Game to easy?

Distant Worlds is a vast, pausable real-time, 4X space strategy game which models a "living galaxy" with incredible options for replayability and customizability. Experience the full depth and detail of large turn-based strategy games, but with the simplicity and ease of real-time, and on the scale of a massively-multiplayer online game. Now greatly enhanced with the new Universe release, which includes all four previous releases as well as the new Universe expansion!

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darcion
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Game to easy?

Post by darcion »

i have no problems to win this game on the hardest difficult. whats your experience? game to easy?
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Nedrear
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by Nedrear »

Did you use tech trading as a money exploit or other kown AI bugs? Then yes you cheated it easy...
If you keep away from exploits and switch off the backstory it becomes harder.
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galahadba
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by galahadba »

Even without using any exploit the backhistory makes the game too easy, getting lots of 400 power cruisers when the max any one can build is a 80 power frigate is too overpowered... i think an easy way to "fix" this, would be to get off the history options, and make a new game entry in the menu called "campaign" or something like this, that makes clear for everyone that you are playing in an especial mode to see the history of the game, if you want a chalenge you go to the "normal" mode where you don't get any overpowered cruiser/capital ship to easilly crush the AI. Simple change that would soulve these king of complaint. :)

the bugs from outer galaxy are a good add to the game, but with all the free ships you get they become the only chalenge...
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Ralzakark
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by Ralzakark »

In Legends you can turn off the back story which removes the warship graveyards which can unbalance the game as you say. You will still get the occasional single ship.
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adecoy95
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by adecoy95 »

its an issue the game struggles with.

i cant say there are many occasions were i feel truly threatened by the ai.

im still pretty miffed they havent done something with the population growth of AI colonies. they happily collect 2k in taxes from overtaxed, underpopulated worlds for decades.

and for the record i never raid graveyards, except world destroyers (which i will either hold and not use its main weapon, or sabotage)

i love your avatar btw ralzakark
Bingeling
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by Bingeling »

And just to be clear, the story disabler was there in ROTS as well.

Not that I play many games, but I hate the graveyards, and tend to play with both stories off. I also leave various things automated and void farming stupid AI (tech trading a lot).
Admiral Moe Lester
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by Admiral Moe Lester »

I'd really like to see some challenges that can keep large empires on their toes. Right now you can make it plenty difficult to get started up and form a great empire but after that a player is almost unstoppable. I think it would be really nice for there to be more internal challenges of keeping a large empire together so every stage of the game remains interesting.
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ehsumrell1
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by ehsumrell1 »

ORIGINAL: Admiral Moe Lester

I'd really like to see some challenges that can keep large empires on their toes. Right now you can make it plenty difficult to get started up and form a great empire but after that a player is almost unstoppable. I think it would be really nice for there to be more internal challenges of keeping a large empire together so every stage of the game remains interesting.

Admiral, you must not have yet had a game where your Empire has grown EXACTLY the way
you wanted and then your Empire splits in two from revolution (taking your
starting Homeworld with it)!
Shields are useless in "The Briar Patch"...
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RaffleSnaffle
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by RaffleSnaffle »

ORIGINAL: ehsumrell1

ORIGINAL: Admiral Moe Lester

I'd really like to see some challenges that can keep large empires on their toes. Right now you can make it plenty difficult to get started up and form a great empire but after that a player is almost unstoppable. I think it would be really nice for there to be more internal challenges of keeping a large empire together so every stage of the game remains interesting.

Admiral, you must not have yet had a game where your Empire has grown EXACTLY the way
you wanted and then your Empire splits in two from revolution (taking your
starting Homeworld with it)!

This actually happens?!
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Harrs
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by Harrs »

Yes it happened me too.. But only with autotaxes.. And no regional capitals..
But it can happen..

Still the game is too easy.. as I showed in my AAR the hardest possible start conditions cant stop a player with some experience..
The balance is destroyed if you found capital ships.. or you trade technology.. Or you just invade colononies without declaring war..

If you play with autotax and autodesign then the game gets a little bit harder.. but If you have the possibilities to use this functions you should use it..

Please make an Ultra-Hard difficulty for the expansion.. and teach the AI some trading.
Make this game harder!
hewwo
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by hewwo »

Yeah, I quit playing a long time ago because it was just too easy. Not that I couldn't play and suspend disbelief or something if I had nothing better to do, but there are just so many other more rewarding games out. Like XCOM [:D]
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jpwrunyan
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by jpwrunyan »

Derelict ships with titan beams ruin the game more than anything else for me. Either I get one and destroy my neighbors or they get one and destroy me. At least with the kaldos drive derelicts you can do some damage with maxos blasters. But one level 7 destroyer in the beginning and forget about it.

Btw kaldos drives are the ultimate suxxor. Only good for small escorts and no one uses those!
Bingeling
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by Bingeling »

Hm, kaldos drives are usually the ones I would use until the final ones. I like good jump times...
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feelotraveller
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by feelotraveller »

ORIGINAL: Harrs

Yes it happened me too.. But only with autotaxes.. And no regional capitals..
But it can happen..

Still the game is too easy.. as I showed in my AAR the hardest possible start conditions cant stop a player with some experience..
The balance is destroyed if you found capital ships.. or you trade technology.. Or you just invade colononies without declaring war..

