The difficulty curve is actually insane in this game.

[Napoleon Bonaparte]

The first two missions are a total breeze. You don't even need to be thinking to complete them.

The third and fourth? Absolutely insane. It's like I set the difficulty to the max and didn't realise.

At the LOWEST difficulty, you should not need to be reading guides, trying to get a "build order" right, reading comments from the devs saying "I did it what's your problem".

There is CLEARLY an issues with those missions being a huge jump in difficulty.

Where are the tutorials for the market? For the university? It's just a mess.

I was having a ♥♥♥♥ ton of fun until mission 3, and now I hate this game.

[✚ Mariel ✚]

Try spamming out crossbows and catapults and put them in massive towers with multiple wall layers. Spearmen work well for map clearing, as do heavy cav. Don't really need a build order, just make houses and farms for people then spend those people on whatever resource you are not getting enough of, and if you are fine for resources but need more land for expansion/farming then make more soldiers. Final raids can be beaten no problem with catapult and crossbow towers. Space laser help also, especially for killing their siege weapons

[Morphic]

I kind of fail to see the problem? Even on Challenge Accepted Difficulty, the attacking waves are rather tame? At least if you are able to mount a decent defense.(Putting starting catapult in a tower, having ~20+ archers on the gates/tower)

What is there to know about the market and university? Market you pick what resource you want to trade for another resource(you almost always want gold) and then send it off. It takes X minutes for you to gain that resource you traded for. The UI seems fairly straight forward unless you've never played a strategy game before? As for University... you just build it somewhere and then gain access to the research options in its little section.(namely the soul tower and infinite stone/iron mine)

From what I've read of people complaining about this "huge massive unfun impossible difficulty spike!" it seems like they've either never played a strategy or Tower Defense game... or they really don't understand that you need to boom your economy early while trying to explore.

You desperately need to have 3-6 woodcutters within the first couple of days for wood. Then you need to spam some houses for worker growth. You'll also need ~3 Berry Pickers and some Fisheries to keep from starving. Then go from there, like Barracks to get Archers, etc. (If you sided with Rebels, the game warns you it is going to be significantly more difficult to play, which, IMO, it is since enemies are so strong then)

Maybe describe more what you do or how you play and have difficulty? Most people that are complaining don't really show or tell what they are doing or what their setup looks like in the first ~4 days. So it's hard to tell if they are making fundamental errors or if it really is a matter of the game being too difficult for them.

[psbaker0407]

Originally posted by Morphic:

I kind of fail to see the problem?

Of course you don't see the problem. This is the problem... A Walk in the Park should not include stressing yourself out to the point that it makes you hate the game. There are multiple difficulty settings, it's not like changing the easiest one will ruin your game or anyone elses. The problem is that you need to control many things at once and some people cannot, no matter what they do.

[Morphic]

Originally posted by psbaker0407:

Originally posted by Morphic:

I kind of fail to see the problem?

Of course you don't see the problem. This is the problem... A Walk in the Park should not include stressing yourself out to the point that it makes you hate the game. There are multiple difficulty settings, it's not like changing the easiest one will ruin your game or anyone elses. The problem is that you need to control many things at once and some people cannot, no matter what they do.

Then should the easiest setting be a free win? Should there be a maximum unit limit on the waves, like only sending ~10 units to attack you? Should you have infinite resources or have all researches unlocked? Maybe there should be a sandbox game mode where you can just build without enemies?

People complaining about the difficulty being "Too hard!" do not actually add any details except for "it's impossible! No tutorials! Big spike!". How is anyone, especially the developer, supposed to know what needs to be altered or toned down and improved on?

You mention needing to "control many things at once"... how so when there is an Active Pause function? You can pause the game at any time, place buildings, give unit orders, research, etc. then unpause and have all your orders play out. You quite literally have all the time in the world to think, plan, or check over your stuff.

Maybe you are unaccustomed to strategy and tower defense games?

[Darius]

I fully agree with OP. Played level 1-2 on second difficulty and getting crushed in 3rd mission on easy.

Don't gatekeep difficulty, man! It's day 10, the hordes are 100s with catapults and the strong dudes. I don't have enough resources and can't acquire them. The sorroundings are scorched of fish, stone and wood.
If Level 3 had less steep increase of enemies with each wave it would be more fun.

