Kingmaker had THREE FUCKING MONTHS to complete the first main objective in the campaign [...]
It also had an OPTIONAL but very juicy bonus reward for people who made it under a month. A month was still more than sufficient to explore every single map in the starting region and complete it at 100% with some rests to spare, if you knew what were doing and didn't abuse the rest mechanic.
That's an example of time limit implemented well and of SYSTEMIC, organic incentive to not abuse a convenient mechanic (rest) for your own sake.
P.S. It also tied very well with their weight/rest system, that actively encouraged a party to travel light since the benefit was greater than carrying tons of trash loot and going at a snail pace.
Pathfinder : Kingmaker is already on my lists of games to play so I didn't need any convincing to add it, but I was happy to learn that. It just makes me think even more that I'll enjoy this game.
Baldur's Gate 1 had some early-game companions give you a limited time to go to Nashkel. Like in Kingmaker, you really had plenty of time to clean few maps, find additional companions, level-up and gear up before going, if you wanted to. After postponing visiting Nashkel for too long, the companions would give you a first warning, then a few days later a second. If you still didn't go there despite all that, these companions would just leave. It really added some credibility and immersion to the game. (Thinking about it now, the design in BG1 was only a "negative incentive", whereas Kingmaker's design also uses a "positive incentive" on top, which is even better.)
I don't think many people want "finish this quest within X days or Game Over". That's harsh. Fortunately, as exemplified above, and as can be exemplified at length with so many more examples from so many games, that's not the only way time-sensitive quests can be done.
I think a general recipe for time-sensitive quests that work well is :
- If you (attempt to) complete the quest in time, then you can choose its outcome.
- Otherwise, i.e. if you don't complete the quest in time, a default outcome is enacted by the game.
Annway, all this discussion is futile if there no concept of time in the game ...
Coming back to Long Rests, I just wanted to add something about option 2 : Long Rest Locations. An alternative formulation, which is equivalent but sheds a slightly different light on it is this. Long Rest Locations : in some areas, you cannot take a Long Rest.
Of course, these areas are the complement of the areas where you can take a Long Rest.
But instead of the game saying "you can Long Rest here, it's a safe spot with enough space to make camp", the game says "this place is a Goblin stronghold (or a spider-infested cavern, or else) so, no —of course!— you cannot Long Rest here".
