Easy difficulty too challenging for story focussed players

[BurntNjal]

Easy difficulty is fine 90% of the time. But there are certain encounters where the difficulty ramps up considerably (usually boss fights) and makes it almost impossible for a casual player to succeed.

 

Pillars is a spiritual successor to the isometric RPGs of my childhood, and I respect the deeply strategic combat that has been inherited from these ancestors.

 

Unfortunately, I am now suffering from a condition which makes computer use difficult and I would appreciate an easier 'easy' mode, so that I can enjoy this game. Is anyone else in the same position? As I say, for the most part easy is fine, but there are some critical encounters which have been frustratingly difficult, and in some cases I have had to abandon them.

Edited April 11, 2015 by BurntNjal

[Iguana-on-a-stick]

Well, there are always cheats. They disable steam achievements, but if you don't care about those (and I certainly don't) that shouldn't be a problem.

 

Check out gamefaqs or the wiki or something and there'll be instructions on how to boost your character's stats and such. If you give everybody a nice boost to CON the game ought to be more forgiving without being god-mode like.

 

Also, a lot of the most difficult fights are optional. So if the thing you're stuck on isn't a main plot battle, you can always just ignore it and still see most of the story. And if it is in the main plot, you can always leave it for later and come back when you have more levels. That won't help if you're at the level cap, but for most of the game it's a perfectly viable solution.

[Atheosis]

Yeah I could see that with the way the game's difficulty is so spiky.  At the same time these kinds of games have never really catered to really casual players. 

[BurntNjal]

Thanks Iguana-on-a-stick, I had been staying away from cheats as I did not want the game to feel unbalanced, but the stat boost to CON sounds like a sensible move.

 

Also, thanks for the encouragement!

[Luckmann]

Now, I was about to comment on how I can't see how Easy could be easier, because you could probably play through Hard while drunk and still make it to the end just fine, but then I read about your condition and.. yeah, I can see how you could have issues, so let's be fair, it's probably a fair deal harder for you than for others.

 

But the thing is.. as much as it is harder for you than for most, a game can't be balanced around the most debilitated and/or incompetent players. I'm not saying that as a pejorative or with any intent to be insulting. Even the easiest difficulty has to have a reasonable amount of gameplay for reasonably intelligent players, even casual players that are bad or like to play on easy.

 

Suffering from a debilitating condition has to be considered an "edge case". My suggestion is that you simply cheat. It is not unreasonable, and it is easier for you to personally tune your gameplay than it is for developers to adjust for the edge cases, because there's always going to be yet another edge to that edge, and then another.

[sparklecat]

I think it's reasonable to put in a story mode below easy that's basically a cakewalk for those who want or need such, while leaving easy alone for those who want to use it as it is to improve their skills.  For a quick and dirty way to do it, what about a mod that gives everyone Second Chance as a base skill?  Anyone know how to do that easily?

Edited April 11, 2015 by sparklecat

[Emerwyn]

Yeah as much as I love difficult gameplay and I went for PotD difficulty myself, someone with a disease or any kind of handicap also has a full right to enjoy the game and finish it whole. Besides using cheats, I'm not sure what else can help in this case, though.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Emerwyn

[Matt516]

I think it's reasonable to put in a story mode below easy that's basically a cakewalk for those who want or need such, while leaving easy alone for those who want to use it as it is to improve their skills.  For a quick and dirty way to do it, what about a mod that gives everyone Second Chance as a base skill?  Anyone know how to do that easily?

 

That would actually make the game deceptively harder in some ways, as you aren't getting health back by doing that. Could end up running out of health extremely quickly by relying on this "cheat".

 

Thanks Iguana-on-a-stick, I had been staying away from cheats as I did not want the game to feel unbalanced, but the stat boost to CON sounds like a sensible move.

 

Also, thanks for the encouragement!

 

The IE mod will let you change your characters' stats to whatever you want, so if you want to give everyone Might 35 or something (+75% damage on everything), you could do that.

