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1->''"Why don't Robot Dogs fall in the pits? It's not really fair."''
2-->-- '''Duck Guardian One''', ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner''
3
4In video games, things that do damage to one thing don't always do damage to something else. The damage usually discriminates based on what team you're on. Unfair? Well, [[EverythingTryingToKillYou everything IS trying to kill you]].
5
6'''[[InvulnerableCivilians NPC Invincibility]]''' - Non-player characters are usually completely immune to ''all'' damage, especially the inhabitants of an [[AdventureTowns Adventure Town]]. Slash them with your sword, and they might duck in fear or [[WhatTheHellPlayer yell at you]], but that's about it. If you can kill them, that will generally exclude [[ImprobableInfantSurvival children]]. If there's [[HideYourChildren any of them around]], that is.
7
8'''No Infighting''' - Monsters don't usually damage one another with their attacks. Monster projectiles will explode on contact with other monsters without doing damage, or pass right through them. Monsters usually aren't affected by the hazards of their natural habitat, either.
9
10'''[[FriendlyFireproof No Team Damage]]''' - In a lot of games, Player 1 can't hurt Player 2, and vice versa if they're playing cooperatively. Sometimes there is an option to toggle this behavior on and off. Often, teammates are still susceptible to SplashDamage.
11
12In many, many platform games, enemies will cheerfully walk through anything and everything that would kill you in one hit. This includes "friendly fire" passing through people.
13
14Often but not necessarily a subtrope of TheComputerIsACheatingBastard. SetAMookToKillAMook is an aversion of Type 2. Can sometimes be justified if it's a PhlebotinumBomb.
15----
16!!As the trope is so prevalent, only exceptions need apply:
17
18[[foldercontrol]]
19
20[[folder:Action Adventure Games]]
21* Nearly all the bosses in ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' happen to [[FlunkyBoss bring along mooks]] but they don't pay attention to their well being. And for some, you can intentionally cause them to flail around wildly and attack their allies.
22* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
23** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'': Played straight with bombs, averted with the Candles and the "Book of Magic"-enhanced Magical Rod.
24** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'': Most enemies are capable of harming each other. The Moblins especially come to mind, with their wide 180° spear swing that knocks EVERYONE off their feet. A group of Darknuts cease to be much of an issue after circling around them, and coaxing them into attacking one another while stealing items using the grappling hook. And if Link begins charging for a spin attack, the Darknuts will ready one of their own. This is annoying vs. a single Darknut, since their giant swords out-range Link's, but against a group all Link has to do is release his attack in an isolated part of the arena & watch the enemies simultaneously chop each other down.
25** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': Put back in full force for enemies. The worst example is the trio of Darknuts at the bottom of the Cave of Ordeals, who clump together into an unassailable wad in spite of their tendency to use wide ground-clearing slashes.
26** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': While friendly [=NPCs=] are immune to attacks in the game, enemies are not and can be tricked into hitting each other with their attacks. This leads to some amusing instances of Guardians, Hinox or Moldugas sending each other flying if you trick one into the range of the other and it happens to be in the path of an attack. Or weaker monsters like Bokoblins getting angry with an ally for accidentally shooting them with a bow.
27* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
28** In the stealthy end section of ''VideoGame/MetroidZeroMission'' where you play as Zero Suit Samus, you can trick Space Pirates into killing each other with their lasers.
29** In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', you can actually get metroids to attack Space Pirates in Phendrana Drifts if you break open their containers with missiles from a distance.
30* Averted in ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'', near the end of the game. You're facing about 30 enemies, each twice your size, but, because you just got your InfinityPlusOneSword, they are ironically ''too easy to kill'', as they are obliterated before they can fall down, so you can't collect sands from them. This is made even worse by the fact that Farah [[spoiler: just wasted all the sand in your dagger]]. Luckily, they have massive swords and are inconsiderate towards any ally standing near you. You can only get more sand by collecting it from enemies knocked down by other enemies' swords.
