Xbox One review: Difference in difficulty.

[Bluesockes]

First and foremost, excellent game. $20 well spent.

After playing on all three difficulties, with deaths ranging from five weeks to five minutes, I have found myself wishing for the following:

Storms and Weather: A difficulty between Pilgrim (WAY too easy) and Voyager OR making Voyager just a little less "oppressive". I can't remember how many times an entire day was wasted because of a storm or a "white out". With that being said, I know that an entire day of snow, storm, or fog happens but I seem to remember losing 3-4 days in a row because of a mixture of long storms and freak INSTANT storms that give zero warning as to their approach. I do however think that Voyager difficulty is spot on when it comes to warm, cold, freezing, and transitioning between them all....but I wouldn't complain if the freezing mechanic was just a BIT less aggressive.

Tools, Weapons, Items: My first play through on Voyager lasted 15 days. Never found a weapon or the requirements to make a weapon (where are the maple saplings?!). Used torches to keep wolves away. I remember thinking to myself (and still do when I play) "Oh wow, this is intense, I can't waste a single second of the day...AWESOME." I think Voyager is perfect when it comes to items, in every regard.

Wolves: Wolves seem like a mixed bag depending on who you ask. My first play through (The 15 day one) I went through around seven days without ever having to deal with one. Then, they were EVERYWHERE. As far as the A.I goes for wolves, I feel that it is pretty good where it is. First few wolves I came across I was very timid, waved the torch around a lot, backed away, etc. This worked out for me. After a few more wolves I got a bit reckless and started swigging and charging, this did NOT work out for me.

All and all, If the game stayed the way it is, I would still feel like I got my $20 worth. Really fun. I just hope there will be a few tweaks in the future. I read up on a few other posts regarding difficulty and agree that a custom difficulty "slider" system for each difficulty "trait" (weather, freezing, wolves, etc) would be great. The posts linked below can better explain it.

viewtopic.php?f=59&t=5554&hilit=difficulty

viewtopic.php?f=59&t=5924&hilit=difficulty

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=6224&hilit=difficulty

[bethany]

Thanks so much for the feedback! Always great to hear a new player's thoughts.

We have evaluated our weather system as far as the approach and arrival of a storm is concerned in the past, and made some progress on that front. Keep your ears and eyes open for subtle changes. Even the birds can serve as an indicator of incoming inclement weather. I can't say how much things will change in terms of duration/difficulty (or if they'll change at all, really), but we're always open to hearing feedback.

There are guaranteed spawns for certain high-value tools and items throughout each map. The rifle, for example, is guaranteed to spawn at least once on each map. It is possible for them to spawn outside, so keep your eyes open! Saplings of both types can also be found on each map, but can be challenging to locate, and do not always appear in the same location each game.

Fun to read about your experience with the wolves. A good note, in case you weren't aware, is that hostile wildlife will not spawn until at least 12 hours have passed in Voyager. It's very true that a cavalier attitude can easily lead to trouble when it's you VS nature! It's so easy to start getting confident, right? I love that feeling when the game just snatches that confidence away from you and knocks you down a peg or two.

Thanks again for the feedback, and for playing. Welcome to the forums!

[Bluesockes]

Wow, all of that is new information for me. Thank you! Great response.