Dark Souls Catch-All

So I used to keep my shield raised at all time, then I started having stamina issues so I had to lower it more. Now I have some super stamina regen ring that basically reloads all my 123 stamina in 1.5ish seconds, so my shield only goes down for 1.5 seconds at atime, on a lot of hard hitting enemies (up to Sen's) this is almost fast enough to me to fully regen between shots

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I think I'll be fine with figuring out DSFix stuff on my own. I would like to know if there is a 15 to 30 minutes worth of reading beginners guide out there. I would like to save my self some grief in the beginning and not hit you guys up for initial info. I fully expect to take advantage of the GWJer hive mind later, though.

I just downloaded and put it in the DATA file and this is what happened.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/yqhjz.jpg)

I don't think I want to go through all the BS just to sharpen the image.

Gimpy_Butzke wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I think I'll be fine with figuring out DSFix stuff on my own. I would like to know if there is a 15 to 30 minutes worth of reading beginners guide out there. I would like to save my self some grief in the beginning and not hit you guys up for initial info. I fully expect to take advantage of the GWJer hive mind later, though.

I just downloaded and put it in the DATA file and this is what happened.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/yqhjz.jpg)

I don't think I want to go through all the BS just to sharpen the image.

That looks like one of the resolution entries is incorrect, there are two of them and both need to be set to your res.

Kamakazi010654 wrote:

So I used to keep my shield raised at all time, then I started having stamina issues so I had to lower it more. Now I have some super stamina regen ring that basically reloads all my 123 stamina in 1.5ish seconds, so my shield only goes down for 1.5 seconds at atime, on a lot of hard hitting enemies (up to Sen's) this is almost fast enough to me to fully regen between shots

I believe that's the Cloranthy Ring. There's a shield with a similar effect, too. I never used the ring because I wanted the Favor ring and the ring that amplifies Sorceries (Bellowing Dragoncrest).

Gimpy_Butzke wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I think I'll be fine with figuring out DSFix stuff on my own. I would like to know if there is a 15 to 30 minutes worth of reading beginners guide out there. I would like to save my self some grief in the beginning and not hit you guys up for initial info. I fully expect to take advantage of the GWJer hive mind later, though.

I just downloaded and put it in the DATA file and this is what happened.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/yqhjz.jpg)

I don't think I want to go through all the BS just to sharpen the image.

That happened to me too. Make sure AA is turned off in the in game settings, that should clear it.

checkm-8 if the thought of playing a new character turns you off it's probably not worth picking up, if you've already put 40 hours in and the thought of starting a new character isn't exciting to you another playthrough isn't going to change that. That said, what you did in 40 hours your first time, you will probably be able to complete in 10 or less this time around, as you've likely already mastered earlier sections of the game.

Oh, it has borderless fullscreen now? Nice, I was waiting for that.

DSFix really is very easy to set up, but you can't use it without editing unless you happen to be running the exact same resolution as the creator. A while back he changed it to default to... I think what mateo is running (2880x1620, or something close to that), and that's certainly not the default for a lot of people (myself included). The bare minimum you need to do is download it, copy to DATA, edit the resolution so it's correct, and then play.

EDIT: FYI, there is a Dark Souls Nexus, and the game is supported by Nexus Mod Manager, so you can easily manage whatever texture mods you want to use that way.

current graphics card is a GeForce GTX 260 which fits minimum requirements...

oh what to do...what to do. Also I just discovered Amazon is selling it at $15 so maybe I don't have to be as rushed....Steam Flash Deal ends in like 10 mins.

Oh, I guess he changed the default resolution again. Latest version is 1920x1080, so my previous statement is retracted. Unless if you play at something other than 1920x1080, DSFix should be plug-n-play.

Mmm, I like a lot of these new features. Backup my saves for me? Yes please.

checkm-8 wrote:

current graphics card is a GeForce GTX 260 which fits minimum requirements...

oh what to do...what to do. Also I just discovered Amazon is selling it at $15 so maybe I don't have to be as rushed....Steam Flash Deal ends in like 10 mins.

This is the most important game of this decade so far. Possibly this millennium, but that covers a lot of time. Thankfully, Quake came out in the '90s.

