How to make the game truly challenging (?)

Grum

So, I've been reading through these forums for awhile now, and I've been awestruck at how much better players many of you are when compared to me. Some of the challenges that people put themselves through seem to be truly insane.

Well, an idea hit me for all of those players craving a true challenge.

The no-pause challenge!

The pause button is a life saver. For groups, it lets you actually manage your party. Even solo, it buys you so many precious seconds as you pull out the right spell, ability or potion. It lets you take a look at the battlefield and figure out which threats there are.

Has anyone ever tried this? If so, I'd like to know if it is as difficult as I imagine it to be.

joluv

@mumumomo tried it.

http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/31884/no-pause-challenge/

Grum

joluv said:

@mumumomo tried it.

http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/31884/no-pause-challenge/

I will greatly enjoy reading your playthrough. Thank you.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Grum

Even without mods...

For a cleric, go cleric defensive. Casts heal spells during battle when 'needed', as determined by the AI

All fighters, like Minsc, get standard attack. They just go at it.

Mages are a bit more difficult, but they do have an AI choice to unload offensive spells at the nearest enemy. So stack up on direct damage spells and let them be as wasteful as your enemies.

Tresset

Give every enemy Godbow.

FinneousPJ

Or you could play without hands, controlling the game with your face.

DJKajuru

Ask a relative to build your character.

GreenWarlock

I remember when BG first came out, it was an era where the RTS was taking over from the turn based strategy gamed that I loved, and BG seemed to be doing the same for RPGs, which had traditionally used 'round' bases mechanics like strategy games used turns. Using the pause function in BG felt like cheating, a crutch put in there only to allow old folks like me who would not let go of the past to play the game - so I resisted hard, and essentially played my full party of 6 under a limited-pause set of rules. I think I may have allowed auto-pause on spotting an enemy, but certainly not at end-of-round. The game was certainly more challenging that way, and very few of my Bhaalspawn made it all the way to the final fight. It was not overly difficult at the start though, as early encounters you were simply managing fewer resources (or you were just dead, mugged by a group of 10 bandit archers...) The assassin lurking at the Friendly Arm Inn was unbelievably annoying though.

I have been playing the EEs with pause-at-end-of-round, and the game is much more forgiving

hispls

On the topic of pausing, IIRC the original BG auto unpaused when you opened your inventory. That seemed pretty fair, but with the EE playing on a phone I'd say no pause would just annoying.

Grum

I have an iphone 5. It isn't too uncommon for me to cast power direct damage spells on my own party...I definitely need to pay attention when casting. And honestly, it seems realistic enough to me.

mumumomo

I remember that run.
I never bothered finishing SOA though.

The run was on ipad. I'm playing on an S5 now. Not sure i would try it again...

@Greenwarlock, it's clear that autopause has a clear impact on the difficulty of the game.
Things like auto-pause on cast + improve alacrity are totally OP.
Pause of ennemy seen allows you to pick every mob one by one.
etc etc...

semiticgoddess

Shall we add pausing to the list of cheesy tactics?

mumumomo

pausing is not cheesy by itself but it makes a lot of cheese possible (items swapping in the middle of a fight, picking ennemies one by one, spamming 6 skull trap in 1 sec,...)

DJKajuru

mumumomo said:

pausing is not cheesy by itself but it makes a lot of cheese possible (items swapping in the middle of a fight, picking ennemies one by one, spamming 6 skull trap in 1 sec,...)

I don't think it's cheesy because it's ONE real brain controlling six different characters.