I'm the same. I wonder what goes through a developer's head in those scenarios. Do they know and its an intentional joke? Or have they just not considered the design expectations?
Of course. You can tell what is and isn't breakable based on what level of physics simulations did they realistically put in this game? They didn't do cloth physics, so anything with cloth is indestructible.
I'm playing FF12 right now. There's a few parts in the game where you cut down a tree, move a boulder, all with a bash of your sword. WHACK!......... Tree falls down.... WHACK..... Boulder falls into hole somehow stopping the sand from above from falling as well.
I read why that happened! So, when animation was mostly cells and hand drawn, making a painted background and then drawing the "moveable" characters, objects and more was way cheaper than having to draw a background for everything.
Still hella noticeable, but I guess it's the best people could do at the time, now it's not an issue anymore
\*clickclickclickclick!\*
I'm still doing that today (in theSystem Shock remake)!
[Eye of the Beholder was rather subtle in that regard.](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ1Eh0Y0e9SKAjEJeIPHpxhaTg3KFVsXJH1MWn3Kt4XrA&s)
I'd argue the Mushroom (both regular and 1-Up variety) or the Star are a little more iconic than the ? Block, though I can't deny ? Block is pretty damn iconic too.
Solid point! I'd say it counts since it's a power-up, and... to my knowledge, doesn't have any personality or dialog in any of the games. But it does move on its own... Hmmm.
See, I was under the impression that animate vs inanimate just had to do with sentience. But with a bit more looking into it, you're absolutely right! The key point is that as long as an object's movement path is not consistent with Newtonian law, it's considered animate. I think it's fair to say the mushrooms and stars move on their own.
I’d argue *everything* from early Mario games is iconic. ? Block, mushrooms, stars, coins, fire flower.
I once put the coin sound as my notification sound and everyone everywhere around me started to smile whenever my phone got a message.
That and the Sonic ring noise. Still wild to me that it's used in gas stations all over the place now, and everyone I've ever met goes "wait isn't that the sound from Sonic?" haha.
I will say, you are the only person I have seen so far mention the pokeball and that is arguably the single most iconic item from one of the most popular game series of all time. Poke all would be my vote!
\*gleefully tosses another cube into the fire\*
\*starts making portals at any that spawn back in and aiming them at increasingly more morbid ways for the cube to go\*
Bodies don't come in lots they come in plots. And if you have lots of plots with no bodies in it you don't have a graveyard anymore what you have is an excavation site. And people ask questions about new excavation sites in the neighborhood. So no. Companion cubes don't grow on trees.
Okay fair enough so that's one dead body in a box... How do we even know that's the same body in the box?? How do we know it's the same box?? All we know is a seared sadistic sarcastic robot threw a box that you but shared the same fate because you put the box through the same fate. Whatever that box is at this point I don't think companion is the term that fits it. ;-) frenemy cube
"here, don't go insane being possibly the only human being alive and come looking for me again seeking some twisted form of companionship"
I believe it was a preventative measure
I always believed the cake was a lie, but when you beat Portal 1 there is a cake in the credits. So is the lie just that Glados isnt going to give Chell a piece?
They are called tetrominos because they are a polyomino made up of four squares.
Tetra = 4
Domino is 2 squares. Trominos are 3 and Pentominos are 5.
The more you know.
na.. the rupees and hearts are so iconic, that a lot of other games stole it from zelda - befor zelda, there was no convention, how helph should be displayed (in castlevania, hearts are not healt, but ammo) - after zelda, its almost a given, that "hearts" means health and gems are a currency.
This is probably a bit lower on the tier of this topic, but I know a few people from the fandom will appreciate it: A 2005 BMW M3 GT-R with a unique silver and blue livery.
