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So Dark Souls II [PC] is launching in less then a month and there's no footage of it.

Alo81

Low Poly Gynecologist
Clearly people forgot how bad DS1 looked on consoles... here is DS1 on PC with DSFix. Now imagine sub 720p console version that lacks many advance graphics features that came with DSFix. Also lets not ignore that DS2 also has a dynamic lighting system far better than that of DS1.


Heres an actual comparison between default Dark Souls and DSfix Dark Souls.

dsfix_comparison_by_aloo81-d7cbkf0.gif


I picked this area to show off that even in OG Dark Souls, there was some pretty whack lookin stuff (look at those trees!)

A lot of Dark Souls looks fantastic. Except when it doesnt.

Here are links to the original images.

Vanilla

DSFix
 
its a little tiresome-we get it-its ugly

its also one of the most fun/challenging games on the market-but noone sees that

I feel like every flaw in the Dark Souls games gets hidden behind "super fun challenging retro hardcore game". Honestly, if there was a huge design flaw, they could just say it was part of the experience. NO ONE WOULD KNOW.

But I find it pretty unacceptable that any AAA game should look this terrible without me being forewarned before I picked it up.
 
I feel like every flaw in the Dark Souls games gets hidden behind "super fun challenging retro hardcore game". Honestly, if there was a huge design flaw, they could just say it was part of the experience. NO ONE WOULD KNOW.

But I find it pretty unacceptable that any AAA game should look this terrible without me being forewarned before I picked it up.
I don't think Dark Souls has a budget of a AAA game.
 
I could have sworn I saw somewhere that Namco was giving DS2 a much larger budget than the original that was described as "AAA". Or maybe it was just marketing? I can't remember.

The DS2 budget described as AAA. Not the original. I know original Dark Souls had a low budget. xD
 

Persona7

Banned
I could have sworn I saw somewhere that Namco was giving DS2 a much larger budget than the original that was described as "AAA". Or maybe it was just marketing? I can't remember.

The DS2 budget described as AAA. Not the original. I know original Dark Souls had a low budget. xD

They spent a little bit more on advertising and creating trailers.
 
It is time to admit that the PC version will be identical to the console version. Admit and embrace this. There will need to be a fix for the resolution. This is how it is.
 
It is time to admit that the PC version will be identical to the console version. Admit and embrace this. There will need to be a fix for the resolution. This is how it is.

Pretty much, you guys expecting the lighting to be fix'd in the PC version are setting yourselves up to be disappointed big time. Namco did a Livestream of Dark Souls 2 and when someone asked how the PC version looks this was the reply:

I've seen the PC build in action it looks better the framerate is so smooth and it looks great. I haven't like the super old build that everyone's talking about with the weird lighting the TGS build I haven't seen any comparison shots or anything all I can say is it looks better than the console build.

........

The PC speaking of it I've been meaning to tell someone to update those..we've released I'd say four PC screenshots so far and those are...let me go to the Steampage real quick. The first 5 screenshots are from the PC build, but I dunno for me the biggest difference is just the framerate and the clearness of everything I dunno it looks good(

.........

I think it still looks good. I can understand why some people are confused but they weren't paying very close attention if they first saw the game at the TGS reveal
and then now I mean it's not just like the graphics it's like the style is a little different but that changes as games get developed.
 
It is time to admit that the PC version will be identical to the console version. Admit and embrace this. There will need to be a fix for the resolution. This is how it is.
What are you talking about? The game will already have a higher resolution and 60 fps as standard. Dark Souls was ported poorly to PC cause it was never planned. The problem with this game is because PC was the lead platform and they had to cut back a lot to make it work on the older consoles and the earlier footage thst was shown set expectations higher than they should have.
 

Despera

Banned
It really bums me out that not even the PC version will look like the preview builds. I mean, with consoles I can understand but with the PC? Freaking Scamco...
 
You must have me confused with someone else.

