328 réponses à ce sujet

[Ophidiae]

De-lurking for the first time ever, because this is a subject near to my heart.

 

I am one of those "gamers with physical limitations" that y'all keep talking about in the hypothetical. I won't bore you with the laundry list of ills, but suffice to say I am at a disadvantage when it comes to certain game formats and styles. There are a lot of console games I would love to play, and I just ... can't. Last one I tried was Tomb Raider. Finally gave up when I kept dying repeatedly in the dog-blessed tutorial because I physically lack the dexterity to press buttons fast enough.

 

We won't even discuss my attempt to play it on PC.

 

So, yes. Something like narrative mode would be wonderful for me, at least for my first time through the game. It's not that I don't enjoy combat; I do, and the more tactical, the better. But fights that turn into an endless slog? Not so much. I get tired, and my hands crap out. First time I fought the Arishok in DA2, it took close to an hour, and I had to take a break halfway through because I was in too much pain to continue. And that was after bumping the difficulty down to Casual because I'd heard from a friend what a bear that fight was.

 

Once I've been through the game and know what to expect? I can play on Normal or Hard without hurting myself. And there's always the options to bump it back down to Easy/Casual for sections that are just too much for me to deal with on higher settings.  I'd like to be able to immerse myself in the world and the storytelling, and have a positive gaming experience without the need for serious painkillers to get me through it.  Having a narrative mode to use on days when I'm tired and hurty, and just want to take a break from reality and disappear into my game for a while? Would be AWESOME.  

[Sylvius the Mad]

I generally hold that a roleplaying game should be playable by a quadriplegic.  Playable slowly, but playable.  Any mechanic that prevents this interferes with roleplaying by placing a physical barrier between the player and his character.

 

This shouldn't be a question of difficulty.  I would expect this to be true at all difficulty settings.

[TurretSyndrome]

This shouldn't really be a discussion. It's a request for an added difficulty option by some players, the option which will in no way affect the "normal" playthroughs of any other player. Either the developers can implement it or they can't. 

[Mihura]

It makes sense, I like combat that is more of a challenge but different strokes for different players.

 

If this is a rpg the most important part is the role playing and not the combat.  

[The Hierophant]

This shouldn't really be a discussion. It's a request for an added difficulty option by some players, the option which will in no way affect the "normal" playthroughs of any other player. Either the developers can implement it or they can't.

But considering how easy casual mode is already i think that any mode easier than it is just redundant. A skip combat mode seems better as no time will potentially be wasted in combat.

[Realmzmaster]

I see no problem with a super easy narrative mode. Why are many of the posters in this thread worried about it? If a gamer derives enjoyment from the characters, exploration and story line, but not the combat how is the super easy mode going to affect how anyone else plays the game. DAI is a single player party based game not a multiplayer game from what we know.

 

Why do gamers care if the gamers using the super easy narrative get the same achievements? The gamers playing DAI are not in competition. What I do in the comfort of my home playing the game has no affect on how you play the game. Beating the game at the higher difficulty levels is the challenge and the reward. 

[The Hierophant]

I see no problem with a super easy narrative mode. Why are many of the posters in this thread worried about it? If a gamer derives enjoyment from the characters, exploration and story line, but not the combat how is the super easy mode going to affect how anyone else plays the game. DAI is a single player party based game not a multiplayer game from what we know.
 
Why do gamers care if the gamers using the super easy narrative get the same achievements? The gamers playing DAI are not in competition. What I do in the comfort of my home playing the game has no affect on how you play the game. Beating the game at the higher difficulty levels is the challenge and the reward.

Then we're in agreement about a skip combat mode? Personally i see more people taking issue with time spent in combat than casual mode being too difficult.

[Mihura]

Then we're in agreement about a skip combat mode? Personally i see more people taking issue with time spent in combat than casual mode being too difficult.

 

If you can skip it with some gameplay behind it sure, like stealth and talking. I am all for that, skip it like a key you press, than that makes no much sense. How will you go from point A to be B without being bored, not to mention how will your keeps be attacked? For a story to be good you have to include some action.

[The Hierophant]

If you can skip it with some gameplay behind it sure, like stealth and talking. I am all for that, skip it like a key you press, than that makes no much sense. How will you go from point A to be B without being bored, not to mention how will your keeps be attacked? For a story to be good you have to include some action.

