over, it's your fault for being run over and the cops start shooting at you.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 18, 2012, 09:59:36 am
I think someone on reddit was reading this thread:

(http://i.imgur.com/QTzUD.jpg)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 18, 2012, 03:49:11 pm
The fact that I can somehow carry a sword, two or three different shields, a bag full of bombs, a hookshot, a longbow, a slingshot, three bottles of potions, 300 Rupees, and tons of other items just by stuffing them into my tunic comes to mind.

Just where do video game heroes keep all this stuff, anyhow?

There's a Cracked slideshow called "If Videogames Were Realistic" that addresses this, BFSes, & others. I encourage you to check it out.

Most RPGs allow you to escape. FFT does not. FFT hates you. No matter how far you go towards the edge of the map, you can never cross that threshold. Also, you can't get up in trees because those are either "obstacles" or "cross-sections." That would be great for your archer? Too bad.

Related: The arbitrary conditions of boss fights. Is there any real reason why THIS human enemy is immune to death spells? Why can't I run away from this fight? I literally just came through the door. What? There's an impenetrable force-field there? How? Why don't these things use force-fields all the damn time? Or, better yet, use them on themselves!
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: VirtualStranger on February 18, 2012, 08:36:07 pm
Anyone ever play the original Driver? The cops in that game were brutal.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Eniliad on February 18, 2012, 08:54:38 pm
One of my many, many gripes with Final Fantasy X is that your final showdown with the (exterior of the) world-annihilating godlike creature involves... the same thing as any other fight. You hit shit with swords till it goes down. Well shit, why didn't anyone else think of that? Oh wait, they did. It was called Operation Mi'hen, it had a shitload more people, and it was a colossal failure that left hundreds dead.

And yes, I know that they idea was that uniting the world in song (*facepalm*) was supposed to lower his defenses... which makes no sense since everyone already knew and sang the Hymn they were singing... but even if that does work, logically, how does that lull him into just sitting there and not using his firepower to completely fucking destroy the airship holding the party?
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 19, 2012, 12:40:21 am
Were you the guy who just x'd through all of the dialogue?

The song worked because of Jecht, & it was havily foreshadowed. Remember when Sin was at Macalania Temple? How it was just floating there, not attacking anything? It was because of the Hymn. Or how it wouldn't attack Tidus? That was because Jecht didn't WANT it to. This is also why it isn't using some of its more powerful attacks. The song just gets Jecht emotionally charged, it doesn't magically weaken Sin. But Jecht can only hold it back to a point, & his control is fading throughout the story, as he's fighting a constant battle there.

The party also had its own advantages. For one, an airship. Operation Mi'ihen involved a fucking calvalry charge. Arguably, the ship, besides allowing them to fight more on its terms, allowed them to get close enough to notice Sin had weak points that could be targeted. They also had their own summoner who WASN'T secretly trying to screw them over.

Plus, that WASN'T the party's ultimate plan. They only needed to confront Sin in order to get inside of it. While Operation Mi'ihen came close to "succeeding," it would have still failed because they did not account for Yevon.

Could the party have done the final assault at Mi'ihen? Probably. But they would have likely been slaughtered. Having the rest of the Aeons, the emotional growth, & all of that jazz greatly increased their chances. That's probably why Auron didn't say anything about Yu Yevon. And Seymour probably didn't just because he was a damn loon.

TL;DR: It's not really Videogame Logic if it makes sense.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Vypernight on February 19, 2012, 04:58:48 am
Skyrim;  It takes 45 seconds to enter or exit a building or town. 
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 19, 2012, 12:53:38 pm
Skyrim;  It takes 45 seconds to enter or exit a building or town.

Are you talking about the loading screens?  I wouldn't really count that as video game logic.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 19, 2012, 02:13:15 pm
I've seen a few wrecks, and been in one bad one in my lifetime so far.  Playing GTA, I can't help but notice how each and every car is made out of napalm.   RL cars do NOT explode so darn easily or frequently.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Sleepy on February 19, 2012, 02:37:03 pm
I've seen a few wrecks, and been in one bad one in my lifetime so far.  Playing GTA, I can't help but notice how each and every car is made out of napalm.   RL cars do NOT explode so darn easily or frequently.

Yeah, this. I had to switch cars as mine gradually got trashed, because they would just burst into flames once they reached a certain amount of damage.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 19, 2012, 02:42:17 pm
I've seen a few wrecks, and been in one bad one in my lifetime so far.  Playing GTA, I can't help but notice how each and every car is made out of napalm.   RL cars do NOT explode so darn easily or frequently.

