Is there any point in the difficulty level?

[GazB_UK]

The point of difficulty settings in every game is to give yourself a challenge, nothing more. If you think it's too hard you turn it down, if it's too easy you turn it up. Unless you play to prove something to someone else and not for your own entertainment.

I love video games and i love the challenge but my point is a very simple one. The harder difficulty should be rewarded, for me the game would be better balanced if that were the case and i really hope that PD makes a change in this area.
Peace and love ✌

 

[CamPatUK]

I love video games and i love the challenge but my point is a very simple one. The harder difficulty should be rewarded, for me the game would be better balanced if that were the case and i really hope that PD makes a change in this area.
Peace and love ✌

I find this an interesting take. You yourself are looking to be financially penalised because you don't want to interact with the tuning aspect. It seems to me that their decision to keep the earnings the same is exactly to accommodate people like you.

And again, there's nothing wrong with how you want to play. I myself resented every Cr spent on the trucks but I just got them done, done and on to the next one.

I have to give you respect for being willing to argue against your own best interests. Fair play.

 

[Streeto]

Tuning is an integral part of motorsport in real life, so it's obviously a big part of this game.

Regarding your original question, if you really don't want to tune anything (for whatever reason) then you can turn the difficulty to easiest, as it goes like this; easy-easier-easiest. The AI is undeniably terrible for the most part, so I imagine putting them on the lowest setting is like racing a bunch of overly cautious Sunday drivers, never tried that though.

Edit: I have to say, the forced purchase of vehicles to complete certain books is frustrating, but luckily it only happens a small number of times. It's OK, next month we'll be able to sell all those cars we don't want.

 

[nickg07]

If you can`t upgrade your cars then stay in sunday cup, you belong there

It depends doesn't it. If the cost to upgrade outweighs the prize and it forces you to use a car you would never want to use again - why would you?

 

[m76]

I love video games and i love the challenge but my point is a very simple one. The harder difficulty should be rewarded, for me the game would be better balanced if that were the case and i really hope that PD makes a change in this area.
Peace and love ✌

The games I've played do not reward the player in any way for playing on the hardest difficulty. At best there is some trophy or achivement attached to it. I did not finish Mass Effect Trilogy on insanity because it rewarded me in any way. I did it because I enjoyed the challenge.

 

[Veinz]

Sport softs did the trick for me most of time, tuning didn’t really feel necessary until I got to the 600 pp races. I enjoy the challenge even though the race format is boring.

 

[fastone371]

I understand youre not having a go and thats fine, this is a forum for discussion. All views are fine by me 🙂

I understand fully what my choices are but as youve probably gathered im at a stage of the game now where ive only just realised that continuing on hard will require the extras without the benefits and im genuinely unsure of how to continue. I dont want to lower the difficulty in case there is some sort of future achievement or reward for starting and finishing in the same mode.
I don't mind putting in the extra time and effort tuning to get the golds but ive genuinely not been in a position like this before. There are normally pros and cons to this sort of thing but in this situation i cant see the pros.
Also, a big part of the post was to see what others did in that same situation and also hoping that someone would know if that situation is likely to change.

Funny thing is i still have no idea how il continue.

Thanks for the input and happy racing.


I started GT7 on hard because ive got a racing wheel for the first time and up until now ive always used a pad without finding the 'normal' setting too challenging in sim racing games.
I think the difference is definately noticeable though.

If you just started using a wheel that is probably why you are struggling. It usually takes a good 3-6 months to equal or beat your game pad times when transitioning. You would probably do best to play at an easier setting until you get more accustomed to your wheel .

 

[Lomic]

You dont earn more from hard than normal and thats my point.
As the title says is there any point in the difficulty?

I get the point, it makes sense to get a better reward if you win a harder event.

For me I find those levels useful as they allow me to progress : if I can't win at a certain level, I try again at a lower level, it allows me to get to know better the track, the opponents, and when I win easily, I try with the upper level. (I do this for races with tyre wear and fuel consumption, it allows me to see how much pit stops I should aim too.)

 

[Silver Arrows]

The biggest issue with the difficulty settings is that they really are just vague suggestions.

