Timers & actions

[Chris]

I wonder about the timer based mechanic (the most common one probably). What are the purposes of each of the elements there? Why they are there? Does all games of that type use all of these elements? If yes/no, why?

Elements:
- time - each action use up some time, when you initiate an action all other actions are disabled until you finish the current action
- energy - each action also uses up energy, you have less energy than time (energy regenerates slowly, so you can not sit down in front of computer and start a new action immediately after the previous one finish, you will run out of energy faster than out of time)
- rest - there is a rest action, which last minimum an hour (or incrementals of one hour), when you initiate that action you get energy (this is also the only action that does not use up any energy, quite obvious)
- purchase energy - usually there is an option to buy some instant energy regeneration via real money (usually with some limit per day)

Analysis. It can be looked at from 2 points of view.
1) The initial impression is that this is time based mechanic, you spend time to do actions.
2) But after you get hooked up you start to think in terms of energy as the real limiter.
Then it gets complex even more when we add the rest option, which exchanges time to energy.

I wonder, couldn't it be made just as energy based game without time? I mean, what is the real purpose of the timer? Is it only so you get a habit to get back to the game at a specified point of time or there is something more behind it?

Do you have any other thoughts why it is made the way it is made and if it is a good mechanic or not?

[DV8]

Yeah, many games seem to use timers. While I use server side interval timers to determine replenishing of action points in my case, I don't have anything where you have to wait for recovery or completion of a task. Perhaps that's because it's not that kind of game, but also because I think it's a little annoying. Many games seem to work that way and it always strikes me as another way to make some money; take all the GAS games, for instance (AI Wars, Glory Wars, Tagoria, etc.); they allow you to take a certain amount of actions each day (which you can expand using real money) and each action has a cooldown timer that won't allow you to do anything else afterwards. You can reset the cooldown timer if you want, but that costs real money again.

[Freyr]

It's possible to create a game without any means of "action points". The point of the game then is money and levels, not time restraints no energy.
But then, of course, the levels reach an excess of 1 billion. The same with money, and you buy body equipment. There's usually a lot more skill sets, the most I've come across is 32 though - four for each race, eight races.
The way the games generate an income is through buying experience, which leads up to level gains(where you can choose a skill to upgrade each time).

Time is something I don't see in small-scale games, it's something that in, my view just makes the system more complex. It's probably also just another way the game can generate income from.
Time could be used as a way to slow down achievements, or even slow down player time per day. Imagine Facebook has a time limit on it, something like two hours a day. Some concept, in different context.

[Chris]

I think it's a little annoying. Many games seem to work that way and it always strikes me as another way to make some money;

Generally I think the same... but just recently I found a game with this system that I actually liked. Probably it is just a temporary weakness of my mind that will get over soon and I will start hating it again... but still, the fact that I liked it even for a day or two is surprising enough. I wonder why I liked it, especially since I loathe these kinds of mechanics.

I found it strangely appealing that I have something to do at a certain point of time Or maybe it is because of something else?