History Main / StalkingMission

* The ''{{Driver}}'' series

* ''TheElderScrolls IV: Oblivion'' tried this when you had to follow someone to a meeting and then listen in on said meeting, but [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy the AI was a little on the forgiving side]] in regards to the whole "don't let them know you're following them" thing. In fact, the fact that the mission briefing ''says'' not to make your presence known is really the only attention the game pays to the idea at all. In execution, you're completely free to wear your heaviest armor and illumination rings that glow bright enough to make you walking daylight incarnate, run in laps and circles around the target as he's walking toward his meeting, talk to him on the way (several times,) stand ''between'' him and the person he's talking to when the meeting starts, and more, all without penalty.

* ''{{Prototype}}'' inverts this. In one mission, you have to get a [[BossInMookClothing Leader Hunter]] to stalk ''you''. Too far and it will lose interest, too close and it will beat you to death. You also have to attack it occasionally to keep its attention. Several missions do play it somewhat straight, though. An earlier mission has you chase a Leader Hunter who just kidnapped your sister. It's a stalking mission because you have to keep up, but it doesn't actually matter if it can see you. You're better off if it doesn't, though, because it's invincible and will kill you for getting too close. The second to last mission has you stalk Col. Taggart's thermobaric tank. Again, him spotting you is bad not because you fail the mission, but because he's riding a ''[[{{BFG}} thermobaric tank]]''.

* ''[[Game/TestDrive Test Drive Unlimited 2]]'' has some missions where you are supposed to tail certain cars without being too far or too close.

* Some side missions in ''{{inFAMOUS}}'' make you follow a Reaper courier around without being spotted, to see what he's up to. All he does is go somewhere to hide some blast shards.

** Subversion in another mission. Some crazy guy wants to follow several [=NPCs=] around to see if they're doing anything, which one would assume they are. This is the subversion, they barely know the guy and they go about their daily tasks, which was surprisingly well programmed. They go to church, work, eat, and sleep.
*** In the above-mentioned mission, you can actually agree to follow around each of the [=NPCs=], then immediately leave the city, spend the next 23 hours of game time completely ignoring the targets, then meet the crazy the next night and reportwhatever you want to him - and he will believe every word you say, [[strike:almost especially]] only if you describe exactly what the targets did not do.

* ''[[TestDrive Test Drive Unlimited 2]]'' has some missions where you are supposed to tail certain cars without being too far or too close.

* The ''Biko'' {{Hentai}} was made of these missions, stalking young women through the streets of Japan. Because it's possible to take the stalking to it's [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty creepiest possible conclusion]], people tend to overlook that you have the option to simply [[StalkerWithACrush confess your love instead]].

**** Averted at least once in IV, where a guy you need to tail on foot simply tries to make a run for it, letting you chase after him and finish the mission anyway.

* ''MetalGearSolid 4'' also had a variation where you had to track someone by their footprints. The second stalking mission was actually pretty good, because it gave a good reason for the target to be spooked, as well as a justification for being able to single him out easily. Also, it had several check points and you could go where you wanted instead of babysitting him all the time.

* Twice in ''TheLegendOfZelda: Oracle of Seasons''. The latter is especially frustrating since you have to avoid being spotted by TWO characters.
** And one, optionally, in ''The Wind Waker'' (gets you an empty bottle).
*** You also get to hear Link [[CatScare meow like a kitty]] if you're not completely hidden when the target checks to see if she's being tailed , which is a reward in itself.

* A recurring event in ''Freshly-Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland'' has you following a boy through one of the areas.

* In ''MassEffect 2'', Thane's loyalty mission has you stalking his [[spoiler:son's]] target as he walks through the Citadel markets. Helpfully, you're on a catwalk above him rather than on the ground.

* DragonQuestVI'' has a short one of these in Pescani/Pescado.

* In ''WingCommander IV'', in one of the early missions, you are supposed to follow a pirate fighter back to its base, while staying far enough away to not be noticed. There is static in the commanding officer's transmission at the exact point that he gives the distance measurement unit.

A gameplay segment in which the player is tasked with following an {{NPC}} to a designated area, either on-foot or in vehicle. However, there's a special provision: for one reason or another, your target can not be alerted to your presence, as this will cause him to panic and flee, resulting in [[GameOver mission failure]]. Some games provide a "suspicion meter" of sorts that reveals how close the target is from getting spooked, and which can be reduced if the player further distances himself.

In any case, you are required to follow them from a considerable distance, which may prove to be problematic in crowded areas or in intricate environments, especially if your target is unmarked and difficult to identify. Because the StalkingMission is effectively [[TimedMission timed]], losing sight of them even for a short while is typically a recipe for a GameOver.

** Subversion in another mission. Some crazy guy wants to follow several NPCs around to see if they're doing anything, which one would assume they are. This is the subversion, they barely know the guy and they go about their daily tasks, which was surprisingly well programmed. They go to church, work, eat, and sleep.
*** In the above-mentioned mission, you can actually agree to follow around each of the NPCs, then immediately leave the city, spend the next 23 hours of game time completely ignoring the targets, then meet the crazy the next night and reportwhatever you want to him - and he will believe every word you say, [[strike:almost especially]] only if you describe exactly what the targets did not do.

You must avoid following them too closely as doing so will typically end the mission instantly. Sometimes, this makes no sense as your target would logically have no idea what the PlayerCharacter or his vehicle would look like and [[ConspicuouslySelectivePerception they are never the slightest bit suspicious of the NPC traffic]] all around them. But rest assured if ''you'' get close they will instantly know you're following them. On the other hand, feel free to be as obvious as you need to in your efforts to stay a safe distance away, stopping your car in the middle of the street while the target is waiting in a red light is not suspicious at all as long as you're not too close.

