Difference between revisions of "Time Limits"

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[[Category:Patterns]]
 
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[[Category:Dynamic Patterns]]
 
[[Category:Dynamic Patterns]]
 
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[[Category:Needs references]]
''The Time Limit for completing an action, reaching a goal, staying in a certain mode of play, or finishing a game session has a limit based on either game time or real time.''
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''An amount of time, either game time or real time, used in determining if players complete an action, reach a goal, stay in a certain mode of play, or finish a game session.''
  
 
Many games put limits on how long players can plan or perform certain actions while other put limits on how long the game as a whole can take. By doing so they can guarantee that the game progresses according to some planned design or that the gaming activity will be concluded before a certain time. The latter can can also be used to create end conditions in game where there otherwise would be none. The measurement of time can be either in game time or real time, or both although limits in game time only influences rather than controls the length of play and game sesions.
 
Many games put limits on how long players can plan or perform certain actions while other put limits on how long the game as a whole can take. By doing so they can guarantee that the game progresses according to some planned design or that the gaming activity will be concluded before a certain time. The latter can can also be used to create end conditions in game where there otherwise would be none. The measurement of time can be either in game time or real time, or both although limits in game time only influences rather than controls the length of play and game sesions.
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=== Examples ===
 
=== Examples ===
In the racing games [[Sega Rally]] and [[Outrun]] gamers have a certain number of seconds to reach the next check point or lose the game. Reaching it in time adds time to reach a new check point, encouraging gamers not only to reach the point within the given time but do it as fast as possible.
+
In the racing games [[Sega Rally]] and [[Out Run]] gamers have a certain number of seconds to reach the next check point or lose the game. Reaching it in time adds time to reach a new check point, encouraging gamers not only to reach the point within the given time but do it as fast as possible.
  
 
[[Soccer]] matches have a time limit of 90 minutes (plus some extra time depending on the judgment of the referees) divided into two periods of 45 minutes. This limits how much physical effort the teams must be able to produce and makes it easier to plan tournaments and media coverages.  
 
[[Soccer]] matches have a time limit of 90 minutes (plus some extra time depending on the judgment of the referees) divided into two periods of 45 minutes. This limits how much physical effort the teams must be able to produce and makes it easier to plan tournaments and media coverages.  
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[[Chess]] tournaments typically have rules regarding [[Time Limits]], both for making a move and for the whole time available for a player.
 
[[Chess]] tournaments typically have rules regarding [[Time Limits]], both for making a move and for the whole time available for a player.
  
The final parts of campaigns in the [[Left 4 Dead Series]] typically end with pitched stands where the gamers need to survive for a certain amount of time. Although the time is fixed it is not revealed until it is passed and a vehicle taking the PCs to safety shows up. In the survival modes games of the same series the goal for players to still be alive after 4 or more minutes to meet the goal conditions but in this case the time survived is shown clearly in the interface.
+
The final parts of campaigns in the [[Left 4 Dead series]] typically end with pitched stands where the gamers need to survive for a certain amount of time. Although the time is fixed it is not revealed until it is passed and a vehicle taking the PCs to safety shows up. In the survival modes games of the same series the goal for players to still be alive after 4 or more minutes to meet the goal conditions but in this case the time survived is shown clearly in the interface.
  
 
[[Ricochet Robots]] gives the other gamers a limited amount of time to find better solutions to the game's movement puzzles after one has been given by one of the gamers. This provides a chain of [[Time Limits]] in the game until all gamers fail to find a better solution.
 
[[Ricochet Robots]] gives the other gamers a limited amount of time to find better solutions to the game's movement puzzles after one has been given by one of the gamers. This provides a chain of [[Time Limits]] in the game until all gamers fail to find a better solution.
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== Using the pattern ==
 
== Using the pattern ==
[[Time Limits]] can be introduced implicitly or explicitly in a game. Basically all [[Real-Time Games]] or games providing the pattern [[The Show Must Go On]] have implicit limits on how much time one has available for some actions or before [[Penalties]] occur due to the actions of other players or [[Enemies]] but can be understood rather as conflicts or competitions with these adversaries. An archetypal examples of this is [[Races]] where one needs to finish something quicker than other players but experience of [[Competition]] can easily overshadow the experience of [[Time Limits]]. If it is important that implicit [[Time Limits]] are perceived by players as such other means exist. On possibility is to make available [[Resources]] unavailable after a certain time, something that often occurs naturally with [[Shared Resources]] through other players' exploitation of the [[Resources]] (and in this fashion is an example of the [[Social Dilemmas|Social Dilemma]] Tragedy of the Commons).  
+
[[Time Limits]] are usually meant as something that one needs to complete an action or goal before is it becomes a failure, but [[Continuous Goals]] are exceptions to the rule.
  
