Poll: Will you drop the difficulty if you're having trouble?

[tippy2k2]

I was listening to The Escapist Potcat a while ago and heard an interesting thing (although now I can't find which Potcat it was in so maybe I just made it up)...

A gamer wrote in a question and basically stated that they would not be willing to play on a lower difficulty because it would ruin their gaming credibility. I thought that was a rather silly notion but I suppose I can partially identify with it since I've never done that...until now.

I'm playing The Witcher 2 and I am just getting my ass handed to me. I don't know if it's the game's fault for having a less-than-intuitive fight system or my fault for sucking (likely option 2...) but after getting killed by these four bandits for the five hundredth fucking time, I finally said I'm out and kicked the difficulty down to easy.

Tippy2k2 is now a much happier camper! Geralt can actually survive the fight if he gets knocked down and I can actually handle fighting four bad guys at once! Unfortunately this makes some enemies piss easy to fight but I'll take that trade-off to stop getting killed. So the question to you:

Will you drop the difficulty or just keep ramming your head into the brick wall until one of you breaks? Let's assume for this that this is your first time through the game so it's not you fighting for achievements. Also, let's assume that difficulty is NOT the point of the game (so keep that silly Dark Souls discussion out of here!).

Spoiler: EDIT: A more thorough run-down for each option

Yes; if it's no fun what's the point?
The enjoyment factor of the game trumps out having a challenge and/or getting your ass handed to you constantly.

Yes; I play for the experience not the challenge
The story factor of the game trumps out having a challenge and/or getting your ass handed to you constantly.

No; my gamer pride will not allow it
You likely identify yourself as a hardcore gamer. Whether it's the achievements or your own self satisfaction of a job well-done, you will not drop the difficulty.

No; the game will not best me!
You play for the challenge. You don't like giving up and dropping the difficulty feels like giving up. If you drop the difficulty, you're giving up the challenge and so what's the point?

I always play on easy
If the option exists, you are always playing on a weak difficulty. You don't have the time or the patience to sit around getting killed so you want to be able to cut through the game with minimal resistance. Or you might be my Dad, in which case you're not very good at video games and need the challenge to be minimal.

Other
You need to open your mind up Tippy2k2 for my preferences are not in your poll!

 

[Zhukov]

Yeah.

Then I'll try and coax my balls back out from under my hip joints.

However, I can't remember the last time I had to bump something down to easy. I can complete most games on either normal or normal+1 without too much trouble. Max difficulty is usually a bit beyond me though, or at least hard enough to make things frustrating to the point where it gets in the way of the fun.

 

[krazykidd]

No . I try to find out what i'm doing wrong so i can get better at the game , and at games in general . Skills from games carry over to others . Also i have been gaming for so log and i have learned so much , that i can play through most games on hard on my first playthrough. Gaming being my main hobby , i strive to better myself in all aspects . So i welcome challenge and frustration wholeheartedly knowing it will make me a better gamer .

 

[Goofguy]

I'll keep ramming my head in to the brick wall. It's not a question of credibility but stubbornness and not wanting to give in. I find that if I'm having trouble with a certain part, I'll sleep on it and come back the next day. Tends to work wonders for me when I'm not frustratingly doing it repeatedly late at night.

 

[Extra-Ordinary]

I've been tempted many, MANY times but some time away from the game actually sorts out the problem just fine.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

It depends on the game. If it's a game that I'm playing for a challenge, no, because otherwise that would defeat the purpose. Although most of the games I play for a challenge don't have difficulty options, so I guess this is a moot point.

In most games, though, I'm willing to lower the difficulty, because why put up with it? If a game has a stupidly unfair section, I don't bother trying to save my leet gamer cred by banging my head against a wall until I can get through. It's simply not fun. Although I'll have to say that I don't have to do this very often, as most games these days are pretty good about being consistent with their difficulty (or just being plain easy to begin with).

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Depends on the game I guess. If it is a story based game then I don't give a fuck about the challenge, so if it is pissing me off I'll lower the difficulty. If it is a game based around challenge and skill though then I will test myself against it and try to not give up.

 

[thesilentman]

I don't lower difficulty unless the game has some sort of bullshit difficulty in it. If the AI is unfair, then I'll drop the difficulty. But never for any other reason.

 

[lechat]

if it aint fun then i drop the difficulty
i seriously think anyone who plays a game just so they can tear their hair out and scream obscenities at the devs are the sort of ppl that tend to like being beaten

i do not believe game devs are all knowing gods who somehow magically tweak game difficulty to the point where it is a genuine challenge and sometimes they just drop the ball and need me to tweak it for them

 

[shrekfan246]

If I'm playing something like Devil May Cry, no, not usually. If I'm playing something like Dragon Age, though? You bet. I hate blood mages too much to put up with that BS.

I don't generally play games on Hard or above, because most of them believe that "Hard" means every enemy takes half an hour to kill and can shred your character like tissue paper. I get that it's probably difficult to script up more advanced AI routines for higher difficulty levels, but I'd still like to see more games do something like that instead of just arbitrarily changing numbers around.

 

[NightmareExpress]

I grew up playing games programmed by sadists.
I suppose my memories of those games spur me on, all those ridiculously hard games with nary a difficulty option. If I could overcome shit like that as a young lad, I can overcome easy peezy lemon squeezy stuff like these as a man!

When I pick a difficulty, I stick with it to the end.
If it's too easy, I turn it up. There ain't no turning it down.

 

[Tahaneira]

My first playthrough of a game will almost always be on the easiest difficulty. It lets me experience the setting, characters, story, gameplay mechanics, etc., without having to really worry about getting ganked while I'm messing around. The second time through, when I know what to expect and can actually focus on the combat without being distracted every five seconds, sure, I'll play it for the challenge. But not the first time. Unless the game is really boring, in which case I'll probably switch to something else.

 

[scorptatious]

I remember when I was little, I would always set the game on the easiest setting if given the option.

Now? Not so much.

There was one point in Skyrim in which I lowered the difficulty down because I kept getting killed by higher leveled enemies. Not long after though, I let my pride get the best of me and brought it back up to where I was. I got better at the game as time went on.

 

[Jezzascmezza]

I personally can't stand getting too frustrated with games, seeing as I exclusively play them for relaxation and recreation, so yeah, I won't hesitate to drop the difficulty if it gets in the way of my enjoyment.

 

[s0denone]

I usually play on normal/medium, and only turn the slider up, not down, should the situation arise.

 

[Camaranth]

Mostly depends on why I'm playing the game, I'll start on normal then adjust from there. I just want to complete the game and enjoy the experience, sometimes I want a challenge so I'll replay something on hard or legendary just to shake things up for a bit.

If it's a game I've borrowed I'll normally go straight for easy so I can return it in a timely fashion.

 

[Baron von Blitztank]

Only if I'm at the very beginning of a game. Otherwise I just say to myself:

"If I was able to make it this far on this difficulty then this challenge is up to skill level I have"

CAPTCHA: Chocolate Pudding! Y U NO MATH???

 

[Rangarig]

It really depends on the game, but if I notice that I am getting frustrated and upset, then definitely. If a game has a storyline that has captured my attention, I will lower the difficulty to be able to experience the story.

I also tend to lower the difficulty when I try out new controls, new mods, etc. simply so I do not get overrun whilst testing or being idle.

 

[Ix Rebound]

after getting repeatably spam killed by Shao Kahn in Mortal Kombat 2011, yes i will, its the only thing that will stop me from putting a controller sized hole the in the TV