7 Ways to Mess With Your Players (And Make Them Love You For It!)

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7 Ways to Mess With Your Players (And Make Them Love You For It!)

Ever feel like your game is a little… predictable? Like your players are seeing right through your carefully laid plans and anticipating every twist and turn? Fear not, fellow game developers! It’s time to unleash your inner trickster and master the art of the “fakeout.”

Think of it like this: Your game is a magic show, and your players are the eager audience. But instead of pulling rabbits out of hats, you’re pulling the rug out from under their expectations in the most delightful way possible.

1. The False Flag Objective: A Wild Goose Chase Worth Following

This is the classic bait-and-switch. You present the player with a seemingly crucial objective, build up the tension, and then… BAM! It’s a distraction. A red herring.

Imagine a quest where the player spends hours collecting ancient artifacts, only to discover they’re completely useless in stopping the impending doom. Instead, the real solution was hidden in plain sight all along.

Developer Pitfall: Making the “real” solution feel arbitrary or unfair. The fakeout should be clever, not cruel. Make sure there are subtle hints pointing towards the true path. It is important not to actively mislead the player.

2. The Trustworthy NPC: Turns Out They’re the REAL Villain

Ah, the age-old trope of the friendly face with a dark secret. This is your chance to subvert the “good guy” archetype and throw players for a loop.

Think of Professor Quirrell from Harry Potter. Seemingly harmless and bumbling, but secretly housing the Dark Lord himself.

Developer Pitfall: Making the betrayal feel unearned. The NPC’s actions should have subtle foreshadowing, so the reveal feels surprising but logical. It’s like a well-executed plot twist in a mystery novel – the clues were there all along!

3. The Power-Up That’s Actually a Downer: A Temporary Setback For Future Gains

Imagine a power-up that grants the player temporary invincibility… at the cost of their movement speed being drastically reduced. It’s a risk-reward scenario disguised as a straightforward advantage.

This can be a great way to introduce strategic depth and force players to think outside the box. The player might have to decide when to use it carefully. It could also be used to lead the player into another trap!

Developer Pitfall: Making the downside too severe, rendering the power-up useless. The benefit should outweigh the cost in specific situations, creating a compelling choice for the player.

4. The Mimic: Because Chests Should Be Terrifying

Ah, the Mimic. A staple of RPGs and a developer’s best friend. What appears to be a treasure chest is, in fact, a horrifying monster waiting to devour unsuspecting adventurers.

This is a classic example of subverting player expectations about common game elements. It is a perfect example of how to encourage paranoia.

Developer Pitfall: Overusing Mimics to the point where they become predictable. Vary their appearance, behavior, and the rewards they guard (or the punishment they inflict) to keep players on their toes.

5. The “Game Over” Screen… That Isn’t: A Glimmer of Hope in the Face of Defeat

Imagine the player suffers a seemingly crushing defeat, the dreaded “Game Over” screen appears… but then, something unexpected happens. A cutscene reveals that their character was merely captured, not killed, and a new gameplay sequence begins.

This can be a powerful way to add a sense of narrative drama and keep the player engaged even in the face of failure. It also creates an opportunity for a new type of gameplay.

Developer Pitfall: Using this trick too often. It loses its impact if players know that “Game Over” doesn’t actually mean “Game Over.”

6. The Seemingly Unreachable Item: Rewarding Exploration and Ingenuity

Place a tantalizing item in plain sight, but make it seemingly impossible to reach. This encourages players to experiment, explore every nook and cranny, and use their ingenuity to overcome the challenge.

Maybe it requires a combination of specific abilities, a hidden passage, or even exploiting a glitch in the game’s physics. The reward should be proportional to the effort required, making the player feel like they’ve truly earned their prize.

Developer Pitfall: Making the solution too obscure or requiring pixel-perfect precision. The challenge should be rewarding, not frustrating.

7. The Obvious Trap… That’s Actually Safe: A Double-Bluff to Mess With the Player’s Head

Sometimes, the best way to subvert expectations is to do the opposite of what the player expects. Present a seemingly obvious trap – a pressure plate in a narrow corridor, a suspiciously placed pit – but make it completely harmless.

This will mess with the player’s head, making them second-guess every decision and question their assumptions about the game world. It will also cause them to use resources that they did not need to use.

Developer Pitfall: Overusing this trick, which can lead to player distrust and a reluctance to engage with environmental challenges. Use it sparingly and strategically to maximize its impact.

So, there you have it! Seven ways to subvert player expectations and create truly memorable gameplay moments. Remember, the key is to be clever, not cruel, and to always reward players for their curiosity and ingenuity. Now go forth and make some magic (and maybe a few exploding barrels)!