Give us infinite lives or give us saves!

[excelatrate]

Seriously, I don't tend to replay games unless they're extremely special to me however I wouldn't want to play this on babymode either just to not have to suffer through it.

I'm probably requesting this in vain as the game is over two years old but to say this is for "fans of Hexen Doom and Wolfenstein" and have your hardest difficulties locked behind permadeath garbage is lame. All three of those games had saves and are just as hard as this game if not harder. Just let us choose if we want perma or not and give players a special achievement if they beat hardest with it on.

Boom, everyone is happy!

[Syrrah]

I get were you're coming from, but I suggest to keep trying.

I see you only have the Marco Polo achievement now, which probably indicates you're stuck on the first level. This first level is - literally, without any doubt - the hardest in the entire game. Once you're past E1M1, the rest of the game is a cakewelk. You'll never miss saves anymore in any of the further levels, passing almost all of them on the first attempt.

Trust me on this, I was exactly in your position merely 48 hours ago. I ragequit so many times ... That first level is just insane with the crappy weapons that you have.

Also, I suggest to drop down to casual if you really can't finish E1M1. Casual = infitine lives.

However, I kind of regret playing in casual now because the game is so easy after that level.

[excelatrate]

Originally posted by รሃዪዪคɦ:

I get were you're coming from, but I suggest to keep trying.

I see you only have the Marco Polo achievement now, which probably indicates you're stuck on the first level. This first level is - literally, without any doubt - the hardest in the entire game. Once you're past E1M1, the rest of the game is a cakewelk. You'll never miss saves anymore in any of the further levels, passing almost all of them on the first attempt.

Trust me on this, I was exactly in your position merely 48 hours ago. I ragequit so many times ... That first level is just insane with the crappy weapons that you have.

Also, I suggest to drop down to casual if you really can't finish E1M1. Casual = infitine lives.

However, I kind of regret playing in casual now because the game is so easy after that level.

That is my exact point, I want to play on a reasonably hard difficulty like I do on most "classic FPS" games but without saves or checkpoints it goes from fun to a slog. There are no rougelike elements to encourage repeated play so instead it becomes an extremely artificial way to extend the playtime of the game which isn't very fun.

[del *.*]

How do you even die that much to fail a game? I'm not exactly amazing but I have 24 extra lives and I died 2 times on hard difficulty.

[excelatrate]

Originally posted by delukz:

How do you even die that much to fail a game? I'm not exactly amazing but I have 24 extra lives and I died 2 times on hard difficulty.

It sounds lame but I only died once and made myself die multiple times to see what would happen. It's just an extra level of stress that isn't necessary IMO.

[Blattdorf]

The starting dagger is throwable if you hold the attack button.

[Swifty Magee]

I don't really get all the vitriol for the level of difficulty in this game. Since getting the game through Humble Choice recently, I've been playing on Hard, just beat the third episode, and the only times I've died due to enemies were to bosses, namely the Sphinx boss. The only other times I've died were to my own stupidity (launching frag grenades too close to an enemy).

My honest feeling about Project Warlock's game balance is that generally it's too easy. I think I have 13 lives so far, and again, most deaths (5 or 6) were due to the Sphinx boss. The entire game could stand to be a bit tougher, I think.

As for the save system, seeing how it saves after every level and at the workshop, I think it's fine. Levels usually only take 10 to 15 minutes to beat - sometimes quicker if you have the right gear and can find shortcuts via secrets. Since the majority of levels I've played so far have been borderline cakewalks, there's no need for a quicksave feature. And this is coming from a save scummer!

I hate to be one of those guys, but I think if you are really struggling with this game, you should either take the time to practice and "git gud", or stop playing entirely.

And don't even try to play one of the many games Project Warlock homages...if you think THIS game is hard, God help you if you try Shadow Warrior or Blood.

[excelatrate]

Originally posted by Swifty Magee:

I don't really get all the vitriol for the level of difficulty in this game. Since getting the game through Humble Choice recently, I've been playing on Hard, just beat the third episode, and the only times I've died due to enemies were to bosses, namely the Sphinx boss. The only other times I've died were to my own stupidity (launching frag grenades too close to an enemy).

My honest feeling about Project Warlock's game balance is that generally it's too easy. I think I have 13 lives so far, and again, most deaths (5 or 6) were due to the Sphinx boss. The entire game could stand to be a bit tougher, I think.

As for the save system, seeing how it saves after every level and at the workshop, I think it's fine. Levels usually only take 10 to 15 minutes to beat - sometimes quicker if you have the right gear and can find shortcuts via secrets. Since the majority of levels I've played so far have been borderline cakewalks, there's no need for a quicksave feature. And this is coming from a save scummer!

I hate to be one of those guys, but I think if you are really struggling with this game, you should either take the time to practice and "git gud", or stop playing entirely.

And don't even try to play one of the many games Project Warlock homages...if you think THIS game is hard, God help you if you try Shadow Warrior or Blood.

Originally posted by Deer Trap:

Originally posted by delukz:

How do you even die that much to fail a game? I'm not exactly amazing but I have 24 extra lives and I died 2 times on hard difficulty.

It sounds lame but I only died once and made myself die multiple times to see what would happen. It's just an extra level of stress that isn't necessary IMO.

I've played SW, Duke, Blood, Wolfenstein, DOOM+2 etc. and beaten them all at levels above "normal", the difference is that they allow saving and don't have a "lives" system, the only place for lives systems is the NES, arcades and roguelike games.