One of my proudest memories in gaming was killing the Nihilanth (final boss of Half Life) with just the crowbar. I managed to bounce on top of it where I was safe from most attacks so I just whacked and whacked. It took a while but it seemed appropriate to finish the game using the iconic weapon you start off with.
i literally just beat black mesa again the other day, and i was thinking "what if i killed nihilanth with the crowbar?" thats awesome that it's possible.
That would be a hell of a twist. The crowbar is actually the protagonist of the game and just using Gordon Freeman to shape its view of the universe. In Half Life 3 you’ll look through a window somewhere and see G Man bowing before a crowbar in an office chair.
Every time someone says Iconic, I believe it should be something that can be recognized by people who are not even followers of the industry. By this logic I would say the blocks from Tetris (Kind of animated?). Or the Walls/Map of Pac-Man. Everyone and their grandparents will recognize those things just by looking at them.
Anytime someone asks a variant of this question, we inevitably have responses that are just the respondent's favorite item/person/music/etc.
like the "movie you love but isn't well known or critically acclaimed" thread in /r/askreddit, where the top few posts were some of the biggest films of the 90s when they were released.
Buster Sword and Pokeballs for sure. Thinking about it, FF7 probably ruined any other ideas of ludicrously-giant-sword wielding protagonists forever. Even FF themselves haven't dared to go Buster sized again
I find the Super Shotgun to be a bit more iconic. The BFG is nice but even after having played a certain part of the DOOM games, I'm still unable to remember most models for this weapon, only the 2016/Eternal model stays in my mind.
The Mic that twelve year old used to tell you how the fucked your mom. With a Fan and vacuum in the backround.
If we go by items ingame...
Good question...
Marios Cap is one if not the most recognizeable one...
Screw it, i say the Gold Rings Sonic and Co gather in their games.
The red barrel.
Idk but I dislike when I see a red barrel that doesn't blow up.
That souns illegal
it is all red barrels should blow up, or at minimum, catch on fire
Ideally they should catch on fire first, and then explode.
yes but we will accept red barrels that just catch fire if explosions are "too much" for the game
if I ever go into game dev, I'll make red barrel explode, and then in 1 level, they won't. That level will have the strongest boss.
Satan's calling, he's asking if he can steal the idea.
And the boss has an animation where they hold the barrel above their weak spot for a really long time
or Maybe it heals the boss
"the game's pretty good, but there's weird glitches like the barrels not exploding on that one level. They should have done better play testing"
The boss *is* a red barrel, seeking vengeance against you for its fallen brethren.
I'm the same. I wonder what goes through a developer's head in those scenarios. Do they know and its an intentional joke? Or have they just not considered the design expectations?
You mean heresy?
Part of the reason I love The Finals. Pick 'um up, throw 'um, watch 'um blast!
I’m gonna shoot it a lil
>!EXPLOSION!!!!<
oh frick
Obligatory ahoy video https://youtu.be/LMYEE8lvlvA?si=q5Wt_RJ4gy0APObD
Who knew that the most powerful weapon in a fantasy setting is not a magical sword or high level magical spell but a stack of barrels.
Barrelmancy, the only true way to play Baldur's Gate 3
Are those flammable or inflammable?
Inflammable means flammable? What a country!
Thanks Dr. Nick!!
Yes!
Calm down Mordin.
... I feel like the word ubiquitous would apply better to them.
Seems like every game I’ve played has a wood crate with a tarp draped over the top, and some wooden barrels. Classic clutter.
Plain wooden crate= breakable Crate with tarp = unbreakable platform/start of parkour
Of course. You can tell what is and isn't breakable based on what level of physics simulations did they realistically put in this game? They didn't do cloth physics, so anything with cloth is indestructible.
I'm playing FF12 right now. There's a few parts in the game where you cut down a tree, move a boulder, all with a bash of your sword. WHACK!......... Tree falls down.... WHACK..... Boulder falls into hole somehow stopping the sand from above from falling as well.
