Take On Difficulty Settings!

[royaltyinexile 175]

In the endless and weary road towards usability (surely the devil's work :p), we're going to be adding descriptions of difficulties beside the options.

We hope this will encourage people to think a little more about the difficulty they're on, and some of the - perhaps unforeseen - consequences of their choices!

Read more below; we hope they help people enjoy the game (even) more!

BEGINNER

This mode is designed for players that are completely new to either our game, to flying helicopters, or both!

Flight Dynamics: Many simulation helpers are at your disposal; several are active by default to help get you going - great for keeping you in the air!

Gameplay: Waypoints and tasks are visible in the 3D world, and you can activate various other visual aids - great for getting the job done!

Note: You can still configure various difficulty/ flight dynamics settings from their default values, so you can get started with as much or as little support as you prefer!

TRAINEE

This mode is designed for players that are either new to our game or to the higher-fidelity flight dynamics, but who are familiar with the general principles.

Flight Dynamics: Some flight dynamics helpers are disabled, although others are still at your disposal - great for getting a challenge from the flight model!

Gameplay: Some gameplay helpers are disabled by default, and working out what to do will be less obvious - great for getting a challenge from the game!

Note: You can still configure various difficulty/ flight-dynamics settings from their default values, although some will be locked!

If you're a veteran helicopter pilot, you might select this mode until you're comfortable with many gameplay features and conventions.

You can disable individual flight-dynamics helpers to give you the full experience, while retaining some of the gameplay guides.

EXPERT

This mode is designed for players that are experienced both with our game and complex flight models!

Flight Dynamics: Many simulation helpers are disabled and locked; you'll have to work to keep the bird in the air - great for getting the full experience of our new flight models!

Gameplay: Many guides are disabled by default; you'll have to study your tasks carefully and keep an eye on your instrument panel- Great for getting totally engaged with the tasks at hand!

Note: you can still configure various difficulty/ flight dynamics settings from their default values, although many will be locked.

You should play in this mode once you're comfortable with completing tasks and keeping the helicopter in the air.

Best,

RiE

Edited October 13, 2011 by RoyaltyinExile

[WrathPhoenix 10]

I know i have said this once before in these forums but I would just like to state this again if I may.

I am a huge fan of what you guys do with your products. Both in ARMA and Take On Helicopters I really enjoy having the difficulty scale to the level you have it here. I have, at times, enjoyed just sitting back and enjoying ArmA 2 and the TOH Beta "As a game" and found it fun, entertaining, and still incredibly deep. With Take On specifically I am an ex chopper pilot in reality (Private License) and have cranked up the difficulty to a high setting and lo and behold I have found things pretty spot on.

This is a great thing you guys at BI are doing with your products. Just the right depth while still fun and playable. Keep it up. :)

[Rg 0]

Flying on expert mode where it's at once you get used to the basics. Constant input is then required from all controls. Then when you max the wind in the editor things start to get squirrely, but in a fun way of course :D

I think it would be a good idea to allow clients to turn off aids in the MP environment, so that using certain aids isn't forced on people who fly with minimal or none.

*EDIT*

I went ahead and created a CIT, since I think this will become an important issue when more people start playing MP.

http://dev-heaven.net/issues/25413

Edited October 12, 2011 by Rg

[CarlGustaffa 4]

Yeah, there are two things I've been asking for regarding difficulties:

1) Let the player be able to select higher difficulty than the server suggest, maybe with a "Copy from server" button.

2) An "Ok" button on the difficulty screen, so we don't always have to "Edit", then "Ok", and finally "Back". "Edit", "Ok", and "Cancel" should all be there.

[OMAC 254]

EXPERT

Flight Dynamics: Many simulation helpers are disabled and locked; you'll have to work to keep the bird in the air - great for getting the full experience of our new flight models!

Gameplay: Many guides are disabled by default; you'll have to study your tasks carefully and keep and eye on your gauges - Great for getting totally engaged with the tasks at hand!

Well done. However, when you refer to "the gauges," you may want to specify that you mean the instrument panel gauges, not the HUD gauges that are disabled by default on Expert.

The disabled HUD is one of the key differences with Trainee - you may want to emphasize that.

Oh, and there's a typo. It should be "... and keep an eye on your gauges..."

Edited October 13, 2011 by OMAC

[royaltyinexile 175]

Oh, and there's a typo.

Aha, yes.. just an, er... a TEST! To make sure you guys were.. uh.. paying attention!

:o

Best,

RiE

[maddogx 13]

Will you be adding "auto hover" to the difficulty settings so that it can be disabled? Unless I'm completely mistaken, there is currently no option for this.

Nice work on the descriptions, btw. :)

[scarp 10]

so that it can be disabled?

Easy, just dont use it :) But I take it you want to force other players i.e multiplayer or missions to go full monty?

[maddogx 13]

Easy, just dont use it :) But I take it you want to force other players i.e multiplayer or missions to go full monty?

I already don't use it, though the temptation is often tough to resist. ;)

And yes, the idea is that - for example - Expert mode could lock this option out, because it really is kind of a cheat.

[scarp 10]

How come, you have autohover in RL altho, perhaps not in a MD500 :D

I see where you are getting at, I fly full monty myself (retired RLP). Not to start a argue of 'what is best', but I truly enjoy this game so far and I personally do not mind if people not so familiar with rotor flight 'get a hand' whenever they feel they need it....if not for anything but to immerse themselves in heli-op's.