In the Café Menus walled garden they basically serve little purpose because the game still does most of its 'difficulty' behind the chase the rabbit structure of races in this game, so really the only reason why you'd choose a higher difficulty setting is if you're a masochist who'd enjoy trying to make up the distance set further by difficulty levels. But that difficulty only really exists if you're purposefully sandbagging yourself to make it harder - even on Hard you can easily breeze past everyone and the only real difficulty comes again from the chase the rabbit aspects and the opponents being far enough for you to catch, but not to pass.

Sure, there's difficulty in the World Circuit events, but lets be real, most people are simply going to be playing through the Menus and be done with things.

So yeah, there's really no rhyme or reason to the difficulty of the game other then the main thread - chase the rabbit.

 

[Magog]

If you just put on racing softs (or even just sports softs) you will do much better. I'm sure the "AI" cars are on racing softs all the time, there are some quite unbeliavable turning if they are on sports medium going on.
This can't even be called tuning, it's just putting on tires. No more complex than buying a better car so you don't drive that Toyota Aqua against Porsches.

The AI absolutely don't use racing softs all the time. You can see what they use when they pit. Racing hards are their go to tires in most cases. In lower races sports hard I think but it's harder to tell.

 

[CTznOfTime]

There should be monetary incentive from the game to encourage people to use the hardest settings, no driving aids, and driving manual...

Right now, i do it only for my own self honor, but i wish i was compensated for achieving golds in the hardest settings...

missed opportunity from PD...

fix it Kaz....

 

[GazB_UK]

There should be monetary incentive from the game to encourage people to use the hardest settings, no driving aids, and driving manual...

Right now, i do it only for my own self honor, but i wish i was compensated for achieving golds in the hardest settings...

missed opportunity from PD...

fix it Kaz....

100%,
Just like Forza, the more you use assists and the lower the difficulty, the less you get back and the slower your game progression. That in itself is a challenging system and will allow any player to set the bar as high as is comfortable.

 

[MaxAttack]

1. If i stick with hard am i expected to tune up cars for upcoming events to be able to compete and get gold?

Generally, it seems so, yeah. With the hard AI pace and their huge headstarts in the late events you shouldn't feel too bad if you can't pass, say, one of the wtc800 races in a stock group 3 car. There's also some fuel management and tyre concerns in later longer races as well as having to go as quick as possible; if you want to run them for surefire wins or to make money off them, upgrades or even using a higher class car with a slight downtune can be a really good way to get them done easily.

2. The update from polyphony mentioned further upcoming changes to prize money for events based on a number of factors but will one of those factors be the difficulty setting?

We have no idea! But I wouldn't think so. PD seem quite focused on accessibility across the board and with the tight purse strings on the economy I think the game would struggle to work with lower payouts on easy difficulty.

For me personally I think hard difficulty is more effective practice and a more fun challenge most of the time, if that's enough for you to have fun I'd say it's time to stop asking questions

Hope this helps and welcome to the forum.

 

[GazB_UK]

The games I've played do not reward the player in any way for playing on the hardest difficulty. At best there is some trophy or achivement attached to it. I did not finish Mass Effect Trilogy on insanity because it rewarded me in any way. I did it because I enjoyed the challenge.

... Well i battered RE3 so that i could get infinite ammo weapons and a whole load of other unlockables. If none of that was available then i can honestly say i probably wouldnt have bothered. It adds huge replay value to reward the player.

 

[GazB_UK]

Generally, it seems so, yeah. With the hard AI pace and their huge headstarts in the late events you shouldn't feel too bad if you can't pass, say, one of the wtc800 races in a stock group 3 car. There's also some fuel management and tyre concerns in later longer races as well as having to go as quick as possible; if you want to run them for surefire wins or to make money off them, upgrades or even using a higher class car with a slight downtune can be a really good way to get them done easily.

We have no idea! But I wouldn't think so. PD seem quite focused on accessibility across the board and with the tight purse strings on the economy I think the game would struggle to work with lower payouts on easy difficulty.

For me personally I think hard difficulty is more effective practice and a more fun challenge most of the time, if that's enough for you to have fun I'd say it's time to stop asking questions

Hope this helps and welcome to the forum.

Thanks!
... but i really hope PD do make that change. 🤞🏽

 

[mynameis66]

When i messed with the difficulty i found the only difference seemed to be catching the leading car,the others didnt really present a problem.Im not the best driver so i try on hard,if im struggling too much i adjust accordingly.Having said that i csn only manage 2nd on the GR3 race no matter what i do.😄

 

[GazB_UK]

Tuning is an integral part of motorsport in real life, so it's obviously a big part of this game.

