Ability Losses

The event of losing the abilities of performing certain actions in a game.

This pattern is a still a stub.

The choice of Focus Loci affects how player's can experience Ability Loss. If the Privileged Abilities are provided by Avatars or Characters, the loss is typically either due to the end of a Time Limit in the case of Power-Ups or a Penalty for losing a Life or losing Ownership of Tools.

Games do not have to let players have the same possibility of actions the whole game. Such Ability Losses may be the cause of Penalties for failing goals or the effect of opponents' actions, but may also simply be due to different play modes.

Examples

Respawning in multiplayer first-person shooters is typically done without any weapons, and the special abilities they provided, gained in earlier gameplay.

Game masters in roleplaying games can sometimes be forced to invent events that are unavoidable to the players to strip them of equipment that gives the abilities that disrupt the game balance.

RoboRally

Space Alert

Using the pattern

The design of Ability Losses consists of deciding what actions are lost and the reason for the losses, typically Penalties for failing goals.

A loss of ability affects Player Balance. If the lost ability was possessed by most or all players, it is a Penalty, but if the ability was a Privileged Ability and other players did not have other forms of actions that equaled the lost ability in value, the loss can affirm Player Balance and is a Balancing Effect if explicitly designed. The Penalty of Ability Loss can also be mitigated by having a Time Limit on the loss or by giving the same player New Abilities within other areas.

Besides Penalties, Ability Losses may be the natural affect of New Abilities that had Time Limits. Other causes for Ability Losses can be Spawning after losing a Life or Role Reversals where the losses of some abilities are usually countered by New Abilities in other Competence Areas. If the Ability Losses severely affect how players can complete goals, they hinder them to have a Perceived Chance to Succeed and any Illusion of Influence.

In games with Game Masters, Ability Losses may be the outcome of Negotiation with the players in order to restore Player Balance and provide theRight Level of Difficulty.

Game Items,

Can Instantiate

, Environmental Effects, Traps

with Time Limits

Cooldown

with Environmental Effects or Game Items

Traps

Can Be Instantiated By

Debuffs, Evolving Rule Sets, Game Masters

Can Be Modulated By

Time Limits

Narrative Aspects

Ability Losses are not commonly used to advance Narrative Structures unless they are Ultra-Powerful Events, since players may see goals in resisting the loss, especially in games that support Save-Load Cycles. One reason for enforcing these types of Ability Losses in Narrative Structures is as part of Character Development. When the losses are part of the game story, they do provide a form of Varied Gameplay, as players have to adjust to a Limited Set of Actions, which may be used to modulate theRight Level of Difficulty. However, Ability Losses may be enforced by a game design to ensure a Narrative Structure, although this may be in conflict with a Consistent Reality Logic, for example, making it impossible to attack shopkeepers in computer-based roleplaying games when it is possible to attack monsters.

Consequences

Ability Losses are common as Penalties, e.g. those caused by the effects of Damage. Losing Abilities naturally creates or restricts a Limited Set of Actions for players and thereby players' their Freedom of Choice and most likely negatively affect any Exaggerated Perception of Influence they may have. When Ability Losses are temporary in the sense that they some how can be regained, the pattern creates Gain Competence goals.

The losses can be on an Avatar or Unit level or be applied on a player generally, but regardless of this may cause Competence Areas to be lost. When Ability Losses are related to Abstract Player Constructs or Characters, these loses can be seen as (negative) Abstract Player Construct or Character Development; Ability Losses can also modulate other Character Development, e.g. having some actions being taboo after having joined specific Factions. In extreme cases, Ability Losses may cause players to have Downtime, which is equal to Player Killing if the loss is temporary and equal to Player Elimination if it is permanent. However, Ability Losses may reduce the complexity of a game while increasing the difficulty, thereby being able to modulate both Complex and Challenging Gameplay.

Although Ability Losses may be Penalties, they can provide Balancing Effects. When combined with New Abilities, this pair can be balanced in itself and require players to consider both the Risk/Reward and the Tradeoffs associated with losing one Ability to gain another.

The possibility of Ability Losses for Units can give rise to Continuous Goals of trying to Evade and Survive. This happens when players have some Units with Abilities that other Units under his or her control do not have, and can loss the Units. This can still occur if Units are under Indirect Control, as the loss may not be so severe since control may be possible to regain.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Abstract Player Construct Development, Balancing Effects, Character Development, Downtime, Environmental Effects, Gain Competence, Penalties, Player Elimination, Player Killing, Traps

with New Abilities

Risk/Reward, Tradeoffs

with Time Limits

Cooldown

with Units

Continuous Goals, Evade, Survive

Can Modulate

Abilities, Avatars, Challenging Gameplay, Character Development, Complex Gameplay, Freedom of Choice, Game Items, Limited Set of Actions, Units

Can Be Instantiated By

Debuffs, Evolving Rule Sets, Game Masters

Can Be Modulated By

Time Limits

Possible Closure Effects

-

Potentially Conflicting With

Competence Areas, Exaggerated Perception of Influence

History

An updated version of the pattern Ability Losses that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.