Difficulty - does it ever get harder?

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AuthorTopic: Difficulty - does it ever get harder?
Apprentice
Member # 5847
Profile #0
I've been playing through, for the first time, as a Shaper - normal difficulty. I'm not doing anything exotic in terms of character stats, just putting most of them into Intelligence and the three Shaping skills, with the odd point in Spellcraft and some points in Leadership and Mechanics (~6-8 each).

For creations, I started with a couple Fyoras, traded them in for some Artilas with Thahd backup, and I've upgraded to new creations as I got them. Currently I've got a Battle Alpha, two Cryoas, and a Terror Vlish.

I've fairly recently reached Kazg, my most recently completed quest was cleaning out the Refugee Cave. And it's frankly getting boring. Nothing since the Ruined School was the slightest challenge (and that wasn't bad), my creations just blow through everything in my path with no difficulty. They almost never even get hit because virtually everything dies before it gets a turn.

So is this ever going to get even slightly challenging, or should I just crank it up to Torment and have done with it?
Posts: 20 | Registered: Thursday, May 26 2005 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 878
Profile #1
Well the game is supposed to be challenging but doable on torment, so you can't really expect much difficulty two difficulty settings lower.

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Warning: Posts may contain misspellinks and typo.s
Posts: 409 | Registered: Sunday, March 31 2002 08:00
Apprentice
Member # 5847
Profile #2
Well, this is about what I'd expect from "very easy" or some such. It goes WAY beyond reasonableness to call it "normal" unless it gets a lot harder later on.
Posts: 20 | Registered: Thursday, May 26 2005 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 5785
Profile #3
Several levels are allot harder, like Shaper Crypt. You will probably also run into troubles later when the level of creations skip a beat and you are still on the same level.

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"..The seventh wave of Thrall stumbled and climbed over the slippery, piled dead and Mazzarin saw The Watcher with them and at last knew the number of his days."
Posts: 522 | Registered: Wednesday, May 4 2005 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 878
Profile #4
Then again, maybe the strategy of putting many points into intelligence and using the selection of creations you are is just a particularly effective strategy and most other ways to play are significantly harder.

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Warning: Posts may contain misspellinks and typo.s
Posts: 409 | Registered: Sunday, March 31 2002 08:00
Nuke and Pave
Member # 24
Profile Homepage #5
I'd agree with Walter. The Shaper with all points sunk into Intelligence is as strong in Geneforge 1 as Guarding with max Parry is in Geneforge 2.

If you want more challenge, try playing an Agent in early game or a Guardian in late game.

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For it too has the power to kill.
However well placed word, unlike a well placed sword,
Can also have the power to heal.
Posts: 2649 | Registered: Wednesday, October 3 2001 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 878
Profile #6
Or again, if you want a challenge play on torment.

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Warning: Posts may contain misspellinks and typo.s
Posts: 409 | Registered: Sunday, March 31 2002 08:00
Apprentice
Member # 5847
Profile #7
Hokay, thanks for the advice. Torment, here I come...
Posts: 20 | Registered: Thursday, May 26 2005 07:00
Agent
Member # 4506
Profile Homepage #8
quote:
Originally written by Beamup:

Hokay, thanks for the advice. Torment, here I come...
People say that Agent is hardest to play, but on Torment, it just beats Shaper and Guardian! With around 15 BM, my Agent can cast VERY powerful spells. I've just entered Kazg, with no Creations whatsoever.

- Archmagus Micael

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"You dare Trifle with Exile?" - Erika the Archmage
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Undead Valley : A small Undead problem, what could possibly go wrong?
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Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 5847
Profile #9
quote:
Originally written by Archmagus Micael:

quote:
Originally written by Beamup:

Hokay, thanks for the advice. Torment, here I come...
People say that Agent is hardest to play, but on Torment, it just beats Shaper and Guardian! With around 15 BM, my Agent can cast VERY powerful spells. I've just entered Kazg, with no Creations whatsoever.[/i]

Well, I'm back up to Pentil on Torment. It's not the least bit harder, as a matter of fact. AFAICT everything still has the same HP, which means that how powerful/accurate their attacks might be means absolutely nothing, since they never get to use them. Almost everything dies the turn it appears on-screen, before it can get an attack off.

In all honesty, the only way this could get any easier is if I were using the cheat codes or an editor script. So I find it very hard to believe that the Agent can possibly be any easier.

I'm really disappointed in Jeff this time. The Exiles were beautifully balanced, but it seems Geneforge just isn't.
Posts: 20 | Registered: Thursday, May 26 2005 07:00
Agent
Member # 4506
Profile Homepage #10
Try your shaper with only 1 creation to back you up. That may make life a tad interesting for you :P .

- Archmagus Micael

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"You dare Trifle with Exile?" - Erika the Archmage
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My Scenarios:
Undead Valley : A small Undead problem, what could possibly go wrong?
--------------------
Proof of Richard Black's existance:
Richard Black - PROOF of his existance (the Infernal one's website).
Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00
Triad Mage
Member # 7
Profile Homepage #11
The beginning of every Spidweb game is ridiculously easy.

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"At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander
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desperance.net - We're Everywhere
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Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 5847
Profile #12
quote:
Originally written by Drakefyre:

The beginning of every Spidweb game is ridiculously easy.
Correction. The beginning of most Spiderweb games are easy. The beginning of Geneforge is so trivially easy you really have to mess up very badly to get hurt at all. And I include creations in "you."