The ones in Fallout do! Nucleaaaarrrrr.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 19, 2012, 03:01:03 pm
I've seen a few wrecks, and been in one bad one in my lifetime so far.  Playing GTA, I can't help but notice how each and every car is made out of napalm.   RL cars do NOT explode so darn easily or frequently.

Also along this line, is how said explosions will fling you like fifty feet through the air when you're like 20 feet from the explosion.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 19, 2012, 03:10:53 pm
The little explosion that could.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Vypernight on February 19, 2012, 06:10:32 pm
Skyrim;  It takes 45 seconds to enter or exit a building or town.

Are you talking about the loading screens?  I wouldn't really count that as video game logic.

They're annoying so I'm counting 'em. 

Also in Skyrim, telling someone they're attractive is the equivelant of a marriage proposal.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 19, 2012, 06:28:22 pm
When desperate singles attack!
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 19, 2012, 10:19:30 pm
Quote
Are you talking about the loading screens?  I wouldn't really count that as video game logic.

I've been counting technical/gameplay issues. I think if it's jarring & nonsensical from the player's perspective, it's worth mentioning.

Also along this line, is how said explosions will fling you like fifty feet through the air when you're like 20 feet from the explosion.

On the inverse, how do they fling you 50 feet through the air without killing you?

That's why I didn't like the end of Portal. First of all "bad guy explodes" wasn't very creative. Second of all, the explosion sucking you up in what I can only assume is a vaccuum chamber to toss you out at least a mile to the surface doesn't kill you in any of the 50 ways that should kill you?
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 20, 2012, 03:12:13 am
Also in Skyrim, telling someone they're attractive is the equivelant of a marriage proposal.

Yeah, that confused me at first too.   If only it WAS that easy, just damn...
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 21, 2012, 12:01:57 am
Oh, I have another explosion one:

If you have a special attack that causes an explosion, it will not hurt you, even if it hurts everyone (friend & foe alike) around you.
For that matter, the whole "enemy vs. ally AOE" thing is also videogame logic. How does an explosion tell the difference? How does a different explosion NOT tell the difference?
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: VirtualStranger on February 21, 2012, 12:12:34 am
In any game involving guns, the player seems to carry around one single huge pool of ammo that magically teleports to wherever it's currently needed at that moment.

Also, all weapons apparently have Velcro strips on them that allow you to stick them to your back.

Video game shotguns are completely ineffective at any range further than arms' length, and getting hit with only one of the pellets merely tickles. To stop anything, every pellet must hit the target.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 21, 2012, 12:16:43 am
It's heavily implied that the SOLDIER uniform in FFVII has a magnet on the back, so you can attach a sword back there.

I am not making that up.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Vypernight on February 21, 2012, 05:27:17 am
Recent NHL Games:  All goalies, no matter what style they claim, all play in the Butterfly style.

Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 21, 2012, 10:11:53 am
Every character no matter what background they come from knows how to use any weapon out there to max proficiency.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 21, 2012, 10:14:53 am
Alternatively, no matter what their background or training, they can only use ONE kind of weapon with ANY proficiency.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 21, 2012, 06:47:37 pm
Axes, Spears, and Maces are all worse than Swords.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 21, 2012, 07:20:53 pm
And, by extension, arrows are by far the worst weapon you can possibly use. You might as well be flicking popcorn at the enemy.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: RavynousHunter on February 21, 2012, 07:25:20 pm
Axes, Spears, and Maces are all worse than Swords.

Cept in Ultima Online.  Axes are slow, but high damage.  Spears have fair speed, but the advantage of being good against armor.  And maces (along with other blunt weapons) are great against those delicious, juicy mage skulls.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 21, 2012, 07:27:59 pm
FF treats axes & maces like they're strong, but have no accuracy at all, they might as well be trying to fly away on each swing. So you could hit anywhere from 0-9999 damage. Slight hyperbole, but in theory, this makes them stronger than swords. In practice, the average, reliable damage output tends to make swords a better choice.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: sandman on February 21, 2012, 07:29:38 pm
Been playing Kingdom of Amalur recently, and I've noticed something AGAIN that has bugged me in nearly every fantasy game I've ever played.