[sparklecat]

 

I think it's reasonable to put in a story mode below easy that's basically a cakewalk for those who want or need such, while leaving easy alone for those who want to use it as it is to improve their skills.  For a quick and dirty way to do it, what about a mod that gives everyone Second Chance as a base skill?  Anyone know how to do that easily?

 

That would actually make the game deceptively harder in some ways, as you aren't getting health back by doing that. Could end up running out of health extremely quickly by relying on this "cheat".

 

I'm thinking of it more as a way to get through those tough fights you can't manage otherwise; something to buy you more time in them.  I'm sure there are straight up cheats that'd work too of course.

[Daemonjax]

Suffering from a debilitating condition has to be considered an "edge case". My suggestion is that you simply cheat. It is not unreasonable, and it is easier for you to personally tune your gameplay than it is for developers to adjust for the edge cases, because there's always going to be yet another edge to that edge, and then another.

 

I agree, and here's another thing: There is no such thing as cheating in a single player game.

 

So, feel free to use the console commands to do whatever you need to do to get the most enjoyment out of the game.

 

You can always play it again later at harder difficulties if you choose.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Daemonjax

[Archaven]

What i can make this of is Obsidian can gain reputation by making a very easy difficulty PLUS an option to skip battle for players who simply couldn't get through it and just wanted to enjoy the story for people with disabilities. This way, major review sites will start crediting Obsidian for their effort in assisting unfortunate people or casual gamers who just want to skimp through for the story.

 

Ps. I have some disability myself but i'm playing on hard and pretty much enjoying the game.

[Faerunner]

I actually rather agree with the OP. In fact, I've been thinking about making a similar thread for a while now.

[Ichthyic]

 

At the same time these kinds of games have never really catered to really casual players.

wrong.

 

they even added story modes to IWD and BG, specifically for people who want to play for the story and visuals.

 

for this game, as others have mentioned, you can use the console to make it so you take no damage in any given combat.

 

just open the console, and type:

 

GodMode

 

the rest of the commands and instructions are here:

 

http://rien-ici.com/iemod/console

 

that should get you through any of the fights you are finding difficult.

 

all that said, I don't expect a real story mode for this game to be released for quite some time; could be months at least.

 

 

[Ichthyic]

I actually rather agree with the OP. In fact, I've been thinking about making a similar thread for a while now.

there are actually 3 other threads like this that I am aware of.

 

there is definitely interest in something like a story mode for this game, and it seems more likley someone will kludge together a mod for that than that the developers will end up doing it in the near term.

 

I'd recommend going to the Nexus Mods forum for this game and suggesting it as a mod.  In the end, it probably wouldn't be that diffficult to do, provided like most games like this, there are generalized data tables you can adjust for the entire game, and not just per combat or creature.

 

 

 

 

[Ichthyic]

Yeah as much as I love difficult gameplay and I went for PotD difficulty myself, someone with a disease or any kind of handicap also has a full right to enjoy the game and finish it whole. Besides using cheats, I'm not sure what else can help in this case, though.

you know, people even who just like to play the game like that have "full rights" too.

 

you shouldn't just assume this has anything to do with just people with specific disabilities.

 

again, it was such a popular request for the IE games, that it was added as a seperate mode for the enhanced versions.

 

 

[Iguana-on-a-stick]

 

 

At the same time these kinds of games have never really catered to really casual players.

wrong.

 

they even added story modes to IWD and BG, specifically for people who want to play for the story and visuals.

 

 

"They," however, is Beandog, not the original designers at Bioware and Black Isle. It's only the Enhanced Editions (and even then only in Icewind Dale I believe) that a story mode was added.

 

Atheosis is quite right that the games were not designed to for casual players, and that the Infinity games were quite unforgiving. But times change, and the enhanced editions have added more options to the later releases. Never a bad thing.

[Rosveen]

It doesn't really matter what the IE games originally did. Adding a story mode doesn't take away anything from people who like the challenge - they can just choose any other difficulty setting. But it does make the game more accessible to a wide spectrum of players. And while this might not be viable in games with minimal to no story, focused purely on gameplay, I think it would work beautifully in many RPGs, including Pillars.

