Re: I'm actually going to have to disagree with you on the first one.
yaminohasha Send a noteboard - 29/08/2010 04:10:49 AM
1) Because I never know which one to choose. I'm afraid that if I pick something too hard, I'll get frustrated with the game, and not finish it. Or get taken out of the flow of the story because I spent so much time trying to beat a certain part of it. Or if I pick something too easy, I'll breeze through the game and never be challenged.
2) Because it trivializes the accomplishment of playing the game. Having a hard time with something? Eh, turn down the difficulty. Ever competed in something against a friend who let you win? Feel good about yourself afterward? I doubt it. You might say, "well don't turn down the difficulty!" but it's not the same. Even just having the option there is a different experience. It's just not as big a deal when you always have that safety net there to catch you.
Plus, there's the issue of bragging rights, too. You used to be able to spend a while beating a game, and be the only one of your friends who had done it. Now they've all beaten it, usually in the first few days of ownership. You struggle through on Insane, and by the time you finish, all proud of yourself, your friends have moved on.
SIGH. Anyway, it's a dumb complaint I suppose, but still, I don't like it. I wish game companies would just balance games reasonably, and give everyone a level playing field. If they must "help" people, I wish they'd do it in game. Checkpoints, tutorials, whatever. Or even including a few cheat codes isn't so bad. Just let it mean something when I say "I beat the game."
Don't assume everyone is playing the game for the "challenge." Some people are invested in the worlds created by the developers and don't have to damns to rub together about gameplay or difficulty. Some players just like to explore and see the sights. If I want to blow through the plot and see how it ends, why should your personal need for challenge prevent me from doing so?
See below for an interesting video that kicked off a very enlightening series (for me anyway) of posts on how developer's constant focus on a small group of hardcore players is stunting the growth of the gaming player-base.
"The law of probabilities decreed me guiltless of his blood for in all my small experiences with guns, I had not hit anything I had tried to hit, and I knew I had done my best to hit him." ~ Mark Twain
The little things that don't make the back of the box.
25/08/2010 02:10:31 AM
- 1008 Views
Hilarious that you listed the only two games I own. That is all. *NM*
25/08/2010 02:34:56 AM
- 326 Views
The ability to run quickly at any time.
25/08/2010 03:09:47 AM
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That can certainly be frustrating, especially in a game with a lot of backtracking. *NM*
26/08/2010 03:42:30 AM
- 350 Views
It's my biggest problem with my favorite genre (wRPG).
26/08/2010 05:04:26 AM
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Come on. Morrowind is fast enough.
26/08/2010 07:56:52 PM
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That's because with those boots you keep running off mountains.
26/08/2010 10:22:34 PM
- 651 Views
... what??
27/08/2010 06:50:02 AM
- 811 Views
...I think you radically underestimate the time it takes to do those things.
27/08/2010 08:30:45 AM
- 643 Views
Re: ...I think you radically underestimate the time it takes to do those things.
27/08/2010 02:05:52 PM
- 697 Views
ANy online FPS that has a quick mute.
25/08/2010 03:24:44 AM
- 723 Views
adjustable difficulty
25/08/2010 10:42:22 AM
- 692 Views
I'm actually going to have to disagree with you on the first one.
26/08/2010 12:11:44 AM
- 709 Views
Re: I'm actually going to have to disagree with you on the first one.
29/08/2010 04:10:49 AM
- 853 Views
a lot of the gamer-angst about the new WoW expansion is based on this.
29/08/2010 04:44:56 PM
- 704 Views
Saving the game whenever the fuck I want
25/08/2010 09:49:40 PM
- 690 Views
Journals have to be one of my favorite things.
25/08/2010 11:19:58 PM
- 746 Views
The journal for Sword of the Beresaad was the worst. *NM*
26/08/2010 12:14:24 AM
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I generally find myself ignoring Journals in most games. Most. *NM*
26/08/2010 03:47:31 AM
- 344 Views
Ugh set save points bug the crap out of me
26/08/2010 04:11:13 AM
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In FFXII, the save point before Ahriman is about ten minutes away.
26/08/2010 05:06:57 AM
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that was what irritated me most about playing a few of those games. *NM*
26/08/2010 05:04:03 PM
- 342 Views
Guild Wars and their Quest Arrows...
26/08/2010 10:29:07 AM
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Agreed, that's a big one.
26/08/2010 01:51:34 PM
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I don't like it being unavoidable. Oblivion's compass sucked. *NM*
26/08/2010 11:36:37 PM
- 290 Views
Drawing on the map/compass is also something I miss in all other coop games w/ maps...
26/08/2010 04:03:53 PM
- 699 Views
Little things like that can make a big difference - in atmosphere, too, not just game mechanics.
01/09/2010 12:56:56 AM
- 641 Views