Regarding your original question, if you really don't want to tune anything (for whatever reason) then you can turn the difficulty to easiest, as it goes like this; easy-easier-easiest. The AI is undeniably terrible for the most part, so I imagine putting them on the lowest setting is like racing a bunch of overly cautious Sunday drivers, never tried that though.

Edit: I have to say, the forced purchase of vehicles to complete certain books is frustrating, but luckily it only happens a small number of times. It's OK, next month we'll be able to sell all those cars we don't want.

I dont know about terrible AI?
Admittedly its early days but ive had some gr4 and gr3 races recently and the gr4 races in particular were immense and the AI were so much more aggressive than im used to from a sim racer.
And it seems theyre happy to spin you out which is probably overdue payback. 🤣

 

[Streeto]

I dont know about terrible AI?
Admittedly its early days but ive had some gr4 and gr3 races recently and the gr4 races in particular were immense and the AI were so much more aggressive than im used to from a sim racer.
And it seems theyre happy to spin you out which is probably overdue payback. 🤣

The highest setting is OK I guess, but they still do stupid things, punching the brakes when they don't need to etc. The lifeless feel of the chase-the-rabbit thing they've had going in pretty much every game is still present; Start at the back and just blast past the dumb slow cars, to catch up with the one or two at the front that are actually somewhat quick.

The AI used in the menu books is their old design, not the same AI they're currently working on (sophy) which is looking to be groundbreaking, so we'll see if they put it in the game later. Unfortunately, I feel it might be saved for the next main installment or a mid-series prologue game.

Interestingly, I've heard the AI in custom races is better than the main game, but I can't vouch for that as I haven't tried.

 

[GazB_UK]

If you don't want to tune the cars then you should set the difficulty to where it's winnable but a fun challenge. You won't miss out on anything EXCEPT the GT experience that others really enjoy. It's perfectly OK to enjoy different experiences.

As for no extra credits for hard mode. Personally I don't see it as an issue, the difficulty is there to enable people to have the challenge they want and as such we all progress and earn at the same rate and we all can pick a difficulty we find fun relative to the way we each play. I don't need to be rewarded for preferring to play on hard.

FYI, I bought tires and weight reduction for a handful of cars and completed the menus with over a mil in the bank. It's worth noting that you don't need to save much from the early races because the pay outs jump a lot before the end of the menus. Also, it seems they are likely to increase further in the near future.

Thats really good to know btw, i take it that wasnt the million offered out as compensation though?

 

[watermelon punch]

If you can`t upgrade your cars then stay in sunday cup, you belong there

Hey there's nothing wrong with the sunday cups!!😄

If you just started using a wheel that is probably why you are struggling. It usually takes a good 3-6 months to equal or beat your game pad times when transitioning. You would probably do best to play at an easier setting until you get more accustomed to your wheel .

I'm finding this to be true.
I played for about 4 years, then nothing for 6 years at all. Last week I was able to pick up the controller, and started a race and automatically remembered how I had my buttons & levers mapped without even thinking about it I was able to set it back up and did a couple of races like it was yesterday.
Then all the parts arrived for my wheel setup... and well. Let's put it this way, it might not be helping that I no longer drive much in real life. Also, I never learned to drive a standard shift in real life... and I was just learning in gt6 when I stopped playing 6 years ago. So it might be additionally hard for me, I don't know.
I wound up doing that dirt track mission with the controller just to get it finished. 😏 I'd heard dirt was annoying with a wheel years ago and I do think it's more difficult.

 

[m76]

I think the difficulty setting exists in the game to be a lower barrier to entry to noobs and journos into the game, everyone else should just ignore it and use hard.

 

[CamPatUK]

Thats really good to know btw, i take it that wasnt the million offered out as compensation though?

No, this was before the compensation. Think about it. If you get 15% (plucking numbers from the sky) extra winnings when the races are paying 15-30k you're not really looking at much. When you get to the final menu I think it's 60k x5 races and 150k first place extra. So your journey in the first parts isn't really worth min-maxing. Just spend your credits and get to late game asap where the rewards are much better.

I'm not against adding bonuses for removing assists but I don't think it's necessary and I think it hurts an already bad economy for newer drivers making it a two tier system.