[[Time Limits]] are usually easy to make explicit both from a deigetic and interface viewpoint, see those subsections for more details.
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The existence of [[Time Limits]] can be introduced implicitly or explicitly in a game. Basically all [[Real-Time Games]] or games providing the pattern [[The Show Must Go On]] have implicit limits on how much time one has available for some actions or before [[Penalties]] occur due to the actions of other players or [[Enemies]] but can be understood rather as conflicts or competitions with these adversaries. Even if these mechanics do not exist in games, social pressure from other players wishing to avoid [[Downtime]] typically creates implicit [[Time Limits]] in [[Multiplayer Games]]. In contrast, [[Time Limits]] may not exist in [[Single-Player Games]] unless explicitly designed for, but may also be needed to be mechanized in [[Multiplayer Games]] to provide [[Player Balance]], commonly-shared [[Time Pressure]], or time-limited [[Private Game Spaces]]. Linking any type of [[Time Limits|Time Limit]] to [[Game Over]] event or [[Player Elimination]] are very explicit ways of focusing players' attention to the [[Time Limits]] - and used in [[:Category:Racing Games|Racing Games]] such as the [[Out Run]] and the [[Sega Rally series]].[[Time Limits]] can also be applied to [[Scenes]], limiting how long they may take. Letting players have more time as the consequence of actions they have performed form the basis of [[Sustenance Rewards]].
  
Both how time progresses in the real world or in number of updates in the game state can be used as the basis for [[Time Limits]].  
+
An archetypal example of a [[Time Limits|Time Limit]] is the need to hurry due to the presence of others in [[Races]] - one needs to finish something quicker than other players but the experience of [[Competition]] can easily overshadow the experience of [[Time Limits]]. If it is important that this implicit [[Time Limits]] are perceived by players as such other means exist. The simplest is to introduce explicit [[Time Limits]] to [[Races]] (as e.g. the [[Sega Rally series]] does), which is an example of how [[Time Limits]] can modulate the [[Races]] patterns in addition to being created by it. Another possibility is to make available [[Resources]] unavailable after a certain time, something that often occurs naturally with [[Shared Resources]] through other players' exploitation of the [[Resources]] (and in this fashion is an example of the [[Social Dilemmas|Social Dilemma]] Tragedy of the Commons). [[Ultra-Powerful Events]] and [[Delayed Effects]] that are announced significantly before they occur but without measures when they will occur are yet another possibility. Receiving [[Damage]] after one has been in an environment for a certain period of time is a way to link [[Time Limits]] (or [[Delayed Effects]]) to [[Environmental Effects]]. [[Interruptible Actions]] with [[Development Time]] that offers [[Preventing Goals]] for others can also be perceived as having [[Time Limits]] since unless they are completed quickly the risks of not completing them may increase, and the likelihood of this perception can be increased by both [[Goal Indicators]] and [[Progress Indicators]]. The [[Time Limits]] in a game are usually easy to make explicit both from a diegetic and interface viewpoint, see those subsections for more details.
  
[[Time Limits]] are somewhat cumbersome to use in Self-Facilitated Games unless the measuring of the time is designed as an integral part of the gameplay. Game Pauses with Real-Time Games can disrupt the effect of Time Limits for reaching goals and performing actions. For example, if the player is allowed to pause the game in [[Tetris]] the natural Time Limit on planning is destroyed.
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[[Time Limits]] can also be the effect of changes in [[Game Worlds]], e.g. having to leave areas due to triggered [[Traps]], dissolving [[Tiles]], or countdowns for when [[Safe Havens]] no longer are safe. The pattern can also be used to guarantee maximum gameplay time spend on specific types of actions, e.g. [[Trading]] and [[Puzzle Solving]].  
  
Modulating [[Tension]] for reaching goals with [[Time Limits]] requires that the players are given clear indications of the goals with [[Goal Indicators]] and also that there is [[Game State Indicators]] of the time left or at least [[Progress Indicators]] of how much the players have achieved so far. [[Progress Indicators]] are also useful when the [[Time Limits]] are used in [[Delayed Effects]]. A slightly special case of this kind of modulation is to have [[Time Limits]] on the life time of [[Ephemeral Goals]] where the goal is available for the players only for a certain amount of time during the game.
+
Both how time progresses in the real world or in number of updates in the game state can be used as the basis for [[Time Limits]] making the pattern possible in both [[Real-Time Games]] and [[Turn-Based Games]]. It can even be used twice in [[Tick-Based Games]], to limit the number of ticks available besides the mandatory use of limiting the length of each tick. [[Time Limits]] in [[Real-Time Games]] are however somewhat cumbersome to use in [[Self-Facilitated Games]] unless the measuring of the time is designed as an integral part of the gameplay since it requires a form of [[Attention Swapping]] between gameplay and game facilitation. [[Game Pauses]] in [[Real-Time Games]] can disrupt the effect of [[Time Limits]] in planning is a noticeable part of reaching goals and performing actions. For example, if players are allowed to pause the game in [[Tetris]] the natural stress that makes planning more difficult disappears.
  
