111 réponses à ce sujet

[Diabolus_Musica]

 

DAI is a Triple A title. So I don't want to hear about fixing bugs (should have done that BEFORE release), or not having the resources to fix bugs AND adjust the difficulty levels. I'm a CUSTOMER, I'm concerned with this game only, not budgets, not deadlines, none of that.

Also when he talks about the game "glitching out bad", no idea what he's talking about, I've got 200+ hours and no "glitching out bad" yet.


To put it simply, the difficulty levels should match their description, and right now they don't. "Hard" is not hard, "Nightmare" is not a nightmare.

 

Ok then I also said I'd be happy with them keeping the difficulty levels as is, and adding more difficult ones.  You going to quote that too?  Now you're just trolling.  You argue for the sake of arguing.  Can I suggest Jerry Springer perhaps?

[Sondermann]

 

 

 

If you're playing games on nightmare, you're NOTa casual gamer. If you're on this or any other gaming forum, you're NOT a casual gamer.

The difficulty settings are fine for the overwhelming majority (above 95%, I'm guessing). Y'all have to remember that there are a good number of people who quite literally aren't skilled enough to play games at the upper levels, and messing with the difficulty settings to make everything harder could drive them off and limit future sales. Still others don't have the time to invest in doing a difficult playthrough, even if they possess the skill to do so (I play games to unwind and relax at night, not test my skills to the max - outgrew that phase a while ago).

Difficulty is also subjective based on the type of game, too. I find the highest setting in Amalur to be too easy, and typically play DA series on normal or hard, but I have difficulty with Mass Effect on normal.

Gamers in general need to be more accepting of the fact that not everyone has insane skills or desires to play games with the settings turned up so high that they give themselves coronaries just out of frustration.

Nobody talks about "making everything harder". And pardon me, but I think a difficulty setting called "Nightmare" shouldn't be concerned about the "overwhelming majority" of players but the small set that wants something more of a challenge.

[Sondermann]

 

 

 

 

Nightmare: You need know most things and how to build and equip your character. You will also need to know how to "farm" the best equipment or you will have a tough time.

 

 

Actually, IMO no farming necessary for Nightmare.

[OHB MajorV]

Ok then I also said I'd be happy with them keeping the difficulty levels as is, and adding more difficult ones. You going to quote that too? Now you're just trolling. You argue for the sake of arguing. Can I suggest Jerry Springer perhaps?

No but for you to suddenly change positions on this and act like that isn't what you asked for is laughable. I'm all for more levels of difficulty. I think you will be disappointed to find it's only done through nerfing armor/weapon effectiveness and bullet sponge bosses. I can't see them dedicating resources to changing the way the AI reacts based on difficulty.

[OHB MajorV]

Nobody talks about "making everything harder". And pardon me, but I think a difficulty setting called "Nightmare" shouldn't be concerned about the "overwhelming majority" of players but the small set that wants something more of a challenge.

I see your point but there is also the people who slowly build up to difficulty bumps through numerous playthroughs so the skill gap shouldn't go from 10-100. That's why I think adding Nightmare 1, Nightmare 2 ect is the best solution.

[Diabolus_Musica]

No but for you to suddenly change positions on this and act like that isn't what you asked for is laughable.

So when someone admits they're wrong it's "laughable"?  What kind of a person are you?

 

Actually, IMO no farming necessary for Nightmare.

Agreed.  I'm not power-leveling, exploiting, farming, or doing any of that and I'm finding nightmare easy.

 

But could I walk around naked as level 1 and have trouble fighting a level 23 dragon?  Sure, but that's not the point.

[Epyon5757]

Nobody talks about "making everything harder". And pardon me, but I think a difficulty setting called "Nightmare" shouldn't be concerned about the "overwhelming majority" of players but the small set that wants something more of a challenge.

Hostility much? Fact is, there's always going to be a subset of players who will think even the hardest mode is too easy. This has happened with every video game ever made.

The trick for developers is to keep the normal modes accessible but still have some challenge while making the insane/nightmare modes hard enough that you reduce the size of the extreme hardcore subset as much as possible while still making it possible for an average gamer to beat the mode with great tactics and/or crafting skill. You also have to consider the limitations of the testers when developing that mode. The difficulty of the game will never exceed the limits of their best players who are testing the game, because then it couldn't be tested properly.

That balancing act makes even the hardest difficulty modes seem easy.

Then there was the twitch stream where one of the producers or higher ups got his party absolutely wiped just on hard.

[Diabolus_Musica]

The trick for developers is to keep the normal modes accessible but still have some challenge while making the insane/nightmare modes hard enough that you reduce the size of the extreme hardcore subset as much as possible while still making it possible for an average gamer to beat the mode with great tactics and/or crafting skill.

Well by that criteria in my opinion they failed.

[Epyon5757]

Well by that criteria in my opinion they failed.

All developers fail this in some way. I've yet to find a game where someone didn't think the hardest level was too easy. If a game tried to make everyone happy, there'd be 15 different difficulty settings.