It's not uncommon for you to post something as simple as "Ehhhhhh" (that's something you've actually posted, recently!) and then never repost in that thread, or post a one line opinion many pages into a thread with actual debate going on.
 

-MD-

Member
It's not uncommon for you to post something as simple as "Ehhhhhh" (that's something you've actually posted, recently!) and then never repost in that thread, or post a one line opinion many pages into a thread with actual debate going on.

Having a bad day?
 
Because it's likely really similar to the console version. It could hurt sales too if thats the case

If it were much better then they would show it off all over the place.
 

Grief.exe

Member
I skipped on Dark Souls 2, hoping that they go the tomb raider route and go definitive on the next gen. I will pick it up then.

The marketing for the 'definitive' edition of Tomb Raider was so awkward and forced.

They had to completely downplay the existence of the PC version before even beginning to justify the existence of the PS4/XBO version.

Its just a joke that these same improvements couldn't be worked into the existing PC version.
 

Clawww

Member
I didn't think my hype for this game could be deflated, but between pushing it back and how fucking ugly the game is on console with no clue if it'll be the same on PC, I just don't know what to think anymore. I'll most likely forget everything once I jump in, but I'm upset the whole thing is going down so shittily, and would love for the wait to somehow be worth it.
 
I didn't think my hype for this game could be deflated, but between pushing it back and how fucking ugly the game is on console with no clue if it'll be the same on PC, I just don't know what to think anymore. I'll most likely forget everything once I jump in, but I'm upset the whole thing is going down so shittily, and would love for the wait to somehow be worth it.
The game isn't ugly. It's just not amazing. It has its moments of beauty though. People just use cherry picked shots to make it look worse around here
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
The whole thing has been a total shitshow. I can honestly say my enjoyment of the series has taken a huge hit, and while I'm sure I'll enjoy DS2 on PC for the gameplay, it will no longer be a series of games I can point to and cite superior design sensibilities. They fucked this one just too severely to not be brought up on it and told as much.
 

Persona7

Banned
I didn't think my hype for this game could be deflated, but between pushing it back and how fucking ugly the game is on console with no clue if it'll be the same on PC, I just don't know what to think anymore. I'll most likely forget everything once I jump in, but I'm upset the whole thing is going down so shittily, and would love for the wait to somehow be worth it.

Dark Souls 2 is far from ugly, it looks and runs better than the original Dark Souls.

The whole thing has been a total shitshow. I can honestly say my enjoyment of the series has taken a huge hit, and while I'm sure I'll enjoy DS2 on PC for the gameplay, it will no longer be a series of games I can point to and cite superior design sensibilities. They fucked this one just too severely to not be brought up on it and told as much.

So you played this game already? I can't see how someones enjoyment can take a "huge hit" without even playing it first.
 
The whole thing has been a total shitshow. I can honestly say my enjoyment of the series has taken a huge hit, and while I'm sure I'll enjoy DS2 on PC for the gameplay, it will no longer be a series of games I can point to and cite superior design sensibilities. They fucked this one just too severely to not be brought up on it and told as much.
The game is still fantastic. You're exaggerating a bit
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
Dark Souls 2 is far from ugly, it looks and runs better than the original Dark Souls.



So you played this game already?

The game is still fantastic. You're exaggerating a bit

Nope but got some good friends playing through it right now. The whole ganking of the torch mechanic and lighting at the 11th hour and that the level design doesnt even approach Dark Souls 1 is a huge hit to my perception of the package. You can have your "its fine! FINE!!" opinions, but things like this MADE Dark Souls so stand-out in what it was:
Hell, even stuff like slightly wonkier animation I was willing to overlook, but now its just another bullet-point on a flub list.