[[Power-Ups]] and [[Penalties]] for the players often use [[Time Limits]] to balance the gameplay and provide more [[Varied Gameplay]]. [[Time Limits]] can be used with [[Privileged Actions]] to create [[Cooldown]] periods, but also with [[New Abilities]], [[Improved Abilities]], [[Decreased Abilities]], [[Ability Losses]], and [[Game Pauses]] make these temporary and thereby support [[Player Balance]] and [[Team Balance]] when player skill do not outweigh these. [[Time Limits]] do not only have to concern how long [[Power-Ups]] persist or how long an action lasts but can also be how long it takes before new [[Power-Ups]] appear or the action can be performed again, in both cases determining, in a sense, the interval for [[Renewable Resources]] to appear.
+
[[Power-Ups]] and [[Penalties]] (e.g. [[Helplessness]]) are often used with [[Time Limits]] to balance the gameplay and provide more [[Varied Gameplay]]. [[Time Limits]] can be used with [[Ability Losses]] or [[Decreased Abilities]] to create [[Cooldown]] periods, but also with [[New Abilities]], [[Improved Abilities]], and [[Game Pauses]] to make [[Temporary Abilities]] or support [[Player Balance]] and [[Team Balance]] when player skill do not outweigh these. [[Invulnerabilities]] are often coupled with [[Time Limits]] due to the problems with [[Player Balance|Player]] or [[Team Balance]] with are likely to occur otherwise. When applied to [[Asynchronous Collaborative Actions]], [[Time Limits]] can strengthen the likelihood of [[Tension]] and [[Guilting]] that may already be present.
  
Games in which modes of play or game instances do not have natural end conditions often use [[Time Limits]] as end conditions, e.g. in [[Soccer]] or some [[Quick Games]]. Games with [[Continuous Goals]], such as [[Survive]] or those being [[Preventing Goals]], sometimes use [[Time Limits]] also in similar fashion to determine winning conditions. For example, in [[King of the Hill]] variants the winner is the first player to remain the king for a certain period of time, say three minutes, which also acts as an end condition for the game instance.
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Both [[Switches]] and [[Power-Ups]] are [[Game Items]] quite often modulated by the pattern. [[Time Limits]] do not only have to concern how long [[Power-Ups]] persist or how long an action lasts but can also be how long it takes before new [[Power-Ups]] appear or the action can be performed again, in both cases determining, in a sense, the interval for [[Renewable Resources]] to appear. Games which create [[Traces]] of action and events done during gameplay often have [[Time Limits]] on how long the [[Traces]] remain to avoid having the [[Game Worlds]] becoming overfilled with them.
 +
 
 +
Games in which modes of play or game instances do not have natural end conditions often use [[Time Limits]] as end conditions, e.g. in [[Soccer]] or some [[Quick Games]]. Games with [[Continuous Goals]], such as [[Evade]], [[Survive]], or those being [[Preventing Goals]], sometimes use [[Time Limits]] also in similar fashion to determine winning conditions. For example, in [[King of the Hill]] variants the winner is the first player to remain the king for a certain period of time, say three minutes, which also acts as an end condition for the game instance.
 +
 
 +
[[Time Limits]] may also be used to create [[Optional Goals]] simply be stating that goals that are reached within a certain [[Time Limits|Time Limit]] are provided with additional [[Rewards]]. One use of this possibility is to provide [[Handicap Achievements]] to reward [[Speedruns]] and thereby support more [[Challenging Gameplay]]. Another is to create [[Repeat Combos]] which basically consist of doing the same action several times within the [[Time Limits|Time Limit]] given. [[Time Limits]] before [[Reward Widgets]] are automatically retrieved make it an [[Optional Goals|Optional Goal]] to do so oneself; these goals are typically done due to a desire to experience [[Clickability]], a wish to get extra [[Rewards]], or the strive for complete [[Repeat Combos]]. It also makes [[Grinding]] in respect to these widgets optional.
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[[Game Time Manipulation]] can be used to let players have the possibility of re-using time and thereby either get more time or more efficient use of the time they have been given by the [[Time Limits]].
  
 
=== Diegetic Aspects ===
 
=== Diegetic Aspects ===
[[Time Limits]] are usually quite easy to incorporate in the diegesis of a game since many real-time events typically have noticeable indicators before they occur. These can both be natural occurrences, e.g. rock falls or rising water levels, but also man-made ones, such as countdowns on explosives, which provides game designers with a wide range of possibilities to explain the [[Time Limits]] within the [[Game World]] presentation.  
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[[Time Limits]] are usually quite easy to incorporate in the diegesis of a game since many real-time events typically have noticeable indicators before they occur. These can both be natural occurrences, e.g. rock falls or rising water levels, but also man-made ones, such as countdowns on explosives, which provides game designers with a wide range of possibilities to explain the [[Time Limits]] within the [[Game Worlds|Game World]] presentation.  
  