I steal something utterly worthless like a book or something, and the entire goddamn town instantly turns hostile, everyone attacks me, and the guards run up and try to kill me. If I refuse to fight back, the guards will, after a few seconds, stop and try to arrest me. I can now pay a fine....of SEVEN THOUSAND GOLD. So, I steal a book, by some weird telepathy everyone instantly knows I stole the book, and they all instantly forget all their plot-driven squabbles and conflicts to band together like a trio of Italian sisters when one of them gets picked on at school. And when is all said and done I have to pay a fine for my horrible crime of enough gold to buy half the damn town.

And after all that, they never even ask for the book back. At least in Skyrim the guards would confiscate your stolen goods. (Although now that I think about it, why in the holy fuck am I labeling my stolen goods as stolen goods in the first place?)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Osama bin Bambi on February 21, 2012, 08:37:43 pm
And, by extension, arrows are by far the worst weapon you can possibly use. You might as well be flicking popcorn at the enemy.

Neverwinter Nights has a whole prestige class dedicated to making archers not suck balls (Arcane Archer). Archery is actually preferable for (stealthy) characters who don't have many hit points, which lets them make deadly hit-and-run attacks.

Neverwinter Nights II, on the other hand, fucked over archers royally because of a bug that means every ranged attack you make on an enemy draws aggro, even if there's like ten tanks standing around the enemy hacking him to pieces. So you can only get like one or two shots in before you 1) run for your life or 2) pull out your backup melee weapon, which you probably should have been using in the first place.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 21, 2012, 10:03:26 pm
And after all that, they never even ask for the book back. At least in Skyrim the guards would confiscate your stolen goods. (Although now that I think about it, why in the holy fuck am I labeling my stolen goods as stolen goods in the first place?)

This, sooo hard.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 22, 2012, 12:51:25 am
And, by extension, arrows are by far the worst weapon you can possibly use. You might as well be flicking popcorn at the enemy.

Well if it's stale popcorn...
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 22, 2012, 07:09:55 am
Meanwhile, in Skyrim...

"I just shot a dragon in the tail twice with an arrow while sneaking.  And he died."
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 22, 2012, 07:13:53 am
Been playing Kingdom of Amalur recently, and I've noticed something AGAIN that has bugged me in nearly every fantasy game I've ever played.

I steal something utterly worthless like a book or something, and the entire goddamn town instantly turns hostile, everyone attacks me, and the guards run up and try to kill me. If I refuse to fight back, the guards will, after a few seconds, stop and try to arrest me. I can now pay a fine....of SEVEN THOUSAND GOLD. So, I steal a book, by some weird telepathy everyone instantly knows I stole the book, and they all instantly forget all their plot-driven squabbles and conflicts to band together like a trio of Italian sisters when one of them gets picked on at school. And when is all said and done I have to pay a fine for my horrible crime of enough gold to buy half the damn town.

And after all that, they never even ask for the book back. At least in Skyrim the guards would confiscate your stolen goods. (Although now that I think about it, why in the holy fuck am I labeling my stolen goods as stolen goods in the first place?)

Least the town you were in HAD guards...
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Askold on February 22, 2012, 09:32:43 am
Meanwhile, in Skyrim...

"I just shot a dragon in the tail twice with an arrow while sneaking.  And he died."

Once you run out of hitpoints you die no matter where you were hit. On the other hand you can survive a bullet to the head if you still have hp. It gets even worse in games like Soldier of fortune where the enemies actually have different hit regions and they even react differently based on where they are wounded, but the player is just a floating hitbox.

Sure the enemies will get crippled but the player will keep on running/floating at full speed untill he loses his last hp. And then suffers immediate and critical existence failure.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: shadowpanther on February 22, 2012, 10:21:07 am
Meanwhile, in Skyrim...

"I just shot a dragon in the tail twice with an arrow while sneaking.  And he died."

Bitch please. I bopped one on the nose with a shield and it died.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Osama bin Bambi on February 22, 2012, 02:28:48 pm
Meanwhile, in Skyrim...

"I just shot a dragon in the tail twice with an arrow while sneaking.  And he died."

Bitch please. I bopped one on the nose with a shield and it died.

My henchman threw a tiny rock at one and it died. (It was a sling, which has bullet ammo. It's a very weak weapon, but it's the only ranged weapon that can be used with a shield.)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 22, 2012, 03:04:27 pm
Yeah, Critical Existence Failure is such an overused trope that lately, you actually kinda take it for granted.