[Duchess of Kvetch]

Indeed. Don't forget that toggle-able "godmode" settings are frequently used by devs, modders, content creators, QA/QC testers, and simply folks who've already beaten the game but want to test out various scenarios easily w/o slogging through long combat sequences.

 

Not that any of this should matter, we shouldn't be competing with each other over whose e-peen is longer.

 

Still, devs often have a "vision" in mind, and it's ultimately their choice. There's always a god-mode anyway in every game, you just might never know about it. >_>

[Killyox]

There's nothing impossible for casual player at normal/easy. Avg person has enough IQ to deal with fights at those levels.

[Rosveen]

There's nothing impossible for casual player at normal/easy. Avg person has enough IQ to deal with fights at those levels.

The OP mentioned physical difficulties with using a computer. There are ways to alleviate some of those too, with different types of input devices.

 

Anyhow, I'm curious which fights specifically the OP is talking about. Maybe cheats aren't needed, maybe we can work out a strategy helping him succeed. If not, there's always godmode.

[Nanakamado]

As for me (story focused player) it's not about "dealing" with combat. I can deal with combat on easy or normal. The problem is - I'm easily bored by combat. I know that for example Endless Paths are not for me, but I think there should be more dialog otions to avoid combat in main quest and some side quests.

[Ohioastro]

Does playing in slow mode help?  the basic issue that I could see is that action proceeds too quickly to hit pause if it takes awhile to mechanically hit the keys.  Running at S speed will slow everything down and make it more forgiving.

[waltc]

Easy difficulty is fine 90% of the time. But there are certain encounters where the difficulty ramps up considerably (usually boss fights) and makes it almost impossible for a casual player to succeed.

 

Pillars is a spiritual successor to the isometric RPGs of my childhood, and I respect the deeply strategic combat that has been inherited from these ancestors.

 

Unfortunately, I am now suffering from a condition which makes computer use difficult and I would appreciate an easier 'easy' mode, so that I can enjoy this game. Is anyone else in the same position? As I say, for the most part easy is fine, but there are some critical encounters which have been frustratingly difficult, and in some cases I have had to abandon them.

 

Easy mode does not mean that if you choose to fight the wrong villain at the wrong time that you won't get your *ss handed to you...   You still have to play and strategize and think about what you are doing...if they took that aspect of the game away in easy mode they'd destroy the game--and I think you'd be even more disatisfied.   Even on Easy Mode you may have to admit that one villain is too much for you and go and do something else and come back when you've advanced a level or two. But here's the thing:

 

*If you don't pause the action in combat and make intelligent assignments with spells, at least twice during the fight, and you don't spend time equipping your armor and trying out different weapons that match the strengths of your members--making sure to have both ranged and melee characters--then there are a lot of fights you will lose...no matter your level.

 

That's as it should be, imo.  If you are so "story oriented" that the combat and inventory management and the strategy seem tedious, then perhpas you might prefer reading a book...   Because "a book" would be about all the game would be if it didn't require some degree of interactivity with the players (you and me.)  I really do think Easy Mode is easy enough...

[Ink Blot]

 

 

At the same time these kinds of games have never really catered to really casual players.

wrong.

 

they even added story modes to IWD and BG, specifically for people who want to play for the story and visuals.

 

for this game, as others have mentioned, you can use the console to make it so you take no damage in any given combat.

 

just open the console, and type:

 

GodMode

 

the rest of the commands and instructions are here:

 

http://rien-ici.com/iemod/console

 

that should get you through any of the fights you are finding difficult.

 

all that said, I don't expect a real story mode for this game to be released for quite some time; could be months at least.

 

 

 

Actually, just to play the pedant, the command is just:

 

god

[Duchess of Kvetch]

It shouldn't matter how someone chooses to play their game, regardless. 

 

As long as nothing is changed in the rest of the game, it doesn't affect anyone else's personal experience... that's why we -have- difficulty modes to begin with in single player games. It's not a communal shared-experience crucible like Demon Souls.

 

And if you're disabled, injured, or a member of a generation that didn't grow up with video games, it can feel insulting to have people constantly tell you variants of "L2P".