Dark Souls Catch-All

Dyni wrote:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...
Lots of new info there. I think the onion knight bit sounds pretty hilarious.

I'm not crazy about the suggestion that you'll need a co-op partner to beat the Iron Golem. I knew the game would have a significant online component, but I hadn't realized that meant parts of the game flat couldn't be done alone.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Dyni wrote:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...
Lots of new info there. I think the onion knight bit sounds pretty hilarious.

I'm not crazy about the suggestion that you'll need a co-op partner to beat the Iron Golem. I knew the game would have a significant online component, but I hadn't realized that meant parts of the game flat couldn't be done alone.

I'm not a fan of that bit either. Demon's Souls was easier with others, but it could be beaten solo if you took the time to properly learn the game's systems. I didn't have any co-op help my first time through.

Yeah I'm not liking that news. I generally don't play games multiplayer. It also lowers the replayability years down the road. I really hope they rethink that. Even if they had servers forever they won't have the player base.

gregrampage wrote:

Yeah I'm not liking that news. I generally don't play games multiplayer. It also lowers the replayability years down the road. I really hope they rethink that. Even if they had servers forever they won't have the player base.

I hadn't thought of it that way.

Really, though, if the mp stays similar to DS (ie. interesting, but kinda half baked, not really true and longform coop) then it's super simple to have someone come into your game and help out. No planning is required, you just plunk down the stone and someone can come join your game. So, if you do it right before a boss, they will be there just for that. You don't have to drag a stranger around for an entire level.

I can't imagine they would make a boss where you have to play coop. That would seem incredibly limiting, especially in light of PSN being dead for a month now. I think he was just being hyperbolic. Or at least I certainly hope so.

That 'Guardian' review has dampened my ardour for 'Dark Souls' somewhat.

Along with everyone else, I'm less than thrilled about being forced to co-op to take on a boss. Co-op should be a way out in this game not a requirement. This reminds me of Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker, where a number of boss levels where clearly designed with co-op in mind. As a result, they were mercilessly punishing on single player. So punishing in fact that i cannot bring myself to finish the game.

I'm also less than thrilled about the inclusion of so many tricks and traps. One of the joys of Demons Souls was the absence of conventional puzzles. Instead, the actual combat constituted the puzzles. But now, all of a sudden, the franchise appears to be drifting into Tomb Raider/Uncharted territory. The pendulum section seems particularly gimmicky (and dare I say cheap?) and seems to contain repetition for repetition's sake. I understand entirely the need to create a new gaming experience, but my fear is that the developers are drifting away from what made Demons Souls unique, enjoyable and a success.

I also fear that now 'Dark Souls' is going to be really, really hard...

Dear Lord, please let there be a Wiki, a walkthrough or a strategy guide available in the first week...

Preorder version comes with a guide.

And in true Demon's Souls "trolling the player" tradition, I hope that guide includes intentional errors.

snorlax789 wrote:

And in true Demon's Souls "trolling the player" tradition, I hope that guide includes intentional errors.

The guide really included intentional errors? That's awesome!

ClockworkHouse wrote:
snorlax789 wrote:

And in true Demon's Souls "trolling the player" tradition, I hope that guide includes intentional errors.

The guide really included intentional errors? That's awesome!

No, but couldn't you just see it happening?

360! Sweeeet! This helps in delaying my eventual purchase of a PS3 until it drops further down in price. Good times!

I didn't finish Demon's Souls but I loved every bit I played. Can't wait for Dark Souls!

New trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3...

May the flames guide thee.

Dyni wrote:

New trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3...

May the flames guide thee.

Yes! I am so ready.

Gameplay from the show floor:
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3...
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3...

The guy clearly hasn't played Demon's Souls, but there's some footage. Trying to dodge in heavy armor... I remember it took me a while to figure that one out. Get your equip burden under half, noob!

It actually looks easier than Demon's Souls so far, but maybe the character is buffed up a bit for the demo.

I love that the tag line is "Prepare to die."

I guess they're sending pieces of a puzzle to those who completed the Flash game on preparetodie.com.

I'm pretty interested in this but have some concerns about certain aspects of the mechanics. Specifically, can someone explain this "invasion" stuff to me? I can't seem to find too much info on how it all works. I'd prefer to play online to get the messages, bloodstains, ghosts etc. but would hate to have PvP forced on me by some random player.

Living people can get invaded and/or call in support. Dead people can not be invaded or call in help. So if you don't want to be invaded play as ghost or play offline.

Baron Of Hell wrote:

Living people can get invaded and/or call in support. Dead people can not be invaded or call in help. So if you don't want to be invaded play as ghost or play offline.