I mean, hell, in chugga's Majora's Mask Let's Play, he killed TWO bosses by hitting them in the toe with his sword.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 22, 2012, 03:16:58 pm
I killed the boss "Leonard" in Silent Hill 3 by repeatedly stomping him in the crotch. 
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 22, 2012, 04:04:53 pm
Earthquake type attacks can affect any and all flying monsters. While flying, mind.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 22, 2012, 04:27:23 pm
I don't think they do in FF games... at least I don't remember them doing so.  'Tis why float is so useful when going against a boss/monster that spams Quake.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 22, 2012, 04:28:32 pm
They do in Amalur!
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 22, 2012, 04:34:12 pm
Never had the pleasure, I'm afraid.... or displeasure?
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: TheL on February 22, 2012, 05:54:26 pm
In the early generations at least, Earthquake kills Zapdos because it is an Electric type.  Even though it is a bird.  Even though it is assumed to be flying.

WAT.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: RavynousHunter on February 22, 2012, 07:27:46 pm
I'm a being of near-divine arcane might, yet I still get talked down to by the city guards.  Riddle me THAT, RPGs.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 22, 2012, 11:00:57 pm
Large enemies have several different areas of their body that have their own life. But only sometimes.

I'm a being of near-divine arcane might, yet I still get talked down to by the city guards.  Riddle me THAT, RPGs.

Alternatively, you're a relative nobody & the guards are shitting their pants over you.

Quote
I don't think they do in FF games... at least I don't remember them doing so.  'Tis why float is so useful when going against a boss/monster that spams Quake.

Not in most of them. I THINK they still get hit in VII, it would make sense, because how else are you supposed to exploit the weakness of wind-elemental foes? On the other hand, sometimes the earth attacks get so overdone that you don't understand why they DIDN'T hit the flying enemy, even though they blatantly enveloped the whole battlefield.

Though the whole elemental weakness thing is vidya game logic itself. So just because I live underwater, or even use water attacks, I get healed by being hit with a damn tsunami?

I'm noticing a trend, a lot of these have equal-&-opposite logic.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Art Vandelay on February 22, 2012, 11:04:52 pm
That's one reason why I like Deus Ex. You don't have a single pool of hit points, but separate regions for each body part, and you can only die from hit point depletion of the head and torso. Arms and legs just renders you unable to use weapons and unable to walk respectively.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 23, 2012, 07:00:43 am
I killed the boss "Leonard" in Silent Hill 3 by repeatedly stomping him in the crotch. 

...Actually, you can kill someone that way...
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 23, 2012, 04:53:36 pm
Well... yeah.  It's not likely though that they'll just lie there and let you do it.  (It's an exploit that if you time it right, he just gets up and doesn't move from the area or attack if you hit him soon enough after he stands).  You just stomp.  Stomp.  Stomp...   I think about 40 times and he dies.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: starseeker on February 23, 2012, 06:03:26 pm
That's one reason why I like Deus Ex. You don't have a single pool of hit points, but separate regions for each body part, and you can only die from hit point depletion of the head and torso. Arms and legs just renders you unable to use weapons and unable to walk respectively.

Dwarf Fortress takes that one step further. Only a weapon through the brain or a 10 storey drop is always fatal . Each limb, finger, toe and major organ has its own damage measurement (bruise, fracture, compound fracture, break, shatter etc).
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: syaoranvee on February 23, 2012, 08:57:12 pm
That's one reason why I like Deus Ex. You don't have a single pool of hit points, but separate regions for each body part, and you can only die from hit point depletion of the head and torso. Arms and legs just renders you unable to use weapons and unable to walk respectively.

Dwarf Fortress takes that one step further. Only a weapon through the brain or a 10 storey drop is always fatal . Each limb, finger, toe and major organ has its own damage measurement (bruise, fracture, compound fracture, break, shatter etc).

Too bad you can't actually see any of that.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: malendras on February 23, 2012, 10:22:48 pm
When I, an average sized human, carrying a sword (admittedly, usually a ridiculously large sword for a human) can kill something that's 300 feet tall. By hitting its feet. Wouldn't even my super megaweapon be, like, a splinter? Or guns, even if ridiculously big, are firing (at most) 1-inch bullets. That should not really faze a 30-story tall demigod.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Art Vandelay on February 23, 2012, 11:51:43 pm
In the early generations at least, Earthquake kills Zapdos because it is an Electric type.  Even though it is a bird.  Even though it is assumed to be flying.

WAT.

It kind of makes sense. In the vanilla game at least, you only ever fight Zapdos in the power plant, so I suppose in an enclosed space such as a building an earthquake could still fuck up a bird's day via falling debris and whatnot.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: e13 on February 24, 2012, 01:52:13 am
Earthquake type attacks can affect any and all flying monsters. While flying, mind.
Not in Pokémon, as of current Gen. Flying types, those with "hover" ability, and using moves that take them "off the plane of battle" ignore Ground based attacks. 

