Ranger mode is broken in this game.

First off:
It's SAYS on the Ranger mode there is NO interface. What did you expect, someone holding your hand telling you what to do?
Second:
I always tried E when I didnt know what to do. It's logic; Im stuck with this shrimp that I cant kill whatsoever; try the USE/ACTIVATE FUNCTION button.
Also, the enlighetened ending is there, you just have to play through it again diffrently i.e. try and actually pay the strippers, pay the homeless, dont KILL anyone, just knock them out (again, the choice is to either knock them out (E) or kill them (V). I didnt notice that until I tried the normal difficulties, which means I always knock people out when I stealthed. (YES I used E))

Mind me, but I really think this is an useless complaint since it said in the start that there is no HUD. And also from starting on it. Yes I did that too, and I had no idea what to expect. Next time, start on the normal difficulties to learn the controls and such.

P.S.
Sorry if Im rude :/

P.P.S.
YOur watch tells the time for ONE filter, not like in Metro 2033, all of them. So 5min is for ONE filter. Then you press G to switch them out. Same as in Metro 2033.

 

I just wanted to say that I completely agree with you and that Ranger mode should be revamped to fix the issues you mentioned such as time left on all your filters and secondary weapon Switching because it takes away from the immersion because I don't want to have to worry if I switched to the correct secondary weapon or not. Thank you for posting this I wanted to post the same thing but you did it for me. I'm sure we are not the only ones who feels this way. I will be hoping that 4a games fix this so we can have a fun Ranger mode play through. I hope other people speak up for this issue.

 

Ranger mode is fine, it's not designed to be used on your first playthrough.

E makes all the scene for QTEs, I don't know many games that aren't QTE based, that don't use the interact button. As for secondary weapons, just pay more attention. The fact that you don't know how many air filters are left is intentional, to make you hurry, and display your skill.

 

I liked Ranger mode. Instead of checking your hud and thinking; "OK, I've got 42 shotgun shells, 15:21s of filter time, everything should be fine", Ranger mode forces you to make rough guesses. It adds some much needed tension and difficulty in my opinion.

 

The 'Use' key has always been used for QTE. How did you not notice that in 2033? Also, all you had to do to figure this (and the grenade issue) out was go in to the options screen and look at the key bindings.

 

There is a huge ass warning when you start a new game that says you have no HUD that nobody reads. It even tells you not to play Ranger Hardcore without playing on an easier difficulty first!

THAT'S THE ENTIRE POINT! It's not broken.

 

I agree with OP..

It's fine that there is no HUD... but it gives no sense that you don't know how many mags you got left. You should be able to count your mags but not know how many rounds left in them for example... and count your filters.
Also the TAB selection is bugged to hell

 

this is why i use mine on consoles, less hassle with controllers. Not trying to diminish the reputation of pcs though.

 

you can use a controller on pc *face palms*

 

That doesn't diminish pcs in the least, you can use an xbox360 controller on pc. Its extremely easy and about 90% of games support it. I wouldn't recommend it(mouse keyboard=better) but you have that option.

aaaaand ninjad

 

While the OP is more than a little hyperbolic, he's not entirely off point.

HUDs exist as a means of conveying abstract information in a predominantly visual medium. If 4A's intention was to enhance the immersion by removing this conceit, fantastic, but where they erred was in not making this crucial information available in any other form. Indeed, given the elaborate player character animations, I'm a little surprised we didn't at least get a basic 'look in pack' animation where you can see some visual approximation of the number of magazines/filters you have available.

As it stands, I would argue that (in certain respects) the current implementation actually decreases immersion as it reminds the player that they are unable to perform such basic but essential actions as 'look at hand to see which throwable is equipped', 'look at magazine to see how many/which types of rounds are loaded', 'look at pack to determine how many filters are left', etc...

I mean, I'm still always going to play Ranger Hardcore, but the day an SDK becomes available, I fully intend to implement at least a mag/filter counting system accessible via the journal.

 

Now if only a warning had apperad saying to play the game through once on a easier difficulty go back to easy kid

 

Heh heh...

"I suck at this, so it's broken"

To be fair, it gives you a fair warning before you start.

 

This, this, this. Nothing takes me out of a game more than having to guess how much ammo I just picked up. It removes much of the interactive element of the game. Sure, it's challenging, but in a stupid way. The same way that covering up half of your screen is a unique challenge.

