Finally someone who understands what i've been saying.. thank you Ellary... they don't realize that teaching the rules and systems of crafting and combat and such isn't hand holding... its teaching how the pieces move .. very well put post... And they don't understand that for the game to be succesfull it needs to teach NEW players how to play lol.. not just cater to the hardcore here in the forums...
ynotndalton, I don't think anyone here is suggesting teaching rules and systems is "hand holding". My point to which Ellary was responding was that having to learn rules and systems is not a component of the games difficulty (which she was suggesting in a previous post). As I pointed out to Ellary, the game could be extremely complex in its systems, but dreadfully easy in play.
Also, keep in mind that nobody here is suggesting that the games normal difficulty be increased. This discussion is about hard mode and the possible changes to it that can give it difficulty without applying tired standards of implementation.
Keep in mind that games used to ship with very detailed manuals to which the player read before they played in order to properly play the game. There is nothing wrong with a learning area (which is why I think they put in the tutorial), but there is a limit as to what your target audience is.
Trying to make a game for EVERYONE is what caused games to become the bland pointless ventures most are today. There comes a point where you decide who your audience is and market to them. That market is the Ultima VII fan crowd and anyone who shares a love for similar systems.
