What to Do about Those Easy Games

[Ivo]

In many "easy" games there are difficulty settings or difficult challenges built into them (any game with rankings applies, and to some extent so does a proper scoring system that is not just an afterthought). In Boktai 3 the game actually tracks how many times you were spotted and gives you access to the info when you finish the game the first time, even though it is not part of the ranking system like it was in Boktai 1.

You can always try to speedrun or set yourself some other challenge that isn't built into the game and record it if you want (speedruns in games without a timer is a good example - you can time it yourself "externally"; other example is finishing the game without losing a life or getting hit once or something like that, that is perhaps not even tracked internally by the game).

In some cases, the game is easy but is still a nice experience. Making some of those games hard would be IMO a pity as it would mostly just limit the experience to those that are rather skilled or have both enough time and a willingness to spend that time in becoming good at the game... And maybe in doing that the benefits to those that are or can become good at the game are not that big to justify spoiling the experience to everyone else (that's without even going into the sales and potential customers issue).

Ivo.

[Niode]

I just always play games on their highest difficulty levels. Then get all the achievements/trophies.

[Erik_Twice]

Recently I started to play my games at high difficulty levels. Most FPS are cake when you have been playing online for a while.

[fastbilly1]

I disagree Norris. I can out think other players, but for some reason I have difficulty with bots. I was an accomplished UT2k3 and 2k4 player back in the day, was fairly good at Rainbow Six and Ghost Recon, and use to triple conc jump in 2fort when playing TFC, but when your enemy can shoot you before you see them, ie Farcry, then no amount of skill can really help you.

I am all for difficulty modifying what scripts the AI will run. But when the scripts equate to more accurate and cause more damage that makes the game a fools errand.

[Erik_Twice]

FarCry didn't have a very nice diffculty. It was harsh and out of your control.

Of course I agree that some games just make enemies do more damage to you or something like that thad adds no real difficulty, only frustation.

BTW, why tripleconc in 2Fort? It doesn't seem a big map.

[fastbilly1]

Hmm if Farcry was really considered difficult, then maybe I am not as bad at single player FPS's as I thought.

Triple conc was partially for show, partially to hit morale, and partially for endgame movement. The play went:
My battlements
Their battlements
Room to elevator shaft
Typically as a scout you would land at the bottom of the elevator shaft with 60 something health. I did this a couple times on pubs just to get to the flag within the first ten seconds of the game. Even the tournament TFC gamers I knew took this bad. Granted they would recover quickly since they realized you had to come up the staircase they were going down, the guys on pubs rarely thought that though.

In endgame typically there was a deathtrap or three in the way between you and the elevator or staircase, the triple conc let you fly past all sentries and pipebombs.

Its been years since I tried a triple, I can still do a double most of the time.

[Ack]

Hmm if Farcry was really considered difficult, then maybe I am not as bad at single player FPS's as I thought.

Triple conc was partially for show, partially to hit morale, and partially for endgame movement. The play went:
My battlements
Their battlements
Room to elevator shaft
Typically as a scout you would land at the bottom of the elevator shaft with 60 something health. I did this a couple times on pubs just to get to the flag within the first ten seconds of the game. Even the tournament TFC gamers I knew took this bad. Granted they would recover quickly since they realized you had to come up the staircase they were going down, the guys on pubs rarely thought that though.

In endgame typically there was a deathtrap or three in the way between you and the elevator or staircase, the triple conc let you fly past all sentries and pipebombs.

Its been years since I tried a triple, I can still do a double most of the time.

I always preferred to double conc my way onto their battlements to piss off their snipers with my AIDS, then head in on foot, saving a conc and a frag to make it up their elevator shaft. That way, when they all headed down there on foot, I wouldn't be there. And while it was more dangerous, I was usually counting on most players' innate fear of a medic with his kit out.

But then again, I suppose that's the difference between your scout and my medic, Fastbilly.

[Hobie-wan]

FarCry didn't have a very nice diffculty. It was harsh and out of your control.

The only time I thought FC got really difficult was a few places in the last area. The mad scramble jumping the jeep over lava pits seemed to rely a bit too much on random luck. The final battle arena was impossible until I realized there were snipers that needed to be taken out before shooting or avoiding the hulks. The rest of the game just took careful sneaking around. At least that how I played it.

[Gamerforlife]

This is such a tired topic to me. It's like when people still say that there are no good licensed games. Really? Have you people been in a cave? There's TONS of challenging games out there(and great licensed games too)

It's because of complaints about difficulty that we get cheap games like Ninja Gaiden 2, contrived games like Valkyria Chronicles(a.k.a. save/reload hell) and absolutely ridiculous achievements/trophies like 7 day survivor in Dead Rising.

[BoringSupreez]

FarCry didn't have a very nice diffculty. It was harsh and out of your control.

The only time I thought FC got really difficult was a few places in the last area. The mad scramble jumping the jeep over lava pits seemed to rely a bit too much on random luck. The final battle arena was impossible until I realized there were snipers that needed to be taken out before shooting or avoiding the hulks. The rest of the game just took careful sneaking around. At least that how I played it.

I found Farcry to be not too hard, until the last hour of the game. That was torture on medium difficulty.