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Dark Souls II (PS3/360/PC) - Edge Magazine details (Prepare yourself)

zkylon

zkylewd
Why isn't CVG banned yet? Doritosgate pretty much showed how incompetent they are.

Anyway, reading some of this stuff is worrying. Not sure if removing Miyazaki from development is going to achieve what NamcoBandai hopes to. They want more sales, which is perfectly fine since this is a business, but I don't see how trying to reach a market with no interest in Souls games and pissing off the fanbase who made these games a success makes any sense.

Shibuya has two Monster Hunter games under his belt, according to MG. So, that's nice.



Does this make sense in a Souls game? Isn't the point of the games that you need to figure out shit on your own and by failing over and over again? Isn't that what makes the games great for the fans? Spoon-feeding shit to your players is a radical departure from that.
This has been a mixup, people are confusing this Shibuya with another Shibuya that worked as an artist on Monster Hunter. FROM's Shibuya has directed and worked on the Another Century mech series.
 

Odrion

Banned
I've already accepted what'll happen. It seems that Namco thinks that the success on Dark Souls was because of it's setting, and that it's gameplay was a detriment to any further success. We'll get a weirdly atypical action rpg with a "it doesn't seem right" aesthetic. I'd be interested on it's reception.

It might not sell well, and Namco will see it as "The gameplay is still too alienating!" Try again, fail, and then retire the series.

It might sell decently, and Namco will Sonic the Hedgehog the franchise to death.
 
i was chicken-little during the elections in the poligaf thread.

but since Obama won, i have been searching for a new source of impatience and unneeded stress!

GLAD I FOUND THIS THREAD!

EDIT: hey guys, i just thought of something....

Namco-Bandai. Ace Combat 6. 20+ pieces of DLC.

day 1 DLC or special dlc weapons/armor/cosmetics possible.
 
You don't have to quit the game. Go somewhere else. Come back. Voila Golem is there.

Wikis tell you to quit/reload, because that's faster. But it's not required.

It's still the same isn't it? Why would you go back to a place you've already explored and saw nothing?
 

Hakkuei

Member
Except I did explore, but forgive me for not knowing I had to reload after being at the location, cause you know, thats fucking retarded.

Yeah this shit pissed me off. I had basically done everything required to access the DLC without knowing it, but noooo I had to look up the solution because the first time I visited that fucking cave the golem wasn't there.

Great way to ruin a neat little "quest".
 
eh, I found the dlc area by accident. if you're only going to a place once in dark souls yer doin' eet rong.

I've never been for the idea that players need to discover everything in a game, and I'm more than fine with people not discovering certain aspects of the game before they finish it. But for the things they do discover, it wouldn't hurt to clarify a bit more regarding its function and use.

now I understand your argument better, I think I was missing something earlier. if I understand correctly you are simply arguing for more information, not necessarily changing the way in which its disseminated, and I'd definitely be interested in that. the lore and storytelling in souls is amazing, more is better.

I'm pretty fond of Alpha Protocol and all, but the convolution there occurs in situations where the player knows the rules of the game & operate under a specific set of parameters that they can manipulate (as in, conversations and their permutations). It's just thoughtful writing and design. Poor documentation, I feel, isn't.

it's not the best example, but I do think that dark souls does a good job of creating internal logical consistency. it's usually easy to guess which enemies drop humanity for example, the boss sitting in lava is immune to fire, while o&s who use lightning attacks are highly resistant to lightning. they could improve it with more detail though, covenants like the blade of the darkmoon could definitely do with a little more logic around finding them.
 

jimi_dini

Member
It's still the same isn't it? Why would you go back to a place you've already explored and saw nothing?

Have you actually played Dark Souls? If you really visited every area only once then you are doing it wrong. I don't even think that doing so is actually possible on the first playthrough.

What happened the first time I beat the hydra? I was really happy that I finally beat it, went back to spend my souls. And THEN I continued exploring there. Voila found the golem even without any handholding/save-reload/guide.

If it would be spawned immediately, people would complain that they beat the hydra and then got slaughtered by the golem. In any case, the golem is not required. The hydra isn't even required.
 
Have you actually played Dark Souls? If you really visited every area only once then you are doing it wrong. I don't even think that doing so is actually possible on the first playthrough.

