What Game Difficulty Level Do You Start With?

[OilCan]

Here's another question which might provide some interesting results...

When you start a RT3 game you have NEVER played before (first time ever and first try to play it), what difficulty level do you select?

My answer would be 'Hard usually". By habit my first try is at Hard difficulty level unless I've heard via this forum that the game is going to be very difficult or has a tough start, then I start at Easy to 'scout' it out as a first try (or for several years).

[nedfumpkin]

I voted hard or expert. The campaigns only go up to hard so I initially played the scenarios on hard so that the game conditions would be consistent. Now when I play a scenario I always play it on expert. My game style now is more about starting scenarios than finishing them, unless there is a good story involved, and different choices.

By saying that I start scenarios, I mean that I usually try different things over and over again to figure out the best possible set-up to finish the scenario very early. The challenge for me is not so much achieving gold, as it is getting it with more than 5 years left in the game. Most scenarios get started and played for two or three years before I decide whether to go on. About 1/10 will get to ten years. Also, I like to own all the stock in my company if there is a pnw goal, so if any of my stock gets bought by a competitor, I usually restart the scenario.

[WPandP]

I generally go hard or expert, and live with my resultant failure. I tend to keep on playing, as if to say to the world, yeah I know I didn't win those precious little medals, but look at me, I'm running a more robust railroad than the next guy, and when the bottom drops out of the economy, I'll be the only one left standing! In other words, I go for long-term prudent company management, rather than hang my hat on achieving the specific scenario goals. I mean really, who's going to walk up to Cornelius Vanderbilt and tell him, on such-and-so date, that because his PNW is a million shy, he's a failure? Or tell Microsoft that because there are still Macintosh computers in the world, they're a bunch of losers?

Bad example. Microsoft is a bunch of losers. Sorry folks.

Anyways, I often get Bronze or Silver and that's fine with me.

[Hawk]

I generally start on the default medium setting when I first play a map, mainly because I keep forgetting to change that.
Depending on the goals of the scenario I might then go back and play it on hard, rarely on expert. I'm just not as good at the game as most are.

[Jeremy Mac Donald]

Medium for me. Unless the scenario is very easy I'll often still have some trouble and will often have to play a second or third time to finally win. I don't usually go back and play a scenario a 2nd time after I have won it mainly becuase there are all these other great scenarios to play so I tend to just move on.

[Wolverine@MSU]

Always Expert. If I don't get Gold the first time through, I analyze the goals more closely and devise a new strategy. It sometimes takes a couple or three plays to make it, but most scenarios are done in the first play through.

[Gandar]

I play on expert because its more fun that way and, if I play a difficult scenario, then I actually feel as if I have achieved something when I get gold I would not get the same feeling if I played on easy. I will also replay scenarios that I have enjoyed, trying different techniques to reach the goals. I play in a similar style to nedfumpkin I always save before I even start playing and then go from there, but that is because I have a tendency to spend all my money on track and not have enough for a train to run on it. I may not be smart but I do persevere.

[WPandP]

I always hated that "painted into the corner" situation where you've issued all the bonds you can, floated stock, and spent it all on track and shiny stations, but can no longer afford an engine to ply the line. Thus, I got into the habit of buying my engine as soon as possible - get single-track laid, build two stations only, then buy an engine. After that, you can place service towers or double-track. One might also choose to build small stations, intending to upgrade them later (like right after the first delivery).

Of course, often, I'm spending all my initial capital on industries which are relatively cheap compared to what they will be worth in a year or two. This guarantees a trickle of income such that, should you paint yourself into a corner later, you can always wait for the paint to dry, as it were, and get enough money together to buy a cheap engine.

[Grandma Ruth]

I always play on Hard. It seems to me that on Easy you don't get the same information about the cargo, but that could well have been in RT2. (Like Gwizz, the memory isn't what it used to be!)
I tend to start over several times to see what's spawned and I save a lot so I can go back to an earlier year once it's all gone pear-shaped. Don't you wish you could do that in real life?

[Gandar]

I tend to start over several times to see what's spawned and I save a lot so I can go back to an earlier year once it's all gone pear-shaped. Don't you wish you could do that in real life?

I don't know about you Ruth but I am having a second shot at life right now, and let me tell you its pretty sweet, all you have to do is change your goals, and you get a whole different game/real life.
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[Grandma Ruth]

Good for you! Is it or that's made the difference?

[Gandar]

Good for you! Is it or that's made the difference?

Lets see now,without ,then I don't think I would have made it but , surely helps, sometimes when you need a miracle He listens. I no longer have bad days, every day is a good one.

[Cliff]

I always start on Expert, and then (sometimes) have to try-try-try again to make it work. I never give up 'til I've got the Gold. (except for "Coal Miner's Daughter," where I settled for the "Easy Gold," and never could manage to win the "Hard Gold").

-- Cliff in Virginia

[Sugus]

I voted "medium usually", because this is my way to get a first impression of a scenario in any case. If I could reach a golden medal this way, I'll retry it on expert difficulty level as soon as posssible; otherwise - I'm simply enjoying my success.

[BikerTim]

Medium works well with a scenario that I have not tried before. Then I can get a feel for it and decide if I should advance and how quickly. I never try a scenario on the expert level unless I have gold medaled it on the hard level.

[RayofSunshine]

With the RT2 Gold and Platinum, I always played the Expert. Even at times the Custom.

It was different with RT3. Different programing, but still played the Expert. Didn't always get the Gold, but 1/2 of the "high score" screen is Gold, the other 1/2 Silver. So that pushed anything less off the screen.

But then I found that the new creator scenarios did not have as high an indicator award number, and no indication at the beginning of selecting a play level. Hence I did not know if any played scenario would put me onto the 'high score' screen.

Then the member map creators started to create scenarios for the higher classed Tycoons. The more difficult scenarios put my abilities into a tougher challenge. Goals were harder to attain. A goodly number of scenarios gave me a lot to be desired, as there wasn't any way to obtain the goals/medals I anticipated.

Thereafter, I mainly played for fun, and now usually go with the default of Medium. Still don't always get the Gold, but have a lot of fun playing. Even "jump" on board and ride the train to a destination, just to watch the scenery. Although it is a game of strategies, it should be fun.

Ray of Sunshine