31* Played straight in ''VideoGame/StarWarsJediFallenOrder'' in which Cal can't hurt other rebels, his Force attacks either fail to activate or harmlessly blow around them and sometimes he can't even activate his lightsaber within a certain proximity of some allies.
32** Inverted with enemies infighting though. Most notably on Kashyyyk, Cal will occasionally approach a scene from a distance in which a battalion of Stormtroopers are fighting the local fauna. The troopers rarely win (given they're the weaker enemy), but Cal can watch from a safe distance until only a giant spider or other creature is left standing with significantly reduced health. Activating distance attacks, such as lightsaber throw, does sometimes break this infighting and cause all enemies to turn on Cal.
33* Averted in ''VideoGame/TimeCommando'', though it's difficult to achieve and usually more trouble than it's worth.
34* The final arc of ''VideoGame/UnchartedDrakesFortune'' features you vs. the bad guys vs. [[spoiler:indiscriminately homicidal zombies]]. Commence MeleeATrois as two out of three sides TryNotToDie.
35[[/folder]]
36
37[[folder:Action Games]]
38* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'':
39** One bonus mission in the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 first game]] requires that you trick one enemy into killing its partner by maneuvering it so that it attacks the other enemy by mistake.
40** In ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'' and ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'', enemies are just as likely to harm each other as well as the player, and in fact, the games usually have a type of demon spawn just for the purpose of indiscriminately causing damage, such as the Wraths in ''3'' or the Blitz in ''4''. Surroundings that can also harm the player are just as capable in harming monsters as well.
41[[/folder]]
42
43[[folder:Beat Em Up]]
44* One of the features that made ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}'' so infamous is that players can ''hurt each other'' in co-op mode. And that is more likely than you think. Add to that the fact that during descent levels hitting your partner with a special move (that is the only one that can obliterate enemies standing on the sides) causes them to be [[OneHitKill knocked off the rope]] and that when a player loses all his lives ''both'' players have to restart the level... [[OhCrap oops!]]
45* In ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'' the explosives thrown around will hurt the enemies or blow them off their bikes even if you don't pick the enemies up and throw them, thrown knives will hurt the enemy even when thrown by their allies, and enemies who accidentally hit their allies generally get hurt. Also, Mr. X has an Uzi in [=SOR2=], and he'll mow down his own henchmen if they get in the way. It makes the fight against him a little easier.
46[[/folder]]
47
48[[folder:First-Person Shooter]]
49* In ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'', the Big Daddies will go after ''anyone'' who attacks them or the Little Sisters they are protecting, and there's a wide variety of Plasmids that allow you to turn Rapture into your own personal playground to exploit this. You can hack cameras so the security system sends attack drones on anyone who wanders into sight, including Big Daddies. You can enrage a splicer into attacking a Big Daddy for you. The Big Daddy Bodyguard plasmid will trick a Big Daddy into thinking you're a Little Sister. Suddenly, anyone that attacks you gets ''massacred''.
50* In ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'', Raiders will attack any monsters and vice versa. They don't even wait for you to instigate. You can also kill yourself with explosions you instigated with rockets, grenades or shooting barrels. On the other hand, non-combat [=NPCs=] are incapable of being hit by attacks (shoot at them, it just hits the environment behind them.) and you are incapable of harming your allies (aside from shooting explosive barrels and catching them in the explosion).
51* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' was an unusual aversion of the trope in that the monsters would gladly fight with each other, though the game was carefully balanced so that exploiting this fact would take some skill. For example, the fireball-throwing imps could neither hurt each other with fireballs nor piss each other off that way--but it was possible, if unlikely, for them to strike each other with their claw attacks. "Crossfire" between different ''kinds'' of monsters almost always resulted in the monsters fighting--an imp hitting a ''demon'' with a fireball, for example, would soon have a large pink horned shaved gorilla-thing in its face and trying to chew it off.[[note]]There are two exceptions to this rule, however. First: the Baron of Hell from the original game and the Hell Knight in the second are hard-coded against normal different-species infighting rules, since the latter is basically a [[DegradedBoss half-strength]] PaletteSwap of the former. Second: monsters that are hit by an Arch-Vile's attack will ''never'' retaliate.[[/note]] Even the novels made use of this, and one of the characters (the more well-read of the two main characters) called it the Iago tactic. Granted, the enemies are basically the embodiment of murder, death and pain, so they would fight each other.
52** Also works in ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}''.
53** In earlier versions, if a monster accidentally damages itself with the splash damage from an exploding barrel, they'll try to fight ''themselves'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_slF2ne_drQ ripping themselves to shreds]] if they can perform melee attacks or just going berserk if they can't. It was a bug though, and was later fixed.
54* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' doesn't have friendly fire disabled for the infected, so special infected can wind up slashing each other if they get too close to each other. However, their special attacks such as the Boomer's vomit or the Smoker's tongue grab won't affect the zombies. Tanks are extremely dangerous for infected friendly fire since their punch or rock throw can kill a zombie in one hit and can cause the same hilarious result if they punch a car or forklift towards their allies. The Boomer's explosion can actually stumble infected if they are too close, but like the survivors they suffer no damage. The Witch, before patches, could actually be led to survivors by an Infected player attacking her and then running away, even though neither they nor she could damage each other; this was changed so that Witches do take damage from Infected players attacking her and refuses to react.
55* ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' was another game where the Pfhor enemies would easily "berserk" each other even with their ranged attacks - in fact, the [[SelfImposedChallenge Fists Only]] runs would often rely on this strategy; gather the enemies into a swarm, move in and punch a couple of time, then back off while the overzealous enemies tear themselves to bits.
56** Also, due to the story of the game (the Pfhor are slavers who brutally rule other races), there were many cases in the series of enemies such as Flick'ta attacking the Pfhor without you even having to cause it.
57* The ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' games have [[EverythingTryingToKillYou a cadre of aliens trying to kill Sam]] [[ArtificialStupidity without any regard to protecting themselves in the process]]. As a result, one alien's attacks are fully capable of injuring another, thereby reducing the amount of ammo Sam will have to use.
58* The original ''[[VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic Team Fortress]]'' (and other Quake or UT engine games of the era) had a large number of "no friendly fire" modes. In some of them, you couldn't hurt friendlies at all. In some, you could damage just their armor (which could devastatingly weaken a Soldier or HWG, whose main toughness advantage came in their armor). In some, [[HostageSpiritLink YOU would take any damage you inflicted on friendlies]], or take a percentage of it. Of course, you could also turn friendly fire on.
59* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'':
60** This is a necessity since the Spy can disguise as members of the enemy team. The only real way to discover Spies is by shooting/flaming suspicious teammates to see if they take damage.
61** Soldier rockets and Demoman stickies/grenades hurt/fling the launcher and enemies but not allies. For a while after launch, servers were not allowed to turn friendly fire back on. This also applies in a unique way to the Engineer: his sentry rockets AND bullets damage him (Spies can exploit this, although it's risky).
62* The AI in ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' are capable of harming each other, though it's very tricky to get them to do so. A bowman accidentally hitting a swordsman won't cause the two to become hostile to each other. Though there are also several different "teams" than an AI can be set as (Ally, Monster, badguy-1, 2, etc.) which can dictate how an AI will react to the player or other AI. For instance, a human will always attack a Zombie or Giant Spider on sight.
63* The ''VideoGame/{{Turok}}'' games functioned the same way, with monsters fighting each other if you could trick their attacks into hitting a monster of another type. It worked great when there was a mixture of close range dinosaurs and long range humans, since as soon as some human bullets hit the raptor, both ceased being your problem for a little while.
