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DARK SOULS II Announced - [PC/PS3/360 - PR in OP]

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Tex117

Banned
You should play Demon's Souls first before you leap into Dark Souls so you can notice the changes.Not to mention Demon's Souls worlds taking everything into consideration is better as a whole than Dark Souls imo.Not that Dark Souls is bad it just has really low areas that seems rushed.

I'd play Demon's Souls first as well.

I can't agree with this post's point that the "worlds" are better. Dark Souls had much more ambitious levels in terms of interconnectivity. Demon's Souls really is just levels.

Though I think Demon's Souls had a much more oppressive atmosphere. Dark Souls was more melencholy. Not that one is better than the other, but it is what it is.
 

UrbanRats

Member

It was a very long and interesting interview posted here on gaf (i think it was linking to a pastebin).
I don't have the link, as it was a couple of months ago, but i'm sure another Dark Souls gaffer knows which one i'm talking about, it's the one when he talked about character creation and said the thing about the Basilisk's eyes etc.
 

ponpo

( ≖‿≖)
It was a very long and interesting interview posted here on gaf (i think it was linking to a pastebin).
I don't have the link, as it was a couple of months ago, but i'm sure another Dark Souls gaffer knows which one i'm talking about, it's the one when he talked about character creation and said the thing about the Basilisk's eyes etc.

These? 1, 2, 3
 
It was a very long and interesting interview posted here on gaf (i think it was linking to a pastebin).
I don't have the link, as it was a couple of months ago, but i'm sure another Dark Souls gaffer knows which one i'm talking about, it's the one when he talked about character creation and said the thing about the Basilisk's eyes etc.

Here's the part referring to Demon's Souls -
http://pastebin.com/4axrD3nW

And here are the other parts of the interview.
http://pastebin.com/B2MYxP5Z
http://pastebin.com/hVXqsHvw
 

Totobeni

An blind dancing ho
Just read the Dark Souls II Wii U petition.

I hope these people realize that From and Namco can't really do anything about it till Sony update PhyreEngine and add Wii U support to the engine.
 

Sid

Member
Different enemies depending Day and Night Cycles and maybe special enemies appear on the harshest weathers would be so awesome.
How about lightning,floods,swamps,disease and stuff like that?i hope FROM is listening and if it is too taxing for this gen kindly implement them in their next game.
 

UrbanRats

Member
These? 1, 2, 3

Yes!
Lol it's the first question:
(I): Lets get onto the story related questions. Is there any connection to Demon's Soul?
(P): I'll be yelled at if I don't say no.
(I): But there are people who hint that
(P): It must be a coincidence
(IMP): lol
(P): Well I am making it... I'm already getting flak just by saying its a coincidence but
there is no connection. no No connection, really no connection
(IMP): lol
(I): The more you explain it, the more it sounds like a lie. XD
(M): There are special circumstances
(P): So there is none. I have my favorite characters and I use them in Star System and I
use them for fun
(M): To clarify those characters are...
(P): Patches keeping his name, which is his 3rd appearance. He was in Armored Core (FA).
"Hmm what should we make next, anyways lets put him in"
(M): This time he does Prostration.
(P): haha, he does teach you that. So anyways there is no connection. Officially its just
coincidence that they look alike. Its just for fun.

As i said, unofficially the same lore, as in : it is not, but he tried to tie it as much as he could. :p
And there are several ties and interesting fan theories around:

Demon's Souls spoilers:
image 1
image 2

I think despite it not being the same world, like everything in the Souls games, there are hints that suggest them being connected.. unofficially.
 

Raide

Member
How about lightning,floods,swamps,disease and stuff like that?i hope FROM is listening and if it is too taxing for this gen kindly implement them in their next game.

Would kill to see some Day and Night + weather effects.
 

Pejo

Member
I'm personally hoping for either the removal of backstabs for any non-piercing smaller-ish weapons (other than like knives, daggers, rapiers) or a big damage nerf to where it's just a "safe" 1 hit worth of damage for any weapon class other than the knives etc. Would make PVP so much less frustrating.
 

Raide

Member
The rain showed in the trailer has to mean at least partial weather effects right? not expecting anything like real day-night+weather cycles though.

