GRcade

nub!

Depends on the game, Ill play through Halo on Legendary but for RPGS and RTS games Ill drop down to an easy setting if I just wanna see where the story goes.

Generally I go with the default normal difficulty on games because my view is that is what the developers designed the game around. I like being challenged but primarily a game is a source of entertainment. I will only turn difficulty up or down if it seems way too easy or so hard it is making it difficult to enjoy the experience.

Normal for a first play, unless the game specifically tells me otherwise (Halo 3 recommending hard as 'the way the game is meant to be played' for example). I don't have any stake in bragging rights for completing games of harder difficulties, and will only really do so if the setting adds significant content/gameplay changes (like Halo 3 again, which upped the AI of the NPCs rather than just their health).

It differs obviously. I chose normal for both Persona games I've tried when really I should have chosen easy. With games like that, where the combat is very much a means to an end, the changing of the difficulty can often serve to artificially lengthen the experience rather than add anything extra.

Meep wrote:Generally I go with the default normal difficulty on games because my view is that is what the developers designed the game around.

Exactly this. I want to play the game as the developer's intended because that is most likely to be the best experience. Too frequently difficulty is handled poorly like the aforementioned bullet sponge enemy approach of just increasing enemy damage and health.

TimeSplitters 2 is the game to emulate for difficulty levels. In general arcade play the bot's AI improves as the difficulty goes up, and in the campaign harder difficulties add to the number of objectives you need to complete. It makes replaying at higher difficulties really worth it and comes across incredibly well designed.

I'm going to be honest here and admit I expected more people here to be the type who are experienced enough at gaming they choose hard on a regular basis and it makes me feel less of a gaming failure for being someone who also mainly chooses normal.

It seems that just being a long time gamer doesn't really have that much effect on what difficulty we play on.

I played through 95% of Far Cry 2 on the hardest difficulty and that was one hell of an experience, but I had way more time then.

I don't often play things on the hardest difficulty first time. I do enjoy games that are designed to be hard but get easier with levelling up or improved skill like Dark Souls but I can't stand the often cited "it's hard, but always fair!" nonsense. If an enemy's attack clips through scenery and takes nearly all your health it is not in the slightest bit fair. For me Dark Souls works because it's often possible for the player to cheese a boss as well.

Also, I know games went too far with directing the player with breadcrumbs and markers but I can't get behind the idea that a game offering no guidance is a good thing. I like the open world thing of Zelda:BOTW or Fallout 3 of being given an overall objective but being let loose in the world to explore but games like Hollow Knight that require endless back tracking without any indication to the player if they're going the right way to be nothing more than padding.

It really depends on my mood but general rule is if I really enjoyed the game I'd usually want to replay it on harder difficulty.

Otherwise I usually stick with Normal, sometimes Easy depending on my mood/if it's horror (Played through Dead Space 1&2 on Easy...)

I'll usually stick with "normal" difficulty as my default approach but if I know what kind of experience the game is going to offer before I start then I will sometimes adjust to a harder difficulty if I know it will improve the experience.

For example most immersive sim type games I will usually go for a harder difficulty option by default as I find it offers a more rewarding experience and encourages the use of a wider variety of approaches and play styles which is what those games thrive on.

As hard as possible as long as it's fair and my losses feel justifiable in accordance with my lack of skill

I try to only play games where I’m sure the hardest difficulty level will involve more than increasing enemy health - game design is key. Old-school Halo is the perfect example, where anything other than Legendary means missing out on experiencing enemy AI at its best.

Nothing wrong with increasing enemy numbers or fire-power though, my preference being lower hit- kills both ways.

I normally use regular difficulty, but on some titles i tend to use easy because i know full well that i'd struggle if i didn't.

I'm generally a medium/normal difficulty gamer, although I've no problem with dealing with harder settings/games if my efforts feel like a genuine accomplishment as opposed to the game taking the piss.

I'll stick to Normal most of the time, unless I fancy going for the difficulty trophies that stack, 'cuz strawberry float playing through a game three times for three of the same trophy.

Meep wrote:Generally I go with the default normal difficulty on games because my view is that is what the developers designed the game around.

This. Like Mr Klopp, I'm the normal one.