64** This was even a huge selling point of the most recent one, with various ways to make dinosaurs go after humans.
65* In ''VideoGame/{{Unreal|I}}'', it was possible to have different monster types get into combat by positioning yourself so they ended up attacking each other.
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Hack and Slash]]
69* The Demons in ''{{VideoGame/Gauntlet}}'' can harm non-demon enemies with their fireballs... but unlike ''VideoGame/{{Doom}},'' this won't lead to the other enemies attacking them.
70* ''VideoGame/{{Magicka}}'' does not discriminate at all, especially since MagicAIsMagicA. The players and the enemies can just as easily damage themselves as each other, which is part of the [[EpicFail hilarity.]]
71[[/folder]]
72
73[[folder:Maze Game]]
74* A major element of strategy in ''VideoGame/{{Bomberman}}'' is learning how to not accidentally kill yourself with your own bombs. An all-too-common source of YetAnotherStupidDeath is locking yourself into a one-block space next to a bomb.
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:[=MMORPGs=]]]
78* ''VideoGame/{{Dofus}}'' originally averted this for all area-of-effect attacks, though many (though not all!) were later changed to not harm the caster or the caster's allies. Currently, area of effects centered on the caster tend to not harm allies, but long-range area attacks do, so be careful where you place that Explosive Arrow or Manifold Bramble.
79* Averted (thankfully!) in ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsOnline'' where luring enemies into traps is a very effective strategy for non-tanking types. (And trap damage also scales for them with difficulty setting)
80* Enemies and players in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' normally cannot hurt their allies with their areawide attacks. One exception is made for a boss whose big attacks can hurt his own men and they rightfully complain about it since he has [[TheNeidermeyer lousy tactics while thinking they're great.]]
81* In ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'', most enemy types seem hate the Darkers, even if the darker infection is the reason why they attack you in the first place. Even enemies with visible external darker infections (referred to as "boosted enemies") will attack them.
82* ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' has aversions of all three types.
83** Type 1 is played straight for key [=NPCs=] like shopkeepers and quest characters, but cities tend to be filled with people and guards you could [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential freely slaughter]].
84** Type 2 is almost never played straight. The most famous example is the God Wars Dungeon, where many powerful and rare monsters [[MeleeATrois fight to their deaths]] and players only need to hit once to receive the drop. Monsters are usually immune to the local terrain, but some {{Puzzle Boss}}es averts it.
85** Type 3 is mostly played straight for more "organized" minigames, although there tend to be some LoopholeAbuse (players often utilize these to kill bots; ah, sweet justice). Averted by the likes of Bounty Hunter and the Wilderness, which are meant to be unpredictable, backstabbing free-for-alls.
86[[/folder]]
87
88[[folder:Platformers]]
89* Freeware game ''VideoGame/{{Iji}}'' avoids this as well--the two alien species actually prefer killing each other to attacking the player. They are, however, immune to friendly fire (but not splash damage)--unless their HumongousMecha go crazy and start firing on their allies.
90* All of [[Creator/InsomniacGames Insomniac's]] games (The [=PS1=] ''Franchise/{{Spyro|TheDragon}}'' games, ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'', ''VideoGame/{{Resistance}}'', etc.) avert the "no infighting" rather spectacularly. In fact, they make it the main point of some things: In challenges where you must conserve your ammo in ''Ratchet and Clank'', it's a very good idea to lure the enemies into killing each other by accident instead of wasting your ammo; there's also a weapon in the third installment that specifically makes enemies attack each other.
91* Dark Titans in ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'', unlike everything else in the game, can and will barrel through anything in sight to get to you, including allies. [[BossInMookClothing This is the only good thing about them]]. Some bosses have similar tactics.
92* Usually played straight in the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, with the exception of enemies that can launch themselves spinning at you (Buzzy Beetles on ceilings, for example). Often, they'll end up taking other enemies out whether or not you "repurposed" them.