If it really is that easy I likely have nothing to fear but it's weird to see a game released in the late 2010's with a lives system that isn't toggleable. Think Dust, Ion Fury, both amazing classic FPS games with...Saves. I just don't want to have the worry of permanent game over in my mind, it causes you to be not creative or try new strategies out. It's lame.

Originally posted by Blattdorf:

The starting dagger is throwable if you hold the attack button.

First thing I found out playing lol

[Swifty Magee]

Wolfenstein 3D actually had a life system in place, but it did have a save system as well. The lives and points in that game were mostly just a throwback to older, arcade-y experiences, I think.

I kind of understand what you're saying about manually saving, but honestly, I would say if you are at least decent in skill with these "classic era" first-person shooters, you'll have no problem surviving Project Warlock. I'm guessing the average player will accumulate so many lives that they won't experience a total game over unless they are intentionally trying to get one. Hell, a lot of old-school FPS'ers never quicksave, and if they die anywhere in a level, they start said level all over again. Some even do pistol-start only runs, which I've never been fond of, but that's a Doom era mentality that some gamers have.

If you aren't trying to lose all your lives purposely in Project Warlock, I figure the permadeath system probably won't even come into play unless you are playing on the hardiest difficulty and you outright suck at the game. In that case, I'd just move down a difficulty level and start over. Yeah, you'll start over from square one, but the gameplay is good and the levels are short, so at least to me, restarting the game isn't that big of a deal. It's just how this particular game is designed.

I read in a forum thread over on GOG ( https://www.gog.com/forum/project_warlock/no_save_option_make_game_borderline_unplayable ) that one of the developer's inspirations for Project Warlock was Contra, a game series where you only get a certain amount of lives and getting hit once kills you. That sort of "go for broke" mentality has been designed into the game at it's core, and if you ask me, has been implemented well enough that you never really have to worry about it.

I mean, if a save system was optional through a game menu toggle, I guess that would be better as you're giving the player an option, and options are always good. But that's just not how the game was built; it's not one of the primary features in the designer's overall vision for the game. And I don't think you should let this one aspect of the game bother you to the point that you won't even play. I'm not saying Project Warlock is an instant FPS classic, but I found it to be surprisingly good. If you look at the screenshots and videos and wonder if you should give it a shot, you should!

I guess my most useful advice for anyone considering picking up Project Warlock and is curious about the overall gameplay and features is to download the free Arctic Attack demo on it's Steam store page. It's only one level, but it's a good way to see if you even like what the game is offering. If you do, I'd suggest buying the game on Steam and refunding it if you just can't vibe with it. Just remember to play less than two hours in the first two weeks of purchase if refunding is something you're considering. Luckily the levels are only around 10 to 15 minutes long, and sometimes even less than that, so you should come to some decision before the cutoff limit.

[excelatrate]

I played through the first set of levels and like it quite a bit but was just turned off that the tradeoff for a more challenging, engaging experience is a potential time-sink. I might give it another whirl since apparently this game is easy.

(Though I have to say the traps are really, really cruel, some of them got me down to next no health within seconds)

[Onoda]

It's like when we played Quake for the first time, everyone found out about the nightmare difficulty and always went that path. No one wants to play a game like this on lesser difficulty.

Is there any way to quick restart a level upon dying in hardcore?

I really like the game, but found myself turning it off after returning to the title screen a few times. Just kind of disrupted the flow of things.

A quicksave doesn't matter, just a quick restart would be fine. I'd play it a lot more.

[Powellinho.72]

more options = better game for everybody. not everybody wants to play easy or hard games and thats fine.

[PCMaker]

Originally posted by o n o d a:

It's like when we played Quake for the first time, everyone found out about the nightmare difficulty and always went that path. No one wants to play a game like this on lesser difficulty.

Is there any way to quick restart a level upon dying in hardcore?

I really like the game, but found myself turning it off after returning to the title screen a few times. Just kind of disrupted the flow of things.

A quicksave doesn't matter, just a quick restart would be fine. I'd play it a lot more.

check my thread in discussion for easy nightmare

[Stinkflipper Incarnate]

I'm in the city now, and have six lives left. That doesn't exactly feel safe. Some of these levels start you off surrounded by enemies, I've lost several lives there. And to other lame "monster closet"-type traps in the game.

I thought the 1UP stars gave you extra lives, but I keep getting upgrade points from them instead (I suppose 1UP could mean 1 UPgrade point, but that's really misleading).

[excelatrate]

Originally posted by Stinkflipper Incarnate:

I'm in the city now, and have six lives left. That doesn't exactly feel safe. Some of these levels start you off surrounded by enemies, I've lost several lives there. And to other lame "monster closet"-type traps in the game.

I thought the 1UP stars gave you extra lives, but I keep getting upgrade points from them instead (I suppose 1UP could mean 1 UPgrade point, but that's really misleading).

That's how I feel, if you're gonna have traps which are unfair by design it shouldn't be on a limited lives system or at least there should be a choice.

[PCMaker]

Originally posted by Deer Trap:

Originally posted by Stinkflipper Incarnate:

I'm in the city now, and have six lives left. That doesn't exactly feel safe. Some of these levels start you off surrounded by enemies, I've lost several lives there. And to other lame "monster closet"-type traps in the game.

I thought the 1UP stars gave you extra lives, but I keep getting upgrade points from them instead (I suppose 1UP could mean 1 UPgrade point, but that's really misleading).

That's how I feel, if you're gonna have traps which are unfair by design it shouldn't be on a limited lives system or at least there should be a choice.

i was playing on 2nd or normal difficulty for first time and by the end of the game i had 30+ lives, you must utterly suck at games in general