Do you need to be an expert?

[WhyNotZoidberg | 585]

Voted no. There should be a reward of sorts, but not the « true ending ».

[TDIRunner | 2,740]

When I read the OP, I immediately thought of games that would stop around the halfway mark if you were playing on easy, and force you to start over on medium or higher if you wanted to play further.  I completely disagree with this method because I feel like part of the game is being kept from you even though you bought and paid for the game.  I understand the concept of getting gud, but sometimes, I play games to relax and reduce stress and the easier settings often make things more enjoyable.  If I really enjoy a game and want to continue playing it, there is a good chance that I might work my way up higher difficulty settings, but no one should have to do that to get full enjoyment out of a game.  

[phart010 | 1,707]

1 hour ago, TDIRunner said:

When I read the OP, I immediately thought of games that would stop around the halfway mark if you were playing on easy, and force you to start over on medium or higher if you wanted to play further.  I completely disagree with this method because I feel like part of the game is being kept from you even though you bought and paid for the game.  I understand the concept of getting gud, but sometimes, I play games to relax and reduce stress and the easier settings often make things more enjoyable.  If I really enjoy a game and want to continue playing it, there is a good chance that I might work my way up higher difficulty settings, but no one should have to do that to get full enjoyment out of a game.  

Mischief Makers uses the gold gems you collected throughout the game as a countdown timer during the ending sequence. When the gems run out, the ending sequence ends

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

23 hours ago, TDIRunner said:

When I read the OP, I immediately thought of games that would stop around the halfway mark if you were playing on easy, and force you to start over on medium or higher if you wanted to play further.  I completely disagree with this method because I feel like part of the game is being kept from you even though you bought and paid for the game.  I understand the concept of getting gud, but sometimes, I play games to relax and reduce stress and the easier settings often make things more enjoyable.  If I really enjoy a game and want to continue playing it, there is a good chance that I might work my way up higher difficulty settings, but no one should have to do that to get full enjoyment out of a game.  

This is a good point. I was basically referring to games that make you play on the hardest difficulty to get the full ending, but the ones that don't even give you the full game are even worse. I like a tough challenge when I'm in the mood for it, but most of the time I'm just playing for fun.

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

I don't think the "true ending" should be gated behind difficulty level or repeat playthroughs, but I do think it's a great place to include an Easter Egg or sequel teaser for more hardcore players. Halo CE is a great example of doing this right with the silly SGT Johnson content in the Legendary difficulty endings. Eternal Darkness does it completely wrong by requiring three extraordinarily repetitive playthroughs to see the big reveal which lasts about 10 seconds.

Also, it's now a moot point because of YouTube. But still, a good topic to discuss.

[G-type | 2,482]

selecting easymode should be accompanied by a crying baby sound effect.

[TDIRunner | 2,740]

9 hours ago, G-type said:

selecting easymode should be accompanied by a crying baby sound effect.

 

Have you played any of the Wolfenstein games from the current reboot?  Somebody out there agrees with you.

[G-type | 2,482]

12 hours ago, TDIRunner said:

 

Have you played any of the Wolfenstein games from the current reboot?  Somebody out there agrees with you.

It was in the original too:

[Estil | 1,265]

On 10/15/2022 at 1:45 PM, Bearcat-Doug said:

Should you have to beat a game on hard/expert to get the full ending? I honestly think it defeats the purpose of having an adjustable difficulty setting. I like to push myself and try to complete games on the toughest difficulty, but should you be forced to? Edit: I'm mainly referring to games from the 8 and 16 bit eras where you couldn't just look the ending up online and beating the game was the only option at the time.

I honestly think just the opposite.  What's the point of having a difficulty setting if there isn't a special ending/bonus/trophies or whatnot for doing Hard/Expert Mode?  And if it's your first time playing a game you most definitely should start with Normal mode.  Because if you try to jump into a game "cold" on Hard Mode right away it will probably eat you alive and spit you out.

[T-Pac | 7,548]

As a casual player, I always appreciate games that will roll credits for every difficulty.

What bothers me, though, is when content is removed on 'easy' mode. I'm still bitter that I could only make it through Little Samson on easy, because the true 'final boss' only appears on 'normal' mode, and he was too hard for me to beat. It feels like I never truly cleared the game, and that's frustrating...

But at the same time, I like the idea of rewarding skilled players somehow. Maybe with a special cutscene at the end of 'hard' mode or something. There's merit to playing on the hardest difficulty, and the game shouldn't ignore that by offering the exact same ending for every setting.

-CasualCart

[T-Pac | 7,548]

Just following up on my thoughts here...

I played through GleyLancer [Mega Drive] today, and I think it handled the ending for an "easy-mode" playthrough perfectly.

All of the in-game content was there, the credits rolled, the standard ending cutscene played, and I got a satisfying "Congratulations" screen that noted the skill-level I played at (and encouraged another playthrough on normal mode).

-CasualCart

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

Yes. I like when a game rewards you being good at the game. I think you should only get the BEST ending when playing on the hardest difficulty.

I also liked the cheat system in Goldeneye, where you must beat the target times to unlock the cheats. It was like a badge of honor back in the day to have all the cheats on your copy of the game.

I am not a fan of time wasting endeavors through that are required for 100%. A lot of achievements are that style these days and it's just an unskilled time sink.

[peg | 371]

On 10/23/2022 at 5:33 AM, Andy_Bogomil said:

Yes. I like when a game rewards you being good at the game. I think you should only get the BEST ending when playing on the hardest difficulty.

I also liked the cheat system in Goldeneye, where you must beat the target times to unlock the cheats. It was like a badge of honor back in the day to have all the cheats on your copy of the game.

I am not a fan of time wasting endeavors through that are required for 100%. A lot of achievements are that style these days and it's just an unskilled time sink.

Agreed.  Even if the best ending is simply a screen that says "the end" like in the second loop of Psikyo games lol.

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

On 10/22/2022 at 7:52 PM, CasualCart said:

Just following up on my thoughts here...

I played through GleyLancer [Mega Drive] today, and I think it handled the ending for an "easy-mode" playthrough perfectly.

All of the in-game content was there, the credits rolled, the standard ending cutscene played, and I got a satisfying "Congratulations" screen that noted the skill-level I played at (and encouraged another playthrough on normal mode).

-CasualCart

You have your own personalized arcade cabinet? Sweet!

[Estil | 1,265]

9 hours ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

You have your own personalized arcade cabinet? Sweet!

Remember though, arcade cabinets are like people...it's what's inside that counts!

[Tanooki | 4,934]

1 hour ago, Estil said:

Remember though, arcade cabinets are like people...it's what's inside that counts!

Dust, cobwebs, maybe a few dead bugs or unfortunately sometimes something worse.  Yup, seems right.

[T-Pac | 7,548]

21 hours ago, Bearcat-Doug said:

You have your own personalized arcade cabinet? Sweet!

Yup! I've always wanted a custom multi-cade, and I finally got one with a nice bonus I earned at work a few months ago.

Three-quarter scale, sleek and minimal white-on-white-on-white, with the yellow plaid marquee and microswitch arcade controls. Behold the CasualCade!!!

-CasualCart

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

2 hours ago, CasualCart said:

Yup! I've always wanted a custom multi-cade, and I finally got one with a nice bonus I earned at work a few months ago.

Three-quarter scale, sleek and minimal white-on-white-on-white, with the yellow plaid marquee and microswitch arcade controls. Behold the CasualCade!!!

-CasualCart

That's really cool!