Current Events > From Software needs to add difficulty settings.

(+) Yeah! (+)

The ability to summon other players has always been the difficulty slider in from software games.

i've always looked at vitality (or whatever the HP stat is for the game) as that. and i think the main issue with the difficulty in the series is that it doesn't make it obvious enough to the first-time player that leveling vit is a really good idea.

GranolaPanic posted...

Im not a game developer. But wouldnt a lower difficulty just involve reducing the damage you take and increasing the damage you inflict?

No, theyd also have to change the enemy AI and maybe add in level scaling. Then theyd have to do extra testing to make sure that everything is balanced and there arent any bugs. So it would take a lot longer to finish everything

Literally New Game +, ++, +++, etc

Sorry but the answer will always forever be git gud and then you can enjoy the games however style you want.

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I was referring to that other post about level scaling already being a thing, which in theory makes the initial game "easy mode".

I don't really think the games need adjustable difficulty, but 'git gud' is a toxic mentality.

Yes, they dont want to dumb down their games, theyre thinking of their legacy

Heineken14 posted...

There is absolutely no logical reasoning to say there shouldn't be an easier mode.

I have played 0 of the games and doubt I ever will because the gameplay doesn't look appealing to me.

Here's a logical reason. Dev makes the game paying customer wants.

They choose not to because Miyazaki doesn't give a fuck and that's how he wants the games to be.

No, they have plenty of built in features that serve as difficulty settings.

GranolaPanic posted...

And theyll get more consumers with a more accessible game.

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What if they don't want to do that, and just want to release what they want?

Why should they have to try to cater to everyone? They know their audience, and what their intended audience wants

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Probably. Don't think they have problem with that tho since we're already at 7th? 8th? entry and there's still no easy mode

git to the gud motherfuckers!!

Support Balan Wonderland then if "more money" is now the counterpoint against artistic integrity.

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It sure is, bud

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He's trolling, he does this on other boards too

what if instead of messing with enemy stats, easy mode is just enemies drop way more souls?

lmfao enjoy gatekeeping y'all

i'm not against them making the game more clear or forgiving somehow, but i think a difficulty slider runs against a lot of the design choices they've made and it would likely undercut the interaction players have with some of the game's systems.

take the gargoyle fight in ds1 -- the point of which is to wall the player off until they interact with weapon levels. i think the game should still teach the player about it and even have the gall to kill the player a few times to motivate them.

my issue with the difficulty in the souls series in general is lack of clarity and there's a little weirdness and crust. i think it's possible to maintain the spirit of the game while making it more accessible.

i've sometimes considered 'just make every stat give HP except nerd stats' as an answer to players not leveling vit but i kinda like the way more souls thing the more i think about it. keep everything else the same, just make it easier for the player to get strong as hell.

Drrobotniks posted...

What if they don't want to do that, and just want to release what they want?

Why should they have to try to cater to everyone? They know their audience, and what their intended audience wants

From a developer perspective, they can do whatever the fuck they want, as is their right.

From a players perspective though, there is 0 reason to be opposed to them adding an easier mode if they so choose to. It has no baring what-so-ever of how someone else plays and enjoys their game.

I feel the series brilliance is very much catered to how the gameplay and level design is centered around the challenge. Lower difficulty options would negatively impact that balance. Sure, I would still play on the normal setting and it wouldn't affect me, but I do think it would affect the series overall reception. Plus, the difficulty arguments have made the series infamous and more well known. I therefore disagree that they would have reached more people with difficulty options.

Git gud :)

And btw, I have a career, kids, active social life, etc, so it has nothing to do with being too old or busy to play challenging games.

It's already been said, but summoning is the "easy mode". Anytime I have difficulty beating a boss, I just summon an npc and they make fighting a boss a breeze. Because yeah...some bosses in the souls games are fucking hard.

Git Gud, they know what their intended audience wants and they're not gonna change their games just for the vocal gamers who can't Git Gud at the game and won't take the time to learn how to play. Want an easy mode?. Go play Minecraft or Roblox.

Heineken14 posted...

From a developer perspective, they can do whatever the fuck they want, as is their right.

From a players perspective though, there is 0 reason to be opposed to them adding an easier mode if they so choose to. It has no baring what-so-ever of how someone else plays and enjoys their game.

If developers had infinite time, yes. They do not. So anything that takes away from core game development is going to affect the player whether they like it or not. Its up to companies to figure out if that is worth it or not. In this case, the marginal number of additional players probably pales in comparison to the number they get due to the reputation the games have as being hard.