What happened the first time I beat the hydra? I was really happy that I finally beat it, went back to spend my souls. And THEN I continued exploring there. Voila found the golem even without any handholding/save-reload/guide.

If it would be spawned immediately, people would complain that they beat the hydra and then got slaughtered by the golem. In any case, the golem is not required. The hydra isn't even required.

In what world do you live where going back and forth, even though the cave was JUST THERE, is the right way to go?

That is the WRONG way to go, once you are in an area you investigate it completly, you don't go back and forth. That makes no sense at all. Specially since it's a minuscule area that leads to a dead end.


Also:
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If it would be spawned immediately, people would complain that they beat the hydra and then got slaughtered by the golem. In any case, the golem is not required. The hydra isn't even required.

This is a joke right? Not only is the gollem WAY out of range after beating the Hydra, he is just a normal mob, no one will get slaughtered by it.

Sounds like you're just making the most ridiculous excuses you possibly can just to defend the game.
 

TheMink

Member
Have you actually played Dark Souls? If you really visited every area only once then you are doing it wrong. I don't even think that doing so is actually possible on the first playthrough.

What happened the first time I beat the hydra? I was really happy that I finally beat it, went back to spend my souls. And THEN I continued exploring there. Voila found the golem even without any handholding/save-reload/guide.

If it would be spawned immediately, people would complain that they beat the hydra and then got slaughtered by the golem. In any case, the golem is not required. The hydra isn't even required.

I too am with the feeling that dark souls can do no wrong, and that whats being debated is hardly a big deal in the over all scheme.
But its definitely a dumb mechanic. Its not like the golem needs requirements to be met in order for him to show up. No you just need to leave and come back (or quit and reenter the game) its just a waste of time. In life if you lost something, saw that it wasnt on the kitchen table, left for a bit and came back, would you expect it to be there?

To be fair the golem isnt a great example, as a living being can do whatever it wants and whether or not it wants to be at that spot is up to it technically.
But items shouldnt need that. When you defeat kirk, he doesnt drop his armor, it just goes to a different spot, which doesnt bother me in and of itself, but going to the place its supposed to be seeing its not there and having to restart the game is just silly. It seems like a glitch, not design.

I see no point in defending it either. It doesnt all the sudden mean that dark souls is awful because of it :p
 

zkylon

zkylewd
Yeah, Dark Souls walks a fine line and sometimes gets things wrong, the golem is probably one such thing, but no doubt it's the exception rather than the rule.
 
I just hope they don't make you play as a dude. The create a character was one of my favorite thing about Dark Souls. Making the game about a specific dude would be..a step back. But I'm just hoping they were talking about the default dude and that you can still create a character/pick gender/etc.

Some of the other bits in the article have me a bit worried, but the idea of playing as just one specific guy is what's got me.
 

TheMink

Member
I just hope they don't make you play as a dude. The create a character was one of my favorite thing about Dark Souls. Making the game about a specific dude would be..a step back. But I'm just hoping they were talking about the default dude and that you can still create a character/pick gender/etc.

Some of the other bits in the article have me a bit worried, but the idea of playing as just one specific guy is what's got me.

More than anything though, it just doesnt seem to fit. The idea of playing as a dude just doesnt make much sense.
 
I'm all for keeping things subtle, but basic game mechanics like covenants should be explained. It doesn't have to hit you round the face with a wet fish, it can be in game and part of the story, but it needs explaining. People are still discussing how gravelording even works, it was only recently that it became apparent that it only works in NG+ (and even then there's conflicting information.)

This doesn't break the game, it doesn't make it easy mode.

THIS. Having secrets is fine, but when it pertains to the multiplayer component of the game it only serves to hurt it when you have very specific conditions and do not relay that information at all. What's the point of having it there if nobody ends up using it? Granted, the information alone is not the only problem with that covenant, but it certainly doesn't help it. At the very least it would prevent people from running around for hours wasting covenant items and wondering why nothing was happening until you get fed up and start googling forum posts. And I have to imagine that there were a good number of people who stumbled across it, couldn't figure it out, and just gave up on it. Who benefits from that?

