Dark Souls Catch-All

garion333 wrote:

I also started getting a LOT more loot drops when playing the Pyro. Is there a hidden luck stat in Dark Souls?

I thought Attunement or Humanity is what messes with that. If you go to your status screen and hit the button that gives you the explanation of stats (I think on PS3 this was SELECT), you can see what each stat changes. I think off to the right of the screen, it mentions Item Discovery? *shrug* going from memory here

For all of you saying you like the 360 controller better, can you tell me which version of 360 controller? It's been redesigned like four times already. It would just be good to know, which is "the best."

demonicmurry wrote:

For all of you saying you like the 360 controller better, can you tell me which version of 360 controller? It's been redesigned like four times already. It would just be good to know, which is "the best." :-)

It has? With the exception of the pop-up d-pad, I'm not aware of any major changes to the 360 controller. The original Xbox, on the other hand, did go through three or four revisions, but Microsoft scrapped all of those when they made the 360.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Thanks. I'd heard so much about how the 360 was the inferior platform that I was getting a bit nervous, not having a PS3, but the more I've read, the more it seems like the difference between Final Fantasy XIII on each platform: largely negligable.

From everything I've read the difference here are only in terms of there being more slowdown. There were definite graphical differences with FFXIII.

wanderinweezard wrote:
garion333 wrote:

I also started getting a LOT more loot drops when playing the Pyro. Is there a hidden luck stat in Dark Souls?

I thought Attunement or Humanity is what messes with that. If you go to your status screen and hit the button that gives you the explanation of stats (I think on PS3 this was SELECT), you can see what each stat changes. I think off to the right of the screen, it mentions Item Discovery? *shrug* going from memory here

Dr.Ghastly wrote:

Humanity.

Hmm. I'll recheck the humanity thing, but both characters were at zero. *shrugs shoulders*

Attunement, if I recall, didn't have to do with loot at all, but how many slots you get for spells. I too am working from memory.

garion333 wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

Thanks. I'd heard so much about how the 360 was the inferior platform that I was getting a bit nervous, not having a PS3, but the more I've read, the more it seems like the difference between Final Fantasy XIII on each platform: largely negligable.

From everything I've read the difference here are only in terms of there being more slowdown. There were definite graphical differences with FFXIII.

That I honestly couldn't see even in comparison shots. I was worried that the platform difference on this one might be more like Bayonetta, where the gameplay apparently really suffers on the PS3.

Supposedly my copy will be delivered today, though last tracking status showed it in KY.

Amazon's response so far as been "Sorry, we had a lot of people order this title." I'm torn between accepting that (because I know that stuff happens, and it's only a day), and continuing to complain (because I paid for release-day shipping by virtue of having a prime membership, and did not receive the benefits thereof).

Maybe I'll let it go if it shows up today. Perhaps it will even earn me karma I can immediately squander in a rousing session of Dark Souls.

Apparently the pre-release comments that the 360 version is inferior were either Sony Defense Force rumor-mongering, or something weird was going on. Digital Foundry did a comparison, and concluded it's a dead-even finish.

Here is the write-up.

In the final conclusion, image quality on both platforms is ostensibly identical, while performance is an apples and pears situation. Neither the 360 or PS3 version can definitively claim to have an absolute edge here, with Sony's machine taking volumetric effects in its stride, and Microsoft's handling destructible elements more convincingly. These are minor quibbles compared to the performance hit both consoles take in the face of particle effects and multiple enemies, however.
ClockworkHouse wrote:
garion333 wrote:

From everything I've read the difference here are only in terms of there being more slowdown. There were definite graphical differences with FFXIII.

That I honestly couldn't see even in comparison shots. I was worried that the platform difference on this one might be more like Bayonetta, where the gameplay apparently really suffers on the PS3.

Fair enough. I thought it looked like crap on the 360 at times (I actually saw it in person). (Btw, Bayonetta was patched to working order on the PS3.) Aaaaanyway, we're straying off topic here.

I only got to play for a few minutes yesterday but I rolled a thief because I wanted the master key and the pendant. Combat was pretty rough though so I think I'm going to try something else when I get home tonight.

Earlier Garion said "For me, it's like coming home" about Demon's Souls but that's exactly how I felt when I turned on Dark Souls. I was so happy to see all of the menu's had the same look and feel to them. I had been on media blackout somewhat so I didn't know exactly how much was kept from Demon's Souls.

I'm on the fence on this one. I absolutely love RPG's (Ultima, Might & Magic, gold box series, DAO, Suikoden, Mass Effect etc) but dislike rouge like games. I don't want to spend 60 hours building a character and have nothing to show for it.

