[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.20,0:00:06.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hi, this is Mark Brown with Game Maker's Toolkit,\Na series on video game design.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.57,0:00:09.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Resident Evil 4 does something really clever.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.36,0:00:13.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, that's an understatement: the game's\Na masterpiece. But I'm talking specifically
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.35,0:00:17.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about the way the game dynamically shifts\Nits level of difficulty to meet your skill
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.83,0:00:18.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,level.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.83,0:00:22.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Perform well at the game, by avoiding attacks\Nand shooting accurately, and the game will
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.99,0:00:27.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,get harder as enemies do more damage and become\Nmore aggressive. But if you suck, and keep
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.99,0:00:32.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dying or just keep getting hurt, the game\Nwill ease off and the Ganados will go down
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.18,0:00:36.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more easily, and wait around longer to get\Nshot before rushing at you.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.35,0:00:40.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Also, the contents of the crates and barrels\Nshift from being generous to being stingy
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.50,0:00:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as you become more skilled. And, sometimes,\Nenemies will completely disappear from existence
Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.00,0:00:46.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you're really struggling.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.55,0:00:49.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here I've been playing really well...
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.36,0:00:55.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,...and I enter the notorious 'water room',\Nand get set upon by nine cultists - seven
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.57,0:01:01.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the ground, and two crossbow snipers up\Nhigh. But then I die a few times and
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.08,0:01:10.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,suddenly, the snipers are gone, making this\Nroom slightly easier to tackle.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.28,0:01:14.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because the game keeps pace with your own\Nskill as a player, Resident Evil 4 helps you
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.52,0:01:19.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,slip into a zone that psychologists and game\Ndesigners call "flow", which is the fabled
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.57,0:01:23.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,middle ground between a game being so easy\Nit leaves you bored, and so hard it makes
Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.68,0:01:25.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you anxious or frustrated.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.73,0:01:30.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,While the gradually rising difficulty curve\Nof most linear video games will try and keep
Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.28,0:01:34.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,players in that flow state, it can't account\Nfor every type of gamer. And if the player
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.78,0:01:39.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,picks the wrong difficulty option at the start,\Nthey may instantly rob themselves of a satisfying
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.15,0:01:40.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,experience.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.49,0:01:44.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's the advantage of a dynamic difficulty\Nsetting, which constantly corrects itself
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.68,0:01:48.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to provide an experience that challenges the\Nplayer, without overwhelming them. And it
Dialogue: 0,0:01:48.75,0:01:52.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,stops them from getting stuck in a rut, but\Nit doesn't let them waltz through the game
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.33,0:01:53.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,either.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.100,0:01:58.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is, however, not the most clever thing\Nabout Resident Evil 4's dynamic difficulty.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.47,0:02:02.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The smartest thing is that many gamers watching\Nthis video right now are saying to themselves
Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.52,0:02:05.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Wow! I didn't even know the game did that!"
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.34,0:02:11.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that may be the point. Capcom never officially\Nstated that the game altered its own difficulty.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.73,0:02:15.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not an option in the menu, and it's not\Nin the manual. It wasn't in a trailer or a
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.57,0:02:19.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bullet point in a press release, and designer\NShinji Mikami - who would later turn this
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.80,0:02:25.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,system into an entire game in the brilliant\NPS2 brawler God Hand - didn't gab about it
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.18,0:02:25.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in interviews.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.71,0:02:31.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The only real source for the feature's existence,\Nother than the experiences of Resident Evil
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.18,0:02:35.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,obsessives, is from an official strategy guide\Nthat came out almost a year after the game.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.68,0:02:39.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You see, a number of games offer to help out\Nif you're struggling, like the Super Kong
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.96,0:02:44.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Donkey Kong Country Returns, which clears\Na tricky level for you if you fail too many
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.39,0:02:44.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,times.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.86,0:02:49.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But many hardcore players are too proud to\Naccept the helping hand, and would rather
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.12,0:02:53.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,beat their head against the wall in frustration\Nthan suffer the indignity of getting a free
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.08,0:02:54.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pass.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.23,0:02:58.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Especially when the game actually mocks you\Nfor reducing the difficulty. If you die too
