Gaming difficulty level philosophy....

[nippyjun]

I've started playing Quake 4 and Fear. I always choose to play at a harder difficulty level then the "normal" difficulty.

I've enjoyed both games especially the visuals, but i'm wondering if i'm missing the "beauty" of the game world by playing on a harder difficulty. What i mean is, that since i have to focus more on my life i miss out on looking around at the game world. Harder difficulty means moving faster, and moving faster means leaving a scene faster and not getting to enjoy it as much.

On the other hand, i don't want to play on too easy of a difficulty that i can just walk through and not feel challenged.


I'm not really asking a question here, but i'm just wondering if others feel the same way as i do and what they prefer to do.

Thanks.

 

[mundane]

I usually play through games first on the normal difficulty; take my time and explore the worlds, if possible. Then increment the difficulty level for each subsequent attempt.

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: diegoalcatraz
I usually play through games first on the normal difficulty; take my time and explore the worlds, if possible. Then increment the difficulty level for each subsequent attempt.

 

[MX2]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew

Originally posted by: diegoalcatraz
I usually play through games first on the normal difficulty; take my time and explore the worlds, if possible. Then increment the difficulty level for each subsequent attempt.

 

[KB]

I usually play the game on easy first. Sure I beat it in a day or too, but if it was worth it, I will play it again at a harder level a short time later, and if it stinks then I am glad its over quickly.

 

[Kev]

Do they actually make the AI harder when you choose high difficulty? Cause half life 2 was stupid because all they did was make your weapons ridiculously ineffective to make it "difficult"

 

[Eureka]

I start on Easy, enjoy the game (its the first time), then once I know how the game works start playing on harder levels.

Norm

 

[gorcorps]

Depends on the game. I think in FEAR you still get the crazy paranormal experiences in hard mode and that's really what makes the atmosphere. Playing at normal, I'm not sure how much more I'm getting out of it. Of course on normal, I can whip out the particle weapon in slow mo and take some crazy vids of their skin melting away close up .

 

[Frodolives]

I most always select the default or "normal" difficulty in single player games, because I figure it's the level at which the developer's concept was most likely to have been expressed for the game experience.

Obviously in some cases it turns out to be dumbed down a bit, but overall normal is challenging, and higher difficulty levels have been more challenging only due to greater numbers of enemies (most often), which is fun for a while, but also can get boring.

 

[Stretchman]

Normal's pretty good for me, unless its ridiculously difficult at the outset, like Battle for Middle Earth, then I tone it done for easy. Actually can't remember the last time I played a game on hard.

 

[apoppin]

i always start on 'easy' . . . i love to walk thru and admire the gfx while getting a feel for the 'play .. . . . . when i am confortable with the game, i pick a difficulty that challenges me without too much frustration cause i still want to enjoy [and beat] it.

usually end up on 'normal' or a bit higher [where ever the Enemy AI feels the same as the harder difficulties] but not so much that one shot takes me out

 

[BFG10K]

I start on normal then work my way up through subsequent replays.

 

[Topweasel]

I agree with everyone else he as well. A game is suppossed to have a flowing story and feel and to many deaths ruin this, on the other hand you feel shorted if you get through the game to fast. Thats why I play on normal because I feel I am at least the type of player they are aiming at and will probably be the flow the game was designed on. People who play on easy just end up finishing the game in hours and complain that the game wasn't long enough. Easy should only be for people who have severe issue in normal mode.

 

[Fenixgoon]

start on hard... i like a challenge:thumbsup:

 

[bamacre]

I think it's better to play on normal or easy first, and if the game is worth it, go through again on hard. Several reasons for this, one being as you stated, enjoyment of the game, the graphics, etc. And Far Cry was a perfect example of my second reason, harder difficulty obviously makes the game more challenging your second time through the game. Far Cry was a whole different game on Realistic mode, and I thoroughly enjoyed my second trip through the it.

 

[Sniper82]

why not take out the enemy's in one areas then look around and enjoy the gfx? AFAIK most newer FPS'er allows you to explore even after you kill the bad guys and doesn't auto take you to the scene/chapter. Either way I always choose default(normal).

 

[tuteja1986]

yeah i played fear on extreme difficulty and that took me about 20hrs to complete but if you play on hard. You need to be fast and your response should be very accurate , by that I mean if you saw 3 enemy entering the warehouse and you only have few health left then you must use 1 grenade to installing kill them all. You need to land the grenade in the right spot and explode the right time. Your award will be watching a cool pawnage kill as limbs , legs , arms and head fly in the air and also blood getting splattered on the floor/wall. Anyway fear is the best FPS I have played this year on PC.

 

[Jeff7181]

I usually play games on Normal. If I find that I'm dying too much I'll turn the difficulty down. But if I find normal to be too easy I rarely turn it up. I just finish the game faster and without dying as often. Usually with demo's I start on the easiest one cause I want to get a good look at things and not die right away when I'm trying to check out the graphics n stuff.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: Jeff7181
I usually play games on Normal. If I find that I'm dying too much I'll turn the difficulty down. But if I find normal to be too easy I rarely turn it up. I just finish the game faster and without dying as often.

My general philosophy although occaisionally, Ill start at hard levels.