[alisonatwork]

This also was what stopped me from ever completing the game, even back in the 90s when it was still Star Control 2. I am not really a fan of games that force an arbitrary timer on the player, it feels like a holdover from the bad old days of coin-op arcade machines.

A while back I discovered a fork of Ur-Quan Masters which includes a time dilation feature that seems like it might make the game more fun to play, although I haven't tried it yet simply because I don't want to start playing and realize once again that I'm being punished for exploring and forced to start all over again: https://uqm-mods.sourceforge.net/

At least in Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mass Effect 2 when this same thing happens it's based on a trigger, so as long as you know the trigger you can go do the mission immediately. Alas in Star Control 2 the timer is counting from the beginning so the game leaves you little choice.

[Semaphor]

> I am not really a fan of games that force an arbitrary timer on the player, it feels like a holdover from the bad old days of coin-op arcade machines.

I like it in RPGs, when it’s well-done. It improves immersion for me, when there’s not just talk about urgency, but actual urgency.

But one of the games where I loved it most, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, people complained a lot about it.

After my first few playthroughs, I was so much faster, and had far more time than I needed, and I always wished I could go back to knowing less and being back under time-pressure.

I do not like it for non-RPGs or games with "RPG elements" like X-Com.

[mrob]

If you're talking about the original X-Com, there's no hard time limit. The game gets more difficult over time, but you can never lose purely by playing too slow. Notably, the aliens never attempt to infiltrate Russia, so you can never lose by complete infiltration of the Council of Funding Nations.

[Semaphor]

I meant mechanics like in Enemy Within where every action you do brings certain events closer.