Reply to Modding Madness: Secrets + Difficulty
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When creating a d-mod (as I myself have discovered on a few occasions) one of the most difficult areas is balancing the difficulty.
Now, in a rather "controlled" d-mod such as Eternal Suicide, where there is no levelling up, balancing the game is quite easy. It just takes a little time playing through the game, modifying enemy stats up/down. Easy.
However, in a more open game, difficulty levels can prove a huge problem. Specifically, this problem can come about due to having multiple secrets.
A staple part of any decent quest/epic is having at least a few good secrets. Yet how can you balance a game well if you are not sure how strong Dink will be?
Let's take a look at a hypothetical example...
In the d-mod Dink Kicks Evil's Ass Once More, there are many secrets. One player (let's call him Player 1... I know that's a bit out there, but bear with me) collects all the secrets, yet another (Player 2) misses most/all of them.
How can a d-mod author balance a game where two players stats might vary as much as this...
Player 1: Strength 17, Defense 12, Magic 10
Player 2: Strength 10, Defense 9, Magic 6
An extreme example, perhaps, but this is a very real possibility.
So, my esteemed colleagues... how can a d-mod author best avoid issues such as these? After all, nobody like a d-mod where you waltz through the game, hardly paying attention; neither does anyone enjoy a game where you die time after time after time.
One route would be to modify a boss's stats depending on Dink's own (as in SOB), but what other views do people have on the matter?
Now, in a rather "controlled" d-mod such as Eternal Suicide, where there is no levelling up, balancing the game is quite easy. It just takes a little time playing through the game, modifying enemy stats up/down. Easy.
However, in a more open game, difficulty levels can prove a huge problem. Specifically, this problem can come about due to having multiple secrets.
A staple part of any decent quest/epic is having at least a few good secrets. Yet how can you balance a game well if you are not sure how strong Dink will be?
Let's take a look at a hypothetical example...
In the d-mod Dink Kicks Evil's Ass Once More, there are many secrets. One player (let's call him Player 1... I know that's a bit out there, but bear with me) collects all the secrets, yet another (Player 2) misses most/all of them.
How can a d-mod author balance a game where two players stats might vary as much as this...
Player 1: Strength 17, Defense 12, Magic 10
Player 2: Strength 10, Defense 9, Magic 6
An extreme example, perhaps, but this is a very real possibility.
So, my esteemed colleagues... how can a d-mod author best avoid issues such as these? After all, nobody like a d-mod where you waltz through the game, hardly paying attention; neither does anyone enjoy a game where you die time after time after time.
One route would be to modify a boss's stats depending on Dink's own (as in SOB), but what other views do people have on the matter?
