Painman on 19/1/2010 at 07:52
Yes. Challenge, but smart, or at least well done challenge. Give me the tools to overcome the challenge, and let me figure out how to implement them.
I liked X3, not just because I'm an old space junkie, but also because you do have to learn what the hell you're doing in the X games. Took me a long time to become a successful entrepreneur in X, but once I figured out the economic structures of the universe, I felt like I'd overcome a good challenge.
Interestingly enough, the starting "difficulty" of a run through X doesn't affect economic or combat AI. Just what you start out with, both as far as assets and race relations go. Starting out with a handful of peanuts and a bunch of angry folks on your tail can be quite fun. :cool:
Fragony on 19/1/2010 at 08:51
Depends, I like an easy ride in shooters, want to be badass, but if the game is more complex I like to make the most of it's mechanics. An RPG or TBS can't be hard enough for me, as long as it can be done.
sooooo agree with Oblivion that is doing it all wrong, you should be too weak for some area's until you have grinded your stats enough. Oblivion ruins it feeling like a real world.
Matthew on 19/1/2010 at 12:50
I don't think I've ever played a game at more than normal difficulty, to be honest. I'm not the best player in the world, so high difficulty = smashed disc (well, not exactly, but I won't stick too long with a game that has me bashing my head against a brick wall).
Thirith on 19/1/2010 at 12:54
Quote Posted by Fragony
too weak for some area's until you have grinded your stats enough. Oblivion ruins it feeling like a real world.
I agree that
Oblivion was badly designed in this respect, but other than bandits suddenly wearing rare glass armour, I wonder how much the average player noticed that the balancing was off. I'm not sure I would've noticed it as much if I hadn't read beforehand how certain character builds were at a distinct disadvantage from others - after which I quickly installed a rebalancing mod.
Fragony on 19/1/2010 at 13:13
Quote Posted by Thirith
I agree that
Oblivion was badly designed in this respect, but other than bandits suddenly wearing rare glass armour, I wonder how much the average player noticed that the balancing was off. I'm not sure I would've noticed it as much if I hadn't read beforehand how certain character builds were at a distinct disadvantage from others - after which I quickly installed a rebalancing mod.
I never go for the combat heavy setup, I like talking my way out, sneaking, that sort of thing, when it comes to that the game is downright broken, a terrible sin for a rpg not being able to play it the way you like.
Henri The Hammer on 19/1/2010 at 16:42
Depends entirely on the game.
Thief and Deus Ex are a joke on anything but Expert/Realistic, and any shooter with regenerating health is a joke no matter what.
Most of the time, I tend to go with normal on my first try. If the game is too frustratingly difficult, I'm not ashamed to turn it down to easy. There are many, many games that are just too plain annoying (Armed & Dangerous is a good example) on even normal difficulty. Other things like enemies who hit you no matter what are just way too cheap.
Also games that have bad controls to make it harder piss me off the most. Pretty much every "survival horror" (3rd person console game) fits into this. Dead Space was horrible, even with mouse sensitivity all the way up I literally needed to move my mouse 4 times on the desk picking it up, just to turn around while aiming.
All in all it just depends on how well the game is designed and how much I enjoy it. Games that let you completely breeze through it with no problem on the easiest, and really require you to use your brains and skill on the hardest are the best kind of games. Again, Deus Ex is pretty much the best example of this. You can die from one lucky pistol shot to the head on Realistic, but you always feel that it was because you messed up, not because the game was cheap or it had bad controls. :thumb:
gunsmoke on 19/1/2010 at 16:56
Quote Posted by Fragony
I never go for the combat heavy setup, I like talking my way out, sneaking, that sort of thing, when it comes to that the game is downright broken, a terrible sin for a rpg not being able to play it the way you like.
I am playing through Oblivion right now. I played through it to completion starting on release day. Due to my PC problems later that year, I never got a chance to play any of the DLC, Knights of the Nine, nor Shivering Isles. So, I bought another copy when I upgraded my GPU that has ALL of the DLC and Shivering Isles (I am an hour in on S.I., and just made it to New Sheoth).
I am playing an Imperial male specializing in Marksman, Sneak, Security, Light Armor, and Athletics/Acrobatics with a couple of magic disciplines thrown in minor skills. Basically, a VERY fast, VERY sneaky, sniper/burglar. Anyway, the game does allow me to role-play my character rather well. I tend to use Detect Life (or Night Eye if it is dark) when approaching a suspected combat zone. I can then mark targets to snipe, hit Sneak, and let one fly. I get a 3x damage modifier for a hit on an unsuspecting target. Most of the time, it is a one-hit kill or at least takes 1/3 of their health on the stronger targets. On the tough guys, I also use a poison arrow of some sort so if they do survive, by the time they get all the way over to me they drop dead from the health drain.
Marksman is my only weapon skill that I selected. My character is heavily focused on non-combat skills like Alchemy and Armorer, the aforementioned Security, Mercantile, Speechcraft, etc. Like your example, I like to try to use my character's personality if possible, or avoid combat when it is needed/smarter. Still, I am able to hold my own. I will even sneak completely around enemies if I need to. Combat was the least important consideration when I rolled him, so I take advantage of the benefits of the skills I DO have, to give my character the edge.
Like I said, with Alchemy I can make deadly poison arrows with magica/stat-stealing effects. I can sneak up on them for triple damage. I can avoid battle by talking or sneaking. I don't really see where you are having the problem. If you don't mind, I would like to hear you expand on your thought.
Stitch on 19/1/2010 at 17:09
I tried playing a straight up thief during my Oblivion playthrough, which worked up until I had leveled enough for the wilderness to be populated by monstrous beasts that rendered my sneaking and backstabbing irrelevant.
gunsmoke on 19/1/2010 at 19:16
Quote Posted by Stitch
I tried playing a straight up thief during my Oblivion playthrough, which worked up until I had leveled enough for the wilderness to be populated by monstrous beasts that rendered my sneaking and backstabbing irrelevant.
Really? That sucks. I was a melee Orc, I believe last time and didn't rely on stealth. Did you end up basically playing Serious Sam with your character i.e. backpeddling like mad and firing arrow after arrow?
BTW, I am currently level 8 or 9 right now.
Jason Moyer on 19/1/2010 at 19:21
My first playthrough with Oblivion was as a Thief, and the levelling didn't seem like a big deal. You just have to rely on whatever your class skills are instead of trying to duke it out with shit.
I tend to find the stealth mechanic in Morrowind/Oblivion/Fallout 3 to be overpowered anyway.
