by Marcuse » Fri Jun 02, 2017 11:07 pm
I think one problem I have with high difficulty games is that most games do difficulty badly. Instead of making the AI use tactics and behave in ways that make it hard for the player, they just slap a production/damage/health etc bonus on them and call it quits. My least favourite ones for this is strategy games, where the AI will magic impossible armies from nowhere just to make your life really difficult, with no purpose other than to frustrate the player. This sometimes happens to the point where units will be auto-spawned that couldn't legitimately have been produced by the ai player because it doesn't have the appropriate upgrade/building necessary.
So while I enjoy a challenge, I prefer ones that don't just exist to piss off the player. I found the survival mode for Fallout 4 to be engaging because it boosts everyone's damage, not just the enemies. This makes every fight a risk, but you're about as able to kill as the enemies are so it's not unfair, just riskier.
However, when I'm looking to relax, I often don't want to play something on a really hard difficulty. I'll usually pick the normal or average mode when I'm playing something to relax, because games are usually balanced best for that, and not worry too much about the challenge. That works best on games like action-adventure ones, and platformers because they tend to require less in the way of thinking in the first place, so I can just switch off my mind and enjoy them.