Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
213,684
edits
Critical Encumbrance Failure: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
m (→Tabletop Games) |
No edit summary |
||
| (3 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
[[File:critical encumbrance failure 1417.png|frame|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122075533/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/namegame/9247-Carry-That-Weight]]
{{quote|''You '''can't carry''' any more! One more item to lug around and you might just collapse in a heap of swag.''|''[[The World Ends With You]]''}}
Line 10:
The weight-related version of [[Critical Existence Failure]].
{{examples}}
==
* Parodied at the beginning of ''[[Pyramids]]'' when Teppic chooses the gear he plans to take on his final examination. He has no problem adding to the hardware that he's carrying, but when he finally finishes making his selections, he falls over due to the weight.
* In ''[[GURPS]]'' progressively heavier loads make you slower and easier to hit (none, light, medium, heavy, extra-heavy). There's even one step beyond that but it costs fatigue every second.▼
* In the original ''[[Heavy Gear]]'' game, the customization feature included the "load" limit, where the "load" was how heavy all the stuff you were tacking on the Gear was. The "maximum load" was determined by the Gear's parts, i.e. an Assault Gear like a Kodiak or a King Cobra would have a higher maximum load than a Scout Gear like a Cheetah or a Gila. One could approach the maximum load limit as close as they can without any consequences, but as soon as that limit is breached, even by a small amount, the top speed of the gear drops exponentially. You could have a Gear that can reach 72KPH suddenly have its speed reduced to 16KPH after you bolt on that machine gun. The manual also states that if the load exceeds the maximum by a substantial amount, the Gear would also incur stress on its internal structure, which probably means more damage if the armor is penetrated.▼
* In ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' depends on the edition, mostly there are wide encumbrance categories each with associated penalties.▼
* ''[[Stars Without Number]]'' counts Encumbrance points for items (very small things and light clothes don't count at all), carrying ½× Strength of "Readied" (in hands, holsters, etc) + 1× Strength of "Stowed" items (in backpacks, etc) is free, then 2+4 while Lightly Encumbered and another 2+4 Heavily Encumbered, which gives movement penalties.▼
* ''[[Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay]]'' has carry/lift/push limits, defined by the sum of Toughness and Strength bonuses. Weight up to carrying limit is free, between carrying and lifting limits the character is Encumbered (reduced movement, penalty to movement Tests, regular Toughness Test required to avoid fatigue), above lifting limit it requires Strength Tests and spending Actions.▼
== [[Video Games]] ==
=== Adventure Games ===
* In ''[[Quest for Glory]]'', the game outright warns you when you're over-encumbered, which makes your character move at a snail's pace. However, one can increase the encumbrance limit by working on the hero's Strength.
=== First Person Shooter ===
* ''[[Halo]]'' follows standard FPS procedure and limits you to two weapons, so it isn't an example, but the novel ''The Flood'' lampshades it; as the Chief is thinking choosing between a sniper rifle or a rocket launcher in addition to his assault rifle, but then reasons that “Carrying all three of them would be impractical, not to mention damned heavy.”
** Although the game attempts to subvert this, a player could theoretically have three weapons available. However, to do this, they would have to constantly move towards their next objective, while at the same time constantly throwing away the second weapon to pick up the third weapon. Doing this repeatedly makes the player throw the current weapon forwards, while picking up the new one. So if you really want that rocket launcher to shoot at the Covenant tank in the next area, you'll have to keep throwing it forward. It's not very [[Awesome but Impractical|practical]] however.
=== MMORPGs ===
* ''[[Ragnarok Online]]'' plays it completely straight; picking up one tiny item can completely shut down all health and mana regen if it bumps you over half your maximum weight, or prevent you from attacking at all if it bumps you over 90%.
* In ''[[Shattered Galaxy]]'', which doesn't have random drops (being a [[Real Time Strategy]] game,) units are equipped at the Factory and sent into battle. You have to meet ''two'' Critical Encumbrance Failure limits, “Weight” and “Space,” and a “Complexity” limit that is determined by which onboard computer you give the unit (which, of course, adds to Weight).
Line 30 ⟶ 36:
=== Roguelike ===
* ''[[Nethack]]'' has various levels of encumbrance, which increasingly limit your movement - burdened, strained, stressed, overtaxed (when you can't walk), and overloaded (when you can barely move your arms).
* Same with ''[[ADOM]]'', except when you're Overloaded! adding one more thing can crush you. Normally not a problem if you're in a safe area, but if you picked up the (self-replicating) si - [[The Many Deaths of You|*squish*]].
Line 39 ⟶ 44:
=== Mecha Game ===
* ''[[Armored Core]]'' is notorious of this. Being overweight either slows your mech down like heck or it is disallowed to sortie at all. The latter is common in the first series while the former is featured in games post 2 continuity.
* The ''[[Naval Ops]]'' series does this with ships. While increasing weight will slow a ship down a bit, go just one unit over the hull's weight limit and the ship won't work. Probably because it can't float anymore.