93* In ''VideoGame/WarioLandShakeIt'', every single thing in the environment that can hurt Wario will instantly kill any enemy that touches it. To add to this, in some stages, there are actually missions saying to use one of these obstacles to kill a certain amount of enemies. And even more so, some things only hurt the bad guys, such as being crushed flat between a column and the floor/ceiling (Wario only gets somewhat flattened without taking any damage) and ''water''.
94[[/folder]]
95
96[[folder:Puzzle Games]]
97* ''VideoGame/{{Braid}}'' mostly avoids the "no infighting" rule: environmental hazards do not discriminate between Tim and his enemies, and enemies can GoombaStomp each other. They don't go out of their way to fight each other, though.
98* ''VideoGame/ClockWerx'' admits up front that "most objects in the game that are dangerous to you are harmless to enemy clock hands."
99* In ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'', you can trick the turrets into shooting each other with some effort. [[DevelopersForesight The designers even thought of this,]] since the turrets being hit will tell the other to "stop shooting!". [[FriendlyFireproof They only damage]] ''[[FriendlyFireproof you]]'', however.
100** Although they will knock each other over. There is even an achievement for arranging this.
101[[/folder]]
102
103[[folder:Real-Time Strategy]]
104* ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'': Arrows can't hit your own units, but catapult shots definitely will. Beginners who don't realize this will find themselves killing a whole squad of their own units with their own Mangonels by firing upon a wall that their melee units are attacking.
105* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' series:
106** Averted with the Iraqi Desolator in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2'', whose deployable ability is irradiating a large area around them. Regardless of side, the only things that don't take damage from it are other Desolators (since they wear special suits for just that purpose) and anything robotic. Zig-zagged for the deployable ability of the Yuri Clones, which unleash a wave of mental energy to instantly kill all infantry within a radius about the same as the above - in the base game when they're a Soviet unit, the attack is indiscriminate on side and kills all infantry caught in it, while in the expansion pack where they've been taken away by Yuri, they've been trained enough to only hit enemies.
107** Averted in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals''. Superweapons, splash damage and residual effects such as fire and toxins will damage your own units, and the GLA mobs can have individual people crushed by your vehicles.
108* ''VideoGame/{{Myth}}: The Fallen Lords'' and its sequels didn't use it either. A grenade that took a wrong bounce could easily damage your own units.
109** Ditto for any launched or thrown projectile, such as spears and arrows. A skilled player, however, can trick enemies into destroying their own units.
110* Both played straight and averted in ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' -- attacks from some units that normally do splash damage, such as Reavers and Firebats, will not damage your own units, but damage from other sources such as your own Siege Tanks or the High Templar's Psionic Storm will.
111* In ''VideoGame/TotalAnnihilation'' your projectiles will pass harmlessly through your own units, but not your teammates' units. And your own units can still take splash damage if the weapon hits close enough.
112* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': Most targeted [=AoE=] spells will only affect enemies/allies, but [=AoE=] spells that affect an area generally affect both friend and foe.
113[[/folder]]
114
115[[folder:Roguelike]]
116* ''VideoGame/{{Mewgenics}}'' lacks any sort of discrimination whatsoever: Your team of cats can hurt or even kill each other with ease, and your enemies can, depending on their species, be manipulated into doing the same with some effort; there are even certain skills that ''encourage'' attacking your own cats, such as the fighter's [[HitMeDammit Hit Me]].
117* Traps in ''VideoGame/NetHack'' do not discriminate. Many a corpse of a NPC Dwarf, Gnome, or Halfing can be found in pits in the Mines level, and many an adventurer has been saved by the same falling-rock trap that killed their pet. Enemies won't deliberately attack one another unless you are magically "causing conflict", but they can hit one another with arrows or magic beams while aiming for you - the black dragons in particular can devastate vast swathes of enemies with their disintegration breath if you happen to be able to survive the blasts yourself. And if you are wearing a cloak of displacement enemies will think you're in an adjacent square most of the time - and may attack a monster in said square by mistake.
