How hard is PoE going to be?

[Lephys]

I just wish the difficulty slider doesn't make enemies damage sponges like in most other games.

I sure hope not. If I don't even have to be precise with my damage anymore, and can just spill it in a big, messy pool, all over the battlefield, and my foe will simply soak it all up and perish anyway... that'd be terrible!

[Syhpel]

 

I just wish the difficulty slider doesn't make enemies damage sponges like in most other games.

I sure hope not. If I don't even have to be precise with my damage anymore, and can just spill it in a big, messy pool, all over the battlefield, and my foe will simply soak it all up and perish anyway... that'd be terrible!

 

 

He didn't mean a literal sponge. It was an expression. Damage isn't a liquid that can spill and cannot be literally mopped up with a sponge.

[Gromnir]

according to more than one developer, the two most common complaints regarding the infinity engine games:

 

it was too hard.

 

it was too easy.

 

...

 

am not the most sympathetic crpg fan-- we don't exactly tear up over the sisyphean task(s) the developers face. nevertheless, adjusting game difficulty in an attempt to make the mostest people happy strikes us as a near hopeless endeavor.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[ManifestedISO]

I've used sponges to create dramatic effects with wall paint and concrete stain. Never to clean up spilled damage before, though. Not even sure what that would look like. Oily, or sticky, probably not sandy or dry. There is a scene in The Transporter when he beats the pants off a bunch of baddies after coating the floor in motor oil--maybe it was actually a barrel-full of damage. 

[Lephys]

He didn't mean a literal sponge. It was an expression. Damage isn't a liquid that can spill and cannot be literally mopped up with a sponge.

I know. . Sorry, the smirking-with-shades emoticon is my "I'm not being serious here" indicator, FYI.

 

There is a scene in The Transporter when he beats the pants off a bunch of baddies after coating the floor in motor oil--maybe it was actually a barrel-full of damage.

Obviously it was after Jason Statham got through with it. He catalyzes all types of Earth-matter into damage.

Edited May 27, 2014 by Lephys

[NWN_babaYaga]

In IWD and BG i died so many times there were moments i realy thought ++++ that i quit! I loved it in the end when i finaly managed to survive the fights and could move along. Thats how it should be! So yeah, make it difficult like these two games and bring it on!

 

To prepare yourself and use tactics is an element of gameplay to me in RPGs. I cant stand a game where you rambo through the events as if it is a movie!

That damned firekragg in BG2 used to cost me around 3 hours alone i remember and it was like an addiction to be slaughtered again and again... but this was a great experience once i could shout out loud ++++ you firekragg i killed you!!!

Edited May 28, 2014 by NWN_babaYaga

[Yellow Rabbit]

That damned firekragg in BG2 used to cost me around 3 hours alone i remember and it was like an addiction to be slaughtered again and again...

If you attacked first time you saw him (i.e. with level 8-11 party) I'm surprised it took you only three hours to kill him. *chuckle* He's not all that nasty for the party after returning from Underdark. In fact I always felt kind of pity for him. "Put the Red Dragon into Red Book" and other Greenpeace-ic crap.

[Sensuki]

Dragon fights in BG2 were cool and had especially cool accompanying music. However they were not that difficult if you had multiple instances of Breach, Pierce Magic, Remove Magic or Dispel Magic.

 

I never cheesed finger of death although I did one hit kill some dragons with Minsc (Vorpal Sword),Sarevok (his innate) and the Dragon's Breath spell-like ability.

 

I think I might have got a Chromatic orb 1 hit kill as well.

Edited May 28, 2014 by Sensuki

[Infiltrator_SF]

Dragon fights in BG2 were cool and had especially cool accompanying music. However they were not that difficult if you had multiple instances of Breach, Pierce Magic, Remove Magic or Dispel Magic.

 

I never cheesed finger of death although I did one hit kill some dragons with Minsc (Vorpal Sword),Sarevok (his innate) and the Dragon's Breath spell-like ability.

 

I think I might have got a Chromatic orb 1 hit kill as well.

 

I dealt with those even more easily - backstab. That allowed my mages more offensive and defensive spells in favor of shield-removal ones.

 

That said, the game was kind of easy, even with that mod, Ascension.