Fedaykin98 wrote:
checkm-8 wrote:

current graphics card is a GeForce GTX 260 which fits minimum requirements...

oh what to do...what to do. Also I just discovered Amazon is selling it at $15 so maybe I don't have to be as rushed....Steam Flash Deal ends in like 10 mins.

This is the most important game of this decade so far. Possibly this millennium, but that covers a lot of time. Thankfully, Quake came out in the '90s.

Haha...I guess I can wait. By the time I upgrade the graphics card another steam sale will arrive and maybe a little cheaper. Thanks!

Fedaykin98 wrote:
checkm-8 wrote:

current graphics card is a GeForce GTX 260 which fits minimum requirements...

oh what to do...what to do. Also I just discovered Amazon is selling it at $15 so maybe I don't have to be as rushed....Steam Flash Deal ends in like 10 mins.

This is the most important game of this decade so far. Possibly this millennium, but that covers a lot of time. Thankfully, Quake came out in the '90s.

My millenium counter clicked back to zero at 2000, so your statement stands

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

I think I'll be fine with figuring out DSFix stuff on my own. I would like to know if there is a 15 to 30 minutes worth of reading beginners guide out there. I would like to save my self some grief in the beginning and not hit you guys up for initial info. I fully expect to take advantage of the GWJer hive mind later, though.

The DSFix contains the install instructions (copy files, paste files), and the DSfix.ini file you install has all the comments I needed to get running. I'm sure you could run with the default values and see a huge improvement immediately.

I immediately tried to push my limits, so you might need lower values, but here are the values I modified:

EDIT: Stylez reminded me that you also have to disable AA in the game settings.

# Render are 1.5x the screen resolution for improved antialiasing
renderWidth 2880
renderHeight 1620

# Max AA quality
aaQuality 4

# Max SSAO
ssaoStrength 3

# Use both AO methods for better image quality
ssaoType SCAO

# Full AF override for better image quality
filteringOverride 2

# Enable 'fullscreen window mode' so I can ALT-TAB and visit GWJ
borderlessFullscreen 1

Gimpy, your problem is in-game AA is turned on. I know this because I just updated to the latest DSFix, and encountered your same issue:

IMAGE(http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/540695473841682979/6007163A4DFBC3C7B590DC2AFC251BE6DA97C00A/)

I turned off my in-game AA, which DSFix tells you to do anyway, and the problem is resolved:

IMAGE(http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/540695473841690839/5F671FE6BDBA529F0A10A4C439F6D57DBDD19A40/)

Also installed some high-res texture mods, notably text and button icons. Looking pretty sweet:

IMAGE(http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/540695473841697588/66184AE12C112C414042E245E6F93B5F599B6EEC/)

Kamakazi010654 wrote:
Fedaykin98 wrote:
checkm-8 wrote:

current graphics card is a GeForce GTX 260 which fits minimum requirements...

oh what to do...what to do. Also I just discovered Amazon is selling it at $15 so maybe I don't have to be as rushed....Steam Flash Deal ends in like 10 mins.

This is the most important game of this decade so far. Possibly this millennium, but that covers a lot of time. Thankfully, Quake came out in the '90s.

My millenium counter clicked back to zero at 2000, so your statement stands

Mine, too...?

Oh sweet, that's awesome that there are high res texture and button mods. That's an issue with upressing in Dolphin. Can't wait to get down to setting everything up. I have a new monitor that's arriving tomorrow, so I'm waiting for that.

I'm just glad I finally made it out of the Painted World Of Ariamis and am able to get back to exploring Anor Londo. Felt like an idiot because I didn't unlock the shortcut and thought I'd have to deal with the damn Bloated Undead and their toxic cloud crap. Actually took a break from the game for about a month while I pondered how to get around those guys (didn't have the moss to cancel out toxicity).

Now I'm back in business. Looking forward to trying to finish the game before the new year

You've got some serious ground to cover to finish Anor Londo and then beat the game in the next six days! Good luck!

Fedaykin98 wrote:

You've got some serious ground to cover to finish Anor Londo and then beat the game in the next six days! Good luck!

Bah! I've got this!

