Fushichou187
Member
Jeezus that was... dark.... like, literally. I will say though that it was hysterical watching 75% of the bloodstains I touch show guys just walking off cliffs.
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Dark Souls II Network Test | YOU DEFEATED
- Thread starter AzureSkies
- Start date
AmethystEnd
Member
AND IT'S DOWN.
From Software continues to show that their world design is first rate.
Fuck this is awesome.
Some of my favorite changes:
And everything about the combat just feels so good. Like holy shit it's butter. Enemy AI, especially the whip and trident(?) guys is so fucking aggressive. Loved everything about it.
I also got no framerate drops with an invader and a single summon. Very different from Dark Souls 1 in that respect.
From Software continues to show that their world design is first rate.
Fuck this is awesome.
Some of my favorite changes:
- You don't lose target lock after a backstab.
- You can hit something after a backstab (even before it finishes recovering) as long as you wait until their rising animation begins.
- L3 to jump by default. Can switch back to circle but why would you do that?
- R2 to cast stronger versions of magic with a longer cast time.
And everything about the combat just feels so good. Like holy shit it's butter. Enemy AI, especially the whip and trident(?) guys is so fucking aggressive. Loved everything about it.
I also got no framerate drops with an invader and a single summon. Very different from Dark Souls 1 in that respect.
Sseklebeast
Member
And we're down! Aww was still having fun! I am glad they gave us an extra hour though.
Cloudius12
Member
dat 3 hours network test.
Funny, given it still uses Havok.
... Oh, and I appreciate being able to skip the splash screens now. There's really no reason to keep doing that crap unless you're hiding loading, but I guess the assholes writing contracts aren't often content with just having it show up.
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
Character faces look much better this time:
Sseklebeast
Member
Killed both bosses but skipped the guy blocking Chariot's door. I was having trouble with him and died a few times attempting to gank him then servers go down! 
March 2014 you say?
I'm there..
March 2014 you say?
I'm there..
Somnium986
Member
Where was the torch again? Went through the whole beta, without it. Maybe it was the settings on my TV, but I didn't find any of the areas ridiculously dark.
I'd imagine a lot of summons failed because everyone was summon at the same time. Other people probly clicked the summon right before u did. I just ran around spamming the button until I'd get a good one.
AzureSkies
Member
Reached level 50 after killing the Skeleton Lord, I spent a lot of time customizing my build and going back to make my Sorcerer even more powerful. It was worth it in the end, I wasn't too much a fan of the spells that you started with, but I decided to go back and get another Soul Arrow along with Soul Spear, made everything a walk in the park.
Little grim reaper npc.
It wasn't an inventory item, you get the option to light a torch when you come across fires on pedestals.
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
his armor is awesome.
Cloudius12
Member
NPC up there talking about the fun ending there.
If I had to describe the AI, I'd definitely say it's aggressive. Multiple enemies will attack you at once and they won't let up until you're dead. The drink estus animation seems slower than it used to be, which made fights with scrubs pretty hard if there were a lot of them. If that level of aggression carries through to the full game, this one is going to be touuuuuugh.
I tried for quite a while, but I eventually just said screw it and gave up. It didn't really matter since I've played a ton of DS and know how to handle stuff myself, but hopefully that was the issue.
I'd also like to know this. Any easter eggs or anything?
Nice.
Death by falling was definitely the #1 cause of death in games I was summoned into. People would try to ragdoll through others, find out they couldn't, then get shoved off a cliff. Alternatively, people would take fights on narrow ledges, which inevitably led to death.
I tried for quite a while, but I eventually just said screw it and gave up. It didn't really matter since I've played a ton of DS and know how to handle stuff myself, but hopefully that was the issue.
I'd also like to know this. Any easter eggs or anything?
Nice.
Death by falling was definitely the #1 cause of death in games I was summoned into. People would try to ragdoll through others, find out they couldn't, then get shoved off a cliff. Alternatively, people would take fights on narrow ledges, which inevitably led to death.
Cloudius12
Member
You can light your torch at any bonfire using the toggle option before entering a bonfire.
Damn, if I had more time I would have killed the starting merchant to see if that's how it works.
Aaaand done.
