Difficulty isnt everything

[Donkerman]

I've read some threads about difficulty boasting. Now obviously I am not one of the 110% candidates, so I felt like leaving a post that made the sub 110% people feel accomplished. If you enjoy the game at your difficulty setting, please do not increase it because some freakish players box above your weight. Slaughter away at the moronic NPC huscarls and feel like a champ, because this is just a game and we all want to enjoy it.

 

[Noapte]

If you enjoy the game at your difficulty setting, please do not increase it because some freakish players box above your weight.

Completely agree.

If someone has to play on "easy" to enjoy the game, so be it. Some play the game on higher difficulty to increase the challenge or because they have played the game so long they feel the need. If by some misguided sense of accomplishment one player feels himself superior to another because of the difficulty he plays a video game on, he is a douche face.

Seriously though, no-one is here to judge.

 

[Aelok]

I play on roughly 73% difficulty I think. Originally it was easier but when I retired the difficulty really took away a lot of my score. My overall ending was still a 'good' one, but I wanted to try again without so much easy mode sapping my score.

I just think the game would be less fun for me if I had to take away the "player takes 1/4 damage" thing. Sure it'd be realistic, but i'm here for fun not some masochistic challenges. So I upped the difficulty a little since a bit of increased challenge can really put you more into the game, but I doubt i'll ever go for much more of a higher difficulty rating.

 

[Donkerman]

When do you retire? If you've conquered the map, or when you feel like it?

 

[someboddy]

You can play on easy. Sure, it makes you less of a man, but there is nothing wrong with that!

 

[Urlik]

I always start playing games on the easiest setting
then when I complete them I start again but raise the difficulty level a bit and keep going until I have managed on the hardest setting.

this way I have more incentive to replay a game after I have finished it and therefore I get more value for money.

 

[Anthropoid]

You can play on easy. Sure, it makes you less of a man, but there is nothing wrong with that!

But that would be a _good_ thing if you were a girl, right?

 

[Knight of the Rose]

I can personally handle harder difficulties with no problem but I prefer the easier so my character is like achilles or some other super hero in battle.

 

[Lord Xanatos]

I play on the easiest settings. Not because it's easy but to make the game more of survival challenge in 1 VS ?. Also it turns it into a way for me to blow time.

 

[truth is life]

I increased the amount of damage my character took when I got my good armor set, since it actually kept the difficulty roughly constant (most of the time I take about the same amount of damage or less than I would have naked on the 1/4 damage setting). Actually, that's how I like to play the game. I keep the difficulty low at the beginning when my character sucks and I don't have an army, then up it to make it a bit more of a challenge when I do get somewhere I'm halfway powerful.

 

[Boduar]

I personally did my first play through on easy settings since I did not know about changing them until I was a few hundred days into the game.  After I conquered the map then I figured it was a good time to commit myself to hardest settings possible.

 

[CryoNomad]

I've read some threads about difficulty boasting. Now obviously I am not one of the 110% candidates...

That's about where I stopped reading.

Might as well be some ugly chick that tells me looks ain't everything. 

 

[Rilder]

I don't play on easiest, but I play at a difficulty that doesn't cause me to get pissed off at the game and start screaming "**** YOU" at my laptop.

 

[Dashi342]

I don't play on easiest, but I play at a difficulty that doesn't cause me to get pissed off at the game and start screaming "**** YOU" at my laptop.

Hahahaha agreed. I'm getting to the point where I'm about to ramp up my difficulty. Battles just aren't difficult anymore.

 

[GaZ.v2]

I play on the easiest setting with no armor, no horse and a quarter staff

 

[vonskyme]

The only time I ever get annoyed by people who use lower difficulties is when they come on the forums and go 'The game is too easy!' or 'This tactic is the best - just run naked up the ladder before your troops get there and you can slaughter all three hundred defenders by yourself!'.

Use whatever difficulty you enjoy the most, but when you're on easy, don't come bragging about your exploits (funny scenarios are welcome, however, regardless the difficulty ).

