Klocki and Difficulty in Games

[Irwin126]

So I'm going to throw this out and say no one here has played Klocki, If not than here's a like to the web version: http://www.kongregate.com/games/targaciej/klocki and the version on steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/499440/klocki/

So, how long did it take you to finish it? If it took you a long time [or if you used a walk through for some of the tricky parts] then I'd say it was difficult. If it took less than an hour or two, then I'd say it wasn't to hard, maybe easy even.

So why did I ask you to play it? Well, I was interested. More or less because of the nature of the game and how people see difficulty when playing video games, more specifically puzzle games.

Some people will be able to breeze past puzzle games as if they were nothing. Others may have some difficulty. [Mostly due to the puzzles themselves, if the game it broken than that's more or less the dev's fault for making a broken game.] And I think difficulty in video games is interesting to say the least, As not everyone has the same experience. Some thing the game is too hard and needs fixing to help it; Others may think the difficulty is fine and doesn't need to be adjusted and is fine how it is. And this is important because f how difficulty changed over the years.

Way back when, hard games were a must in the arcades as to get more money from consumers. And this leads to one generation being born with experience of harder, more arcade style games where difficulty can spike or drop off at any time. Other's may be born into a generation where difficulty is able to be chosen and customize-able. Where it's possible to adjust the game to there liking. These two generations also have conflicting ideas on difficulty in games. And this isn't just seen in video games. Movies had this phase as well and could still be in this phase for all we know. The idea of too much or too less gore, nudity, and Swearing in may eyes.

Klocki in my eyes is an idea of difficulty being selective in the best way possible. The game changes and gives new ideas to play around will and prepares the player for the next bigger, more challenging level. With mechanics similar to that of the last level. And it's overall seen as a not so challenging game. It just takes critical thinking to solve these problems.

Now what's a bad idea of difficulty in my eyes? The Dark Souls franchise.
Ok ok, put down your pitchforks and hear what I have to say. Ok? Ok.

The Dark Souls Franchise [ie 1 to 3] are notorious for being extremely hard games, giving many players a hard or unfair fight. But to some it's not hard at all and is just a normal game to them. This leaves a disconnect to other players on what's agreeable or disagreeable. Like to some the first boss of DS 1 Is very easy and is, well, The first boss of a game. To others [Many others may I add] It's unfair and cruel. This leaves a disconnect between what's a good game difficulty and what's awful. For example, There is one side-objective in Dark Souls where if you dodge roll in the right spot, You land in a nest. Then a bird picks you up and then takes you to a new area. Now,ask me this. How would any sane man find this out the first run? And without accident? Only people who have played through the game and are coming for a second run. Or they looked up a guide. Now this isn't inherently a bad thing. Sometimes the game can give you clues as to solve questions. Others give you nothing but your own wits to solve. It's the same idea of detective or riddle work. To some it's easy, To others not so much. And I don't fault people for looking up guides for things. As said too many fucking times here. Difficultly is subjective. So finding the happy medium can or could lead to a better game than a notoriously Easy or hard game. As it leads to more people buying the game and enjoying it than it being too easy or too hard.

But of course, finding it is the hardest part of it. Finding if the game is a good mix of difficulty can be hard without help or other people working on the project. Like a final boss can by easier then the journey or level getting there, or it could be swapped to where the journey was an easy experience as to where the final boss can be the worst thing about it.

So, Back to Klocki. It works as a game since it doesn't take too much time to finish, while it also has a lot to learn and figure out by using simplistic ideas. And by having enough levels that mix the idea up, but also keep it interesting till the end.

What's your idea on video game difficulty? What do you think is the right way to have difficulty in any game you play without it being ether a mess or flat out unfair and uninteresting?

 

[Saelune]

Dark Souls isnt hard. Add lives or dying gives you a game over, then it is hard. But it is not hard, cause you always can progress. DS2 adding despawning enemies only made it easier...and more grindy. (I overcame most of the game by outstocking most areas rather than learning to master them like in DS1)

Puzzle games are about understanding. Once you get a certain type of puzzles, they lose much of their difficulty. I love Sudoku, but it took time to figure it out. Now, I cant just breeze through them, but I know the tricks that I can eventually complete any (completable) Sudoku puzzle. It just may take me a few days. (Not that it takes me tons of hours, but leaving it till another day lets my mind unblock itself so I stop overlooking something I kept missing)

For games, well, for one the game needs to decide if it wants to be difficult. Some games care more about being beaten...usually any linear game. Others strive more for the challenge, like say, Dark Souls or Rogue Legacy, or any old arcade game.

Some let you define your own difficulty, like the Civilization games. Some arent meant to be hard at all, like Kirby.

There is no blanket answer to difficulty. Outside of maybe making sure success is dependent on the person more. No one likes to lose because the game just said, no, you lose. (Ie, you arent supposed to lose, like with certain DS bosses, or some plot point where losing advances the story) I find alot of Fighting game bosses forget that...looking at you Dead or Alive 4, Tekken 5, and most Mortal Kombats.

I do think too many games are afraid to be hard now though, and that bothers me. And some games that arent even really that hard seem so afraid of any difficulty whatsoever, it treats you like you have no brain...looking at you Pokemon Sun and Moon.

I wish I could end this more neatly...but I am not sure how.

 

[Lufia Erim]

Personally, i like hard games. I enjoy the challenge, i find it more rewarding. It keeps me engaged. I like feeling like i am getting better at the gsme, learning the mechanics and besting whatever the game has to throw at me. Back in my day ( I'm only 28 but i like saying that) we didn't just finish games, we beat them.

I think a hard game ( or hard mode), is a game where you are put at a disadvantage. For this reason i wouldn't call dark souls hard. You are never inherently at a disadvantage ( bosses nptwithstanding). This is ever more true for dark souls than other games because you can literally finish the game at level 1.

As opposed to easy or normal modes where you have an advantage or are on par with the enemies or rules of the game.


I think the problem is the rate that we consume entertainment. Back in the Nes/Snes days, people didn't have a backlog. They had one game that they would play over a long period of time. So having a hard game where you make little progress every time you played wasnt as much as a problem.

 

[Elfgore]

I'm personally a fan of what has been the norm for a while. The difficulty option choice. Usually, the difference between the easiest and hardest difficulty is enough for the most extreme and easygoing of gamers as possible. So I support any game that does this. Though... some need to put more effort into higher difficulties, as seen in The Elder Scrolls, just buffing enemies and nerfing the player into the ground isn't really fun.

Though I prefer every game have difficulty options, I fully understand games not having them in situations like Dark Souls/Bloodborne[footnote]Before someone comes in says these aren't hard... in today's modern game market, they are above average difficulty. They were easy for you.[/footnote] or some very easy game... I think Yoshi's Yarn World got some complaints for this. A game might be trying to appeal to a certain audience and the best way to do that is to focus solely on making them happy, so spending time on adding more difficulty options isn't smart development wise. And this is 100% okay with me. Games are legit being vomited out now, just because one is a little to difficult for me isn't an issue.