 
=== Interface Aspects ===
 
=== Interface Aspects ===
If [[Time Limits]] as to be explicitly presented to players in a non-deigetic way this can most easily be done through [[Game State Indicators]]. Note that these may be implicit in the sense that they do not have to show exact measures of how much time is available but can instead show approximations.
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If [[Time Limits]] as to be explicitly presented to players in a non-deigetic way this can most easily be done through [[Game State Indicators]]. [[Progress Indicators]] are also possible when [[Time Limits]] are used in [[Delayed Effects]]. A slightly special case of this kind of modulation is to have [[Time Limits]] on the life time of [[Ephemeral Goals]] where the goal is available for the players only for a certain amount of time during the game. Note that these may be implicit in the sense that they do not have to show exact measures of how much time is available but can instead show approximations.
  
 
== Consequences ==
 
== Consequences ==
[[Time Limits]] make time a [[Resource]], more specifically a [[Limited Resource]], for players. They automatically give players [[Limited Planning Ability]] (regardless if any planning is required), which can give game design the [[Right Level of Difficulty]], and make the players have to accept [[Tradeoffs]] between which actions they want to perform, including evaluating the [[Tradeoffs]] themselves. [[Time Limits]] may also be used to control the contraction of [[Shrinking Game Worlds]], create [[Tick-Based Games]], or limit how often [[Resources]] can be invested when situations where [[Arithmetic Rewards for Investments]] exist. For games that requires [[Player Physical Prowess]] the use of [[Time Limits]] puts a limit to the needed effort, or at least the needed endurance of the players.
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[[Time Limits]] make time a [[Resources|Resource]] for players, more specifically a [[Limited Resources|Limited Resource]] due to the presence of a [[Resource Caps|Resource Cap]], and when the amount of time is little enough create [[Ephemeral Events]]. They automatically give players [[Limited Planning Ability]] (regardless if any planning is required) and thereby limit possibilities for [[Tactical Planning]], and this can give game designs [[Challenging Gameplay]] and make the players have to accept [[Trade-Offs]] between which actions they want to perform, including evaluating the [[Trade-Offs]] themselves. This may also lead to [[Experimenting]] in which a player may try something without great hopes of succeeding but instead aiming at learning something for the next try. When  used to control the contraction of [[Shrinking Game Worlds]] or limit how often [[Resources]] can be invested when situations, [[Time Limits]] create [[Tick-Based Games]] out of [[Turn-Based Games]]. For games that requires [[Player Physical Prowess]] the use of [[Time Limits]] puts a limit to the needed effort, or at least the needed endurance of the players. Generally, [[Time Limits]] can work against the possibility of [[Grinding]] in games since they can limit the amount of time a player can commit to some specific activity.
  
More specifically, [[Time Limits]] can be used for at least three different reasons: first, to create [[Time Pressure]] and [[Tension]] for the players related to achieving a goal or performing some actions in the game; second, to limit the effect of consequences of player actions and game events, such as effects of some types of [[Penalties]], [[Rewards]], and [[Power-Ups]]; and third, to create [[Time Limited Game Instances]], limit the lifespan of specific modes of play or to make [[Tied Results]] possible.  
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More specifically, [[Time Limits]] can be used for at least three different reasons: first, to create [[Time Pressure]] and [[Tension]] for the players related to achieving a goal or performing some actions in the game, e.g [[Aim & Shoot]] or [[Action Programming]] or moving away from [[Traps]] before they activate (which is not the same as having to move away from the effect it may have on the game environment); second, to limit the effect of consequences of player actions and game events, such as effects of some types of [[Penalties]], [[Rewards]], and [[Power-Ups]]; and third, to create [[Time Limited Game Instances]], either to limit the lifespan of specific modes of play or to make [[Tied Results]] possible. This last reasons also supports [[Negotiable Play Sessions]] as well as [[Negotiable Play Sessions]]. Sometimes, [[Time Limits]] can have several of these effects at once, e.g. having [[Time Limits]] before each reduction in size of [[Shrinking Game Worlds]] created both [[Tension]] and [[Time Limited Game Instances]]. Given that [[Time Limits]] force players to consider if they want to try and perform some action or not before the time has run out, the pattern works against [[Pottering]] since they do not have a freedom to select freely when to perform various actions.
  
