Is a Lower Difficulty setting cheating?

Harlequin · Post by **Harlequin** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 9:36 am

Yeah i know it isnt really but it feels like it is to me.

I am trying some Psikyo Shooters and cannot go to an
easier setting diffulty no matter how hard 'Normal' is to me

Harlequin

Post by **spadgy** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 10:26 am

I feel the same when I play Psikyo games, and can't drop below 'normal' as I feel like I'm cheating, when it isn't really.

I guess it should be about what you find most fun, but pride is hard thing to drop, and I certainly stick with the higher difficulty even when I'm cursing the game...

Vincere · Post by **Vincere** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 11:13 am

Same here guys. But the only thing that, IMO, would justify to lower the difficulty with less cowardry fellings in Psikyo games is that "normal" setting are far too high by default. See Strikers 1945, 5/7 is the normal difficulty setting. Is it serious in the first place? I don't mind playing it on 5 or 7/7 but I think that objectively, it IS not fair.

elfhentaifan · Post by **elfhentaifan** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 11:36 am

to topic: yes it is

ROBOTRON · Post by **ROBOTRON** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 11:38 am

Dear Topic,

Gentlemen:

Not really...cheating is invincibility codes or unearned power-ups.

Sincerely,

Mr. ROBOTRON Sr.

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 12:00 pm

Lower difficulty settings is a good way to learn. So is credit feeding to some extent. I like how many Japanese arcades have optional cabinets of some shooters with lower difficulty setting or more lives. It's great if you feel that the learning curve is too steep for you.

elfhentaifan · Post by **elfhentaifan** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 12:18 pm

if i think about it, isnt ikaruga EASY mode a completely other GAME than normal mode?
easy mode is hard though.
Of course credit feeding helps you a lot, but still the learning wont go on faster, actually its thw other way round.

If you're nerves allow that, play every credit like it is your last, and dont mess around with stage select, something like that

Arvandor · Post by **Arvandor** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 12:59 pm

Technically it's not, but I can understand the dirty feeling you get from doing it.

I don't ever lower the difficulty, but I presume I get a similar sensation when bombing in Dodonpachi. It's not cheating, it's even a fair tradeoff of losing score to survive. But due to the copious amounts of bombs, the easy 1cc you can get (and I have gotten) from bomb-spam, and the fact that it feels like I'm hindering my progress skill-wise when I panic bomb instead of bullet-navigate... All comes together to make me not want to bomb.

Gorecki · Post by **Gorecki** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 4:29 pm

After credit feeding Garegga and Strikers 1999 last night, I think it's the shmups themselves that are cheating. No sane man could face such evil and survive, not even on easy.

Geezer · Post by **Geezer** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 4:47 pm

It's only cheating if you're entering your scores in a high score thread that stipulates default settings.

Dragon1952 · Post by **Dragon1952** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 5:01 pm

The EASY setting is a good way to get the hang of a game and to underdtand its basics well before taking on the real challenge of stepping through the more difficult settings! It isn't cheating it's logical play progression....!

kengou · Post by **kengou** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 5:23 pm

elfhentaifan wrote:if i think about it, isnt ikaruga EASY mode a completely other GAME than normal mode?
easy mode is hard though.
Of course credit feeding helps you a lot, but still the learning wont go on faster, actually its thw other way round.

If you're nerves allow that, play every credit like it is your last, and dont mess around with stage select, something like that

Everyone says that, but I don't agree with it. I played easy first and 1CC'd it a little while ago, and it took about 25 cumulative play hours to get that. Whenever I play normal I always get caught with the suicide bullets or with the harder bosses. I know it's a trade-off between charging your special faster in normal versus no suicide bullets in easy, but the fact that there are also fewer enemies and the bosses are easier in easy mode makes that mode more manageable to me.

On topic, though, I still won't rest with Ikaruga until I 1cc normal mode, because that's how it appeared in arcades and how it is meant to be played.

Dragon1952 · Post by **Dragon1952** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 5:47 pm

[kengou said]

because that's how it appeared in arcades and how it is meant to be played.

When any game is first released, often or for the first week it is set to EASY. Then after that it is set to NORMAL for several weeks or until the operator feels that the players are getting into the game playing very far into it. Then it is set for HARD so that the coins come quickly and so that the player does not hang onto the machine for too long on a single coin.
[/quote]

FIL · Post by **FIL** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 5:49 pm

I don't see it as cheating, but if I finish a game on easy I don't regard it as being a real 1cc.

landshark · Post by **landshark** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 6:40 pm

These games are not meant to be finished 'easily'. If they were, the majority of shooter players would lose interest in the game quickly. You are supposed to have to pour hours (often measured in weeks and months) into the game in order to become good enough to 1cc it on normal difficulty.

Your skill level will go up as well when you get better at the harder games. You'll be able to move from one difficult game to another difficult game more smoothly.

To answer the original question. No, I do not think playing on easy is cheating. But should you 1CC the game on easy, you need to qualify the 1CC as "1CC on easy" because that is often a far cry from 1CC on normal or above.

mirkvid · Post by **mirkvid** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 7:48 pm

easy mode is great. i usually play a shmup on an easier difficulty until i can 1cc it or at at least get near the end on 1 credit then bump it back up to normal. i find that you can learn the game faster this way and not feel so deterred when you get your ass handed to you on the 1st level.