Would love to see the progression of Night approaching, knowing that nasty thing would come out unless I get to relative safety. Of course, you would not be safe in the day. :D
 
But let me ask you a question : why the hell are you so obsessed about how other people are enjoying their games..?

Unless the core of the game gets broken, why not let other people enjoy it too?

The core of the game - high difficulty - will be broken if the game will cater to casuals with "Easy Mode".
 

Vazra

irresponsible vagina leak
I'm personally hoping for either the removal of backstabs for any non-piercing smaller-ish weapons (other than like knives, daggers, rapiers) or a big damage nerf to where it's just a "safe" 1 hit worth of damage for any weapon class other than the knives etc. Would make PVP so much less frustrating.

I like backstabs on regular game so IDK about PVP but I dont like the idea of getting that dumbed down.
 

Raide

Member
Make a tutorial option before starting the game for the newbies and call it a day.

This is all they need to do.

10 "Are you a noob Y/N?" If N goto 30. If Y goto 20.
20 SHINY TUTORIAL FULL OF RAINBOWS AND BIG MESSAGES!
30. "You Are Dead."
 

jimi_dini

Member
These? 1, 2, 3

Yes it is. Curses and lifting curses is a cliche event in most RPGs. Usually its
consumed as an event and end up "oh I'm cursed, okay okay" and its treated as
preestablished harmony and its boring. So lets make it a real disaster and you
really make it part of the journey. Including the lifting of the curse. We did go
a bit overboard.

Haha, perfect
 

Raide

Member
So basically what Demon's Souls did, where you could skip the tutorial.

Pretty much. Just explain the stats, show new players how combat works and then throw a boss at them that won't 'one-shot' them. You could even give them a new player buff for an hour or two. Explain the basic premiss without actually spoiling any storyline.
 

Midou

Member
So basically what Demon's Souls did, where you could skip the tutorial.

Yes, I've been saying this often, either do what Demon's Souls did, or make a separate menu option that goes through a more involving tutorial. One that maybe lets you try out a few different weapons so you can learn early on that two swords can have different move-sets for example. Also setup enemies for backstab and parry practicing and let the player try until he succeeds, like speaking to an NPC to spawn an enemy and free healing nearby. An intricate tutorial will prevent frustrations from new players and allow players of previous titles to be able to just jump in.

They could make it more obvious in the actual game too that speaking to an NPC is beneficial, like if they call out to you the first time you walk by them. Crestfallen gives you so many tips up to ringing the second bell. Though this should be obvious for anyone who has ever played an RPG..
 

Midou

Member
But... Undead Asylum is a tutorial...

It's not much of one though. Many, many things are not explained from the simple messages that essentially just go over controls. So many stats on weapons, shields, armors, that are just never clearly explained. Like what stability does on a shield and how it's so great.
 

Vazra

irresponsible vagina leak
But... Undead Asylum is a tutorial...

It is a tutorial but it could be more expanded for the new players. Demon's Souls Tutorial overall covers a bit more than Dark Souls which might be a bit more welcoming IMO in that aspect. Maybe give the player a character with enough equipment so he can see how things work. Give him bows and arrows, Magic, etc so he can see how he might play around. The tutorial would tell him which stats would suit him better on the fighting style he likes etc basically explain all to the player. That IMO its enough and can be actually done with 15-20 mins of an Optional Tutorial.

Alternate option:
Give a Mini Manual on how to play the game it can cover everything with text and pictures without stopping the gameplay. Basically the booklet make it a Mini Survival Guide.
 

JoeInky

Member
It's not much of one though. Many, many things are not explained from the simple messages that essentially just go over controls. So many stats on weapons, shields, armors, that are just never clearly explained. Like what stability does on a shield and how it's so great.

Can't you just press the back button (or whatever the PS3 equivalent is) on any menu to have any stat explained to you?
 

Orayn

Member
Any news about the saves carrying over?

It has a different protagonist and takes place in a different part of the Dark Souls world, so I'd guess not.

Can't you just press the back button (or whatever the PS3 equivalent is) on any menu to have any stat explained to you?

