Secret auto-altering of game difficulty? Acceptable?

On reading this, my initial respnse was: Hell....no!

But I realised that there were quite a number of games that I didn't touch any more after hitting a brick wall.

So I suppose I think it's a good idea.

For me it comes down to continuing a game whereas otherwise I'd not play it again, easy decision. Others may see it differently, of course. I'm probably too easily frustrated anyway.

I don't think I'd like to know about it though, because it's too much like being FORCED to cheat.
 
I think this is a bad idea. There should be really hard bits in games that take you a load of tries before you manage to pass, the game needs it, you need it. I know it can be infuriating but when you do finally manage to beat the boss or whatever it is, the feeling of satisfaction is well worth it.

Manic Miner from years ago was the most infuriating game but yet I stuck to it and sooner or later managed to beat each level, that was the challenge.

You should have to earn it, not have it handed to you on a plate.
 
this type of mechanic makes perfect sense in certain situations, providing the game can scale it back up again without the player ever noticing i dont see a problem here at all, games are meant to be entertaining and if the player was genuinly good at the game then this mechanic would never come into play right?
 
Not a fan personally..but i guess it depends on how it's implemented, I think i would go with what others have said in that it's fine to do this on easy and to a lesser degree on medium but any level above should be left alone. I remember on SF2 the rounds used to increase in difficulty depending on how you did in the previous, always had to fight hard in round 2! NFS and Midnight club were possibly the worst, the latter actually had me rage quitting lol..
 
I suppose if there's a clicky box to enable it and disable it then I don't see the harm, as long as I know it's there and they don't do it without informing me.

Needless to say, if the option is there I will always disable it.

I used to go into right little fits (I was young then, no excuses now ;)) when playing Manic Miner or similar and not being able to pass a level after what seems like a 10,000 times of trying. But on the flip side, I used to run around the house in pure elation when I did finally do it, as if I just won my own personal world cup or something :D

You've got to experience pain before you can fully appreciate pleasure. ;)
 
The idea is good and could be "secretly" turned off on Hard mode or something..

Either way I'm sure people would prefer to finish a game than get to a hard part that they just can't get past. I would also imagine people are more likely to buy a sequel to a game they liked and completed than a game they got frustrated with and didn't finish.
 
Jase said:
The idea is good and could be "secretly" turned off on Hard mode or something..

Either way I'm sure people would prefer to finish a game than get to a hard part that they just can't get past. I would also imagine people are more likely to buy a sequel to a game they liked and completed than a game they got frustrated with and didn't finish.
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I don't think I've ever been beaten by a game, maybe in the short term but never in the long term. I've always stuck at it, if the game is boring I'll stop playing ofc but I don't think I've ever stopped playing a game because it's too hard, that defeats the purpose for me.

I suppose it depends on the reasons why you're playing said game. If you want a bit of mindless carnage then fair enough but you shouldn't give up just because you get to a hard bit that takes you a few goes to do, that to me sounds like chucking your toys out the pram or taking your ball home if your team is losing.
 
Splint said:
NFS and Midnight club were possibly the worst, the latter actually had me rage quitting lol..
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Definitely. I remember doing really well in every race up until near the end in midnight club, then getting stuck on a certain race. I tried it so many times, but only won it when I went really slow and ended up at the back for the majority of the race.
 
Did better than me then! The race I got stuck on was also right near the end, must have only been a few more races to go but it was just so annoying how the game screwed you over..I never completed it and my only regret is trying for far too long!..can feel the rage building must stop now..
 
Personally I think it's acceptable and actually a good idea. However, there should be a hardcore mode that remains at a set difficultly so that players are able to compare their abilities should they wish. The reality is that I have quite a lot of games and sometimes if I get stuck or lose interest it can take me a while to go back to them. For instance, with Dragon Age: Origins I got to the final battle and got bored of room after room of enemies - it took me about a week and a half to get back to it. It's not about dumbing down games but increasing the enjoyability. Heck, I still haven't got around to completing GTA4 because I stopped playing it for a bit and found it hard to get back into. Accessibility is definitely an important consideration for developers.
 
TAC4U said:
It's not about dumbing down games but increasing the enjoyability.
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Exactly! I have a huge backlog of games to play thanks to the various xmas sales - if I feel the difficulty of a game is unfair at any point, I'll spend my time doing something that's actually fun instead.

I'll also think twice before buying another game by the same developer if I don't think I'll end up seeing half of it.
 
Seems the general consensus is..

It's fine IF you can disable it or the hardest mode doesn't make life easy for you.

A game should be challenging otherwise it isn't fun, but a game that is too hard can alienate too many customers. I read somewhere that the fact games have an easy normal or hard setting is a tacit admission that balancing a game for everyones enjoyment is nigh on impossible, so dynamic adjustments are a way of making a game at the right point for each player.
 
Sleepery said:
Exactly! I have a huge backlog of games to play thanks to the various xmas sales - if I feel the difficulty of a game is unfair at any point, I'll spend my time doing something that's actually fun instead.

I'll also think twice before buying another game by the same developer if I don't think I'll end up seeing half of it.
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Can you give an example of games that are too hard for you?
 
Briton said:
Can you give an example of games that are too hard for you?
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Ninja Gaiden on the original xbox - the very first boss was a monumental jump in difficulty from what the game had pit you against so far. Actually spent quite a long time on that boss before giving up. So I basically paid for a single level.

Homeworld 2 - this has since been patched, but originally the 3rd mission was almost impossible.

I'm sure there have been more, those two were extreme examples.
 
Sleepery said:
Ninja Gaiden on the original xbox - the very first boss was a monumental jump in difficulty from what the game had pit you against so far. Actually spent quite a long time on that boss before giving up. So I basically paid for a single level.

Homeworld 2 - this has since been patched, but originally the 3rd mission was almost impossible.

I'm sure there have been more, those two were extreme examples.
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So you can only think of one six year old PC game and that was patched? Not exactly a major issue then. ;)
 
I nearly gave up on one level of Cannon Fodder but I loved the game so much I persevered...must have reloaded fifty times. I later found out that there was a hidden power up I was supposed to use. :)
 
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