Yeah, the way I view it:

Summoning another player: Easy
Summoning a CPU NPC: Normal
No summon: Hard

DarkRoast posted...

Yeah, the way I view it:

Summoning another player: Easy
Summoning a CPU NPC: Normal
No summon: Hard

Yup, and you can summon multiple people too. A player and an NPC, two players, etc. Players can be wildly variable in their level of assistance, some get ballsy and die in like 20 seconds (whereas NPCs seem to at least have enough bulk to withstand multiple hits right to the face), while others have broken minmax builds that can melt a boss before you even know what happened.

But we don't even make the games . That's all up to Miyazaki and he's never gonna do it.
My opinion is that they can be enjoyable if folks actually played the game as is and get used to all they have to offer in terms of weapon upgrading, armor, stat scaling, etc.

Know a game that was HARDER than Bloodborne or most of Dark Souls 3? Horizon's Frozen Wilds DLC. That shit was far tougher and also had level scaling elements as well.

Ghostrunner has unforgiving instadeath mechanics.
Binding of Isaac and Gungeon also have no "easy mode".
Nintendo themselves out of all companies, also refused to implement easy modes in most of their games out of artistic integrity and philosophy.

F-Zero GX's campaign is absolutely unrelenting but also the gold standard in fair challenge and it's still beloved to this day.

If the newcomers want to play the game but are intimidated by the reputation the series is known for, here's the answer...

https://youtu.be/FWN9zY_Q6H0

Jagr_68 posted...

But we don't even make the games . That's all up to Miyazaki and he's never gonna do it.
My opinion is that they can be enjoyable if folks actually played the game as is and get used to all they have to offer in terms of weapon upgrading, armor, stat scaling, etc.

Know a game that was HARDER than Bloodborne or most of Dark Souls 3? Horizon's Frozen Wilds DLC. That shit was far tougher and also had level scaling elements as well.

Ghostrunner has unforgiving instadeath mechanics.
Binding of Isaac and Gungeon also have no "easy mode".
Nintendo themselves out of all companies, also refused to implement easy modes in most of their games out of artistic integrity and philosophy.

F-Zero GX's campaign is absolutely unrelenting but also the gold standard in fair challenge and it's still beloved to this day.

If the newcomers want to play the game but are intimidated by the reputation the series is known for, here's the answer...

https://youtu.be/FWN9zY_Q6H0

The new Horizon game hits hard on normal. Certain enemies have to very carefully navigated, especially after reaching the center area of the big map (basically a quarter or third in)

"If you're tired of games being made for, and appealing to, everyone, why not make one yourself?"

*FromSoft does that*

"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

More options is always a good thing

You know you can just play games like Lego Indiana Jones or Mario right? Something more up your alley, would probably do you better than crying about souls games.

I agree. To add an ultra hard mode might make the game even better.

Heineken14 posted...

The funniest thing about these topics and people saying they shouldn't do it because that's the whole point of the games is... adding difficulty settings literally has 0 affect on them. It would change absolutely nothing about the game except make it more accessible to people... But apparently that is bad.

I don't even play Souls games but I hate this argument. Difficulty is not an accessibility issue. Just accept that not every game is gonna be for you and move on.

Wah, wah I'm so special because the game is so durr durr difficult and time consuming. I also stink and don't like to bathe. I'm so glad fromsoftware caters to me and only people like me cuz I'm speciol( ma and peepaw sed so) and not a huge loser who works half time and still lives with mum and dad and no woman will ever touch me. Ah dur git god dur.

angeleyes94 posted...

Wah, wah I'm so special because the game is so durr durr difficult and time consuming. I also stink and don't like to bathe. I'm so glad fromsoftware caters to me and only people like me cuz I'm speciol( ma and peepaw sed so) and not a huge loser who works half time and still lives with mum and dad and no woman will ever touch me. Ah dur git god dur.

The fact that you posted this without a single ounce of self awareness that this line of logic goes both ways is absolutely fucking hilarious.

And also close your account.

I played a kings field game and died 5 steps from starting in a literal lava pit....

The games are just fine as they are. Anyone willing to learn can play them.

These souls games are not going to change, the fanbase they have love the hard difficulty and honestly let them have it.

If you do not like how the games are just dont play them, not worth being upset about with so many other games that give options and have the choice to pause the game.

Have you considered just playing other games rather than whining that this one game has thing that makes you not want to play it?

I really wanna play Ghostwire Tokyo, but I just don't do first person games. My solution is to play different games rather than cry about this one game not catering to my specific wants.

This is a good view if you want to know solid arguments against it.
https://youtu.be/pKyKGuGU4bw