Default difficulty should be the core rules.
I don't get why Beamdog changed default difficulty to normal from core. It was core on both vanilla BG1/BG2.
Yes, I know one can change difficulty. However, people tend to play on 'default' difficulty when they are new to the game. Frankly while I think core is difficult, I would recommend core to newbies even if they later change it to normal or easy.
When I first played BGEE I didn't realize this upto the point I've already beaten 90% of the game. I was like, "Oh shit so I've been cheating all the way? I don't feel legit" then deleted my character to start over.
I know not everyone's like me, but setting normal as default just doesn't seem justified when vanilla BG1/BG2 had it on core. Most new players play on default in any games because many feel default is what gives player/ai neither penalty nor bonus, which makes them feel that their experience is more legit. What rationalization is there to change the default difficulty?
If newbies find the game hard, they will simply tone down difficulty instead of quitting the game; but most likely even if they find it easy they won't move away from default 'normal' difficulty which I personally think diminishes game's fun because it makes int less effective, plays unfair for AI, and each battle has reduced tension due to no perma death. So having it on core provides newbies broader range of experience and ways to play the game.
I've written this suggestion 2 years ago when EE was released but apparently devs decided to stick to the choice. Why, I wonder? It is trivial, yet default difficulty plays quite a role on determining what majority of new players will experience.
Post edited by IntoTheDarkness on
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The same with BG2 too.
Later releases, such as multipacks and the game of the year editions reduced it to normal, however.
So, Beamdog just used the latest versions in this context.
That was back then, where if you had a hard game, you didn't have much else to turn to, so you persevered through, trying to complete the game to its fullest. Nowadays, if a game is too hard, a lot of people will just turn it off and move to something else, instead of taking the time to learn.
It feels as though the enhanced edition is lowering the difficulty right off the bat for new players, so it's less intimidating. With so many sales and cheap games, people are looking for something they can dive into and feel comfortable with right away.
Or at least, that's my theory.
Having it start on normal difficulty results in the average player not having to reload the game for mundane things like:
Rolling HP
Scribing scrolls
Perma Deaths
All of these can detract from the enjoyment of the game for a casual newer player that is use to auto healing after battles, set HP per level and automatic skills in leveling up (think Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Pillars of Eternity etc).
Majority of players would be hitting the quick load if they fail to write a spell they wanted, had a NPC they wanted to play get chunked, or rolled a 3 with their 16 con Fighter after rolling a 4 for their 9 con mage. This can break immersion from the game as the player is worrying about numbers instead of the story.
If these were toggable, then I would agree the game should start on Core Rules.