DEL · Post by **DEL** » Mon Dec 31, 2007 10:02 pm

Geezer wrote;

It's only cheating if you're entering your scores in a high score thread that stipulates default settings.

All Arcadia World Record listings stipulate default settings (at least I think so

). So easy is cheating.

I see that some people have mentioned that games can be learned on easy then bumped up to normal later on. I have found that the opposite is better - learn the game on hard then bump down to normal later on.
Plasmo proved this to be true when he told me that he only ever played Mush on ULTRA at first, reaching stage 5, then he tried one credit of Maniac and 1CC'd Maniac on his first attempt....ever.

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 3:33 am

Geezer wrote:It's only cheating if you're entering your scores in a high score thread that stipulates default settings.

Pretty much agree here - as long as you're not trying to pass off an "easy" score/1CC as a default score/1CC, then play on whatever difficulty you want, the programmers didn't put them in there just to fill in space. Psikyo games are especially good to try on lower difficulties, since they keep separate score tables for each setting (at least on most of their home ports), so you can track your progress as you improve.

shoe-sama · Post by **shoe-sama** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 5:03 am

there's more than one difficulty setting!!!??!!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!>

doctorx0079 · Post by **doctorx0079** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 7:46 pm

A lower difficulty setting is NOT cheating. Just play it on that setting until you 1CC it or it gets boring. Then crank it up a notch.

If you get bored playing the same levels over and over then shmups are not for you. It doesn't matter if a lower difficulty setting lets you see the later levels sooner. You will still end up playing them over and over at some point, or else get bored and quit. But please pay attention to the difficulty setting when you post high scores.

Post by **spadgy** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 7:58 pm

BulletMagnet wrote:
Geezer wrote:It's only cheating if you're entering your scores in a high score thread that stipulates default settings.
Pretty much agree here - as long as you're not trying to pass off an "easy" score/1CC as a default score/1CC, then play on whatever difficulty you want, the programmers didn't put them in there just to fill in space. Psikyo games are especially good to try on lower difficulties, since they keep separate score tables for each setting (at least on most of their home ports), so you can track your progress as you improve.

My thoughts exactly. Easy is good for practice, but as for 1CCs and Scores it's just doesn't count

unsane · Post by **unsane** » Tue Jan 01, 2008 9:52 pm

It's not cheating. It's not really useful for practice. As DEL said, play the hardest difficulty for best practice. Easy is there for situations where you can't enjoy a difficult game on normal or hard because they are too hard or frustrating.

lgb · Post by **lgb** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 11:29 pm

doctorx0079 wrote:A lower difficulty setting is NOT cheating. Just play it on that setting until you 1CC it or it gets boring. Then crank it up a notch.

If you get bored playing the same levels over and over then shmups are not for you. It doesn't matter if a lower difficulty setting lets you see the later levels sooner. You will still end up playing them over and over at some point, or else get bored and quit. But please pay attention to the difficulty setting when you post high scores.

Agreed here. I still try to play Normal whenever I can, but some shmups differentiate massively from difficulty, like Touhou and Ikaruga.

PROMETHEUS · Post by **PROMETHEUS** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 1:13 am

A 1CC in easy is still a 1CC. It's just a 1CC in easy. Why would it not count ? It is only what it is and nothing else. If your goal is to 1CC a game on easy, then you have accomplished that goal when you 1CCed it on easy. If you're thinking "I want to 1CC that game" in the common meaning, then it means you are referring to default settings. Then play on default if you want that particular goal accomplished.

1CC non-issues aside, "It's only cheating if you're entering your scores in a high score thread that stipulates default settings" says it all.

shoe-sama · Post by **shoe-sama** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 2:09 am

PROMETHEUS wrote:"It's only cheating if you're entering your scores in a high score thread that stipulates default settings" says it all.

oops i did not realize this

elfhentaifan · Post by **elfhentaifan** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:23 am

PROMETHEUS wrote:A 1CC in easy is still a 1CC. It's just a 1CC in easy. Why would it not count ? It is only what it is and nothing else. If your goal is to 1CC a game on easy, then you have accomplished that goal when you 1CCed it on easy. If you're thinking "I want to 1CC that game" in the common meaning, then it means you are referring to default settings. Then play on default if you want that particular goal accomplished.

1CC non-issues aside, "It's only cheating if you're entering your scores in a high score thread that stipulates default settings" says it all.

pride is an important factor you forgot to count in.
what's a shmupper without any prideß

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 4:13 pm

elfhentaifan wrote:what's a shmupper without any pride

Me.

DEL · Post by **DEL** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 7:46 pm

^

.

-----------------
One more thing to add; easy setting 1CCs must not appear on 1CC lists. default Norms only for that.

Mills · Post by **Mills** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 8:47 pm

Only if your trying to post your highscore against everyone elses default (normal difficulty) setting. if your playing for just personal enjoyment, then it is not cheating. however if you wanna compete with everyone else, youve gotta put the effort into every play no matter how many times you lose.

Iori Branford · Post by **Iori Branford** » Fri Jan 04, 2008 2:50 am

No need for cheat code = not cheating.

All I need.