differences between difficulty settings?

[Khayyin]

How exactly do the difficulty settings differentiate? Does it only change the requisition you get or are there more changes?

[dadrunk]

I don't have the game in front of me but i think there is a file in the Data folder of the game with all the details about the different difficulty settings

[Razz1]

Easy Player Points (%) 200 Player Experience (%) 200 AI Hit Points -50
Normal Player Points (%) 100 Player Experience (%) 100 AI Hit Points 0
Challenging Player Points (%) 80 Player Experience (%) 100 AI Hit Points 0
Hard Player Points (%) 70 Player Experience (%) 100 AI Hit Points 20
Very Hard Player Points (%) 70 Player Experience (%) 100 AI Hit Points 50

[Kerensky]

That bit about 'AI hitpoints', for anyone wondering, actually refers to AI formation size.

So if a normal mode Gretchin has 40 unit count and a normal mode Skullhamma tank has a 2 unit count, on Very Hard the same Gretchin will have 60 unit count and the same Skullhamma will have a 3 unit count. Thankfully these numbers do not round up, else Gargants would go from being 1 unit count to being 2 unit count!

[Dino_SWE]

It seems to affect requisition point gain. On Challenging, I can have well above 1000 points at the end of one mission, complete it with minimal losses, and start the next battle with less than 100 points.

This is not the case on normal, with the same amout of losses.

[Tolien]

I am having some problems with enjoying the game, the thing is, if I have casulties, I will be worse off next mission, as there will be close to no replacement when it comes to requisition points.

I feel I have to save and load the game many times per mission just to avoid casulties.. I seems kinda stupid as the Imperial Guard is all about sacrifice for victory.. If you lose ten guardsmen your feel like you are screwed.

Also, how many missions is it in the first campaign? If there is like ten of them.. then there is no problem as I have reached like the eight mission.. but if there are many more, than im back to load game cos I lost an artillery piece.. and those cost like 800 points!

I feel it takes some of the joy out of the game.. I have completed almost all Panzer general games, and the Panzer Corps.. and not at "easy" but never felt this "problem"

Anyone have some answers?

[Falke_MatrixForum]

It seems to affect requisition point gain. On Challenging, I can have well above 1000 points at the end of one mission, complete it with minimal losses, and start the next battle with less than 100 points.

This is not the case on normal, with the same amout of losses.

The Player Points = Requisition Points so at higher Levels you get less.

How much less is not clear, because the calculation procedure for the amount awarded is not transparent. What is clear is that it is not a simple +X times difficulty for completing a Scenario.

On hard difficulty, Arrival at Hades i completed this Mission with 0 losses (nothing to replensish) and recieved the magnaminous amount of ZERO Points. I assume that the value of the core force is included in the calculation of the amount awarded.

The next scen has Points of 3600 set, since previous Scenarios had higher Settings, this seems to confirm my assumption.

WHen this was increased to 5600 (in Editor) i received 558 Points. Further increases of 1000 in Settings resulted in 490 Points (? I had expected 700, 1000 increase * Hard (70) )

Maybe the devs will explain this .

[Kerensky]

There seems to be a really strong disconnect between point allocation and difficulty setting modifiers. The way it works, as I've been told, is that when you reach a mission in the campaign, the points you received to build your army, including any mid mission reinforcement or replacement actions, is actually defined by the sum total of the pre-set force on maps combined with the scenario parameter of points. The problem seems to be where pre-set unit placement has been varied between scenarios, but difficulties aren't taking this into account for point distribution.

To be honest, it's not a system I am particularly happy with, and it seems to break down when balance changes to units and prices are implemented. Not to mention the damage it does when content that is not at all supposed to be linked, that is single scenario mode and campaign mode, is linked in a very tenuous manner that is difficult to understand and properly measure when balance changes are implemented.

Something we definitely have our eye on though!

[Tolien]

We just have to hope that the programers look into all that is written in the Forum, and make a patch soon.

[Falke_MatrixForum]

To be honest, it's not a system I am particularly happy with, and it seems to break down when balance changes to units and prices are implemented. Not to mention the damage it does when content that is not at all supposed to be linked, that is single scenario mode and campaign mode, is linked in a very tenuous manner that is difficult to understand and properly measure when balance changes are implemented.

Something we definitely have our eye on though!

I do appreciate your effort in communication of what Information you do have. Also the availability and seeming ease of use of the Editor is a big plus, since without it even the Analysis i have done would not for me be possible.
System wise i consider that used in PG2 to be one of the best, which is mostly just Points based (although for high Quality balanced campaigns it took a lot of work by dedicated modders)

I may now have issues with playing at hard difficulties due to lack of data, but i did enjoy my first playthrough.