5 Dirty Little Secrets That Game Developers Use On Players To Make Their Experience More Enjoyable
Even if you’re not the biggest fan of video games, don’t play them on a regular basis, or don’t even care about them at all, you can probably imagine that there are loads of things that game developers have to consider when creating one. Some things they do sound pretty commonsensical (well, at least at first sight): they have to plan, design, code, and test. But there are also hundreds of specific things game developers do that you’ve probably never thought about before. Let’s discuss some of them.
A TikTok user, who is also a game developer himself, has shared a few interesting tricks that game developers use on players to make games more enjoyable.
So, here it is—5 dirty little secrets that game developers use to trick us
@swissevans86Tricks us game developers use on players ##gamers ##gamedev ##gamer ##videogames ##funfacts ##tiktokuk ##fyp ##trivia ##gaming ##uk♬ original sound – swissevans86
1. Sneaky loading
Image credits: Remedy Entertainment
Here’s how game developers get out of using a loading screen whenever a character goes to a new surrounding. “Games are big and need a lot of memory,” the developer begins explaining. “So, any time you’re making a new squeeze through something or shutting a door behind you, it’s so we can dump the last section from memory and then load the next section without having to use a loading screen.”
2. Some help when you’re playing your first games
Image credits: Iceberg Interactive
Turns out, on the first runs of you playing a multiplayer game, game developers help you out a bit in advance. “We know that if the first time you play a multiplayer game, you don’t get a couple of kills, you’re likely not to come back because you didn’t have a good experience. So we actually give you a damage boost the first few times you play to make your experience good,” the TikTok user explains.
3. The last portion of health is a lie
Image credits: Epic Games
Apparently, when your health bar gets teeny-tiny, it’s sort of a lie. “We lie to you about how much health you have. That last portion of health, whether it’s a number or a bar, is actually much bigger than it seems. And that sort of feels like you’re constantly on the edge of death, and it makes the game more exciting as a result,” the game developer reveals.
4. The AI misses the first few shots on purpose
Image credits: Bethesda
“We make the AI miss you. The first time you step out of a cover, we code it so that the first couple of shots the AI takes always miss. This way the game isn’t too hard,” the TikTok user explains.
5. The “Coyote time”
Image credits: Activision
In games, you can kind of walk on air. “In platforms, we actually give you a second once you step off the edge to still be able to jump. And that’s so you don’t get frustrated by falling off the edge all the time and missing jumps you should have made. We call it ‘coyote time,'” the guy reveals.
And here’s what people are saying
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Calling these "dirty little secrets" is a bit sensationalist. It's just game balancing details.
Not only that, most of them aren't secret at all. Everyone's known about the Loading scenes for a long time. It's also only logical that the programmers would have the AI miss you occasionally. Otherwise, the AI would always register a perfect hit, and no one would be able to win the game.
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when i first clicked on this, the "we make the AI miss you" was the heading, and I thought it meant the AI actually missed you as a player so you'd feel bad and keep coming back to cultivate the relationship.. the actual kind of missing you was less interesting haha
As an indie game developer: Not everyone does this, but I should probably be taking notes...
Not indie here, but yeah, as part of a game company, it really depends on the game and the goal. The real secrets, btw, are the business secrets, and they're never released to the public. But don't worry, people, it's really nothing so bad or unethical. It's just technicalities.
Load More Replies... Iirc Silent Hill got its thick foggy atmosphere to cover for the loading trick. "You can't see more than a few feet in any direction woOoOo SpOoKy~!" *frantically loading the next section*
I thought it was an accident, but they kept it because it improved the atmosphere (Edit: Nevermind, it was to cover the loading, but due to this trick it did boost the creepy atmosphere which was something they didn't originally expect).
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So... I really suck then, since I die anyway :p Oh well I miss Diablo, the original, (rounded it so many times I maxed out in all categories) lost my cd , grrrr.
There’s a special seat in Hell for whoever programmed Uncharted 1’s AI accuracy...
Goddamn it. I'm very late to playing it, I got the collector's edition and started playing recently for the first time ever, and I thought "Am I that bad?".
