As a rule, I prefer to keep the difficulty constant if possible, but if it gets to the point where I just can't enjoy the game on the current difficulty, I have absolutely no qualms with adjusting it in either direction. If I start to feel the game is too easy, I'll increase it as well, just as I'd decrease it if the game is too hard. After all, entertainment is what I'm playing the game for, I want a challenge only because it's generally more fun if there's some degree of risk involved in the game, if it turns out that the challenge is either too small or too great for me to be entertained, then not changing it accordingly would defeat the purpose of playing.

This is what's so great about the Sliding Scale, you can tune it to yourself, and not just discrete difficulties. I would like the game to prevent you from decreasing the difficulty too much in one go...maybe the more times you die the more you can decrease the difficulty if you wanted.

In Morrowind I played mostly on easiest...I'm glad there were no Achievements/Trophies for difficulty settings in Oblivion.

No. I like difficulty. I like challenge.
If the game feels too easy however, I will bring up the difficulty.

Hells No!!

I never touch the slider. If my first or second character feels too powerful I might dial it up a little, but I'll usually begin with a new though similar character. I usually have a dozen to choose from as the mood suits me.

they make the game so that it shouldnt be too hard with the default difficulty. however, if i come up in a situation where i have no choice but dying and load an ooold save, i might adjust the slider a tiny bit

If I physically cannot continue, then yes, I will change the difficulty.

However, in most cases, with enough attempts it's possible to do most things. Just have to think tactically (for me anyway, I play Mages).

in situations where I do not have a choice, why yes, else I wont get anywhere in the game. But if I have a tiny bit of chance OR i can simply leave and came back later, I'd never turn it down

In OB I turned down the difficulty when I got annoyed. After I have killed 50000000 savage trolls(FG anyone?) I get rather annoyed since they aren't a challenge, just annoying so I turn the difficulty down to speed up my progress. I don't mind a challenge though.

if it is to easy i will turn it up, if to hard i will have to deal with it
challenge makes the victory that much more tasteful. B)

This is my general attitude. I play most games on Normal, and they're usually fine. In the rare game where I'm no longer enjoying myself, and can't really go somewhere else and try a different path, tho? Yeah, I'll adjust the diff.


Examples - Half Life 2, the prison scene where you defend the alcove with the wimpy turrets. After a bunch of tries, I turned it down. And at that point - I wasn't interested in challenge as much as I was interested in the story. So I left it lower. (I forget if I turned it back up for the Episodes.)

Dragon Age was another - PC version's higher difficulty, combined with a less-than-ideal party (two rogues, healer, tank. Yes, I played "Dragon Mage":Origins with no mages...) made for a horrible experience. I initially just turned it down for the boss fights, but then it started throwing me into automatic fights on the road against 15+ enemies. Difficulty went down and stayed down. (And again, there was also the fact that I didn't enjoy the combat. It got amazingly tedious, very quickly. But the story was interesting.)

edit: I've never adjusted MW/OB/FO3 away from Normal.

I suppose I'm pretty stubborn but not so stubborn that I'll play the game while not having fun. I usually leave it at Normal. The only game I've adjusted downward is Uncharted 2 and then still had trouble...need to go back to that game some day...got bored with it. When Skyrim comes out, if I find that's too hard, I'll nudge it downward, play some more and then if it's still too hard, nudge it again. I won't nudge it for an event or quest though. There have been some articles (Game Informer) discussing this and above all, this is supposed to be fun so I have no problem adjusting the setting. I can try it higher next game. There have been some difficult quests that I've finally gotten through after a long struggle...but those are the most memorable and satisfying too, if you can get through them. That's why I try to NOT nudge the setting.

:tes:

In oblivion, I would make minor adjustments as I leveled up. Mainly to compensate for scaling. I hope I don't have to do the same in Skyrim.

I never make changes to the difficulty, usually I don't need that. If it gets a little harder, then it's a challenge, and I like challenges.

I play on the highest difficulty setting and NEVER turn it down.. if I did that, I would consider the save spoiled and wouldn't be able to play it anymore..

I just love having that challenge because everything is so much more satisfying when you achieve it, if you play on default and then turn it down to very easy when the stuff gets tough, you may as well play it on very easy all the time.