As I said, I'm sure its going to be a good game, just not a great one for me. One I'm not going to be all evangelical over playing. This shit matters to me, I'm happy it doesn't to other people so they can still wring as much joy out of the product.
 

ponpo

( ≖‿≖)
Nope but got some good friends playing through it right now. The whole ganking of the torch mechanic and lighting at the 11th hour and that the level design doesnt even approach Dark Souls 1 is a huge hit to my perception of the package. You can have your "its fine! FINE!!" opinions, but things like this MADE Dark Souls so stand-out in what it was:

How has the level design taken a hit? The most common complaint seems to be people with "I can see area x from area y" fetishes. Some of the areas are small but the level design isn't worse than Dark Souls 1.

Honestly I couldn't care less how it looks as long as a wizard like Durante releases a fix for it.

So you couldn't care less how it looks as long as someone makes it look good?
 

Persona7

Banned
Nope but got some good friends playing through it right now. The whole ganking of the torch mechanic and lighting at the 11th hour and that the level design doesnt even approach Dark Souls 1 is a huge hit to my perception of the package. You can have your "its fine! FINE!!" opinions, but things like this MADE Dark Souls so stand-out in what it was:

Hell, even stuff like slightly wonkier animation I was willing to overlook, but now its just another bullet-point on a flub list.

As I said, I'm sure its going to be a good game, just not a great one for me. One I'm not going to be all evangelical over playing. This shit matters to me, I'm happy it doesn't to other people so they can still wring as much joy out of the product.



Can you describe the torch mechanic you are talking about? Same with the level design, you have not played the game yet you already decided it is bad.
 
Not even that can fix this:

That's just horrid...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVqUmE3sUZ8

The guy in that video is an idiot, he actually says " every bit of Dark Souls 1 was fantastic ". That is a total lie, Blight Town was awful and other areas looked like total shit and were like a copy/paste job of adding areas on to the game near the end of development just to fill it up.

The Souls games are my favourite of the PS3 era, but to pretend that DS2 is the only one with problems is demented.
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
Can you describe the torch mechanic you are talking about? Same with the level design, you have not played the game yet you already decided it is bad.

I played the network beta test and I really liked the concept of scouting ahead and lighting a path before exploring at a slower and more shielded pace. Several chunks of the games levels have bits designed around the lighting of an area being a "breakthrough" moment like with kicking down a ladder in DkS or opening a gate in DeS.

Such areas are often now completely easy to navigate in the dark due to the lightning engine/focus testing quick gutting of the game, and as such I feel thats detrimental to the experience and game they were originally building. The whole reason I've held out for the PC version is that the lighting is "fixed" and perhaps the torch mechanic put back to being a little more relevant than it is.

I have seen enough, heard enough, and know enough about the game to understand my own opinion thanks. The "BUT YOU ENT PLAYED IT" defence is one that assumes even after getting to grips with a demo and seeing footage with my own two eyes whats gone wrong I can't put two and two together. I can. Deal.
 

Persona7

Banned
I played the network beta test and I really liked the concept of scouting ahead and lighting a path before exploring at a slower and more shielded pace. Several chunks of the games levels have bits designed around the lighting of an area being a "breakthrough" moment like with kicking down a ladder in DkS or opening a gate in DeS.

Such areas are often now completely easy to navigate in the dark due to the lightning engine/focus testing quick gutting of the game, and as such I feel thats detrimental to the experience and game they were originally building. The whole reason I've held out for the PC version is that the lighting is "fixed" and perhaps the torch mechanic put back to being a little more relevant than it is.

I have seen enough, heard enough, and know enough about the game to understand my own opinion thanks. The "BUT YOU ENT PLAYED IT" defence is one that assumes even after getting to grips with a demo and seeing footage with my own two eyes whats gone wrong I can't put two and two together. I can. Deal.

Ok, good explanation. I was not even aware of that mechanic. I did not see it in any advertising or gameplay videos and I don't remember that happening in the network test. Luckily all that footage is easily found on youtube.

How about the level design? You can't possibly make a judgement of that from the small section in the network test.
 
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