Line 45 ⟶ 49:
=== Role Playing Games ===
* Most games by Bethesda
** ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' series. This is amusing, but potentially fatal when you're close to the limit, and the arrow you've just been struck with puts you over and you become rooted to the spot.<ref>As well as the jarringly sudden immobility, ''Morrowind'' reduces your jump height and ''Oblivion'' reduces jump height and running speed as you become encumbered.</ref> Made particularly obvious with the [[Useless Useful Spell]], Burden, which artificially increases a character's encumbrance. Sadly no enemy is ever close to the tipping point so this spell only harms players.
Line 64 ⟶ 67:
=== Simulation Games ===
* ''[[Dwarf Fortress]]'' has encumbrance tiers that slow creatures down for each tier crossed. Dwarves can even carry stone boxes filled with heavy metal bars on their own, but take forever to do so. This is particularly aggravating when traders turn up with a large amount of heavy objects loaded onto one of their wagons; they won't allow trading until every wagon has been unloaded at the trade depot, and in some cases they've been known to pack up and leave again before the overloaded wagon gets anywhere near.
* In ''[[Lost in Blue]]'', each character has a twenty-slot inventory. This leads to bizarre occasions where the characters can somehow [[GameFAQs|shove twenty logs down their ass]], but only be able to carry twenty leaves.
=== Turn Based Strategy ===
* ''[[Jagged Alliance|Jagged Alliance 2]]'' subverts this trope, by increasing the "fatigue" cost of actions proportionally to the character's total carried weight. Having 134% weight means losing 34% fatigue points more than normal. However, you don't get a bonus for carrying less than 100%...
* ''[[X-COM]]'' and ''[[UFO: After Blank]]'' have something similar - soldiers who are overloaded suffer a Time Unit penalty. However, since [[Charles Atlas Superpower|encumbrance is a function of improvable physical strength]], eventually that penalty will go away.
Line 77 ⟶ 78:
=== Wide Open Sandbox ===
* ''[[STALKER|S.T.A.L.K.E.R.]]'' plays this trope kind of straight—your agility varies with weight, but the moment you're carrying a single gram over 50.0 kilograms you can't run for more than a very short time. At exactly 60.0 Kg you can't move at all without a [[Power Armor|powered exoskeleton]].
==
* ''[[Cracked.com]]'''s #12 [https://web.archive.org/web/20140804002112/http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_388_27-science-lessons-as-taught-by-famous-video-games_p2/ Science Lesson As Taught by Famous Video Games] is "A human being able to lift 300 kg as if it were nothing but not 301 kg".▼
▲* In [[GURPS]] progressively heavier loads make you slower and easier to hit (none, light, medium, heavy, extra-heavy). There's even one step beyond that but it costs fatigue every second.
▲* In the original ''[[Heavy Gear]]'' game, the customization feature included the "load" limit, where the "load" was how heavy all the stuff you were tacking on the Gear was. The "maximum load" was determined by the Gear's parts, i.e. an Assault Gear like a Kodiak or a King Cobra would have a higher maximum load than a Scout Gear like a Cheetah or a Gila. One could approach the maximum load limit as close as they can without any consequences, but as soon as that limit is breached, even by a small amount, the top speed of the gear drops exponentially. You could have a Gear that can reach 72KPH suddenly have its speed reduced to 16KPH after you bolt on that machine gun. The manual also states that if the load exceeds the maximum by a substantial amount, the Gear would also incur stress on its internal structure, which probably means more damage if the armor is penetrated.
▲* In ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' depends on the edition, mostly there are wide encumbrance categories each with associated penalties.
▲* ''[[Stars Without Number]]'' counts Encumbrance points for items (very small things and light clothes don't count at all), carrying ½× Strength of "Readied" (in hands, holsters, etc) + 1× Strength of "Stowed" items (in backpacks, etc) is free, then 2+4 while Lightly Encumbered and another 2+4 Heavily Encumbered, which gives movement penalties.
▲* ''[[Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay]]'' has carry/lift/push limits, defined by the sum of Toughness and Strength bonuses. Weight up to carrying limit is free, between carrying and lifting limits the character is Encumbered (reduced movement, penalty to movement Tests, regular Toughness Test required to avoid fatigue), above lifting limit it requires Strength Tests and spending Actions.
▲* ''[[Cracked.com]]'''s #12 [http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_388_27-science-lessons-as-taught-by-famous-video-games_p2/ Science Lesson As Taught by Famous Video Games] is "A human being able to lift 300 kg as if it were nothing but not 301 kg".
* A purse or backpack only needs an additional 300g (10 oz) to go from safe to carry to being heavy enough that it'll cause fairly severe back and shoulder pain after a short amount of time.
** Not to mention being as good as a cinder brick on a chain in a bargain brawl.
Line 99 ⟶ 89:
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]▼
[[Category:Acceptable Breaks From Reality]]
[[Category:CRPG Tropes]]
▲[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
| |||