#frustration #gaming #annoying #gameplay #mechanics
Have you ever played a game and found yourself repeatedly annoyed by a certain game mechanic that seems to serve no purpose other than to frustrate players? 🎮 It’s a common experience for gamers across all platforms, and it can be incredibly frustrating when a game mechanic feels like it’s there just to annoy you. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most annoying game mechanics that exist solely to test your patience, and provide practical solutions to help you navigate these challenges with ease.
## The Problem: Annoying Game Mechanics
Arbitrary wait times come to mind, or hiding PVE content behind PVP mechanics. These game mechanics can be incredibly frustrating for players, as they often feel like artificial barriers that prevent you from progressing in the game. Whether it’s waiting hours for a building to finish construction or being forced to engage in PVP battles to unlock essential content, these mechanics can make the gaming experience feel more like a chore than a form of entertainment.
### Solution 1: Provide Options for Fast-Tracking
One way to alleviate the frustration caused by arbitrary wait times is to provide players with the option to fast-track the process by spending in-game currency or watching advertisements. This allows players to choose whether they want to wait for the timer to expire or pay a small fee to expedite the process. By giving players more control over their gaming experience, developers can make the game more enjoyable for everyone involved.
### Solution 2: Separate PVP and PVE Content
Another solution to the problem of hiding PVE content behind PVP mechanics is to create separate game modes for each type of gameplay. By allowing players to focus on either PVP or PVE content without being forced to engage in both, developers can ensure that everyone can enjoy the game in a way that suits their playstyle. This way, players who prefer cooperative gameplay can do so without feeling pressured to participate in competitive battles.
## Conclusion
While annoying game mechanics may seem like a necessary evil in the world of gaming, there are practical solutions that developers can implement to make the gaming experience more enjoyable for everyone. By providing options for fast-tracking and separating PVP and PVE content, developers can create a more player-friendly environment that encourages engagement and enjoyment. So the next time you find yourself frustrated by a game mechanic that seems to exist solely to annoy you, remember that there are ways to navigate these challenges and continue enjoying your favorite games. 🎮
Inputting reading.
Water levels.
Mtx
Energy in mobile games
Poison swamps
Microtransactions
Quicktime events where the buttons change
Having to hold a button for x amount of seconds until an action is performed. Opening doors, locks, eating etc. Can I just press the button and carry on?
Waiting time to craft things, trying to craft more things/ better the quality of the itens makes the waiting time even bigger.
A durability system that doesn’t include the ability to repair your gear. I’ve never played it, but one of the Zelda games is the prime example of this.
SO many items in Maplestory have random, useless expiration timers and when it runs out, the item turns grey but remains in inventory and you gotta throw it away.
Stuff like mvp buff coupons, flames, cubes, event items and boxes, level up potions, totems, teleport rocks, 2nd pendant slot after being unlocked, potential stamps, potential scrolls, unity training center coupons, CRA burning gear, boss souls, boss crystals, reward boxes, pets, most direct-purchase nx outfit items, half of all title stats, reward points themselves all will have a month-day-hour-minute countdown to when they suddenly seppuku and become unusable
Serves no purpose other than “**** u player”
Unskippable cutscenes
Weapons that break
I think most of these game mechanics exist FOR A PURPOSE, but because of bad design choices, they RESULT IN annoying the player.
One that comes to mind is when your control of your character or your troops is somehow taken away from you and given to the game.
I recall a level in Homeworld 2 where you lost control of your Mother Ship, a normally-controllable central troop to the real-time strategy game, and it started moving around on you without any choice in the matter. There was a story-based reason for it, but that story element was a bit of a turkey, and it felt like you weren’t playing the game, it was playing itself.
Put a timer on the mission instead, have the player keep control, but let them know it NEEDED to be at a certain point before the timer expired. That would have serviced the mission a lot better.
Escort. Quests. Especially with shit ai pathing. I swear that the Natayla Simonova section from Goldeneye almost broke me when i was younger, and i have never seen the concept done well.
Npc’s you have to follow but theyre to fast to just walk next to them and to slow to run next to them.
Forced stealth levels in action games.
MMO escort quests where the NPC moves at a speed between walking and running
Stamina management outside of combat. Seriously, let me sprint to each combat scenario without suffering for it in combat.
Weapon durability
Unskippable startup screens.
Unskippable cutscenes. With studios trying to save money at every turn, you’d think cutscenes would be a lot shorter in general.
If you think about it, Games are crafted experiences. Every obstacle is there to “Annoy” you into overcoming it. Some things are just FAR more annoying than others. ;P
The rapid deceleration that occurs when hit in a shooter that’s primary tactical mechanic is movement.
Walking next to an npc with a slightly different pace, and you have to walk/run alternating.
Escort quests where the NPCs move like snails
That puppeteering crap in Assassin’s Creed (PC)! Why do I have to retrain my hand?
Rubber banding in racing games.
When a cutscene ends, you regain control of the player character and take a step, and another cutscene triggers. Just proceed directly to the next cutscene!
Go play GTA online and you’ll come up with an essay of anti-fun mechanics.
Crafting. Not all games need to have crafting.
Stamina, weapon durability, quick time events, unskippable or unpausable cutscenes and slow walking during cutscenes
Mr. Resetti from animal crossing would pop up every time the game was strategically reset (without saving) to get a second attempt at a random event. Even with rapid clicking, the game forced you through 5 minutes of dialogue that could not be skipped. This was literally intended to annoy the player and discourage them from resetting the game in the future.
Durability, weight limit, uh, stamine outside combat, expiration on items, junk items that serve no purpose, locking basic abilities behind pointless perk systems
Forced tutorials. Yes, I know how to look around in the game, I’ve played games with mouselook since that was something you needed to enable with a console command in the original Quake – *and you knew this because I am replaying this very game and have another savegame stored already!*
Uneeded minigames. I was getting so tired of that opening door charm minigame in Hogarts Legacy.
Micro transactions
Simply exists to annoy people.
Escort missions. Can go to hell and who ever think it´s a good idea should get fired.
MMO games and some AAA singel player games have copied the shitty mechanic of having a dot/square of some color on all the F-ing menues to indicate hey you got new loot or new mail or new this and that. It´s like they think every gamer are so utterly stupid. Oh I picked up new loot I wonder where it went I better check the email maybe it´s there or maybe it´s in the map section I don´t know because im utterly stupid.
Auto-saves that don’t work properly