Deep dive #4 - What is easy and what is hard?
Salutations! It is time for the fourth post in the deep dives series, today we are looking into how RETOOLED is handling difficulty levels.
To start off this deep dive I would like to explain my view on difficulty levels and their goal in RETOOLED as I believe the perception of what a certain difficulty level should be differs a lot from gamer to gamer.
It is important to me that I do not alter the core gameplay DNA when creating different difficulty levels in RETOOLED. I do not want RETOOLED to go from a momentum shooter to a cover shooter, instead the idea is to increase the pressure on the player. To achieve this:
[h2]Normal[/h2] is the intended way for RETOOLED to be experienced. RETOOLED is meant to be challenging so the normal difficulty level can seem tough.
100% attack tokens
100% damage
100% health
Standard behavior/reactions
Starts levels with the intended amount of extra lives.
[h2]Easy[/h2] is for those struggling with normal, it’s more of cruise mode for the player but expect to die if you lose focus.
60% attack tokens
80% damage
80%(ish) health, AI dependent
Slower reaction times, slightly favors weaker attacks than baseline.
Starts levels with +1 of the intended amount of extra lives.
[h2]Hard[/h2] is for those that are looking for a challenge and It is recommened as a second playthrough. Knowledge of weapons and abilities combos as well as a few locations of extra lives throughout the levels is recommended.
140% attack tokens
120% damage
120%(ish) health, AI dependent
Quicker reaction times, slightly favors stronger attacks than baseline.
Starts levels with 0 extra lives.
[h2]Extra lives[/h2] are your limited checkpoints! Struggling with a certain section of level? Be on the lookout for extra lives throughout the level to increase your likelihood of success. If you die without any extra lives then you will have to restart the level.
I have strived to make sure each death occurring in RETOOLED feels fair and made sure you have the tools/options to avoid them.
RETOOLED is meant to be challenging and is carefully crafted to give you a power trip and a sense of accomplishment once mastered.
[h3]The wait for RETOOLED is almost over, on the 25th of september it will be in your hands![/h3]
And remember, join the Discord to discuss the game and find out about the latest updates:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1997590/RETOOLED/
To start off this deep dive I would like to explain my view on difficulty levels and their goal in RETOOLED as I believe the perception of what a certain difficulty level should be differs a lot from gamer to gamer.
It is important to me that I do not alter the core gameplay DNA when creating different difficulty levels in RETOOLED. I do not want RETOOLED to go from a momentum shooter to a cover shooter, instead the idea is to increase the pressure on the player. To achieve this:
- I have created an “attack token” request system for AIs where they have to ask for permission to attack. This gives me greater control to not only make sure there aren't too uneven difficulty spikes within a map but also establish the baseline pressure for each difficulty level.
- I slightly tweak AI behaviors like their reaction time to player focus, their need to avoid being targeted, defensive abilities cooldown and their charges.
- Attack option selection to either slightly favor weaker or stronger attacks dependent on difficulty level.
- Minor stat boosts, some % are AI dependent so not all are equal.
[h2]Normal[/h2] is the intended way for RETOOLED to be experienced. RETOOLED is meant to be challenging so the normal difficulty level can seem tough.
100% attack tokens
100% damage
100% health
Standard behavior/reactions
Starts levels with the intended amount of extra lives.
[h2]Easy[/h2] is for those struggling with normal, it’s more of cruise mode for the player but expect to die if you lose focus.
60% attack tokens
80% damage
80%(ish) health, AI dependent
Slower reaction times, slightly favors weaker attacks than baseline.
Starts levels with +1 of the intended amount of extra lives.
[h2]Hard[/h2] is for those that are looking for a challenge and It is recommened as a second playthrough. Knowledge of weapons and abilities combos as well as a few locations of extra lives throughout the levels is recommended.
140% attack tokens
120% damage
120%(ish) health, AI dependent
Quicker reaction times, slightly favors stronger attacks than baseline.
Starts levels with 0 extra lives.
[h2]Extra lives[/h2] are your limited checkpoints! Struggling with a certain section of level? Be on the lookout for extra lives throughout the level to increase your likelihood of success. If you die without any extra lives then you will have to restart the level.
I have strived to make sure each death occurring in RETOOLED feels fair and made sure you have the tools/options to avoid them.
RETOOLED is meant to be challenging and is carefully crafted to give you a power trip and a sense of accomplishment once mastered.
[h3]The wait for RETOOLED is almost over, on the 25th of september it will be in your hands![/h3]
And remember, join the Discord to discuss the game and find out about the latest updates:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1997590/RETOOLED/