History Main / PlayerExclusiveMechanic

* In ''VideoGame/EnterTheGungeon'', players have Blanks, which clear the screen of enemy bullets and stop them firing for a moment, like a shmup SmartBomb without the damage. [[AvertedTrope Bosses will also use Blanks]] when their health reaches certain thresholds, clearing out player attacks and setting themselves up for their next phase.

* Quite possibly the most infamous example is ''VideoGame/BigRigsOverTheRoadRacing''. In this racing [[ObviousBeta "game",]] ''moving'' is a Player Exclusive Mechanic. Corrected in a patch, where the [=AI=] can now move, but actually crossing the finish line is still firmly in the player-only domain.

* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'': Several moves/upgrades are never used by the AI, such as ork Burna Bombs, various morale-reducing abilities, or Tau commander weapons. That last one is particularly stupid, as it deprives them of both a short-range anti-infantry and long-range anti-armor.

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'', ''VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn'', ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia]]'', and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', only the player can make use of ItemCrafting to forge powerful custom weapons. In ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon]]'', ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem]]'', ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'', you aren't so lucky.

* In ''VideoGame/GuiltyGearTheMissingLink'', AI-controlled opponents can use most of the mechanics available to human players, including some fairly obscure ones. The one exception is teching -- even the bosses will never do it, allowing the player to get away with things that would be completely suicidal against other humans.

** The [[MirrorBoss final battle]] and Armax Arsenal Arena BonusBoss of the Citadel DLC both use both this and SecretAIMoves in spades. [[spoiler: Shepard's clone]] cannot use some mechanics such as shooter-conventional revives, [[LastChanceHitPoint shield and health gates]], RealTimeWeaponChange (or even [[RealTimeWithPause non-real-time]]) and [[spoiler: Brooks]] doesn't get the unshielded ragdoll and biotic protection that Shepard's AI teammates get, but they get the ability to use First Aid as an AutoRevive for both [[spoiler: him/her and Brooks]], restore DeflectorShields with it, as well as get a full heal under fire [[EasierThanEasy even on Narrative]] (which would logically be [[HarderThanHard Insanity]] for the enemy) up to five times before going down, and [[spoiler: Brooks]] hits hard with her Crusader shotgun on high difficulties, while Shepard's squad would do ScratchDamage on as low as Normal. The Heavy Melee clash would technically count as a [[SecretAIMoves Secret AI Move]], as mechanically, [[spoiler: the clone]] initiates it, and the player breaks free by mashing the melee button. This goes so far as the BonusBoss, consisting of versions of [[spoiler: the clone]] of every CharacterClass, being unable to clash with classes that don't wield the appropriate Omni-Blade or have mastery of their [[spoiler: Lazarus gifted, in this instance]] biotic powers beyond one bonus power.

* In ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors 7'', players with a character's [[WeaponOfChoice EX Weapon]] equipped gains access to the [[SignatureMove Ex Attack]] when a player performs a certain charge attack. Which the computer doesn't use.

* Similarly ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay'' gives the player characters Fate Points to prevent certain death, something that NPCs don't have (GameMaster can optionally give certain high-end named opponents a Fate Point to make them a major nemesis for the players).

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioKart,'' opponents in a race are unable to use items generated from item boxes. The AI compensates in [[SecretAIMoves several]] [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard ways]].

** It truly becomes a challenge in the TimeTrial mode against Oxide's ghost when he's able to use shortcuts in the track.

* Bots in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' cannot use unlockable weapons. Even with just stock, Engineer bots cannot haul buildings (instead detonating their old ones when the time comes to move the rear lines forward) and Soldiers/Demomen cannot RocketJump.

