Agreed
#1 posted by
DaZ on 2003/09/05 18:47:39
With the varied skills of all gamers these days it is very hard to judge just how hard a "hard" mode should be, and thus, how easy the "easy" mode should be.
One of the better ways I've seen the combat this problem is that companies are now introducing a "dynamic difficulty" for want of a better phrase. This idea is in its infancy but in theory is a great idea. Games that have gone down this road that I can think of are Max Payne, if you are doing well then there are actually less health pickups around the maps to increase the difficulty, then if you die horribly the pickup amounts are increased making the game easier.
Now take that idea and make it bigger, enemies that use different AI depending on how well the player is doing, ie. They do/dont use cover, do/dont call for backup, do/dont charge blindly at the player etc.
But then what do you do if your a gamer who likes a serious challenge (ie. a very hard game)? Well you could get the player to pick an easy/normal/hard at the start and depending thier decision, limits can be imposed on the dynamic difficulty so that things never get *too* hard or *too* easy.
I think more developers may start using these ideas in games to come, as it is by far the most flexible.
.
#2 posted by
pushplay on 2003/09/05 20:16:01
dynamic difficulty.
Take that concept too far and you end up with elastic band AI. I believe the man who invented it was dragged out into the street and shot in the face.
Well,
#3 posted by
necros on 2003/09/05 23:30:10
if you think about it, criticising something because it's too hard or easy isn't really valid since it *does* depend on who's playing. (unless it's obviously too hard, like there's no health at all and the player is almost 100% certain to take tons of damage)
the only thing that should be criticized is if it's consistent. imagine playing a map where you gunning down grunts left and right and all of a sudden you get ambushed by multiple big monsters...
i dunno, does that make sense? *shrug*
Simple.
Take that concept too far and you end up with elastic band AI. I believe the man who invented it was dragged out into the street and shot in the face.
I totally agree.
And lets keep it simple.
A Game should have preset skill levels, at least 4 or 5.
Easy.
Medium.
Hard.
Very Hard.
Its the age-old method.
IMHO, it works perfectly.
end of discussion.