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Alien Isolation updated with New Difficulty Modes

S

Skelter

Banned
Another reason for me to play and fail at this game. New difficulty modes for the people who aren't as skilled or too skilled!

Creative Assembly said:
We’ve seen a number of players with extremely strong dispositions demand more challenges for their Alien: Isolation encounter – another try at survival against tougher odds.

In response to your requests, we’ve created Nightmare Mode, a new difficulty level, which should challenge players to beat the ultimate Alien: Isolation experience.

Explore the world of Sevastopol with a motion tracker featuring a damaged display and undependable information. Resources will be even more limited, the map systems have gone offline and fellow survivors and synthetics are even more deadly and aggressive.

In this heightened, terrifying atmosphere, our Alien will be hunting you like never before. With an upgraded AI that has amplified its fatal hostility, every step you take may be your last. Our monster is more adaptive, learning from your tactics with chilling speed and with intensified senses that will give you no second chances…
Click to expand...



AI_Difficulty_Nightmare.jpg
AI_Difficulty_Novice.jpg



Lock me in a room with a Xenomorph if old.
 
For a moment there I thought that the new difficulty level would be called "Scream like a Bitch" and that would be wonderful.

I'm a wuss, so I'm going to dive into "Novice" mode.
 
This sounds like it fixes all the stuff I didn't like about later in the game. My favorite bits were feeling completely helpless and relying mainly on my ability to look around in VR. Once I could defend myself and see the alien coming, it got less tense.

I think I'll replay this in VR with this new difficulty.
 
I started on the hardest difficulty available off the disc and it was definitely too hard and frustrating. I can't even imagine what nightmare difficulty is like.

Have fun, masochists.

I'll be off in the corner screaming like a bitch.
 
Skelter said:
Maybe that's just me?...

giphy.gif
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I love the alien behavior in this game. The first time my friend played the game, he was wandering around this hall and saw some drool coming from a vent. Like a moron, he goes "What is that?" and wandered under the vent and looked up. There, the alien was sprawled out and hissing and descended to abduct him and kill him.

We laughed because it was the most cliche movie death you can imagine. Everybody always assumes they'd be smarter than people in those movies, yet he acted out the sequence perfectly without meaning to.
 
I have the game sealed sitting right next to me. Bought for 36$ as a small present for my brother.

Maybe I should open it and check if the BD inside is alright..?
 
Will selecting Novice difficulty thereafter actually default you to "Continue Game" rather than "New Game"?

If not then it's still terrifying.
 
Weird, I've heard people recommending to play it on Normal or Easy because the Hard difficulty was too unforgiving and not fun. It seems odd that they'd double down on that for a game that's apparently a real slog to get all the way through.
 
Is it fair to say Alien was a success for Sega? My hope is that we get another high quality Alien horror experience with even better AI, but this time on a planet surface.
 
Krejlooc said:
I love the alien behavior in this game. The first time my friend played the game, he was wandering around this hall and saw some drool coming from a vent. Like a moron, he goes "What is that?" and wandered under the vent and looked up. There, the alien was sprawled out and hissing and descended to abduct him and kill him.

We laughed because it was the most cliche movie death you can imagine. Everybody always assumes they'd be smarter than people in those movies, yet he acted out the sequence perfectly without meaning to.
Click to expand...

This is the reason to buy the game. Moments like that which can't be scripted. Damn the negativity around the Isolation when it launched.
 
DorkyMohr said:
Weird, I've heard people recommending to play it on Normal or Easy because the Hard difficulty was too unforgiving and not fun. It seems odd that they'd double down on that for a game that's apparently a real slog to get all the way through.
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maybe for people who suck at the game

if you apply your skills and are not skittish (i.e., you methodically make your way through the world instead of trying to dash everywhere), you will make it with fairly few deaths. Doubly so once you get the flamethrower.

Now this new Nightmare mode sounds legitimately tough
 
I'm barely two hours in. I got it day one, loaded it up twice, and never played it again. I heard it was a real chore to get through and a bunch of other games came out so I said "fuck it". Maybe I'll go back on Easy or something (started on Normal).
 
DorkyMohr said:
Weird, I've heard people recommending to play it on Normal or Easy because the Hard difficulty was too unforgiving and not fun. It seems odd that they'd double down on that for a game that's apparently a real slog to get all the way through.
Click to expand...
It's not a real slog to get through, and some resources are far too plentiful. This should address that — and more, hopefully.
 
Is it genuinely a well designed game? I recall people saying they were able to figure out the "pattern" of the horror elements and that the flash wore off once you figured out how it worked.
 
DorkyMohr said:
Weird, I've heard people recommending to play it on Normal or Easy because the Hard difficulty was too unforgiving and not fun. It seems odd that they'd double down on that for a game that's apparently a real slog to get all the way through.
Click to expand...
I susoect that, like Dark Souls, theres an element of the challenge being the lure in a "are you tough enough" manner.