CptDomano wrote:
Fedaykin98 wrote:

You've got some serious ground to cover to finish Anor Londo and then beat the game in the next six days! Good luck!

Bah! I've got this! :D

I expect a report on New Year's Day.

And I expect it to be: Mission Not Accomplished.

I rang the bell! Feels awesome.

Under my health/stamina bar I have these 2 icons. What do they mean?

IMAGE(http://i.minus.com/iboMMEFYHXgRSc.png)

They are both a stat boost icon. I don't know the specific stats that are boosted, but if you post your equipment most of us can tell you.

Monster Hunter is not an appropriate fixer for dark souls. Saturday will feature several hours of driving followed by several hours of dark souls.

Gimpy_Butzke wrote:

They are both a stat boost icon. I don't know the specific stats that are boosted, but if you post your equipment most of us can tell you.

Ahhh ok, I was mostly worried that they were debuffs or broken armor. I just bought and equipped a poison resistance ring so I'm guessing that is one of them.

BNice wrote:
Gimpy_Butzke wrote:

They are both a stat boost icon. I don't know the specific stats that are boosted, but if you post your equipment most of us can tell you.

Ahhh ok, I was mostly worried that they were debuffs or broken armor. I just bought and equipped a poison resistance ring so I'm guessing that is one of them.

Debuffs can happen, they will be down pointing red arrows

BNice wrote:

I rang the bell! Feels awesome.

Under my health/stamina bar I have these 2 icons. What do they mean?

IMAGE(http://i.minus.com/iboMMEFYHXgRSc.png)

Best gaming moment for me in years. Ringing that first bell felt exhilarating.

Someone earlier mentioned the fear they felt climbing up that tower to the Bell and I felt the same way, "please don't fall off, please don't fall off, please don't fall off!" Getting there is such a taut experience my nerves were relieved when I finally heard the sound. I still do a Hurrah! every now and then when I hear someone make it to the top.

Wow the Four Kings fight suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. It's very hard to tell just how close or far you are from them down there. Any good strategies for them?

Fun side note: The first time I got to their area, I forgot to equip the Abyss ring. Fell right down the well and died and lost everything.

Omaha - The usual GWJ advice, and mine, is to equip Havel's armor, two-hand your sword, Grass Crest Shield on your back, and hack away as fast as you can. I also circled to the right constantly, which avoided some attacks. This was on my sorceror - using magic seemed to end badly for me, so I eventually stopped trying to do so on this fight. And Four Kings is notoriously difficult, fwiw.

Demi - You asked a couple pages back how similar Demon's Souls is. Now that I'm past the first boss in that, I can say: Extemely similar. So similar one would rather just list the differences, the biggest of which for me is that it isn't one cohesive world that's all connected. DeS is more a series of levels with a central hub level you warp in and out of. So far it feels like there is less story in DeS. There are no bonfires to refill your flasks, but that's okay, because there are no flasks. You collect various strengths of healing grass, and you can get a lot more of them ultimately than you generally have of flasks, but you have to go get them, or buy them, so I suspect that cuts both ways. Instead of leveling up at bonfires, you level up in the hub world, which does the same thing with respawning all enemies.

Fantastic so far, and I'm glad I bought a Black Friday Holiday PS3 just to play it.

WOOOO! Just took down Ornstein and Smough! Actually didn't take me all that long either. Good enough for one night, I'd say

I've spent most of my day engaging in jolly cooperation. Honestly, it gets drastically more difficult to help people past the first boss. I spent at least 3 hours today trying to fight the first boss and everything was fine with the exception that I only got 2 sunlight medals out of it.

I got one or two at Capra, and I was a victim of lag against the Gaping Dragon. I didn't get my Great Lightning Spear until after Ornstein and Smough.

I hope that I will get more opportunities for jolly cooperation because I want to throw lightning at bosses and have people think I'm super cool.

Anyone have any recommendations for crossing the invisible bridges in the Crystal Cave?

I've gotten so far in the game that I really want to finish it with this character but this section is the most distasteful in the entire game. I know things like this contribute to the game's challenging reputation but wasting an hour falling off a dozen or so times is not my idea of fun.