Tiny Details We Take for Granted, But Make No Sense.

[Piecewise]

Want something we take for granted but that makes absolutely no sense what-so-ever?

In fallout, and many other rpgs, I can learn how to hack computers by doing nothing but Shooting bandits. Better yet, I can learn very specific scientific facts and concepts by shooting the same bandits. Maybe it's like highlander and I'm absorbing their knowledge.

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

The first game I ever played with the 'two magic rings and one necklace' rule explained it away by saying that too many magical items on one wearer would start interfering with each other.

As for other details, it's been pointed out a million times, but basically anything to do with health. How exactly does a first aid kit (ie. bandages and antiseptic) allow a person to instantly recover from a bullet wound? Even full-on medical surgery doesn't do that without allowing time for natural recuperation. And why is my normal human character recovering from said grievous wounds in a matter of seconds like he/she's bloody Wolverine? And even if there's an explanation for the regeneration (future armour technology, nano-machines, he's Wolverine etc), how is my character coping with having his/her flesh and organs torn apart and rapidly repaired dozens of times per hour?

See, with medkits I can't explain it, but with regenerating health I can. I don't see the strawberry jam covering the screen as an indicator I'm wounded, but rather as a sort of suppression meter. The more red it is, the more suppressed I am, until I actually do get shot, in which case I die. It actually makes a lot more sense if you think about it that way.

 

[Mestraal]

Why does the door always open when I kill all the enemies? Surely when going through the dungeon, it's not really in the best interests of the boss to go and think 'Oh, he's killed all my minions...I'll let him into the next room now' Keep the door locked, and I'm just some guy trapped in a room full of corpses.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

Way back in the pen and paper days of dragon warriors, I think you could wear 4 rings, but only on your left hand. Cause left-handedness was a sign of something unnatural way back when.

Dude, your avatar just made me crap my pants. Congrats.

OT:Yeah I was a little cheesed about that, but I guess it's a fair compromise for being able to change the weather.
I never understood why everything ever made with intent to be evil has a self-destruct button.

i always assume its so they can get rid of the evidence if [insert hero here] turns up and starts taking photos of your thermonuclear nanobot laser beam rifle.

OT: spare magazines. i take out a clip with 5 bullets, put in one with 30. my total ammo was 30. so, what, do i take all the bullets out of the clip and carefully put them into the other one? in the space of a few seconds?

that and weapon storage. i'm carrying around the Uber-Mega Broadsword of Nimple, which weighs a lovely few dozen pounds. not only that, i'm carrying around the Epic-Super Katana of Flipplety which weighs about half that, and a full set of steel armour, and even the helmet will slow your head movements a shitload. i dont care that i'm using hammerspace to store my shit, i hate that i'm basically carrying three people around hanging around my shoulder.

plus, origins. Oblivion: you just got out of a medieval prison, aka a total shithole with crap food. you can also use a sword, magic and travel cross-country without waiting to recover. Half-Life: you're a scientist. last time i checked, most universities don't teach a full heavy-weapons course alongside physics courses.

also, RPG's skill levels. go to a to a training course for martial arts, and when you finish you wont be able to do advanced particle physics (unless you already could). however, in RPGs, you can use swords and level up intelligence. Oblivion is the worsts, because Strength only has an OPTIONAL bigger boost (ie, use swords and you'd have Str+5 OR Int+2). your muscles would get bigger, no matter what.

and the worst part, either armies of computer geniuses or terrible computer security/shitty passwords/encryption keys. play any game that has either a hacking minigame/a 'Hold X To Steal Countless MB Of Classified Intel' mechanic. count how long it takes you to 'Hold X'. in that time, you (i assume) broke through a firewall, searched through the database for the correct files, connect to your team/army/squads server, send the files directly to them and let them decrypt the information. you'd think the militant terrorist group would at least turn off the power in the event of a break in, except the security system. and it always seem that the security alarms come on JUST AFTER you steal the info.

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

Oh, to the people talking about weapon reloads....

There's this thing called a tactical reload. It's where you replace the magazine with a fresh one and then place that semi-empty mag back in your plate carrier/LBV. It's a way of reloading a fresh 30 rounder and retaining the rest of the ammunition in the magazine currently in your gun. Most militaries should teach you this as it's extremely useful in a combat situation.

So, the whole, I keep my rounds after I reload thing isn't that impossible. I mean, eventually you do get down to a magazine with less than 30 rounds, simulating that magazine from earlier that still had some ammunition left in it.
A game that really does this well is Red Orchestra.

 

[Panzervaughn]

Oh, to the people talking about weapon reloads....

There's this thing called a tactical reload. It's where you replace the magazine with a fresh one and then place that semi-empty mag back in your plate carrier/LBV. It's a way of reloading a fresh 30 rounder and retaining the rest of the ammunition in the magazine currently in your gun. Most militaries should teach you this as it's extremely useful in a combat situation.

So, the whole, I keep my rounds after I reload thing isn't that impossible. I mean, eventually you do get down to a magazine with less than 30 rounds, simulating that magazine from earlier that still had some ammunition left in it.
A game that really does this well is Red Orchestra.

