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resolved The battle gets easier as it goes on Videogame
A less challenging, but more realistic gameplay mechanic - an enemy or level starts out being really tough, but, the more you beat it, the easier it gets to beat it even more.
For instance, in a fighting game, hitting an enemy hard early on will make it get dizzy, which makes it easier to hit it, and so on. In a strategy game, attacking an enemy will make it lose resources and the ability to collect resources, until in the end you're just mopping up the last remnants of it. Or, even in a Shoot 'em Up, the boss starts would with dozens of guns, but as you destroy each gun, the fight gets easier, until in the end it's only one pathetic little core shooting an easy-to-dodge bullet.
resolved Press jump to jump Videogame
I know we have this one, I just forgot the name. When a character in a videogame is teaching the player how to do something, they'll say "Press the a button to Y", or even "Press the Y button to Y", oftentimes (but not always) completely ignoring the blatant 4th wall break
resolved Please help solving this. Videogame
""A special commander takes an enthusiastic (and explosive) walk in the Middle East in hopes of saving a damsel from futuristic terrorists""
super super super cheating... but this is for a raffle entry for some items in a game. willing to share my winnings if i win it.
the hoster said something about "gulf jokes"
resolved Breadcrumbing Videogame
I'm using this title because it seems to be an existing concept in video game design. The particular concept or mechanism here would be those instances of a "meta" or design cue where the game is subtly indicating to the player where to go or what to do.
The example that brought this to mind was playing an FPS that doesn't have a map, and using the presence of enemies to determine direction, e.g., "No enemies and quiet = not where I need to be, as opposed to: enemies and sound effects = where I need to go". Another instance that is probably more in line with the name would be the sprinkling of rewards like coins/tokens/collectibles/health/etc. to draw a player in the desired direction. The most overt example would probably be games where the path is illuminated or colored in a way that could be interpreted as diegetic, such as a flickering street lamp drawing attention to a door, or an emergency exit that is painted a bright color, a switch or other interactive feature that is glowing in-universe (not simply for the player), and so on.
Edited by wingedsnakeresolvedAPP Boss absorbing wood for power Videogame
In the Terraria Game Mod Fargo's Mod, there’s an early boss called the Trojan Squirrel. On the hardest difficulty of the mod, Masochist Mode, it can destroy wood blocks and trees and gets bigger. This definitely counts as a Griefer since it can ruin your buildings (I assume that’s the case, I’ll run tests in game tomorrow to see if it can destroy houses)
But what about the absorption of wood for power? No normal life form (or mecha) can just absorb wood and get bigger.
resolved Rigged fight Videogame
In this trope, the fight is so difficult it generally favors heavily the AI instead of the player. For example, the fight in Pokemon stadium 2 against Red, with rentals only, Red has 3 legendaries on his team, I mean, it's obvious it's not a fair fight. I'm talking about a fight made in videogames against the computer, or an opponent the computer operates, with rules that don't favor the player but the opponent.
Edited by luigirovattiresolved Choice of using an item now for a good result, or later for a great result? Videogame
In a video game, you acquire a unique item fairly early on that imbues a party member with a powerful (for the early game) ability. It gets you through the game's Early Game Hell challenges more easily...but all of the party members available then are Crutch Characters at best who will be out of your party by the midway point of the game. Alternatively, you could save that item to teach to a later-game party member, who can make much better use of it for much longer, but that means getting through the early game challenges without it.
It's not Too Awesome to Use, as you WILL use it, it's just making the decision of WHEN to use it for best effect. It's a little bit like a "meta" Sadistic Choice, but it doesn't actually fit that trope as written.
This came up recently regarding certain TMs (which teach your Pokemon new moves) in the early gen games when TMs were single use only. Teach something like Dig or Thunderbolt in Gen I to the weaker early game Pokemon to get through the early challenges...or save them for Pokemon acquired later in the game who will be much more powerful with those moves.
TIA!
resolved defying physics? Videogame
In Zelda, Link's Awakening, if a text box pops up while mid-air, you stay mid-air until it disappears. It's a technical issue, not enough to break the willing suspension of disbelief; it gets weird, though, approaching e.g. Mamu while jumping. You stay mid-air while they perform (which incidentally concerns the best canon in the semitone I ever heard, só funny).