The #1 reason that I absolutely loved Ranger Hardcore in Metro 2033 is because while it took all of the ridiculous and distracting numbers off of your screen during a firefight, it didn't lobotomize your character and render them unable to check their backpack for ammo when you're getting ready to go charging headfirst into an entire nest full of mutant invincible demons. Hell, you could even look at the transparent magazine to see how much ammo was left. It presented a unique challenge that rewarded careful and methodical play, instead of keeping a pen and piece of paper next to you to try and keep a tally of the ammo you've used.

Last Light's Ranger Mode, on the other hand, is a stupid challenge that completely breaks the sense of immersion that they were going for. It is not a question of how difficult it is, it's how it makes the game more difficult in a way that only serves to frustrate and annoy.

I made the mistake of playing through Ranger Normal my first time through. Before I ever got to my first friendly station, I literally had no clue how much ammo I was picking up and how much I had stored. The only real challenge I faced was that my gun would spontaneously stop working, otherwise I rarely died. It wasn't that the game was more challenging, it was just that at times I walked through it really pissed off that I couldn't take 10 seconds to open up my backpack and see if I had another magazine for my AK. It defies logic and only serves to astound you.

I really do love Last Light in spite of its broken Ranger Mode, and hopefully with DLC on the horizon, we'll be getting patches. And if you're enjoying the DLC as it is, I really am happy for you. But to me (and what seems like a good portion of other people), it is frustrating and broken, and it would be incredibly hypocritical of me to support future DLC when they haven't fixed their first.

 

I hate this bulshit aswell people chooseing the hardist mode in the game that has a warning saying "hey play this through on a easier mode first bro" but no everyone needs something to find wrong

maybe if the game had fireworks and neon lights flashing hard they would stop complaining

 

I agree with the statements stated in OP and also made by Lebbers and Potarto.

MLL handles Ranger difficulty in a very nonsensical way. The warning tell you that HUD is removed but it nowhere states you are about to play the game half-blinded. Illogical changes in MLL to way certain information is portrayed are making the game experience a lot less satisfying than it was in original Metro game.

I also want to say that limitation of 2 weapons for MLL Ranger mode is also more hurting player's experience than adding to it.

Spoiler

Only 2 weapon slots mean that there is no point to modding weapons early in the game because you will be swapping them as soon as you find something new and often you swap weapon to utilize spare ammo that is already at max. Later in the game, 2 weapon slots just make the game super boring. You will settle to a "default" load out consisting of fully modded assault rifle and shotgun. This setup will not change until the end because these 2 weapon types are the most effective combo. Mods are even more boring because you will use Laser Sight, silencer and Red Dot Sight as soon as they are available.

You think difficulty is/should be derived from a fact you are not given basic, yet vital, information to play the game? You are strange..

Just to be sure, I have completed original Metro on various difficulties several times, including 2 clears on Ranger difficulty. I have completed MLL on normal difficulty and I'm near two thirds of the game on Ranger normal. I have also played MLL on Ranger hardcore until first surface mission, where I realized I cant check total amount of filters/time, at which point I have decided to stop playing on that difficulty due to how stupid the mechanics are.

I definitely hope future patch will address this non-sense with Ranger difficulties and make the game more enjoyable and immersive than frustrating and annoying.

 

once again there is NO interface what so ever none this is the point of this mode if you cannot read the disclamier that there is NO interface i suggest you do not play on it

i have compleated last light on ranger hardcore it was fun not knowing anything at all makes it more so i had no problem with it i would be very dissapointed if deep silver/4a games patched this out because of a small minority

 

You are missing the point, I guess intentionally, that this change to Ranger difficulty was done in MLL while it was treated differently in original Metro game. People are just saying it was much better experience in the original game.
Your argument "NO HUD" also fails on available filter time because it was shown on the watch in Metro 2033, there was no interface required to check how much time is left.

I agree that reducing HUD to minimum helps to create more immersive experience. It does not make the game more difficulty as such, if you ignore a fact you can not conveniently aim without HUD cross hair. Even this complication is removed by Laser Sights or by bypassing it via use of flash light--conveniently centered on your screen.
Still, minimizing the HUD should not mean you completely remove any and all information about your equipment unless you make sure these information can be obtained from non-HUD sources such as wrist watch, magazine graphics, sound or other means.

These inconsistencies in Ranger difficulty modes are strange because it almost feels like this option was rushed, which is hard to believe considering it was used as an pre-order incentive and was fully implemented in Metro 2033.