118* In ''[[VideoGame/TroublesOfMiddleEarth ToME]]'' it is possible to kill friendly quest-relevant {{NPC}}s with ranged attacks although you always "stop yourself" if you try to hit them in melee. The NPC will always resurrect immediately with no harm done. Rescuing a princess from monsters with blasts of area magic that kills the princess herself several times over is therefore a perfectly valid tactic. However, if you manage to get an NPC buried in rock with an earthquake, they are gone for good... until you leave the level and return.
119** Also, [=NPCs=] are not affected by traps, neither are you by your own traps (which affect monsters, of course).
120[[/folder]]
121
122[[folder:Role-Playing Games]]
123* ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'':
124** While actual bullets ''do'' seem capable of bypassing allies, arrows and explosives do not. At best, your hurt allies will scold you; at worst, their reaction towards you will drop, to the point they can disband and attack you. Neutral [=NPCs=] will also turn hostile if hit, and your party will fight them as a result.
125** [=NPCs=] will fight based on the internal "factions" they're set to, regardless of the target, which can lead to strange behaviors such as two wolves in the alley leading from the crash site fighting each other, or a love light in the Ashbury graveyard getting mad at you for killing the local zombies.
126* In ''VideoGame/BlueDragon'', certain scenarios will spark a "Monster Fight" that makes some of the toughest monsters in the area terribly weakened-- often by another tough one, who won't attack your party until it's dealt with the target of its envy/hatred.
127* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
128** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'', it isn't possible to kill plot-related characters because of the different types of [=NPCs=] employed.
129** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'', [[AnyoneCanDie every NPC in the game]] [[LordBritishPostulate can be killed]] if you choose/are able to do so. This can actually render the main quest unbeatable if you kill a plot-important NPC (the game does pop up a warning message telling you to reload a saved game if you do kill one). Additionally, there is a "[[TakeAThirdOption backpath]]" method to beating the main quest that only requires ''two'' particular [=NPCs=] to be alive, but again, you can also kill them to render even this method unwinnable.
130** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'':
131*** Starting with ''Oblivion'', the series has shifted to tagging plot-relevant [=NPCs=] as "essential". Essential [=NPCs=] cannot be killed, only knocked unconscious for a short time if their health reaches zero. At that point, they'll get back up as if nothing happened.
132*** "No Infighting" is averted, however, as enemies which don't get along will actively fight to kill each other if they cross paths. It's possible, for instance, to witness bandits fighting against undead inside of ruins.
133*** Additionally, traps meant for you may be sprung on monsters with the proper positioning and timing, particularly in the Oblivion Gates. Harrada plants will indiscriminately attack foes, firebombs on the ground can be shot with a bow as the enemy runs past them, foes may be lured through spike traps, knocked backward into lava, off a balcony, off the narrow spiral ramp going up parapets, [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential caught in the Corpse Crusher]]...
134*** Also for the first time in the series, CityGuards will apply to law to [=NPCs=] instead of [[SelectiveEnforcement just the player character]]. [[ArtificialStupidity It's still quite hit-or-miss]], but if you are attacked by a NPC unprovoked in a city, guards will sometimes come to your aid in the fight. [=NPCs=] can also be [[ShopliftAndDie caught stealing and attacked]] by the guards.
135** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', the examples from ''Oblivion'' above are still in effect, but to an even greater degree thanks to advances in the game's AI. For instance, if you're fighting a bear when a dragon attacks you, there's a good chance the bear will start attacking the dragon instead. Bandits will also assist in bringing down a dragon even though they were trying to kill you just prior. Dragons may also attack other dragons.
136* In the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' games there's always a chance of the member of one party hitting the member of his own party or another party in crossfire, posing a further chance that the parties will in-fight, or previously neutral parties will join in with the bloodshed because a stray bullet hit them. As every ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 1}}'' player knows, you do not stand in front of Ian whilst in combat.