Also, final point I swear. All of this is practically moot after the menus too because most events after have a fixed difficulty so the only difference is assists.

 

[GazB_UK]

Nice one, il bear that in mind. Grinding my way through the menubooks as we speak. 🙂

 

[GaugeForever]

delete

 

[ReyDeLaFleur]

Please realize that there are certain café menu which require a mandatory tuning (or modification like wide body or wing). This is irrespective of the difficulty level.

 

[GazB_UK]

Please realize that there are certain café menu which require a mandatory tuning (or modification like wide body or wing). This is irrespective of the difficulty level.

Thanks for the info, i havent got there yet but ive now dropped to normal.
So far it seems like a no brainer and the experience is exactly the same with the chase the rabbit system. Maybe theyre slightly less aggressive, im finding it hard to tell.

 

[s0cks]

Interestingly, I've heard the AI in custom races is better than the main game, but I can't vouch for that as I haven't tried.

Not really. Custom AI race tends to be "everyone is slow, until you reach the leader and then he/she suddenly gets very quick" which is similar to the red chilli races tbh. The Gr3/Gr4 red chilli events are a lot better than any menu race though - and while far from amazing, if the menu events had had that sort of close, fast racing, I'd have been a lot happier with the game.

 

[GazB_UK]

This completely misses the entire point. Putting in breadcrumbs to try to trick someone into opting for a less fun experience is not what difficulty settings should be for. I'll never understand why people approach video game logic in this way. You can play the game on the difficulty you find enjoyable. So can everyone else. This does not affect your game play when they choose a different difficulty. It doesn't change any multiplayer outcomes. People pick the one that is most fun for them. Some people don't want a mega challenge and are just playing GT for fun and the car collecting aspect. This is, in fact, one of the features of older games they are trying to bring back. Some people, like myself, enjoy the challenge of racing, so I play on the hardest difficulty and do a lot of online racing.

I do not agree with difficulty incentives, because to me that line of thinking is based on flawed thinking. It is based on a flawed view on what difficulty is for the person playing their game. It is a setting that allows people to modify the game in a way that allows them to have fun on their terms. It's a setting that helps video games be fun for everyone. It is not a setting designed to take away from your enjoyment. The existence of said settings do not, in any way, alter your choice of the same setting. It IS NOT a setting to get extra stuff in exchange for enjoying the game less.

Video games are supposed to be fun. Even though I generally play on the hardest settings in all the games I play, I don't hate or descriminate on people who don't. They are playing the game in the way that is most fun to them. I don't need to feel special, or get extra stuff to make myself feel superior to them. I choose the settings that are most fun to me. The person having the most fun, is the player playing the game the best. People playing on harder difficulties are not better gamers than others and they don't deserve more. There is no place for this in video games outside of eSports where it is an official competition.

Mate, i have to (respectfully) completely disagree with you.
I cant think of a way that PD could have made this game less encouraging. I expected a good single player experience from this game but, PD have pushed the majority of players (novice and advanced) into a position where they will inevitably use the path of least resistance through the single player experience, which the majority will only ever go through once.

The majority of players will decide to blast through the game and then maybe revisit the single player experience now that they have many more cars to choose from for every event. Maybe tune up certain cars in order to achieve golds on (thanks to PD) the easiest settings.

Not really. Custom AI race tends to be "everyone is slow, until you reach the leader and then he/she suddenly gets very quick" which is similar to the red chilli races tbh. The Gr3/Gr4 red chilli events are a lot better than any menu race though - and while far from amazing, if the menu events had had that sort of close, fast racing, I'd have been a lot happier with the game.

Couldnt agree more. Im finding the menu so uninspired, the rabbit system is awful regardless of difficulty. I want the gr4 stuff ive only had a tiny taste of. 😋

 

[CTznOfTime]

This completely misses the entire point. Putting in breadcrumbs to try to trick someone into opting for a less fun experience is not what difficulty settings should be for. I'll never understand why people approach video game logic in this way. You can play the game on the difficulty you find enjoyable. So can everyone else. This does not affect your game play when they choose a different difficulty. It doesn't change any multiplayer outcomes. People pick the one that is most fun for them. Some people don't want a mega challenge and are just playing GT for fun and the car collecting aspect. This is, in fact, one of the features of older games they are trying to bring back. Some people, like myself, enjoy the challenge of racing, so I play on the hardest difficulty and do a lot of online racing.

