Give the campaign a VERY challenging/hard option

[Plrsvek]

Subject:
Making an option for an extremely challenging campaign experience

Description:
In the last C&C game we got, C&C4, there was simply no challenge at all. Usually when you have chosen the ''hard'' option, you expect the game to be a challenge. But in C&C4 it was just barely noticable. Not just in C&C4, but RA3 hardest mode felt too underwhelming in my experience.

The more earlier C&C campaigns, like RA1, TD and TS felt a lot more challenging. Your enemies will send you some serious attacks constantly, the real challenge you want is to hold them off and counterattack them. I think a good C&C game that got the hard mode right was C&C3, I myself had really some trouble winning the campaign on the hardest mode.

So I just ask: please add a new option to make the campaign VERY challenging. I think a good list of the options should look like:

Easy
Normal
Hard
Very hard (or name it something else like brutal, insane, delta, nightmare)

Positive Effect:
I think people really like challenges nowadays, it'll keep us busy in the singleplayer for a good amount of time. I'm currently finishing some other singleplayers at the hardest mode the game can have, and its a nice timesink.

Negative Effect:
There may be people who don't care for a very hard campaign, but I personally love it. The ''newbs'' may have a hard time to even finish normal mode, so let alone the hardest one.

Media:
By watching some other people playing a RTS campaign at the hardest mode you'll notice how epic such a mission and the fights can be

[stephanovich]

Can't say I find any C&C campaign hard, not the first ones either.

[R3ven]

In CNC4, the campaign is more difficult in co-op mode, it adds more difficulty to it(only tested on hard).

[=LEVIATHEN=]

I agree with you,but I think that you should be able to change the difficulty in between missions,like in RA3 and C&C 4 and in others.
I sometimes like a challenge,but sometimes I just want to get the campaign done,and some missions are just to hard on hard (you start out with only a little money,the enemy is harder to kill,they send larger attacks,etc.).

[Golan2781]

They could start by making the campaigns challenging in the first place, only very few missions really are. Most missions simply are too linear so it all boils down to optimizing your economy and learning the scripts by heart. Ramping up the difficulty is then usually done just by making the AI cheat more, which still only requires you to get that extra bit of optimization out of your tried and true strategy.

[RKTGX95]

They could start by making the campaigns challenging in the first place, only very few missions really are. Most missions simply are too linear so it all boils down to optimizing your economy and learning the scripts by heart. Ramping up the difficulty is then usually done just by making the AI cheat more, which still only requires you to get that extra bit of optimization out of your tried and true strategy.

sadly you are right.

btw, VG should add the ability to change difficulty every mission. and the medal system from C&C3 plus the par time.

[GeneralSGJist]

Difficult depends on experience.

[MILINTarctrooper]

They could start by making the campaigns challenging in the first place, only very few missions really are. Most missions simply are too linear so it all boils down to optimizing your economy and learning the scripts by heart. Ramping up the difficulty is then usually done just by making the AI cheat more, which still only requires you to get that extra bit of optimization out of your tried and true strategy.

Or in the case of RA2...figure out the last Allied mission where the Nuclear plants are, send the Chrono Legionarries in....waltz on in.

Although I would like a concept of Kill/Death Ratio medals. Along with Difficulty adjustments.

And did the old CnC games have sub-missions pre-game? That effected the main mission? Like diversionary attacks or disable the defense network, or destroy an airbase or firebase? I think part of the difficulty of the campaign would be choices before the main mission. You can do the main mission first and have surprise, but over time have all the bases from the sub-missions sending reinforcements artillery, or attack planes to support the main base or objective, or do you complete all the sub missions and alert your main objective...here I come! And possibly have a harder game?

Something I have noticed seriously missing in the new CnC games.

[=LEVIATHEN=]

They could start by making the campaigns challenging in the first place, only very few missions really are. Most missions simply are too linear so it all boils down to optimizing your economy and learning the scripts by heart. Ramping up the difficulty is then usually done just by making the AI cheat more, which still only requires you to get that extra bit of optimization out of your tried and true strategy.
Also,I believe the AI is simply harder to kill (e.g. on easy,it takes a tank four shots to kill another tank,but on hard,it takes six,and the other tank does more damage to you).
Also,MIL,I like that idea.They tested it out in C&C 3 and I think that it was very interesting.They should step it up a notch in the next game so that your actions in submissions could have a significant effect in the main mission.

[Plrsvek]

Being able to change the difficulty during a mission is a great idea. Not that I had to ever use it in other singleplayer games, but its a nice addition if you want the mission completed the easier or harder way

[wombat789]

Would it be posible to increase difficulty as game time elapses . 1st half hour easy ,medium . Next 45 minutes medium ,hard . Next hour and fifteen minutes hard ,very hard .

[Golan2781]

Isn't that counterproductive? Someone taking too long for a mission is a quite reliable sign that the mission is already too hard for him, upping the difficulty means you penalize him further and make it even more unlikely for him to win. On the other side of the spectrum, good/aggressive players face a way too easy campaign as they'll beat most missions before the difficulty rises to an appropriate level.

[Coolness7]

Thats somewhat unhelpful, if it takes that long the game should slowly become easier....

[=LEVIATHEN=]

Would it be posible to increase difficulty as game time elapses . 1st half hour easy ,medium . Next 45 minutes medium ,hard . Next hour and fifteen minutes hard ,very hard .
I can't really say I like this idea.I like taking my time with missions,so that I can capture some enemy tech and use it against them :).If it gets increasingly hard to do that,then I might just abandon it,and I don't want that to happen.
That's another thing that I love about C&C and many other RTS games.You can capture enemy buildings,if you're crazy enough,steal their tech,and use it against them.

[m4dn3ss]

Maybe adaptive AI?