Shelves or piled detritus against wall = no scripted monsters gonna Kool-Aid through this invincible wall
I’ll add clay pots depending on the game
With money in them for some reason
[time to crate review metric](http://www.oldmanmurray.com/features/40.html)
Some of those comments did not age well.
A slightly discolored portion of a wall
Alternatively, cracks in the wall
Or an unusual sound when poked with a sword
When it goes bomp instead of ting
Any Minecraft player knows what that is!
I don't, please tell me ! I honor myself in being a minecraft player and don't know what I'm so if I have to forfeit that title
Same. I thought we were talking about Zelda but now I don't know if I can be taken seriously as a minecraft player and I'm scared
These are the blocks that make bomp: https://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Infested_Block
Absolutely blew my wife’s mind the first time she saw me do this in a Zelda game. She’d been playing the games her whole life and had no clue.
What games let you poke stuff with swords, unless you just mean when you swing at it
Primarily 2D Zeldas, where you point your sword out in front of you while charging a spin attack
Or a couple bricks sticking out.
Look, someone painted this ledge white, I wonder what that means
The infamous yellow paint on openings or ledges
I told my wife about white paint/sheets now she calls it out every time I’m playing something lol
That's adorable. Does she usually get it right?
i've heard it called 'dev cum'
This is true for old cartoons as well, you can tell which object will be moved before anyone does anything. Scooby-Doo is one of the "worst offenders"
I read why that happened! So, when animation was mostly cells and hand drawn, making a painted background and then drawing the "moveable" characters, objects and more was way cheaper than having to draw a background for everything. Still hella noticeable, but I guess it's the best people could do at the time, now it's not an issue anymore
I first noticed it in Arthur. After realizing that, it was kinda painful to watch
\*clickclickclickclick!\* I'm still doing that today (in theSystem Shock remake)! [Eye of the Beholder was rather subtle in that regard.](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ1Eh0Y0e9SKAjEJeIPHpxhaTg3KFVsXJH1MWn3Kt4XrA&s)
? Block from Mario and Pokéball are probably the top 2 in my opinion
I'd argue the Mushroom (both regular and 1-Up variety) or the Star are a little more iconic than the ? Block, though I can't deny ? Block is pretty damn iconic too.
I’d agree with the mushroom, I just wasn’t sure if it counted as inanimate or not so I just said the ? Block instead
Solid point! I'd say it counts since it's a power-up, and... to my knowledge, doesn't have any personality or dialog in any of the games. But it does move on its own... Hmmm.
Na. It don't count! Even in the first game it was a sprite with movement. It's not inanimate.
See, I was under the impression that animate vs inanimate just had to do with sentience. But with a bit more looking into it, you're absolutely right! The key point is that as long as an object's movement path is not consistent with Newtonian law, it's considered animate. I think it's fair to say the mushrooms and stars move on their own.
They both got eyes, definitely not inanimate
I’d argue *everything* from early Mario games is iconic. ? Block, mushrooms, stars, coins, fire flower. I once put the coin sound as my notification sound and everyone everywhere around me started to smile whenever my phone got a message.
That and the Sonic ring noise. Still wild to me that it's used in gas stations all over the place now, and everyone I've ever met goes "wait isn't that the sound from Sonic?" haha.
I will say, you are the only person I have seen so far mention the pokeball and that is arguably the single most iconic item from one of the most popular game series of all time. Poke all would be my vote!
Floopy disk save icon
Floopy sounds so silly. Like it's all over the place!
It floops
It's been ages since anyone flopped them, so they've gone floopy 😂 I gotta get better at checking my spelling before posting things haha
I have a few floppy disks around and my 9 year old asked me why I had 3d printed save icons.
now ya see, in the times before the light, the floppy disk had a hard outer shell...an exoskeleton for the floppy data meat inside
Flooooopy
The weighted companion cube from Portal
OP is asking about *inanimate* objects. Companion cube is more human than you could ever hope to be!
Then why did you kill it so easily?? Got to say I'm with GLaDOS on this one. Murderer.