I do not agree with difficulty incentives, because to me that line of thinking is based on flawed thinking. It is based on a flawed view on what difficulty is for the person playing their game. It is a setting that allows people to modify the game in a way that allows them to have fun on their terms. It's a setting that helps video games be fun for everyone. It is not a setting designed to take away from your enjoyment. The existence of said settings do not, in any way, alter your choice of the same setting. It IS NOT a setting to get extra stuff in exchange for enjoying the game less.

Video games are supposed to be fun. Even though I generally play on the hardest settings in all the games I play, I don't hate or descriminate on people who don't. They are playing the game in the way that is most fun to them. I don't need to feel special, or get extra stuff to make myself feel superior to them. I choose the settings that are most fun to me. The person having the most fun, is the player playing the game the best. People playing on harder difficulties are not better gamers than others and they don't deserve more. There is no place for this in video games outside of eSports where it is an official competition.

Respectfully you are reading completely wrong about me and totally missed my entire point yourself.
You spoke for me in the wrong way.


i wrote 3 sentences.
you wrote 3 paragraphs.
I know you try to explain what i was saying, but you explained wrong.


Here is how you should understand me:

I still stand by what i said: 1) There needs to be monetary incentive for people to try and give it a try in playing in the hardest settings.
As @GazB_UK said, most everyone will play this game with the least amount of resistance because they just want to enjoy it and have fun, and i totally respect that, i have no issue whatsoever.
This also means that most people will play in Auto, with ABS on, driving aids, Traction controls, countersteering or what not. Again, i am totally fine with that.

No where in my previous post did i ever say or saw anyone in any disrespectful manner. ONLY YOU tried to paint me as such in your mind.

All i said above was that "i enjoy driving with the hardest settings because i want to learn about car control without aides, that's fun for me." I still do it up until now despite it not being any more finacially beneficial in any way.
I find it extremely fun to learn to catch my errors and trying to recover from losing control of the car.

I dont expect that anyone would find that fun or enjoyable, but i reckon that people should at least try to see it for themselves.

This being a "real driving simulator", i think monetary incientive would be just that: incentive for people to try it out... but also additional benefits for some of us like myself.

Why should chasing the rabbit just the only way to motivate people to play this game? Additional monetary benefits for trying in the hardest settings will show people that this game actually has a lot more replayable value than you can think... making people realized that driving doesn't have to be just for fun, but also a skils that real driving have rightfully acquired.

This game is not just 1s and 0s, black or white... it is a lot more nuanced and can be everything for everyone.

This completely misses the entire point. Putting in breadcrumbs to try to trick someone into opting for a less fun experience is not what difficulty settings should be for.

Nothing wrong with putting in breadcrumbs...
this entire GT7 is all about breadcrumbs... they force you into only one path...

if you or anyone thinks that the hardest setting is not fun, then no one here is forcing you to opt or play that way, with or without breadcrumbs...
You need to think this over for yourself instead of saying nonsense, especially while speaking for me.

I'll never understand why people approach video game logic in this way. You can play the game on the difficulty you find enjoyable. So can everyone else. This does not affect your game play when they choose a different difficulty. It doesn't change any multiplayer outcomes. People pick the one that is most fun for them. Some people don't want a mega challenge and are just playing GT for fun and the car collecting aspect. This is, in fact, one of the features of older games they are trying to bring back. Some people, like myself, enjoy the challenge of racing, so I play on the hardest difficulty and do a lot of online racing.

i dont think anyone ever approach video game this way...

i find it enjoyable playing in the hardest settings FOR MYSELF first and foremost.
PD and Kaz undrstand that and allows that too..
Thus the different spice level

we are literally saying the same thing here, no argument!! But somehow you seem to think that i think differently.

I do not agree with difficulty incentives, because to me that line of thinking is based on flawed thinking. It is based on a flawed view on what difficulty is for the person playing their game. It is a setting that allows people to modify the game in a way that allows them to have fun on their terms. It's a setting that helps video games be fun for everyone. It is not a setting designed to take away from your enjoyment. The existence of said settings do not, in any way, alter your choice of the same setting. It IS NOT a setting to get extra stuff in exchange for enjoying the game less.

