History Main / FakeDifficulty

[[caption-width-right:333:Gravity follows the arrows. Do you know exactly where to drop to be lined up with the little green star in the back? Neither do we. [[note]]Here's a hint: the spin jump and ground pound are your friends.[[/note]]]]

* RandomlyDrops - if the items are necessary to continue the game or achieve certain endings.

What the—why is this VisualNovel suddenly making me play a rhythm game? I only have one arm, man, that's why I picked up the slow-paced game instead of one of those!

A bug which renders the game unplayable.

Games with unintuitive, complex, or difficult control systems.

* ArtificialStupidity - on the part of your teammates.\\

* InterfaceScrew\\

* RandomlyDrops - if the items are necessary to continue the game.

If you don't know how to do a {{Shoryuken}} because you didn't read the manual, that's just you being lazy, not {{Fake Difficulty}}. This is for games which refer to plot elements or instructions that are only in ANOTHER game's manual which you haven't purchased yet.

If objects that reside in the "background" layer can still kill you by CollisionDamage. In isometric views, it's hard to tell what's blocking you or what's safe to land on. Your bullets are blocked by walls, enemy bullets don't have that problem.

A hole in a platform game which, despite appearances, is ''not'' bottomless. The only way to find out is to jump in!

A gameplay design element that in the future will prevent the player from winning, but the player may not be informed of this until ''hours'' after it happened.

A game's solution requires an answer that is blatantly incorrect in the real world, causing players with the true answer to get stuck at the puzzle.

* EscortMission - some of them \\

When you play a [[VideoGame video game]], you expect to be able to use your skills as a gamer to beat whatever challenges the game throws at you. If the challenges require a lot of skill, the game is hard to win. If it doesn't require much skill, it should be an easy game. However, some games that should be relatively easy are actually quite hard. It could be due to shoddy programming, a GameBreakingBug, poor implementation of gameplay elements or time constraints, or the developers threw in something which makes the game harder, but which has nothing to do with the player's or AI's skills. This is fake difficulty.

Probably the worst cause of GuideDangIt. This is when the game gives you information, but it's not simply inaccurate. The computer is outright ''lying to you''.

A "missable" item which, if you didn't get it on your first chance, will be unobtainable afterwards. Doubly frustrating if it's a very powerful item that will aid the quest, and sure to cause a lot of frustration if it's a ''key item'', primarily required for the [[GoldenEnding best ending]]. Extremely likely to cause controller-tossing [[{{Unwinnable}} if it's a key item required to get]] '''''[[UnwinnableByDesign any]]''' [[UnwinnableByDesign ending at all]]''. If the NonStandardGameOver screen/cinematic lets you know what you missed for your next go-around, then the Fake Difficulty of the situation is ''slightly'' lessened. It'd still be better if they told you about it ''before'' it was LostForever, though.

* '''The outcome of the game is influenced by decisions that were uninformed at the time and [[LostForever cannot be undone]].''' (Unless the game is heavily story-based and unforeseen consequences of actions undertaken with incomplete information are legitimate plot elements, or the game offers some way of mitigating or eliminating those consequences.) A game that offers a JokeCharacter and is clear about the character's weakness has real difficulty. A game that [[CrutchCharacter disguises a joke character as a real one]] has fake difficulty.

* LostForever\\

FakeDifficulty was prevalent in many older games, when developers were still learning about how to make fair challenges. When people realized that sometimes, the game was hard for all the wrong reasons, they decided to make it more of a fair challenge. [[UnpleasableFanbase The unfortunate side effect is that newer games seem easier in comparison merely because they're a fairer challenge.]] There are plenty of other reasons for this (such as players being aware of some persistent forms of FakeDifficulty and making sure to avoid them) but that's another article entirely. It still ''does'' exist today, mind you.

NoExamplesPlease

Games with CopyProtection or {{Feelies}} that are not included with some nonetheless legal purchases of the game. E.g. VideoGame/{{Quest for Glory}} having only maps and pamphlets with certain versions of the game.

Contrast AntiFrustrationFeature, where things are fudged in the player's favor instead. Also contrast NintendoHard, which is extreme, but very 'real' difficulty.

Contrast AntiFrustrationFeature, where things are fudged in the player's favor instead.

There are five kinds of fake difficulty, in addition to the sub-category (TheComputerIsACheatingBastard):
* '''Bad technical aspects make it difficult.''' Making a difficult jump is a real difficulty. Making the same difficult jump with overly complex controls, bad [[JumpPhysics jumping physics]], or [[CameraScrew an abrupt mid-air change of camera angle]] - and therefore the orientation of your controls - is fake difficulty.

* '''Bad technical aspects make it difficult.''' Making a difficult jump is a real difficulty. Making a same difficult jump with overly complex controls, bad [[JumpPhysics jumping physics]], or [[CameraScrew an abrupt mid-air change of camera angle]] - and therefore the orientation of your controls - is fake difficulty.

