Tarrak wrote:I want to remind everyone about one thing in the whole discussion: The people being able to amass huge amounts of prestige on FM difficulty are rare and far between when compared to the amount of people playing the game. This forum is giving a bit wrong picture as people active here are the most dedicated and active PC players. You can not balance the difficulty with only 1% of the best players in mind.
I agree. There seem to be a group of elite players complaining about too much prestige all the time. While I understand them, I think that if the game was changed drastically in order to accomodate them a lot of less experienced players would loose their enthusiasm. Maybe some special difficulty setting would be good for them with all the wishes they have - but this setting would have to be unlocked when all 3 extra difficulties are won
I do believe there is somewhere mentioned ultra difficulty. Anyone tried that out? Still not hard enough?
I was just trying to make my point that too much prestige was not an issue for me - as it is probably not for 95% of the players. Actually often opposite is the case and I find gane optimal in terms of resources that you get.
I just have problem with harder difficulties being tighly connected with lack of prestige or overstrenghtned enemies. Altghough honestly when I recall most of games work this way on higher difficulties. They either throw less resources to you and/or much more enemeis that spawn in the same places with little or no change in AI.
What might be better instead is to tackle some of the AI problems I noticed and mentioned in previous posts. For example:
1) More versatile attacking styles of AI. For example different starting positions - or different unit composition. Different attacking formations, backdoor moves, AI should try to avoid bulk of my forces head on if he is weaker etc...
2) Avoiding static and inert defense groups which contribute nothing to AI success. AI should recognize threat to their rear and try to pinch advanceing forces and cut them off. There are several AK missions that have problem with this. Gazala line, Alam Haifa and Persia for example. Same flanking tactc from the south can be used in these missions and AI fails to recognize flankig time and time again. Some GC East campaigns have similar problem too (I remember insertion of elite forces to capture AA equipment for example). There are around 10 Soviet IS2s that do absolutely nothing while you destroy and capture supplies near them.
3) Avoiding scripted paratrooper or amphibious counterattacks that have no figher support (and are thus doomed from the beginning). Sure if there was 14 paratrooper planes and 14 fighters to escort them than it would be almost impossible for the player, but 0 is also bad. It would be better to have something like 5 paratroopers with 5 fighters escorting them. Or even 10 paratroopers with 5 fighers would be more fun, optimized and realistic.
4) Avoid at any cost moving artilerry next to player tanks or any of player units actually. Try always to gather some troops with artillery behind it or if no tanks or infantry are availabe - fire the artillery and retreat until reinforcements arive. Don't try to move artillery forward alone (as if artillery was able to capture hexes on itself - which it is not).
5) If river crossings seem to prove tough obstacle either try to bombard the hell out of them (long range SUs - lots of them, lots of bombers or whatever), throw in paratroopers, try to destroy player AA and artillery behind the desired hex first. Do whatever it takes. Just don't try to cross in the same place again and again without destroying or suppresing heavily the units that stall you. Ultimatelly if possible (in Berlin this is impossible though - try to create or dynamically move different bridgeheads instead of forcing only one or two). This would force player to shift forces and create opportunities for a breakthrough on at least one bridgehead.
6) Remember positions of player units in the previous turn. Don't fall into ambushes all the time in the same place.
Ultimatelly I know that all these changes would be not enough of a challange for good players. But at least they would make game look more realistic and AI would seem more dangerous and respected, and less prone to exploits.
