Why are Timing Mechanics so Criticized in Games?
I've never understood why timing mechanics get so much hate. I'm not passionate about them either way as there is usually more than enough wiggle room in there to get the job done. Anyone here that can shed some light on the subject?
Three specific examples I can cite (please add others if you can think of some):
Zelda Majora's Mask - Almost universally panned for the 3 day timing mechanicism... despite being able to slow time in half with the Song of Time or go back to the beginning of Day 1 with another song too. I'm not really for / against it, but it does create some unique Zelda elements of needing to be somewhere at a specific time on a certain day to trigger an event.
Pikmin - The first game requires you to finish in 30 days (I think?) and the timer was scrapped from Pikmin 2 and 3. For those not familiar, you basically have to scavenge the world for aircraft parts during daylight to restore your ship to working order. The timer makes you strategically plan a bit... sometimes you could get 2 parts in 1 day if they are close and you take the right mix of Pikmin. There's not a lot of time to just explore aimlessly, you definitely need to aim for at least 1 part per day or faster.
Deadrising Series - So DR1, 2, and 3 all required you to finish in 3 days before the military arrives to stop the zombie outbreak. There's not enough time to do everything in one playthru, but you aren't overly stressed out trying to finish either. Just requires planning. DR4 got rid of the timer and I've seen so many people complaining about it since it turns it into a generic sandbox type game. I still had fun regardless so a bit confusing.
I've seen people hate when it is added and hate when it is removed... which boils down to just not liking change I'd assume. Anyone here have a strong opinion either way?
Three specific examples I can cite (please add others if you can think of some):
Zelda Majora's Mask - Almost universally panned for the 3 day timing mechanicism... despite being able to slow time in half with the Song of Time or go back to the beginning of Day 1 with another song too. I'm not really for / against it, but it does create some unique Zelda elements of needing to be somewhere at a specific time on a certain day to trigger an event.
Pikmin - The first game requires you to finish in 30 days (I think?) and the timer was scrapped from Pikmin 2 and 3. For those not familiar, you basically have to scavenge the world for aircraft parts during daylight to restore your ship to working order. The timer makes you strategically plan a bit... sometimes you could get 2 parts in 1 day if they are close and you take the right mix of Pikmin. There's not a lot of time to just explore aimlessly, you definitely need to aim for at least 1 part per day or faster.
Deadrising Series - So DR1, 2, and 3 all required you to finish in 3 days before the military arrives to stop the zombie outbreak. There's not enough time to do everything in one playthru, but you aren't overly stressed out trying to finish either. Just requires planning. DR4 got rid of the timer and I've seen so many people complaining about it since it turns it into a generic sandbox type game. I still had fun regardless so a bit confusing.
I've seen people hate when it is added and hate when it is removed... which boils down to just not liking change I'd assume. Anyone here have a strong opinion either way?
Comments
Some games like SMB that use timers don't bother me, because it always felt like there was more than enough time to get through the level. However, I'm not crazy that in New Super Luigi U, the counter starts at 99 for every level.
Another example. Shadow of the Colossus is one of my favorite games of all time. I went through the time trials because the items you get while beating them are pretty cool. However, I did not get nearly as much enjoyment out of that section because I felt the time restrictions to be pretty damn stressful.
One last example. When I play Super Metroid, my goal is always to break the 3 hour mark (which isn't difficult to do). However, sometimes I say screw it and take my time to get every item and make every section of the map pink. I get so much more enjoyment out of the game when I do that.
For certain genres (RPGs, in particular), time limits can be really frustrating if you are the type that prefers to engage in exhaustive exploration.
The original Fallout gets around that by only forcing the timer on you for the first portion of the game, for instance.
But I always thought the "timer" in 7th Saga on the SNES seemed absolutely brutal (it's really more of a turn counter??? that over-levels the other characters you encounter during the game)
Similar sort of potential frustration in Wizardry 7 (where there appears to be a turn-based counter that causes certain chests to be raided by some NPCs if you don't get to them quickly enough)
But non-limited use of time can be really interesting (i.e. day/night in Dragon warrior 3 changing the in-town interactions, or something similar in Oblivion, Fallout3, etc)
That said, the "timer" (really turn-limit) is fundamental to certain genres like "4X" games (i.e. Master of Orion, Master of Magic) or certain strategy games (XCOM), and some exploration-based roguelikes (FTL, Out There) where the lack of a timer would make the games ridiculously easy to the point of not really being fun.
In those genres it really comes down to how well balanced the game is, in terms of whether the timer simply makes the game play appropriately, or whether you constantly feel beaten-down by the limitations.
I suspect in most cases, people that "hate" them are the kinds of gamers that either are looking to relax rather than be challenged, or they aren't willing to put in the effort to understand the game mechanics and the timer simply feels abusive or confusing.