The fact that this was even a question:
Incidentally, has it been confirmed that disasters only spawn in NG+ worlds?
is exactly the point that I was getting at. It would take very little to improve upon it and I think the potential positives outweigh the negatives (i.e. another line of text) in a situation like this. I just want the covenants to be worth using in DS2 and for others to actually use them as well and it seems that I'm not alone in that. But, you know, quantum physics and all that...
 

Vazra

irresponsible vagina leak
I just hope they don't make you play as a dude. The create a character was one of my favorite thing about Dark Souls. Making the game about a specific dude would be..a step back. But I'm just hoping they were talking about the default dude and that you can still create a character/pick gender/etc.

Some of the other bits in the article have me a bit worried, but the idea of playing as just one specific guy is what's got me.

Ehhh just like Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Skyrim they use a main character but you can create your own when it gets to the game most probably.
 
Ehhh just like Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Skyrim they use a main character but you can create your own when it gets to the game most probably.

Yeah, I mean I still think it's a rare chance that they'd actually change that, it's just all the "This is the main hero." stuff that's got me kinda nervous. Probably for nothing.
 

Midou

Member
Yeah, I mean I still think it's a rare chance that they'd actually change that, it's just all the "This is the main hero." stuff that's got me kinda nervous. Probably for nothing.

Funny thing is, I don't think this matters as much as people think. All the King's Field games have you being like 'the prince of nation x' but plays basically in the same way story wise.
 

Vazra

irresponsible vagina leak
Yeah, I mean I still think it's a rare chance that they'd actually change that, it's just all the "This is the main hero." stuff that's got me kinda nervous. Probably for nothing.

I doubt they will fuck that up. Just fix the character creator so its easier to make a decent-good looking human. I dont wanna spend 1 hour doing a good looking character or something to fit my needs.
 

Dresden

Member
I doubt they will fuck that up. Just fix the character creator so its easier to make a decent-good looking human. I dont wanna spend 1 hour doing a good looking character or something to fit my needs.

wild hair + far east traveler, man.
 

Orayn

Member
Does this make sense in a Souls game? Isn't the point of the games that you need to figure out shit on your own and by failing over and over again? Isn't that what makes the games great for the fans? Spoon-feeding shit to your players is a radical departure from that.

In part. You can still do a better job of teaching the player and offering them more opportunities to imporve without ruining the mystery and challenge that people love the Souls series for. Dark Souls did it compared to Demon's Souls.
 

jimi_dini

Member
In what world do you live where going back and forth, even though the cave was JUST THERE, is the right way to go?

cave? The golem is in the water at a dead end to the left right in the sea. But you don't see that there is a dead end from the hydra's place. You have to go far in.

In my case I beat the hydra without the rusted iron ring (which should be the case for almost all players that aren't using a guide nor wiki) and having 5 flasks in total. Which means it's awfully slow to move in water. Which means beating the hydra and then investigating the whole lake would be a pretty stupid idea. It's exactly what new players aren't supposed and shouldn't do. New players would rather climb up the ladder (and then probably get killed by forest hunters).

I mean if you got a guide with a map, you would see that there is a dead end. Players without a guide wouldn't know at all. There could be another hydra or worse. And without the rusted iron ring, players move awfully slow in the water.

That is the WRONG way to go, once you are in an area you investigate it completly, you don't go back and forth. That makes no sense at all. Specially since it's a minuscule area that leads to a dead end.

Like I said - you normally don't investigate the whole area at once. Especially after getting lots of souls. You spend them, then you investigate further. You may also refill the flasks.

I guess you are just such a superb player and played the game without using a guide nor wiki and beat the hydra first try. You probably already planned ahead of time and used some insane weapon and you also had 20 flasks at your disposal and had the rusted iron ring, so immediately investigating further was a great idea in your case. And in that case, yes, you would have a right to complain. For me, a not as good player that played that game right when it was released, it wasn't a problem, because I wasn't as good as you, so I played it safe and had no issues with the golem at all. Worse yet, even now on my 8th playthrough I'm finding new things.

This is a joke right? Not only is the gollem WAY out of range after beating the Hydra, he is just a normal mob, no one will get slaughtered by it.

