Complete Resource Depletion

The temporary or permanent absence of a type of resource in a game.

Resources of various kinds are used in most games. In some games, such resources can be created or consumed and when all resources of a type have been consumed so none are available to players they experience Complete Resource Depletion.

Examples

Players of Chess can experience Complete Resource Depletion since they may lose all their pieces except for the king.

The Warcraft series provides a weaker example of Complete Resource Depletion since all gold mines may be emptied in prolonged games, but players still have other ways of gaining more gold.

Using the pattern

Complete Resource Depletion is a way of designing games so specific Resources while not be available for use. However, it can be set up so it only lasts for certain periods of time.

Ensuring Complete Resource Depletion consist of making sure existing Resources are used up quicker than new ones are acquired. This can be most surely be achieved through having Non-Renewable Resources together with requiring the use of Consumers (or having Consumers that players don't control that continuously use up the Resources). Just having Consumers and less productive Producers can also work as long as the consumption can be guaranteed to be higher than the production.

Consequences

Complete Resource Depletion can create Entrenching Gameplay or initiate Endgame phases due to the different circumstances for gameplay when specific Resources have been exhausted. When the lack of Resources make certain actions available, this may hinder competition between players and thereby force Tied Results.

When the lack of certain Resources signify the end of game instances, players can use Complete Resource Depletion as a means of causing Speedending.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Endgame, Entrenching Gameplay, Speedending, Tied Results

Can Modulate

Resources

Can Be Instantiated By

Consumers together with Non-Renewable Resources

Consumers together with less productive Producers

Can Be Modulated By

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Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

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History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

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Acknowledgements

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