Man, this game is... deep. Any good/bad experiences with the PvP? I can just imagine trying to play as a newbie and getting crushed repeatedly. Maybe it's not as bad as that, but I tend to expect the worst out of any open network game.

imbiginjapan wrote:
Baron Of Hell wrote:

Living people can get invaded and/or call in support. Dead people can not be invaded or call in help. So if you don't want to be invaded play as ghost or play offline.

Man, this game is... deep. Any good/bad experiences with the PvP? I can just imagine trying to play as a newbie and getting crushed repeatedly. Maybe it's not as bad as that, but I tend to expect the worst out of any open network game.

I was in a similar boat playing Demon's Souls. I didn't spend a lot of time in my "live" form (I kinda sucked), but I did eventually experience an invasion. The murderous interloper looked like a total bad ass, covered in flame and wielding a cumbersome 2-handed blade that looked larger than a phone booth.

I wasn't prepared and I was pretty nervous. Still I won the fight simply by using the hard earned lessons from countless battles with the monsters in the game. Turns out, invaders are at a power disadvantage when they invade, so you have a pretty good chance to survive it.

In the end, it was an exciting addition to the experience. It would probably get frustrating, however, if it happened too often.

I have been invaded once, but the guy never reached me. The threat of an invasion whenever you're alive adds a great deal to the feeling of the game. Also, don't think that you'll be spending too much time alive. You won't.

Yeah I spent the first game pretty much always in ghost form. Didn't want to get invaded, plus your attacks are stronger in ghost form. Reduced health as the only negative was outweighed by those positives.

Most of my invasion experiences have been fun breaks from the normal gameplay. Co-op helped my beat a boss or two on my first playthrough.

The only bad experience was when someone used the Scraping Spear. The durability setback put me in such a large soul debt that I ended up restarting since my progress wasn't too far yet.

BishopRS wrote:

The only bad experience was when someone used the Scraping Spear. The durability setback put me in such a large soul debt that I ended up restarting since my progress wasn't too far yet.

It should probably be mentioned, for people who are apprehensive about the game, that this isn't even as bad of a setback as it sounds. Since the game is almost entirely skill based you'll be able to beat levels much faster the 2nd time around.

imbiginjapan wrote:
Baron Of Hell wrote:

Living people can get invaded and/or call in support. Dead people can not be invaded or call in help. So if you don't want to be invaded play as ghost or play offline.

Man, this game is... deep. Any good/bad experiences with the PvP? I can just imagine trying to play as a newbie and getting crushed repeatedly. Maybe it's not as bad as that, but I tend to expect the worst out of any open network game.

I had some really amazing duels in Demon's Souls, and I expect similar things will happen in Dark Souls. You can see a lot of creative builds in PvP, and uses for abilities/spells you didn't think had any use. You can also alleviate any downside from PvP by going in with as close to 0 souls as possible. Then if you die, you lose nothing or very little. This is a very good strategy for the game as a whole, because if you die and don't make it back to your death location, you lose all your souls anyway. Always spend your souls!

You also cannot be invaded by someone who is significantly higher level than you. In Demon's Souls it was +/- 10 levels if you were below 80 I think, then it was +/- 20 levels. So you won't be walking along as a level 30 and suddenly have a level 200 invade you.

bombsfall wrote:
ahrezmendi wrote:

I had some really amazing duels in Demon's Souls

Two of my three playthroughs were as battlemage builds, so I knew offensive magic and carried a decent sword/shield. But BPs would show up with armor and weapons I had never seen anywhere. Massive weird helmets and massive weird swords, or people who only used a spear and throwing knives. Awesome.

I encountered a lot of BPs who would run high magic and try to hide around a corner then Firestorm you. Trouble was if you lived, which I frequently did, or if you dodged it, they were completely screwed. The "one-hit kill" strategy only works up to a certain point.

The best approach I found was high mobility with a polearm held in both hands. The attack pattern of a polearm is 3 hits, and once the first hit connects the other two are guaranteed. Once I got this, my duels became very duel like - Both of us circling, poking at each other, dodging, and waiting for the opening to get our combo off. Intense stuff.

Well, despite my trepidation I am taking the leap, and have my pre-order ready. I've played enough rogue-likes to be used to frequent and humbling deaths in games.

As much as I prefer the Xbox controller, I'm going PS3 as judging by the Amazon sales lists that is where the action is going to be.

Yeah I went ahead and pre-ordered PS3 version with some gift card money I have. Sad that there's no credit deal at Amazon, but what the hell. Collector's edition for regular price is a pretty good deal still I think.

Stele wrote:

Yeah I went ahead and pre-ordered PS3 version with some gift card money I have. Sad that there's no credit deal at Amazon, but what the hell. Collector's edition for regular price is a pretty good deal still I think.

That's exactly my thoughts. Other publishers should take note: this is how you make your product worth full price. Not retailer specific DLC that doesn't matter anyway.

Yeah, and not the DA2 way where you cut off the collector's edition arbitrarily 2 months before release.