• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Difficulty Levels in The Witcher 3 (Dark Mode, Permadeath)

Now that I think about it, this can be done. All you have to do is save often and reload when you think you're going to die. Still a very risky proposition.

Like I said earlier, regularly back your saves up to an external device and even dying won't be that bad.
 

AndyD

aka andydumi
I got instakilled for picking a wrong dialog option in Witcher 2. I'll avoid permadeath this time.

I feel like those deaths should not count, as it's not always clear what the outcome of a dialog will be.

But Normal for me. A balanced challenge is the way to enjoy the Witcher games.
 

autoduelist

Member
Now that I think about it, this can be done. All you have to do is save often and reload when you think you're going to die. Still a very risky proposition.

In the 80's [and it still happens today], many games that wanted permadeath would delete your saves upon load. There are always ways around this, of course, but it's popularly known as 'save scumming/scum saving'.

Like I said earlier, regularly back your saves up to an external device and even dying won't be that bad.

Why in the world would you bother playing in this mode if you're going to do that? Why not just play regular mode? Not every mode, or game for that matter, has to be for everyone.
 

Baalzebup

Member
You haven't experienced the worst of permadeath until you've experienced Diablo III lag related permadeath.

Is this somehow worse than a Diablo II lag related permadeath? Seeing as that was a thing quite a while ago. Getting fucked up by Duriel before you even saw him saw really something special.
 
Why in the world would you bother playing in this mode if you're going to do that? Why not just play regular mode? Not every mode, or game for that matter, has to be for everyone.

Because people want the most difficult combat, but not have permadeath. Dark mode in W2 was perfect for this, but for some reason it seems they changed things all around. It seems like now if you want the most challenging mode as far as combat, permadeath comes along for the ride.
 

erawsd

Member
Because people want the most difficult combat, but not have permadeath. Dark mode in W2 was perfect for this, but for some reason it seems they changed things all around. It seems like now if you want the most challenging mode as far as combat, permadeath comes along for the ride.

Thats not clear yet. W2 had Hard Mode and Insanity, even though Insanity was characterized as the "most difficult" it was really just hard mode with permadeath. "Dark Mode" was patched in with the Enhanced Edition and had more difficult enemies with higher health pools and dealt more damage.
 
This could lead to some soul crushing, meltdown inducing live streams. I never bother with trophies, but getting one for a completed permadeath run would be a worthy challenge, but I wouldn't attempt to do it in my first play-through. I'm not that hardcore, lol.

For when you die facing the last boss thinking you were just about to defeat it:
ezgif_4284955170.gif

lol
can't wait for the YouTube videos of souls being crushed.
 
Why wouldn't they add an achievement for what is probably the most difficult challenge in the game? Aren't achievements supposed to be...you know, challenging?
 
Permadeath in an open world RPG by a developer that's never put out an open world game and has yet to release a balanced game at launch. Sure, what could go wrong.
 
Perma-death works in a loot-driven action-RPG, like Diablo, where it's all about the combat, and it's pretty quick to level up a new character. I would never want permadeath in a story-driven RPG, however. Much too tedious to go through all the story and conversation parts again.
 

Randam

Member
Now that I think about it, this can be done. All you have to do is save often and reload when you think you're going to die. Still a very risky proposition.

that would be stupid.

dark mode should write over your safe state as soon as you die.
 
that would be stupid.

dark mode should write over your safe state as soon as you die.

I think he's talking about reloading as soon as you realize you're in over your head but before you die. Really the only way to combat that would be to restrict loading saves in the middle of combat. If you actually die the game does invalidate your saves.
 
I think he's talking about reloading as soon as you realize you're in over your head but before you die. Really the only way to combat that would be to restrict loading saves in the middle of combat. If you actually die the game does invalidate your saves.

You can back up saves on all 3 platforms in seconds now though. You can't really combat moving a save to the cloud, even if you could I doubt they will.
 
Will definitely play w/ permadeath at some point, but not on my first playthrough. Defintiely something you need systems mastery to plan for.



Some of us are masochists, but playing so it can hurt you is not what permadeath is about. Permadeath changes the way you approach a game completely-there is risk/reward evaluation that must be constantly performed, and character builds and traits will look radically different for permadeath characters vs. regular difficulty ones.

It's a rich experience, one that does require more investment in time and planning but for those of us who like that sort of thing, having it around greatly increases the game's appeal. There's a reason why games with permadeath modes often have a very strong following-once you start getting used to the permanent paranoia and the reality of living with your decisions, it's really hard to go back.

Exactly, well said! Will try this some time, I'll climb up the difficulty in time.
 
Why would anyone want to play like this exactly?

I honestly don't see the appeal of these "punishing" difficulty levels.

Do people find the idea of a game torturing them appealing?

Having to start over from the beginning when you die should've ended with the 8 Bit era.

Its 2015.
 

Lashley

Why does he wear the mask!?
why is it a dick move? the trophies aren't part of the game, they're just something that sony forces you to implement.