The only timers that I don't really hate is the ones from the older Sonic games as I can feel that the balance between the level layout and the speed of the character doesn't stress me that I would die in 10 mins. in a level that takes 2-3 mins at most to beat. Older Mario timers suck if you don't know how to use that run button. lol
Pikmin on the other hand, I thought was fun. I was able to complete my first playthrough with 14 days remaining. I think it captures the same feelings that Majora's Mask's three-day time loop also tries to elicit (dread, fear, anxiety) without being as overbearing or as pervasive. I dislike Chrono Trigger, but I do like how the time mechanic was handled in that game. Valkyrie Profile also has a solid time mechanic.
I think what it boils down to is how it's executed within the game. Its a very tough mechanic to pull off, and I think it fails more often than it succeeds.
Just don't like the idea of pending doom. The timer at the end of Metroid games is the worst for me. I'm all like "NO NO NO NO NO!!!" and it just takes me of it.
But it's not that bad, though. Pretty much every Metroid game's explosion timer is so long I don't know who actually dies during it. I never have. But when you mention it, I recall Corruption being pretty stressful because you had to beat the boss, escape, and then fight another boss while the timer was ticking down. Was not wanting to repeat that entire process again. So I'd agree on that particular game.
Alien 3 NES's timer is an asshole. There's barely enough time to get each prisoner and find the exit. It should have had the mechanic of "find a prisoner, gain more time!" or something.
I felt like that, at first, but once I figured out a little more about the game, I thought there was ample time to get everything done.
Just don't like the idea of pending doom. The timer at the end of Metroid games is the worst for me. I'm all like "NO NO NO NO NO!!!" and it just takes me of it.
But it's not that bad, though. Pretty much every Metroid game's explosion timer is so long I don't know who actually dies during it. I never have.
For some reason, when I recently replayed Zero Mission, I thought the end-timer was actually a lot tighter than I'd ever seen in the other games in the series.
But Metroid, Return of Samus, and Super Metroid all felt pretty generous.
Alien 3 NES's timer is an asshole. There's barely enough time to get each prisoner and find the exit. It should have had the mechanic of "find a prisoner, gain more time!" or something.
I felt like that, at first, but once I figured out a little more about the game, I thought there was ample time to get everything done.
Well, yeah, once you know the layout, and the later levels are a little more forgiving.
First time going in, though, I was like "holy shit! Did I get everyone? What about the dude three ladders down by the--I ONLY HAVE TEN SECONDS?" Unless dumb luck intervenes, there's like no way to do everything. You have to memorize it.
The Genesis version seems a lot better in that regard. I was able to get pretty far having never played it. The three button Genny controller is also better suited, since you can switch weapons on the fly while jumping, etc.
Just don't like the idea of pending doom. The timer at the end of Metroid games is the worst for me. I'm all like "NO NO NO NO NO!!!" and it just takes me of it.
But it's not that bad, though. Pretty much every Metroid game's explosion timer is so long I don't know who actually dies during it. I never have.
For some reason, when I recently replayed Zero Mission, I thought the end-timer was actually a lot tighter than I'd ever seen in the other games in the series.
But Metroid, Return of Samus, and Super Metroid all felt pretty generous.
Is there a timer in II? It's been a while since I played Zero Mission so I can't really say about that one. I can't recall that one being an issue, though. Maybe because I always dreaded the stealth section. Oh wait... do you mean after the stealth section and when you beat the robot Ridley? I think I do recall that being a pain in the ass mainly because you have to kill those stupid space pirates that are damn near invincible.
Rarely, if ever, is it even modestly appropriate to use time as a mechanic. Often, timing is arbitrarily applied to limit how long someone plays with no association to the gameplay context. For instance, an arcade game that makes people put in a quarter for every 5 minutes of play but whose story/setting have no relation to time is an example of poorly used time from the player perspective. A decent use of time is the run away fast self destruction sequence you mentioned - at least the time relates to the context. However, in such cases, I'd give 2-3x the time required by a first-time player (not the game's creator or a professional speed runner) to complete the task.
Generally speaking, I'd never design time into a game at this point. There are many more enjoyable and effective ways to get a design point across.
Just don't like the idea of pending doom. The timer at the end of Metroid games is the worst for me. I'm all like "NO NO NO NO NO!!!" and it just takes me of it.
But it's not that bad, though. Pretty much every Metroid game's explosion timer is so long I don't know who actually dies during it. I never have.
For some reason, when I recently replayed Zero Mission, I thought the end-timer was actually a lot tighter than I'd ever seen in the other games in the series.
But Metroid, Return of Samus, and Super Metroid all felt pretty generous.
Is there a timer in II? It's been a while since I played Zero Mission so I can't really say about that one. I can't recall that one being an issue, though. Maybe because I always dreaded the stealth section. Oh wait... do you mean after the stealth section and when you beat the robot Ridley? I think I do recall that being a pain in the ass mainly because you have to kill those stupid space pirates that are damn near invincible.