** It gets ridiculous in later games how close you must be in order to pursue the target. In several missions it's possible to lose even though the enemy vehicle is still in clear view, leading to situations where you'll fail a mission because the vehicle "escaped" despite the fact you can either still see it, or its on a one way street or a bridge and therefore nearly impossible to lose track of.
*** That's not the ridiculous part. The ridiculous part is how far away you have to stay to keep the guy from getting suspicious, which is about 2 freakin car lengths. I don't know about you, but a car staying 2 car lengths behind me at all times (including stop lights) is a hell of a lot more suspicious than a car following at a normal distance. Curiously, the guy doesn't seem to mind other cars getting within the suspicious zone, which is pretty weird for someone who doesn't know that you're following them.
*** III did have a humorous way to avert it. The victim (stalkee?) is meant to be picked up by a taxi. You can easily grab a taxi yourself, and the victim will end up in your taxi. Then it's just a pleasant drive to the destination. Followed by running him over.
**** Three also has one where you don't actually need to stalk the guy, just be close to the destination when he arrives, so you can take a short cut and beat him there.

* Some side missions in ''inFAMOUS'' make you follow a Reaper courier around without being spotted, to see what he's up to. All he does is go somewhere to hide some blast shards.

* Twice in ''TheLegendOfZelda: Oracle of Seasons''.
** The latter is especially frustrating since you have to avoid being spotted by TWO characters.

*** You also get to hear Link meow like a kitty if you're not completely hidden when the target checks to see if she's being tailed (it's not as creepy as it sounds), which is a reward in itself.

* An optional ''BlackandWhite'' mission requires you (as a ''God'') to sneakily follow someone down a mountain. The man repeatedly looks in awkward angles and losing him for a single second makes him disappear (despite the fact he's walking down a small mountain path with nowhere else to go).

* ''[[{{X}} X3: Terran Conflict]] has particularly annoying examples of these. You are told to follow a randomly spawned NPC ship and find out its destination. This destination is ''prominently displayed in the ship's info window'', but of course you can't just report that to your employers and call it a day. You also can't just jump there with your jumpdrive and wait for it, you have to follow the ship. You can't set one of your other ships to follow it for you or keep track of it on your network of spy satellites, you must do it personally. And of course the ships tend to be painfully slow.

* ''[[{{X} X3: Terran Conflict]] has particularly annoying examples of these. You are told to follow a randomly spawned NPC ship and find out its destination. This destination is ''prominently displayed in the ship's info window'', but of course you can't just report that to your employers and call it a day. You also can't just jump there with your jumpdrive and wait for it, you have to follow the ship. You can't set one of your other ships to follow it for you or keep track of it on your network of spy satellites, you must do it personally. And of course the ships tend to be painfully slow.

You must avoid following them too closely as doing so will typically end the mission instantly. Sometimes, this makes no sense if your target would logically have no idea what the PlayerCharacter or his vehicle [[FridgeLogic would look like]]. In any case, you are required to follow them from a considerable distance, which may prove to be problematic in crowded areas or in intricate environments, especially if your target is unmarked and difficult to identify. Because the StalkingMission is effectively [[TimedMission timed]], losing sight of them even for a short while is typically a recipe for a GameOver.

A gameplay segment in which the player is tasked with following an {{NPC}} to a designated area, either on-foot or in vehicle. However, there's a special provision: for whatever reason, your target can not be alerted to your presence, as this will cause him to panic and flee, resulting in [[GameOver mission failure]]. Some games provide a "suspicion meter" of sorts that reveals how close the target is from getting spooked, and which can be reduced if the player further distances himself, but many games aren't so generous.

You must avoid following them too closely as doing so will typically end the mission instantly. Sometimes, this makes no sense if your target would logically have no idea what the PlayerCharacter or his vehicle would look like. In any case, you are required to follow them from a considerable distance, which may prove to be problematic in crowded areas or in intricate environments, especially if your target is unmarked and difficult to identify. Because the StalkingMission is effectively [[TimedMission timed]], losing sight of them even for a short while is typically a recipe for a GameOver.

Curiously, if the player possesses foreknowledge of the target's ultimate destination, they are generally prohibited from simply going there directly. Most games will force the player to follow the target all the way.

Almost invariably a forced-stealth UnexpectedGameplayChange, the StalkingMission is often [[ScrappyLevel viewed in a negative light]] for a variety of reasons. They may be lengthy and contain no {{Check Point}}s, and if the target takes a difficult-to-follow route to his destination, it may be necessary to resort to [[TrialAndErrorGameplay trial-and-error]]. Finally, the target may walk painfully slow, jarring to players who are [[RunDontWalk used to constantly running]]. This is even worse in driving variation, as the {{NPC}} will typically drive at a normal speed and obey traffic laws, something the player has [[OptionalTrafficLaws hitherto been unbound by]]. Said traffic will sometimes flatten the target, resulting in mission failure.

* ''SoulReaver'' contains another example of the "you are the stalkee" inversion. In order to defeat Dumah, Raziel must lure him all the way from his lair to a room containing a mechanism that can be used to set him on fire. Get too big of a lead, and Dumah will lose interest and head back to his lair; allow him to get too close, and he'll smack the crap out of you. Oh, and did I mention that Dumah is about five times Raziel's size?

* ''{{Prototype}}'' inverts this. In one mission, you have to get a [[BossInMookClothing Leader Hunter]] to stalk ''you''. Too far and it will lose interest, too close and it will beat you to death. You also have to attack it occasionally to keep its attention.