Considering that it's possible for the player to avoid most non story combat encounters due to the lay of the land they could control their own pacing in regards to the action, while a prompt could appear for mandatory story battles that allows them to be skipped. Xp rewards could be the same, while a system that tallies party levels, attributes, talents and equipment against an enemy's seems difficult to implement versus one that flat-out negates combat, but who knows. I'm not going to pretend that i know that the devs will have no issues with incorporating such a system.

[Mihura]

Considering that it's possible for the player to avoid most non story combat encounters due to the lay of the land they could control their own pacing in regards to the action, while a prompt could appear for mandatory story battles that allows them to be skipped. Xp rewards could be the same, while a system that tallies party levels, attributes, talents and equipment against an enemy's seems difficult to implement versus one that flat-out negates combat, but who knows. I'm not going to pretend that i know that the devs will have no issues with incorporating such a system.

 

Well if they can do an action mode in ME 3 they can do that too, I mean you could just skip the dialog choices. I have noting against that actually but I would find it more fun, if that was part of the gameplay, like dialog or finding another path. 

[The Hierophant]

Well if they can do an action mode in ME 3 they can do that too, I mean you could just skip the dialog choices. I have noting against that actually but I would find it more fun, if that was part of the gameplay, like dialog or finding another path.

Me personally i don't like to skip anything. Though there's an exception for ME2's opening. I lost count of how many times i saw Shep get spaced.

[Stelae]

De-lurking for the first time ever, because this is a subject near to my heart.

 

[kersnippity]

 

Having a narrative mode to use on days when I'm tired and hurty, and just want to take a break from reality and disappear into my game for a while? Would be AWESOME.  

Welcome to the forums, and thanks for weighing in; first hand information is the strongest argument. 

 

I play the same way as you do; I start at lower difficulty and work my way up.  That way, I always know which fights to nerf on my next play-through.

 

I'm hoping that the return of isometric top-down tactical view, combat pausing and the like will also help with this; did you find much of a difference between DAO and DA2? 

[Thandal N'Lyman]

I've played DAO with all eight  DLC, (don't forget "A Tale of Orzammar") and DA2 with all three, and the ME-trilogy with all the game-play DLC, (although Pinnacle Station  was an abomination which should never have been released) more times than I should probably admit. 

 

I played each game on "Normal" difficulty the first time, and then played each all the way through on increasing levels to "Nightmare" (or equivalent.)

 

After that, for my replays I set the games to the easiest level until I've leveled-up enough to be (fairly) badass, then back to "hardest-minus-one" to keep from getting bored.

 

All of which is just to say that I fully support allowing players to enjoy the games any way they want! 

 

By the time I'm facing the same critters for the umpteenth time, I just want the battle to be over so I can get back to hearing the new Party Banter between the Companions/Squadmates I chose to accompany me this  time.  There isn't a fight I worry about, or want  to worry about, winning anymore!  Sure, I could use "runscript killallhostiles"... But that would be cheating! 

 

(Side Question:  Is it too weird that I had to replay ME1 three times and ME2 twice in order to get all the possible achievements and have the "best possible" Shepard, before I allowed myself to replay ME3 with the Citadel  DLC when it was released?)

 

EDIT:  WOW!!!  Maybe there should be an achievement to unlock the SUPER-EASY mode! 

Play-through three times on any Difficulty and you acquire the "Amulet of Immediate Victory".  

Modifié par Thandal N'Lyman, 30 avril 2014 - 02:28 .

[Realmzmaster]

Then we're in agreement about a skip combat mode? Personally i see more people taking issue with time spent in combat than casual mode being too difficult.

I have advocated for an auto-resolve for those who do not wish to manually do combat. The super easy narrative mode will still allow gamers to experience combat but at a much lower level. If your suggestion of a skip combat mode also gives the party the experience  and loot from "killing" the enemy then I am in agreement.

[Ophidiae]

Welcome to the forums, and thanks for weighing in; first hand information is the strongest argument. 

 

I play the same way as you do; I start at lower difficulty and work my way up.  That way, I always know which fights to nerf on my next play-through.

