power ups are essential, i think, in most types of games.. they give the player an edge that they weren't expecting, and can help them out of a tight jam. although they are usually categorized per genre, specifically arcade type games, for the purposes of this thread i would like them to be considered any item that provides the player with some form of aid, or a positive result. Looking at platform games, these come in the forms of things found on level maps, dropped by enemies, inside secret containers, etc. and since most platform games are not terribly realistic in themselves, it is easy to accept that any possible enemy might be carrying one on their person. it can hurt the realism though, in games that are trying to be more plausible. Another genre, first person shooters, has this same scenario... enemies are genereally expected to be carrying their own guns and their own ammo. Not to be too critical, but i can't say i've ever heard of soldiers gunning down an enemy and then picking up their rifle. It seems a very poor position from a tactical perspective to not equip your soldiers with enough ammunition or firepower to take out the enemy without relying on them for supplies. But, I think being the case for most powerups in games, they are collected by coming in physical contact with them... usually by running over them. I understand completely that this is for reasons of simplicity, but at the same time... if there is nothing else that bugs me about how fake some games seem, this is what can do it. Is there some other way that collecting items and power ups can be done, without losing the simplicity?

When power-ups first started appearing in arcade games (especially the top-down and horizontal shooters), they served another purpose as well, to distract the player. Many of my arcade deaths happened as I tried to pick up a power-up.

In a 3d shooter, you could have the player actually have to search the body of a fallen enemy in order to scrouge for power-ups (ammo, health, etc). Basically, the player would move top of the body and then press and hold the search key. A progress bar would appear and the loot obtained at the end of this process. The player is vulnerable during this time.

This makes the decision to get a power-up a non-trivial one as there is some risk involved.

I wouldn't do status bars - that's like progress quest. If you want realism, I'd have the player have to find the actual clip of ammo on the gun and take it out - possibly by putting down (or holstering) his gun, removing the clip, and pocketing the clip.

This is why I think gesture-based interface is the way to go - could have a variety of very complex actions. Search the body, grab items, store items, manually empty shells out of a half-empty clip so you can move them into another half-empty clip - put your stuff down and take off your armour so you can put on someone elses, etc.

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Original post by Korvan When power-ups first started appearing in arcade games (especially the top-down and horizontal shooters), they served another purpose as well, to distract the player. Many of my arcade deaths happened as I tried to pick up a power-up. In a 3d shooter, you could have the player actually have to search the body of a fallen enemy in order to scrouge for power-ups (ammo, health, etc). Basically, the player would move top of the body and then press and hold the search key. A progress bar would appear and the loot obtained at the end of this process. The player is vulnerable during this time. This makes the decision to get a power-up a non-trivial one as there is some risk involved.

although the status bar in itself would be a slight deviation from reality... this is a great way to handle it. It's even applicable to a point in side scrollers... hm.

another thought... most of the powerups i can recall from video games are along the lines of invincibility, more health, more ammo/bigger weapon... those are usually the standard set. Are there any other possible ways to go with such power ups?

Alternate approaches to "power ups"
- vehicles
- physical modules you replace on your existing vehicle (I've seen some games that do that in real-time).
- chambers you walk in to that seal around you to give you a goody (like in Megaman X).
- ports you plug your arm into (Metroid)
- eating people (aliens vs. predator, Rampage, Kirby's dreamland)
- purchasing stuff - you just go for money, which makes sense as something you'd get from doing your job.
- have a manual "manipulator" weapon, so you have to put your gun away to pick stuff up
- separate key to "grab" stuff, like the tractor beam in Psygnosis Lander.
- momentary delay, which is often enough deterrent. I've been clobbered in Final Fight while bending down to pick up an iron pipe.

The previous post was mine.