If you play with autotax and autodesign then the game gets a little bit harder.. but If you have the possibilities to use this functions you should use it..

Please make an Ultra-Hard difficulty for the expansion.. and teach the AI some trading.

I must have missed that one. Perhaps you can point me to this AAR? [:'(]

Run through the conditions for me... they should start with your homeworld as HARSH and starting technology, and other empires at tech level 7 and excellent homeworlds. Much more can be done but these I think are essential for hardest.

There is also no reason you can't avoid tech trading/selling and all found ships can immediately be blown up.

Can someone win that type of game? Possibly. Will they get wiped out sometimes. Definitely.
Bingeling
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by Bingeling »

I miss some game help in random generating evil start conditions. I find tech trading quite easy to avoid, but I would really like to improve the way taxes work, so that there is room for optimization, and no way for the AI to destroy itself.
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Shark7
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by Shark7 »

I think part of the money problem is the character traits...namely the Colony, Trade, Tourism income increases; the troop, ship and base maintainence savings; and the Colony Corruption Reduction skills.

My suggestion is to play on hardest difficulty and to increase the game start corruption levels for your games. Also, be sure to set pirates to high and start them nearby...you'll spend a fortune rebuilding the mining stations they take out. [:D]
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Bingeling
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by Bingeling »

Personally I think a major problem is the character system, which the game would be better without. But that is probably just my opinion :) I don't think the game is balanced around their effects, and it was not brilliantly balanced in economy before their introduction either.

I also don't think the wonder bonuses play nice.

But apart from various issues, the tax-growth link is a very sore spot.

Frequent pirates at the start are not fun, they are a chore. After a while they settle in other parts of the galaxy, and I suspect they will hurt the AI more.

The pirate-reputation link is something else that it would not hurt to improve. I guess that would be reputation in general needing work. Once a galaxy matures, pirate bases should not pop up unless they find a suitable spot with no long range cover, and with a decent distance to other pirates. It also annoys me to end up being a goody-goody just because I chase pirates away...
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feelotraveller
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by feelotraveller »

Here's an idea for you.  Use along with other measures.
 
Generate your hard game as usual then do a quick check to find all your starting bases.  Zoom in to each system in turn, open up the editor and delete each base.  (No zooming out and peeking now. [:)])  If you really want to delete your spaceport as well.  And if you like blow up all your constructors.  You may have to open and close the editor a few times...  Too bad if you had a starting scientist.  Very occasionally if you start right next to another empire you will not be able to help seeing them.  [:(]
 
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Darkspire
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by Darkspire »

Lets just cut to the chase shall we?

Game to easy? Well that would be down to the poor AI, nothing more nothing less. I really enjoy DW, but the AI is just a bit MK2 EMH [:D]

It doesnt matter how many layers of difficulty you pile on it still boils down to the AI not being up to scratch, DW is one of the best 4x ive played, the feeling of building an empire, the resources etc but is let down by a few points and the AI is right there at the top.

IMHO the only way round the constant posts regards difficulty is multiplayer (LAN would be the mutts nuts) or a better AI ... Good luck with that [8|]

If you want a good example of AI for a 4x try Galactic Civilizations GC2 although good never got the polish the first one did and still to this day the GC AI still surprises me.

Nuff Said

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Shark7
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RE: Game to easy?

Post by Shark7 »

AI...Artificial Intelligence or Artificial Insanity. Let's take a look at it objectively. Insanity is to repeat a process over and over expecting a different result. Yep, that describes a game's AI perfectly.

Most developers overcome the Artificial Insanity by letting the AI cheat. Since the AI is only going to do what it is told, and keep trying it even though it has failed the previous 6000 times it tried most developers opt to make the AI more powerful with hard-coded cheats.

And how do other games let their AIs cheat?

1. Ignore maintenance settings
2. Increase build speed
3. Increased unit numbers above the caps
4. Increased hit points and damage points

Just examples, the list in infinately long.

DW takes the approach of trying to make the AI behave sanely. Elliotg hasn't perfected it yet, but the AI has gotten a bit better with every patch and expansion. And at least with DW I don't find myself cussing at the screen because of some cheat the AI gets to use that is totally unfair and unbeatable. I prefer Elliotg's method.

Now that being said, the AI in DW isn't perfect, but I do have a few suggestions that would help balance it out.

1. The biggest balancer would be for the AI to build ship designs that equal what the player designs. So if I design an escort with 4 guns, 4 shields, and a torpedo...the AI will mimic or even copy the design. That takes away the biggest player advantage, the ability to build ships that completely over power the AI. In other words, at each ship type, the AI needs to be able to adapt and build ships that match the fire power and defense of the players designs.

2. Hardpoints (and I like everyone else do not really like this idea). Hardpoints would prevent the player from designing over-powering ships. Of course it also takes away the reason for having a ship designer. It is a possibility, but I call it the absolute last resort...I DO NOT ENDORSE THIS PERSONALLY.

3. Adding additional penalties to the live player. Again, not my favorite idea as it really is just another cheat, albeit one that lessens the player instead of bolstering the AI. Again, I don't endorse this.

All in all, I think that suggestion 1 is the best. Once the AI gets the ability to completely match player ship designs, it will balance the game without making the AI a cheater or the hamstringing the player.


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