======Delayed Result====== //image tbd// =====Description===== The impact of a Delayed Result Quest hits the player much later in the game, often unexpectedly. Delayed Result quests add unpredictability to the game, and can make the player feel more immersed in the environment. The player might be surprised by a decision made early in the game that has unexpected results at the end of the game. =====Variables and Affordances===== * Delay - How long between quest completion and player consequences, measured in either quest or real time. * Initiator - Action that puts into motion the eventual result. * Receiver - Quest that receives the impact of the delayed result. =====Examples===== * [[games:alphaprotocol|Alpha Protocol]] Split second decisions, such as choosing to save Albatross from the Russian mafia, or choosing not to just shoot Conrad Marburg in the face when you first see him, have effects on the story that come only much later in the game. Killing Marburg in Rome, 3 or 4 hours later, will give the player appreciation from the character SIE later in the game, while not killing Marburg means that on the last mission he will come talk to the player again, either to attack or just have a friendly conversation depending on other interactions with him. * [[games:fallout3|Fallout 3]] - releasing Fawkes from his cell early in the game, allows him to later help the player in the last quest by letting Fawkes go into the radiation filled chamber instead of the player, thereby saving the player's life. ====In Worked Examples==== * [[examples:take_it_back|Take It Back]] =====Related Patterns===== [[patterns:altering_side_stub|Altering Side Stub]] - If the delayed result is minimal, and does not change the outcome of the quest it affects, it can be considered an altering side stub. =====Quest-Level Relationship===== [[patterns:hub|Hub and Spokes]] - Actions taken in one spoke could have an effect on the other spokes. [[patterns:evolving_level|Evolving Environment]] - An environment evolution doesn't necessarily happen immediately, or have immediately obvious effects on gameplay. {{tag> quest:structure }}