At any time, the player has a handful of choices, and will generally choose the path that offers the fewest frustrations.

The player may:
- continue playing
- revert (either starting a new game, or load a savegame)
- ditch the game and do something else.

Any kind of permanent disadvantage will discourage the player from the first option. A certain school of game designers then respond by making #2 even *more* painful* (remove the ability to save/load. Make you watch a 20 minute cutscene! Force you to delete your current character if you wish to start over".
And what they forget is that this just encourages the player to go for #3. You've made it doubtful that #1 will pay off, you're doing everything you can to punish the player for #2, so.... they go off to play another game.

So, why should I as a player choose to continue my game once I get permanently crippled?

Quote:However, I am now thinking, wouldn't it be cool if the hero (when he escapes) emerged limping, battered, bruised and with a broken body, by the skin of his teeth, so to speak? For this scenario to exist

Would it? How come? Would it be cool in gameplay terms? Would it feel more satisfying than escaping intact?
Remember, you're not writing a novel or making a movie. And your users are not spectators who want to know what happens next, they're cast in the role as the guy whose life just got a hell of a lot harder because he can no longer use his leg, is blind, and has only two functioning fingers left on his right hand.

It might be cool to watch a movie where the hero "emerged limping, battered, bruised and with a broken body, by the skin of his teeth". But how do you think the hero himself would feel about it? Would he think "Hey, that was awesome, a real kick. Getting crippled was totally worth it"? Does the hero himself feel it's a particularly good outcome? Wouldn't he jump at the opportunity to redo his escape if given the chance?

Consider how the fifth time a character breaks his leg will be different from the first time. The first time is a Dramatic Event. The fifth time is a Movement Speed Multiplier Condition. I'd be tempted to work it into a multilinear level design. Jump out of the fifth floor window into a dumpster to escape the cops? Fine, but don't expect to just jog away.

Quote:Original post by kingy
So essentially, as long as the player can quicksave and quickload at any point, permanent injuries are generally seen as being ok.

Actually, that's the opposite of what I was saying. If you intend to apply long term negative afflictions on the player for short term mistakes, you can't provide an opportunity to undo the short term mistakes. Any sane person would do so. Providing a positive bonus for incurring mistakes in order to fix this issue is a horrible counter. It would be a really weird game if I must purposely wander into specific danger to obtain the effects I want on my character. Immersion goes right out the window, along with my character as he jumps to break his legs.

You also can't make these permanent changes negatively influence the gameplay. Especially if the game is decent in length. No slow limping or similar annoying gimmicks.

Finally, if you're going with a non-linear, open-ended environment, I wouldn't make anything that modifies gameplay in a choiceless manner permanent. Scars, replacement limbs, or cybernetics are okay, though. They show that the player has been through hell without hindering future endeavors.

For a role playing game, where the goal is character growth, it would be a horrible idea. It directly contradicts the player's goal of playing, interfering with the basic reward of the game.

I can see this working if the primary focus of the game is survival and not character growth. If the game is a series of scenarios that challenge the player to shepherd the character through tough odds to safety, this could be a very interesting game play choice. I am reminded of the popularity of television shows like Survivorman - enduring is the challenge.

Oregon Trail? :)