[ashwind]

 

 

Actually, IMO no farming necessary for Nightmare.

 

 

Well... no farming holds different meaning to different people I suppose. Example, you can run about with that silly T1 Flames of the Inquisition Armor/Weapon until I dunno, level 11/12 without real frustration. On Nightmare, you need to "farm" for better gear or you will die a lot. If you farm for the best gears... well, you will be unstoppable.

 

For games like DA:I (all stat base game), difficulty is really tough to implement, it can only be self imposed. The crafting gear allows you to min-max stats. Maximum melee defence + shield, that means the % itself dictates that you will take virtually no damage regardless of enemy output. Increasing damage from enemy will only hurt those who are already dying left and right and will not impact those who know how. Similarly, a rogue can 1 hit a dragon. Increase the health/defence of the dragon again will hurt those who already have trouble killing the dragon and not affect that 38hit combo rogue.

 

Hence, the challenge of a stat base game is always, how do I destroy the enemy on the highest difficulty with style or with certain gears.

[Diabolus_Musica]

All developers fail this in some way. I've yet to find a game where someone didn't think the hardest level was too easy. If a game tried to make everyone happy, there'd be 15 different difficulty settings.

I agree, and difficulty is subjective, but in the case of this game I shouldn't be having an easy time on Nightmare as a casual player.  First I started out at Hard difficulty but when it was too easy I started over at Nightmare and I'm finding that too easy, even with FF on.

[Diabolus_Musica]

Well... no farming holds different meaning to different people I suppose. Example, you can run about with that silly T1 Flames of the Inquisition Armor/Weapon until I dunno, level 11/12 without real frustration. On Nightmare, you need to "farm" for better gear or you will die a lot. If you farm for the best gears... well, you will be unstoppable.

 

For games like DA:I (all stat base game), difficulty is really tough to implement, it can only be self imposed. The crafting gear allows you to min-max stats. Maximum melee defence + shield, that means the % itself dictates that you will take virtually no damage regardless of enemy output. Increasing damage from enemy will only hurt those who are already dying left and right and will not impact those who know how. Similarly, a rogue can 1 hit a dragon. Increase the health/defence of the dragon again will hurt those who already have trouble killing the dragon and not affect that 38hit combo rogue.

 

Hence, the challenge of a stat base game is always, how do I destroy the enemy on the highest difficulty with style or with certain gears.

Nice post, but you forgot to call me selfish.  How dare you post a well thought out, on-topic comment without insulting me or using personal attacks!  How dare you!

[Sondermann]

 

 

 

Hostility much? Fact is, there's always going to be a subset of players who will think even the hardest mode is too easy. This has happened with every video game ever made.

The trick for developers is to keep the normal modes accessible but still have some challenge while making the insane/nightmare modes hard enough that you reduce the size of the extreme hardcore subset as much as possible while still making it possible for an average gamer to beat the mode with great tactics and/or crafting skill. You also have to consider the limitations of the testers when developing that mode. The difficulty of the game will never exceed the limits of their best players who are testing the game, because then it couldn't be tested properly.

That balancing act makes even the hardest difficulty modes seem easy.

Then there was the twitch stream where one of the producers or higher ups got his party absolutely wiped just on hard.

 

Why do other games manage that balancing act and make top-tier difficulty levels I've got no interest in playing because I find them too hard and yet in addition manage to make a difficulty level below that which I find challenging but not frustrating (and difficulty levels below that I find too easy)?

DA:I on Nightmare is not really a challenge if you follow simple rules on how to set up your party. No need farming for top-gear. No need for minutes of deliberation in tac-cam about how to proceed (which is a good thing, seeing what an afterthought tac-cam was).

 

 

[Epyon5757]

I agree, and difficulty is subjective, but in the case of this game I shouldn't be having an easy time on Nightmare as a casual player. First I started out at Hard difficulty but when it was too easy I started over at Nightmare and I'm finding that too easy, even with FF on.

Well, maybe you're just incredibly gifted at midieval-style video combat. I find nightmare to be more difficult than I prefer to play at (which is not to say I can't do it, just that I don't want to play at that level).

I will reiterate that if you're on this forum or any other game forum and/or playing games on nightmare and finding them too easy...you're not a casual gamer.

[Epyon5757]

I'm also someone who had an incredibly easy time at nightmare. I'm certainly not incredibly gifted, the nightmare mode is just too easy. All it does is beef up enemies, it does not actually make the game more challenging, it just makes the enemies die slower.

Nightmare isn't hard or challenging to go through, it's just tedious because even the smallest trash mob has ridiculous resistances and tons of HP. Bioware needs to get more inventive with difficulties because beefing up enemies 10x does not equal a harder challenge.

So then, what are your suggestions? Adding different enemies or more of them would essentially force the game to be completely redesigned just for the really hard levels. If you consider your party AI to be substandard, then opponent AI likely leaves a lot to be desired, too.

The other option is to weaken the stats on the gear you can craft, but like adding different/more enemies, this would require significant programming that likely isn't in the budget or time constraints of the game as a whole.