Conversly, if you're digging underground when "magnitude" or "earthquake" is being used, damage is at minimum quadrupled. ::)

HOWEVER, I enjoy commanding firce fire-breathing dragons like Charizard, but not being able to get an old man to move out of my way/  :'(
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 24, 2012, 02:01:07 am
Why is everyone and their grandmother talking about Pokemon and how it doesn't fit my complaint? LOL
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: e13 on February 24, 2012, 02:19:46 am
Why is everyone and their grandmother talking about Pokemon and how it doesn't fit my complaint? LOL
Because I think all of us had this reaction playing the game:

Gen 1:
"My FLYING BIRD was hurt by your Earthquake? WTF?!!"

Later Gens: "Hah! HAH! No more you jerk! I shall use magnet rise/hover ability/flying type to avoid your vicious ground attacks! Sweet, logical freedom!!"
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 24, 2012, 02:23:34 am
I think most of us were talking about Final Fantasy.

Really, I don't understand Quake to begin with. Correct me if I'm wrong, but an earthquake alone doesn't usually kill you. Usually, it'll be some shit falling on you, or something.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Vypernight on February 24, 2012, 02:37:10 am
Civilization games:

Modern tanks and helicopters are no match for medieval archers.

Everyone uses the same currency.

Catherine the Great will flirt with anything that moves, and sometimes, moving is not required at all.

Ghandi is a nuke-loving, omnicidal sociopath!
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 24, 2012, 02:38:50 am
I think most of us were talking about Final Fantasy.

Really, I don't understand Quake to begin with. Correct me if I'm wrong, but an earthquake alone doesn't usually kill you. Usually, it'll be some shit falling on you, or something.
Hm... maybe if the ground opens up under you, swallows you, then closes... that's been a lot of quake type animation. 
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: DarkfireTaimatsu on February 24, 2012, 02:43:37 am
I think most of us were talking about Final Fantasy.

Really, I don't understand Quake to begin with. Correct me if I'm wrong, but an earthquake alone doesn't usually kill you. Usually, it'll be some shit falling on you, or something.
Hm... maybe if the ground opens up under you, swallows you, then closes... that's been a lot of quake type animation.

In Golden Sun, the earthquake-type attacks actually bounce the ground under the enemies and send them flying into the air. It's a pretty weird interpretation.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 24, 2012, 02:46:46 am
Some weird interpretations I've seen:

FFT: Titan will punch the ground, causing it to move up & down...in square pillars of rock, like a checkerboard.
FFVII: Lights emerge from the ground as it balloons out like a sea urchin. Also, Titan just lifts up a chunk of it & turns it over on you.
CC: The ground shakes & dust flies up.
KHDays: Balls of darkness falling from the sky are earth elemental.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 24, 2012, 02:48:00 am
When you're playing a non-racing game you never run out of fuel for your car.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 24, 2012, 02:56:23 am
Sometimes that can be such a blessing. :)
Though yeah it's very unrealistic... as well as taking no or very little damage in relation to whatever wreck you had.  OR.... like I said earlier... the car being made out of napalm and with very slight damage, exploding like two Pintos mating.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 24, 2012, 02:58:33 am
You also never need to eat or excrete & weapons don't run out of ammo if it's not a shooter.

Bit convenient, really.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 24, 2012, 03:05:59 am
Convenient sure. But this isn't about convenience. :P
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Vypernight on February 24, 2012, 03:15:55 am
Wow, I thought I was the only one unlucky enough to be up this early. 

While on the subject of racing games (Good point about the fuel);

In Mario Kart, turtle shells, bombs, lightning bolts, and bananas are legal, but snaking isn't (according to half the flame-filled boards).
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 24, 2012, 03:33:48 am
Cinematic confrontation in a shooter before/during big fight with the final boss.  He has you on the ground, points his gun at your head, pulls the trigger, and *click*.  Nothing.  ALWAYS empty no matter how many rounds he had left in the magazine/chamber.  Multiple shooters are guilty of this (Bulletstorm, MULTIPLE CoD games, Battlefield 3, etc.).
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: TheL on February 24, 2012, 08:34:41 pm
Catherine the Great will flirt with anything that moves, and sometimes, moving is not required at all.