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.69,0:03:02.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,often in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 5,\Nyou'll be given the option to wear a goofy
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.75,0:03:07.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,chicken hat, which reduces the challenge but\Nmakes Snake look like a complete burk.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.27,0:03:11.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,However, by making the effects subtle and\Nnot advertising them to the world like it
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.91,0:03:17.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,did with Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles,\NResident Evil 4 gives players all the advantages
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.56,0:03:20.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of dynamic difficulty adjustment without making\Nthem feel patronised.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.91,0:03:26.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Plus, if they don't know about it, players\Ncan't game the system by intentionally killing
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.01,0:03:30.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or injuring themselves to drop the difficulty\Nsetting, which is exactly what speed runners
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.12,0:03:30.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,do.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.57,0:03:36.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's a top Resi 4 speed runner, Robert 'Sunblade'\NBrandl, getting hit on the ski lift and purposefully
Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.33,0:03:40.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,failing QTEs, to reduce the difficulty and\Ntherefore make certain sections easier to
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.67,0:03:42.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dash through.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.27,0:03:47.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Resident Evil 4 did not invent the idea of\Na sliding difficulty scale, of course. NES
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.23,0:03:51.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and arcade shmups like Zanac and Xevious were\Ndoing it back in the eighties, and Remedy
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.79,0:03:56.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,applied the idea to a third person shooter\Nin Max Payne, a few years before Capcom had
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.40,0:03:57.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the chance.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.32,0:04:03.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Left 4 Dead made particularly good use of\Ndynamic difficulty, to modulate dramatic tension.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.25,0:04:05.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Here's Valve's Guatam Babbar on the subject:
Dialogue: 0,0:04:05.88,0:04:11.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"We created a system that tracks each survivor's\Nstress level by watching for events like 'how
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.16,0:04:15.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,much damage are you taking?', 'how many zombies\Nhave you killed near you?', and so on."
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.79,0:04:20.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"If a survivor's stress level gets too high,\Nthe system will step in and forcibly throttle
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.61,0:04:26.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,back the zombie population system to make\Nsure the team gets a break every now and then".
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.31,0:04:30.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Kid Icarus Uprising and Super Smash Bros have\Nan interesting system where you essentially
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.41,0:04:35.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,place a bet on the difficulty level you think\Nyou'll finish the stage at. If you succeed
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.50,0:04:39.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- you get a big payout. But if you fail - you\Nlose a bunch of your stuff and get knocked
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.60,0:04:43.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,down to an easier difficulty level, until\Nyou can beat the game.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.28,0:04:47.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And Flow, which is named after that psychological\Nzone, lets you manually moderate your level
Dialogue: 0,0:04:47.88,0:04:52.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of difficulty, by choosing when to delve into\Ndeeper waters - by chomping on a red organism
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.42,0:04:57.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- and when to retreat to safety my munching\Non a blue one. It's a bit like deciding whether
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.29,0:04:59.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or not to grind for a while in a RPG.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.69,0:05:04.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the number of games with dynamic difficulty\Nadjustment is pretty small, and most of them
Dialogue: 0,0:05:04.60,0:05:09.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,advertise it to the world, like SiN Episodes,\Nwhich made a big song and dance of its 'Personal
Dialogue: 0,0:05:09.31,0:05:12.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Challenge System' right there on the Steam\Ndescription.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.58,0:05:16.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I think this is something that game designers\Nshould keep on the down low. Don't make it
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.24,0:05:19.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a press release or a blog post. Keep it a\Nsecret.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.37,0:05:23.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You want to let players reap the benefits\Nof a sliding difficulty scale, that keeps
Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.08,0:05:27.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,perfect pace with their skill level and helps\Nremove areas of boredom or frustration. But
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.82,0:05:32.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you also want to avoid the drawbacks, of hardcore\Ngamers getting cranky, and others spoiling
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.24,0:05:34.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,their own experience by cheating the system.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.56,0:05:38.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yes, I do realise that there may be many\Ngames that use this system but have done it
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.62,0:05:46.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,*so* subtly that no one has actually noticed.\NIn which case, bravo mysterious game developers.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.05,0:05:50.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thanks for watching! Think you've spotted\Na game with a secret sliding difficulty scale?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:50.15,0:05:54.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Whack it in the comments below. Plus, please\Nlike the episode, subscribe to the channel,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.19,0:05:55.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and consider supporting me on Patreon.