God my eyes are bleeding after 3 hours straight with that frame-rate.
Pvp feels very awkward and clumsy. I just hope it's me and the novelty of it all.
Oh, and creepy whispers from the Archives are back. Heard them when talking to the funny Despatcher guy. There was only a few minutes left so I killed him -- his armour is tres cool.
Questions:
-What does that talisman (or whatever) of Spite do? The one you get from killing the host? I tried using it but nothing happened.
-Beat both bosses (Chariot and Skeleton) -- was there a third one?
-I fell down into a watery cavern and took an elevator down. There was a big treasure chest. But I couldn't find a way out at all. Did I miss something?
-Does Agility makes fast rolling faster? I need that fast roll.
God my eyes are bleeding after 3 hours straight with that frame-rate.
Pvp feels very awkward and clumsy. I just hope it's me and the novelty of it all.
Oh, and creepy whispers from the Archives are back. Heard them when talking to the funny Despatcher guy. There was only a few minutes left so I killed him -- his armour is tres cool.
Questions:
-What does that talisman (or whatever) of Spite do? The one you get from killing the host? I tried using it but nothing happened.
-Beat both bosses (Chariot and Skeleton) -- was there a third one?
-I fell down into a watery cavern and took an elevator down. There was a big treasure chest. But I couldn't find a way out at all. Did I miss something?
-Does Agility makes fast rolling faster? I need that fast roll.
Somnium986
Member
Ah, okay thanks. Will remember for next time.
Enjoyed the beta. In my opinion, it was kinda of easy, but I give it a pass as it seemed to be only the initial area. Beated both bosses alone, helped other folks. Got invaded and destroyed three times, but in my defense I have to say that the black phantoms were invisible to me. Despite the bugs, I had fun.
And yes, the game is too dark.
And yes, the game is too dark.
I think that's just one elaborate trap, but I could be wrong. I had a couple of hosts drag us down there, only to watch and laugh/shake my head as they opened the chest and got got.
For sure. I had to exit calibrated mode and go to a mode made specifically (by the manufacturer of this monitor I'm playing on) to highlight all dark areas at the expense of color.
Damn, interesting to read that people had no trouble with the Skeleton boss. I had a heck of time with that one and couldn't beat it even with help. Was there a trick or some kind of tactic? Never got to the chariot.
Oh, and on the flip side, I must be one of the few who didn't find the game too dark. Outdoor areas were fine, and the indoor areas were lit just enough if you were reasonably cautious. Plus wth the torch and lighting those pillars, it wasn't really an issue.
Oh, and on the flip side, I must be one of the few who didn't find the game too dark. Outdoor areas were fine, and the indoor areas were lit just enough if you were reasonably cautious. Plus wth the torch and lighting those pillars, it wasn't really an issue.
Cloudius12
Member
Enemies could still be exploited if you run far enough. They would just turn around so you can get a free hit or so.
Network
----------------------------------------------
Saw alot of sign, but couldn't summon 90% of the time. I wonder if its because someone summoned them at the same time I was summoning.
At one point when I did get summoned, I was stuck in a loop at the Loading screen. I could hear background sounds and other players hit stuff.
Network
----------------------------------------------
Saw alot of sign, but couldn't summon 90% of the time. I wonder if its because someone summoned them at the same time I was summoning.
At one point when I did get summoned, I was stuck in a loop at the Loading screen. I could hear background sounds and other players hit stuff.
Cloudius12
Member
I was stuck there too. You have to press X near the "obvious" door.
Warrior solo op. Dude takes chunks out of the boss.
Had to turn the brightness setting to max. Seemed find after that.
RoboGeorgeForeman
Banned
Anyone beat the black phantom with the greatsword/shield? Only guy that managed to challenge me in the stress test and no matter what I did I couldn't beat him without avoiding him entirely.
As a team of three, yeah. He's the toughest thing in the beta by far.
Damn, I was beating the piss out of everything with my sword lol hoping to find something. What's on the other side?
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
So, rather than talking about all aspects of the beta i will focus on the 3 things that bugged me the most:
-Lifegems, lifegems everywhere. Nearly every enemy i killed droped at least one gem, it really is a lot like healing grass in Demon Souls, something i wasn't very fond of. Dark Souls healing system was much better. Hopefully they will tweak the drop rate in the release version.
