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GameSpot: More Games Should Do This | Custom Difficulty
- Thread starter IbizaPocholo
- Start date
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hyperbertha
Member
More options there are less power devs have to make a satisfying experience.
diffusionx
Gold Member
The fundamental issue with difficulty settings is that I do not know what I am selecting before I play the game, and adding more options doesn't help that. In fact it makes it worse.
I get the idea behind difficulty, but usually I end up having to research it before I start a game which is so, so dumb if you think about it. I'm fully on board one difficulty level, whether it is Kirby or Dark Souls, and the dev decides how the game should be played.
I get the idea behind difficulty, but usually I end up having to research it before I start a game which is so, so dumb if you think about it. I'm fully on board one difficulty level, whether it is Kirby or Dark Souls, and the dev decides how the game should be played.
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apowhungo
Member
Exactly. This is obvious in roleplaying games like WRATH OF THE RIGHTEOUS (where you can tweak every single campaign parameter) or strategy games, but even open world games like the maligned UBI-openworlds allow you to tweak certain parameters independent of a global difficulty setting.
. . .the way it is done in the SS remake is definitely good (I'll admit I raised an eyebrow at the options and thought "Oh, this is cool" when I started a game), but this article reads like someone who is more blinded by how clever the options are presented, and thus unable to "see" the other games that have also done this, instead of just outright not being aware of this trend in modern gaming.
ProgenitorCastle
Banned
OG RE4 and Godhand are like that too
mopspear
Member
I really think a lot of optional things in games would work so much better if they actually gave a long explanation with examples on what will happen if you choose them. Pictures and video and bullet points etc. One example is in RE2 remake when you turn on different graphics options, they show you what difference it makes in the little picture of the police station plus how much power it consumes. Developers want to make things so clean looking and simple. It's like they're afraid to have too much text explaining anything.
Dynasty8
Member
Agreed with this. I never want to experience GoW Ragnarok's NPCs constantly blabbering and telling me how dumb I am for not being able to solve a puzzle in the first 5 seconds of entering a room...treating us like chimpanzees who need our hands held throughout each puzzle. For a game that won an award on assesibility features, I still can't believe we couldn't turn that off.
Kadve
Member
Or you do it like OG Demons Souls. The complete reverse because screw you looser!!!OG RE4 and Godhand are like that too
StreetsofBeige
Gold Member
Sports games have incredibly detailed AI difficulty and gameplay tweaks.
ProgenitorCastle
Banned
Games of Today
Member
Last of Us 2 on grounded enemy difficulty with normal difficulty loot and aggressive friendly A.I. is perfection. It makes your partner feel much closer to a real person in co-op.
Portugeezer
Member
I tried it in Ghost Recon Breakpoint and I didn't like all the options, to be fair.
I preder to know what the intended experience is from the developers.
I preder to know what the intended experience is from the developers.
Captain Toad
Banned
Sorry, I hate this crap.
I'd rather every game have one default difficulty and maybe a harder one for NG+.
Some games are hard. Some are easy. It's all fine. The game difficulty should be part of the overall package and design of the game.
Someone gets the ending of Sekiro, they earned it. No participation award.
Someone beats Celeste, they either conquered a challenging game, or more likely, at the first sign of resistance, they turned on cheats and water-down the experience.
Not every game needs to be for everyone. But, when you're confident in your vision, including challenge level, you might be surprised that the audience is bigger than anticipated. Look at Elden Ring.
I'd rather every game have one default difficulty and maybe a harder one for NG+.
Some games are hard. Some are easy. It's all fine. The game difficulty should be part of the overall package and design of the game.
Someone gets the ending of Sekiro, they earned it. No participation award.
Someone beats Celeste, they either conquered a challenging game, or more likely, at the first sign of resistance, they turned on cheats and water-down the experience.
Not every game needs to be for everyone. But, when you're confident in your vision, including challenge level, you might be surprised that the audience is bigger than anticipated. Look at Elden Ring.
GymWolf
Member
Nah, resources should stay at grounded or the level above that at best, if you have ammo to spare the game turn into an absolute cakewalk.