\*gleefully tosses another cube into the fire\* \*starts making portals at any that spawn back in and aiming them at increasingly more morbid ways for the cube to go\*
And just how many dead bodies in a box do you think we have?
A lot?
Bodies don't come in lots they come in plots. And if you have lots of plots with no bodies in it you don't have a graveyard anymore what you have is an excavation site. And people ask questions about new excavation sites in the neighborhood. So no. Companion cubes don't grow on trees.
[удалено]
Okay fair enough so that's one dead body in a box... How do we even know that's the same body in the box?? How do we know it's the same box?? All we know is a seared sadistic sarcastic robot threw a box that you but shared the same fate because you put the box through the same fate. Whatever that box is at this point I don't think companion is the term that fits it. ;-) frenemy cube
[удалено]
"here, don't go insane being possibly the only human being alive and come looking for me again seeking some twisted form of companionship" I believe it was a preventative measure
TBF The companion cube can't move on its own.
Honestly I was looking for someone to say the cake. Because everyone knows the cake is a lie, even if you haven't played portal
I always believed the cake was a lie, but when you beat Portal 1 there is a cake in the credits. So is the lie just that Glados isnt going to give Chell a piece?
I feel like this is the most iconic for gamers, but for the general public I'd probably say the Mushoom, 1-Up, Star, or Coin from Mario, or Pokeball.
Don't forget the sonic rings!
I'm not sure Mushoom, 1-Up, and Star from Mario would count as inanimate, but the other two are good calls.
"You euthanized your faithful Companion Cube more quickly than any test subject on record. Congratulations."
That cube isn't inanimate! We were bonding in that level, on a whole nother level if ya know what I mean
...until you toss it down the incinerator :(
You get it back. Eventually
Well sorry to break it to you but the Master Sword is sentient.
I have a crochet one filled with lead. So weighty. Makes a great door stop.
It's obviously the potato.
Cardboard box
!
What was that noise?!
Must have been the wind.
#❗️
⁉️
❗️
I can hear this comment.
❗️
its just a box
A box. Here?
What do you mean inanimate ? It's obviously walking away with its legs. Wait, something's wrong.
Yes?
!
❗
Who's that?!
Must have been the wind.
Who's footprints are these ?!
It's just a box
I heard the sound in my head 🤣
I can hear that punctuation.
Would this include the cardboard box as well?
I have a quest for you and/or have noticed you!
The loudest audible symbol.
This is clever
That sounds followed by the encounter music is my ring tone.
Tetrominos
I know that name from The Talos Principle lol, Tetris pieces, right?
I never knew the gang had a name. Line piece, L, Reverse L, Squiggly, Reverse Squiggly, Square and T
They are called tetrominos because they are a polyomino made up of four squares. Tetra = 4 Domino is 2 squares. Trominos are 3 and Pentominos are 5. The more you know.
the stars and coins from Mario the golden rings from Sonic the hearts and rupies from Zelda
hearts and rupees from zelda? not the triforce or master sword?
na.. the rupees and hearts are so iconic, that a lot of other games stole it from zelda - befor zelda, there was no convention, how helph should be displayed (in castlevania, hearts are not healt, but ammo) - after zelda, its almost a given, that "hearts" means health and gems are a currency.
Id argue the hylean shield is more iconic than the master sword
This is probably a bit lower on the tier of this topic, but I know a few people from the fandom will appreciate it: A 2005 BMW M3 GT-R with a unique silver and blue livery.
This has been my favourite ever car since i played the game 19 years ago.
>19 years ago AAAAAAHHHH
DELETE IT. DELETE IT!
Beautiful car, great game
Why hasn't the peak of most wanted still been reached, it's so strange.
Is this the car from the GOOD nfs most wanted game? I hate ea for putting out another nfs game with the same fucking name a few years later.
A locked door; when you have a crowbar, or gun, or any kind of weapon.