That's...actually historically accurate from what I hear.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Auri-El on February 24, 2012, 09:28:23 pm
might have already been mentioned, or a similar one, but in Skyrim I was swimming down to an old shipwreck at the bottom of the Ghost Sea, and in a barrel in the hold there were perfectly good potatoes and carrots.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 24, 2012, 09:54:32 pm
might have already been mentioned, or a similar one, but in Skyrim I was swimming down to an old shipwreck at the bottom of the Ghost Sea, and in a barrel in the hold there were perfectly good potatoes and carrots.

Not the exact one but similar in that fresh fruit and veg was found in a rather old cave/crypt.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lt. Fred on February 24, 2012, 11:35:12 pm
In Far Cry 2, everything is made of highly explosive burnsium.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Her3tiK on February 25, 2012, 01:18:33 am
Civilization games:

Modern tanks and helicopters are no match for medieval archers.

Everyone uses the same currency.

Catherine the Great will flirt with anything that moves, and sometimes, moving is not required at all.

Ghandi is a nuke-loving, omnicidal sociopath!
The Age of Empires games aren't much better. If you had a type advantage (machine gun vs rifleman, for example), you'd mow the fucker down in about two volleys. If it wasn't an explicit advantage, such as tank vs rifleman, they did exactly 1 point of damage to each other. I'm pretty sure an HE tank round would ruin damn near anything's day, regardless of what it was shot at.
I don't remember which company made those games, but they sucked at the RTS genre for that exact reason.

Or any RTS with a superweapon (nuke, orbital laser cannon, lightning storm, etc.) that wouldn't automatically level the entire enemy base. I get that it would be "unfair" to win in one shot, but nuclear missiles aren't supposed to leave anything behind, especially after a direct fucking hit. And the radiation tends to dissipate after about a minute, instead of never.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 26, 2012, 12:59:41 am
I just realized...how the fuck are locked doors completely impassable?

Especially in a game where I have a magical ability to open any lock?!
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Osama bin Bambi on February 26, 2012, 01:00:38 am
Some doors in NWN have "complicated locks" and are "warded against simple spells," so I must "find the proper key."
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: RavynousHunter on February 26, 2012, 01:15:09 am
Does Wish count as a simple spell?  Because I've been tempted to simply wish doors away.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Osama bin Bambi on February 26, 2012, 01:20:44 am
Does Wish count as a simple spell?  Because I've been tempted to simply wish doors away.

By "simple spells", they mean the Knock spell.

(There's no "Wish" spell in NWN.)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Lithp on February 26, 2012, 01:30:14 am
Some doors in NWN have "complicated locks" and are "warded against simple spells," so I must "find the proper key."

I have a key that opens any lock.

Most of the time, they're pretty good at handwaving this. But they really dropped the ball in this world.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Søren on February 26, 2012, 01:50:21 am
You can shoot a bunch of arrows into an enemy's face in Skyrim and he doesn't seem to be impaired at all
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Art Vandelay on February 26, 2012, 01:53:26 am
In Minecraft, 64 roses is equivalent to 64 cubic metres of stone for the purposes of your own carrying capacity.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Osama bin Bambi on February 26, 2012, 02:21:40 am
My barbarian can carry an entire armory in his backpack, but it's one little magic gem that's the straw that breaks the camel's back (that is, goes over his carrying capacity).
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 26, 2012, 10:30:49 am
You can shoot a bunch of arrows into an enemy's face in Skyrim and he doesn't seem to be impaired at all

You can also shoot them in the face while sneaking, and they'll eventually think nothing's there if they don't find you.  Even though they still have a fucking arrow in their head.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: QueenofHearts on February 26, 2012, 11:07:29 am
I like how video game designers clearly overlook that the attire they give some female characters (such as Ivy from Soul Calibur) make fighting really burdensome.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Askold on February 26, 2012, 01:17:04 pm
I like how video game designers clearly overlook that the attire they give some female characters (such as Ivy from Soul Calibur) make fighting really burdensome.

Weird fantasy armour is a pet peeve for me. Some can be handwaved away such as weird looking but still kinda protective armour is just a style or magical enhancements helping to cover up the apparent problems but I still cringe when I see the basic female stripper-armour.

Besides if we are to believe that the battle bikini (tm) is as protective as the full suit of plate armour worn by the male warriors then why won't everyone use those same enchants to make their armour as small as possible?
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: sandman on February 26, 2012, 01:28:28 pm
It's not just the women who wear batshit stupid armor...

