Video games often follow simple rules: if an enemy hits you, you lose a life; a monster that spots you attacks you immediately, etc. However, if these rules are applied strictly, some situations can become insurmountable. As a player, you then feel that what is happening to you is unfair and that the game has not given you the slightest chance to get out of it honestly. That's why, in video games, reality is often not what you think it is.
In fact, to optimize the player experience, designers often use hidden tricks and systems. The principle behind these systems is that you are not supposed to be aware of their existence, but without them, you would sometimes find the game unfair. If you're not afraid to learn the secrets behind certain magic tricks, let's take a look at some examples of systems that have been hidden from you.
Bioshock
Bioshock is an excellent example, as many elements have been incorporated to make combat easier, while giving the illusion of increased difficulty. First of all, be aware that enemies always miss their first shot, always! This gives you time to turn around when an enemy surprises you.
Similarly, you see the "Big Daddies"? These metal behemoths move more slowly when you're not looking at them, so it's easy to escape them as long as they're out of camera view.
Finally, you should also know that you have more health points than it seems. If an enemy inflicts damage that should be fatal, you gain 2 seconds of invincibility, allowing you to potentially turn the fight around to your advantage. The same kind of system is used in Assassin's Creed and Doom to increase the adrenaline rush in fights where you have "almost no" health left.
The "Big Daddies" are slower when they are not in the camera's field of view.
Resident Evil 4
There are many games that offer a choice of difficulty when you start the game: easy, medium, hard, etc. This is not the case with Resident Evil 4. However, the designers have hidden a simple but powerful feature: the game's difficulty adapts to your level!
If you are comfortable and don't lose any fights, the game will become more difficult. This includes new enemies who will be merciless. Conversely, if you take too much damage, the game will consider that you need to take a breather, and will become easier. These techniques maximize player engagement, because regardless of their skill level, the game adapts to offer a satisfying experience that is neither too complex nor too boring.
Furthermore, since players have learned this secret, some deliberately allow themselves to be hit in order to progress more easily through the game. This is the case, for example, with speedrunners, for whom it will be quicker to complete the game if it offers less resistance.
Resident Evil 4 adapts its difficulty based on your performance.
The coyote effect
If games followed Newton's laws by strictly applying gravity to your character, they would end up on spikes or in bottomless pits much more often. In platform games, designers often use the "coyote effect": you can always jump for a short time after exceeding the limits of the platform. This method, named after the cartoon effects in Looney Toons, prevents players from becoming frustrated by imposing strict physics that can sometimes be misleading.
The coyote effect allows you to exceed the physical limits of the system.
Avoiding boredom
When you play a game, you expect a certain level of resistance from it. If nothing happens or if it's too easy to progress through the game, you'll often give up because it's too boring. To counter this, designers use different methods. The most common is called rubberbanding. It consists of giving an (apparently unfair) advantage to computer-controlled characters if you are too far above their level. For example, if you are playing Mario Kart alone against the console and you remain in first place for a while, the other characters will get a speed bonus in the hope of making the game more interesting.
Another example is the game Alien: Isolation. In this game, you play Amanda Ripley on a spaceship, and you are being hunted by an alien. If the alien finds you, you die. To prevent you from resting on your laurels, the developers decided to give the alien dual artificial intelligence. One of these AIs constantly knows where you are on the ship! The other AI, which controls the body, will have to search more thoroughly in the hope of actually finding you.
Beware of Artificial Intelligence, it cheats!
Limiting injustice
When you play a video game, you expect it to be fair to you, to give you a chance. If you are attacked from all sides without having any chance to fight back, you will consider the game to be unfair. That is why many systems are put in place to avoid or minimize unfair situations.
For example, in Hellblade: Seuna's Sacrifice, your attackers must literally reserve a ticket with the game and wait their turn before they can attack you! This prevents you from ending up with 10 enemies on your back, which would become unmanageable for the vast majority of players.
There is also the concept of fairness in multiplayer modes. In a multiplayer battle, it would seem logical that everyone should fight on equal terms. However, in Gears of War, the developers realized that 90% of players who didn't kill anyone in their first game would simply never play multiplayer again. That's why in Gears of War multiplayer, novices have a damage bonus that gradually fades during their first few games, improving their chances of killing another player and thus not feeling overwhelmed by the level of the others.
In Hellblade, enemies wait their turn to attack you. Nice!
Conclusion
All of these techniques could be considered cheating, and you may be disappointed to learn what is really going on behind the scenes (I did warn you!). However, all of these techniques have been implemented with the aim of improving the player experience. If they are invisible, so much the better! The primary goal is to help you enjoy the game, without worrying about what is true or false, or what is difficult or not. Let yourself be guided!
Resources:
Good Game Design is like a Magic Trick
What Capcom Didn't Tell You About Resident Evil 4
