Who, I wonder, tests computer games and assigns difficulty levels to them? I ask because yet again I have found an enjoyable game -- Heroes of Might and Magic III -- which I would happily play all day and buy upgrades to, if and only if I could find a level of play to match my skill. Level One is a no-brainer: I can win games on Level One 100% of the time. Level Two is impossible: I win games on Level Two 0% of the time. Why the hell they even have a Level Three, Four and Five I have no idea. And there are at least a dozen games on which I have had exactly the same problem: Majesty and Psychonauts being two of the most recent.
So here's my suggestion for game designers: infinite levels. If it's too easy with a 50% bonus then let the user try it with 49%, or even 48.5%, before you ramp it right down to 25% and make it impossible. If the monsters are a little too hard with 500 hit points then make it possible to choose 490. 0r 483. Or whatever level is best suited for that particular person playing that particular game at that particular time. That's what computers should be for. As it is, 3DO have just lost themselves a potential customer.
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