Socom2 didnt have you so much reload as swap clips, so if you fired off random ammounts, then reloded, you'd still have X in that clip. Very dangerous if you relaoded carelessly, and end up reloading in the middle of a firefight alot, because you left 2 bullets in a clip. =D

 

[Odd Water]

There are a lot of details I find weird. Like how the original Assassins Creed had everyone screaming out that you were an assassin the second you accidentally stood on a pottery table instead of pressing against is.

Or how Ezio doesn't dislocate his shoulder whenever he does the Ledge Grab moves.

For me what got me the most in Assassins Creed was running and bumping into people or making them drop things seemed to be an offense where guards would kill you over. Could you picture a big city like New York or something where everyone that bumped into each other on the streets the cops would shoot on sight?

 

[Odd Water]

and the worst part, either armies of computer geniuses or terrible computer security/shitty passwords/encryption keys. play any game that has either a hacking minigame/a 'Hold X To Steal Countless MB Of Classified Intel' mechanic. count how long it takes you to 'Hold X'. in that time, you (i assume) broke through a firewall, searched through the database for the correct files, connect to your team/army/squads server, send the files directly to them and let them decrypt the information. you'd think the militant terrorist group would at least turn off the power in the event of a break in, except the security system. and it always seem that the security alarms come on JUST AFTER you steal the info.

Hold X to Hack Computer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn_wS497CIQ&feature=player_detailpage#t=121s

Or pretty much every other video Freddy Wong does makes fun of issues like that.

 

[ShindoL Shill]

and the worst part, either armies of computer geniuses or terrible computer security/shitty passwords/encryption keys. play any game that has either a hacking minigame/a 'Hold X To Steal Countless MB Of Classified Intel' mechanic. count how long it takes you to 'Hold X'. in that time, you (i assume) broke through a firewall, searched through the database for the correct files, connect to your team/army/squads server, send the files directly to them and let them decrypt the information. you'd think the militant terrorist group would at least turn off the power in the event of a break in, except the security system. and it always seem that the security alarms come on JUST AFTER you steal the info.

Hold X to Hack Computer.
Or pretty much every other video Freddy Wong does makes fun of issues like that.

thats pretty much what i was thinking of when i wrote that part.
bzw, fixed the embed.

 

[Saltyk]

Why is it that in a lot of RPGs I can walk right into a person's house. I'm not talking about walking right into a shopkeeper's store. Obviously they won't mind. I'm talking about walking into a random guys home. Think about it. If someone you didn't know walked into your house right now, what would you do? But these people don't mind some random guy walking right in. Even in games like Fable, they are okay with that. And then you can start looking around opening random treasure chests that happen to be in their living room and taking the contents. No worries. That doesn't make sense.

"dear hide the good silverware.. that adventurer guy is comming back to loot the place just dont make eye contact and pretend you dont notice when he goes through our stuff and he wont kill us"

Okay. This made me laugh. Thanks, I needed it.

Why is it that in a lot of RPGs I can walk right into a person's house. I'm not talking about walking right into a shopkeeper's store. Obviously they won't mind. I'm talking about walking into a random guys home. Think about it. If someone you didn't know walked into your house right now, what would you do? But these people don't mind some random guy walking right in. Even in games like Fable, they are okay with that. And then you can start looking around opening random treasure chests that happen to be in their living room and taking the contents. No worries. That doesn't make sense.

were you thinking of this per chance?

No, but I am now. It's so true. And seriously, why would he need her wedding dress?

 

[Jodah]

I played a game ages ago, I cannot recall the name, but it said that more than two rings would interfere with each other or explode killing everyone in twenty miles. I always used that as the reasoning.

 

[Ranorak]

I played a game ages ago, I cannot recall the name, but it said that more than two rings would interfere with each other or explode killing everyone in twenty miles. I always used that as the reasoning.

That's not a reason not to wear them, that's a reason to keep a spare and hold the country for ransom.

 

[xvbones]

We all know that in stories, we should have some sort of willing suspension of disbelief. Especially in Fantasy or Science-Fiction.

Yes, we know that a Light Saber can't exist in that way, The Light wouldn't know when to stop.
But we're willing to see beyond that. Mostly because it's freaking cool.

that's not actually meant to be 'light' so much as it is meant to be plasma.

they are not really the same thing.

But the other day, while playing Oblivion, I noticed another thing we willingly disbelieve, or even take for granted.
My Character just found a new shiny magic ring. And by found, I mean stolen.
But I was already wearing two rings. So, my thieving character decided it was in good manners to follow the law of "You Can Only Have Two Rings On You At All Times."
Why?
Why can't I wear 10?
It's simply possible, it doesn't need some loophole to do.
It makes sense. 10 magic rings are better then 2.

But yet, in almost no RPG can you wear more then 2 rings.
It's never explained why that is, or hinted that they don't function with more.

because being able to wear ten incredibly powerful enchantments at the same time breaks the game.

the choice is either restrict the player to one per hand
or
each ring must be one fifth as powerful.

or else the game breaks.

the one per hand option is generally assumed to be far less annoying.

I played a game ages ago, I cannot recall the name, but it said that more than two rings would interfere with each other or explode killing everyone in twenty miles. I always used that as the reasoning.

That's not a reason not to wear them, that's a reason to keep a spare and hold the country for ransom.

because nothing says "i hold all the cards" more than guaranteed suicide.