That has always been just a pain in the ass in my view, with no visible upside.Įcumbrance in that you can't carry as much shit as you want in your 'backpack', that I'm against. And, even if the end result has little effect on game mechanics or strategies, the situation is never fun. Characters start with no durability damage and no encumbrance and steadily receive penalties until they are fully encumbered with broken gear. In the case of games, durability and encumbrance are always penalties. Even when the 'penalty' and 'bonus' result in the same outcome (such as with a $500 bonus on a $500 prize or a $500 penalty on a $1,500 prize for game show contestants), the person who thinks he is receiving a bonus feels happier than the one who thinks he is receiving a penalty. Human brains are programmed to respond positively to 'bonuses' or 'unexpected benefits', while the human brain responds negatively to 'penalties' or 'additional harms'. The reason why though is actually fairly interesting.

At worst, they screw with you at all the wrong times and cause no enjoyment but copious amounts of stress. At best, they're just trivial mechanics to make a game needlessly more complicated. Durability and Encumbrance: two mechanics I've never seen used to any positive effect.

System shock 2 durability mod