If you have 5 flasks in total (normal first-time players will have 10 flasks at most at that time, if even that) and are totally unexperienced and also don't have the rusted iron ring - then they won't have an easy time. Not at all. The golem moves like the golems on land, so in that case the player would have a major disadvantage.

I just beat exactly that golem. Of course this is my 8th or so playthrough. I already got rite to kindle. I already got the lordvessel. I also got plenty of good weapons. I also got the rusted ring. And I also have plenty of experience. So I had no issues at all with the golem this time. First-time players won't have that advantage. And even I wouldn't fight the golem without the ring (I'm playing as low level, so blocking would work for the first hit and then I would be dead).

And I remember that I had quite a hard time on my first playthrough even with the regular golems outside the water. They took ages to kill, because my weapons weren't good. In my case that was because I went right to the hydra after ringing the first bell.
 
cave? The golem is in the water at a dead end to the left right in the sea. But you don't see that there is a dead end from the hydra's place. You have to go far in.
It turns into a small cave near the end.

In my case I beat the hydra without the rusted iron ring (which should be the case for almost all players that aren't using a guide nor wiki) and having 5 flasks in total. Which means it's awfully slow to move in water. Which means beating the hydra and then investigating the whole lake would be a pretty stupid idea. It's exactly what new players aren't supposed and shouldn't do. New players would rather climb up the ladder (and then probably get killed by forest hunters).

I mean if you got a guide with a map, you would see that there is a dead end. Players without a guide wouldn't know at all. There could be another hydra or worse. And without the rusted iron ring, players move awfully slow in the water.



Like I said - you normally don't investigate the whole area at once. Especially after getting lots of souls. You spend them, then you investigate further. You may also refill the flasks.

I guess you are just such a superb player and played the game without using a guide nor wiki and beat the hydra first try. You probably already planned ahead of time and used some insane weapon and you also had 20 flasks at your disposal and had the rusted iron ring, so immediately investigating further was a great idea in your case. And in that case, yes, you would have a right to complain. For me, a not as good player that played that game right when it was released, it wasn't a problem, because I wasn't as good as you, so I played it safe and had no issues with the golem at all. Worse yet, even now on my 8th playthrough I'm finding new things.



If you have 5 flasks in total (normal first-time players will have 10 flasks at most at that time, if even that) and are totally unexperienced and also don't have the rusted iron ring - then they won't have an easy time. Not at all. The golem moves like the golems on land, so in that case the player would have a major disadvantage.

I just beat exactly that golem. Of course this is my 8th or so playthrough. I already got rite to kindle. I already got the lordvessel. I also got plenty of good weapons. I also got the rusted ring. And I also have plenty of experience. So I had no issues at all with the golem this time. First-time players won't have that advantage. And even I wouldn't fight the golem without the ring (I'm playing as low level, so blocking would work for the first hit and then I would be dead).

And I remember that I had quite a hard time on my first playthrough even with the regular golems outside the water. They took ages to kill, because my weapons weren't good. In my case that was because I went right to the hydra after ringing the first bell.
I beat it in NG+, because guess what I had no idea I had to make it magically appear the first time around, no ring, chaos blade +5, don't think I used a single flask. The gollem is easy as hell... and no I am not that good. Either way this is besides the point. It isn't about being cautious because you don't even see it the first time around. If had then you could CHOOSE to go back, or not. To me it wasn't even an option, it was a "there's nothing here, lets carry on" kind of thing. It makes no sense.
 

jimi_dini

Member
I beat it in NG+, because guess what I had no idea I had to make it magically appear the first time around, no ring, chaos blade +5, don't think I used a single flask. The gollem is easy as hell

Yep. All normal first-time (!) non-guide/wiki players that beat the Hydra will have a Chaos Blade +5, which takes Chaos Flame Ember (which is in Demon Ruins and takes quite a lot health to get or Flash Sweat) and going to Vamos in the catacombs.

Surely you didn't have a problem with such a weapon. How many hits did it take? 1? or 2?
 

Noi

Member
Wait, the Gravelord Servant covenant doesn't work unless you're in NG+? Are you serious? I spent HOURS trying to get it to work when the game came out and just gave up cause nothing happened no matter where/when I used it.