137** Sulik took up Ian's baton with relish in Fallout 2, proving capable of hitting you with an SMG burst even if you were standing behind him. Just give him a Super Sledge and save yourself the facepalming.
138** In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' you can get sneak attack criticals on your allies if they're distracted by an enemy, and also hit them in VATS (which you cannot cancel once initiated) when targeting enemies. Especially troublesome with Dogmeat, who frequently jumps up to head level to attack. This isn't helped by the game's [[HitboxDissonance interesting hitboxes]].
139** One quest in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'' - protecting Grisham's brahmin cattle - stands out in terms of messed-up faction scripting. The wild dogs will intially ignore you and go for the cattle, but if a dog takes damage from your team they attack you instead. If you accidently hit a brahmin, the herd won't turn hostile as you'd expect... but your companions will decide that the herd is on the hostiles list and start decimating it, even ignoring the dogs to do so. Since you receive less pay for each lost brahmin, you'll reload the game a lot. That, or leave your party behind for a while.
140* In the ''VideoGame/GodEater'' series, God Eaters' melee attacks can't hurt their allies. Their ranged attacks will cause allies to be briefly staggered, but won't actually damage their health.
141* In the 3D ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'' games, different types of enemies would often fight with each other in the overworld and in dungeons, often to the point of completely ignoring your party unless you first provoke them.
142* In ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'', monster attacks can damage other monsters, leading to amusing situations involving a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Rathalos]] dying from a random raptor attack. Occasionally, they'll outright fight one another, but more often than not, everything assumes the player to be the bigger threat they should attack causing them to attack you and nothing else [[EverythingisTryingtoKillYou even when they were hit by another monster]] or when they should be running from [[TooDumbToLive the dragon that just launched a fireball at them or a giant crab who keeps running over them]].
143[[/folder]]
144
145[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
146* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' has optional rules for tracking what missed shots actually hit, but they're so complex that [[AwesomeButImpractical they slow the game down too much for anyone to bother using them]].
147* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' generally averts this, but not always - some spells and powers affect everything in the area, while others affect only enemies. It's also possible for both players and enemies to get creative and use attacks which their allies are immune to or even ''healed'' by ([[ReviveKillsZombie using a positive energy spell against undead]] being the most common example). There are also some Feats or other abilities that allow selective use of this trope, such as a fourth edition Feat to allow Dragonborn (humanoid dragons) to use their elemental breath without fear of harming allies - instead giving them a bonus to hit!
148** Similarly, 3.5e's Dragonfire Adepts have the Endure Exposure spell, which makes a creature immune to their {{Breath Weapon}}s for 24 hours.
149** In 5th Edition, Evoker Wizards have an ability that lets them designate "safe squares" in their area-effect spells that won't cause harm, while Sorcerers can choose a Metamagic ability that does the same thing (though it costs the Sorcerer a Spell Point to use).
150* The board game ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorry!_(game) Sorry!]]'', a pursuit game in which cards dictate each player's moves instead of dice, has many ways that players can hurt their own cause:
151** Around the board are slide areas indicated by triangles (where they start) and circles (where they end). Any player who lands on a triangle of a color not matching their pawn then slides forward reaching the circle. Any pawns caught on this track get sent back to Start. Yes, even that player's own.
152** Team-based rules (teams of red and yellow versus blue and green) amplify the danger.
153*** When one player draws a [[TitleDrop "Sorry!"]] card instead of a number card, the player who draws it ''must'' take one pawn from his/her Start base, move it to a square occupied by another player's pawn, and return the targeted pawn back to the victim's Start area--even if the victim is that player's teammate.
154*** Landing on a space occupied by another player automatically results is the first occupant returning to Start. Yes, this same rule applies to landing on a space a teammate is standing on.