When the players have some [[Game State Indicators|Game State Indicator]] of how much is left of the [[Time Limit]] naturally creates [[Anticipation]] and sometimes [[Hovering Closures]]. Often [[Time Limits]] are used to have more pressure on the players leave areas in the [[Game World]], such as [[Deadly Traps]] and [[Safe Havens]], or to perform other types of actions, e.g. [[Trading]] and [[Puzzle Solving]]. [[Time Limits]] used for [[Turn Taking]], and [[Game Pauses]] in general, limit the possible [[Downtime]]. [[Time Limits]] on game instances can also alleviate some of the downsides of [[Early Elimination]] as the eliminated players have a clear indication how long that game instance is going to last.
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When the players have some [[Game State Indicators|Game State Indicator]] of how much is left of the [[Time Limit]] naturally creates [[Anticipation]] and sometimes [[Hovering Closures]]. One example of this is having [[Time Limits]] on how long [[Evade]] goals must be succeeded with. These typically create [[Attention Demanding Gameplay]] in themselves when they can be observed and this can make gameplay more [[Challenging Gameplay]] simply because of the [[Attention Swapping]] that may take place between checking the time and actually trying to play the game. [[Time Limits]] used for [[Turn Taking]], and [[Game Pauses]] in general, limit the possible [[Downtime]] and one use for this is to make [[Hotseating]] feasible. [[Time Limits]] on game instances can also alleviate some of the downsides of [[Early Elimination]] as the eliminated players have a clear indication how long that game instance is going to last.
  
 
== Relations ==
 
== Relations ==
 
 
=== Can Instantiate ===
 
=== Can Instantiate ===
[[Resources]], [[Tradeoffs]], [[Limited Planning Ability]], [[Right Level of Difficulty]], [[Limited Resources]], [[Tick-Based Games]]
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[[Attention Demanding Gameplay]],  
 +
[[Attention Swapping]],
 +
[[Challenging Gameplay]], [[Ephemeral Events]],
 +
[[Game Over]],
 +
[[Handicap Achievements]], [[Limited Planning Ability]], [[Limited Resources]],  
 +
[[Negotiable Game Sessions]],
 +
[[Negotiable Play Sessions]],
 +
[[Player Elimination]],
 +
[[Resource Caps]],
 +
[[Resources]],
 +
[[Sustenance Rewards]],
 +
[[Tension]], [[Tick-Based Games]], [[Tied Results]], [[Time Limited Game Instances]], [[Time Pressure]], [[Trade-Offs]]
 +
 
 +
==== with [[Ability Losses]] or [[Decreased Abilities]] ====
 +
[[Cooldown]]
 +
 
 +
==== with [[New Abilities]] ====
 +
[[Temporary Abilities]]
 +
 
 +
==== with [[Rewards]] ====
 +
[[Optional Goals]],
 +
[[Repeat Combos]]
  
 
=== Can Modulate ===
 
=== Can Modulate ===
[[Early Elimination]], [[Continuous Goals]], [[Evade]], [[Race]], [[King of the Hill]], [[Ephemeral Goals]], [[Preventing Goals]], [[New Abilities]], [[Improved Abilities]], [[Decreased Abilities]], [[Ability Losses]], [[Game Pauses]], [[Turn Taking]], [[Puzzle Solving]], [[Empowerment]], [[Tension]], [[Anticipation]], [[Hovering Closures]], [[Resources]], [[Arithmetic Rewards for Investments]], [[Quick Games]], [[Analysis Paralysis]], [[Trading]], [[Renewable Resources]]
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[[Ability Losses]],  
 +
[[Aim & Shoot]],
 +
[[Analysis Paralysis]], [[Anticipation]],
 +
[[Asynchronous Collaborative Actions]],
 +
[[Continuous Goals]], [[Decreased Abilities]], [[Early Elimination]], [[Empowerment]], [[Environmental Effects]],  
 +
[[Ephemeral Goals]], [[Evade]], [[Experimenting]], [[Game Pauses]], [[Game Worlds]],
 +
[[Helplessness]],
 +
[[Hovering Closures]],
 +
[[Hotseating]],  
 +
[[Improved Abilities]],  
 +
[[Invulnerabilities]],
 +
[[King of the Hill]], [[Multiplayer Games]], [[New Abilities]],  
 +
[[Player Physical Prowess]],  
 +
[[Power-Ups]],  
 +
[[Preventing Goals]],
 +
[[Private Game Spaces]],  
 +
[[Puzzle Solving]], [[Quick Games]], [[Race]], [[Renewable Resources]],  
 +
[[Races]],  
 +
[[Resources]],  
 +
[[Reward Widgets]],  
 +
[[Safe Havens]],
 +
[[Scenes]],
 +
[[Shrinking Game Worlds]],
 +
[[Single-Player Games]],  
 +
[[Switches]],  
 +
[[Tactical Planning]],
 +
[[Tension]],
 +
[[Tick-Based Games]],
 +
[[Tiles]],
 +
[[Traces]],
 +
[[Trading]],  
 +
[[Traps]],
 +
[[Turn Taking]], [[Turn-Based Games]]
  