The easier modes are still there plus i gather a new easier mode tpp.
 
Krejlooc said:
I love the alien behavior in this game. The first time my friend played the game, he was wandering around this hall and saw some drool coming from a vent. Like a moron, he goes "What is that?" and wandered under the vent and looked up. There, the alien was sprawled out and hissing and descended to abduct him and kill him.

We laughed because it was the most cliche movie death you can imagine. Everybody always assumes they'd be smarter than people in those movies, yet he acted out the sequence perfectly without meaning to.
Click to expand...

I did the same exact thing...
 
TimeEffect said:
Is it genuinely a well designed game? I recall people saying they were able to figure out the "pattern" of the horror elements and that the flash wore off once you figured out how it worked.
Click to expand...

It's an amazing game, but it does lose some of its glow once they grow your arsenal to include the flamethrower. It's sooo easy to cheese the game after that.

That's why this Nightmare mode sounds amazing :o
 
I had to hound my brother to play it and he would only play it during the day so it wasn't scary at all. After a few tries he gave up and moved onto DA2. :(
 
Skelter said:
Maybe that's just me?...

giphy.gif
Click to expand...

This happened to me a lot during my second playthrough, it's like learned were to look after my first time.

On my first playthrough I hid under stuff all the time, he didn't check one time under there, now on my second in the first damn room he checks under a desk, it freaked me out completetly.

I will make it through this new mode. :D
 
I think they already had trouble balancing fairness fun and frustration with the available difficulty modes, making a playthrough on Easy sound more appealing than Normal or Hard.

That said, more options don't hurt anyone and this sort of free post-release support taking in feedback from fans is to be applauded. :)
 
I'm slooooowly making my way through this game (bought it at launch but only like on chapter 5 or so). It's fun, but the enemy AI is too cheap. I'll be hiding in a room when the alien enters, and it just so happens to wander to the ONE corner that I'm hiding. I haven't moved or made a sound, but the alien will come over to my position regardless.

I still need to play more and get better, but it's moments like those that are frustrating and not fun or suspenseful.
 
The problem with the higher difficulty wasn't that that the alien was smarter...the problem was that it rubberbanded to your position should you manage to outwit it and put a huge distance between you two.

That ain't difficulty, that's just cheating...
 
CosmicQueso said:
My GOTY. Such an amazing game and experience. I don't imagine I'll ever get to play a game quite like it ever again.
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I haven't played Alien yet, but a friend of mine said it was a bit similar to Outlast in certain ways. I have played it, and it's really good, especially the dlc. Might want to look into it.
 
For those who cannot read the posters for whatever reason here is the rundown:

Nightmare Mode

  • Motion Tracker is Broken and gives off a distorted signal and unreliable info
  • Health Bar, Ammo Counter and Flashlight Indicator are not visible in the UI
  • Flamethrower burns fuel faster and fuel is rarer
  • Androids hit Harder and Survivors are deadlier
  • Fewer Items to scavenge and survivors do not drop Ammo
  • The Map System is offline and it is harder to Hack systems
  • The Alien is more aggressive, adapts faster and gives no Second Chances

Novice Mode

  • Alien is less aggressive, adapts slower, distracted easier and hiding is more effective at throwing him off the scent
  • Androids are easier to beat, Survivors are weaker and Ripley is more resilient
  • Ammo is more plentiful and components are found more frequently
 
TimeEffect said:
Is it genuinely a well designed game? I recall people saying they were able to figure out the "pattern" of the horror elements and that the flash wore off once you figured out how it worked.
Click to expand...

The androids are scripted and suck. It has a super slow build up - like 5 hours before the alien shows up.

The alien is the best villain in a game in years, however. He's completely random, no pattern, and he's terrifying. The alien completely makes the game.

In a lot of ways, it follows the pacing of a traditional movie, just stretched into a full game.
 
Amir0x said:
It's an amazing game, but it does lose some of its glow once they grow your arsenal to include the flamethrower. It's sooo easy to cheese the game after that.

That's why this Nightmare mode sounds amazing :o
Click to expand...

I had trouble with the flamethrower. I abused it a whole bunch when I first got it and eventually the Alien just started running through it.
 
abstract alien said:
I haven't played Alien yet, but a friend of mine said it was a bit similar to Outlast in certain ways. I have played it, and it's really good, especially the dlc. Might want to look into it.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip! I have Outlast but haven't fired it up yet. I'll give it a go.

I just adore the love put into the environments and sound in Isolation. Just so wonderful to see the license given such royal treatment.
 
Oh sweet, this sounds cool. Heh.. I've read about people thinking the game is too hard on the "old" highest difficulty. And now this?
Game has been in my backlog for quite some time, so I suppose I'll start off on Nightmare right off the bat.

And boy do I love those posters, Id put the red one on my wall if they'd replace all the text at the bottom with "Alien Isolation".
 
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