-I really dislike the new lock-on system, on one hand it makes combat more versatile since you can swing weapons in any direction regards of your current locked-on target, this is useful if a enemy is trying to get behind you for a BS, but for me DaS lock-on system feels better, it wasn't perfect but it serves its purpose. Also when you lock-on a target you move slower, not sure if i like this.
-Like others said, the game is more dark, there are of course some areas that were designed so that you could use a torch but overall the whole area of Huntsman Copse is too dark and almost monochromatic in some locations, but this still can be tweak.
Other than the points above i really love this beta and my hype was justified. This will be a solid successor to Dark Souls and its going to be a long wait until March.
-Lifegems, lifegems everywhere. Nearly every enemy i killed droped at least one gem, it really is a lot like healing grass in Demon Souls, something i wasn't very fond of. Dark Souls healing system was much better. Hopefully they will tweak the drop rate in the release version.
-I really dislike the new lock-on system, on one hand it makes combat more versatile since you can swing weapons in any direction regards of your current locked-on target, this is useful if a enemy is trying to get behind you for a BS, but for me DaS lock-on system feels better, it wasn't perfect but it serves its purpose. Also when you lock-on a target you move slower, not sure if i like this.
-Like others said, the game is more dark, there are of course some areas that were designed so that you could use a torch but overall the whole area of Huntsman Copse is too dark and almost monochromatic in some locations, but this still can be tweak.
Other than the points above i really love this beta and my hype was justified. This will be a solid successor to Dark Souls and its going to be a long wait until March.
Cloudius12
Member
I had to cheese him. Much much harder to circle strafe enemies' attacks now.
Elevator to get back up. There is another door that behaves the same way.
Enemies seemed to chase you more but are still very exploitable and pretty dumb. I just ran past all the phantoms leading to the chariot boss.
The one phantom with the giant sword and shield was standing outside the gate I went through, so after I beat the boss and backtracked here his back was facing me. He let me backstab him, then just got up and stood in the same spot like nothing happened until the backstabs pushed him up too far and he apparently got alerted I was there.
But those hook guys terrify me.
The one phantom with the giant sword and shield was standing outside the gate I went through, so after I beat the boss and backtracked here his back was facing me. He let me backstab him, then just got up and stood in the same spot like nothing happened until the backstabs pushed him up too far and he apparently got alerted I was there.
But those hook guys terrify me.
I probably should've budgeted a bit more time to explore the cave areas so I'm sure there's some stuff I missed, but I beat each of the bosses 3 times and had time to mess around with all the equipment and stuff I found while waiting for them to take the servers offline.
Thought it was really easy, all told. After the first half hour of getting acquainted to the controls being really similar to but just different enough from Dark Souls to throw me off I pretty much bulldozed through it. Used a Sorcerer, but didn't really cast all that many spells. I bought a Longsword from the merchant at the start right off the bat and basically used that for everything as soon as I'd pumped my Strength enough to use it.
Having cloth physics is great. The whole torch mechanic seems wonky. I can't very well give up my left hand in perpetuity just to see where I'm going, you know. I use that sinister thing.
Never had an invader. Was going to take a stab at invading myself but I wanted enough time to read all the item descriptions and fiddle with things, so that'll have to wait 'til the next test I guess.
Thought it was really easy, all told. After the first half hour of getting acquainted to the controls being really similar to but just different enough from Dark Souls to throw me off I pretty much bulldozed through it. Used a Sorcerer, but didn't really cast all that many spells. I bought a Longsword from the merchant at the start right off the bat and basically used that for everything as soon as I'd pumped my Strength enough to use it.
Having cloth physics is great. The whole torch mechanic seems wonky. I can't very well give up my left hand in perpetuity just to see where I'm going, you know. I use that sinister thing.
Never had an invader. Was going to take a stab at invading myself but I wanted enough time to read all the item descriptions and fiddle with things, so that'll have to wait 'til the next test I guess.
FinalStageBoss
Banned
Network was solid for me, when I was summoned it loaded up very quick and didn't notice much lag.
