Difficulty Stacking

Difficulty stacking is the process of adding multiple layers of difficulty to a mission. This is done to create a more engaging experience for the players and to create a more dynamic battlefield.

It is important to note that difficulty stacking is not the same as difficulty scaling. Difficulty scaling is the process of changing the difficulty of the mission based on the number of players. Difficulty stacking is the process of adding multiple layers of difficulty to a mission.

Stacking

Stacking the difficulty is done by picking various elements that make up the difficulty.

If a mission has a story about attacking a weak militia force, the difficulty of the mission can be too low to start with. We can add difficulty to the mission by adding more elements to the mission, but we need to be careful not to add too many elements and creating a punishing mission that will not be fun for the players.

Example 1 - Reigning in the Difficulty

Let's say we have a mission with:

  • Well equipped enemies
  • With patrols
  • Densly setup in a base
  • With static weapons
  • With a blocking force
  • QRFs ready with armed vehicles
  • At night
  • On the highground

This is a mission that is highly stacked with difficult elements. The players will have to deal with a lot of challenges to complete the mission.

We could reduce the difficulty of some of these elements to make the mission less punishing for the players, without removing the challenge entirely, or having to redesign the story and rework the mission.

We could reduce the difficulty by adjusting the mission to:

  • Militia force with lighter equipment
  • Some patrols
  • Densly setup in a base
  • With a single static weapon
  • A small blocking force
  • QRFs ready with transport vehicles
  • At dusk
  • On the highground

These adjustments do not require us to redesign the mission, move the location, or change the story. They do however reduce the difficulty of the mission significantly, while still keeping challenges for the players to overcome.

Example 2 - Increasing the Difficulty

Let's say we have a mission with:

  • Poorly equipped enemies
  • Spread out at camps
  • No patrols
  • Middle of the day
  • In easy to traverse terrain

This is a mission that is not stacked with difficult elements. The players will have an easy time completing the mission. We could increase the difficulty of some of these elements to make the mission more challenging for the players, without having to redesign the story and rework the mission.

We could increase the difficulty by adjusting the mission to:

  • Poorly equipped enemies
  • Spread out at camps
  • With patrols, with Lamb's reinforcement settings
  • At dawn, with rain or some fog
  • In easy to traverse terrain

Again, these adjustments do not require us to redesign the mission, but increase the difficulty of the mission significantly, while still keeping challenges for the players to overcome.

Amplification

Some elements of difficulty amplify each other. This is usually a negative effect.

A mission involving searching for something hidden will be much more frustrating for the players if the mission is at night, or with heavy fog. The players will have a hard time finding the hidden object, and will likely get frustrated and not enjoy the mission.

A mission where they players are attacking know enemy positions are more suited for night time, adverse weather, and difficult terrain. This will add a challenge to a familiar mission type without adding unnecessary frustration.