Do you feel bad when losing units in strategy games?

[EBHughsThe1st]

So, say you're playing a strategy game and one of your units is lost in battle. Like, anything from Starcraft to Pikmin. Do you feel bad? Or guilty?

Normally I don't, but I take special care to preserve my units in Pikmin 2. Let's face it, they're these adorable little plant creatures that follow you around blindly and do whatever you want to. They'll help you out unconditionally, and as the song "Ai No Uta" says "won't ask you to love us". And when they die from the many hazards, you hear the sound of the number of pikmin dropping, and then that little outcry as their ghost floats away.

Their valuable and charming units that you get endeared to, and to lose them makes me feel kinda bad.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Depends. If it's a valuable unit I feel bad because it was worth a lot of resources. Emotional response to the unit itself? None.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

I only feel bad if it's an important unit. And it's more anger than an emotional attachment.

For example: Lose a pawn in chess. Oh well.

Lose a bishop in chess. NOOOOOOOO

 

[Weslebear]

And now I need to play Pikmin.

GODDAMNIT.

Ahem, I agree that with Pikmin losing them is horrible but most other games no.

Maybe Fire Emblem purely because each character is unique and named and when they die that's it they are gone.

 

[Not-here-anymore]

In a campaign/story mode, I start to feel an attachment to any unit that's survived 2 or more missions, and will usually try to preserve them at the cost of newer units. Although most games that work like that also level up units between missions, so that preservation has a gameplay as well as emotional advantage.

Although I don't really play strategy games all that often, so meh.

 

[Kelethor]

Fire Emblem.



And im not talking that New fancy pants DS version where your characters are thrown around like paper and no one talks to you, im talking about Eliwood, Lyn and Hector, the three of them developing a bond that nothing can shatter. and not to mention the many other characters, all of whom were given emotional baggage....God, if lost even a single unit, I shut off the game. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't leave a man behind.

It took my years to beat the game.

 

[Xelt]

In Battle for Middle Earth 1, the units carried over, you could name them and stuff. I liked them ones.

 

[PatrickXD]

I feel bad about it, yeah. Forced me to think very strategically in Rome: TW.

 

[Littaly]

A little, sometimes :-/

When I think about it I do, or when it's a unit that has been with me for a long time that I've taken special notice of. Luckily, the thought doesn't cross my mind too often, otherwise I'd be unable to play strategy games ^^

 

[teh_Canape]

the turrets have men inside!

OT:kinda, only felt a bit sad whenever I lost mounted units in 7th Legion
I mean, who wouldn't feel sad if someone killed their squad of space marines mounting on velociraptors?

 

[Palademon]

Pikmin's the special exception since it's usually hard to get them to start off with, and they have such tragic deaths, followed by moaning ghosts.

However, today my brother challenged me to name every vehicle I get in from now on in EDF. He said that after my mech got destroyed so without hesitaiton I shouted "FREDRIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!". I imagine if I started naming everything despensible in a game I may feel something.

 

[Jakub324]

In Rome Total Wwar? No. In Dawn of War? yes, I'm playing as the Imperial Guard. I'll lose three Guardsmen and yell "FALL BACK!"

 

[Stammer]

Whenever I'm playing a game that's "just for fun" or something I usually do feel bad if they die. If I'm playing a game and actually trying, I don't have time to mourn the loss of every unit that I lose.

Also totally depends what the unit does when it dies. I know in Red Alert 3 you can get anything from an airplane pilot going "Yeeeeee-hawwwww" as he crashes to a blood-curdling scream of fear, pain, and terror. Heck, I remember in Tiberium Wars there was one unit, the Sniper, that came as a pair. If one of the two Snipers died, the other one would completely change his dialogue to stuff like "My partner, he's... he's dead" and "Get me the hell out of here!" Kinda hard to not feel bad about something like that.

 

[ZeroMachine]

Only in Warcraft 3. I try and complete missions with as little death as possible in that.

 

[Jedamethis]

Just 'Fuck! I needed that guy!' If I need them. Otherwise, I just get another one.

 

[Alon Shechter]

If I have time on my hands and I'm winning I start naming the units and giving them stories.
and then when they die I stage all the rest of the units in line for a funeral.
..Yeah, maybe I need the Sims.
When I played Praetorians I tried purposely kill all the unit except for one guy so he could be a general.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

I don't usually get upset if I lose units, but if I lose a partner, in say AC:Brotherhood, then I will be deeply dissapointed at myself.

 

[locoartero]

Maybe Fire Emblem purely because each character is unique and named and when they die that's it they are gone.

Same thing with "Valkyria Chronicles".