Only usable on character stats, and a lot of the descriptions were poorly written. It'd be nice if you could do the same thing for items, actions at bonfires and NPCs, etc.
 

KarmaCow

Member
It has a different protagonist and takes place in a different part of the Dark Souls world, so I'd guess not.



Only usable on character stats, and a lot of the descriptions were poorly written. It'd be nice if you could do the same thing for items, actions at bonfires and NPCs, etc.

Unless that was something patched in for the new Dark Souls DLC, you can do that stats like stability on shields. What stats were unclear? I thought they were uncharacteristically direct about what each stat does.
 
So many stats on weapons, shields, armors, that are just never clearly explained. Like what stability does on a shield and how it's so great.
you can use the select button on every weapon/armor detail screen to view what every stat does. for some reason, though, they didn't include the "Explanation" icon that tells you that you can use the select button like the player stat screen does. that should have been fixed.
 

Orayn

Member
Unless that was something patched in for the new Dark Souls DLC, you can do that stats like stability on shields. What stats were unclear? I thought they were uncharacteristically direct about what each stat does.

Huh, you're right actually. The fact that I didn't know this until now probably means they could have done a better job of exposing this in the menus.
 

Mort

Banned
It is a tutorial but it could be more expanded for the new players. Demon's Souls Tutorial overall covers a bit more than Dark Souls which might be a bit more welcoming IMO in that aspect. Maybe give the player a character with enough equipment so he can see how things work. Give him bows and arrows, Magic, etc so he can see how he might play around. The tutorial would tell him which stats would suit him better on the fighting style he likes etc basically explain all to the player. That IMO its enough and can be actually done with 15-20 mins of an Optional Tutorial.

Alternate option:
Give a Mini Manual on how to play the game it can cover everything with text and pictures without stopping the gameplay. Basically the booklet make it a Mini Survival Guide.

While I like the Undead Asylum as a zone and I don't care for how segmented the Demon's Souls Journey to Boletaria is, I do feel Demon's Souls tutorial is better just from a teaching tools perspective. It tells you things and immediately makes it part of the next challenge, like how it tells you triangle lets you 2 hand your weapon and breaks enemy guard, and then puts a Blue Eyed Knight who turtles behind his shield immediately after this. It's simple stuff like that.
 

RiccochetJ

Gold Member
you can use the select button on every weapon/armor detail screen to view what every stat does. for some reason, though, they didn't include the "Explanation" icon that tells you that you can use the select button like the player stat screen does. that should have been fixed.

Wow. I never knew that!
 

Midou

Member
Huh, you're right actually. The fact that I didn't know this until now probably means they could have done a better job of exposing this in the menus.

I just checked out now too, I kind of remember doing this on my first run but I forgot all about it. Can't believe there is no prompt for it.

Stability is also not entirely accurate. It says higher stability means you lose less stamina on a block, which is true, but I'm pretty sure it also determines which attacks you can safely block. Like, when I was experimenting with shields, even if one of them loses half stamina blocking a huge attack but knocks me back, another shield with high stability doesn't seem to be a huge difference in stamina, but will stop that attack and not knock me back.
 

Strife91

Member
They should have screen where you choose difficulty. And if you choose easy, the game will erase all your save files on your console and a big flashing screen that says "FUCK YOU" will pop up.
 

Midou

Member
They should have screen where you choose difficulty. And if you choose easy, the game will erase all your save files on your console and a big flashing screen that says "FUCK YOU" will pop up.

Just like when it says 'YOU DIED'.

Or it keeps the game the same, but instead of 'YOU DIED' it says 'HA HA OH WOW'.

and then it erases all your saved files
 

KarmaCow

Member
I just checked out now too, I kind of remember doing this on my first run but I forgot all about it. Can't believe there is no prompt for it.

Stability is also not entirely accurate. It says higher stability means you lose less stamina on a block, which is true, but I'm pretty sure it also determines which attacks you can safely block. Like, when I was experimenting with shields, even if one of them loses half stamina blocking a huge attack but knocks me back, another shield with high stability doesn't seem to be a huge difference in stamina, but will stop that attack and not knock me back.

