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Difficulty Setting?

J

Joey

Guest
I've noticed people in many threads talking about how bosses and enemies in TP and WW are too weak, easy, w/e - anyone think zelda should implement a difficulty setting at the beginning of the game for hardcore players with maybe harder puzzles, new boss moves, better enemy AI, etc.?
 
Z

Zlaja

Guest
in zelda games u cant choose (easy,normal,hard) u know. I would play on normal first time but maybe later I would try playing on hard. TP was too weak. Bosses were too weak esspecialy Ganondorf. The hardest boss for me (in TP) was the one in the sky but it was easy to beat him. temples were so so some could be better some dont have to.
 

El Bagu

Wannabe Mr. 1-8-1
Joined
Jul 5, 2008
Location
In Woods. N of River!
Somehow this topic seems familiar but I couldn´t find a thread about it and since I find it interesting I intend to reply. I would like to be able to choose difficulty settings. They could have three modes: normal, hard and master. I actually don´t think they should make the puzzles harder on the "tougher" modes (I know some people will disagree) but rather put in some extra enemies and make them faster and in general harder to kill. They could perhaps make Link more vulnerable to all different sorts of attacks as well. I believe these are small adjustments that wouldn´t be to hard to implement and would be a good direcction to take. It would give the games a lot more replay value in my opinion :)
 

linkman8

True and Noble
Joined
Oct 17, 2007
Location
United States of America
Somehow this topic seems familiar but I couldn´t find a thread about it and since I find it interesting I intend to reply.
Actually I think there was another thread asking if you could change the difficulty and that was it.
But yeah, I would like an adjustment in difficulty in any new game that came out, because sometimes the bosses and quests are just too easy, and a bit more of a challenge would be nice.
 

basement24

There's a Bazooka in TP!
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Location
Ontario, Canada
I need more of a threat of dying in games, not just Zelda games, these days. The problem is the shift from gaming to story telling, and the producers want to make sure you make it through the game to see the whole story. Sometimes I will purposely die in a game to see what happens. You know games are too easy when this has to happen. I think this simple difficulty mode selection would be great to solve this problem.

I agree with El Bagu, the puzzles could remain the same difficulty, but the enemies should be the main increased threat. A greater loss of hearts would be appreciated as well in tougher versions. I think they should return to the whole heart / half heart way of losing life. I don't see why some enemies needed to take off a quarter heart.

Of course, if they did do this, I don't know what level I would start at. Definitely not easy, but probably not hard either. I think I would try normal mode in a first play through. It begs the question though of what level the games are currently at. If they consider recent titles "normal", then "easy" would be laughable. I think titles like TP should be considered at the "easy" level right now.

Maybe a test could be taken at the beginning of the game, and the game decides what level you should play at. There could be a trial room where they throw enemies at you, and it judges your ability to take them on. Either that, or just make adaptable difficulty. The enemeies would grow stronger as you did, and even as you just got better at handling them.
 
Joined
Apr 10, 2009
Location
Aussieland
I actually don´t think they should make the puzzles harder on the "tougher" modes but rather put in some extra enemies and make them faster and in general harder to kill. They could perhaps make Link more vulnerable to all different sorts of attacks as well. I believe these are small adjustments that wouldn´t be to hard to implement and would be a good direcction to take. It would give the games a lot more replay value in my opinion :)

I agree, I think puzzles should remain the same, escalating in difficult by themselves as the game progresses. Thus the difficult would be in terms of battle, and so the frustration. That way even if you look at a walk through it still requires effort for you to get the right timing and stuff. I also concur that it adds replay value as well.

Maybe a test could be taken at the beginning of the game, and the game decides what level you should play at. There could be a trial room where they throw enemies at you, and it judges your ability to take them on. Either that, or just make adaptable difficulty.

Or both! :D
That idea sounds neat.
 

Zemen

[Insert Funny Statement]
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Location
Illinois
A difficulty setting would be awesome! The most recent console Zelda games were too easy, IMO, and a difficulty setting would tap into the potential that those games have. Not that i dont find the games fun, they are very fun, they are just a tad too easy.
 

Mehplep

Simply awesome
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
I have to disagree with El Bagu on this one, and say that toughen up the puzzles is a relevant part in increasing the difficulty in a Zelda games. Recent games have become easier because lack of threatening AI indeed, but puzzles aren't that difficult either. Sure, you can dump a whole lotta mosters while you are trying to do the puzzles, but that just makes the monsters the tough part. You should have a harder time solving the actual puzzles when it comes to puzzle solving rather than dying because of those gosh dern octoroks all the time.

