Syndicate Developer Thinks Its Game is Too Hard

WMDogma

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Syndicate Developer Thinks Its Game is Too Hard


Syndicate's cooperative missions will come with some particularly challenging difficulty settings.

In an interview with Eurogamer, Starbreeze's lead co-op programmer Lars Magnus Lang discussed the challenges his team has faced in designing Syndicate's four-player cooperative mode, and the fear they've made the game way, way too hard.

"If you try to play it as a shooter straight on it will be really hard," Lars explained. "[Players will] need to take a different approach from other shooters where you try to really cooperate and heal and revive each other, almost like an MMO experience."

As it stands, Syndicate's cooperative mode doesn't offer any kind of "Easy" setting. Instead the game uses a three-star system, with one star being the standard "Normal" difficulty and three stars proving to be the most challenging. Through QA testing, however, Lars stated Starbreeze found the standard difficulty doesn't provide much of an obstacle once players started coming up with effective team-based tactics or have picked up enough of the game mechanics from the single-player campaign.

"If you already played it and you're really good at it, you can just run through the maps with other good players," Lars said. "But then we have scripted it differently on the different difficulties, so you will encounter more interesting enemies and have some special events... We have mercenary events and more mini-bosses - a lot more mini-bosses - on three stars, for example."

Lars also noted that Starbreeze believes players will have to dedicate over 50 hours in order to unlock everything in the game, and play through an estimated "80 to 100 missions" successfully to reach 100% completion.

Syndicate is scheduled to hack its way onto PCs, the Xbox 360 and PS3 on February 21st in North America and Feb 24th in Europe.

Source: Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-01-starbreeze-in-constant-fear-syndicate-is-too-hard]

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Waaghpowa

Needs more Dakka
Apr 13, 2010
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So what if it's too hard? It's like people are too afraid of making something challenging because someone got the idea that gamers are wimps who want instant gratification 24/7. Having a decent strategy is what makes anyone good at most games.

Although I haven't been able to play the demo yet, seeing as they "forgot" the PC demo.
 
Feb 13, 2008
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"If you try to play it as a shooter straight on it will be really hard," Lars explained. "[Players will] need to take a different approach from other shooters where you try to really cooperate and heal and revive each other, almost like an MMO experience."
And if you press one button it goes bang bang. The other button kisses the boo-boo.

You are talking to X million people who already know how to circle strafe while reloading and watching peripheral vision. Can someone please just hire a damn nerd capable of netspeak?
 

Section Crow

Infamous Scribbler for Life
Aug 26, 2009
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good, failure then success is more rewarding than success with no failures as you know you have progressed

but 50+ hours for 100% completion? i'll challenge that
 

Wolfram23

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The title here is misleading. He never said he thinks it's too hard, he said the 3 star difficulty is hard... but that good players will breeze through 1 star.
 

Kinguendo

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'Tis true! I just played the Demo and I had an awful team who only hadchips that increased their damage output, I was the only one with team shield and team heal and I was the only one healing the others and strategically taking the aggro from the Liquids when my team mates were being hammered so they could heal each other... they didnt but at least I was playing well.

It does seem like a really good game, though it needs more playable characters or character creation as everyone wants to play as the first guy and if they dont get to be him they either try to kick the guy who is or just leaves the lobby. Oh and it has weapon customization but you have to unlock the customization and then achieve the customization through weapon use, so its not just getting an unlock and then killing everything.
 

teh_Canape

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May 18, 2010
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well
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was pretty hard
and folks made a mod to make it harder
so there you go XD
 

Kinguendo

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The_root_of_all_evil said:
"If you try to play it as a shooter straight on it will be really hard," Lars explained. "[Players will] need to take a different approach from other shooters where you try to really cooperate and heal and revive each other, almost like an MMO experience."
And if you press one button it goes bang bang. The other button kisses the boo-boo.

You are talking to X million people who already know how to circle strafe while reloading and watching peripheral vision. Can someone please just hire a damn nerd capable of netspeak?
Have you... not played the Demo? Circle strafing wont work, the Liquids will just kill you if you stay out in the open even for the length of a reload... no matter how much you smack the L stick around.
 

ImmortalDrifter

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The_root_of_all_evil said:
Kinguendo said:
Have you... not played the Demo?
1) PC.
2) No remakes.
I feel the need to point this out for good or bad, it isn't a remake. (as someone who has played both)

Name and attitude are all that remain of the original. If the demo was out for pc, I would encourage looking at it. It feels good to play a game that isn't bogged down with vomit inducing heroism/patriotism, and the gameplay is just varied enough not to be tedious.
 
Feb 13, 2008
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ImmortalDrifter said:
Name and attitude are all that remain of the original.
See, I'd question that. Name does, but attitude?
The original Syndicate was essence of Cyberpunk: A Dystopian Future where Hobos are dragged from the street, fitted with guns, cybernetics and bombs and told to wage war.
This one? A Utopian Future where a super goodlooking supersmart cyborg fights for his life against the evil corporations and their inevitable betrayal.

Frozen Synapse does Cyberpunk Shooters fifteen times better than this Ultramodern Warfare.
 
Apr 28, 2008
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Yes, because gamers these days hate hard games and will avoid them whenever possible.


Also, I hope the final game has a setting to make the hud stick to the screen and not fucking bounce wildly with every damned movement.
 

Zen Toombs

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Nov 7, 2011
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Hmm. I'll be curious to see if they actually made a game that is too hard.

For some strange reason I find it unlikely, but I await being suprised.
 

Comando96

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May 26, 2009
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O_O

TOO HARD?



Seriously I like the sound of this more and more.Please don't disappoint.
 

Caligulove

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Sep 25, 2008
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There is a difference between instant gratification and a real challenge. Developer seems to be trying to walk that fine line. At one side they really want to go all out in what they can throw at the player- without turning off too many other players in the process.

Not to mention that its all optional. I love optional difficulty multiplyers. Another reason I still like Halo: Reach and the skulls Bungie made for the series. The difference it can make, and the feeling of completing a LASO (Legendary, All Skulls On) run of a campaign level is had to match.
 

SL33TBL1ND

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Nov 9, 2008
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No, it isn't too hard, it's just that multiplayer is something you do after you've got the hang of the game from the singleplayer. Tycho put it pretty well on PA [http://penny-arcade.com/2012/02/01/the-creative-spark].
 

Akimoto

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Nov 22, 2011
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Waaghpowa said:
seeing as they "forgot" the PC demo.
Yeah the lazy tarts. No one does a PC demo anymore, not since what... 5 years ago? I half suspect they're trying to Skinner us all towards the console. That said, the trailer looks great.