But Dark Souls sounds more rewarding that Demon souls (never played it) and the challenge seems intriguing, you can save your progress and reload, at least to an extent? From what I gather in Demon Souls if you die you lose all souls, all items, everything and start back at the starting which is essentially a rouge like. Is Dark Souls different?

Just picked up my copy at lunch. The afternoon at work is going to seem like an eternity.

Should I start stapling my hands or something like that to get used to the pain that I'm about to inflict upon myself?

muttonchop wrote:

I'm going to die so many times!

Mission Accomplished.

I still need to find a class that works for me. I started out with the Cleric, operating under the assumption that some extra heals would be useful for someone new to the series. I quickly realized that I tend to die before I've even used up all my Estus charges, so the heal miracle isn't really going to help. I started over as a Pyromancer, and while the ranged attack is useful, it's also a really underwhelming spell. The cast time and tiny range mean I've already encountered enemies that can close into melee range before I finish firing. I'm tempted to reroll again. On the plus side, I'm getting really good at the tutorial

Also, the character customization is pretty bad. All the presets look stupid, and if you dive deeper into the customization you get a ton of sliders with confusing names. Do I really need 5 different sliders for eyebrow density? I quickly gave up on creating a character that looked like an actual human being, and just gave myself the biggest, most ridiculous nose I could manage. Then, I started the game and realized that I'm probably going to spend most of the game in undead mode, so all that customization doesn't really matter when you're running around with a skin texture that looks like uncooked ground beef.

Yeah I got a pretty decent looking female. And then she's a zombie, eww.

So what's the deal on these Souls of a Lost Undead? Is it just for leveling up, like the hero/soldier souls from DmnS? Or do I need to save them for anything? Early on here I just want to use them to get all my stats up to 10 at least, and maybe even use them to buy some items at the store.

I wandered around for a while wondering why I couldn't rate or leave messages. Then I finally found this orange item at a vendor. Looks like it doesn't get consumed on use, so for 100 souls that's not bad at all.

emyln wrote:

But Dark Souls sounds more rewarding that Demon souls (never played it) and the challenge seems intriguing, you can save your progress and reload, at least to an extent? From what I gather in Demon Souls if you die you lose all souls, all items, everything and start back at the starting which is essentially a rouge like. Is Dark Souls different?

When you die, you retain your items and level. The only things you lose are souls that you have not invested in items or stat points/character levels, and you can get back to your death location to get those back. This is actually the same in both games. The main difference is that the respawn point in Demon's is a central world hub, and in Dark it is the scattered bonfire checkpoints.

muttonchop wrote:

All that customization doesn't really matter when you're running around with a skin texture that looks like uncooked ground beef.

That makes me want to name my character Super Meat Boy.

muttonchop wrote:

Then, I started the game and realized that I'm probably going to spend most of the game in undead mode, so all that customization doesn't really matter when you're running around with a skin texture that looks like uncooked ground beef.

I haven't figured out what the difference between being human and undead is yet. (Only played a couple hours). Is there a non-spoiler way to explain this?

wanderinweezard wrote:
muttonchop wrote:

Then, I started the game and realized that I'm probably going to spend most of the game in undead mode, so all that customization doesn't really matter when you're running around with a skin texture that looks like uncooked ground beef.

I haven't figured out what the difference between being human and undead is yet. (Only played a couple hours). Is there a non-spoiler way to explain this?

You can't invade or be invaded while dead. Some NPCs will respond to you differently.

imbiginjapan wrote:
emyln wrote:

But Dark Souls sounds more rewarding that Demon souls (never played it) and the challenge seems intriguing, you can save your progress and reload, at least to an extent? From what I gather in Demon Souls if you die you lose all souls, all items, everything and start back at the starting which is essentially a rouge like. Is Dark Souls different?

When you die, you retain your items and level. The only things you lose are souls that you have not invested in items or stat points/character levels, and you can get back to your death location to get those back. This is actually the same in both games. The main difference is that the respawn point in Demon's is a central world hub, and in Dark it is the scattered bonfire checkpoints.

Let me make this clear based on what I read, emyln: you will not like this game. The things you are looking for aren't really in the game.

It's not a roguelike in the sense that there's no permadeath. You don't play for 10 hours and then lose that character. But it's also not really an RPG like a Mass Effect. It's stats and armor and killing awesome things. It's a dungeon crawler more than a sprawling RPG. The game is challenging and more of a tactical combat simulator than a "proper" rpg. If you like the challenge and progression of a roguelike, but hate the permadeath, then you may like this series.

garion333 wrote:

Let me make this clear based on what I read, emyln: you will not like this game. The things you are looking for aren't really in the game.