This is obviously a technical oversight and not an intentional breaking of physical laws. Is there a trope that fits this scenario?
resolved Debt means nothing Videogame
In the artillery game Spite Cannon the in-game cannon costs $100 to fire, but you can still fire the cannon even if you do not have enough money on hand. What trope does this fall under?
resolved Unlabeled Sequel Title Confusion Videogame
- Detective Grimoire: The series has had an inconsistent naming scheme that has caused some people to be unaware of the first and/or second games.
- The first game was simply titled Detective Grimoire. However, it is a Flash game; therefore, nowadays the easiest way to play it is on Newgrounds using the Newgrounds player.
- The second game was released on Steam, making it more accessible and mainstream. The game is officially titled Detective Grimoire: Secret of the Swamp. However, the game is listed on Steam as Detective Grimoire, making it seem like this is the first game, when it actually isn't.
- The third game was also released on Steam. While its official title is Detective Grimoire: Tangle Tower, it is listed on Steam as Tangle Tower, which has led people to think it's a standalone product, unaware of the first two games.
EDIT: I just discovered Sequel Displacement, which I think fits this example best.
Edited by DrNoPumaresolved Weak Unit Niche Videogame
Is there a trope for when a weak unit is used in competitive games because it fills a niche role in the team/meta?
Edited by Awelresolved Character Introduction Splash Screen Videogame
So, there's a Medium Awareness example I want to write, but I'm not sure what the trope/term is for the specific thing the character is aware of. I would describe it as a Versus Character Splash, but only for one character, and you typically see this screen as soon as you learn the character's name. NEO: The World Ends with You is an example of a work that features such screens.
resolved Sort of inversion to Taste Of Power Videogame
What is the trope where the player fights an unbeatable character that is beatable later on because the player characters got stronger?
Edited by Awelresolved Character A making fun of Character B for their sickly condition Videogame
It's sort of(?) a running gag in Ensemble Stars! where Hiyori will sometimes make fun of Eichi for his Delicate and Sickly condition.
To quote the English dub of the anime:
Hiyori: "I'm glad to see that you're still alive." Eichi: "I don't quite believe you're sincere."
What is the name of this trope? I would like to write a new example.
resolved Flipping character image/sprite to indicate looking around Videogame
Commonly seen in visual novels/similar forms of 2D storytelling using character sprites drawn at a 3/4 view. To show a character turning to face the opposite direction, instead of drawing more sprites to show them facing the other way, the character's sprite is simply flipped or mirrored. This is especially obvious if the character has an asymmetrical design as details will be on the "wrong side" of the character. I think this can fall under Limited Animation (even though it's not exactly animation— more of conserving resources/cutting corners) but I'm wondering if there's a trope specific to this type of thing...
resolved Trope where old video games had room names Videogame
This was a common thing back in the ZX Spectrum and Amiga days, where every screen of a game had its own name. You can see it in the Dizzy games as well as modern games inspired by those, like You Have to Win the Game.
Is there a trope for every screen having its own name?
EDIT: I found it, sort of—Flip-Screen Scrolling mentions it.
Edited by lalalei2001

In the Civilization IV mod Caveman2Cosmos, there's a special kind of map called a "Space Map". This is, depending on size, an extra-long or extra-tall map which extends the normal playfield to include 11 additional different terrain types corresponding to various different areas of space, whether they be real (the surface of other planets, our Sun, etc.), hypothetical (what lies beyond our observable universe), and fictional (hyperspace). As players progress through the game's ages, they will eventually research technologies allowing them to explore and, eventually, colonize these terrain types, along with developing military units capable of operating on these terrain types.
However, despite the attempts of various developers of the mod, the game's AI is unable to do anything on these terrain types, meaning they're restricted to the "Earth" terrain type and, thus, unable to keep up with the player.
I'm thinking this situation is best covered by Artificial Stupidity, but I'm unsure and would appreciate any suggestions on more suitable tropes.