* The ''Videogame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel'' games both play this straight and [[SubvertedTrope subvert]] it. The first game in series introduces Link attacks via the Arcus unit which can only be performed by members of your party who are "linked" via the Arcus units which also give them ability to use MagicFromTechnology. Beginning from the second game in the series you begin encountering with increasing frequency opponents which can use this as well. ''Cold Steel III'' introduces the Brave Order system, which allows your characters to use special buffing moves, such as decreasing the delay between turns in the game's TurnBasedCombat system or greatly increasing the rate of critical hits while also buffing the party. In ''Cold Steel IV'', you encounter select opponents ([[spoiler:specifically members of the Ironbloods or Ouroboros]]) who have the power to use "Dis Orders," such as Frozen Prison which delays your party's turns by 200%, cancels any order you may have issued previously, and locks you out from issuing any order of your own until the Dis Order wears off.
** Played straight in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsIntoReverie'' where while the Arcus Links and Dis Orders are still present for enemies, players now have an exclusive command called the "Valiant Rage" where at least 5 characters (all four in the active party and at least one in reserve) can attack all the enemies either by using regular attacks or arts. Meanwhile, the third Valiant Rage mechanic heals all of your characters.

** Played straight in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesHajimariNoKiseki'' where while the Arcus Links and Dis Orders are still present for enemies, players now have an exclusive command called the "Valiant Rage" where at least 5 characters (all four in the active party and at least one in reserve) can attack all the enemies either by using regular attacks or arts. Meanwhile, the third Valiant Rage mechanic heals all of your characters.

** The computer-generated racers will never use shortcuts (when there is any), not using certain weapons normally available for players (turbo boosts, warp balls, bubble barriers, etc) nor will they leave trap weapons when they're offscreen.
** The beakers (normally a trap weapon) is able to be thrown forward, and the roller bombs (normally a forward-fire weapon) can be rolled backward. None of the computer characters do this.
** The boss racers in the Adventure Mode works differently; they still leave trap weapons ([[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard constantly]]) even when they're far behind or in front of you (and in Pinstripe's case, he also rolls the bombs backwards) but the other limitations above apply.

* In ''VideoGame/LEGORacers'' the AI opponents never achieve the level two turbo start, never power-slide when turning, and with one exception never use track shortcuts. The exception is [[ThatOneBoss Veronica Voltage]], opponent in the TimeTrial mode, who is also [[MyRulesAreNotYourRules immune to track edge friction]] (rendering beating her NintendoHard).
* Quite possibly the most infamous example is ''VideoGame/BigRigsOverTheRoadRacing''. In this racing [[ObviousBeta "game"]], ''moving'' is a Player Exclusive Mechanic. Corrected in a patch, where the [=AI=] can now move, but actually crossing the finish line is still firmly in the player-only domain.

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[[folder:BeatEmUp]]

The supertrope to some forms of TacticalDoorUse. Compare ArtificialStupidity (aka "Player Exclusive Tactics") and AIRoulette (the latter when the AI chooses not to use the action randomly). Contrast ArtificialBrilliance, MyRulesAreNotYourRules, and SecretAIMoves. This can potentially result in GameplayDerailment.

* In ''VideoGame/FTLFasterThanLight'', the AI is unable to manually open its doors to vent the atmosphere and attempt to suffocate the player's boarding party (although note that many AI-flown ships lack exterior doors altogether), or funnel them into the Medbay where its own crew is at an advantage.
** They are also unable to synchronise their weapons into a single deadly AlphaStrike. The already-hair-rippingly difficult game would be HarderThanHard if they could.

** And more broadly, the player is able to switch out their Pokemon any time, but AI opponents almost never do; while they've been capable of it since the first generation, [[http://wiki.pokemonspeedruns.com/index.php/Pok%C3%A9mon_Red/Blue/Yellow_Trainer_AI#Special_AI it's limited to only certain trainer types and driven by probability]] meaning most players will likely not see it. In later generations it's more likely to happen when the opponent has no usable attacking moves (e.g., the player's Pokemon is immune to all attack types the opponent has), but it's still quite rare, leading many players to not realise it's even possible for years.

The supertrope to some forms of TacticalDoorUse. Compare ArtificialStupidity (aka "Player Exclusive Tactics") and AIRoulette (the latter when the AI chooses not to use the action randomly). Contrast ArtificialBrilliance, MyRulesAreNotYourRules, and SecretAIMoves. This can potentially result in a GameBreaker.