What's the deal with Difficulty Settings?

Steiger · 12-30-09, 07:02 PM

Just wondering how SH4 handles difficulty and the parameters it handles. Is it like in some games where it just makes your torpedoes less effective and enemy fire more deadly? Does it affect AI behaviour and tenacity? Does it give their lookouts super-natural abilities at harder levels?

I only ask because I'm in mid-1942 and the escorts are comically bad at their jobs. I've been spotted on the surface twice during daytime, but not to worry, they can't outshoot a drunk at that range. They also seem hopeless at locating me when I'm submerged, unless my crew is having movie night and are watching something hilarious and just can't keep in the laughter. When they do happen to locate me, they make one hopelessly inaccurate depth charge run, they lose contact, do a few circles and just start dropping charges on whales and dolphins just to look busy to the frightened merchants, while I stooge off at 2 knots and crack open a beer.

So, if I play at Hard, will it be more of a challenge? And I mean a legitimate challenge, whereby the enemy destroyers are not commanded by their Officers' offspring on bring-your-child-to-work day, as opposed to a cheater AI challenge where any depth charge dropped within 9 miles of me will rupture my fuel tanks.

Perhaps I've just been spoiled by the dogged attacks of Allied destroyers in the Atlantic, maybe.

12-30-09, 07:02 PM	#1
Steiger Planesman Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 187 Downloads: 20 Uploads: 0	What's the deal with Difficulty Settings? Just wondering how SH4 handles difficulty and the parameters it handles. Is it like in some games where it just makes your torpedoes less effective and enemy fire more deadly? Does it affect AI behaviour and tenacity? Does it give their lookouts super-natural abilities at harder levels? I only ask because I'm in mid-1942 and the escorts are comically bad at their jobs. I've been spotted on the surface twice during daytime, but not to worry, they can't outshoot a drunk at that range. They also seem hopeless at locating me when I'm submerged, unless my crew is having movie night and are watching something hilarious and just can't keep in the laughter. When they do happen to locate me, they make one hopelessly inaccurate depth charge run, they lose contact, do a few circles and just start dropping charges on whales and dolphins just to look busy to the frightened merchants, while I stooge off at 2 knots and crack open a beer. So, if I play at Hard, will it be more of a challenge? And I mean a legitimate challenge, whereby the enemy destroyers are not commanded by their Officers' offspring on bring-your-child-to-work day, as opposed to a cheater AI challenge where any depth charge dropped within 9 miles of me will rupture my fuel tanks. Perhaps I've just been spoiled by the dogged attacks of Allied destroyers in the Atlantic, maybe. __________________