Pandemic Wants Everyone to Finish The Saboteur

[John Funk]

Pandemic Wants Everyone to Finish The Saboteur

Ever give up on a game because it's too hard? Well, if Pandemic Studios has its way, that game won't be The Saboteur: The developers want everybody and their mother to be able to finish the story to the end.

Speaking with MTV Multiplayer [http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/09/23/pandemic-wants-everyone-to-finish-the-saboteur/], The Saboteur's lead designer Tom French said that difficulty was one of the team's top concerns - and that the designers balanced at the top and moved downward:

[blockquote]"Difficulty settings are always tough. For our game, especially, where we have a lot of story focus, but there's also a lot of gameplay there, we wanted to make it so that anyone could sit down and play through the story. Difficulty for us is more about how much damage you do, things like that. We balance the game on the Hardcore mode [the hardest mode in 'Saboteur']. If we can play through it on Hardcore then that's a good balance for us and we just tune it down."

We wanted the player to play through the story, meet all these characters, have the chance to experience it. I can have my wife play it on easy and she gets away with it and still has fun."[/blockquote]

Frankly, I don't see a problem with this idea at all. Gamers have pooh-poohed things like Bayonetta's "Automatic Mode" [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/94162-Bayonetta-Can-Be-Played-One-Handed] or Nintendo's rumored "game plays through tough sections for you" technology, I still don't get why it's such a bad thing. As long as the game isn't forcing you to use it - and still has harder difficulty settings for a real skill-based challenge - then what's wrong with including easier and easier modes so that everybody CAN experience the game for themselves regardless of skill?

I mean, we hear there are going to be boobs in Saboteur, and we can't let silly things like talent or skill keep us from some nice pixelized ta-ta's, can we?

Permalink

 

[Optimus Hagrid]

I'm okay as long as the hard mode is actually hard enough.

 

[Triple G]

Really, the hard mode has to be really hard then. And what's with Nintendo's noob technology? To quote Jeremy from PurePwnage:"I you not experience fun while playing a game, maybe you'e not a gamer!"

 

[mannaroth]

I personally think that it's silly because it will spawn a whole bunch of people believeing that they have skill because I think that in order to make the easy difficulty easier you have to tone down the other ones or add new ones. (I think there should be 6 difficulty levels in every game at least)

 

[John Funk]

Really, the hard mode has to be really hard then. And what's with Nintendo's noob technology? To quote Jeremy from PurePwnage:"I you not experience fun while playing a game, maybe you'e not a gamer!"

Fun and skill are not the same thing.

 

[QuirkyTambourine]

I'd love to have a hard mode that's damn near impossible for me to beat. Like the Mile High Club in every level. Hopefully they can find the balance and make skill levels for everyone, or a great adapting mechanic that does it for you.

Always just a little bit harder than you're ready for.

 

[Chipperz]

This sounds like a great idea! Anything to get more people playing games

Of course, I think it's a great idea, and I seem to be everything the "hardcore" pillocks despise about gaming, so commence bitchfest that gaming's getting too easy and that we should never have let gurlz into our club in 5, 4...

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

Balancing a game on the hardest difficulty is stupid. That's just completely failing to see the point of difficulties.

If you'd ask me, it's something like this:

Easy mode: This mode exists so that everyone can win the game. If you are bad at a game but still want to have fun and see all of the story, play this mode.
Normal mode: This mode exists to challenge the average gamer, but not in a way that stops them from winning. Normal mode should be the standard you set for the game.
Hard mode: This mode exists so that, if you are really good at the game, you'll still be challenged. A game with no challenge is no fun for most people, and in a singleplayer game you'll want to have a way to keep players interested even when they become good at the game.

I certainly don't hate features that make a game easier for bad players (as long as they're optional), but making it so everyone can finish the game on hard mode completely removes the point of the easier modes, and makes it so that good players will lose interest quickly because there will be nothing to challenge them.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

I'm a wimp meself, I don't care about or enjoy extreme difficulty and I frequently try to play on the easiest difficulty that still imparts a challenge to me.

So yeah, I think this is a good thing.

 

[CD-R]

So basically they issued a press release saying the one of the game's exciting features will be...... a difficulty setting?

Jeez whats next? And the game will come in a box.

And it will have...an instruction maual.

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Well it makes sense. This game looks great and I don't want to get frustrated and put it down like I have many games.

 

[Radeonx]

I dislike having to try hard to enjoy myself in a video game, so something like this will help. I like this idea very much.

 

[Baby Tea]

I think there is something to be said about the feeling of accomplishment for finally defeating a boss or level or mission that was tricky, but I really do like the idea of making the game easy enough to be accessible for those who would otherwise get stuck on the tutorial (Extreme example, I know).

Therefore, as others have said: Keep the harder modes hard for the people who want them, and then go ahead and add what you want for those who want an easier experience. If it doesn't force me to be hand-walked, then I don't care.

 

[El Poncho]

Is this the game where it starts off as black and white and you return colour to the world?

Anyway I like the idea of it because sometimes there can be bits in levels that make me quit it for the day and then after that I think to myself can I be bothered going through that all again.

 

[Troublesome Lagomorph]

I hope the hardest difficulty is insane then. If it's not difficult, then what's the point? I gain nothing (besides an easy victory). The challenge of a game gives me the pleasure, not finishing an easy thing.
I dislike this idea, it takes away what I really love about games.

 

[Low Key]

I don't know why people complain the way they do. If someone wants to spend $60 on a game and have it pretty much play itself, then so be it. It's not my problem. I don't do that.

 

[Halfbreed13]

I'm okay as long as the hard mode is actually hard enough.

This says it all. The problem arises when the difficulty settings are so close that the hardest is only relatively different than the medium, or worse, the easiest. 4 settings, each distinct, usually provides a varied enough playing field for all.

 

[Valiance]

Really, the hard mode has to be really hard then. And what's with Nintendo's noob technology? To quote Jeremy from PurePwnage:"I you not experience fun while playing a game, maybe you'e not a gamer!"

Fun and skill are not the same thing.

This, times 100.

A lot of games I've seen/played have incredible, amazing stories that I wish more people would experience/know about in a mainstream fashion. But most people quit half-way through or just play the multiplayer or whatever, but if the game was more like a movie, I think it would encourage some people who are afraid to fuck things up to at least give them a shot.

 

[Squilookle]

Balancing a game on the hardest difficulty is stupid. That's just completely failing to see the point of difficulties.

If you'd ask me, it's something like this:

Easy mode: This mode exists so that everyone can win the game. If you are bad at a game but still want to have fun and see all of the story, play this mode.
Normal mode: This mode exists to challenge the average gamer, but not in a way that stops them from winning. Normal mode should be the standard you set for the game.
Hard mode: This mode exists so that, if you are really good at the game, you'll still be challenged. A game with no challenge is no fun for most people, and in a singleplayer game you'll want to have a way to keep players interested even when they become good at the game.

I certainly don't hate features that make a game easier for bad players (as long as they're optional), but making it so everyone can finish the game on hard mode completely removes the point of the easier modes, and makes it so that good players will lose interest quickly because there will be nothing to challenge them.

Agreed, you've hit the nail on the head.

As long as the hardest difficulty has rewards you can't get anywhere else, therefore really giving us some incentive to finish it, it'll be OK