I don't remember if there is a timer in 2, or not, just that it never stuck out to me as problematic, if there was one.
The Zero Mission stealth section is highly annoying. Might legitimately be the toughest part of any 2D Metroid game.
I certainly can't speak for everyone, but for me, the primary reason I play video games is to relieve stress and timing mechanics in games often cause me stress.
Hit the nail on the head for me! After a long day of work or a busy weekend I just want to sit down and play games to relax. I don't wanna feel rushed, pressured or stressed by a timing mechanic. Thats why I stopped playing Pikmin and have been scared to play Majora's Mask. If I have to constantly think about or worry if im gonna be able to do something in the game becasue of a time limit I don't find that fun. And once a game isn't fun anymore it becomes a chore. And no one likes chores. Thats why we game right? To escape from the chores and the busyness of life.
From a design perspective, time is generally a poor choice in nearly all cases. It works against the interest of the player to enjoy and explore the experience at a personal pace. Ironically, it prevents and limits the player's enjoyment of the game.
Rarely, if ever, is it even modestly appropriate to use time as a mechanic. Often, timing is arbitrarily applied to limit how long someone plays with no association to the gameplay context. For instance, an arcade game that makes people put in a quarter for every 5 minutes of play but whose story/setting have no relation to time is an example of poorly used time from the player perspective. A decent use of time is the run away fast self destruction sequence you mentioned - at least the time relates to the context. However, in such cases, I'd give 2-3x the time required by a first-time player (not the game's creator or a professional speed runner) to complete the task.
Generally speaking, I'd never design time into a game at this point. There are many more enjoyable and effective ways to get a design point across.
I think a lot of it is context and balance.
The 1-hour timer in Prince of Persia, for instance, makes a lot of sense and forces you to view the entire game as one larger experience, rather than allowing you to play poorly early on and make up for it later.
And you get a password each level, so you can easily go back and replay the level once you "solve" it to get a better time before you proceed.
With games like Sonic or Mario, it's generous enough and the game isn't built around the subject of a timer. It's core mechanics are in the gameplay itself.
It's hard to explain (I'm not running on much sleep here lately, lol), but if there's a timer that I don't have to stress about, it's good. If I have to go out my way to either get away or stop it, then it's bad. For me anyway.
I think the mechanic in Majora's Mask is often criticized because it took away the exploration aspect (in the initial playthrough) that makes the Zelda world so immersive. It's counterintuitive to the way all other Zelda games are played.
I am sure for some people it is great. But for me, i would rather enjoy taking my time in game and exploring. It is why i love older RPG's so much and new games like skyrim and fallout.
From a design perspective, time is generally a poor choice in nearly all cases. It works against the interest of the player to enjoy and explore the experience at a personal pace. Ironically, it prevents and limits the player's enjoyment of the game.
Rarely, if ever, is it even modestly appropriate to use time as a mechanic. Often, timing is arbitrarily applied to limit how long someone plays with no association to the gameplay context.
Generally speaking, I'd never design time into a game at this point. There are many more enjoyable and effective ways to get a design point across.
My thoughts exactly. I mean if the object of the game is to defuse a timebomb or something, ok, that's one thing. The issue is that most often, the time mechanic is just applied as an arbitrary limit to race against, and sometimes that's the whole crutch of an otherwise boring gameplay experience. "Race through this platforming sequence before the timer hits 0:00!". "...Ok, whats the timer for?" "So you don't stop to realize that you're playing a bland, unoriginal platforming level or course!"
Timers stress me out and change the whole pace of the game.
I am sure for some people it is great. But for me, i would rather enjoy taking my time in game and exploring. It is why i love older RPG's so much and new games like skyrim and fallout.
that's funny, I'm the exact opposite. But thats all it boils down to, everybody has a different preference for the kind of game they enjoy
Personally, I love both Majora's Mask and Pikmin 1. I don't find the timers stressful at all, but that might have to do with my knowing them inside out. When you get past that "stress" mindset, both Majora's Mask and Pikmin are finely tuned experiences. The timer allows for a far more convincing story and theme. The small restricted world with tons of variety is a lot better than big wide open barren landscapes, don't you think?
In MM, I also didn't like the timer aspect. The whole game revolves around it. I just felt constantly constrained and didn't get to explore for fun. Now, I'm not a fan of any zelda on the N64, but this was one of my main gripes with this one.
I think games like TMNT (NES) do it right. Very little of the game is timed - I believe only the dam level when you are under water is. I like it because it makes it challenging for that segment, but is also presented fairly early on in the game. It gives you a moderate amount of wiggle room, but you still feel the pressure during it. If you lose or screw it up, it's not the end of the world to restart it and play those 5-10 minutes again.