History Main / StalkingMission

A gameplay segment in which the player is tasked with following an {{NPC}} to a designated area, either on foot or in a vehicle. However, there's a special provision: for one reason or another, your target can not be alerted to your presence, as this will cause him to panic and flee, resulting in [[GameOver mission failure]]. Some games provide a "suspicion meter" that reveals how close the target is from getting spooked, and which can be reduced if the player further distances himself.

You must avoid following them too closely as doing so will typically end the mission instantly. Sometimes, this makes no sense as your target would logically have no idea what the PlayerCharacter or his vehicle would look like and [[ConspicuouslySelectivePerception they are never the slightest bit suspicious of the NPC traffic]] all around them. But rest assured if ''you'' get close they will instantly know you're following them. On the other hand, feel free to be as obvious as you need to in your efforts to stay a safe distance away: stopping your car in the middle of the street while the target is waiting at a red light is apparently not suspicious at all as long as you're not too close.

Almost invariably a forced-stealth UnexpectedGameplayChange, the Stalking Mission is often [[ScrappyLevel viewed in a negative light]] for a variety of reasons. They may be lengthy and contain no {{Check Point}}s, and if the target takes a difficult-to-follow route to his destination, it may be necessary to resort to [[TrialAndErrorGameplay trial-and-error]]. Finally, the target may walk painfully slow, jarring to players who are [[RunDontWalk used to constantly running]]. This is even worse in driving variations, as the {{NPC}} will typically drive at a normal speed and obey traffic laws, something the player has [[OptionalTrafficLaws hitherto been unbound by]]. Said traffic will sometimes flatten the target, resulting in mission failure.

* ''{{Thief}}'' had at least one of these.
** In the first game, the targets can take more than one possible route. In the second, it's very easy to fail as a result of forgetting just what your target ''is''. [[spoiler:It isn't a person.]]

* Happens in ''Far Cry 3''. In the main story mission "Bad Side of Town", after being prompted in a hallucination, Jason must follow the stranger [[spoiler: Willis]] through the streets of Bad Town. He will stop periodically and unnaturally for no reason, and glance behind him. If you lose sight of him (even if he hasn't moved!) for more than a few seconds, a 10 second timer counts down to mission failure.

* ''{{Shenmue}} II''.
* The ''SlyCooper'' series did this.

Almost invariably a forced-stealth UnexpectedGameplayChange, the StalkingMission is often [[ScrappyLevel viewed in a negative light]] for a variety of reasons. They may be lengthy and contain no {{Check Point}}s, and if the target takes a difficult-to-follow route to his destination, it may be necessary to resort to [[TrialAndErrorGameplay trial-and-error]]. Finally, the target may walk painfully slow, jarring to players who are [[RunDontWalk used to constantly running]]. This is even worse in driving variations, as the {{NPC}} will typically drive at a normal speed and obey traffic laws, something the player has [[OptionalTrafficLaws hitherto been unbound by]]. Said traffic will sometimes flatten the target, resulting in mission failure.

* The second half of ''Fallen Angel'' mission in ''CallOfDutyBlackOps2''. This is justified, since you are supposed to record the conversations rather than just following the target.
* The otherwise excellent ''Anachronox'' has a very annoying StalkingMission.
* ''EccoTheDolphin: Defender of the Future.'' ''Tides'' had a deadly version.
* SpyroTheDragon: Ripto's Rage has one.

* The ''IndianaJonesAndTheFateOfAtlantis'' AdventureGame had a number of these, but probably the funniest is in Egypt. You must follow a man through a crowded bazaar, zoomed out so far that everyone is represented by a single pixel. While it is technically possible to follow him by eye, the intended way to follow him is to get a fez and trick him into wearing it, which causes him to appear in the zoomed out shots as a bright red pixel.

* In {{Mabinogi}}, G13 has you tail Claudius all around the stage. Problem? You character is 'sneaking' and walks waay slower then Claudius himself. It frustrated this Troper to no end.

** ''VideoGame/BlackAndWhite 2'' has a similar quest wherein a guy accuses you of impregnating his daughter. (Your evil conscience's reaction is hilarious.) You can either pay him off with wood, or track her to her ''actual'' lover's house. Thankfully it's much easier than in the previous game, to the point where you can keep one eye on the girl and do your job with the other eye.

