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Author Topic: Hardcore mode  (Read 4695 times)

Faiter119

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Hardcore mode
« on: August 10, 2012, 06:38:36 AM »

Im feeling the game is currently pretty easy, so this suggestion would make it a bit more of a challenge. I know the campaign is a placeholder, but this could probably be used in the actual campaign as well.

Elements in "Hardcore mode"

- Always 100% damage
- C2/Command menu dosnt pause the game.
- Game saves automatically after battles.
- Only manual saves at stations.

Any feedback / other suggestions?
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Hyph_K31

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #1 on: August 10, 2012, 06:40:41 AM »

Sounds good, and it would certainly make the game a bit more challenging.

But I think it will have to wait until the basics of the champaign are in.
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Faiter119

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #2 on: August 10, 2012, 06:45:57 AM »

And also, maybe the accident risk would start when you went over 100% cargo space/FP/Fuel, not 150% like now.
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BillyRueben

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #3 on: August 10, 2012, 06:49:33 AM »

It's been suggested a few times already. If it were implemented, I'd prefer something that just kept people from save-scumming.

Pausing the C2 map lets you see what ship is going to preform the action you selected and lets you cancel that action if you don't like what the AI is going to do.

Forcing manual saves at stations can be frustrating when you are in the middle of nowhere and you want to stop playing.
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hadesian

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #4 on: August 10, 2012, 07:05:46 AM »

Me like 1 and 2, but not 3 and 4
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TaLaR

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #5 on: August 10, 2012, 07:43:24 AM »


- C2/Command menu dosnt pause the game.


Wouldn't this just lead to player using least command intensive fleet builds (like avoiding bombers cause they require too much attention, etc).
Anyway, i *love* pause command mode to the point, that i don't consider RTSes without one playable, because it seriously limits player's ability to plan and perform any half-way complex tactics (unless it's something premade and you do it almost on auto). Having ridiculous actions per minute requirement is something left best to starcraft...
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Thaago

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #6 on: August 10, 2012, 08:39:12 AM »

I'd like 1,3 and Faiter119's change to accidents. Usual caveat of other priorities first though.
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Temjin

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #7 on: August 10, 2012, 01:32:26 PM »

Why not just do this on your own? It doesn't add any functionality the game doesn't already have, so just challenge yourself to follow these guidelines.
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Faiter119

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2012, 12:24:55 PM »

Why not just do this on your own? It doesn't add any functionality the game doesn't already have, so just challenge yourself to follow these guidelines.

Because im lazy and have no idea on how to make such a thing.
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Reshy

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #9 on: August 12, 2012, 12:56:10 PM »

Suggested before, unnecessary.  Not every game needs a hardcore mode to be difficult.
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IIE16 Yoshi

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2012, 01:34:52 PM »

Most, if not all of these options can be achieved yourself. Just make a habit of saving after every fight, regardless of whether you won or lost. If you want to finish playing, head to a station and save while your fleet is in contact with the station's boundaries. And set your damage to 100%.
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GUNINANRUNIN

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #11 on: August 18, 2012, 05:17:29 PM »

Most, if not all of these options can be achieved yourself. Just make a habit of saving after every fight, regardless of whether you won or lost. If you want to finish playing, head to a station and save while your fleet is in contact with the station's boundaries. And set your damage to 100%.

^^^
+1 :-X
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PCCL

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #12 on: August 18, 2012, 05:18:42 PM »

Quote
Since this seems to be a hot-button issue, I thought I'd share my thoughts and hopefully lay some of the concerns to rest. (As an aside, I'm very disappointed at how quickly the previous thread on this topic took a turn for the worse, and this one threatened to do likewise before Archduke's timely intervention. Even if you feel strongly about something - especially if you do - being respectful and refraining from personal attacks is just a baseline of civilized behavior, and is required for a meaningful conversation. With that out of the way...)


Save games are an interesting topic. On the one hand, they're not clearly part of the game mechanics - rather, part of the infrastructure, the "software" part that makes the "game" part work. On the other hand, if you've got a giant "undo consequences" button staring you in the face the whole time you play, it can't help but affect your experience.

I don't think it's an issue of having self control vs not. It's an issue of the game asking you to keep exercising that self-control the entire time you play. It's like having a bridge without handrails - "Oh, surely you're not going to fall off", the builder says. "That would be so clumsy." And so, crossing the bridge - while within your capacity - becomes stressful because you've got to worry about falling off every time you cross.

Just add the damn handrails. You're not calling everyone a clumsy oaf by doing it.

Obviously, a player that really wants to reload a save can avoid whatever scheme you've got set up to thwart it. The goal isn't to stop them from jumping off a bridge. It's to make it inconvenient enough so that they don't simply fall off. Having to kill the game and restart it, for example, should be a sufficient deterrent - and then, you throw in the distinct flavor that they're "cheating" by doing that, because it's not something the game lets them do normally. If that's not enough, there's not much more you can do anyway - not in a single player game.

This only applies to players that want to have this kind of experience, though. To take the analogy much too far, you wouldn't build handrails around a swimming pool.


In other words, you're very likely to see an optional "save on exit" game mode. It'll likely even be the one the game is balanced for - because you can't balance if you assume the player is able to save/load their way out of every predicament. It probably won't be the default for a new game, but the game should try to create the perception that this mode is the "intended" way to play.

That's not to diminish someone that wants to have complete freedom in reloading when they want, or to play at 50% damage. These are perfectly legitimate ways to play the game - you're not being "criticized" by the game for not playing on the normal difficulty setting. It's just being honest with you. ... although, I suppose that also depends on just how those options are presented.


On the subject of restricting when the player can save: that makes more sense for games with discrete levels, where the skill being tested is "can you get through this level without messing up". For a free-form sandbox, that would just add an unnecessary burden for the player and alter their behavior within the sandbox for no good in-game reason. "Oh, great, I've got to burn some fuel and get to a station because the game designer is a #$%&". <Achievement unlocked: immersion broken>

-- Alex

Can be achieved yourself doesn't mean you force the people to do so
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BillyRueben

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Re: Hardcore mode
« Reply #13 on: August 18, 2012, 08:11:20 PM »

Can be achieved yourself doesn't mean you force the people to do so
No one was every forcing anyone to do anything. It was something that you could opt to do. However, this thread is now moot because, as you quoted, there will more than likely be a "save on exit" option.
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