History Main / CombinatorialExplosion

* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'': Touched on in the first novel. The characters want to use a rocket launcher on the red-key door, but it's structured such that it'll take all their ammo to do it. They decide to get the red key anyway in case they need to save the rocket ammo for something horrible, even if that something horrible (a Hell Prince) might pop up and take all their rockets to kill while they're looking for the red key.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' pulls this off with style in the Strange Leaflet quest, which itself is a reference to a lot of text-based games like ''VideoGame/{{Zork}}''. A lot of interesting messages can be found by typing seemingly useless things. For example, while in the beginning spot (right outside a house), typing "Take House" will result in the message, "Look, I realize that the usual M.O. of these sorts of games includes picking up every object possible, but give me a break." There's also hidden messages that have nothing to do with the leaflet itself. For example, typing "Consult Guide" gets you the message, "You don't have a copy of the Guide with you. You also forgot your towel. Some adventurer you are." in reference to the ''VideoGame/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy1984'' game.

->''>TAKE FLAG''
->''>You pick up the flag.''
->''>WEAR FLAG''
->''>Who do you think you are, Abbie Hoffman?''

And this applies to ''everything''. That crowbar you wrote in so the hero could open the crate where Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1941}} is hidden? Why can't he use that to [[CrowbarCombatant bludgeon the crooks?]] And don't even get us started on that rope you wanted him to use to tie up the thugs. The player is going to try tying everything to everything else. And heaven help you if he gets it in his head to [[VideoGame/YouHaveToBurnTheRope set the rope on fire]].

But here's the problem: you've just put a lighter in the game. A device that '''makes fire'''. You are pretty much guaranteed that the player, instead of just offering the lighter to the classy dame as they are intended, is [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential instead]] going to run around the game world trying to [[{{Pyromaniac}} set the world on fire]]. This would be bad enough if you could class all other uses of the lighter as "silly" and disallow them -- but what if there are places where starting a fire is, if not optimal, a not-entirely-unreasonable solution? If you can't think of a good reason why the player ''can't'' dispose of the incriminating documents by immolating them, the player is going to feel cheated [[InformingTheFourthWall when he receives a default failure message on trying]]. And, worse still, odds are that your enterprising player will think of one or two ''other'' reasonable uses for the lighter that never even occurred to you when you wrote the game.

* Touched on in the first ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' novel. The characters want to use a rocket launcher on the red-key door, but it's structured such that it'll take all their ammo to do it. They decide to get the red key anyway in case they need to save the rocket ammo for something horrible, even if that something horrible (a Hell Prince) might pop up and take all their rockets to kill while they're looking for the red key.

* ''WesternAnimation/BlazingDragon'' only had about four phrases for why you shouldn't be doing what you're trying to do. The most annoying one was "No, that's not safe" which is really annoying when you end up doing unsafe things all the time like giving hedge trimmers to a psychotic Rapunzel to cut her hair.

** There also was a combination of items and abilities that allowed feral druids and rogues to have the dodge [[UpToEleven percentage of more than 100%]]. This turned the wearer completely invulnerable to physical attacks, allowing them to defeat certain bosses (like Gruul and Illidan) with ease.

** And that's assuming you play strictly by the rules. Most Commanders can use more than one Mini-Con at a time (typical is one mounting point for armor and two hands that can hold weapons), and usually Drones can use them as well (though sometimes the design leaves [[KibblesAndBits kibble]] in the way). Searchlight combined with the Combaticons can manage ''ten'' if you're clever. [[UpToEleven And some Mini-Cons can attach to other Mini-Cons.]]

* The ''Franchise/SilentHill'' series has a couple of such caveats -- for instance, some puzzles involve lighters (which can be used in one place only), and the [[VideoGame/SilentHill1 first game]] has a bottle of red liquid that can be used to remove the {{Puppeteer Parasite}}s controlling people, but you can only use it on one specific person as opposed to all the possessed nurses and doctors that lurch around.

* ''Videogame/{{Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn}}'' allows for any two characters to form a bond as long as they've fought nearby often enough; however, the game was criticised for only giving them generic statements instead of the individual conversations to be found in previous games. The potential for combinatorial explosion suggests a reason why -- there are [[{{loads and loads of characters}} 72 playable characters]], which means there are 5,112 potential pairings. Since each pairing has three conversations, the total number balloons to 15,336.

* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker'' encourages you to combine enemies and elements in the most absurd and unorthodox way possible. Want a giant Koopa Troopa via Super Mushroom? Sure! Now let's give it wings! Now stack him on top of a giant Gommba that also has wings! Put them inside a Clown Car! The possibilities are endless.