 

I'm hoping that the return of isometric top-down tactical view, combat pausing and the like will also help with this; did you find much of a difference between DAO and DA2? 

 

Thank you for the welcome!

 

I did find a difference between the two games in terms of physical ease of play, yes. I love the top-down tactical view, and am very much looking forward to its return in DAI. And yes, that did make combat physically easier for me. Heck, I even used it for navigational purposes in settings like Kal'Hirol. It was just an all-around useful tool, and I really, really missed it in DA2.

 

Truth? Dragon Age has helped get me through some serious health crap over the past few years. It's like ... the gaming equivalent of comfort food for me. I love the world. I love the characters. And I would love anything that made it easier for me to play on high pain days, which is when I need that kind of distraction the most.

[hallfing]

but would you be saisfied? I mean you'd pay $59.99 for basically a cinematic experience that will last a barebone amount of hours (8-9 hours) without the game's "overcoming the challange" part and that sounds like a really down to earth idea and all but isn't that the whole counter point to seperating videogames from casual entertainment except at higher cost? Don't get me wrong I'd totally love that game mode! It has more potential than you think; A.K.A super easy mode to experience new playthroughs with different choices and possibly even using it as a legit way of importing save files with completely player customized import with even minor plot decisions in detail without having to spend 40+ hours on each playthrough?

[Ophidiae]

but would you be saisfied? I mean you'd pay $59.99 for basically a cinematic experience that will last a barebone amount of hours (8-9 hours) without the game's "overcoming the challange" part and that sounds like a really down to earth idea and all but isn't that the whole counter point to seperating videogames from casual entertainment except at higher cost? Don't get me wrong I'd totally love that game mode! It has more potential than you think; A.K.A super easy mode to experience new playthroughs with different choices and possibly even using it as a legit way of importing save files with completely player customized import with even minor plot decisions in detail without having to spend 40+ hours on each playthrough?

 

Y'know, that's an interesting question. I did tabletop RPGs for years. I even used to LARP back when my health still allowed for it. So, a game where the emphasis is on roleplay and character interactions as opposed to combat actually has a great deal of appeal to me.  That said, I also like combat for the tactical challenge of it, but not enough to play ONLY for the combat. So, while I probably would buy a game that was more of an interactive storytelling experience, I wouldn't (and don't) buy games that are pure combat.

 

I should also mention that I'm a professional writer, so a strong story and good characters are things that really appeal to me. It's what drew me to Dragon Age in the first place.

 

IMO, Dragon Age usually (not always, but usually) hits just the right balance between combat and roleplay.  I mostly would like to have the Narrative Mode option available so that if I run into a situation where my hands start to give out long before the fight is over--like what happened with the Arishok--I can nerf the combat and move on. Or, as others have mentioned, to use for purely exploratory purposes. Because, yeah, I'm still gonna get my money's worth that way, even if I skip out on certain combat scenarios. In fact, I think it would help me get more out of the game.

 

And I do get the "I'm in it for the challenge" part. I am stubborn to the point of stupidity at times, and have gone back and replayed certain combats on higher difficulties, or with different party combinations, just to see if I could do it. But those are exceptions, really.

 

I'm good at tactics, and things that involve logic and reasoning.  I suck at mashing buttons, or twitch type games. I'm working on it; I took up knitting about four years ago, which has helped strengthen my hands a lot. But. Chronic illness is chronic, you know? I'm always going to have days (and sometimes weeks) where I just can't.

[The Hierophant]

I have advocated for an auto-resolve for those who do not wish to manually do combat. The super easy narrative mode will still allow gamers to experience combat but at a much lower level. If your suggestion of a skip combat mode also gives the party the experience  and loot from "killing" the enemy then I am in agreement.

Of course. With the player still getting xp and loot i wonder if an auto resolve feature that tallies up player level, stats, tactics setup and equipment against an enemy's would be possible for DA, versus one that flatout ignores the above mentioned variables.

[Stelae]

but would you be saisfied? I mean you'd pay $59.99 for basically a cinematic experience that will last a barebone amount of hours (8-9 hours) without the game's "overcoming the challange" part and that sounds like a really down to earth idea and all but isn't that the whole counter point to seperating videogames from casual entertainment except at higher cost? Don't get me wrong I'd totally love that game mode! It has more potential than you think; A.K.A super easy mode to experience new playthroughs with different choices and possibly even using it as a legit way of importing save files with completely player customized import with even minor plot decisions in detail without having to spend 40+ hours on each playthrough?