(http://madartlab.com/files/2011/12/Dude-e1324147428339.png)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 26, 2012, 01:54:08 pm
It's not just the women who wear batshit stupid armor...

(http://madartlab.com/files/2011/12/Dude-e1324147428339.png)

Don't know if want or not.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: sandman on February 26, 2012, 01:58:10 pm
It's the sunglasses that make the ensemble.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Auri-El on February 26, 2012, 02:20:26 pm
Skyrim again: Ride off on a stolen horse from a stable, past two guards and the carriage driver, but no one saw you actually steal her so it's okay.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Søren on February 26, 2012, 02:53:35 pm
It's not just the women who wear batshit stupid armor...

(http://madartlab.com/files/2011/12/Dude-e1324147428339.png)

Considering how the metal hours around his hips like that....thank god he has a cape
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 26, 2012, 03:08:37 pm
I just realized...how the fuck are locked doors completely impassable?

Especially in a game where I have a magical ability to open any lock?!

(http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxstte83mt1r88j76o1_400.jpg)

Re: ridiculous armor- An actual Armorer's Take on it (http://madartlab.com/2011/12/14/fantasy-armor-and-lady-bits/). I think I showed this to John once...
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: VirtualStranger on February 26, 2012, 06:15:50 pm
On the subject of ridiculous female armor, here's a nice tumblr page full of examples of not ridiculous female armor.

http://womenfighters.tumblr.com/archive (http://womenfighters.tumblr.com/archive)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ironbite on February 26, 2012, 07:39:22 pm
Fallout:  So you wanna get into that house eh?  But you don't have a key ey?  Well just fire up a terminal and find a randomly generated password that'll allow you to "hack" it.

Ironbite-oh and the word changes each time...thank god I didn't have to do much of that in New Vegas.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Shane for Wax on February 26, 2012, 07:47:08 pm
On the subject of ridiculous female armor, here's a nice tumblr page full of examples of not ridiculous female armor.

http://womenfighters.tumblr.com/archive (http://womenfighters.tumblr.com/archive)

Hoshit, I love that tumblr. There's also fuckyeahwomenwarriors.tumblr.com

Both had linked to the site I linked up above.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Vypernight on February 27, 2012, 05:43:39 am
The Sims, Bustin' Out:  Women like to play strip poker with each other and watch each other take showers. 
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: e13 on February 27, 2012, 09:09:47 am
The Sims, Bustin' Out:  Women like to play strip poker with each other and watch each other take showers.
There something odd about that?
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Askold on February 27, 2012, 10:05:48 am
The Sims, Bustin' Out:  Women like to play strip poker with each other and watch each other take showers. 

Hey this isn't "porn movie logic" go complain about those cliches in a separate topic.

One thing that really annoyed me in Fallout3 was that every single underground tunnel had working electric lights and computers. Other Fallout games had some explanation for working machines and electronics and they either kept them sparse as in few working machines in a abandoned vault or had them in communities which were able to produce their electricity and maintain the equipment.

Even in New Vegas they atleast had batteries attached to the street lights in the small towns (Personally I would have left out those lamps.) but in F3 every single subway tunnel has working lights and power outlets.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Vypernight on February 27, 2012, 10:07:14 am
The fact that it happened so quickly (I had set up the house with the women in it, after 5 minutes it looked like an orgy), took me by surprise.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: e13 on February 27, 2012, 12:04:10 pm
The fact that it happened so quickly (I had set up the house with the women in it, after 5 minutes it looked like an orgy), took me by surprise.
What, you put all those women in a confined space, what do you expect to happen? It's pillow fights and lesbian love all around! 
;D  :D  :)  ???  :-\ :( :'(
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Søren on February 27, 2012, 02:42:40 pm
The fact that the concept of physics doesnt seem to exist in Just Cause 2. (riding the top of a jet while shooting at another jet with an SMG)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 27, 2012, 02:46:37 pm
The fact that the concept of physics doesnt seem to exist in Just Cause 2. (riding the top of a jet while shooting at another jet with an SMG)

Though you have to admit, that's so ridiculous that it's either bad-ass, hilarious, or both.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: sandman on February 27, 2012, 02:53:06 pm
It's batshit insane physics like that that make me reassert that the best video game movie ever made is "Shoot 'Em Up." Even though it is not based on a video game, it encapsulates all that make video games awesome.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 27, 2012, 03:38:12 pm
Shooters:  Although you specifically can take on hundreds of enemy troops at once, a huge platoon of well trained space marines or whoever your allies are will always get mowed down by less than a handful of enemies.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Art Vandelay on February 27, 2012, 04:49:42 pm
The Sims, Bustin' Out:  Women like to play strip poker with each other and watch each other take showers. 

