A game mechanic you've never seen before

[Tsukihime]

Describe some game mechanic that you can imagine, but have never seen before.

(naturally, there are a lot of games out there and a lot of games that don't even hit specific markets eg: outside of japan)

 

[Stoic]

Well for our upcoming project X-Noir one of our USPs is that the player suffers from anxiety that he has to deal with throughout the game. This displays as a gauge on the HUD. It's tied to how you perform in your investigations and when you mess up an interrogation or make some other mistake it will go up. It has instant feedback if it gets too high, including a heartbeat effect, and also has combat ramifications like reduced aim. This compels the player to reduce their anxiety either through drinking alcohol, which can put you in a drunken state and affect combat, or doing anxiety-reducing activities around your apartment. It will also affect the ending you get so it's important to do well in investigations.

I have seen anxiety meters in other games (Indigo Prophecy comes to mind) but not quite used like this.

 

[Genii Benedict]

...or doing anxiety-reducing activities around your apartment.

Like "doing the laundry", or "doing the laundry, if you know what I mean..."?

GB

 

[Sage]

Jet pack + grappling hook gameplay. There have been plenty of games with jetpacks and plenty of games with grappling hooks, but I've yet to see a game that combines the two for interesting high speed traversal gameplay in a 3D (or even 2D) environment. I think it would be pretty cool!

-Sage

 

[Mouser]

Hmm...

I haven't seen no-save and permadeath (a la Hack/Nethack) in a long time.

Guns that actually kill people when shot, rather than needing to fill them with enough lead to weigh down a whale.

I've seen it once, but a resurrection mechanic where the player actually gets some benefits from dying.

So many games have been made, there's very little new under the sun.

Oh, an RPG where you're not the frickin prophesied hero/messiah/etc... come to save the world (I'm working on this one )

 

[RyanA]

Inflatable weapons that get weaker the more you use them, then you have to blow them back up when they run out of air x3

 

[DemonLamma]

Inflatable weapons that get weaker the more you use them, then you have to blow them back up when they run out of air x3

Fancy a hand pump?

 

[the Skye Mage]

I have seen anxiety meters in other games (Indigo Prophecy comes to mind) but not quite used like this.

O.O... you said it! i'd buy that game in a heartbeat xD

 

[Felix Trapper]

Jet pack + grappling hook gameplay. There have been plenty of games with jetpacks and plenty of games with grappling hooks, but I've yet to see a game that combines the two for interesting high speed traversal gameplay in a 3D (or even 2D) environment. I think it would be pretty cool!

-Sage

Terraria does this, rather well I might add.

 

[EternalShadow]

Jet pack + grappling hook gameplay. There have been plenty of games with jetpacks and plenty of games with grappling hooks, but I've yet to see a game that combines the two for interesting high speed traversal gameplay in a 3D (or even 2D) environment. I think it would be pretty cool!

-Sage

Super Quick Hook.

 

[NPC]

Using stairs as a sole lethal weapon. (eg: Man running after main, main uses ability, creating stairs, man falls on face and dies. XD)

I also came up with idea where you guide the hero on his adventure (like Navi from Zelda), by making controlling the elements to force him to do something, and henceforth leveling up with the player via battles. (eg. Hero running from bad guys instead of fighting, you have a choice of what to do, drop a rock forcing him (also you) to battle, or let him run, and block off the path from the baddies)

Another idea of mine I'm implementing: Think one of those games like Slender where you wander around with a dying candle/light/flashlight, etc, except with fireflies in a jar. And then you use bugs to do other things too...Bug-using strategy game. You can also get items from the ground using an "Ant Farm". Get it? lol

 

[Travatar]

Being able to "equip" music to different parts of the game in order to bolster certain effects. I've played around with the idea before, but it wouldn't fit in my current game-doodle. Maybe next time around.

 

[Ravenith]

It's not a game mechanic I've never seen before, but it's one the RM world is lacking.

A friggin' roguelike battle system. We got a dozen ABS systems, but not one roguelike (which, I think, would be a LOT simpler).

FYI, http://www.roguelikeradio.com/2012/04/episode-32-combat-mechanics.html

 

[Revenant of Anubis]

Mage systems of using Alchemy or Enchanting to poison, alter or even change properties of your gear, and the dungeon enviroment..... or Altering of your spells based on theory and focus... like taking a basic fireball spell and using a form of theory and evolutiion in the system.... practice or developing your ability to make it change to a firebll that maybe splits into 3 smaller ones for more damage over an area. Or taking the fireball and change the element into ice to create a frozen ball or an electric.... all depending on how you evolve it and develop it as you progress. Another is taking lets say the Firewall from Diablo 1 or 2 and bend it around you as a protective shield, but to do so would require alot of theory, increased mana cost, and Focus to maintain it and keep it from burning you inside the ring. And then to further evolve it..... make it so it encompasses your teammates, and higher sized walls or thicker.... then evlove it a tiny bit more and increase the intensity, and allow it to move with you instead of being stationary.

These are some system ideas I have never seen in any gaming system even in pen and paper tabletop.

 

[RyanA]

A wild Necropost has appeared.

 

[NPC]

A wild Necropost has appeared.

Better than a totally new thread.

 

[Drake]

Three come to mind:

1) Persona 2-Eternal Punishment. There was a spell that allowed you to only encounter enemies that had a higher level than you. Given that the impossible to find 'rare' fights were several levels higher than the rest, this was great in specialized situations.

2) The World Ends With You. Sacrificing HP to boost item drop rates. Love it Love it Love it. I am a big fan of anti-grind mechanics, especially ones that work well with skilled players. ]

3) Etrian Odyssey 3: conditional drops. I love having rare drops be determined by how you kill the enemy, rather than a low drop chance. Again-makes the game so much better.

A bonus from Etrian Odyssey 3: Skill by body parts. Magic tends to be cast from the head, attack skills from the arms, and some specialized multi-attack skills from the legs.  This matters because the body parts can be hit by status effects, shutting down a good portion of your skill set until it heals.

(also, if you're the same Tsukihime that made the Conditional Drops script, thank you! I'm trying to rework some concepts from Etrian Odyssey into my own game).

[edit]-clearly I misread the title, which was game mechanics you'd *never* seen before.

 

[MountainLynx]

I've made a warlock with no MP. All of her spells eat into her HP, and she can't cast any of them without having a dagger equipped.

 

[NPC]

That doesn't qualify as a warlock though...you'd need to give it another name...or not.

 

[MountainLynx]

(Phone-induced multi-post)