 
=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
 
=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
[[Deadly Traps]], [[Shared Resources]], [[Power-Ups]], [[Delayed Effects]], [[The Show Must Go On]]
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[[Continuous Goals]], [[Shared Resources]], [[Delayed Effects]], [[Real-Time Games]],  
 +
[[Races]],  
 +
[[Speedruns]],
 +
[[The Show Must Go On]],
 +
[[Traps]],
 +
[[Ultra-Powerful Events]]
 +
 
 +
[[Development Time]] together with [[Interruptible Actions]]
  
 
=== Can Be Modulated By ===
 
=== Can Be Modulated By ===
[[Goal Indicators]], [[Progress Indicators]], [[Game State Indicators]], [[Tied Results]]
+
[[Game Time Manipulation]],  
 +
[[Goal Indicators]],  
 +
[[Progress Indicators]], [[Game State Indicators]]
 +
 
 +
=== Possible Closure Effects ===
 +
-
  
 
=== Potentially Conflicting With ===
 
=== Potentially Conflicting With ===
[[Safe Havens]], [[Downtime]], [[Self-Facilitated Games]], [[Game Pauses]]
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[[Downtime]],  
 +
[[Game Pauses]],  
 +
[[Grinding]],  
 +
[[Pottering]],
 +
[[Self-Facilitated Games]]
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==

Latest revision as of 09:05, 21 September 2016

An amount of time, either game time or real time, used in determining if players complete an action, reach a goal, stay in a certain mode of play, or finish a game session.

Many games put limits on how long players can plan or perform certain actions while other put limits on how long the game as a whole can take. By doing so they can guarantee that the game progresses according to some planned design or that the gaming activity will be concluded before a certain time. The latter can can also be used to create end conditions in game where there otherwise would be none. The measurement of time can be either in game time or real time, or both although limits in game time only influences rather than controls the length of play and game sesions.

Typically Time Limits indicate that something needs to be achieved before the given amount of time has passed but only can equally well have gameplay built upon avoiding certain events occurring until after a given Time Limit has passed.

Examples

In the racing games Sega Rally and Out Run gamers have a certain number of seconds to reach the next check point or lose the game. Reaching it in time adds time to reach a new check point, encouraging gamers not only to reach the point within the given time but do it as fast as possible.

Soccer matches have a time limit of 90 minutes (plus some extra time depending on the judgment of the referees) divided into two periods of 45 minutes. This limits how much physical effort the teams must be able to produce and makes it easier to plan tournaments and media coverages.

Chess tournaments typically have rules regarding Time Limits, both for making a move and for the whole time available for a player.

The final parts of campaigns in the Left 4 Dead series typically end with pitched stands where the gamers need to survive for a certain amount of time. Although the time is fixed it is not revealed until it is passed and a vehicle taking the PCs to safety shows up. In the survival modes games of the same series the goal for players to still be alive after 4 or more minutes to meet the goal conditions but in this case the time survived is shown clearly in the interface.

Ricochet Robots gives the other gamers a limited amount of time to find better solutions to the game's movement puzzles after one has been given by one of the gamers. This provides a chain of Time Limits in the game until all gamers fail to find a better solution.

The experimental art game 4 Minutes and 33 Seconds of Uniqueness has one sole requirement to win: one has to be the only player in the world playing the game for 4 minutes and 33 seconds. No actions is required while playing.

Using the pattern

Time Limits are usually meant as something that one needs to complete an action or goal before is it becomes a failure, but Continuous Goals are exceptions to the rule.

The existence of Time Limits can be introduced implicitly or explicitly in a game. Basically all Real-Time Games or games providing the pattern The Show Must Go On have implicit limits on how much time one has available for some actions or before Penalties occur due to the actions of other players or Enemies but can be understood rather as conflicts or competitions with these adversaries. Even if these mechanics do not exist in games, social pressure from other players wishing to avoid Downtime typically creates implicit Time Limits in Multiplayer Games. In contrast, Time Limits may not exist in Single-Player Games unless explicitly designed for, but may also be needed to be mechanized in Multiplayer Games to provide Player Balance, commonly-shared Time Pressure, or time-limited Private Game Spaces. Linking any type of Time Limit to Game Over event or Player Elimination are very explicit ways of focusing players' attention to the Time Limits - and used in Racing Games such as the Out Run and the Sega Rally series.Time Limits can also be applied to Scenes, limiting how long they may take. Letting players have more time as the consequence of actions they have performed form the basis of Sustenance Rewards.

