Dungeons and Dragons has always, in every iteration, struggled with making things challenging. Encounters are too often either effortless or impossible. I think the combat scenarios so far in the EA are pretty well done. I have found if I blunder into things that sometimes I will get my ass handed to me, but that there is always an approach which gives the player an advantage if they take the time to look for. I actually have no qualms with Larian on this topic. . .
However, I have to admit I have save scummed my way through some shit, mostly dialogues. Statistics should be meaningful but they simply aren't. I am sure anyone here who played XCOM has some RNG nightmare stories, but as much as I hated that rare miss at 100% it was the only game I have ever played where I would take throw away shots at 11% and still make them often enough that I have distinct memories of them. Of quite a few of them. And as rough as the RNG was, it rarely felt unfair (although there were times, let me tell you). There were instances where it was wildly off and some encounters I would be rocking would flip and I would find myself decimated. . .but most games with an RNG seem worse. It feel as though your odds are never better than 50-50. You start to just accept 65% will always miss despite the fact it is a two out of three chance to hit. 33% is 1 out of 3 but realistically it is more like 1 in 10. That is why I save scum, when I do save scum. If you are going to feed me percentiles that I am supposed to make my choices contingent upon, make them accurate or find another system to use. I understand there will be aberrations, but after awhile I feel like I am just being played for a sucker. 40% to pick a lock? If I lose four lock picks and still haven't gotten past it then fuck you. If I have four die in my pool to use on a re-roll and I can't break ten then fuck you. Whenever I save scum it is never about winning, at that point it is just me telling the game to fuck itself.
Before anyone starts saying I don't know how this shit works, I won't argue, I have had long and tedious arguments over this shit in the past. However. . . I play Horse and 10,000 with my favorite bar tender over his tips to pass the time. I play spades and/or Texas once a month religiously with some friends. I haven't hit Vegas in years, but a buddy and I used to go there twice a year and while we only played Blackjack, neither of us ever left worse than more or less even with what we brought (though we would also bring 5 grand or so to ride out those rough patches). All of which is to say I may not get statistical theory but I get percentages and I have seen some shit, but nothing in reality is as consistently bad as video games.
Last edited by DistantStranger; 13/11/20 12:42 AM.
