Difficulty settings: worth straying from Normal?

[Aleksei.Volchok]

As I understand Geneforge 5 is supposed to be played on Normal and wasn't really tested on higher difficulty settings. Have any of you trying to have full game completed on higher difficulties?

It seems higher difficulty means just more HP for enemies which is lazy and unbalanced difficulty change (e.g. tanks just take more time to die but quick damage dealers you're supposed to one-shot become infinitely more dangerous). Is it enjoyable experience? Did you have to look for exploits and specific difficulty-depending tactics, or was it how it's supposed to be: just less forgiving experience requiring usage of all tools and optimizing inventory?

[JackEKnoff]

You will need to use everything you see. Any small improvements are required, and your build must be well thought out. One miss-step and your time in Terrestia will be cut short. Go to the Spiderweb Software forums. That's where most of the elitists hang out. They're not very active, but they have published a few guides for torment runs of every game on every class.

[Aleksei.Volchok]

Thanks, JackEKnoff.

I'm playing on Normal right now as Shaper/Mage, got to Chapter 2 and see I almost never have to use items like wands, potions and spores. There's also this blessed forge and I find recepies for it and it gives marginally better equipment. It's good to have and I understand later I'll be able to create artifacts (or so foundry guy says) but it's tedious to use, I think I'm missing something as there are some weak items I've got with the forge (gold ring + fyora scale) no one told me about. If it's necessary to use on higher difficulty levels I'll be slightly sad. Besides, all those components take space and I'm afraid to drop them near the forge itself.

The game gets more difficult though and I'm already forced to use wider variety of spells and sometimes items. Perhaps Normal is indeed Normal. Especially with Unbound I met and probably would have to kill eventually.

[FFF]

The torment description is very accurate. The game will be against you, that means you will have to find ways to "abuse" each situation in your favor.
For example, when you are sneaking in combat mode, you can cross right in front of foes and they won't see you if you manage to go out of combat mode unseen. It allows you to grab some epic loots right at the start of the game ! I managed to loot the frozen cursed sword from Rawal Repository like that lol

[Aleksei.Volchok]

Well, as it's up there anyway.

On Normal I've went with a rather obvious way. It made me use items and experiment with creations. In later game I felt powerful. Final battle was appropriately hard, but didn't require more than couple attempts.

If you want to try this game and you are experienced RPG player Hard may be the place to start. Normal may feel to easy if you explore everything.

Also crafting is the worst part of the game as it requires some trial and error and lots of walking back to the forge. I didn't get much of it past the early game. Perhaps you have to use it on Torment.

[Virgin Wizard]

*wild Necrovirgin appears*
There is something very wrong with difficulty in Geneforge 5. I think it is the new engine or something. Hard feels more like Torment on steroids and Casual actually feels like Normal/Hard. Not really enjoying myself. I played all previous Geneforge titles on Hard (Tricky) difficulty, but Geneforge 5 is just unbearable. Dev messed that one up.

[RoyalGuardian7]

Im halfway through in torment. Usually you start hard and it gets easier when yiu reach endgame if you your stat right. Then again its impossible or very very hard i think to finish torment without using canister.

[Virgin Wizard]

The whole damage mechanics are way off from the Geneforge prequels. Takes ages for higher level/tier unit to kill lower tier unit. In previous Geneforge, higher tier units would obliterate anything lower. It was fun, but in Geneforge 5 is just tedious how generic the unit tiers feel now.

[Virgin Wizard]

I might do more testing. I might be wrong. After all, it is all subjective observations. I went with a different build this time, too. Pumping up INT instead of Shaping skills as a Shaper to have more high tier creations than just a few slightly stronger ones. But I believe Shaping skills make hardly any significant difference. The game just feels different when compared to predecessors.

[RoyalGuardian7]

Originally posted by Virgin Wizard Apprentice:

I might do more testing. I might be wrong. After all, it is all subjective observations. I went with a different build this time, too. Pumping up INT instead of Shaping skills as a Shaper to have more high tier creations than just a few slightly stronger ones. But I believe Shaping skills make hardly any significant difference. The game just feels different when compared to predecessors.

Good luck man, the game will hate you so much. I almost flip my laptop with how many times the enemy frickin sniped my PC instead the toons. have to admit the AI since Gen 3 to 5 is quite improved.

Speaking of Shaping skill i only get 3 (+bonus from stealing Shaper robe in rawal closet) for requirement to create tier 5. And it's starting get better after you can get like party of 3 thralls or more. I read some in spiderweb forum, some players take 10 specific shaping skill in order to get better stat on creation. I think that can be good option, but i still prefer dumping most of the skill points on INT as i can pump stat from there as well for the army.

Speaking of difficulty I entirely agree that Torment mostly just double up enemy attack and HP in general. making the game longer to take out enemies in game.

[Durandal]

I would honestly say it's not worth the pain in the ass, all it does is make enemies take less damage, do more damage, and half more HP, and you might take more damage

In other words, every fight takes far longer than it would otherwise, it's not really exciting

[Hobo Elf]

Even Normal is a joyless slog.