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The TVTropes Trope Finder is where you can come to ask questions like "Do we have this one?" and "What's the trope about...?" Trying to rediscover a long lost show or other medium but need a little help? Head to Media Finder and try your luck there. Want to propose a new trope? You should be over at the Trope Launch Pad.

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KD Since: May, 2009
2023-08-15 05:36:32

Some of these do not really seem like Tropes, but rather players' independent opinions or actions. The tropes are when the game encourages a certain style of play. For example, Faction Calculus discusses the common strengths of different factions. No-one is forcing the player to play the factions according to their calculus, but they were designed this way.

The Baldur's Gate example has intersections of Cheese Strategy (resting 8 hours after the least bit of exertion is cheesy) and Not the Intended Use (interrupted rests are meant to be a penalty, not a chance for more XP and loot).

I've seen the Total War auto-resolve listed as Scrappy Mechanic in the sense that it often gives you a poor result unless you outnumber them 10-to-1. This very much depends on the individual game. Looking at you, Fall of the Samurai. I've also seen auto-calc listed as Video Game Delegation Penalty, but I'm not sure about that one.

These others just seem like a case of earlier success meaning that you can afford to be wasteful later. It's not a trope that a player who has been skillfully dominating a Starcraft 2 match for 30 minutes can eventually deliver the coup de grâce by "1 A"ing their whole army into the last enemy base because of their huge economy advantage.

Edited by KD
Connacht89 Since: Dec, 2018
2023-08-15 09:07:48

Thanks for the interesting advice!

"Some of these do not really seem like Tropes, but rather players' independent opinions or actions."

Well, there are tropes that to me sound like this, e.g. Not the Intended Use that you mention below. I think it depends, or as it's often said, YMMV.

"The Baldur's Gate example has intersections of Cheese Strategy (resting 8 hours after the least bit of exertion is cheesy) and Not the Intended Use (interrupted rests are meant to be a penalty, not a chance for more XP and loot)."

Yes, of course, but I'm not asking about which trope would fit the player abusing rest. In my example the focus is that what happens next is that many players don't want to do anymore the cheese strategy because it becomes boring even if effective, and the intended use returns online because of this.

"I've seen the Total War auto-resolve listed as Scrappy Mechanic in the sense that it often gives you a poor result unless you outnumber them 10-to-1."

Oh yes, as I said it is not an optimal choice (not quite 10 to 1 but it can happen sometimes). And so the right thing would be to play each battle. Yet there are many cases where the player auto-resovles anyway because it would be boring to fight each one, unless you really risk to lose.

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