Difficulty-related opinion of starting out in the latest update

I enjoy permadeath option. Makes me seriously consider options that are less rewarding but safer.

I hope things like "tailored" starter worlds are considered. I'd hate to see difficulty on this game reduced to what it was in MC..... or Terraria.

 

I think I've figured out a way to implement this, at least in part.

What if, when a character is created, you have the option to pick a difficulty of your starter planet? (Easy/Medium/Hard/Whatever)
The difficulty of a world could be determined by scanning an X-block radius from the beam point for resources-- more resources (especially fuels) would make a world easier.

Obviously not perfect, since it doesn't account for the areas outside that spawn radius, but I think it's a start. A system like this would also allow scanning for wood-- a necessary resource early in the game, and one that many players struggle to survive without.

Once some actual differences in monsters are implemented, difficulty could factor that in, too.

 

Well shucks, I did hardmore on accident
Single moon, orbiting a gas giant, in a single star system, with no trees except for on the opposite side of the moon
Passive creatures spit fire all day long and birds always went in for the kill. The aggressive guys were fast moving jumpers

 

I don't claim to know how the RNG in this game works (haven't peeked at the code yet), but if each world had a rated "rarity of <insert feature here>" that could definitely assist with the game choosing your starting planet based on your chosen difficulty. There's a universe out there and worlds of all walks of life. I'm sure there's worlds that suit Hard and worlds that suit Easy. I just hope these chosen paths players make extend beyond just the starting planet. I know this would incorporate more changes than suggested thus far, maybe even including different universes for different difficulties...

 

Rarity of a given ore is theoretically constant across planets, though it may be sorted by biome and/or terrain. (Because other than those factors, all planets use the same generation algorithm.) I was thinking of just checking the area around spawn, or maybe up to a given depth-- that way it isn't about the actual rarity of ores, just the difficulty of finding them.

 

I see... well scans like that are more intensive than I'd want to see the game perform... especially a scan that was broad enough to get an accurate reading. Because then it would have to not only generate the terrain before scanning but then dump it (hopefully) if the terrain wasn't desireable.

 

i agree completely with OP's post, difficult modes are the best they can work on right now before the forums explode in flame wars.

also about ores, it seems to be very random right now, i have made more platinum bars than i have mined coal ore.

and birds, goddamn these birds are intense.

 

I agree that it's a bit inefficient, but I can't think of a better way to do it. Maybe when planets are generated to start a new character on, use a different, more resource-heavy generation algorithm for lower difficulty?

 

I dunno... I kinda like the idea of different universe for different difficulties. It bypasses so many problems. You'd be guaranteed that the generation is tailored to your difficulty no matter what and they can stick with their current "pick a starting world" setup. That generation would include not only scarcity of ores, but also what kind of mobs to expect and what kind of loot is found in chests. If generation is all that needs tweeking for difficulty, wouldn't that keep things more simplified?
This idea totally blows up the shared coordinates (outside of shared difficulties), though I don't know how everyone feels about that to begin with. I agree it's nice to have shared coords for testing, but IMO each universe should be unique to the player come final release.

 

I really think Ply has a point here, difficulty ranges really should be implemented asap, as I for one also like my games to challenge me. The saddest part being that I won't be able to play today and once I do have time, the hotfix will already have been implemented and I won't get to experience the wonder that is hardcore survival.

 

The problem with this lies in the increased amount of development time it would require-- any changes to worldgen would have to be copied across (and balanced for) every available difficulty level.

 

How does the increased dev time for it differ from the increased dev time it would take to scan a region based upon difficulty? The balance would still need to be tweeked for each difficulty, by hand. I think the benefits of difficulty universes, being consistent throughout the game instead of just the starting region, far outweigh only providing a difficulty option for the very beginning of the game.

 

If there's no difficulty levels and you want it more challenging, make it more challenging yourself. This is what I never understood. Why do you need a specific hardcore mode to make it hard? If you die, manually delete your character and start over. Whoa, you just made permadeath mode! Put self-made restrictions on yourself. Use your *gasp* imagination to make your own hardcore mode.

I agree that modes are needed, and soon, but I just really never understood why people can't make their own hardmodes and why some force difficulty on everyone else. Not saying OP is, cause he isn't.

 

The difference there is that a difficulty setting only has to be written once, while worldgen parameters have to change every time they do something like, say, introduce new ores. Sure, the difficulty scans might require some tweaking here and there, but that's still a lot less than writing three full worldgens.

 

I only have 2 tiny complaint with regards to this game.

1. Horrible terrain conditions when fighting monsters

I still need to craft the distress beacon, but that is proving near impossible when I'm dying a lot due to the fact that a lot of these monsters are located in terrain where it's convenient for me to make contact with it accidentally because of how the terrain is structured.

2. Ridiculous aerial AOE from sky critters

Imagine the difficulty in taking down a monster that body slams when there are multiple projectiles raining down on you from bird-like monsters. Oh joy! Did I mention they can bounce too apparently?

 

The thing is, I have been. I do it all the time, in many different games. But this is beta and I felt the differences between the difficulties should be more than what I can restrict myself to... such as a boss that doesn't tolerate my existence, versus a boss that plays nice with everyone that happened to summon it on top of their house.

 

What boss are you fighting, and can I fight it? Because my bosses hated my guts, the jerks. Took no time to get to know me, just instant rampage.

Like I said, I agree there need to be modes and general changes (more sophisticated AI, etc.) but a lot of the things that make hardcore modes hardcore modes can be perfectly implemented by yourself.

 

I will have to take a look at their code at some point. Being a developer myself, this does not seem like a difficult task. The generation is already implemented, and all you really need are some variable tweeks based on difficulty rating when the terrain generates. Boss behavior aside, world generation shouldn't be more than a 30 minute job tops for what I've suggested.

 

The very first boss, the UFO. I summoned him out in an arid world and he seemed incapable of breaking even the dirt around me. But, hey, maybe I just moved around too much for him to break them. Fact was, I never saw a single broken block by the time I defeated him, and he certianly had plenty of time to do so.
However, I'm not referencing how it acts currently, i'm saying the difference in game difficulty should effect his behavior, not just how much damage he does. These are the kind of things you can't just restrict yourself to. It's a game mechanic that needs to be implemented in order to be experienced. I agree that hardcore is an optional thing for a game to have because I can simulate it myself, but these sort of things you just can't.

 

He has the ability to break quite a few blocks at a time. Nothing too drastic or damning, but he can. You just got 'lucky' I suppose.

Honestly I think aggressiveness should be the same across all modes. Being in a harder mode should not make a bloodthirsty naziguin want to kill me more than in an easier mode.
I feel that monster AI isn't mode specific though, and is a moot point in a mode discussion.