Hey guys, something I've been wondering about recently.
In a game where right out of the blue you come across a big weapon, be it a gun, sword or an object. It signifies that immediately afterwards is a boss. Is this concept already on the site? And if so, what is it called?
For example, in FEAR you stumble across the multi-rocket cannon for the very first time, only to be immediately attacked by a huge mech, here that weapon becomes incredibly useful.
Concept: Big guns equals big trouble ahead?
" Weapon + premonition = weaponition? "Well, when this happens in a game you'll definitely be unprepared; so gun + unprepared = gunprepared.
@CH3BURASHKA said:
I guess it really is a... deadly premonition." Weapon + premonition = weaponition? "
Not different enough from stock up area
http://www.giantbomb.com/stock-up-area/92-5393/
And you guys need to quit it with the portmanteaus. They're lazy and obtuse. If you said one of those words to another person they'd have no clue what the concept meant, and certainly no idea how to search for it.
It's described on TV Tropes as Suspicious Video Game Generosity.
The greatest I've ever seen this applied was in two sections in Silent Hill 2. One was an elevator loaded with ammo. You usually aren't able to move in elevators, so you activate this big service elevator, it begins slowly moving downwards, and there is ammo everywhere. Every video game instinct in you says you are about to get into a terrifying close quarters fight, so you get on edge. The elevator goes down... down... down... after about thirty seconds it stops... and you get off. But the entire time you are scared. They did that with just ammo and an elevator.
The other part is before your boss fight with TWO Pyramid Heads... there is a save point. But not just any save point. There are NINE save points arranged on a wall. The game is telling you in the most elegant and medium-specific way possible.
"Weapon + premonition = weaponition? "
Fucking...brilliance!
Also, totally a concept I can get behind.
Clear definition: The instance in which a player is awarded with some form of either new and/or super powerful gun that is directly related to some form of fight that it has to be used in afterwards.
That good?
" @Insectecutor: Not necessarily, I mean when you stumble upon a super weapon you've not yet encountered. Where as those stock up rooms are ammo for weapons you already have. FEAR has stock up rooms too. But the time when you find the rocket launcher it's just sitting alone in the hallway. "I'd say the stock up rooms are more an indication of a boss, usually a fight after getting a new weapon is an easy scrap so you can have some fun with your new toy. Dunno if that's true in F.E.A.R.
Anyway, I really like Suspicious Video Game Generosity. Stock Up Area is more for ammunition, health, etc, whereas the weaponition/gunprepared is the convenient moment where there is a rocket launcher leaning on a crate and a helicopter appears about two seconds after you see it.
I've been thinking about it so I'll propose the following...
- Stock Up Area
Examples; In the L4D games you start each chapter in a safe room where you can resupply. In contrast to this you also have a 'stock up area' appear mid-way through each chapter (the gun & ammo table) as well as during the Last Stand portion of a chapter as well.
- New Weapon Introduction
Examples; NPCs who suddenly provide the item to players just prior to confronting the boss on a level, Conveniently finding the weapon and upon doing so encountering a boss fight or having to confront and defeat a mini-boss or tougher enemy in order to gain access to the weapon.
In HL2 the rocket launcher is introduced by listening in on Odessa Cubbage's speech which is conveniently interrupted by the presence of a Combine gunship which you have to destroy in order to progress in the game. After this point the rocket launcher and ammunition for it is always available in areas where later on you'll encounter plenty of gunships or striders.
" @rateoforange: Lazy and obtuse? Welcome to the English language.The point of language is to communicate ideas, not obscure them. If you want this wiki to be useful to anyone but community members, you have to keep your language as clear as possible. Isn't that the point of a wiki?
Introducing new words that become standard language (or even just for fun) is a part of that. Just ask the ghost of Douglas Adams.
As for accessibility, that would make TVTropes inaccessible to anyone but the community. I think the precedent is that people are capable of understanding simple portmanteaus.
EDIT: I thought about it, and I realized you are correct. Perhaps a portmanteau would be too vague. I agree that plain English would be better.
EDIT2: Then again, there is a tradition of using neologisms on this website that become more common and understandable. e.g. abilitease, or nobilitease
Just throwing out another example of this from Bioshock:
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