No. but depends of the type of game.
If a game is designed around challenge and the devs dont think it should have dificuty modes, then git gud, cuz thats the game main purpose.
If a game is more narrative driven and wants to tell a story, then yes. Being engaged on the game story and then being cockblocked by a dificulty spike or a broken mechanic that makes the game way warder than it should, sucks, and should have dificulty modes for the ppl that cant get good at it and just want to enjoy the game story.
Easy modes take time to implement just as any other feature of the game. So when you implement an easy mode, you are taking dev time away from other features.How does the option for an easier experience take away from the still included intended mode of playing.
With that said I want to make sure to let you all know that I'm talking from within a context where at all times the intended difficulty mode is present.
Easy modes take time to implement just as any other feature of the game. So when you implement an easy mode, you are taking dev time away from other features.
That's why I would not like an easy mode in Elden Ring for example. With a game that big and with so many stuff in it, it'd be like having to balance two different games.
Elden Ring then or basically any Souls game.I like when there is no difficulty and the game is balanced that way.
Well it shouldn't be a rule.
Like some have posted before, if the devs/designers have a vision then maybe easy mode would ruin it.
However, if adding in easy mode isn't too hard, sure, why not? You're potentially limiting your audience/sales.
What happend that a lot of people think choices are a bad thing. Why do people think that?
Who benefits from an absence of choice?
I was not talking about the developers. I'm talking about people like you who keep defending games with less options and more people who are excluded from playing games according to their abilities.What about the choice of the developer who wants to make a game with only 1 difficulty?
That seems to get lost in these discussions. Every time a new From game comes out go look at the people on social media or articles on game sites that try and guilt them into including an easy mode.
Like it or not there are games that entirely designed aground one difficulty, this type of games will appeal to some but not to others but you also have the option to play other games that have multiple difficulty setting.I was not talking about the developers. I'm talking about people like you who keep defending games with less options and more people who are excluded from playing games according to their abilities.
Makes no sense to me
I'm not even talking Souls game really. It just seems like devs have a hard time balancing difficulty levels. I think its easier for a dev to find that perfect balance when they don't have to worry about them.Elden Ring then or basically any Souls game.
ER can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be. In fact I'd argue it leans towards being too easy. I had to go out my way to get some challenge in it. Soulsborne is probably less forgiving but it's not difficult. If you go into it expecting your hand to be held then you're gonna have a bad time. Some boss fights are bullshit but overrall the games are balanced in terms of difficulty. You take a couple hours learning how the game works and you'll be moving along through the game. You might hit a wall or two but you'll get over it and when you do that sense of achievement feels great.
Sekiro is probably a good example. It holds your hand to some extent and even lets you revive 2-3 times (at certain points) but don't expect an easy ride. It will challenge you but 99% of the game is reasonable. The final boss fight...that's another story. That dick is the toughest boss fight I've played.
Again what do you gain from defending less options in games?Like it or not there are games that entirely designed aground one difficulty, this type of games will appeal to some but not to others but you also have the option to play other games that have multiple difficulty setting.
You clearly weren't. My point is why are their choices less important?I was not talking about the developers. I'm talking about people like you who keep defending games with less options and more people who are excluded from playing games according to their abilities.
Makes no sense to me
I don't really get the time argument. There's plenty of easy games that can take you 80+ hours to beat. Should they offer a shorter story so busy people can enjoy them?Yes , I am 34 and don’t have Time to get gud or replay the same encounter 30 times, I want to enjoy a fair challenge but not feel like I need to invest my life into it.
Elden Ring
Returnal
Two games that do not respect your time on their native difficulty so please allow me to play it on an easier mode and crank it up once I get a good feel for it.
Maybe that’s why I got my gaming PC to mod Elden ring to easy mode
Dude you're pathetic. Then dont play these games if you think they waste your time lmao.Yes , I am 34 and don’t have Time to get gud or replay the same encounter 30 times, I want to enjoy a fair challenge but not feel like I need to invest my life into it.
Elden Ring
Returnal
Two games that do not respect your time on their native difficulty so please allow me to play it on an easier mode and crank it up once I get a good feel for it.