Hey this isn't "porn movie logic" go complain about those cliches in a separate topic.

One thing that really annoyed me in Fallout3 was that every single underground tunnel had working electric lights and computers. Other Fallout games had some explanation for working machines and electronics and they either kept them sparse as in few working machines in a abandoned vault or had them in communities which were able to produce their electricity and maintain the equipment.

Even in New Vegas they atleast had batteries attached to the street lights in the small towns (Personally I would have left out those lamps.) but in F3 every single subway tunnel has working lights and power outlets.

The same goes for the water grid. Every toilet and tap in the game seems to have running water.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: VirtualStranger on February 27, 2012, 06:35:01 pm
SimCity

People will refuse to move into an area unless there is electrical power, but a complete lack of running water is just a "minor inconvenience".

Widening a roadway requires you to demolish every single building on the side of it.

Drivers will always pick the shortest route instead of the fastest one.

The moment that the tenants move out of a building, it immediately turns into a run-down ghetto shack.

Transportation funding is SRS BUSINESS.

(http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9s0oylfm21qz4w1go1_400.png)
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: ironbite on February 27, 2012, 08:54:52 pm
The Sims, Bustin' Out:  Women like to play strip poker with each other and watch each other take showers. 

Hey this isn't "porn movie logic" go complain about those cliches in a separate topic.

One thing that really annoyed me in Fallout3 was that every single underground tunnel had working electric lights and computers. Other Fallout games had some explanation for working machines and electronics and they either kept them sparse as in few working machines in a abandoned vault or had them in communities which were able to produce their electricity and maintain the equipment.

Even in New Vegas they atleast had batteries attached to the street lights in the small towns (Personally I would have left out those lamps.) but in F3 every single subway tunnel has working lights and power outlets.

No only that but every building that looks like a run down, middle of nowhere crap shake infested with Ghouls, Super-Mutants and god knows what else...has perfectly working lights.  It's like...wait what?

Ironbite-haven't gone into many buildings in New Vegas but at least Hoover Dam explains that.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Art Vandelay on February 27, 2012, 09:38:27 pm
SimCity

People will refuse to move into an area unless there is electrical power, but a complete lack of running water is just a "minor inconvenience".

Widening a roadway requires you to demolish every single building on the side of it.

Drivers will always pick the shortest route instead of the fastest one.

The moment that the tenants move out of a building, it immediately turns into a run-down ghetto shack.

Transportation funding is SRS BUSINESS.

(http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9s0oylfm21qz4w1go1_400.png)

Oh, that reminds me.

Large factories will happily set up shop in a small town with no links whatsoever with the outside world.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Askold on February 28, 2012, 01:39:00 am
SimCity

People will refuse to move into an area unless there is electrical power, but a complete lack of running water is just a "minor inconvenience".

Widening a roadway requires you to demolish every single building on the side of it.

Drivers will always pick the shortest route instead of the fastest one.

The moment that the tenants move out of a building, it immediately turns into a run-down ghetto shack.

Transportation funding is SRS BUSINESS.

(http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l9s0oylfm21qz4w1go1_400.png)

Oh, that reminds me.

Large factories will happily set up shop in a small town with no links whatsoever with the outside world.

I always did wonder about that. I guess you could assume that the player is only controllíng the city area and the public roads to elsewhere are built by the goverment so they are "assumed" to be there. Personally when I was a kid playing Simcity I just built a road to the edge of the map so that people could move in and out of the map area.
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: SpaceProg on February 28, 2012, 02:57:51 am
I always did wonder about that. I guess you could assume that the player is only controllíng the city area and the public roads to elsewhere are built by the goverment so they are "assumed" to be there. Personally when I was a kid playing Simcity I just built a road to the edge of the map so that people could move in and out of the map area.

That's exactly what I did and assumed. 
Title: Re: Video Game Logic
Post by: Vypernight on February 28, 2012, 07:07:39 am
Hitman:  Agent 47, a tall, bald, white man, is such a master of disguise, he can pass for a short, old Chinese man, a fat black man with dreads, a cop, security guard, FBI agent, clown, and a bird.

Also Hitman:  Dogs can apparently report crimes.

Skyrim:  So can chickens.

Also Skyrim:  you can cover an entire street with blood and bodies in plain sight, but as long as you pay your bounty, the people of the city will welcome you with open arms.