An archetypal example of a Time Limit is the need to hurry due to the presence of others in Races - one needs to finish something quicker than other players but the experience of Competition can easily overshadow the experience of Time Limits. If it is important that this implicit Time Limits are perceived by players as such other means exist. The simplest is to introduce explicit Time Limits to Races (as e.g. the Sega Rally series does), which is an example of how Time Limits can modulate the Races patterns in addition to being created by it. Another possibility is to make available Resources unavailable after a certain time, something that often occurs naturally with Shared Resources through other players' exploitation of the Resources (and in this fashion is an example of the Social Dilemma Tragedy of the Commons). Ultra-Powerful Events and Delayed Effects that are announced significantly before they occur but without measures when they will occur are yet another possibility. Receiving Damage after one has been in an environment for a certain period of time is a way to link Time Limits (or Delayed Effects) to Environmental Effects. Interruptible Actions with Development Time that offers Preventing Goals for others can also be perceived as having Time Limits since unless they are completed quickly the risks of not completing them may increase, and the likelihood of this perception can be increased by both Goal Indicators and Progress Indicators. The Time Limits in a game are usually easy to make explicit both from a diegetic and interface viewpoint, see those subsections for more details.

Time Limits can also be the effect of changes in Game Worlds, e.g. having to leave areas due to triggered Traps, dissolving Tiles, or countdowns for when Safe Havens no longer are safe. The pattern can also be used to guarantee maximum gameplay time spend on specific types of actions, e.g. Trading and Puzzle Solving.

Both how time progresses in the real world or in number of updates in the game state can be used as the basis for Time Limits making the pattern possible in both Real-Time Games and Turn-Based Games. It can even be used twice in Tick-Based Games, to limit the number of ticks available besides the mandatory use of limiting the length of each tick. Time Limits in Real-Time Games are however somewhat cumbersome to use in Self-Facilitated Games unless the measuring of the time is designed as an integral part of the gameplay since it requires a form of Attention Swapping between gameplay and game facilitation. Game Pauses in Real-Time Games can disrupt the effect of Time Limits in planning is a noticeable part of reaching goals and performing actions. For example, if players are allowed to pause the game in Tetris the natural stress that makes planning more difficult disappears.

Power-Ups and Penalties (e.g. Helplessness) are often used with Time Limits to balance the gameplay and provide more Varied Gameplay. Time Limits can be used with Ability Losses or Decreased Abilities to create Cooldown periods, but also with New Abilities, Improved Abilities, and Game Pauses to make Temporary Abilities or support Player Balance and Team Balance when player skill do not outweigh these. Invulnerabilities are often coupled with Time Limits due to the problems with Player or Team Balance with are likely to occur otherwise. When applied to Asynchronous Collaborative Actions, Time Limits can strengthen the likelihood of Tension and Guilting that may already be present.

Both Switches and Power-Ups are Game Items quite often modulated by the pattern. Time Limits do not only have to concern how long Power-Ups persist or how long an action lasts but can also be how long it takes before new Power-Ups appear or the action can be performed again, in both cases determining, in a sense, the interval for Renewable Resources to appear. Games which create Traces of action and events done during gameplay often have Time Limits on how long the Traces remain to avoid having the Game Worlds becoming overfilled with them.

Games in which modes of play or game instances do not have natural end conditions often use Time Limits as end conditions, e.g. in Soccer or some Quick Games. Games with Continuous Goals, such as Evade, Survive, or those being Preventing Goals, sometimes use Time Limits also in similar fashion to determine winning conditions. For example, in King of the Hill variants the winner is the first player to remain the king for a certain period of time, say three minutes, which also acts as an end condition for the game instance.

Time Limits may also be used to create Optional Goals simply be stating that goals that are reached within a certain Time Limit are provided with additional Rewards. One use of this possibility is to provide Handicap Achievements to reward Speedruns and thereby support more Challenging Gameplay. Another is to create Repeat Combos which basically consist of doing the same action several times within the Time Limit given. Time Limits before Reward Widgets are automatically retrieved make it an Optional Goal to do so oneself; these goals are typically done due to a desire to experience Clickability, a wish to get extra Rewards, or the strive for complete Repeat Combos. It also makes Grinding in respect to these widgets optional.

Game Time Manipulation can be used to let players have the possibility of re-using time and thereby either get more time or more efficient use of the time they have been given by the Time Limits.

Diegetic Aspects

Time Limits are usually quite easy to incorporate in the diegesis of a game since many real-time events typically have noticeable indicators before they occur. These can both be natural occurrences, e.g. rock falls or rising water levels, but also man-made ones, such as countdowns on explosives, which provides game designers with a wide range of possibilities to explain the Time Limits within the Game World presentation.

Interface Aspects

If Time Limits as to be explicitly presented to players in a non-deigetic way this can most easily be done through Game State Indicators. Progress Indicators are also possible when Time Limits are used in Delayed Effects. A slightly special case of this kind of modulation is to have Time Limits on the life time of Ephemeral Goals where the goal is available for the players only for a certain amount of time during the game. Note that these may be implicit in the sense that they do not have to show exact measures of how much time is available but can instead show approximations.