Also i prefer zombie companions, for the same reason, they should only act as a distraction, not actively killing my target.
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a multicultural team of v
Member
What even is game balance and design when the end user is able to customize everything regarding gameplay? The game of chess is well understood and balanced because there are clearly defined rules and abilities of the pieces. If someone could just make up what each piece could do individually every time they play what are they even playing at that point? And if someone decides all of their pawns have the abilities of a queen, what do any of their opinions regarding the quality of the game of chess count for? "This game sucks!" yea no shit because you decided to put 8 extra queens on the board.
I'd rather play a fully designed game within the confines a game developer specifically created.
Games of Today
Member
I've played through these games on just straight up grounded but it can be tedious sometimes. If you keep the resources on the normal difficulty you still don't get that much ammo. But it's enough to make the shootouts more interesting. But I do like the Grounded A.I. reaction times and accuracy as well as damage. The bullets should be as deadly to me as the enemies.
But I think the companions actually engaging in fights is fucking awesome. It adds so much more immersion to the game instead of them just picking their ass in a corner and shooting once every 20 minutes.
SCB3
Member
The RE Remakes have it as wellOG RE4 and Godhand are like that too
GymWolf
Member
I played one run fully grounded and one with only the resources on survival and i was full choke of ammo on the second run, maybe you didn't explored enough.
The second run was way more fun but also way easier.
The ia even on grounded is still stupid and suicidal, with enough ammo you are always the hunter, never the hunted.
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StylishMGTOW
Member
Fuck man, just give these journalists what they want:
GAMING JOURNALIST DIFFICULTY
GAMING JOURNALIST DIFFICULTY
drotahorror
Member
Maybe in some games. I hate it in Forza Horizon and now The Crew Motorfest is copying the idea.
If your game needs rewinds as a feature maybe you made the track more difficult than it should have been. Or maybe someone needs to learn the track instead of rewinding time and easily fixing their mistake.
You turn off rewind and you get like 5% more xp? It should be much more substantial.
Also adjusting the difficulty of opponents should be way more lucrative if that’s an option as well. Getting a messily 2 or 3% Xp/money boost is not worth getting good at.
I dunno I just fucking hate these cop out customized difficulties in racing games lately. Make good ai not this bullshit adjustable garbage.
If your game needs rewinds as a feature maybe you made the track more difficult than it should have been. Or maybe someone needs to learn the track instead of rewinding time and easily fixing their mistake.
You turn off rewind and you get like 5% more xp? It should be much more substantial.
Also adjusting the difficulty of opponents should be way more lucrative if that’s an option as well. Getting a messily 2 or 3% Xp/money boost is not worth getting good at.
I dunno I just fucking hate these cop out customized difficulties in racing games lately. Make good ai not this bullshit adjustable garbage.
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Knightime_X
Member
False
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Give every game a Story / Narrative difficulty option.
Really depends on what the difficulty slider is going to do. It usually just means more enemies, they do more damage and they become more dame spongey. I think a lot of games have employed an auto difficulty slider though that works behind the scenes.
I'll accept difficulty sliders if they increase the AI, the minimum being what's present in F.E.A.R., but games haven't advanced that much and more cater to multiplayer experiences and GAAS experiences, and watered down singleplayer experiences to 'welcome everyone', so you know, why bother.
I'll accept difficulty sliders if they increase the AI, the minimum being what's present in F.E.A.R., but games haven't advanced that much and more cater to multiplayer experiences and GAAS experiences, and watered down singleplayer experiences to 'welcome everyone', so you know, why bother.
Games of Today
Member
Some of my best gaming experiences were/still are playing Uncharted 1 through 3 with one shot kills and infinite ammo.
It truly turns them into interactive movies.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Indeed. Sometimes you want to have a fun challenging experience, sometimes you just want to feel like an overpowered super hero. Both play styles are viable and shouldn't discredit the other.
Or you can use cheats, or use exploits(like speedrunners making full use of the latter). 'Earning' anything in gaming is kinda pointless.