Maybe that’s why I got my gaming PC to mod Elden ring to easy mode
Cut it off because everything goes over your head anyways.Again what do you gain from defending less options in games?
You can probably write a novel about how bad this analogy is. It's insane that you actually posted this and thought that this made sense. And then have the gall to call other people "Ridiculous". Unreal.Cut it off because everything goes over your head anyways.
"Excluded from games due to their abilities"
Dude can you imagine me writing na email to guitar producers because i'm "excluded" from playing mad riffs due to my abilities? They need to make easier guitars xD
You people are ridiculous.
Create new option. "Easy mode". Reduce damage taken by 25%. There, I've just designed an easy mode. No need to credit me though, This is just how nearly every other game in existence does it. It never ceases to amaze me what kind of bad arguments soulslike fans come up with to excuse having more options when nearly every other game has it, instead of just acknowledging that the ONLY REASON souls like games don't have difficulty modes is because of Marketing.Easy modes take time to implement just as any other feature of the game. So when you implement an easy mode, you are taking dev time away from other features.
That's why I would not like an easy mode in Elden Ring for example. With a game that big and with so many stuff in it, it'd be like having to balance two different games.
You can probably write a novel about how bad this analogy is. It's insane that you actually posted this and thought that this made sense. And then have the gall to call other people "Ridiculous". Unreal.
Create new option. "Easy mode". Reduce damage taken by 25%. There, I've just designed an easy mode. No need to credit me though, This is just how nearly every other game in existence does it. It never ceases to amaze me what kind of bad arguments soulslike fans come up with to excuse having more options when nearly every other game has it, instead of just acknowledging that the ONLY REASON souls like games don't have difficulty modes is because of Marketing.
That's all there is to it.
ah yes this oh so mythical Balance of "soulslike" games that makes them incapable of implanting something that nearly every other game has, only made more funny by the fact that Souls games aren't any better balanced than other games. Go ahead and explain how this completely optional mode would ruin "Any kind of balance or fun", when it works for literally every other combat focused video game.Sure dude just modify some variables and fuck any kind of balance or fun.
You are right on thing tho: there's no need to credit you for such a retarded take.
But it would be better that they would. There are a lot of gamers that bought a game but they cant play it cous its to difficult for them, and they sell it.I personally value devs own choice and freedom, if want include difficultly options thats their choice and at same time if they don’t want to include difficultly options that’s also their choice.
More options are always better
Developers/publishers would go out of business, or they'd have to jack the price up.It’s a kind idea, could refund the amount they never got to see. Reach half way through, get half your money back.
Yes , I am 34 and don’t have Time to get gud or replay the same encounter 30 times, I want to enjoy a fair challenge but not feel like I need to invest my life into it.
Elden Ring
Returnal
Two games that do not respect your time on their native difficulty so please allow me to play it on an easier mode and crank it up once I get a good feel for it.
Maybe that’s why I got my gaming PC to mod Elden ring to easy mode
Thanks for making this stupid comparison. It’s actually very important for this debate.They need to make the Marathon des Sables more accessible by allowing people to finish after running 1 mile, all people should be allowed to experience it!
So no, sometimes the difficulty is inherintly tied to the sense of achievement. Is a marathon too difficult for you? Then you git gut and train your ass off. Maybe your local organisation creates a half marathon to make it easier. In the end, its up to the creator to decide.
Thanks for making this stupid comparison. It’s actually very important for this debate.
The Marathon des Sables is a physical and mental achievement. It’s a challenge, not entertainment. And however much people take part in it, it’s obvious that the end result can’t be the same for everyone, like in any real-life challenge.
Video games are entertainment, and they take away more of your time compared to most popular entertainment. The average novel is shorter than the average video game these days. And in the time it takes you to finish the average video game, you can see 10+ movies.
Now, what prevents you from reaching the end of a book or a movie?
Nothing!
You can read a book or watch a movie and not understand some, or even most, of it. But nothing prevents you from taking in all of the content. You don’t have periodic checks that lock you out from the content that follows if you fail them. If you’re a 4yo, you’re not gonna get quizzed in the middle of a Disney movie and be forbidden to watch the rest of the movie if you didn’t understand everything you saw.