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Someone please tell Far Cry 1 Devs that their AI should have missed the first few shots
Try playing Remnant: From the Ashes. It sure does not have any of these things to help new players!
Ahh, the game too many people missed. I started the first 2 weeks solo and couldn't get past the first dungeon, hell I could barely make it to the first dungeon. Finally convinced 2 friends to get it and it was a blast. But Remnant is not unforgiving on purpose, it's meant for people who actually want a challenge, and it's one of the best games I've played in a long time.
Load More Replies...
I used to play FIFA online, and it felt like there were specific moves that are somehow more powerful in some weeks. For example, one week, I'd notice a lot more long range shots going in, another week long balls (passes) have a higher success rate. Always wondered if it's true. "RNG" as people say.
And then "From Software" took all these tips and went the opposite direction with them. A gaming experience mired in pain and suffering from the very first moment. Where seeing the "You died" screen more often than the total amount of time you actually play.
Old Unreal tournament. Set bot to prefer sniper rifle, take cover to 80%, caution to 80% and aiming to 90%. And it kill as fast as it will reload.
them damn halo 2 legendary jackals are the main cause of most of my rages when palying video games. no joke they are insanely annoying
Apart from #3 I'd guessed as much anyway... So...not so secret secrets...
Calling these "dirty little secrets" is a bit sensationalist. It's just game balancing details.
Not only that, most of them aren't secret at all. Everyone's known about the Loading scenes for a long time. It's also only logical that the programmers would have the AI miss you occasionally. Otherwise, the AI would always register a perfect hit, and no one would be able to win the game.
Load More Replies... when i first clicked on this, the "we make the AI miss you" was the heading, and I thought it meant the AI actually missed you as a player so you'd feel bad and keep coming back to cultivate the relationship.. the actual kind of missing you was less interesting haha
As an indie game developer: Not everyone does this, but I should probably be taking notes...
Not indie here, but yeah, as part of a game company, it really depends on the game and the goal. The real secrets, btw, are the business secrets, and they're never released to the public. But don't worry, people, it's really nothing so bad or unethical. It's just technicalities.
Load More Replies... Iirc Silent Hill got its thick foggy atmosphere to cover for the loading trick. "You can't see more than a few feet in any direction woOoOo SpOoKy~!" *frantically loading the next section*
I thought it was an accident, but they kept it because it improved the atmosphere (Edit: Nevermind, it was to cover the loading, but due to this trick it did boost the creepy atmosphere which was something they didn't originally expect).
Load More Replies... So... I really suck then, since I die anyway :p Oh well I miss Diablo, the original, (rounded it so many times I maxed out in all categories) lost my cd , grrrr.
There’s a special seat in Hell for whoever programmed Uncharted 1’s AI accuracy...
Goddamn it. I'm very late to playing it, I got the collector's edition and started playing recently for the first time ever, and I thought "Am I that bad?".
Load More Replies... Someone please tell Far Cry 1 Devs that their AI should have missed the first few shots
Try playing Remnant: From the Ashes. It sure does not have any of these things to help new players!
Ahh, the game too many people missed. I started the first 2 weeks solo and couldn't get past the first dungeon, hell I could barely make it to the first dungeon. Finally convinced 2 friends to get it and it was a blast. But Remnant is not unforgiving on purpose, it's meant for people who actually want a challenge, and it's one of the best games I've played in a long time.
Load More Replies... I used to play FIFA online, and it felt like there were specific moves that are somehow more powerful in some weeks. For example, one week, I'd notice a lot more long range shots going in, another week long balls (passes) have a higher success rate. Always wondered if it's true. "RNG" as people say.
And then "From Software" took all these tips and went the opposite direction with them. A gaming experience mired in pain and suffering from the very first moment. Where seeing the "You died" screen more often than the total amount of time you actually play.
Old Unreal tournament. Set bot to prefer sniper rifle, take cover to 80%, caution to 80% and aiming to 90%. And it kill as fast as it will reload.
them damn halo 2 legendary jackals are the main cause of most of my rages when palying video games. no joke they are insanely annoying
Apart from #3 I'd guessed as much anyway... So...not so secret secrets...
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