When you play a [[VideoGame video game]], you expect be able to use your skills as a gamer to beat whatever challenges the game throws at you. If the challenges require a lot of skill, the game is hard to win. If it doesn't require much skill, it should be an easy game. However, some games that should be relatively easy are actually quite hard. It could be due to shoddy programming, a GameBreakingBug, poor implementation of gameplay elements or time constraints, or the developers threw in something which makes the game harder, but which has nothing to do with the player's or AI's skills. This is fake difficulty.

FakeDifficulty was prevalent in many older games, when developers were still learning about how to make fair challenges. When people realized that sometimes, the game was hard for all the wrong reasons, they decided to make it more of a fair challenge. [[UnpleasableFanbase The unfortunate side effect are that newer games seem easier in comparison merely because they're a fairer challenge.]] There are plenty of other reasons for this (such as players being aware of some persistent forms of FakeDifficulty and making sure to avoid them) but that's another article entirely. It still ''does'' exist today, mind you.

->''"Pff! Man the hell up! Act like you got a pair! What, games can't be difficulty anymore? This isn't like VideoGame/{{Contra}} or VideoGame/GhostsNGoblins."''
-->-- '''[[WebVideo/AngryJoeShow Angry Joe]]''', reviewing ''ComicJumperTheAdventuresOfCaptainSmiley''

->''"Pff! Man the hell up! Act like you got a pair! What, games can't be difficulty anymore?"''

->''"Pff! Man the hell up! Act like you got a pair! What, games can't be difficulty anymore?'''"''

->''"This is one of the hardest games I've ever played, but for '''all the wrong reasons!'''"''
-->-- '''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd''', playing ''[[TheProblemWithLicensedGames The Wizard Of Oz]]''

[[caption-width-right:333:Gravity follows the arrows. Do you know exactly where to drop to be lined up with the little green star in the back? Neither do we. [[note]]Here's a hint: the spin jump is your friend.[[/note]]]]

* '''The game requires the player to use skills or knowledge that are either incorrect or have nothing to do with the genre.''' A football game that requires you to describe the position that Jerry Rice played for a power-up is real difficulty. A football game that requires you to describe the position that Jerry Rice played to get a powerup, and assumes the answer is "[[CriticalResearchFailure Quarterback]]", or one that forces you to do multi-variable calculus in order to train your starting lineup is fake difficulty, not to mention just plain silly. (Even if that last one would arguably be kind of cool.)

When joining an online game, there are a lot of unwritten rules that fellow players ''expect'' you to know that the in-game tutorials do not explain.

If objects that reside in the "background" layer can still kill you by CollisionDamage. In isometric views, it's hard to tell what's blocking you or what's safe to land on.

Note also that fake difficulty is [[TropesAreNotBad not inherently bad]]. If used subtly, it can provide a satisfying challenge in cases where the AI might be lacking. However, it is obviously preferable for the AI to provide a challenge by playing well than by getting special advantages from the programmer. Moreover, some games (notably {{Platform Hell}}s and Retroclones) get the majority of their comedy/nostalgia from Fake Difficulty and is much of the appeal of them - ''Tabletopgame/DungeonsAndDragons''' [[TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors most popular module]] is packed to the brim with Fake Difficulty and attempts to reduce it have [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks caused complaining from the fanbase]].

FakeDifficulty was prevalent in many older games, when developers were still learning about how to make fair challenges. When people realized that sometimes, the game was hard for all the wrong reasons, they decided to make it more of a fair challenge. [[UnpleasableFanbase The unfortunate side effect are that newer games seem easier in comparison merely because they're a fairer challenge.]] There are plenty of other reasons for this (Such as players being aware of some persistent forms of FakeDifficulty and making sure to avoid them) but that's another article entirely. It still ''does'' exist today, mind you.

When you play a [[VideoGame video game]], you expect be able to use your skills as a gamer to beat whatever challenges the game throws at you. If the challenges requires a lot of skill, the game is hard to win. If it doesn't require much skill, it should be an easy game. However, some games that should be relatively easy are actually quite hard. It could be due to shoddy programming, a GameBreakingBug, poor implementation of gameplay elements or time constraints, or the developers threw in something which makes the game harder, but which has nothing to do with the player's or AI's skills. This is fake difficulty.

* '''The game requires the player to use skills or knowledge that are either incorrect or have nothing to do with the genre.''' A football game that requires you to describe the position that Jerry Rice played for a power-up is real difficulty. A football game that requires you to describe the position that Jerry Rice played to get a powerup, and assumes the answer is "[[CriticalResearchFailure Quarterback]]", or one forces you to do multi-variable calculus in order to train your starting lineup is fake difficulty, not to mention just plain silly (but awesome).

See also FakeLongevity, ClassicVideoGameScrewYous. For its cousin, see FakeBalance. For the player variant, see FakeSkill.

[[caption-width-right:333:Gravity follows the arrows. Do you know exactly where to drop to be lined up with the little green star in the back? Neither do we. [[hottip:*:Here's a hint: the spin jump is your friend.]]]]