I always set to the highest difficulty and leave it there, if they're properly balanced, static settings.

The Slider in Oblivion/Morrowind was pretty bad though though. At Full tilt, enemies were invincible, while one-hit killing the PC.

Usually what I did in Morrowind/Oblivion, is every level I got, I bumped the difficulty up one notch, give or take, depending on the range. For Example, Early it would be 2-3 notches, later I'd just leave it.

My biggest problem with Low difficulties, is how it's like, a lie. You act powerful,b ut basically, you're crushing ants.

Depends. Is the fight difficult because it is actually challenging or because it is tedious?

If it is just being tedious and trying to waste my time, yeah I will crank down the difficulty just to get past something.

I kept it on normal throughout OB because easy was too easy and very hard provided tedious combat. I also never had any problems with any enemy encounters anyway as I had ridiculously powerful shield and reflect spell/ damage enchantments on my armour. However Skyrim will be a new game so I don't know if I will be willing to change the difficulty.

One demand I have on all RPG games would be to make it too hard if you're going too fast forward. If I'm able to win every fight throughout the whole game, the game will be a total failure for me. I need some a challenge, or at least a feeling of progress.

in Morrowind I turned the difficulty up to 65% right from the start. After understanding the game and coming up with a plan for how I should build my character, I started over, with diffculty 80%. And I love it. I love when I cant finish something the first time I try it. That doesnt mean that I burst in, die, and try again till it works, it means I poke at the problem, if I sense that I will get my [censored] handed to me I run, and then come back when I think I have a a good strategy and built up my character enough.

I am also cautious to save before I try it, so I dont get stuck in a situation where i cannot escape and the last non-quicksave is far too old. But if I do get in such a situation, I will turn the diff down and slay him.

In oblivion its a bit different, due to level scaling. I Started the first game with about 75%, and far into the game I realized that everything level up as I do, i was pretty much toast. I was inevitably forced to turn the difficulty down to 55% or something, played for a bit longer with a dead heart, until I realized I wouldnt enjoy any of it. Sadly, it killed it totally for me and I've just recently, with MMM and OOO mods attached with SI, started a new game with 75%. And I will without a doubt finish the game this time, without ever reducing it below 75%.

I killed Mankar Camoran so fast, his corspe actually fell back into his seat (level 46 Redguard)

I turn the difficulty up in Oblivion (it was absolute hell fighting trolls and mountain lions), never down. For other games I always play on normal then try and beat the game on higher setting if there are any rewards

I also feel like BGS should disable achievements if people are going to turn the game down. There's nothing "unbeatable" about the game


The only game I've ever played that was literally UNBEATABLE was the original Fire Emblem, a turn based RTS, for the GBA. Unique fighters on your squad actually perish in that game and never come back if they die on any levels. But that wasnt the impossible part. The thing was at the very end of the game I found out that I did not fight with the main story character enough, thus he was a low level.... he was the only one who was allowed to defeat the boss

Literally had to start the game all over :flame: :banghead: :swear:

I kept it on normal on Oblivion because combat was rather tedious on higher difficulties, it took too long to finish small battles. On Fallout 3 and New Vegas, where combat is more varied and interesting, I had the difficulty on highest. As long as the combat is interesting on Skyrim, I'll turn it up to the highest difficulty and keep it there - the challenge provides better entertainment.

Unlike a lot of people here seem to, I like achievements and I agree with this. Either disable achievements at lower difficulties or provide better ones at higher difficulties.

In daggerfall, i remember having reached the end of a long, arduous dungeon run. Right at the front of the chamber with the emerald i had to retrieve, there was a vampire ancient, and i couldn't touch him or i would blow up. After dying 17 times, i had to cheat, it was just too miserable. I'd rather jump into an bliviongate: instead.

You're kidding, right? Whatever the difficulty, video games, period, are how I let my brain slip into a coma

Never a decrease. Its either 'Normal' or above.

I'm like this too. Changing the difficulty just seems to be changing how the game is meant to be played. I don't do it because I feel like it's doing something wrong to how my game is supposed to be.


If by stubborn you mean I don't change the difficulty, yes, but I don't see the fun in doing something that messes up how I want to play.

I leave the slider in the middle (normal) position.
If it's too hard at times, that's great. It should be.
I will just re-think my strategy, or try again later.