POLL: Heart of Fury vs. Normal mode

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So, what do you like most: Heart of Fury or normal mode? Please state why.

Poll Information
This poll contains 1 question(s). 13 user(s) have voted.
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Poll Results: Heart of Fury vs. Normal mode (13 votes.)

Heart of Fury or Normal mode? (Choose 1)
* Heart of Fury - 38% (5)
* Normal mode - 62% (8)

 

To me, Heart of Fury just doesn't all all that much. Yeah, it's like Diablo2; there's some unique items and sets that are nifty.

The combat scales way up. And if you have level 15 characters, you'll start getting experience again. It makes the monster summoning spells even more important to the gameplay.

I just don't think it really adds anything extra ordinary. Heck, it didn't even in the original game.

I guess if, at some point, it really becomes too easy for you, then it serves it's purpose well. The combat is geared for level 10+ parties. But I think of it like mazes in Zork1 and 2; just cheap things to lengthen the gameplay and apparent "difficultly" of it. Not really anything that makes it a completely different experience.

Maybe I'm just being too critical...

 

I don't think HoF tries to be something all new, so I don't blame it for not being something new. That wasn't the point of it. It just ups the ante for everyone. Which is fine with me because I like it difficult.

Although not quite feasible I suppose (yet), my ideal IWD would be long enough and hard enough that you would start at level 1 and by the end of the game cap out at level 30. There would be no need for HoF as it is. HoF could be the most extreme on the difficulty scale, but there would be no need to do it with a party that is already experienced, it would be HoF right from level 1.

 

I agree. Although I think they should still leave the HOF items in HOF mode so that you have to play the game really diffucult to get the special items. But i completely agree with the experience thing.

 

As far as I can tell, Heart of Fury Mode exists primarily because normal mode simply doesn't have enough content to get characters anywhere close to the lvl cap (the challenge rating system doesn't help matters at all). This mode is basically a cheap way to allow your party to continue leveling up after finishing the game in normal mode.

I really think that this is what the designers had in mind. For fun, I started a game in HoF mode once, and no matter what tactics I employed I wasn't even able to kill one lousy goblin without a couple of members dying. I started with the rogue doing a sneak attack, then had the wizard throw in his magic missiles. From there I had whoever had the mob's attention run around while everyone else attacked. My level one party could barely hit and after like 5 minutes with one goblin he was still only at 'hurt'!! All it took was one or two hits from the goblin to kill any of my characters. So, when the designers say that HoF mode shouldn't be attempted until around character level 15, they aren't jokin'.

However, character development in IWD is so robust that I think its worth another run through just to see the kind of havoc your party can raise after gaining another 15 levels or so. And although those 300+ hitpoints that your tanks can eventually attain might SEEM like a lot... when you are getting hit for over 50 (and critted for over 100!) by a monster with a 38+ attack rating, you will learn some humility .

 

Not so mcuh when you have say.. a level 20Monk/10 rogue with improved evasion dodge, deflect arrows, etc..

Neways, I like the HoF items better.. But i think it's a little out there for a freaking HoF Keg to have 250hp, It's a Keg for Christ's Sake!

V_V Oh well. .

 

remember that the game designers have to design the game for a wide variety of player skill and player types...

i.e. if they made a game where it had a long storyline that required lvl 30 char to complete, a great deal of their customers would not be able to finish the game, and might get frustrated and not buy future products...

having HoF mode allows for less skilled players to play the normal mode and have a good chance to succeed, while more skilled players can try HoF for more of a challenge...

you can also try out various handicapped parties in normal mode as a challenge...

and even skilled players may want to try more of a roleplaying party that is more suited to normal mode...

I like them both, and each are fun for different reasons, imho.

normal is fun to learn the game in, and to try out various party combos, as well as roleplaying...

HoF is like a higher difficulty, where you can try to powergame, or see if your party is as good as you think it is... there are also some nicer items in HoF mode that are interesting to get as well...

for me, it is tough to *not* play HoF simply because it is there, and I feel that I need to beat the game on HoF to really *beat* the game...

 

"if they made a game where it had a long storyline that required lvl 30 char to complete, a great deal of their customers would not be able to finish the game, and might get frustrated and not buy future products..."

Well this customer and some others I'm sure, want to be catered to for once. Give us a whopping adventure that takes longer to beat. I'm all for it. You can even have a warning on the back of the box: WARNING: Extreme, intense, hour after hour of gameplay involved. Beware.

I bet they'd gain more customers if they did that, not loose them.