Penalty imposed for harming non-combatants
Other (objects, etc.) theme
Penalizes player(s) if they in any way harm players or game characters who are not fighting against the protagonist(s).
55
games
27platforms
WIN 2000
C64 1983
SMS 1990
PDP1 1981-08-04
LIN 2010-08-15
WIN 1998-11-30
CPC 1990
IIE 1982
VCS 1982
IIE 1983
LIN 2001-05-08
DOS 1992-04-16
In some cases a certain level of harm is allowed before the penalty is implemented.
The protagonist or character(s) with authority over them many have a stricter definition of a non-combatant. For instance, a civilian remains protected even if they actively try to kill the protagonist.
The penalty is typically an unrealistic game mechanic. Such as, deep in an enemy base the protagonistist shoots a civilian contractor who has obviously surrendered. Yet the level ends instantly (protagonist's superiors instantly knew precisely what happened, instantly infiltrated the base to stop the protagonist, and instantly exited with the protagonist, all while the enemy watched without offering assistance nor resistance). In rare cases, harming non-combatants results in more realistic penalties, such as an ally character choosing to no longer help the protagonist [i]when they realize/discover[i] what the protagonist did. Or in the above example, the protagonist may continue with the mission having to face penalties only after the mission is over (which them may include mission failure state)
The protagonist or character(s) with authority over them many have a stricter definition of a non-combatant. For instance, a civilian remains protected even if they actively try to kill the protagonist.
The penalty is typically an unrealistic game mechanic. Such as, deep in an enemy base the protagonistist shoots a civilian contractor who has obviously surrendered. Yet the level ends instantly (protagonist's superiors instantly knew precisely what happened, instantly infiltrated the base to stop the protagonist, and instantly exited with the protagonist, all while the enemy watched without offering assistance nor resistance). In rare cases, harming non-combatants results in more realistic penalties, such as an ally character choosing to no longer help the protagonist [i]when they realize/discover[i] what the protagonist did. Or in the above example, the protagonist may continue with the mission having to face penalties only after the mission is over (which them may include mission failure state)
Commonly this is losing a life or instant failure (requiring loading a saved game or restarting the whole mission/level from the beginning), usually depending simply on if the game has lives or not.
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Games by year
The first Penalty imposed for harming non-combatants video game was released on August 1979.
Glass Knuckle Games, Ocean Software and Starcraft published most of these games.