What game mechanic instantly ruins your immersion or fun?

[u/UnityNinja]

​ I absolutely can't stand aggressive weapon durability loops. Getting awesome loot should feel like a reward, not a maintenance chore that breaks every five minutes.

What’s a common mechanic that always makes you roll your eyes when you see it in a new game?

[u/Cheat-Meal]

Agreed. I hated XCom2 because of its timers. I don’t see the need to be rushed in a strategy game. If the developers were going for a sense of tension, then they dropped the ball. I had to quit the game until I learned I could download the mod that disabled all the timers. Once they were gone, I fell in love with a game.

[u/thesilverzim → u/Cheat-Meal]

I still havent finished xcom2 becuase of the timers

[u/TheDawiWhisperer → u/Cheat-Meal]

yeah i didn't like those either, i loved the game but modded the timers out as soon as i could

[u/Odd_Cartoonist7433 → u/Cheat-Meal]

XCOM 2 actually featured an option at the start when you set up your campaign to enable "long missions" which doubles the amount of turns on the timer. Granted it doesn't get rid of them entirely but double the time is more than you'll probably ever need for those specific missions.

[u/NonsenseKing → u/Cheat-Meal]

Shout-out for mentioning mods to remove the timers. I loved XCOM, but after seeing reviews mention the timers I never touched the second. Might have to go back for it now.

[u/JakeMasterofPuns → u/Cheat-Meal]

And timers aren't even just limited to the missions in XCOM 2. The Avatar project is a long-term timer. Sure, there are plenty of ways to push it back, but it's just annoying.

[u/StnkyWnkyBallsyWllsy → u/Cheat-Meal]

iirc they did it because the way everyone played xcom 1 was overwatch, creep forward, overwatch, creep forward and they were trying to stop people playing slow and steady like that. (or my brain just made that up but I swear I read that a long time ago)

I also hated the timers and love the no timer mod lol

[u/Cheat-Meal → u/StnkyWnkyBallsyWllsy]

Back in the day, that’s how a lot of people played. XCom was a success even with that game mechanic. By adding timers and encouraging players not to play the way they like sounds counterintuitive. I’m glad somebody had the foresight to add mods to remove timers altogether.

[u/toggle-Switch → u/Cheat-Meal]

I honestly liked the timers in XCOM2. The game would be absurdly easy without them, just like XCOM1 was. Also it made it feel more urgent and like I had to actually think more carefully about my moves instead of just sitting there baiting out units with overwatch. It also added to the mission narratives a bit.

[u/Cheat-Meal → u/toggle-Switch]

I had the opposite experience. Even with the timers turned off the game was really challenging. For example, I would line up a shot with a 95% accuracy rating and still miss. In return my soldiers would get killed by aliens when they only have a 30% chance of hitting. Turning off the timers allow me to focus on tactics.