Difficulty level
In general usage, difficulty level refers to the relative difficulty of completing a task or objective.
In computer and video games, the term specifically delineates the ease or difficulty with which an average user may complete a game or a part of a game. Arcade games as well as many early console games included the difficulty level as an explicit setting. For example, games such as Tempest would prompt their users to choose "easy", "medium", "hard", or similar options before beginning play. This practice has become less common in more modern games, which often include many tasks of varying difficulty within a single game. Some games, however, maintain the former practice to a degree--oftentimes harder versions of the game can be unlocked after the player has completed the game once or fulfilled certain criteria.
The difficulty level controls various conditions in games; these conditions include the aggressiveness of AI characters and the amount of weapons, power-ups, and other items provided to the player(s). A common puzzle game feature is to progressively increase the game speed as the user reaches higher levels.
History
The Atari 2600 had two difficulty switches directly on the console itself; there was one for each player, with two possible settings. However, modern systems usually implement difficulty levels in the game's software, such as in a configuration screen where the player may also change other game settings.
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Terminology
The most common terms for level of difficulty are easy, normal (also seen as medium) and hard. It is common for game developers to invent their own names that extend or replace the standard difficulty nomenclature. Quake, for example, uses a "nightmare" level that is more difficult than hard. In Halo the difficulty levels are called easy, normal, heroic, and legendary. The legendary difficulty level has been called "suicide" by the game's developers. Duke Nukem completely invented its own difficulty levels based upon Duke's common phrases such as: "piece of cake", "let's rock", "come get some," and "damn I'm good."
Difficulty level by genre
There are other changes that are affected by the difficulty level chosen from genre to genre.
First and third-person shooters
In some first-person shooters (FPS) and general action games, the enemy characters aim more accurately and deal more damage. Some FPS games, such as GoldenEye or Perfect Dark, require extra objectives to be completed on harder difficulty levels. In older games such as Wolfenstein 3D, each difficulty level added a number of new guards. More recently, Max Payne added a "New York Minute" mode, where the player has to complete levels against a time limit, where killing enemies extends the time available, and the game ends if the timer reaches zero. Metal Gear Solid equips the player with an M-16 with unlimited ammunition if the player chose to play in Very Easy, but in the hardest settings the radar is removed.
Sports games
In sports games, the difference is much more noticeable—computer-controlled players are stronger, faster, and more accurate in harder levels. In some games the difference between beginner/easy and medium levels can be dramatic. FIFA 99, for instance, allowed players to beat the computer by unrealistically high numbers in easy, while games played in normal were much harder. There is also an inherent alternative way of increasing the difficulty level, which is playing with worse teams, which was the only way to change the difficulty level in earlier EA Sports games and in MicroProse' Grand Prix Manager series.
Racing games
In racing games the main difference lies in the opponents' speed, but other settings can be changed, such as driving aids (usually braking and steering), player and opponent damage, or the length of the race. A common device in arcade racing games is to increase the "rubber band effect," where AI players are artificially allowed to catch up regardless of how fast the player goes. Arcade games based on time limited checkpoints decrease the time allowed for a player to clear each one, and usually no other setting (such as opponent speed) is changed.
Strategy games
In strategy games the difference often lies on the amount of ungathered resources the computer spends and its aggression level. On easier levels the computer players are less aggressive on researching upgrades and improvements and their attack parties are composed of few units. As difficulty goes up, however, so does researching and unit creation speed. Business-based strategy games, such as Transport Tycoon, typically change the profitability of human and computer-controlled characters, so on harder difficulty levels human players have less of an advantage compared to computer-controlled ones.
Level specific events
In some games the player is rewarded for beating the game on higher levels. Some common rewards are special cut scenes, unlocked maps or higher difficulty levels. Such games include Halo and Metroid Prime, among others. Similarly, kart racing games—Mario Kart: Double Dash!! being one—often offer mirrored versions of the game's tracks to players who clear all of the regular courses. Others, such as Streets Of Rage 3 have an ending for each difficulty level. The "good" ending is only presented in the hardest setting.
There have been games that prevent players from completing the game in the easy setting. Castlevania for the Nintendo 64 gives easy-mode players a game over message after finishing the fifth level, requiring them to restart with an increased difficulty level. Twisted Metal 2 is the same, unceremoniously ending after the first boss in easy mode by showing a stop sign with the words "no losers allowed beyond this point."