 

[SPD_Phoenix]

Some are just better at something playing game than others. It may also depend on type of game.

I'm not all about difficulty. I'm playing at 54% for now. Since beta M&B, I rarely played at above 80%.

In the Native state, the game isn't close to "difficult" at 100% difficulty. Here are a few reasons that make the game less difficult as it can be:
- Native troops are nowhere near their "supposed to be" in term of attributes, combat skills and weapon proficiency level. In WB, Swadian Knight only has about 130 melee proficiency at level 28. Nord Huscarl only get about 15 more at the same level (well, they do much better because of their higher power strike). What the weapon proficiency should they have? About level x 10 for the primary weapon. That makes a big difference between 1/2 damage and full damage. The randomization of attributes and skills sometimes makes troop too weak (like a knight with 15 strength, 3-4 power strike/iron fresh). Attributes skills need to be set at a certain level. For attributes, Native WB use level + 20 = number of attribute points, but why spend 9 - 12 in CHA and another 9 - 12 in INT. I much prefer a level 28 knight to have 18 str, 18 agi, 6 int, 6 cha. Focus on neccessary combat skills only. They are combat troops.
- AI don't upgrade their party fast enough. I rarely see an AI party with 50% top tier troops or more (well, may be I kill them too fast). Player usually has a full party of top tiers even from more than 1 faction. Usually, the best combination for player own tactics/play style. Something that AI can't do much.
- AI run way too fast. Higher level troops' morale isn't much better than lower level. Player party doesn't suffer as much if player (and higher level combat oriented companions) can manage to kill fast enough in a large enemy group and make morale of near by enemy drop fast. AI morale need a fixed boost based on level.
- AI vs companions in combat. There is nothing to counter high level companions specialized and equipped for combat.

There are some other things about the difficulty setting:
- Lance control: what if I don't use lance and up it anyway? One that don't apply to me because I don't use lance/polearm.
- Campaign AI and Combat AI: are they really better?
- Combat speed: I barely notice the different. I'm not even sure what it does.
- Battle size: I max out at Native 150 and it seems to be fair as based on tactics skill and the fact that I don't often get the best of my party all at once. Moreover, people with better PC can play at higher difficulty.

Things that make the game harder or somewhat harder but don't apply to all:
- Personal rules. It's all about having fun. If it isn't fun, don't play.
- First person view. Depending on pratice and getting used to.
- Show targeting reticle. Depending on pratice and getting used to.
- Show banner on friendly troops. Horse archer and mixed party owner should play with this off. It's fun.
- Save method. I had too much fun and I forgot to save before I quit. Well, start a new game then.

 

[Diavolo]

I agree that M&B is all about fun and if youre having most fun at 13% difficulty there is no reason to change that. However, I think that the game is more fun at higher difficulties. It makes winning a tournament something you have to try hard to win (atleast if youre low lvl), it makes winning sieges and making yourself a kingdom not super duper easy. There is challenge in the game. I use full damage to all and best AI, but automatic block and ability to quit without saving. Thats how I think the game is most fun. However before warband, I played with easiest damage to all and loved it! however, that gets boring after a while (I think) and by setting on harder settings the game stays fun and challenging (hopefully indefinetly).

 

[Donkerman]

The only time I ever get annoyed by people who use lower difficulties is when they come on the forums and go 'The game is too easy!' or 'This tactic is the best - just run naked up the ladder before your troops get there and you can slaughter all three hundred defenders by yourself!'.

Use whatever difficulty you enjoy the most, but when you're on easy, don't come bragging about your exploits (funny scenarios are welcome, however, regardless the difficulty ).

Agree.

 

[inox_ionizer]

Not to mention you can give yourself challenges without increasing the difficulty, like selling your starter horse or not use heavy cavalry. Likewise, you can exploit the poor AI and flawed game mechanics, like kickslashing bots or talk to enemy lords running away just to make your allies catch up with them. I would say it comes more down to how you play the game than what difficulty setting you play at (if you are talking about challenges, that is, main goal is of course to have fun).