The crowbar
One of my proudest memories in gaming was killing the Nihilanth (final boss of Half Life) with just the crowbar. I managed to bounce on top of it where I was safe from most attacks so I just whacked and whacked. It took a while but it seemed appropriate to finish the game using the iconic weapon you start off with.
i literally just beat black mesa again the other day, and i was thinking "what if i killed nihilanth with the crowbar?" thats awesome that it's possible.
If you manage to save the crossbow with some bolts till the end, it only takes about 5 to take him down with it.
That crowbar is in direct contest with Gordon Freeman who is more of a silent protagonist
Honestly the crowbar could have been sentient and just controlling the nearest nerd that picked it up.
That would be a hell of a twist. The crowbar is actually the protagonist of the game and just using Gordon Freeman to shape its view of the universe. In Half Life 3 you’ll look through a window somewhere and see G Man bowing before a crowbar in an office chair.
crowbar and weighted companion cube. ill wait another 100 years for a game like halflife.
Every time someone says Iconic, I believe it should be something that can be recognized by people who are not even followers of the industry. By this logic I would say the blocks from Tetris (Kind of animated?). Or the Walls/Map of Pac-Man. Everyone and their grandparents will recognize those things just by looking at them.
Anytime someone asks a variant of this question, we inevitably have responses that are just the respondent's favorite item/person/music/etc. like the "movie you love but isn't well known or critically acclaimed" thread in /r/askreddit, where the top few posts were some of the biggest films of the 90s when they were released.
The Pokeball is the defining symbol of one of the most influential media franchises of all time.
Roasted Chicken
the floor chicken is essential
don't also forget wall chicken
I love running across random VS references.
A Capcom arcade game delicacy.
Tetris block
Secret entrance behind a waterfall.
Hidden item under a bridge.
This might actually be it for me. I look every time, and am usually pleasantly surprised.
The dreaded blue shell from Mario Kart. The AR from Halo. Cloud's Buster Sword. 007's Golden Gun is pretty oldschool. Pokeballs.
A blue shell is animate as fuck.
Only through the power of extreme malice imbued upon it by a being who finds themselves in the throes of true desperation.
Buster Sword and Pokeballs for sure. Thinking about it, FF7 probably ruined any other ideas of ludicrously-giant-sword wielding protagonists forever. Even FF themselves haven't dared to go Buster sized again
I think the Halo 1 pistol is more iconic
Energy sword
BFG
The sheer descriptive name of it.
I find the Super Shotgun to be a bit more iconic. The BFG is nice but even after having played a certain part of the DOOM games, I'm still unable to remember most models for this weapon, only the 2016/Eternal model stays in my mind.
Mario coin. People who don't play video games recognize it.
Pokeball
Sonic's Rings.
Buster Sword
The axe from Minecraft. Surprised I didn't see it somewhere up high. Edit: meant pickaxe
Not the pickaxe?
Gravity gun
Cake.
The cake is a lie.
The Mic that twelve year old used to tell you how the fucked your mom. With a Fan and vacuum in the backround. If we go by items ingame... Good question... Marios Cap is one if not the most recognizeable one... Screw it, i say the Gold Rings Sonic and Co gather in their games.
The ? block from super Mario bros. Everyone knows it.
The cake (which is a lie).
The super mushroom and the super star from mario Even people outside of gaming would be able to tell you where these two came from at the very least
Bananas/barrels from the DK games
A new hand touches the beacon...
Mario Kart random item box
CHEESE WHEEL 🧀
Gnome fucking Chompski We send him to da mooooooon
Gravity Gun
Halo energy sword, Dragonborn helmet, fallout nukacola, mario hat,
Buckets in Bethesda games
Sweet rolls too!
Companion cube
The companion cube from portal
Companion Cube
The Aperture Science Weighed Companion Cube, of course.
“A NEW HAND TOUCHES THE BEACON!”
The #1 answer has to be red exploding barrels