I prefer fun trophies, not trophies that force you to play their multiplayer or something else they've tacked on.
 

Wiseblood

Member
Like I said earlier, regularly back your saves up to an external device and even dying won't be that bad.

That actually doesn't work for Witcher 2's insane mode. I believe they were doing something in the registry to prevent you from simply loading backup saves. Though they may not have access to something like the windows registry to prevent that in the console versions. As I recall, the 360 version of W2 didn't have insane mode.
 
Please then, do enlighten me.
I was sorta hoping I wouldn't have to spell out the obvious, but here you go: Dark Mode is optional and in no way intended for first-time players. There is no expectation to even try - it's there for people that have truly masted the game and have the will to prove it.

All of this "it's too hard" or "that's impossible" moaning is completely missing the point of Dark Mode.
I prefer fun trophies, not trophies that force you to play their multiplayer or something else they've tacked on.

Not much of a trophy/achievement then, is it? More of a checklist to "100% the game," so to speak.

That actually doesn't work for Witcher 2's insane mode. I believe they were doing something in the registry to prevent you from simply loading backup saves.

They could just stamp the saves with a specific run's ID, and prevent failed runs' saves from being loaded. I want to say that's how Insane Mode was, but I've never been brave enough to try.
 
That actually doesn't work for Witcher 2's insane mode. I believe they were doing something in the registry to prevent you from simply loading backup saves. Though they may not have access to something like the windows registry to prevent that in the console versions. As I recall, the 360 version of W2 didn't have insane mode.

I looked it up and you're right. The Witcher 2 encrypted insane saves.
 
I know it's cheating, but people who are trying permadeath could backup the save file in case something really stupid happends so all the work won't just go to waste.
 

-TK-

Member
I know it's cheating, but people who are trying permadeath could backup the save file in case something really stupid happends so all the work won't just go to waste.

If you have to backup save files and use them, why the heck you are even playing on insane instead of dark difficulty? I meant the whole point is, if you die, it's game over.
 

Eusis

Member
I'm not buying this. The game should had being easier not harder!! is hard to enough to deal with the awful combat system that rewards blind preparation over reflexes.
No, it's more like "Normal should have a bite to it, Easy should be easy but maybe make you feel kind of challenged at times, and Very Easy is 'play on the phone while gaming.'" It's probably a good idea to include very low difficulties for those that want them and if the game can reasonably accommodate them, but that doesn't mean they should make normal something that's a cakewalk.
 
Platinum trophies shouldn't be easy.

Would be cool if they had a way to eliminate save scumming.

Thief 2014 has a permadeath with chapter saves only (to avoid save scumming) - maybe if Witcher 3 only saved at the start / end of a new mission, with no manual saves?
 

Prototype

Member
I'm surprised at how many people here are balking at the inclusion of an OPTION, doubly so because it would be for Hardcore players.

And isn't GAF always talking about something, something filthy casuals?
 

-SD-

Banned
That is so lame.

Why would anyone want to torment themselves like that? Permadeath?

There is challenging and then there is masochism.
The more options the better. There's always people who get kicks out of a real challenge. I'm sure there's a market for Dark.

Also, the ones who choose Dark know what they are getting into - the tormenting and whatnot - so it's not like someone forced them to play at that difficulty level.
 

zer0das

Banned
Usually I'm all for difficulty in games, but the Witcher 2 opening is probably one of the hardest, least well done openings I've ever seen. As someone who routinely plays the hardest difficulty, I have zero interest in this and would be very surprised if more than a handful of people do. Never was a fan of the added difficulties they patched in later either.
 

iNvid02

Member
yeah I'll stick with normal

even if it did delete the save I'd probably just restore it rendering it useless anyway
 

Cels

Member
I don't get this. Shouldn't trophies and achievements be held for actual, you know, achievements within the game?

definitely. if everyone can do it it's not an achievement. if i were designing a set of achievements for a game i would make at least 5% of them something super hard to do, like something you have to have mastered the game in nearly every aspect in order to unlock. a good example like the VANQUISH tactical challenges, especially challenge 6.

i don't know if this witcher 3 hardcore mode trophy quite fits in with my idea though. seems like you could easily put a backup save somewhere. dead space 2 had a great implementation of this style of difficulty - hardcore mode, where you are limited to three saves throughout the entire game, with no checkpoints. if you die you have to reload your game, and therefore you must be intimately familiar with the game and plan out where you are going to save.
 
I beat TW2 on Dark but it didn't have permadeath.
Not for me. Dying 5 minutes before the end of a 100 hour game and losing everything? Must be fun.
 

Ascenion

Member
Perhaps they could have like a failsafe auto save that refreshes itself every 4 hours or so or upon first entry into a boss fight to combat glitches and it reports these to an online profile that gives you a save unlock code but you can only use each unique code once if you utilize it more than that it locks out the trophy? I dunno just trying to think of something fair.
 

MrMatt555

Member
But what if my controller died halfway through a dark difficulty play through while I was fighting? That's just sadistic.
 
Top Bottom