* ''True Crime'' LA and NYC have stalking missions with its suspicion meter which triggers if you tail too close to their car.
* Mission 16 in Tenchu Z, "Pursuit Of Echigoya" is one of these. On the good side, it's the only one in the game (there's 50 missions). On the bad side, it's by far the hardest to get a Ninja 5 ranking on, as you have to stealth kill every guard in the level, all the while keeping close to Echigoya, which sucks because it's the only level in the game with strict Ninja 5 conditions (in any other level you really have to try to get anything lower). And dear god does he take his time.
* ''SoulReaver'' contains another example of the "you are the stalkee" inversion. In order to defeat Dumah, Raziel must lure him all the way from his lair to a room containing a mechanism that can be used to set him on fire. Get too big of a lead, and Dumah will lose interest and head back to his lair; allow him to get too close, and he'll smack the crap out of you. Also, Dumah is about five times Raziel's size.
* TheSaboteur has one of these.

* ''MafiaII'' has a couple, of course. The driving ones are fairly forgiving, especially thanks to the speed limiter toggle.

* ''EccoTheDolphin: Defender of the Future.'' ''Tides'' had a deadly version, and in Hard mode, you had to get the stalkees to chase ''you''.

** [[GoodBadBugs There's also a possible bug in the game that makes the section even easier.]] If you equip any [=FaceCamo=] other than the default or any of the Snakes, you can go through the entire level without having to worry about detection, as both the resistance member you have to follow as well as the PMC guards in the city will not pay much attention to you (even though they logically should) as long as you don't do anything suspicious to draw their attention, like equipping a weapon while in their field of vision. If you do alert them while wearing a [=FaceCamo=], you'll no longer be able to use that camo to sneak past them, but you can always equip another one to do so, as long as you don't do it in front of them.

* ''SplinterCell'' has done this at least once.
* ''SyphonFilter'' also does this often. One of the most irritating was ThatOneLevel late on in the first game, where the objective was to follow a scientist through a series of catacombs to reach the cell containing your partner. The obvious route was to follow him all the way, picking off the guards as he passed them, and then getting to the door, where he would happily stand around and not bother to open it. This was because of an oversight that made the game sometimes get into a situation where the scientist had noticed you but didn't fail the mission; the usual solution was to take an alternative route around, letting him out of your sight unpenalized and meeting up with him later on on his route.

** [[GoodBadBugs There's also a bug in the game that makes the section even easier.]] If you equip any FaceCamo other than the default or any of the Snakes, you can go through the entire level without having to worry about detection, as both the resistance member you have to follow as well as the PMC guards in the city will not pay much attention to you (even though they logically should) as long as you don't do anything suspicious to draw their attention, like equipping a weapon while in their field of vision. If you do alert them while wearing a FaceCamo, you'll no longer be able to use that camo to sneak past them, but you can always equip another one to do so, as long as you don't do it in front of them.

In any case, you are required to follow them from a considerable distance, which may prove to be problematic in crowded areas or in intricate environments, especially if your target is unmarked and difficult to identify. On the other hand, no matter how easy it would be to find the target again, losing sight of them (or rather, getting ''too far'' from them) even for a short while will typically cause the mission to be declared a failure instantly.

Curiously, if the player possesses foreknowledge of the target's ultimate destination, they are generally prohibited from simply going there directly. [[YouShouldntKnowThisAlready Most games will force the player to follow the target all the way]].

* Twice in ''[[TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons]]''. The latter is especially frustrating since you have to avoid being spotted by TWO characters.

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* ''TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'' tried this when you had to follow someone to a meeting and then listen in on said meeting, but [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy the AI was a little on the forgiving side]] in regards to the whole "don't let them know you're following them" thing. In fact, the fact that the mission briefing ''says'' not to make your presence known is really the only attention the game pays to the idea at all. In execution, you're completely free to wear your heaviest armor and illumination rings that glow bright enough to make you walking daylight incarnate, run in laps and circles around the target as he's walking toward his meeting, talk to him on the way (several times,) stand ''between'' him and the person he's talking to when the meeting starts, and more, all without penalty.