Cloudius12
Member
- Agility as a stat is a terrible idea. It'll either become mandatory for every player or it'll be nearly worthless - there's no middle ground because the actions it affects are so fundamental to the way the game is played, for every build and class.
- Torches are annoying and adds precious little to the game. Tomb of the Giants worked because . . . it wasn't spread out through the entire game. The light stuff feels gimmicky right now.
- Framerate is Dragon's Dogma-esque.
- Lifegems can be easily tweaked, so I'm not worried, but for this network test at least, they're far too powerful and almost completely replaces flasks.
- Lame bosses. Too easy, and not very interesting outside of that initial reveal.
- Using herbs to replenish spell stocks between bonfires. It's an awkward compromise between the spices of DeSouls and the system of Dark Souls.
- Love the new backstab animations, but the way priorities work feels iffy right now. There were occasions where just hitting Y/triangle to two-hand a weapon (or get the shield back up) would not register, or do so sluggishly.
- Thought the level design was okay. Didn't think the falls were bad at all - nowhere near as bad as 5-1.
Enjoyed my time, and I doubt difficulty was the thing they had on their minds while rolling out the network test clients, so I'm not worried on that front either. It feels rough, though. Hope they can get it all together before March.
- Torches are annoying and adds precious little to the game. Tomb of the Giants worked because . . . it wasn't spread out through the entire game. The light stuff feels gimmicky right now.
- Framerate is Dragon's Dogma-esque.
- Lifegems can be easily tweaked, so I'm not worried, but for this network test at least, they're far too powerful and almost completely replaces flasks.
- Lame bosses. Too easy, and not very interesting outside of that initial reveal.
- Using herbs to replenish spell stocks between bonfires. It's an awkward compromise between the spices of DeSouls and the system of Dark Souls.
- Love the new backstab animations, but the way priorities work feels iffy right now. There were occasions where just hitting Y/triangle to two-hand a weapon (or get the shield back up) would not register, or do so sluggishly.
- Thought the level design was okay. Didn't think the falls were bad at all - nowhere near as bad as 5-1.
Enjoyed my time, and I doubt difficulty was the thing they had on their minds while rolling out the network test clients, so I'm not worried on that front either. It feels rough, though. Hope they can get it all together before March.
Did anybody stop to look up at the sky / lighting? I thought it looked amazing. The silhouette of buildings atop the cliffs was quite spooky I thought.
Did not know that. Very cool, thanks!
SargerusBR
I love Pokken!
Forgot to mention, i did some tests regarding Hollowfication
Everytime you die, you lose about 5% of your Max HP, it took me 10 deaths to reach the 50% cap.
Also, with each death your character becomes more hollow, with 5 deaths my character lost it's hair, became thinner and it's body became more rotten.
Everytime you die, you lose about 5% of your Max HP, it took me 10 deaths to reach the 50% cap.
Also, with each death your character becomes more hollow, with 5 deaths my character lost it's hair, became thinner and it's body became more rotten.
I agree with these two points. On the issue of torches especially, if you're going to make me choose between a shield and seeing, that is not a choice I can afford to screw up. It's hardly a choice at all considering how dark some areas were.
That system seems like the enjoyment killer to me for any new players. It won't be much of an issue for me I don't think, but man, that's going to cause ragequits.
Cloudius12
Member
At least the torch can be used as a weapon. So its like Dual wielding.
Somnium986
Member
Wow, that's a nice touch. Didn't notice because I kept my armor on the whole time.
The outdoor areas were pretty good looking, all told. I really liked the section near the drawbridge where you could clearly see the rope bridge leading up to the arena silhouetted against the sky. Worked well just as a striking visual and as a cue that you were near the dropdown that would take you to the shortcut leading to the bridge. Nice piece of visual design, there.
Definitely agree on the torch stuff. I feel naked without a shield and even attempted a balance of shield/sword switching on the right hand while using a torch. It was horribly uncomfortable finger gymnastics to say the least.
I tried to cheese some weird cliff jump past them to no avail, lol.
Especially the part with 2 black phantom hook guys
BIG NOPE.
I tried to cheese some weird cliff jump past them to no avail, lol.