In your second paragraph you are trying to prove that: "difficulty incentives is based on flawed view on HOW difficulty is for the person playing the(ir) game."
but your subsequent statements in this paragraph have no argument or supporting value at all.

You state that "(difficulty) setting allows people to modify the game in a way that allows them to have fun on their terms." Even I agree with this, but your statement does not disprove the need for difficulty incentives.
You state that "(difficulty) setting helps video games be fun for everyone". No counter-argument from me here, because agreed. Yet again this does not disprove the need for difficulty incentives.

You will see that in the past, in other games, you do gain more if you play a game in the hardest settings, you get benefits that you do not get in easy settings. Just accept it.
Additional Monetary incentive in GT7 for difficulty level chosen by certain players should NOT diminish the enjoyment of the game by other players with easier settings.
If you dont enjoy getting less money because you choose to enjoy your game in an easy settings, then this is your incentive and motivation to try in the harder settings.
Your problem, not mine.


You state that "(difficulty) settings is not designed to take away from your enjoyment". And i agree with you, it is NOT. Au contraire and in fact: it is design to allow a greater reach of the game to a wider audience and player. This is not an argument against additional in-game monetary benefits for the difficulty level chosen.
You have to agree that the game designer didn't design the game in the hardest setting just because they wanted to waste their time and everyone's time. It is because they want people to be challenged and hope that more people will play it the way it really is intended to be played, in the hardest settings. A lot of games out there, i usually play in the normal setting because i am not Maso... Only Gran Turismo i play it hard because i enjoy it, BUT BECAUSE OF THE CONDITION WE ARE FINDING OURSELVES HERE with all the grind, i would like to be handsomely compensated for the difficulty i choose in order to aid me in getting more cars. I and we all deserve it because of the situation SONY, PD, and KAZ have artificially created. Without the need for griding, i would still play in the hardest settings for my enjoyment, as i have done so since GT4!

you state that "(difficulty) settings is NOT a setting to get extra stuff in exchange for enjoying the game less".
NO ONE HERE SAID SO, only you did and you did so in trying to speak for me and you think that i think that way, which is why you are totally and completely missing my point.

your thought process is flawed and i think you need to think again.

Video games are supposed to be fun. Even though I generally play on the hardest settings in all the games I play, I don't hate or descriminate on people who don't. They are playing the game in the way that is most fun to them. I don't need to feel special, or get extra stuff to make myself feel superior to them. I choose the settings that are most fun to me. The person having the most fun, is the player playing the game the best. People playing on harder difficulties are not better gamers than others and they don't deserve more. There is no place for this in video games outside of eSports where it is an official competition.

You state that "Video games are supposed to be fun". I am 100% with you here.
You state that "Even though I generally play on the hardest settings in all the games I play, I don't hate or descriminate on people who don't. They are playing the game in the way that is most fun to them. [...] I choose the settings that are most fun to me. The person having the most fun, is the player playing the game the best." AGain, i am 100% in agreement with you.

You state that "I don't need to feel special, or get extra stuff to make myself feel superior to them." Now you are lying, or are in denial.

You state that "People playing on harder difficulties are not better gamers than others and they don't deserve more." I DISAGREE WITH YOU AND I THINK MOST PEOPLE HERE WOULD DISAGREE WITH YOU.

You state that "There is no place for this (in-game monetary incentive) in video games outside of eSports where it is an official competition."
I do not have the time nor the effort to compete officially in an eSport settings, nor have the skills to do so, but that doesn't mean i enjoy the game less than those people who are fortunate to do so. Having said that, i still want to be rewarded (in the game) for the difficulty settings i choose over another person who might play the game at a lower settings or less involving aspect.

This is exactly the same thing as Clean race bonus. Why do we have Clean Race Bonus? Please take a guess...
Look at the "in-game monetary incentive" for choosing the most difficulty driving settings as a difficulty race bonus. Me earning more per game because i play the way the game designers want me to play, should not get in the way of other playing, having fun and enjoying the game at their lower settings.

 

[KJF]

There's nothing at all flawed about the view that rewards should be higher for harder difficulties. "Fun is it's own reward" doesn't really cut it in a game where credits are tied to every aspect. Risk/reward is also tied to enjoymemt whether you like it or not.

With that said, the game is half baked and a lot of the design choices either don't work, or need other systems implamented before they do, and I believe difficulty rewards are one of these things.