 

I'd say PoE needs to be a lot harder than that on max difficulty, but again, NOT by making enemies have 400% hp..

[Yellow Rabbit]

Dragon fights in BG2 were cool and had especially cool accompanying music. However they were not that difficult if you had multiple instances of Breach, Pierce Magic, Remove Magic or Dispel Magic.

 

I never cheesed finger of death although I did one hit kill some dragons with Minsc (Vorpal Sword),Sarevok (his innate) and the Dragon's Breath spell-like ability.

 

I think I might have got a Chromatic orb 1 hit kill as well.

Actually this is a good point for this thread. Dragon fights (and not only dragon for that matter) in BG2 were pretty easy for players who knew arsenal of available spells and possible tactics very good. In a game based on AD&D ruleset this arsenal is quite impressive, even with all the cuts regarding to its computer realisation, and took some time to learn it for a non-experienced player. Some time, some thinking and a lot of deaths during figuring out a way to take down "that ****ing scary monster over there" (I really AM assuming that simple reloading trying to get lucky dices' roll on every tough foe is not an option).

 

If PoE will have such a requirements on a Normal difficulty level, I am completely okay with it. Harder levels could just reduce amount of convenient ways to kill monster (for example, adding certain resistances-immunities-other-complex-words) so that player would have to figure out a new one.

[Sensuki]

I *think* there's 4 difficulty settings - Easy, Normal, Hard and then there's Path of the Damned mode.

 

Easy, Normal and Hard use an encounter system where the creature composition and positioning is changed per encounter based on difficulty.

 

The Lead Designer said that Normal will be tuned to not require consumables. 

 

 

 

I'd like to tune standard, at-level encounters on normal difficulty to not require the use of consumables.  However, efficiency will be a bigger deal both on higher levels of difficulty and if you're under-leveled for a specific encounter.  In those cases, consumable use will likely be, if not mandatory, extremely helpful.

 

Normal difficulty should be on par with IWD1 / BG2. Hard should be in the IWD2+ area

 

The hardest encounters will be optional, those could be quite difficult.

Edited June 2, 2014 by Sensuki

[Messier-31]

The Lead Designer said that Normal will be tuned to not require consumables. 

 

Ever since I graduated, started working, went on building a family and such, time I can spend playing games plummeted a great deal. Thus I thought "am I a casual gamer now?". But right now I'm seriously starting to think wether I should play easy or normal. Normal doesn't require consumables, you say? That would mean easy will be taking a candy from a baby.

[Sensuki]

Consumables in PE won't be that simple I don't think.

 

Stamina potions only heal stamina, they can keep your character(s) up in an encounter longer at a cost to Health, which means you need to rest earlier. You'll still need to manage your resources correctly and make good choices in combat I guess.

 

Definitey Hard for me.

[Karkarov]

 

He didn't mean a literal sponge. It was an expression. Damage isn't a liquid that can spill and cannot be literally mopped up with a sponge.

I know. . Sorry, the smirking-with-shades emoticon is my "I'm not being serious here" indicator, FYI.

 

There is a scene in The Transporter when he beats the pants off a bunch of baddies after coating the floor in motor oil--maybe it was actually a barrel-full of damage.

Obviously it was after Jason Statham got through with it. He catalyzes all types of Earth-matter into damage.

Oh come now, damage can definitely be spilled out into a big pool.  Like burning hot magma.... (Dr. Evil Voice) huehuehuehuehue

[Iucounu]

The Lead Designer said that Normal will be tuned to not require consumables.  

I just hope that doesn't mean you require consumables on Hard, and that they're very hard to come by, perhaps even have a durability? As long as it isn't in DA, where you can and have to quaff 10 healing potions in every fight on higher difficulty. 

Also, if you can use consumables, your opponents should be allowed to use them too, otherwise it almost feels like cheating. 

[Sensuki]

Opponents will likely use them anyway.

Not using (buff) consumables will probably mean you rest more often.

[Iucounu]

If possible. BTW, that would be kind of cool on the highest difficulty. The possibility to get stuck in a dungeon, where you can't rest and you can't simply leave the dungeon either, because you're lost or you can't get past the monsters guarding the entrances. The latter would simply require additional encounters at the right places on higher difficulty, so nothing that they haven't planned anyway.