Difficulty not well balanced

[MasterOfUnlocking]

Just started playing for a few hours and noticed that easy mode is too easy and normal mode too hard. In easy mode I can (too) easily kill every monster and in normal mode my party members already start dying in the first level. Is there a mod which adds a difficulty in between?

[JPMcMillen]

The key to combat in games like this is movement. You're not going to be able to go toe to toe with many opponents (especially later on). You have to learn to sidestep so that you can attack the monsters from the side. Once you learn that the game is easier. Especially because even on easy, the monsters get pretty brutal later on.

[MasterOfUnlocking]

Messaggio originale di JPMcMillen:

The key to combat in games like this is movement. You're not going to be able to go toe to toe with many opponents (especially later on). You have to learn to sidestep so that you can attack the monsters from the side. Once you learn that the game is easier. Especially because even on easy, the monsters get pretty brutal later on.:wizard:

OK, thanks, I'll try that. This game seems almost as hard as Ultima Underworld :)

[IceGhost]

I don't know much about other classic dungeon crawlers, but I played the Eye of the Beholder series and Dungeon Hack a lot as a teenager. You definitely had to juke and sidestep monsters in order to survive encounters. I even clearly remember the final boss in EOB2: The Legend of Darkmoon. It was a red dragon and you had to sidestep as he had attacks that could wipe out your party in one or two hits.

When you get into the deeper levels of Grimrock you will start to encounter monsters that you HAVE to sidestep. Ogres do a charging attack that will plow your whole party if you don't move. Fire elementals like to throw fireballs at your party and then juke away. Those are just a couple of examples. You definitely have to be crafty with movement in Grimrock and not just expect to stand and fight monsters hoping your stats and RNG will save you.

[Dr.Disaster]

Messaggio originale di SedulousMiscreant:

If I want to play a hard game, I play on hard difficulty. If you play ony "Easy" you might reasonably expect the game to actually be easy. If they don't want the game to be feasible they might as well just remove the "easy" difficulty. I am playing the game for the story and don't have the time to endlessly search the forums every few minutes because I'm stuck.
I played Ultima Underworld 1+2 back in the day and I never had any problems with those. many things in Grimrock are just plain unfair. Actually, old school rpgs were never this hard, at least none that I ever played (Stonekeep etc.).
Also, is this a dancing game or an RPG? Why the hell do I have heavy armour, healing potions and evasion abilities if I have to dance around enemies all the time?

The difficulty setting of LoG effects a monsters reaction time, the damage dealt and in Easy their max life. Yet this game is realtime based and no matter how easy you make the monsters they will never stop to go after your party and try to kill it.

It seems your memory fails in regard to UU 1+2. There the enemies can kick your characters butt in no time if you do not handle the controls well including "dancing around". Since LoG is a realtime based game like both UU's were one will never become invincible thru any equipment and/or skills given to the party. For example acquiring both full Valor and Lurker set on your front row characters will help them a lot in combat but it will not make them immune to physical attacks. If you expected something like that you definatly play the wrong game.

[Dorok]

Messaggio originale di SedulousMiscreant:

...
If I want to play a hard game, I play on hard difficulty. If you play ony "Easy" you might reasonably expect the game to actually be easy.
....
Also, is this a dancing game or an RPG? Why the hell do I have heavy armour, healing potions and evasion abilities if I have to dance around enemies all the time?

The problem is you are evaluating the game on a wrong basis. Imagine a player that pick a RTS and play it like a turn based strategy. At very easy difficulty it could find the game playable (because he played only the first parts) and at any other difficulty its wrong play with be blowup.

That's what happened to you, you are trying play the game like a Migh&Magic game, eventually a FF variation with timed turns, but it's no the right game. If you persist in that approach it's not a surprise no difficulty will fit you. You think easy is easy but play it more and you'll change your opinion.

For the dance game yeah it's a total requirement, you probably never played similar games like Dungeon Master or Land of Lore, but for all it's possible and a requirement. In fact the only way to removes it is to remove the real time element like M&M or to disable party movements during fights like in FF and many. Otherwise dance is possible so the difficulty has to be setup with dance otherwise it would be a joke for players using the dance.

[Ithilien]

@OP
The game difficulty is well adjusted. I'm by no means a hardcore gamer (and this is my first dungeon crawler) and I find Normal dificulty to be right where it needs to be. The fights are challenging and you'll die a few times, but it's a learning process. Dancing around the monsters and learning to take advantage of your surroundings is a vital part of the game. And I don't see how it invalidates it as an RPG. In real time RPGs, you have to learn how to sidestep enemies. That being said, LoG isn't a full-blown RPG, it merely has some of its characteristics.

I hope you have given it a chance and continued playing it, because I think this is trully a gem of a game.

[billy]

Messaggio originale di Dorok:

The problem is you are evaluating the game on a wrong basis. Imagine a player that pick a RTS and play it like a turn based strategy. At very easy difficulty it could find the game playable (because he played only the first parts) and at any other difficulty its wrong play with be blowup.

That's what happened to you, you are trying play the game like a Migh&Magic game, eventually a FF variation with timed turns, but it's no the right game. If you persist in that approach it's not a surprise no difficulty will fit you. You think easy is easy but play it more and you'll change your opinion.

For the dance game yeah it's a total requirement, you probably never played similar games like Dungeon Master or Land of Lore, but for all it's possible and a requirement. In fact the only way to removes it is to remove the real time element like M&M or to disable party movements during fights like in FF and many. Otherwise dance is possible so the difficulty has to be setup with dance otherwise it would be a joke for players using the dance.

this guy is spot on , you have always had to dodge in games like this, dundeon master's , captive , bloodwych etc...

you cant just stand there and trade .

[garagecat]

In general I've found the combat to be extremely frustrating. I get the whole "juke and move" thing, but if I ♥♥♥♥ up once on the annoying dance-dance-revolution on my keyboard the party gets hit harder than a red-headed Paris Hilton at a steel-workers convention. The game itself is pretty interesting and oddly enough it's the combat that detracts from it--don't throw 4 mobs at me with 350+ hp each and expect that to be fun. It's not. I'm goint to check the options and see if I can uncheck "frustrating" now.

[Jeff]

For this game you have to harken back to gaming roots and save save save. Then save again. I love coaxing a 4 mob that would easily obliterate my party into a pit but if I screw it up I don't have to back track an hour.

[Kirk Kokaine]

Messaggio originale di jeff.schuts:

For this game you have to harken back to gaming roots and save save save. Then save again. I love coaxing a 4 mob that would easily obliterate my party into a pit but if I screw it up I don't have to back track an hour.

so savescumming...

[DeepFried]

Messaggio originale di sirlergen:

Messaggio originale di jeff.schuts:

For this game you have to harken back to gaming roots and save save save. Then save again. I love coaxing a 4 mob that would easily obliterate my party into a pit but if I screw it up I don't have to back track an hour.

so savescumming...

Hell yes.