It's not a roguelike in the sense that there's no permadeath. You don't play for 10 hours and then lose that character. But it's also not really an RPG like a Mass Effect. It's stats and armor and killing awesome things. It's a dungeon crawler more than a sprawling RPG. The game is challenging and more of a tactical combat simulator than a "proper" rpg.

Thanks garion333. It actually sounds ok, I do like challenges and am ok with dungeon crawlers as long as there is progression (ie. levels and items are intact). But I think I'll hold off till it comes down in price, $60 for a game I might not like is kinda steep.

You could always get Demon's Souls for $20 or so. If you have a PS3 that is.

Did anyone else laugh at the Lord of Death guy in the opening cinematic? Most of the other characters were pretty cool, but he just looked goofy. Like a big round hairball with bones sticking out.

We'll see if he's so funny when he's murdering you in the face.

Well sure, but everything does that. If I saw a fluffy pink unicorn in this game I'd probably run away screaming before it started spitting acid or something.

There were a few wikis that cropped up around Demons Souls and I've found 2 decent ones for Dark so far:

http://darksouls.wikidot.com/

http://darksoulswiki.wikispaces.com/

Which one are you guys referencing?

I'm loving this one as much as I loved Demon Souls. Playing on the 360 this time around and enjoying the controller more.

Rolled up a Wanderer like I had in Demon Souls and waded on in. I'm farming a bit near the bonfire in Undead Burg to get some gear and get back into a muscle memory zone with the controls since my build is so dependent on dodging, etc. Really enjoying it.

They've kept the same attention to detail with the environments and the lack of the hub world is actually a pretty nice change. I also don't miss carrying around a ton of healing grasses.

Can't wait to get back to playing tonight.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
demonicmurry wrote:

For all of you saying you like the 360 controller better, can you tell me which version of 360 controller? It's been redesigned like four times already. It would just be good to know, which is "the best." :-)

It has? With the exception of the pop-up d-pad, I'm not aware of any major changes to the 360 controller. The original Xbox, on the other hand, did go through three or four revisions, but Microsoft scrapped all of those when they made the 360.

There have been slight changes with the joypads. They've added grooves. I know the first Elite models had indentations on the joypad. Then they took them out. Then they brought them back in for the slims. Now the new slim models have circular grooves on the joypads. I also think they iterated on the d-pad a few times with the latest being what you just suggested.

Barab wrote:

Played until 1am last night (whew!). The game is pretty solid. It's really, really similar to Demons Souls, which I never finished, part of me wishes I just saved the $60 and played that instead, but I am also enjoying going through this new experience at the same time as everyone else, there isn't as much information available on the internet yet so its a a lot of figuring things out for yourself!

I rolled a pyromancer, which is pretty cool, but the fireball is sometimes hard to use in certain areas. I'm thinking of of re-starting tonight with a hunter and giving bows a try. I played the Knight in Demons Souls and I'm looking for a different combat experience. Has anyone tried that the hunter yet?

The online for Dark Souls is now totally different than Demon's Souls, which I think--other than the huge, one world design--is the most defining feature that differentiates it from Demon's Souls. World Tendency in Demon's Souls opened up new areas in the maps and determined how NPC characters interacted with you. This time around it's the Humanity level that determines how NPC character interact with you.

But the new covenant system, which there are nine in total, determines who you co-op with and who you invade when you do PvP. Each covenant gives you a different boost and determines what kind of invasions you're doing. Joining the Dragon Covenant allows you to steal dragon-based upgrade items from other players when you PvP. I know if you betray the Witch Covenant they curse you with a growing tumor on your head that prevents you from equipment any helmets. There is one covenant who's main goal is to attack players that have invaded other people's games. You can also hire powerful NPC characters to take revenge on people that have invaded your game. I also know there is an ability to share healing and miracle spell boost with other ghosts if they are near you and that some of your item drops may ghost into other people's world. It's all really cool new stuff that I'm still trying to figure out, which is half the fun!

wokavan wrote:

There were a few wikis that cropped up around Demons Souls and I've found 2 decent ones for Dark so far:

http://darksouls.wikidot.com/

http://darksoulswiki.wikispaces.com/

Which one are you guys referencing?

wikidot was the best one for Demon's Souls. Not sure if it will be the same for this game. Not much up there right now.

emyln, Dark Souls is also on Red Box if you want to rent it and give it a shot--just another option to consider.

Any idea if 360 Silver accounts get any of the online features, or are they pretty much set in offline mode by default?

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Any idea if 360 Silver accounts get any of the online features, or are they pretty much set in offline mode by default?

Good question, I wonder if they even see the notes left by other players?