I welcome DSII's "changes" with open arms. I liked DeSo more anyway.
 

ponpo

( ≖‿≖)
Wait, the Gravelord Servant covenant doesn't work unless you're in NG+? Are you serious? I spent HOURS trying to get it to work when the game came out and just gave up cause nothing happened no matter where/when I used it.

I welcome DSII's "changes" with open arms. I liked DeSo more anyway.

What? It works fine (well, the same) in NG.
 
Yep. All normal first-time (!) non-guide/wiki players that beat the Hydra will have a Chaos Blade +5, which takes Chaos Flame Ember (which is in Demon Ruins and takes quite a lot health to get or Flash Sweat) and going to Vamos in the catacombs.

Surely you didn't have a problem with such a weapon. How many hits did it take? 1? or 2?

I'll say again

"Either way this is besides the point. It isn't about being cautious because you don't even see it the first time around. If you did then you could CHOOSE to go back, or not. To me it wasn't even an option, it was a "there's nothing here, lets carry on" kind of thing. It makes no sense."
 

Noi

Member
What? It works fine (well, the same) in NG.

I was reading the thread and came upon someone saying that, which if it isn't true, is a prime example of the kind of stuff DSII needs to clear up. I don't even know what Disasters looked like cause I never saw one in the entirety of my time playing DaSo/the Eye of Death NEVER worked when I tried to use it.

Hmm the bits about a linear tutorial worry me, they have to make it optional.

DeSo/DaSo don't have a forced linear tutorial section? At least the former gave you the option to skip it.
 

Varna

Member
People are actually defending the Golem thing and trading? LOL

Those are definitely things that should be address. The Golem thing would be fine if some NPC gave a clue about it. Lots of things in the game would be fine that way.

I think it would be pretty cool if there was a somewhat hidden area you could uncover that were empty except for some subtle clue written in blood on a wall. At the time you would be thinking "What the fuck?" But eventually you come to a location and it just hits you. The games don't nearly have these kind of things. I imagine this is because they were really betting on the community really coming together.
 

TheMink

Member
People are actually defending the Golem thing and trading? LOL

Those are definitely things that should be address. The Golem thing would be fine if some NPC gave a clue about it. Lots of things in the game would be fine that way.

I think it would be pretty cool if there was a somewhat hidden area you could uncover that were empty except for some subtle clue written in blood on a wall. At the time you would be thinking "What the fuck?" But eventually you come to a location and it just hits you. The games don't nearly have these kind of things. I imagine this is because they were really betting on the community really coming together.

I feel like people defending that are just attacking the fact that something could possibly be wrong with this game.

Dark Souls might just be my favorite game of all time, or at least tied for first, and yet I'm here to say that is an idiotic requirement to meet. I've said this like 6 times now; it seems like a glitch. When i restarted my game for the first time and saw the golem show up i thought it was absolutely a glitch.

I actually don't mind snugly though, as i remember it from demons, and kings field if I'm not mistaken, other than it being completely inconvenient if you have multiple items you wish to trade. (Doing multiple of anything in dark souls is time consuming lol, like giving something to your covenant repeatedly hopefully another change)
 
I was reading the thread and came upon someone saying that, which if it isn't true, is a prime example of the kind of stuff DSII needs to clear up. I don't even know what Disasters looked like cause I never saw one in the entirety of my time playing DaSo/the Eye of Death NEVER worked when I tried to use it.
You have to be human to use it and it only works in an area where you haven't beaten the boss. The disasters are additional black phantom versions of enemies that show up in the infected players worlds, but they don't spawn in NG. The eye of death is supposed to infect 3 other players worlds and they are supposed to invade you by interacting with your summon sign which is automatically laid down where you're standing every 10 seconds or so. It only infects those within co-op range, so in NG where the black phantoms don't spawn you could be infected without having any clue that you were until the summoner died and the message pops up informing you that the "disasters are gone after the defeat of the gravelord servant." Basically anyone that uses the eye of death in NG is going to have 0 effect on anyone elses game and as a result will not likely find anyone to try to invade them. See here for more.
 

B-Genius

Unconfirmed Member
People are actually defending the Golem thing and trading? LOL

Those are definitely things that should be address. The Golem thing would be fine if some NPC gave a clue about it. Lots of things in the game would be fine that way.