155[[/folder]]
156
157[[folder:Third-Person Shooter]]
158* In ''[[VideoGame/BattalionWars Battalion Wars II]]'', units specialised for anti-infantry and anti-air combat deal reduced damage to units outside their comfort zones. This is mostly thanks to the first game, where Assault Vets and Anti-Air Vets were [[GameBreaker Game Breakers]] because their weapons dealt a lot of damage against every kind of unit.
159* In ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar 2'' multiplayer, your grenades and bullets don't hurt your team-mates, but your grenades and splash damage weapons can kill you. This is a fairly standard version of "no friendly fire" for multiplayer shooters.
160** Of course some people posit that multiplayer would be improved by having friendly fire always turned on.
161[[/folder]]
162
163[[folder:Tower Defense]]
164* VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies1'':
165** Both plants and zombies are quite discriminating with what they hurt. Peas and other projectiles will ignore every plant, even the Tall-Nuts, to hurt zombies. A zombie controlled by the Hypno-Shroom will immediately be treated like a plant, however. Even exploding or incendiary plants will only target zombies, while the mighty Gargantuar will smash any plant but spare zombies in his path. The Almanac entry for the Doom-Shroom hints this is a conscious choice, with Doom-Shroom claiming it could destroy everything you hold dear if it wanted to and that he wouldn't have a hard time doing so. {{Averted}}, though, if the Doom-Shroom is planted on a Lily Pad or Flower Pot, which will be destroyed in the blast.
166** In ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'', plants will fire at ice and octopi covering other plants without ever hurting the plant underneath.
167[[/folder]]
168
169[[folder:Turn-Based Strategy]]
170* ''VideoGame/CodeNameSteam'' doesn't play any favorites when it comes to who gets hurt from what. One notable example are Rippers, blind aliens with acute hearing ability; since they rely purely on audio clues, they can easily plow through and injure their own allies in order to close in on the enemy's position.
171* In the ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea}}'' series, all attacks can target friends and foes alike. Friendly units will even try to counter attack allies if they can. In most games, killing your own units is required to get the bad endings.
172* The spells and some of the long range techniques in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''. Whoever's standing in the target tiles will get hit, whether they're friend or foe, and it's possible to put your own characters in the path of a charged long range attack, like Aim, and get hit in place of the enemy. Summons are the exception, never healing enemies or harming allies, but since they're actual beings coming to your aid, it makes some sense.
173** The only things in the sequels that discriminate are totema/scions and illusionist abilities. Even the summons will hit your characters.
174* The field damage-causing tiles in ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' can hurt enemies and allies fine.
175* ''VideoGame/IntoTheBreach'': Initially, all attacks are able to damage any unit, which is useful for making enemy Vek kill each other with their own attacks. However, some weapons are able to be upgraded to receive limited FriendlyFireproof abilities, such as not being able to destroy buildings or damage friendly units.
176[[/folder]]
177
178[[folder:Wide Open Sandbox]]
179* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' as well as its [[VideoGame/SpiderManMilesMorales two]] [[VideoGame/MarvelsSpiderMan2 sequels]], enemies can and will shoot each other when you're fighting groups. It's fairly easy to dodge behind an enemy and let some of their buddies riddle them with bullets. With mooks this never results in them turning on each other, but in some of the boss fights it will. Most notably, if you can bait Scorpion into shooting Rhino in the first game, Rhino will get so angry that he'll turn on Scorpion and completely ignore Spider-Man until after he's pounded his alleged ally flat.
180[[/folder]]
181
182[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
183* In a non-video game example, ''Series/KamenRiderOOO'' has a pair of {{Finishing Move}}s that cause collateral damage that is magically repaired afterwards. His sword attack causes a DiagonalCut to everything in front of him, but then everything except the MonsterOfTheWeek repairs. His [[MightyGlacier Sagozou]] finisher causes an earthquake that sucks the enemy into the ground and drags them over to OOO for the finishing blow, but the ground heals afterwards.
184[[/folder]]

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