How would you make the game harder?

[Boaster]

Some people say that late in the game dungeons get too easy and game play gets stale. So what would you do to up the difficulty of the game?

The Keep encounters already have improved prime stats for champions (I think).

[overcast]

Maybe a light mix of all of it, so nothing 'stands out' too much. I've played games where the difficulty just seems to mega-boost one particular aspect of the AI. Like mass unit production or insane resists.. Guess with a 'mix' it would seem a bit more realistic..

[swiftfoxmark2]

I agree that all stats should be adjusted higher later on in the game. This way, a player won't favor certain units over another based solely on having to deal with a tougher AI.

[Boaster]

There's a number of things that can be done, which would be handled by invisible artifacts.

I could make bonuses vary by difficulty, by how many turns have passed (or preferably weeks), by Champion or other unit type.


+1% physical resistance bonus per week.
+3% magic resistance bonus per week.
+1 max health per week (times number of military units in group).
+1 max mana per week.
+1 (randomized) combat stat per week.
+1 randomized primary stat per week.

By turn 140, that'd be +20% physical resistance, +60% magical resistances, +20 split between attack, armor, ranged attack and missile range, +20 (40 or 60 group) health, +20 mana, and +20 split between Strength, Dexterity and Wisdom.

So do you all really think that doing ALL the above isn't a bit much? But yeah, turn 140 is 20 weeks in to a game.

I'd say that the resistances would work surely. Physical resistance will always be capped to 75 through out the game, regardless of what your stat says. Unless frozen or fresh off a reincarnation, at which point only matters in combat damage calcuations.

[swiftfoxmark2]

I think the magic resistance should increase at the same rate as physical because many units have natural resists and at turn 140 with +60% really nerfs Mages in combat who can't do much else but blast spells.

[skrag]

TBH i'm against giving the enemy stat bonuses in this way, it just seems "wrong" for me to see enemy units considerably stronger than yours simply to make the game harder.

To increase the difficulty late-game I would try to increase the number of creatures you fight and their levels, so more level 5 units and level 10-15 champions and lords. Or if you really have to, just focus on increasing one stat like health. I wouldn't mind seeing enemies in caves and towers and such with a +50% health bonus late-game.

[quentinak]

Increased Health sounds like a good way to beef up the AI. Or increasing their levels will probably do the trick while not giving too much advantage for one of ranged, melee, or magic attacks another.

Boaster, why is it that you chose 3% for magic resists? Have you found that magic needs to be nerfed a bit?

[Boaster]

I just threw it out there as a possibility.

[Boaster]

Also because Physical Resistance is composed of two different stats whereas Magic Resistance is composed of 8 different stats.

+3% of a randomly determined Magic Resistance could be one of any faith's resistance. Over the course of 70 turns, one magic resistance type could be +30% if every time the same roll was made (unlikely), or could be split among a few magic resistances.