I think it would be pretty cool if there was a somewhat hidden area you could uncover that were empty except for some subtle clue written in blood on a wall. At the time you would be thinking "What the fuck?" But eventually you come to a location and it just hits you. The games don't nearly have these kind of things. I imagine this is because they were really betting on the community really coming together.
I definitely agree that things like the Golden Golem could have been hinted at (even cryptically) by an NPC. That would have given some better indication to go back there. But like others have said, it's just one example of a "missed opportunity". A true secret that you share with your friends in the playground kind of thing.

I found the DLC content, and multiple illusory walls/hidden paths thanks to messages from other players. It feels great being part of that in-game community, and feels even better when you put a helpful message down yourself later on, in the hopes that it'll help someone less informed.
 

Alchemy

Member
Initial details are worrying, but I will wait until the game actually shows up before freaking out. If they change too much about the games to try to appeal to a broader audience, I wouldn't mind watching this crash and burn.
 

ArynCrinn

Banned
Why are you comparing a video game to quantum physics?



I'm sorry but something as dumb as having to logout of the game to log back in to access content just isn't normal. There is absolutely nothing logical about it and no way of knowing that you need to do it.

I loved Demon and Dark, but yes, somethings do need improving.

I could have used another analogy that worked just as well, but it's what I'm studying at the moment. So it was momentarily relevant. ;)

But it's just a example where if you want to come to terms with something, you need to be willing to put in the work and do the needed research. Nothing wrong with applying that idea to game design, it ain't exactly new. It just doesn't seem to jive with everyone, in which case I say, play something else.

But honestly the Golem thing was "intended" to be a event which a player discovered upon coming back, with a neat fast track for veterans or experimenters. Keeping it that way kept the hidden discovery for new players AND provided a back door for veterans, it was a win win. Conversely I think maybe a couple subtle hints to the event could have been hidden somewhere to clue you in, I missed it first time myself. But log outs aren't a problem, all they provided was a back door to speed things up without needing to re-zone.
 

Midou

Member
It's called Dark Souls.

Yes, people don't seem to realize the only reason Dark Souls isn't called Demon's Souls 2 is because of the Sony licence. It really makes no difference. King's Field goes 1 to 4 and they are all pretty different and unrelated from what I can tell.
 

Misguided

Banned
Dude, its not fabricated backlash.

There is no denying that Miyazaki was instrumental in the design of Demon's and Dark Souls. Hell, they basicallty lied to Sony to get it made.

He had a vision for the games. A vision that was not going to be compromised.

Now that we have two directors known for more "Action" titles, saying things that they will make the game more "acessable" and less "subtle', then you bet there are going to be some fervent fans of the Souls games that cry out in backlash.

The Souls games were an oasis of complexity, subtley and challenge on a console. The game goes against almost every modern game design this generation and maybe even the last 3 generations.

It was unique it what it offered.

So when people say change, change almost always means easier (easier across all facets), and this takes away what made it truly awesome to begin with.

"oasis of complexity" holy shit
 
It turns into a small cave near the end.

I beat it in NG+, because guess what I had no idea I had to make it magically appear the first time around, no ring, chaos blade +5, don't think I used a single flask. The gollem is easy as hell... and no I am not that good. Either way this is besides the point. It isn't about being cautious because you don't even see it the first time around. If had then you could CHOOSE to go back, or not. To me it wasn't even an option, it was a "there's nothing here, lets carry on" kind of thing. It makes no sense.

You have no curiosity. Haven't you played other video games? Don't you start to wonder why there's a big open area with nothing there? Don't you start to wonder, hm, why did the developer take the time to make this area? Maybe it's of some importance. There doesn't seem to be anything here now, but maybe that could change in the future.
 

TheMink

Member
You have no curiosity. Haven't you played other video games? Don't you start to wonder why there's a big open area with nothing there? Don't you start to wonder, hm, why did the developer take the time to make this area? Maybe it's of some importance. There doesn't seem to be anything here now, but maybe that could change in the future.

That is a good point. However, the fact that there is no requirement to make it appear (Other than beating the hydra? Which obviously doesnt make it appear) makes it odd that something will appear there inexplicably just by exiting/reentering the game, i think it was obvious that something shoulda been there but its appear condition is stupid.
 
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