I forgot the slider even existed. Can't say I would miss it, if they didn't include it.

As an experienced Morrowind player, I can't see any good reasons for removing the difficulty slider. I played first at diff 0 and then on later characters I increased to first 30, then 50 and then even 70 for my brutal orc, with a sorcerer, I would probebly like to make the game a little easier and only play at diff 50. The freedom to choose the difficulty so that it fits my experience, my character, my added difficulty mods and how cheasy I play ensures that the game is always balanced and not too easy or too difficult... so keep the difficulty slider.

hardcoer hardcoe, please hardcoe, difficult hardcoe!!!!

Keep the difficulty slider, or find a better alternative. I quite liked being able to dynamically adjust the difficulty of the game to whatever I feel like at the time. :shrug:

I prefer the difficulty sliders, but both kinds of Difficulty settings still make things quite unrealistic at the extremes. (Very Hard, Very Easy)

The advises other players give you, how you should play in the beginning and such, telling how hard the game is and mub crabs can easily kill you... That's never going to happen if the difficluty slider allows you to make the game so ridiculously easy as it is on minimum. Also the maximum is too difficult as I said before-you'll have to use reflect/absorb/resist stuff to the max to survive.

i say keep the slider

In Oblivion its not a Difficulty slider. More accurately its called a Tedium slider. Because moving that slider off its position just makes the game tedious.

I vote Normal or Hard.

Most of the time I keep the slider on its default settings but I don't agree with the current system. The Difficulty Slider shouldn't turn enemies into cannon fodder or damage sponges, plain and simple. Instead, it should change how quickly or intelligently the A.I. reacts to your actions (I'm assuming the combat and A.I. are much more advanced than seen in Oblivion). A list of additional check-boxes or sliders should be included that deal with effects of hunger/thirst/sleep/temperature on the character along with the frequency of rare loot (if there is a mostly leveled loot system again..ugh - I prefer hand-placed items) and the difficulty of the economy. I don't like the idea that if I cannot defeat a powerful enemy, I can simply lower the difficulty and breeze through the fight. I want to be forced to retreat, think of a new plan, gain a level or two, and return to the battle or fail the quest. Doing this without the idea in the back of my head saying there is always an easy way out would make everything I do in the game feel much more rewarding and immersive. This could be done by having the player only be able to choose their difficulty settings at the start of the game, possibly with a "test run" battle to let you know how the game will play out.

This.

I love the sliders.

It basically just effects combat difficulty, so it makes the game accessable to people who aren't so great in the fast-paced portions of the game.

Plus, the slider goes from ludicrously easy to insanely hard, which is a range that I really see with the 'easy, medium, hard'. It's easy tog et into a tight situation in these games, and every now and again setting things down lower make things more reasonable.

If you want challenge by increased damage you take, move one slider. If challenge by harder to kill enemies, move the other. If less/more lethal combat in general, move both.

I agree on shorter and deadlier fights. Character HP should be between 100 and 200 to get some realism in there. You're not a human anymore if you can get hit by a meteor and survive.

Morrowind and Oblivion method was perfect because you could set it perfectly for your preference.

I'd really like to see separate health & damage sliders, because I hate getting in long drawn out brawls with one enemy all day. If there's one suggestion I hope Bethesda sees it's this one.

I didn't cast a vote, here's why.

The difficulty slider makes you deal less damage and enemies deal more. That's it. It doesn't make the game harder, it just makes it more tedious and combat more of a time and resource sink.

I want enemies that get smarter, get better and or new abilities and or gear, and spawn in greater numbers as the slider goes up.

The slider as it stands in Oblivion, FO3/NV is absolute garbage, imo, and it needs a serious revamp.

So I suppose my vote would be for "Slider that is actually a difficulty slider, not a tedium slider". On the other hand, I wouldn't want flat difficulties at all, I don't think, so if they're going to keep the slider with it's current weak implementation, I guess that's better than tiered difficulty.

Me too. But for the average gamer, use radio buttons:

Difficulty level:
-Easy
-Normal
-Hard
-Custom

Choosing 'custom' opens those half-dozen or so other sliders, to set enemy health, aggressiveness, level progression speed, etc. This way, you can fine tune the game. And this would be how people could get the 'laughably easy' and 'OMG hardcoe' modes they want.

I normally don't mess with the difficulty unless there is a achievement or some kind of reward in game for doing something on a higher difficulty, so I'm fine with the difficulty slider. I might use it if they expand upon it like others have posted. It would be neat to make both myself and enemies have extremely low health. Very challenging.

I prefer categories of difficulty that actually mean something:

Easy: Enemies have a slower reaction time, do 20% less damage and have 10% less hp's

Normal: errr... Normal

Hard: Enemies have a faster reaction time, do 20% nore damage and have 10% more hp's

Horror-Show: Enemies have much faster reaction time, do 50% nore damage and have 30% more hp's

I remember I had some other ideas, other than combat only... Something about loot, spells, use of stealth and enhanced sense perception... But cannot remember.

I just do not wnat a slider that allows ME to make more or less damage. I want my potential to be determined by my build, and the difficulty affecting the obstacles.

Leave it alone. I can't see any good reason to tamper with what has already worked well.

I would have voted both.

Difficulty slider to regulate difficulty of combat.

Difficulty mode for regulating game mechanics (instant FT/ Quest Compass)

I'm not really concerned about the difficulty slider. I'm hard pressed to remember a time I've actually used it. What really concerns me is if the leveling system is the same as it was for Oblivion. For the love of the nines make it like Morrowind, or at least have both leveling systems as options so I don't feel so alienated as a long term fan of the series. I have to say it completely ruined what an RPG is supposed to be about.

I meant damage-wise, I thought that was pretty self-evident since this is a difficulty thread, but obviously some people can't infer that.

I love the slider. I generally set it pretty low because I enjoy my games less for the combat and more for the quests and the journey and exploration...the story. I like to get through the combat quickly and move on. The challenge of combat does not excite me.

But on occasion I like to do a run through on top difficulty just to make sure I can.