[ Saturday, July 09, 2005 16:18: Message edited by: Beamup ]
Posts: 20 | Registered: Thursday, May 26 2005 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 6087
Profile #13
To be honest, the ease of SS games is what kept me from going "forget this" and ditching them.

EDITTED: Sorry, profanity (I'm trying NOT to get banned)

[ Tuesday, July 12, 2005 04:27: Message edited by: Ik3 ]

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I want...to kill...myself
I want...to hang...myself
I want...her to see...me die
And to know...that she...has killed me.
Posts: 28 | Registered: Saturday, July 9 2005 07:00
Warrior
Member # 5986
Profile #14
Hmmm. Maybe this calls for an editor that ups the difficulty level by modding enemy HP. Beamup, if you're familiar with script editing, you'll be able to do this by looking in the creature entries of gforscen.txt. However, if you're not, then I'll be tinkering with one myself. I'll edit the post when I get something done.

Be warned that I'm much more accustomed to making games ridiculously easy as opposed to moderately difficult, so this will be a new experience for me. Chances are the game will be too hard once I'm done with it. Maybe some other people will jump on this little bandwagon... I've got lots of room.

EDIT: Ok, here's a link to the Increased Difficulty Script. I tripled the HP of most enemies and gave their abilities more strength. Unfortunately, it also causes a glitch in some of the tile graphics. Evidently GF1 isn't as tolerant to tinkering as GF3 (and based on my experiences, messing with GF2's scenario file is even worse). However, the game should be much harder now. Let me know how it works out.

Be sure to back up the original gforscen.txt before replacing it with the modified version!

[ Tuesday, July 12, 2005 11:56: Message edited by: Slp006 ]

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Wu wei... it's the only way
Posts: 154 | Registered: Monday, June 20 2005 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 5785
Profile #15
quote:
Originally written by Ik3:

To be honest, the ease of SS games is what kept me from going "forget this" and ditching them.

EDITTED: Sorry, profanity (I'm trying NOT to get banned)

How was that profane? You need to chill down. Stasi went down with the fall of Western Germany and DDR.

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"..The seventh wave of Thrall stumbled and climbed over the slippery, piled dead and Mazzarin saw The Watcher with them and at last knew the number of his days."
Posts: 522 | Registered: Wednesday, May 4 2005 07:00
Agent
Member # 4506
Profile Homepage #16
Or you could just try it without any creations. :P

- Archmagus Micael

--------------------
"You dare Trifle with Exile?" - Erika the Archmage
--------------------
My Scenarios:
Undead Valley : A small Undead problem, what could possibly go wrong?
--------------------
Proof of Richard Black's existance:
Richard Black - PROOF of his existance (the Infernal one's website).
Posts: 1370 | Registered: Thursday, June 10 2004 07:00
Apprentice
Member # 6087
Profile #17
quote:
Originally written by Contra:

quote:
Originally written by Ik3:

To be honest, the ease of SS games is what kept me from going "forget this" and ditching them.

EDITTED: Sorry, profanity (I'm trying NOT to get banned)

How was that profane? You need to chill down. Stasi went down with the fall of Western Germany and DDR.

Oh, I cursed before I edited. Nevermind.

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I want...to kill...myself
I want...to hang...myself
I want...her to see...me die
And to know...that she...has killed me.
Posts: 28 | Registered: Saturday, July 9 2005 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 5785
Profile #18
You won't get banned for curseing, and often not for curseing at someone either. Needs to be repeated attempts and ignoreing Code conduct.

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"..The seventh wave of Thrall stumbled and climbed over the slippery, piled dead and Mazzarin saw The Watcher with them and at last knew the number of his days."
Posts: 522 | Registered: Wednesday, May 4 2005 07:00
Triad Mage
Member # 7
Profile Homepage #19
Ah, but cursing is against the Code of Conduct.

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"At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander
====
Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy
desperance.net - We're Everywhere
====
You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse!
Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00
Infiltrator
Member # 5785
Profile #20
True, but it takes repeated violations to be banned. And you know as well as me that a curse here and there to underline oens feeling is not always something you get in trouble for, or even mentioned. Just look over the boards.

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"..The seventh wave of Thrall stumbled and climbed over the slippery, piled dead and Mazzarin saw The Watcher with them and at last knew the number of his days."
Posts: 522 | Registered: Wednesday, May 4 2005 07:00
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
Profile Homepage #21
If he said what I think he said and then changed it to "forget this," the edit was probably a good idea.

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Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Infiltrator
Member # 5785
Profile #22
I can't think of any non-racial word that is not allready scrambled by the forum that can be worth a warning.

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"..The seventh wave of Thrall stumbled and climbed over the slippery, piled dead and Mazzarin saw The Watcher with them and at last knew the number of his days."
Posts: 522 | Registered: Wednesday, May 4 2005 07:00
Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!
Member # 919
Profile #23
Maybe it was scrambled, thus insinuating profanity. Ik3 may have been afraid that the establishment wouldn't appreciate him triggering the auto-censor. Kel's right, changing the word to "forget" was probably a good idea.

Beamup, you may have stumbled upon the best way of playing, and everything may seem easy and boring now, but it will get harder. Contra mentioned the Shaper Crypt; I had a ton of trouble with that. It also depends on how you play the game - for instance, grovelling in submission to a servile leader will probably make the game quite a bit easier than manitaining your independence and killing the... well, I'll let you discover that on your own.

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Posts: 3351 | Registered: Saturday, April 6 2002 08:00