Help an older gamer out--how difficult is this game?

[britking]

I don't play many FPS--I tend to hang back and prefer stealth sniper type approaches and play most games on normal rather than hard (if I have an option). I beat Elden Ring (needed help with Malenia) but mainly used magic... so that makes it easier. Very different genre, but this is a harder game, and I'm nervous I'll suck too much to enjoy it. Am I worrying about nothing? Elden Ring took 200 hours to complete, but most of my deaths were jumping...

[max]

There's no stealth in D:E. Sniping exists throughout, but not from stealth.
If the game is too hard, you can lower the difficulty setting. For someone new, the game can be as hard as you want, or as easy as you want.

[Smurff-a-thon2k]

Originally posted by britking:

I don't play many FPS--I tend to hang back and prefer stealth sniper type approaches and play most games on normal rather than hard (if I have an option). I beat Elden Ring (needed help with Malenia) but mainly used magic... so that makes it easier. Very different genre, but this is a harder game, and I'm nervous I'll suck too much to enjoy it. Am I worrying about nothing? Elden Ring took 200 hours to complete, but most of my deaths were jumping...

Hmm, I dunno. It sounds like this is a game you really won't enjoy. Doom Eternal pretty much plays the exact opposite of how you're describing you play games. I love D:E a crazy amount and wish I could recommend it to everyone. But in this case, I'm not gonna lie, it just doesn't sound like it would work out. Maybe you could time your gameplay to under 2 hours, and just refund if it feels too wild for you

[o_dey]

Like the previous poster mentioned, the game might not be for you, Elden Ring is really a totally different beast. In any case you can always just try it for an hour on the lowest difficulty. If you do like the gameplay loop and you think you'll enjoy an ever increasing challenge, keep it, otherwise refund it.

Personally I'm on the older side too, and ever since a car accident my left shoulder is f*cked to the point where I have problems coordinating left hand keyboard- and right hand mouse-usage, but I still very, very, very much enjoy the game, and even made it relatively far into the skill ceiling despite the odds, so IMHO everything's possible, age and handicaps do not define whether one may enjoy this game.

The game is not for everyone though, it's a classic arena shooter FPS that pays homage to the unforgiving, arcady boomer shooters of the past. And while not as hard as many of the games back then, you kinda have to enjoy being forced to improve, as even on the lower difficulties, the game will punish you if just stand still, left clicking to empty your super shotgun.

[www.mosh_serginho]

Originally posted by britking:

I don't play many FPS--I tend to hang back and prefer stealth sniper type approaches and play most games on normal rather than hard (if I have an option). I beat Elden Ring (needed help with Malenia) but mainly used magic... so that makes it easier. Very different genre, but this is a harder game, and I'm nervous I'll suck too much to enjoy it. Am I worrying about nothing? Elden Ring took 200 hours to complete, but most of my deaths were jumping...

With the way you put things in perspective about gaming, I would recommend you get DOOM 2016 ( https://store.steampowered.com/app/379720/DOOM/ ) first to play it (is 3.99 with the STEAM sale now and the prequel to DOOM ETERNAL and it still is an amazing game after all this time). It is a more story driven game and far less aggressive in play style than Eternal. Doom Eternal, on the other hand is in every aspect an arcady, frenetic bullethell, old style (but modernized) authentic video game in it's purest form possible. It has a lot of tools to make use of and it's 120% all aggressive gameplay (no camping, no stealth, just frenetic action and some traversal puzzles when you don't fight demons or bosses) and you need to actually master the game loop in order to enjoy it. Doom Eternal is not the type of game to master in 1 or 2 hours of gameplay. It takes some practice and understanding of the game mechanics.

[Knud den Store 🧙‍♂]

Start on Hurt Me Plenty until you get used to the gameplay then you can tackle UV and Nightmare and Ultra Nightmare which is a fun ride.

[furbleburble]

I'm a disabled gamer. I have muscular, skeletal, and neurological problems throughout my body, including my hands. My hands will hurt, spasm, go numb, and lock up, and it can be any or all of these; it's random. This makes gaming difficult in general but the more difficult a game is for me the worse all that gets. I mostly play on Hurt Me Plenty, the game's "Normal" difficulty. I have, once, completed this game on Nightmare, and I will probably never do that again because of all the pain and discomfort I went through while doing that. Hurt Me Plenty is manageable for me. More than anything, learning better techniques and finding a control scheme that works for me is what helped me be able to play this game as much as I have.