Is that the distinction between normal/small shields and great shields? Can't parry with great shields but you are more rooted. I never experimented with great shields, I've always played faster characters (even though I use the shield a lot).

And yea I never really thought about it but it doesn't let you know that you can check the stats on weapons too. It also doesn't tell you distinction between different weapon types, like that curved swords will pierce through shields. It's a shame that of all things doesn't have a explicit description, but it is also not too hard to experiment.

edit: one of the biggest problems for new comers is that every one says the souls games are the hardest games ever. It's why people go to the catacombs when they get to Firelink, get completely wrecked and think that's how it should be.
 

Strife91

Member
edit: one of the biggest problems for new comers is that every one says the souls games are the hardest games ever. It's why people go to the catacombs when they get to Firelink, get completely wrecked and think that's how it should be.

THIS! So much this!
 

Midou

Member
THIS! So much this!

The amount of people I know who went to the graveyard first is staggering. While I did eventually find out crestfallen tells you where to go, it would be nice to not have access to such a hard area off the bat in a game you know is supposed to be hard. I know people who restarted, people who quit, just because they ended up going there.

I know I did my first time, but then I tried every other way until I found the right way. The first enemies are a giant joke compared to the damn skeletons, but it's hard to know that was the wrong way. Especially since a lot of games have skeletons as the first basic enemy.
 

Midou

Member
Is that the distinction between normal/small shields and great shields?

Basically, there are a couple of medium shields, like Baldar and Black Knight that have crazy high stability, and will stop basically anything, since they go to like 74 and 72 stability respectively I believe. All while still allowing you to parry.
 
Everything is based on trial and error,you remove that and you remove what made the franchise so good in the first place.
It's not really trial and error.

The amount of people I know who went to the graveyard first is staggering. While I did eventually find out crestfallen tells you where to go, it would be nice to not have access to such a hard area off the bat in a game you know is supposed to be hard. I know people who restarted, people who quit, just because they ended up going there.
.

No, that's one of the best things about the game especially in NG+, where you can directly tackle the Catacombs directly.

You should just make more obvious which way to go first, but the way the world is connected, and just how many places you can go to is amazing.
 
Any news about the saves carrying over?
Carrying over from Dark Souls? That's unlikely. In fact I'd assume 100% not going to happen. We don't even know anything about it yet, if it's a sequel, prequel, or what.

What would carry over any way, it doesn't really make sense.
 

Midou

Member
Can you explain this?

A lot of the game's challenges involve learning to play by its rules. Even the tougher parts, you will know how to get through them based off how you've succeed at other parts of the game, but actually accomplishing what you are trying to do is another story. Like the archer knights in anor londo, if you watch them for a while, you can get a sense of their timing and how they put away their bows and how you can use that to your advantage. Not running into things is usually half the battle.
 
Can you explain this?
You can tell how to beat almost everything and everyone just by paying attention, being patient, and focusing on keeping yourself alive rather than killing the enemy, outside of a couple of fights (like the Bed of Chaos, but they've admitted the fight was terrible).
 

Sid

Member
Carrying over from Dark Souls? That's unlikely. In fact I'd assume 100% not going to happen. We don't even know anything about it yet, if it's a sequel, prequel, or what.

What would carry over any way, it doesn't really make sense.
I know that but maybe we get to play as our previous character for a while....anyways was just asking.

A lot of the game's challenges involve learning to play by its rules. Even the tougher parts, you will know how to get through them based off how you've succeed at other parts of the game, but actually accomplishing what you are trying to do is another story. Like the archer knights in anor londo, if you watch them for a while, you can get a sense of their timing and how they put away their bows and how you can use that to your advantage. Not running into things is usually half the battle.
Yes but there is a certain level of challenge to the game which leads to trial and error,for example the traps at sen's fortress or the bed of chaos etc.

You can tell how to beat almost everything and everyone just by paying attention, being patient, and focusing on keeping yourself alive rather than killing the enemy, outside of a couple of fights (like the Bed of Chaos, but they've admitted the fight was terrible).
Yes but understanding the patterns takes a while and that's where trial and error comes in.
 
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