History Main / SidetrackBonus

* Often averted in {{Fallout 3}}, and {{Fallout New Vegas}}. Quite frequently, there were areas that looked to be full of chests, crates, cabinets and cases...All of which had nothing but random, worthless crap in them, if anything at all. Usually, it was stuff that wasn't even worth the weight limit cost to pick it up as {{Vendor Trash}}.

* "VideoGame/Half-Life" subverts this trope. With the developers having stated that when they had multiple paths they would find players would get through one path, turn around and search the other, even thought they ended up in the same place.

* "Half-Life" subverts this trope. With the developers having stated that when they had multiple paths they would find players would get through one path, turn around and search the other, even thought they ended up in the same place.

* In DungeonKeeper, completing certain objectives will almost invariably either a) unlock new, harder objectives (objectives that will in all likelihood [[GuideDangIt thoroughly kick your ass]]), or b) result in your missing out on certain spells that are nigh-essential for completing the game (especially Transfer Creature or Locate Hidden Level).

* Very common in the RatchetAndClank series. Nearly all planets have at least two 'missions'. One is obviously what you came there to do, but the other will most likely net you a new gadget or weapon. (or co-ordinates to a new planet... [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment where you'll most likely find a new gadget or weapon]]) But if you only do the first, then leave, you'll eventually run into an obstacle on a later planet that, surpise, is only passable if you have the SidetrackBonus from before, forcing you to backtrack. Long-time players of the series know to always save plot-vital objectives for last.

* In the Blue Cave in {{Quest64}}, there are actual arrows pointing to the right way on most crossroads. Naturally, more often than not, the other way gets you a chest and/or a spirit.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Torchlight}}'', you need to cover every square inch of a level to be sure you've gained the maximum experience, fame and loot from that area. Same applies, of course, to the {{Diablo}} series it apes/improves on.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Torchlight}}'', you need to cover every square inch of a level to be sure you've gained the maximum experience, fame and loot from that area. Same applies, of course, to the {{Diablo}} series it [[YourMileageMayVary apes/improves on]].

* {{Borderlands}} featured a LOT of this. In one area, there were literally even some giant neon arrows pointing you through certain doorways. And yes, these doors usually led to the next story-advancement area. But if you zigged when the game was trying to get you to zag? Your payoff was often gun chests, items and/or ammo.

* This makes up the majority of ''FinalFantasyXIII'''s exploration. Thanks to the game telling you where you're supposed to go and generous automapping, it's very easy to tell which paths are likely to have treasure (though not all do).
** Almost every ''FinalFantasy'' has some variant of this--typically, the paths keep splitting in two, with one path leading to a dead end that may or may not have a treasure chest, and the other leading further into the dungeon. Usually, there's no way to tell which path will be a dead end, and if the paths get more complicated than a two-way split, it can be impossible to tell whether you're going the wrong way and will hit a dead end soon, or you're going the right way and should head back immediately to check for treasure. And you ''will'' want to check for treasure, because the weapons and armor in those chests are often significantly more powerful than anything you can buy in stores at that point in the game. ''FinalFantasyII'' is one of the worst offenders here, since going through some doors teleports you to the center of an empty room in which the random encounter rate is significantly increased, forcing you to fight two or three battles just to get back out and try the next door in the hopes that this time you'll get a room with a treasure chest. ''FinalFantasyVIII'', on the other hand, mostly avoids this both through linear dungeon design, and through not having any treasure chests (when the game does give a sidetrack bonus, it's generally a spell.)
** ''FinalFantasyVII'' manages to have a very notable one where you have the choice to take an elevator or the stairs on a tall skyscraper. Naturally the elevator is quite fast but if you take the stairs you'll pick up a few nice items and some interesting dialogue to boot.

* In {{Torchlight}}, you need to cover every square inch of a level to be sure you've gained the maximum experience, fame and loot from that area. Same applies, of course, to the {{Diablo}} series it [[YourMileageMayVary apes/improves on]].

* This is a good way to find Power Nodes, ammo, and [[ShmuckBait sudden Necromorphs]] in ''DeadSpace2''

** ''FinalFantasyVII'' manages to have a very notable one where you have the choice to take an elevator or the stairs on a tall skyscraper. Naturally the elevator is quite but if you take the stairs you'll pick up a few nice items and some interesting dialogue to boot.

* This is very noticeable in ''VideoGames/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword''. The game's dowsing feature makes it easy to tell which of a set of path leads to plot advancement, so you can explore the alternatives if you want. Though most of the time you'll run into a DoorToBefore.

* {{Borderlands}} featured a LOT of this. In one cases, there was literally even a giant neon arrow pointing you through a doorway. But if you zigged when the game was trying to get you to zag? Your payoff was often gun chests, items and/or ammo.

* Often averted in {{Fallout 3}}, and {{Fallout: New Vegas}}. Quite frequently, there were areas that looked to be full of chests, crates, cabinets and cases...All of which had nothing but random, worthless crap in them, if anything at all. Usually, it was stuff that wasn't even worth the weight limit cost to pick it up as {{Vendor Trash}}.

* Often averted in {{Fallout 3}}, and {{Fallout: New Vegas.}} Quite frequently, there were areas that looked to be full of chests, crates, cabinets and cases...All of which had nothing but random, worthless crap in them, if anything at all. Usually, it was stuff that wasn't even worth the weight limit cost to pick it up as {{Vendor Trash}}.

* In ''SagaFrontier'', during the quest for the Shield card, exploring the caverns in Mosperiburg a bit leads to a BonusBoss fight with a red and black dragon, guarding a hoard of treasures and items.

-->"If you see a fork in the road inside a cave, most likely one way is right and the other leads to a dead end. But people can't help trying both. Do you want to go up the ladder or go down the ladder?"

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Why? There might be cool stuff down there. The game developers wouldn't go through the trouble of creating a corridor with nothing at the end of it... [[EmptyRoomPsych usually]]. Most of the time you'll find an interesting and useful item that will come in handy when you go back down the right path. At the very least, you'll probably find an interesting monster to fight.

* The Yoshpet forest area in ''Okami'' is notable because you have a time limit, and there's always a character pointing the correct way. But if you take the wrong path, you'll always find a treasure chest, some of which you'll need if you want OneHundredPercentCompletion.