[Diabolus_Musica]

Well, maybe you're just incredibly gifted at midieval-style video combat. I find nightmare to be more difficult than I prefer to play at (which is not to say I can't do it, just that I don't want to play at that level).

I will reiterate that if you're on this forum or any other game forum and/or playing games on nightmare and finding them too easy...you're not a casual gamer.

No, I'm definitely a casual gamer.

[Imryll]

The biggest issue is that currently, getting effective gear can be very grindy. Someone who wants a challenging experience doesn't necessarily want to play Herb Gatherer: The Reseedening. I believe the game is balanced around drops rather than crafted gear.

I think it's also complicated by level disparities. If you complete a lot of optional content, bosses are going to be easier than if you try to minimize xp gain. I'd really like it if the game game included an xp toggle in a addition to the ones for difficulty level and friendly fire. I like to "do it all," at least  on some characters, but would rather not outlevel content later in the game. I don't want  to play on Nightmare, but I'd choose "low xp gain" in a heartbeat.

[Diabolus_Musica]

One thing I wish they would add is enemy level scaling to yours WHEN YOURS IS HIGHER ONLY.  What good is it going into a level 4-8 map when you're level 15?  In a case like that the enemies should scale to 15, not stay ridiculously low for you.

 

At the same time I think there should be no scaling when your level is LOWER.  This will keep players out of end game areas too soon.  For example, I don't think Hissing Wastes should scale to level 11 just because you're level 11 when you first go there.

[Epyon5757]

One thing I wish they would add is enemy level scaling to yours WHEN YOURS IS HIGHER ONLY.  What good is it going into a level 4-8 map when you're level 15?  In a case like that the enemies should scale to 15, not stay ridiculously low for you.

 

At the same time I think there should be no scaling when your level is LOWER.  This will keep players out of end game areas too soon.  For example, I don't think Hissing Wastes should scale to level 11 just because you're level 11 when you first go there.

 

The worst example of bad level balancing I've ever seen was KoA: Reckoning.  Their system was so off that I managed to outlevel the game zones before I got there while doing a minimum of side quests.

 

A dynamic scaling system could work for a game like DAI, but such a system should only scale up, not down, in order to preserve enemy integrity.

[hexaligned]

The entire series has had this problem.  At some point you just sort of have to accept that game mechanics aren't this particular dev teams focus/priority.  The other option is that they actually tried/wanted to have balanced and appropriate for purpose combat mechanics and are just demonstratively terrible at what they do, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.  Either way you shrug and accept it, or just write off DA games. They have had three tries to get it right, I doubt we will see anything better out of the series at this point.

[Sinuphro]

In general, this game is far too easy.  I'm not even some great player, but on Nightmare I should be able to kill mobs my own level with zero strategy whatsoever.  The way it is now, Hard should really be Easy and Nightmare should really be Normal.  There should be at least two harder difficulty levels above nightmare.  There's a REASON there are difficulty levels, but Bioware is not using them correctly IMO.  Nightmare is not a nightmare to play, not even close.  There should be "easy" settings that are, well, easy, and "nightmare" settings that are very difficult.  What are YOUR thoughts on the current difficulty levels?

The difficulty level is fine. If you want more of a challenge turn on friendly fire. I don't want ppl like you giving bioware weird ideas that messed up the gameplay of DA2

[Sanicek]

The difficulty level is fine. If you want more of a challenge turn on friendly fire. I don't want ppl like you giving bioware weird ideas that messed up the gameplay of DA2

No it's not. I am on my second playthrough, both are on Nightmare + FF. The first one was on mage/KE and after getting a bit better gear and the KE spec the combat became trivial. Not easy, trivial, as in there was no chance of me dying or having to pay attention or switch to another char or whatnot.

I thought it was the KE being OP. Second playthrough I am on rogue and it's very similar. The combat is super easy and while I have to sometimes think (on KE this was not a necessity at all) the mobs go down much faster with main + Sera doing carnage.

I never need to use tac cam (thank god for that though, it's atrocious) and despite the AI being quite retarded you can beat the encounters without having to switch chars and compensate for their mistakes.

 

Nightmare is not nightmare if I don't need to control every char strategically, use CC, focus fire, etc and sometimes die despite that anyway.

 

There should indeed be more difficult modes and the descriptions adjusted for the current ones.

[Ziegrif]

A higher difficulty would be good only if the AI stopped ignoring my orders and stopped being rock stupid.

Nightmare is fine for unpaused gameplay and sometimes you need to micromanage the party especially if you drag along Dual Dagger users and 2-handers.

 

But of course balance goes out the window when you get your specialization so raising the difficulty only matters to around till you get Skyhold.

[DeLaatsteGeitenneuker]

A higher difficulty would be good only if the AI stopped ignoring my orders and stopped being rock stupid.

Nightmare is fine for unpaused gameplay and sometimes you need to micromanage the party especially if you drag along Dual Dagger users and 2-handers.

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