[britking]

Originally posted by www.mosh_serginho:

Originally posted by britking:

I don't play many FPS--I tend to hang back and prefer stealth sniper type approaches and play most games on normal rather than hard (if I have an option). I beat Elden Ring (needed help with Malenia) but mainly used magic... so that makes it easier. Very different genre, but this is a harder game, and I'm nervous I'll suck too much to enjoy it. Am I worrying about nothing? Elden Ring took 200 hours to complete, but most of my deaths were jumping...

With the way you put things in perspective about gaming, I would recommend you get DOOM 2016

Thanks--that sounds like a good idea--I used to play a bunch of Halo / Halo 3, but been a long time since I've spent much time in FPS games. I think it might already be in my library--just never got around to it!

[Mortimer Reed]

Try it out first on the easiest difficulty, "I'm Too Young To Die". Doom games requires you to keep moving a lot. You won't be using cover.

I recommend trying Doom 2016 too. It has a much more simple gameplay. Or the classic Doom games.

[Joker]

start with DOOM 2016 because its a really good game, also Eternal takes place after D2016 so for story/narrative purposes get D2016 first as well. both games are easy. like really easy. i think Eternal might be the easiest one because you can instantly get back all your armor and health with the press of 2-3 buttons. in D2016 you have to look for pickups to get ammo and everything back. almost all guns are usable (save the combat shotgun and plasma rifle in later parts of the game when you've unlocked the rest of your arsenal, precision bolt mod for the heavy cannon and the chaingun shield)

this game is LOUD only. no stels

[Thumper]

You never mentioned your age (unless I missed it) The lower skill levels are good for any age. I'm old and I like DE. If you like stealth games this ain't it. But it is fun.

Somebody here mentioned Doom 16. At 4 bucks you should start there. That's tame compared to this. Best guess sez your not my age. But you won't have any real problems.

[Hundinger]

We have grandpa slayer here and we have people with disabilities and they are all able to play the game on various difficulities. So you will certainly be able to learn to play this game. The question is if you will like it enough to try. The learning curve is steep and even on lower difficulties there will be frustrating moments to overcome. But once you get over those, it's a blast. But like others said, start with Doom 2016. It's similar in spirit, you have to play aggressively, stealth and cover aren't an option. But it's way less complex and easier to get into. If you come to enjoy it, you're ready for Eternal.

One downside of 2016 is that you will fall to your death quite often. Eternal does this much better. No insta death from falling and way better controls.

[Raster]

The game throws too many systems and mechanics at you too fast. It really tries to do too much, and feels unfocused and disjointed as a result. You need the level of micro a pro-level Starcraft player needs to manage your cooldowns and perform the correct combat actions. It's just too much for 99% of people, even cranked down to easy.

[Sar]

The game does throw many mechanics at you, yes, but they're so incredibly powerful simply becoming aware of them can lead you to dominate the enemies. It's really silly to compare it to esports. It's just a single player game that's a level above being completely braindead.

[Raster]

Originally posted by Sar:

The game does throw many mechanics at you, yes, but they're so incredibly powerful simply becoming aware of them can lead you to dominate the enemies. It's really silly to compare it to esports. It's just a single player game that's a level above being completely braindead.

More than a level, but that's a common symptom of playing these kinds of games. Most players who excel at them aren't capable of accurately remembering what it was like to not excel at them. As a result, the experience from new player to master becomes blurred and murky, and empathy becomes impossible.

It's so simple! Just Keep Moving! Great, but how? Strafing doesn't work. Running at an enemy while moving and jumping over them doesn't work. Running backwards in a line doesn't work. But I'm moving! I'm following the advice!

There's nuance there that experts can't call back. Specific ways to move beyond Just Move, which I can demonstrate isn't a catch-all for any situation, because some movements aren't appropriate.

Players like this have internalized the learning a long time ago as inherent muscle memory and summed it up in their mental toolboxes as "Just Keep Moving." And due to that problem, you're unable to relate to someone with a different experience, because to you, the game has always been mastered. There's no point you can remember where it wasn't, because all that exists is the joy of mastery.

Given that black-and-white mental state, yeah. I would think what I said is silly, too.

[Sar]

Just move erratically, bro. That's what I always say. Yeah, it's an acquired skill. No, it's not hard to learn. Just mash strafe left and right while moving. You're not playing against intelligent players here, AI is designed to help you win while feeling sufficiently challenged.

You can be an objectively bad FPS player and still get through Eterna;'s advanced challenges. I know because I am. When I first played Eternal I died 40-50 times in some arenas. I think I died 40 times during Gladiator's second phase. Then I played more and eventually beat the game on Ultra-Nightmare.

Look at me playing the game now! I miss half of my shots and still win.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfqz_bJjzWk