Surely that's up to anyone who chooses to play that way to decide?  It's not like people who want this mode don't know what they are asking for; it's already been done in ME3. How they choose to play is one of the factors they take into account before they buy.

 

I judge these things in terms of what my household calls "movie value."  In Australia, a ticket to a movie costs about $15-20 for two hours' entertainment.  Before you buy an ice cream. No wonder the country is in a mess. Let's assume, with the main campaign having been clocked at 30-50 hours, (BW have said this, and that the side quests will take about another 50, so if you do absolutely everything, that's 80-100 hours per playthrough.).  So, fights to a minimum, assuming only one play though, we'll say 30ish hours.  Digital deluxe edition is $90AUD on Origin, so 6*15=6 movies, 12ish hours of entertainment.  So, for me, it's well worth it.

 

Does anyone else have a system? 

[Bugsie]

I go per hour.  If I was playing, as you say, minimum 30 hours and at $90AUD - that's $3 an hour for entertainment.  If I play 5 hours a week - that's $15 worth of entertainment for the week.  Good value I reckon (and if it's good enough to replay - and maybe on higher difficulty then you might get it as low as $1 an hour.)

 

I would understand for some people on a less disposable income that might seem like a waste.  But some people aren't all people and even those where that amount of money seems a lot, it might still be worth it to them.

[Stelae]

I dont know about anyone else but im finding it very hard now adays to find games that are truly hard to do and enjoyable at the same time, as it stands all the DA games consist of to make it "hard" is friendly fire an then tbh thats just a cheap an nasty annoyance to give the illusion of difficulty nothing more, eliminate the FF an nightmares a walk over, hence solo mode.

 

If Bioware does a story mode for DAi all well n good but dont do a ME3 an have what i would consider normal mode as nightmare

It may simply  be that you have become, through years of patient application, an awesome colossus of gaming with skills far beyond those of mere mortals, you know.  Not all of us have the mad skillz, patience, time or inclination to master these things, but we still enjoy the role-playing.

 

I find Nightmare to be plenty hard enough, as long as I don't nerf FF.  But by the time I get to playing in Nightmare, I've gone through a time or two in easier modes, so I'm familiar with the fight mechanics, and just have to finesse things like squad choice, timing and positioning.  And not using FF, which in easier modes is enormous fun.

[Bugsie]

Years ago i'd a said sure why not, now im not so sure, why? now adays im seeing the word "casual" flung about very consistently as to why games should be horribly dumbed down, and always the same excuse of "i pay the same as you" getting really tired of these excuses for just being plain bad, now at the end of the day the saying is true "wat i do in my sp game is nothing to do with you" but when it comes at the expense of dumbed down so called top end content in my game then i have a problem (looking at you me3 nightmare)

 

I dont know about anyone else but im finding it very hard now adays to find games that are truly hard to do and enjoyable at the same time, as it stands all the DA games consist of to make it "hard" is friendly fire an then tbh thats just a cheap an nasty annoyance to give the illusion of difficulty nothing more, eliminate the FF an nightmares a walk over, hence solo mode.

 

If Bioware does a story mode for DAi all well n good but dont do a ME3 an have what i would consider normal mode as nightmare

Asking for a lower difficulty setting does not mean dumbing down.  Pity you have conflated the two in your mind especially as the 'rewards' in Bioware games have never been about you doing it on the hardest difficulty setting.  I'd be all for a 'nightmare of your nightmares' setting as much as I am for a lower order difficulty setting. 

[In Exile]

Of course. With the player still getting xp and loot i wonder if an auto resolve feature that tallies up player level, stats, tactics setup and equipment against an enemy's would be possible for DA, versus one that flatout ignores the above mentioned variables.

 

There's no need for it necessarily to ignore that. You could have a "standard" or "default" build for each character at each level optimized to succeed at that difficulty, but also an auto-resolve that just runs the AI scripts fast with player-build characters as a simulation. That way, if someone enjoys creating builds but not playing, they could just auto-resolve their way forward.