Unnecessary inclusions in games

[PeteProdge]

Have you noticed something in a ZX Spectrum game you wished wasn't there?

Like a really poor level, or a useless weapon, or just some bonus presented as a desirable advantage but turns out to be the opposite?

[Morkin]

Atic Atac - the objects in the game (other than keys) have a use, but it's just not worth bothering picking them up as you only have three item slots and keys are infinitely more useful.

Knight Lore (and a whole load of other games!) - the time limit. There's no need for it. After a while it becomes apparent that it'll be impossible to finish before the time ends, so what's the point of playing on?

Avalon has the odd spell that there really isn't a lot of point to acquiring. E.g. SUMMON, which summons a warlock to your room. The warlock will appear anyway if you just sit in the room and wait a few seconds. Extra spells just clog your spells list and make it more difficult to pick one when you have to be quick.

And obviously the bomb/grenade weapon from Ghosts 'n' Goblins. Especially when you're on the second level.

[Mpk]

Atic Atac - the objects in the game (other than keys) have a use, but it's just not worth bothering picking them up

I dunno, I remember being pretty thrilled when I finally got to mess with Dracula / Frankie.
Maybe not useful for a speed run or whatever, but still cool.

[Lethargeek]

always hated the wall-hugging weapon in R-Type, not even because of its movement pattern seemingly covering less space but because it being so weak in comparison to any other

[Joefish]

always hated the wall-hugging weapon in R-Type, not even because of its movement pattern seemingly covering less space but because it being so weak in comparison to any other

I play the arcade version under emulation rather than the Speccy version these days, but that weapon is so much more useful against the Level 3 giant ship as the shots track along its surface, taking out bits of the hull (for points) and embedded gun emplacements that are otherwise hard to shoot. I usually shoot, but avoid collecting, the two blue 'reflecting laser' pickups that appear along with the snake at the end of Level 2, and finish the Level 2 baddie with the ground laser too. It's more effective if you move up a little away from the bulging eye before firing.

[Sokurah]

Knight Lore (and a whole load of other games!) - the time limit. There's no need for it. After a while it becomes apparent that it'll be impossible to finish before the time ends, so what's the point of playing on?

I agree with this one. That has always annoyed me and seemed like a stupid feature.

[equinox]

Knight Lore (and a whole load of other games!) - the time limit. There's no need for it. After a while it becomes apparent that it'll be impossible to finish before the time ends, so what's the point of playing on?

This is true in a lot of games. I particularly resent invisible time limits that suddenly spring "game over" out of nowhere (e.g. Xcel), and time limits on logical puzzle games where IMO you shouldn't be stressed while thinking out possible alternatives (Chip's Challenge).

[equinox]

Have you noticed something in a ZX Spectrum game you wished wasn't there?

We could probably do without JSW's Entrance to Hades. (The BBC version of JSW2 did it better, with a troll room called Fallout Shelter, which was okay because it was very near the game beginning, and did have a valid way through as well as the death drop.)

[+3code]

The last world of Turrican. The color scheme is not the best, to me is confusing and dizzy.

[Vampyre]

The hover button in Jetpac. I'm one of those who's known about it's existence since 1983 and even today can't use it. It's a game where it's better to be almost constantly moving, unless you're on a platform. Sticking around in the same place, in open space, for a few seconds spells death usually.

Similarly... fuel in Lunar Jetman. Just makes a hard game impossible (for me anyway).

[Lethargeek]

I play the arcade version under emulation rather than the Speccy version these days, but that weapon is so much more useful against the Level 3 giant ship as the shots track along its surface, taking out bits of the hull (for points) and embedded gun emplacements that are otherwise hard to shoot. I usually shoot, but avoid collecting, the two blue 'reflecting laser' pickups that appear along with the snake at the end of Level 2, and finish the Level 2 baddie with the ground laser too. It's more effective if you move up a little away from the bulging eye before firing.

dunno about the arcade, but for me it's still much faster to get close or to send the pod

[Nitrowing]

Knight Lore (and a whole load of other games!) - the time limit. There's no need for it. After a while it becomes apparent that it'll be impossible to finish before the time ends, so what's the point of playing on?

