According to Mercurysteam, the creation of Raiders of the Broken Planet (now known as Spacelords) involved one question: does the world need another shooter? Probably not, with some consideration, but there are some little things that can open that question up for reconsideration. Take the HRV system from Blacklight Retribution. Can you think of any other game that replaces minimaps and radars with a temporary wallhack?
There’s almost certainly examples of this across the whole industry. Little mechanics that make or break a game. I’ve shared my personal example, and now I’d like to hear yours?
What’s one small mechanic that makes a game stand out against the competitors to you? Something you wish more games had? It can be from good games, bad games, or any other sorts of games.
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It was the destructible environments in Battlefield: Bad Company and Red Faction: Guerrilla. Being able to change the landscape of the battleground to create a tactical advantage for yourself or to escape certain death by blowing a hole through a wall was a revolutionary idea. I spent sooo much time playing Bad Company pvp just because each game was different with how people played around with the environment. If there was a popular spot for some sniper up on a hill behind a bush, you could blow up the bush. Pesto change-o, no more spot. Same for taking out bridges that granted easy access to your base and buildings with little sniper windows to shoot from.