It's a trap you idiot!

[Scorched_Cascade]

Here's the scene: Your character has just been told by the game to investigate something or somewhere that you, the player, can clearly see is a potential trap. Your character, however, is prancing his/her merry way right into it.

Is it good to have the player know it is a trap when they are walking in or is it better if the trap is a surprise to both the player and the character the first time you play a game?

In the former the player is prepared and less likely to die and get frustrated while in the latter the player gets the thrill of a surprise. Which do you think is better? Which do you prefer? (the two could be different)

[sub]Edit: for those of you mislead by the title and slightly disappointed at the lack of cross-dressing "traps" I offer the following for your amusement: (SFW)http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.272495-Its-a-trap-you-idiot#10509204[/sub]

 

[Lieju]

Well, it's possible for it to be a surprise but so that it doesn't penalise the player for not seeing it coming too much. Like ambushing you but making it survivable or giving you health and ammo so you can fight if unprepared. Or if you die, not dropping you back too far.

It shouldn't be in most cases that you can tell you're going into a trap but can't do anything about it because the character you're playing as isn't seeing it. Not because they don't have a choice, but because they are dumb.
For one it's annoying and breaks immersion when you and your avatar in the game clash like that.
And you feel like you don't have the choice and that you're just following an arbitrary and stupid story.

In some mindless shooters it doesn't matter that much, or the bad storytelling can be amusing, but in a game where the story is important...

 

[Veloxe]

I prefer the Prince of Persia route. Randomly spring the trap on me but at least give me a chance to survive it (reversing time in PoP for instance) or more like it would end up being a QTE "Hit X to not die!".

There have been several good times when watching my character prance merrily towards their doom and I know it's coming. Although often times it makes me feel like I am just cleaning up his mess from the stupid decision of going into that giant room with the big red X on the floor and the bomb hanging from the ceiling.

 

[Vern5]

I feel like this deserves a poll.

Personally, I enjoy being surprised by traps and the adrenaline rush that comes with fighting out of it. A good video game trap should surprise but not completely overwhelm in the first three seconds unless you have a way of disarming it beforehand.

 

[Watchmacallit]

A lot of games make it way too easy to spot. YES I AM LOOKING AT YOU DEAD SPACE.
It gets annoying when you see it coming all the time. I prefer it to truly catch me by surprise, makes the game a little more entertaining and exciting.

 

[SwiftBlade18]

It would be good if something like this could be implemented...however only to a certain level. Both me and a friend when playing games are suspicious of everything, so ambushes etc are very rarely a surprise for us...

*stares warily at the post above him* hmm i think you're safe...

 

[Cool Welshy]

It might depend on the trap. If it's like a jack in the box, then that's fine. If it's a bit of monsters that plans to ambush me, still fine. If it's instant kill, then that is where I draw the line.

 

[lionsprey]

Sometimes its just frustrating especially if anyone with common sense could tell its a trap/bad idea, a good example would be a certain lawyer DS game in which you have to do stuff a 10 year old would realise is a really bad idea in order to progress the story.

 

[The Wykydtron]

I really can't remember the last time a time truly caught me by surpise...

Unless you count Stross's little screwdriver attack in Dead Space 2, they did that pretty well

[sub]Noone attacks me while i'm hacking a door...Noone[/sub]

 

[GeorgW]

Here's the scene: Your character has just been told by the game to investigate something or somewhere that you, the player, can clearly see is a potential trap. Your character, however, is prancing his/her merry way right into it.

Is it good to have the player know it is a trap when they are walking in or is it better if the trap is a surprise to both the player and the character the first time you play a game?

In the former the player is prepared and less likely to die and get frustrated while in the latter the player gets the thrill of a surprise. Which do you think is better? Which do you prefer? (the two could be different)

It's a hell of a lot more fun to be surprised. Unfortunately game writers aren't good enough.

 

[CheckD3]

It's the same as when the girl in her underwear goes to inspect the strange noises coming from the abandoned shack where 4 other underwear clad women were killed by some unknown means...writing for games is sadly weak, and there aren't enough games where they let us control our dipsticks through these, saying fuck this and high tailing it the other way, but that's because games would be actionless without the crazy mo-fos walking into an obvious trap.

However, since it's a game, you can usually survive okay with just a pistol or whatnot, and even if you end up dead as part of the game, you're the chosen one and death is less a problem and more of a zit you just need to pop

 

[Ravek]

A game should never let its player character do something the player doesn't want to do.

 

[NathLines]

It's better to be surprised. The best moments in games are when you just drop your jaw and go "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL WAS THAT!?" Whether it's a hideously overpowered monster or an unexpected plot twist, it's good fun either way.

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

Here's the scene: Your character has just been told by the game to investigate something or somewhere that you, the player, can clearly see is a potential trap. Your character, however, is prancing his/her merry way right into it.

Is it good to have the player know it is a trap when they are walking in or is it better if the trap is a surprise to both the player and the character the first time you play a game?

In the former the player is prepared and less likely to die and get frustrated while in the latter the player gets the thrill of a surprise. Which do you think is better? Which do you prefer? (the two could be different)

It's a hell of a lot more fun to be surprised. Unfortunately game writers aren't good enough.

I know what you mean. I was playing Project Sylpheed last night and I had just single-handedly forced an ambushing star fleet to retreat and the following scene took place:

Admiral: "All ships chase them down and annihilate them"
My base ship's Captain: "Shouldn't we continue to investigate this wreckage"
Admiral:"Yes, you should continue to investigate the wreckage meanwhile the rest of the fleet will pursue, we will take rhino flight as well"
Captain:"But that will leave us without any cover if enemies attack"
Admiral:"It's just wreckage, there will not be any enemies"

That last line when spoken stood out like italics to me and probably everyone else who played the game.

 

[darth.pixie]

Let's be honest, all players know what will happen. We all played so many games that we know exactly what to expect and when.

Someone says that there are no enemies...well you better get some health potions/packs and extra weapon and ammo. You get something for free, you'd better expect it to have a catch. The player is the most cynical person in the game because he has to struggle with the entire world in every moment. And when game developers actually do surprise the player with some act or another, gamers call it Player Punch. Plus, it's very hard to do when people expect everything.

 

[jawakiller]

A game should never let its player character do something the player doesn't want to do.

Believe me, all the Link games would be frickin awesome if you could control the lil bastard.
Navi: Hey, listen!
Link:...[muttering]
Navi: Hello!
Link: FUCK OFF *****! STOP TELLING ME TO FIND SOME FUCKING FARIRY!!
...
Navi: Hey li-... [is quickly decapitated by a pair of children's scissors].
And after that, the game would be great.

 

[Mathak]

DA:O should've just let me stab Loghain before the whole Ostagar thing. Really, who didn't see that one coming?

 

[ParkourMcGhee]

I agree with most of the posts - I'd like to be surprised.

Unfortunately more often than not I'm forcibly walking into bad situations to progress the story, and it feels unfair and unnecessary.

Too bad it's difficult to make many branches in games

In the end, the real world is just too diverse and big to simulate.

 

[Evilsanta]

Fuck I have been ninja'd by so many posts that is isn't funny...

OT: For me I truly want to be surprised too and I find obivous traps or ambushes annoying.

 

[Ca3zar416]

I prefer to be surprised. If I can see that there's something there but my character cannot I feel that annoying feeling I get when playing Dungeons and Dragons when I have player knowledge but not character knowledge. It sort of pulls me out of the experience a little. Of course if it's absolutely not survivable because of the surprise then that is annoying.