This spoiled the game for me. As much as the graphics amazed me I only played it for an hour and never bothered again. I much prefered Underwurlde

[Wizwords]

In Rebelstar, there's a lot of extraneous stuff that could have been used for other things like more weapons, objectives etc.
Like you can mow the grass. Who cares! Or have a coffee, if you can be bothered to waste 3 or 4 turns mucking about with the coffee tokens.
I did speak to Julian about it a few years ago, and he said he was just putting stuff in to give the players extra challenges if they wanted.

[bluespikey]

In Rebelstar, there's a lot of extraneous stuff that could have been used for other things like more weapons, objectives etc.
Like you can mow the grass. Who cares! Or have a coffee, if you can be bothered to waste 3 or 4 turns mucking about with the coffee tokens.
I did speak to Julian about it a few years ago, and he said he was just putting stuff in to give the players extra challenges if they wanted.

About half the map in Rebelstar is surplus, like all of the garden, algae tanks and staff quarters. But it all adds to the game somehow, like giving the feeling that you are invading an actual place, rather than the map existing just to serve the game.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

I've always find scores in certain games useless, for example Sabre Wulf, where the aim is go further, reach somewhere, etc. They're games that the arcade component is not as important as the adventure one. I've never noticed the score I've got unlike pure arcades like Commando or 1942.

Games like Movie, Pyjamarama, or Batman don't include a score, clearly they don't need them.

[clebin]

One I mentioned recently - the timer-based mini-games that Colin Swinbourne seemed to put into every game he did.

Deviants, for instance, is a kind of a budget Dan Dare and it plays well. But would Dan Dare have been improved by adding insta-death bomb-defusing puzzles? I don't think so.

I guess he felt that games like Joe Blade were a little slight and needed an extra dimension. Maybe some people like them too, but they're not for me. I'm sure there are other games and authors that did this but they were a real signature of his.

[MatGubbins]

I've always find scores in certain games useless, for example Sabre Wulf, where the aim is go further, reach somewhere, etc. They're games that the arcade component is not as important as the adventure one. I've never noticed the score I've got unlike pure arcades like Commando or 1942.

Games like Movie, Pyjamarama, or Batman don't include a score, clearly they don't need them.

I agree that scores mean nothing in most games, it's the progress to completing the game that should be rewarded - level
reached/percentage done.
Lunar Jetman gains extra lives every 4th level. Shooting things will rack up the score but it does nothing towards gaining extra life. It's a shame that the high score table does not reflect the level reached. Yes, I know the game has no ending and that once level 20 has been reached it becomes a pain to play, all the new aliens have been seen and the teleports are being stolen every minute, but I find it fun to play.
If Jetman was a score gains lives game, the player would take more risk to shoot every alien during the timer countdown.

Sabre Wulf, again, progress to get the 4 bits of amulet, extra lives and complete the game. Score means zero here, maybe higher score at the end equals that the player took more risks to kill a few creatures and collect all the useless items. Once the game has been done, it's done. I played the game to death when it was released and the map is imprinted in my memory. During the end of 2023 I was playing the game almost every evening just for fun to complete it.

[stupidget]

The physical tape that came with Jack and the Beanstalk. Completely and utterly unnecessary.

[PeteProdge]

Jack and the Beanstalk. Completely and utterly unnecessary.

^^ FTFY.

[stupidget]

I'm officially old. I had to google what FTFY stood for

[Morkin]

I'm officially old. I had to google what FTFY stood for

Lol..! ROFL..! LMAO smh brb

[flange]

Ditto, I read it as FIFTY!

[Wizwords]

About half the map in Rebelstar is surplus, like all of the garden, algae tanks and staff quarters. But it all adds to the game somehow, like giving the feeling that you are invading an actual place, rather than the map existing just to serve the game.

Yes that's true, it made it feel like a living environment, even though I often wondered why robots needed toilets

[stupidget]

Ditto, I read it as FIFTY!

Kudos on your forum name. I used to be in band called Flange in the early 90s

[flange]

It actually comes from a remark a former girlfriend made about a certain appendage on my body.

"It looks like a bloody flange!"

Not sure what she meant though.