History Main / ResourcesManagementGameplay

This is a VideoGameTrope. When the limited resource is time, we are talking about a TimedMission. Strongly related to TooAwesomeToUse, and UnstableEquilibrium. Also see WizardNeedsFoodBadly, AntiGrinding and MinMax. Any game like this is almost guaranteed to be NintendoHard and/or HarderThanHard. When it's applied to magic spells, check VancianMagic.

[[quoteright:244: [[AwkwardZombie http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/what_if_we_need_them_later_2_5411.PNG]]]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Wild ARMs 3}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/WildArms1 Alter Code F]]'', healing items are not available in shops for any price, {{Justified}} by the world being a dying wasteland where plants like Heal Berries just don't grow anymore. Later in the game this is subverted, since you can grow your own healing items in a garden (you're still limited in the number of slots for plants and how many can be produced per time period passed).

All of the sudden, you might find everything from a HealingPotion to a WaveMotionGun becomes equal in UniquenessValue, and [[TooAwesomeToUse saving them]], a mandatory part of game play. If you upset the UnstableEquilibrium by failing to scrimp resources or train properly on the current ones, the game can become UnWinnable. [[hottip:* :completing [[ThatOneLevel the most difficult levels]] without those [[MinimalistRun items]]/[[LowLevelRun levels]] can be a good SelfImposedChallenge]]

--> ''HappyVideoGameNerd, during his review of ''VideoGame/SweetHome'' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNz93wC7W68&t=2m37s]]''

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/what_if_we_need_them_later_2_5411.PNG
[[caption-width:244:The basis of ResourcesManagementGameplay, UpToEleven by AwkwardZombie]]

->''Note: EVERY game where you have a very small amount of health and a limited number of RandomlyDrops, or {{RatchetScrolling}}/{{FixedScrollingLevel}}, uses this. Most obvious examples are {{FPS}} and BeatEmUp games, although those don't really count since in most cases you're contending with a fixed number of enemies or other obstacles, hardly imposing any real limit. So please, '''REFRAIN FROM LISTING THEM''' unless there is something interesting about them. ''

--> ''HappyVideoGameNerd, during his review of SweetHome [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNz93wC7W68&t=2m37s]]''

* As denoted by the quote above, ''SweetHome''.

* The central gameplay mechanic in ''VideoGame/{{Turgor}}'', otherwise known as The Void. This is further complicated by the fact that there is ONE resource to manage that does *everything* (health, ammo, currency, etc). A limited amount appears in each time cycle, and it's alarmingly easy to render the game {{unwinnable}} through clumsy or reckless spending of color.

* ''MonsterRancher''. Since monsters have a life-span ranging from 1 year to [[MinMaxing 11 years]], you hsve to be VERY cautious of what you make your monster do, and when. In general, the money in this game could be considered as no Economy Management.

** ''VideoGame/AmnesiaTheDarkDescent'' has lantern oil [[CaptainObvious (for your lantern)]] and tinderboxes, used to light candles in the environment. Without light, your SanityMeter drops rapidly. {{Penumbra}} (by the same developers) has battery life for your flashlight.

* In ''{{Wild ARMs 3}}'' and ''[[{{WildArms1}} Alter Code F]]'', healing items are not available in shops for any price, {{Justified}} by the world being a dying wasteland where plants like Heal Berries just don't grow anymore. Later in the game this is subverted, since you can grow your own healing items in a garden (you're still limited in the number of slots for plants and how many can be produced per time period passed).

* ''SonicChronicles'' can be like this if you don't equip the chao that guarantees you'll get items you can sell after every battle, since there's a finite number of rings (currency) laying around.

* The central gameplay mechanic in ''{{Turgor}}'', otherwise known as The Void. This is further complicated by the fact that there is ONE resource to manage that does *everything* (health, ammo, currency, etc). A limited amount appears in each time cycle, and it's alarmingly easy to render the game {{unwinnable}} through clumsy or reckless spending of color.

** AmnesiaTheDarkDescent has lantern oil [[CaptainObvious (for your lantern)]] and tinderboxes, used to light candles in the environment. Without light, your SanityMeter drops rapidly. {{Penumbra}} (by the same developers) has battery life for your flashlight.

* Most {{Roguelike}} {{RPG}} work like this. The reason behind it is that players usually need food, and food is limited for each floor, so you will be forced to ration your and go to the next floor when you run out of it.

* In ''StarControl II: The Ur-Quan Masters'', you have a limited amount of time to defeat the {{BigBad}}s before [[AlwaysABiggerFish Bigger Bads]] come along and denude the galaxy of life.

This is a VideoGameTrope. When the limited resource is time, we are talking about a TimedMission. Strongly related to TooAwesomeToUse, and UnstableEquilibrium. Also see WizardNeedsFoodBadly, AntiGrinding and MinMax. Any game like this is almost guaranteed to be NintendoHard and/or HarderThanHard.

* ''Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu'' counts as the UrExample of this. There is a limited amount of enemy encounters, some of which boost your Karma stat to a point where you can't get any experience points (you have to acquire a cursed potion to reduce your Karma, which in turn will cost you some hit points). And the icing on the cake? All slain enemies stay slain for good. That, and you also have to keep a healthy supply of food and properly make decisions on when to upgrade your equipment.