** An unmarked sidequest in ''{{Skyrim}}'' has you tracking Morthal's self-appointed wizard protector into the swamp in the middle of the night. The way it works out is similar to the ''Oblivion'' cases. You might even end up saving him from the swamp's native creatures and he won't comment on your presence.

** Also from Rockstar, ''LANoire'' features a couple of stalking missions, some by foot and some by car.
* The Neo-Tokyo level in ''TimeSplitters 2''. [[ThatOneLevel HATRED.]]
** To elaborate, Neo-Tokyo is one of those knife-edge ones where it's game over the moment you get spotted. Combine this with the fact you have to stay close enough to slip through a [[HardLight laser security gate]] before it closes -- but not so soon that you're spotted -- and you have one of the toughest missions in the series. Once you're ''past'' that point, however, it's a normal mission.

* ''[[VideoGame/{{X}} X3: Terran Conflict]]'' has particularly annoying examples of these. You are told to follow a randomly spawned NPC ship and find out its destination. This destination is ''prominently displayed in the ship's info window'', but of course you can't just report that to your employers and call it a day. You also can't just jump there with your jumpdrive and wait for it, you have to follow the ship. You can't set one of your other ships to follow it for you or keep track of it on your network of spy satellites, you must do it personally. And of course the ships tend to be painfully slow.

* The Neo-Tokyo level in ''TimeSplitters 2''. HATRED.

* ''AssassinsCreed'' has pickpocketing and interrogation missions, which require going unnoticed beforehand.
** The sequel has missions which require you to tail somebody to a certain location (usually a meeting of your targets) without being detected. Expect the game to throw countless [[GoddamnBats minstrels and men carrying crates]] in your way.

* This is one of the stalwart mission types of the ''GrandTheftAuto'' games, as nearly every game features at least one, usually complete with a "Spook-O-Meter."

**** Played straight and subverted in [[GrandTheftAutoIV IV]]. There are standard issue "follow the car!" levels, but there is one humorous occasion when [[AntiHero Niko]] follows a drug dealer for a few minutes... then his cousin Roman calls to go [[MemeticMutation BOWLING]]. Then it's a simple footchase followed by a shoot-out.
** Also from Rockstar, ''LANoire'' features a couple of stalking missions, some by foot and some by car.

* Some side missions in ''VideoGame/{{inFAMOUS}}'' make you follow a Reaper courier around without being spotted, to see what he's up to. All he does is go somewhere to hide some blast shards.

* ''[[AssassinsCreed Assassin's Creed]]'' has pickpocketing and interrogation missions, which require going unnoticed beforehand.

* The ''FinalFantasyXI'' quest "All By Myself" is a maddening example, as you have to keep your target from dying without him noticing you do it while he fights every damn monster he so much has seen an inch of, aggressive to him or not, ''while capped at level 10''. The usual approach is to [[DefiedTrope cheat]] -- have someone not on the quest, and thus not on his radar and not capped, run ahead of him and kill things.

* In ''MassEffect2'', Thane's loyalty mission has you stalking his [[spoiler:son's]] target as he walks through the Citadel markets. Helpfully, you're on a catwalk above him rather than on the ground.

<<|VideoGameTropes|>>

* An optional ''BlackAndWhite'' mission requires you (as a ''God'') to sneakily follow someone down a mountain. The man repeatedly looks in awkward angles and losing him for a single second makes him disappear (despite the fact he's walking down a small mountain path with nowhere else to go).
** ''BlackAndWhite2'' has a similar quest wherein a guy accuses you of impregnating his daughter. (Your evil conscience's reaction is hilarious.) You can either pay him off with wood, or track her to her ''actual'' lover's house. Thankfully it's much easier than in the previous game, to the point where you can keep one eye on the girl and do your job with the other eye.

* ''DragonQuestVI'' has a short one of these in Pescani/Pescado.

* The ''{{Driver}}'' series.

* ''[[{{X}} X3: Terran Conflict]]'' has particularly annoying examples of these. You are told to follow a randomly spawned NPC ship and find out its destination. This destination is ''prominently displayed in the ship's info window'', but of course you can't just report that to your employers and call it a day. You also can't just jump there with your jumpdrive and wait for it, you have to follow the ship. You can't set one of your other ships to follow it for you or keep track of it on your network of spy satellites, you must do it personally. And of course the ships tend to be painfully slow.