Why?

I am quite confident that those with a genuine interest in helicopters will take on the challenge (heh) and in their own time progressivly stripp themselves of aides and finally fly full monty, while at the same time enjoying it to the fullest throughout the whole process from chicken to chickenhawk :D .

But that was just one opinion in a million, and I do support an option where you could disable or enable to your heart's content. Total freedom in terms of options...that's what I would vote for :)

[royaltyinexile 175]

Expert mode could lock this option out, because it really is kind of a cheat.

Well, that's not going to make release, but it's certainly something we'll evaluate for post-launch support.

More likely, we'd tie it to a difficulty option, set is as disabled for expert, but not lock it out, as Auto-Hover - to some degree- is there to compensate for things we simply can't simulate, like the inner ear balance, etc.

Best,

RiE

[maddogx 13]

More likely, we'd tie it to a difficulty option, set is as disabled for expert, but not lock it out

Sounds good to me. ;)

Auto-Hover - to some degree- is there to compensate for things we simply can't simulate, like the inner ear balance, etc.

I hadn't considered that.

[OMAC 254]

I love auto-hover just as it is now. I think that it should be enabled by default on Expert. BIS could later add an option to disable it on Expert, but that is really unnecessary. As scarp wrote, don't use it if you don't like it!!!

I think the difficulty settings are perfectly balanced right now.

Just my two cents.

[WrathPhoenix 10]

I love auto-hover just as it is now. I think that it should be enabled by default on Expert. BIS could later add an option to disable it on Expert, but that is really unnecessary. As scarp wrote, don't use it if you don't like it!!!

I think the difficulty settings are perfectly balanced right now.

Just my two cents.

Having flown on all settings by now, i tend to agree.

[turin turambar 0]

Ughhh... no.

Difficulty should change the difficulty of the game. Not the usability of the interface or the realism settings.

Difficulty should change the mission difficulty, the realism modes should be separate of that.

[maddogx 13]

Difficulty should change the difficulty of the game. Not the usability of the interface or the realism settings.

This makes no sense at all. In a game like TakOH, there aren't many ways to change the difficulty without affecting realism or interface, because those two aspects make up the bulk of the games difficulty in the first place. In other words, the main difficulty of the game is controlling the helicopter. The more realistic the flight model, the more difficult it becomes. "Helpers" like autohover and auto-trim are there to make controlling the helo easier - they affect the difficulty. In this respect, autohover is in the same category as auto-trim, hence my suggestion to disable it through a difficulty setting.

Btw. enabling and disabling waypoint markers is also interface related, for example. Are you suggesting this should no longer be a difficulty setting?

[turin turambar 0]

I agree it's more complex to change the difficulty in these type of games. But not impossible. If this was a simple fps, the difficulty should change the hp or damage of the enemies, or their numbers. Here, you have to think what is the mission asking you.

Is a mission with a time limit? with a height limit? Is the mission asking you to follow a speedy car? The difficulty should change the missions parameters of failure. Change the time limit, change the height limit, change the car speed or maximum distance in the chase.

If i have problems in a mission, i want the possibility of lowering the mission difficulty, without changing the flight model, that's an intrinsic part of why i am playing it in first place.

Say, Falcon 4 had separate campaign difficulty and comprehensive realism settings.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

They could disable autohover on expert as long as you are above 1000 feet AGL or something. Who cares if someone engages it at that altitude to answer the phone or take a piss? :) But I agree it interferes too much at reducing sense of realism.

It's true we lack inner ear sensations, for obvious reasons, but I think the trick is to better use the visual cues we do get, even if more inconvenient than real life. The negatives of auto hover by far outweights the positives. Although not for ground level flight, when flying IFR you'll learn to completely shut off the signals from the inner ear, as they can be very faulty - and solely rely on what your instruments tell you instead. At least as an option to turn off.

@Turin: There is nobody objecting that missions can't be harder on harder difficulties (although I don't think it will be used as much as you suggest). We're just saying that some "helper aids" should be completely disabled on harder difficulties. You can probably set lowest difficulty but choose to toggle off all the helpers.

[zach22213 10]

I dont like the controls of the aircraft. Giving it is more challenging I just want to have fun. When playing on the easy difficulty setting it should be just as easy as flying in VBS2 or ARMA.

[Derbysieger 11]

No sorry, flying should offer some kind of challenge even on beginner. With a bit of practice it shouldn't be too difficult to fly on trainee or beginner, especially with auto-trim enabled and wind disabled. It's really not that hard to learn the basics and have some arcarde-style fun. I personally don't want to go back to the A2 FM.

[OMAC 254]

The negatives of auto hover by far outweights the positives.

What negatives? For me it doesn't interfere with realism whatsover on Expert. But I can understand why some masochists would want to be able to disable it in Game Options for added anxiety.

[liquidpinky 11]

What negatives? For me it doesn't interfere with realism whatsover on Expert. But I can understand why some masochists would want to be able to disable it in Game Options for added anxiety.

Some people just can't help themselves I suppose, they see that big red button and just have to push it.

So they need to remove the temptation altogether.

[CarlGustaffa 4]

@OMAC: When it takes away the need to actively make inputs on the controls in order to land something as unstable as a helicopter, that's a negative (imo).

[OMAC 254]

Just don't push the button!

[maddogx 13]

Just don't push the button!

I still don't see the problem with adding it as a difficulty setting. RiE already said they wouldn't force it off, so what's your problem?