->''Note: EVERY game where you have very little amount of health and with a limited number of RandomlyDrops or with {{RatchetScrolling}}/{{FixedScrollingLevel}} uses this. Most obvious examples are {{FPS}} and BeatEmUp games, although those don't really count since in most cases you're contending with a fixed number of enemies or other obstacles, hardly imposing any real limit. So please, '''REFRAIN FROM LISTING THEM''' unless there is something interesting about them. ''

* ''MonsterRancher''. Since monsters have a life-span ranging from 1 year to [[MinMaxing 11 years]], you've to be VERY cautious of what you make your monster do, and when. In the general aspect, the money on this game could be considered as no Economy Management.

* ''MonsterRancher''. Since monsters have a life-spawn ranging from 1 year to [[MinMaxing 11 years]], you've to be VERY cautious of what you make your monster do, and when. In the general aspect, the money on this game could be considered as no Economy Management.

In most [[{{RPG}} RPGs]], or games with RPGElements for that matter, [[InfiniteSupplies resources are simply and plainly unlimited]]. Except for some rare stuff, like a [[TooAwesomeToUse Mega-Elixir-Lvl.100]], there is little to no risk of running out of something since you'll eventually be able to re-obtain it one way or another. Of course, this only leads to very obvious circular-gameplay strategies like LevelGrinding. That and there's the whole GameplayAndStorySegregation thing where the BigBad won't summon an army of demons [[TakeYourTime until after you progress through the story]].

All of the sudden, you might find everything from a HealingPotion to a WaveMotionGun becomes equal in [[UniquenessValue terms of rarity]], and [[TooAwesomeToUse saving them]], a mandatory part of game play. Completing the following levels turns out to be BeyondTheImpossible [[UnstableEquilibrium if you didn't save resources or train properly on the current ones]]. [[hottip:* :completing [[ThatOneLevel the most difficult levels]] without those [[MinimalistRun items]]/[[LowLevelRun levels]] can be a good SelfImposedChallenge]]

In some cases, even [[RandomEncounters Enemy encounters]] might be limited, making it [[AntiGrinding impossible to level grind]] or Item Farm. [[WizardNeedsFoodBadly Or you might require food or other limited resourse]] , so [[LevelGrinding mindlessly training to your heart content]] is out of the picture.

One easy way to stablish a difference between those RPG that include this and those which don't, is in the main focus: in the former you have to complete a goal in the [[MinMax cheapest/fastest/healthiest]] you can, while on the later you [[ForcedLevelGrinding have to be strong enough to defeat the enemies]].


Heck, this mechanic isn't limited to the RPG genre alone; as long as maintining a resource is hard and key, this still applies. An FPS also has a limited amount of Med-Kits lying around, because the enemies you gun down certainly aren't gonna drop any for your convenience.

->'''Note: ''"it's really hard to get [x] items"'', "''you can't buy [x] item at stores''" or ''[[InventoryManagementPuzzle "You can't carry more than [x] number of [x] item at the same time"]]'' are not examples of this. The resource itself should be limited, implying that it can only be used a few times.'''

** This is why things like NetHack use WizardNeedsFoodBadly.
* FireEmblem games. You can't repeat battles, and the items you have are the ones you'll use in next battle, so not wasting your equipment is crucial for progress.
* The online flash game EpicBattleFantasy [[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/493714 one]] and [[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/508777 two]]. The [[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/548041 third game]] broke with this.
* MonsterRancher. Since monsters have a life-spawn ranging from 1 year to [[MinMaxing 11 years]], you've to be VERY cautious of what you make your monster do, and when. In the general aspect, the money on this game could be considered as no Economy Management.

->''Note: EVERY game where you have very little amount of health and with a limited number of RandomlyDrops or with {{RatchetScrolling}}/{{FixedScrollingLevel}} uses this. Most obvious examples are {{FPS}} and BeatEmUp games. So please, '''REFRAIN FROM LISTING THEM''' unless there is something interesting about them.''

* ''SonicChronicles'' can be like this if you don't equip the chao that guarantees you'll get items you can sell after every battle, since there's a finite number of rings (currency) laying around.

* In the original ''AloneInTheDark'' (1992), you have a limited amount of oil for your lamp. Keeping your lamp lit is necessary in some dark rooms. If you run out of oil, you're screwed because you won't be able to get past some rooms or find important stuff in them. Same applies to healing items: you only find ''two'' throughout the entire game.

* In NinjaGaiden for the Xbox, before the fourth level. After that level, you ''can'' buy potions, but there's only one permanent shop building in the world, and the area near the shop is full of soldiers with machine guns who would like nothing more than to kill you if you get careless on your shopping trip. In addition, the price of anything besides a normal potion is so high that even if you master the art of grinding in such a way that the health restore powerups the enemies drop make up for your lost health, you will ''still'' have to grind for a very long time to get enough money to buy anything.
* In {{StarControl}} II: the Ur-Quan Masters, you have a limited amount of time to defeat the {{BigBad}}s before [[AlwaysABiggerFish Bigger Bads]] come along and denude the galaxy of life.
* As denoted by the quote above, SweetHome.
* SonicChronicles can be like this if you don't equip the chao that guarantees you'll get items you can sell after every battle, since there's a finite number of rings (currency) laying around.