Consequences

Time Limits make time a Resource for players, more specifically a Limited Resource due to the presence of a Resource Cap, and when the amount of time is little enough create Ephemeral Events. They automatically give players Limited Planning Ability (regardless if any planning is required) and thereby limit possibilities for Tactical Planning, and this can give game designs Challenging Gameplay and make the players have to accept Trade-Offs between which actions they want to perform, including evaluating the Trade-Offs themselves. This may also lead to Experimenting in which a player may try something without great hopes of succeeding but instead aiming at learning something for the next try. When used to control the contraction of Shrinking Game Worlds or limit how often Resources can be invested when situations, Time Limits create Tick-Based Games out of Turn-Based Games. For games that requires Player Physical Prowess the use of Time Limits puts a limit to the needed effort, or at least the needed endurance of the players. Generally, Time Limits can work against the possibility of Grinding in games since they can limit the amount of time a player can commit to some specific activity.

More specifically, Time Limits can be used for at least three different reasons: first, to create Time Pressure and Tension for the players related to achieving a goal or performing some actions in the game, e.g Aim & Shoot or Action Programming or moving away from Traps before they activate (which is not the same as having to move away from the effect it may have on the game environment); second, to limit the effect of consequences of player actions and game events, such as effects of some types of Penalties, Rewards, and Power-Ups; and third, to create Time Limited Game Instances, either to limit the lifespan of specific modes of play or to make Tied Results possible. This last reasons also supports Negotiable Play Sessions as well as Negotiable Play Sessions. Sometimes, Time Limits can have several of these effects at once, e.g. having Time Limits before each reduction in size of Shrinking Game Worlds created both Tension and Time Limited Game Instances. Given that Time Limits force players to consider if they want to try and perform some action or not before the time has run out, the pattern works against Pottering since they do not have a freedom to select freely when to perform various actions.

When the players have some Game State Indicator of how much is left of the Time Limit naturally creates Anticipation and sometimes Hovering Closures. One example of this is having Time Limits on how long Evade goals must be succeeded with. These typically create Attention Demanding Gameplay in themselves when they can be observed and this can make gameplay more Challenging Gameplay simply because of the Attention Swapping that may take place between checking the time and actually trying to play the game. Time Limits used for Turn Taking, and Game Pauses in general, limit the possible Downtime and one use for this is to make Hotseating feasible. Time Limits on game instances can also alleviate some of the downsides of Early Elimination as the eliminated players have a clear indication how long that game instance is going to last.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Attention Demanding Gameplay, Attention Swapping, Challenging Gameplay, Ephemeral Events, Game Over, Handicap Achievements, Limited Planning Ability, Limited Resources, Negotiable Game Sessions, Negotiable Play Sessions, Player Elimination, Resource Caps, Resources, Sustenance Rewards, Tension, Tick-Based Games, Tied Results, Time Limited Game Instances, Time Pressure, Trade-Offs

with Ability Losses or Decreased Abilities

Cooldown

with New Abilities

Temporary Abilities

with Rewards

Optional Goals, Repeat Combos

Can Modulate

Ability Losses, Aim & Shoot, Analysis Paralysis, Anticipation, Asynchronous Collaborative Actions, Continuous Goals, Decreased Abilities, Early Elimination, Empowerment, Environmental Effects, Ephemeral Goals, Evade, Experimenting, Game Pauses, Game Worlds, Helplessness, Hovering Closures, Hotseating, Improved Abilities, Invulnerabilities, King of the Hill, Multiplayer Games, New Abilities, Player Physical Prowess, Power-Ups, Preventing Goals, Private Game Spaces, Puzzle Solving, Quick Games, Race, Renewable Resources, Races, Resources, Reward Widgets, Safe Havens, Scenes, Shrinking Game Worlds, Single-Player Games, Switches, Tactical Planning, Tension, Tick-Based Games, Tiles, Traces, Trading, Traps, Turn Taking, Turn-Based Games

Can Be Instantiated By

Continuous Goals, Shared Resources, Delayed Effects, Real-Time Games, Races, Speedruns, The Show Must Go On, Traps, Ultra-Powerful Events

Development Time together with Interruptible Actions

Can Be Modulated By

Game Time Manipulation, Goal Indicators, Progress Indicators, Game State Indicators

Possible Closure Effects

-

Potentially Conflicting With

Downtime, Game Pauses, Grinding, Pottering, Self-Facilitated Games

History

This pattern was part of the original collection in the book 'Patterns in Game Design' (Björk & Holopainen, 2004).

References

Björk, S. & Holopainen, J. (2004) Patterns in Game Design. Charles River Media. ISBN1-58450-354-8.