* A non-video game example is provided in the {{Transformers}} franchise's "Power Core Combiners" sub-line. The line consists of three types of figures: "Commanders", which can transform into robots, vehicles, or a torso-like "power up" mode to enable the line's main gimmick [[CombiningMecha (three guesses as to what that is)]], "Drones", which each transform from a vehicle into either an arm or a leg when attached to a Commander in the aforementioned "power up" mode, and "Mini-Cons", which can attach to Commanders or Drones as armor or weapon power-ups. Assuming you form a combined robot out of one Commander, two arm Drones, two leg Drones, and one Mini-Con, within the first "wave" of figures alone (which is all that's widely available in the US at the time of this writing) there are 540 possible combinations (or over [[strike:9000!]] 2000 permutations, if you count reversing right and left arms/legs). And there are at least three more waves planned and prototyped.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' pulls this off with style in the Strange Leaflet quest, which itself is a reference to a lot of text-based games like ''VideoGame/{{Zork}}''. A lot of interesting messages can be found by typing seemingly useless things. For example, while in the beginning spot (right outside a house), typing "Take House" will result in the message, "Look, I realize that the usual M.O. of these sorts of games includes picking up every object possible, but give me a break." There's also hidden messages that have nothing to do with the leaflet itself. For example, typing "Consult Guide" gets you the message, "You don't have a copy of the Guide with you. You also forgot your towel. Some adventurer you are." in reference to the ''VideoGame/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' game.

But here's the problem: you've just put a lighter in the game. A device that '''makes fire'''. You are pretty much guaranteed that the player, instead of just offering the lighter to the classy dame as they are intended, is [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential instead]] going to run around the game world trying to [[{{Pyromaniac}} set the world on fire]]. This would be bad enough if you could class all other uses of the lighter as "silly" and disallow them - but what if there are places where starting a fire is, if not optimal, a not-entirely-unreasonable solution? If you can't think of a good reason why the player ''can't'' dispose of the incriminating documents by immolating them, the player is going to feel cheated [[InformingTheFourthWall when he receives a default failure message on trying]]. And, worse still, odds are that your enterprising player will think of one or two ''other'' reasonable uses for the lighter that never even occurred to you when you wrote the game.

May lead to LordBritishPostulate, [[GameplayDerailment when a player inevitably abuses a mechanic to screw with the game in a way not intended as mainstream gameplay.]]

For the equivalent in skills, spells or crafting, see ExponentialPotential. Note this trope isn't for items that when combined together (might) explode - see MadeOfExplodium for that.

* ''Videogame/{{Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn}}'' allows for any two characters to form a bond as long as they've fought nearby often enough; however, the game was criticised for only giving them generic statements instead of the individual conversations to be found in previous games. The potential for combinatorial explosion suggests a reason why - there are [[{{loads and loads of characters}} 72 playable characters]], which means there are 5,112 potential pairings. Since each pairing has three conversations, the total number balloons to 15,336.

* The graphical IF game ''VideoGame/{{Timequest}}'' reacted to this several times in amusing ways, with witty reasons why you couldn't pick things up, often BreakingTheFourthWall in the process. For example, early on in the game you end up in Cloaca Maxima, the large sewer in Rome. If you try to pick up the brown sludge flowing past, it replies with "Okay look - I know adventurers are supposed to [[KleptomaniacHero take everything that isn't nailed down]]. And I know that this stuff probably isn't nailed down (although I don't want to be the one to check). And I know that Meretzky [a coworker] made you dive naked into a pile of it when you played his game. But there is just no way I'm going to let you walk around with your pockets stuffed full of caca just so you can see what happens when you launch great gobs of number two at major figures of western civilization."

* ''WesternAnimation/BlazingDragon'' only had about four phrases for why you shouldn't be do what you're trying to do. The most annoying one was "No, that's not safe" which is really annoying when you end up doing unsafe things all the time like giving hedge trimmers to a psychotic Rapunzel to cut her hair.

* In ''VideoGame/CopyKitty'', there are ten base weapons that can be combined, and you can hold up to three weapons. With all that, there are 165 possible weapon combinations (120 triple weapon combinations + 45 double weapon combinations), and that's not counting the 10 base weapons themselves, solo weapons, boss-specific weapons, and the flame/freeze talisman effects. Also, all weapons (base and solo) have different visual variations that carry over to the combination depending on what enemy you got it from.

And this applies to ''everything''. That crowbar you wrote in so the hero could open the crate where Film/{{The Maltese Falcon|1941}} is hidden? Why can't he use that to bludgeon the crooks? And don't even get us started on that rope you wanted him to use to tie up the thugs. The player is going to try tying everything to everything else. And heaven help you if he gets it in his head to [[VideoGame/YouHaveToBurnTheRope set the rope on fire]].

* One obvious problem was providing the player with an axe in ''VideoGame/KingsQuestIV'', which you are only allowed to use to threaten the trees with. Why can't I use the axe on that troll that's chasing me, game? I'm "not a violent girl"? I'm being chased by a ''freaking troll!''

** That was admittedly a bug. The game basically decides whether a spell hits or not with the following process (as far as steps involved go): 1) If target has Clear status, spell hits and skip all steps hereafter. 2) If target has a special flag that blocks Death and Gravity-based attacks and the spell checks for the flag, spell misses. See the problem with that? One can also combine Clear with Life2 for an instant full restore or something even to living targets, though that is quite arcane and more easily accomplished by just using Cure3 for the most part.

* ''VideoGame/BackToTheFuture: The Game'' gets a bad example of this in its third episode. Marty is carrying two newspapers. When he tries to use one of them for anything other than a puzzle designed for its use, he remarks that "If I'm doing anything with this, I'm recycling it." That would be an okay remark if the episode didn't contain a trio of big, obvious recycling bins that can be interacted with (that cause Marty to give the exact same response if you try to use the newspaper on them. Whoops!)