Cool that you got the game figured out, you should be the reference target for higher difficulties. Leave the wining about easier difficulties to us please :)

I play this to feel empowered and relax, not to have a challenge in build order optimisation and trial and error. And I'm allowed to, thank you.

[ohener]

With a game like this it's really hard to get the balance just right due to the snowballing nature of the mechanics. If you fall too far behind economically or you take some bad engagements then you're less prepared for when the wave comes which means you take more damage and need to spend more resources recovering which means you're less prepared for the next wave until it can become basically impossible. On the other hand if you do manage to stay on top of things and build up so many resources and defenses that you basically survive each wave without a scratch then it does start to feel laughably easy.

There's like this very narrow tipping point each game where once you're past it the game is either going to get extremely hard or extremely easy.

[Voodoo]

how do you place units in the towers? nothing is working for me

[Coolingmoon]

Yes Yes I agree the easiest difficulty should give players 10x more resource and unit are 10x stronger so we can enjoy the story in a RTS game

[TenTonTuna]

I don't think you need to find an optimal build order to beat this map. Just expand storage, food and houses for troops and have a small group gather the crystals to power the ion canon. Build a few walled defences with a layer of towers behind for catapults. The spikes are also really good. Didn't use them on map 3 myself but have on later maps and they're really good.

Originally posted by Voodoo:

how do you place units in the towers? nothing is working for me

Either a bug, not selecting ranged units or you have placed the towers in a way that is inaccessible for the units to walk to and enter. Should be a simple select units and click tower.

[psbaker0407]

Originally posted by Morphic:

Originally posted by psbaker0407:

Of course you don't see the problem. This is the problem... A Walk in the Park should not include stressing yourself out to the point that it makes you hate the game. There are multiple difficulty settings, it's not like changing the easiest one will ruin your game or anyone elses. The problem is that you need to control many things at once and some people cannot, no matter what they do.

Then should the easiest setting be a free win? Should there be a maximum unit limit on the waves, like only sending ~10 units to attack you? Should you have infinite resources or have all researches unlocked? Maybe there should be a sandbox game mode where you can just build without enemies?

People complaining about the difficulty being "Too hard!" do not actually add any details except for "it's impossible! No tutorials! Big spike!". How is anyone, especially the developer, supposed to know what needs to be altered or toned down and improved on?

You mention needing to "control many things at once"... how so when there is an Active Pause function? You can pause the game at any time, place buildings, give unit orders, research, etc. then unpause and have all your orders play out. You quite literally have all the time in the world to think, plan, or check over your stuff.

Maybe you are unaccustomed to strategy and tower defense games?

I never implied that I had a problem. I haven't even played 30 minutes since 1.0 was released. Anyhow, we get it, you're a pro and want to help everyone that's too stupid to figure it out on their own. Lower difficulty levels help people learn the game without having to jump through hoops while pulling their hair out. I'm sorry that everyone can't get gud like you. lol

[AMekhov]

Originally posted by Coolingmoon:

so we can enjoy the story in a RTS game

Why do you need to enjoy story instead of gameplay?

[Shadoof77]

I couldnt agree more with you OP... I made it on the campaign map and across the water... after that the game went to the extreme in difficulty... I've retried to play that mission now like 10 times on the lowest difficulty and there's no chance... Walk in the park should be exactly as you described it, no stress, really not much effort in planning or strategy. Kind of annoyed that i've waited forever to play the new campaign and they made this game impossible to play...

[Coolingmoon]

Originally posted by AMekhov:

Originally posted by Coolingmoon:

so we can enjoy the story in a RTS game

Why do you need to enjoy story instead of gameplay?

I don't know. Many players request devs to make easiest difficulty easier. They want zero difficulty gameplay, What left from the game?

[Velmidos]

Originally posted by Coolingmoon:

Originally posted by AMekhov:

Why do you need to enjoy story instead of gameplay?

I don't know. Many players request devs to make easiest difficulty easier. They want zero difficulty gameplay, What left from the game?

You're being dramatic

[ByBy]

Lot of players, just want to play chill, follow the story, and enjoy, and i agreed the difficulty is too high even in easy, sorry not sorry HaRdCoRe gAmErs, just by reducing the number of troops in each waves will be enough