Why should it be this way for video games? A single, frustrating difficulty level is a relic from a time when total game content was short and devs needed to make the game last longer somehow. We commend that relics from the old times of gaming (like turn-based combat and random encounters) are disappearing, all the time. But noooooo, heaven forbid we get an easy mode in Souls, it’d be like getting my e-peen chopped off! Off with the dirty casuals!
A game takes me more than 20 hours to finish, you bet I’m not complaining if there’s an easy mode. And nobody else should, too.
Btw, so many games are already ridiculously long and unbalanced in normal mode anyway, so all the more reason to make them accessible to any level of skill.
There is zero reason for gatekeeping in video gaming, unless we’re talking multiplayer, and that’s a completely different field.
Oh it's not that he doesn't understand the concept, it's just that your example is yet another one in a long line of incredibly poor analogies used by souls fans. The goal of a Marathon is the challenge. There is no other difference between just randomly running on your own and participating in the Marathon. That is not the case with video games. You CAN play video games purely for being challenged, but that's not what everyone does.A marathon is a challenge for entertainment, just like some games provide a challenge for entertainment. Something that is rare and difficult to attain can make people feel motivated to achieve this. Whether a marathon, or a game, providing an easy mode takes this challenge and exclusivity away.
Sorry that you are not able to understand this, it's quite a simple concept.
Not everyone runs a marathon purely for being challenged, but who gives a shit? Some activities, are created mainly for the challenge, and will thus not have 'easy modes'. This can be a hard marathon, or a hard game (fromsoft / they are billions / dark and darker).Oh it's not that he doesn't understand the concept, it's just that your example is yet another one in a long line of incredibly poor analogies used by souls fans. The goal of a Marathon is the challenge. There is no other difference between just randomly running on your own and participating in the Marathon. That is not the case with video games. You CAN play video games purely for being challenged, but that's not what everyone does.
Yeah I said this:Developers/publishers would go out of business, or they'd have to jack the price up.
Take a look at achievements lists and see how many people unlock the first couple of achievements and you'll see a surprisingly low percentage of players manage significant progress through games. Most people don't finish them.
If most people get 25% of the way through, Would you be ok with paying $280 on the basis that they'd expect to refund you $210?
But maybe it would work if more people would dare to try a game. Let’s say if Returnal would’ve sold 5 million instead of 1 million.Problem is, developers would start making games easier because they want the money.
Cool. Some games can have a marathon difficulty mode as option. Simple as that.A marathon is a challenge for entertainment, just like some games provide a challenge for entertainment.
Yes they do. That is quite literally the purpose of a Marathon. The Marathon in itself isn't the activity. The actual activity is running. The Marathon is just the specific format or challenge that the activity takes place in. You can run for as much or as little as you want at any given time outside of the Marathon. None of that applies to video games because you can't play a souls game outside of souls game.Not everyone runs a marathon purely for being challenged, .
Exactly this.Yes.
If I'm making a game, I want everyone to play it.
Yes they do. That is quite literally the purpose of a Marathon. The Marathon in itself isn't the activity. The actual activity is running. The Marathon is just the specific format or challenge that the activity takes place in. You can run for as much or as little as you want at any given time outside of the Marathon. None of that applies to video games because you can't play a souls game outside of souls game.
The only reason it's not there is so people can brag
Excellent point.Yes, because some of us have disabilities, challenging or ultra-hard mode makes the game impossible to play and enjoy.
Also, I feel like, in 2023, essential accessibility for games is a must; see https://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/basic/.
If you are a prominent AAA game developer, You should be doing https://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/intermediate/ at the very least if not, https://gameaccessibilityguidelines.com/full-list/.
Excellent point.
I think the gamers who support one difficulty or hard only games think everyone have inherently great reflexes or able bodied. So to them a gamer wanting more options is just lazy or “git gud bud”
I’d like to see how many of them are brave enough to say to gamers with disabilities and poor motor skills to suck it up and play Dark Souls like the rest of them. Not one.
Yes. More diverse difficulty OPTIONS is awesome.Diversity is awesome.
If a gamer wants to beat a hard game go ahead.You don't suck it up, you play something else, plenty of games as alternatives.