Split up difficulty options into individual elements

karnor00

Currently the difficulty option changes a number of different features, which I think are as follows :

- amount of damage enemies do (from 50% to 200%)
- whether permanent death is enabled
- maximum hitpoints on level up
- Whether chance to learn spell failure is enabled or not

However you can't get, for example, 100% enemy damage (a core setting) along with max hp on level up (a normal setting).

I think it would be better if the difficulty option was split into the different elements so that players can pick and choose exactly which options they want enabled (perhaps as part of an advanced options checkbox to avoid confusing newer players).

Corvino

This sounds like a good idea, but might already have a request out there.

You can sort of do this by sliding down to normal on scribe/level up then back up, but it's a pain. Having a damage % slider and then on/off checkboxes for the rest sounds like a very sensible plan.

Xavioria

More personalization for rules is definitely a welcome commodity, I hope something like this is implimented some time in the near future.

Personally I would prefer the 100 percent scribe scrolls with a higher difficulty... for now I just rely on potions

Dee

My preferred implementation would be a series of sliders, each with a "Easy/Normal/Core/Hard/Insane" level with appropriate settings for that difficulty. Then when you look at your difficulty settings, you can see that "Monster HP" is set to "INSANE!", while "Scribe Scrolls" is set to "EASY!", which gives you a good snapshot of how your game is customized.

LMTR14

sure, why not. good idea. though there also must be a (checkable) "locking" option preventing the player from changing the difficulty in the middle of the game (I'm seeing this from the ironman/hardcore player perspective.)

Selaboc

Aosaw said:

My preferred implementation would be a series of sliders, each with a "Easy/Normal/Core/Hard/Insane" level with appropriate settings for that difficulty. Then when you look at your difficulty settings, you can see that "Monster HP" is set to "INSANE!", while "Scribe Scrolls" is set to "EASY!", which gives you a good snapshot of how your game is customized.

+1
I really like this idea.

ankheg

I think some of these ideas a bit too "wild", sounds like selecting mods... Anyway I can live without them, especially with the ultrafast quickload. Max HP/level would be acceptable though, we had this in Icewind Dale.

bloodcarver

There are much more monsters per day in BG than in usual pen&paper, so lowered damage makes perfect sence. On the other hand I'd like to see randomness in hitpoints and stuff. On the third hand permanent death is never truly permanent with human dungeon master... So I agree - if it's possible and not too difficult, please allow ppl to play the way they want it.

DJKajuru

I have never played on hardcore mode because the idea of everybody causing great amounts of damage sounds too unrealistic - I wish the extra damage were optional.

Loremaster

*Squeak*

Excerpts from Boo’s Think Tank

Boo says there are many parameters that affect difficulty and one cannot just think of damage and HP. He believes the most important to be enemy AI and damage output, but the situation and other factors are also of importance. Perhaps the most important of all is the amount of metagaming the player allows him/herself. The standard difficulty options for the game aren’t the best and therefore Boo would like to adjust the difficulty in many ways. These following suggestions have all been said before, Boo just want to make them visible again and give his comments.


• Boo would like several sliders for how tough he wants the enemies to be.
- Enemy damage output (similar to the present)
- Enemy AI (similar to SCS various AI improvements)
- Enemy pre-buffs (similar to SCS mages/priests options but also including potion drinking)

The reason is that Boo wants tough fights, but not so tough that he loses and all playthroughs are not the same. One playthrough Boo does with a full six person party having many mods installed that increases the difficulty; another playthrough he goes on soloadventuring with Minsc. (Yes, Boo goes on soloadventuring with Minsc; Boo and Minsc is one and Minsc and Boo goes on soloadventuring when CHARNAME isn’t looking). Thing is, in the solorun Boo gets chewed up by Firkraag every time as all mods sets the difficulty is too high. Second thing is, Boo doesn’t like being eaten by Firkraag, neither does him like to install, uninstall and reinstall mods all time. Boo wants the right difficulty for every playthrough easily accessible.


• Boo would like checkboxes for various features.
- Higher range HP on level up. Maximum HP on level up.
- Higher range HP for monsters. Maximum HP for monsters. More HPs=more blood, Boo thinks.
- Checkbox for 100% spell learning.
- Checkbox for permanent death.

Boo would like customization as much as possible for, as said above, difficulty consists of many variables and no playthrough is the same as the other.

*Squeak*

ankheg

And I believe this should be a mod feature, not something I want in a regular pure game... and this would be like an editor rather than a game.

DinsdalePiranha

@karnor00: max hp per level and 100% spell learn chance are already implemented in the tweak pack, though max hp works somewhat differently - it also affects NPC levels before joining, so for example, a lvl 2 Edwin will start with 12 hp, the maximum possible.

YozZzZz

I miss such checkboxes ever since the original release in 1998, I think it would be a great addition for the game and would lead to much less irritation and more fun.

Kirkor

Yes, I want more options in setting difficulty!
My idea for this is simple:

- Leave slider as it is;
- Add "advanced options" button, where there will be lots of useful sliders(Enemy HP, enemy damage, enemy AI, enemy pre-buffs etc.) and tick boxes (Max HP per level, Permanent death, Always learn spell);
- If you change anything in "Advanced options" difficulty menu, your difficulty will be set as "Custom difficulty".


This way you can play "as developers intended" with already set difficulties or play "Custom difficulty". Everyone will be happy. Including Boo.

Loremaster

@Kirkor
Boo likes