A big part the lack of difficult puzzles is at the bosses often. Yes, it would've been harder if you needed to give them 30 stabs before they are defeated and they take away three hearts in a hit, but one of the most fun parts of deafeating the bosses should be figuring out how to damage them. I mean, look at Fyrus. A glowing gem in the forehead. Should I shoot him in the foot, durr durr? It's just a bit too obvious. Zelda 1 had a lot of puzzle solving in the bosses, but I think most of them were hard because of the limitations of the system. But it was still a great concept to explore the caverns and seek the old men to hear their advice to know how to hurt them. On the contrary, Zelda 3 wasn't much about finding the weak point in bosses, it was just a matter of knowing when to dodge and when to strike. I guess both ways of defeating bosses works great, let the player trying to find out the weak point and the hit it... for MASSIVE DAMAGE... or just completely ignoring that and make them alot tougher, but in any way should they be properly made and give the player a challenge.

Now lastly do I understand too how strange it would be to add a difficulty setting system for the puzzles in the games, becuase it would make the game very different depening on which setting you're on, almost too different. I am against adding it to a system like that, but pointing out that the system would then be kinda strange, since it only increases one factor of difficulty. So I guess my point is that I wouldn't mind a difficulty setting, I would enjoy playing the game with tougher enemies, but I don't want to see it as the sollution for the difficulty problem. It's not what I want to see in the next game so Nintendo can say "there, are you happy now?"

Because I wouldn't be.
 

basement24

There's a Bazooka in TP!
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Location
Ontario, Canada
You should have a harder time solving the actual puzzles when it comes to puzzle solving rather than dying because of those gosh dern octoroks all the time.

See, I never considered trying to figure out how to beat a boss a puzzle. I always just considered that figuring out how to beat a oss. If you categorize that as a puzzle though, then yes, I agree that this should be increased as well. I really don't like tag-along characters like Navi or Midna yelling at me what to do and where to do it, or cutscenes that (as you say) focus on the weak point.

The problem is, in terms of programming a video game, I don't see how you could have an adaptable system to make block-pushing puzzles more difficult. Maybe they could arrage the blocks differently or something, but the choosing of a difficulty setting usually involves some simple programming. Say, enemy damage +0 on easy, +2 on normal, +4 on hard. It's something programmers can do quite easily. Making a block pushing puzzle more difficult on different settings would require them to reevaluate the puzzle, and I don't see many game programmers making 3 different puzzles just to please us. I'm not saying it shouldn't be done, I'm just saying it probably wouldn't or couldn't be done.

I actually find as I'm playing through PH right now for the first time that it's more difficult when it comes to boss battles and general puzzles. There's some real "how do I do this?" moments I find, which I haven't had with Zelda for a long time. Despite what people say about it being for kids, I find some things are not as cut and dry.
 

UsayEldaZay

Designed with you in mind
Joined
Dec 29, 2008
Location
Kazakhstan
Yes! I think there should be an easy,medium, hard, extremly hard, and then a master quest setting. I think in doing this, there would be less complaints of, ''This game was too eeeeaaasssyyy!!''
 

Zemen

[Insert Funny Statement]
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Location
Illinois
Yes! I think there should be an easy,medium, hard, extremly hard, and then a master quest setting. I think in doing this, there would be less complaints of, ''This game was too eeeeaaasssyyy!!''

How about difficulty settings based on a monster, such as:

Chu Chu (easy)
Dodongo (medium)
Aganhim (hard)
Ganon (very hard)
 

Shnappy

derp
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Location
Colorado
I think it should be like how some Metroid games are. At the beginning you have a choice - easy or medium. Once you beat the game on medium, you unlock hard. I would pick easy mode, once I had beaten it, go to medium, once I beat that, unlock hard and beat it. I like that because it gives games more replay value, making it more worth your money.
 
Joined
Apr 10, 2009
Location
Aussieland
I like the un-lockable feature, but for me, I'd like that the un-lockable one did a Master-Quest of the game and the enemies harder, that would be sweet. :)
 

Zemen

[Insert Funny Statement]
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Location
Illinois
Well i don't know about you guys but once i beat a Zelda game i usually don't play it for a while which means the unlockable difficulties would be moot. Maybe they should have easy, medium and hard from the beginning and then you can unlock like super hard or whatever.
 

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