Dark Souls

[Eusis]

So is Dark Souls supposed to be an action game like DMC, Bayo, or Ninja Gaiden? Or is it more of a customization heavy RPG where most of the challenge is figuring out a strategy/trial and error? I'm still confused what the game's about or what it's best compared to.

It's more the latter, though it definitely demands skill. It's just that your aforementioned examples of action are a VERY DIFFERENT type of action, this is slower but more decisive rather than focused on combos and constantly beating on enemies (though that can come up depending on equipment). Think of it more like the 3D Zelda combat system if it became more nuanced and vicious.

[Yggdrasil]

Dark Souls director considering an Easy mode, "really sad" about game's fearsome reputation

[Taelus]

Nice breakdown of it. I wouldn't be adverse to a future Souls game having an easy mode. As long as they respect that "easy" doesn't mean "half damage from enemies, less HP on baddies." The atmosphere, progression, and tension in Dark Souls are one of the best parts.

[Eusis]

So long as easy mode isn't an excuse to make the normal difficulty harder. Well, and the unique online nature means you run a potential risk of breaking base, depending on how it's done. But you could probably do an "easy mode" Well enough simply by minimizing or even nullifying the traditional death penalty, I'm sure the game would feel a LOT easier if you weren't worrying about lost souls/humanity anymore.

[beLIEve?]

i would assume those on easy would almost need their own server otherwise they'd get to certain spots and the big dogs would invade and stab the ever livin shit out of them and then they'd cry fowl.

i could see the easy mode just dropping more souls. i'm alomost surpirsed namdai didn't offer soul booster pack dlc

[Eusis]

i could see the easy mode just dropping more souls. i'm alomost surpirsed namdai didn't offer soul booster pack dlc

I'm thinking FROM still has more say in what does/doesn't come out for that game. And fuck, that's one of the last damn things that game needs.

[beLIEve?]

i could see the easy mode just dropping more souls. i'm alomost surpirsed namdai didn't offer soul booster pack dlc

I'm thinking FROM still has more say in what does/doesn't come out for that game. And fuck, that's one of the last damn things that game needs.

oh i know! if it were me i wouldn't change a thing but if they want a easy mode i'm just trying to imagine scenarios. i could imagine an easy mode with infinite summons or something too. not that that would be what i want out of it. for me i guess i don't think the game would be that appealing if you could just stride through it. it's not like the story is a major component, the gameyness really is the draw.

[Yggdrasil]

Almost nobody seems to remember that Dark Souls was much more harder before. What we have right now in fact is an easier version of the same game.

[Taelus]

What? When was it easier? You mean the patches?

[Yggdrasil]

Yeah, everything took more time and resources to pull off before. They did make the game more manageable with the last patch two patches and fixed a lot of stuff along the way but they also got rid of part of how difficult the game was even if most of that difficulty was unfair at times.

http://darksouls.wikidot.com/game-patches#toc2

[Eusis]

It's really a mixed bag in a lot of ways, and at any rate I don't see remotely analogous to the proposed "easy mode". For the most part the changes were either to address straight up bullshit (first part of Lost Izalith) or to reduce tedious grinding (Twinkling Titanites). Nevermind some of the nerfing, it's possible to argue based on nerfs to Pyro alone that earlier versions are the actual "easy mode", not 1.05, and what they did with the Elite Knight set and Iron Flesh was absurd, and they must've recognized this as the poise for Elite Knight's been reset on the PC version.

[Taelus]

Yeah, I was playing when it came out, and I don't feel like the game is EASIER, there's just less cheese to deal with. It's certainly less frustrating at times, but I don't know if I'd call that difficulty so much as just time-consumptiveness.

[beLIEve?]

i remember after one of the patches that the undead in undead burg were a little nerfed in that their tracking was a bit less they used to run down the steps or jump down after throwing fire bombs and that did make it slightly easier. same with the cemetery you used to walk in there and every skeleton would wake up now it's two at a time. i didn't get to the minotaurs till after that but i seem to remember people saying they were super annoying before the patch for some reason too. 

[Yggdrasil]

Before the last patch the enemies in Izalith were savages. I remember that the Minotours and Capra Demons would go after you with relentless attacks until you were death but now they don't do that anymore (maybe the Minotours still do but I haven't played Dark Souls in a while).

[DPB]

Up to Anor Londo now, gradually going through my stock of humanity summoning Solaire every time in a vain attempt to defeat the bosses here. I'm starting to wish I'd put more points into vitality, I only have 18 and my character feels very fragile.

What's up with the lightning weapons in this game? They seem really unbalanced, they came up with this fantastic system where every weapon is a viable option and even has different animations, but then invalidated it all by making lightning vastly more powerful than everything else. Nothing I have even comes close to the Lightning Spear, and it feels like I wasted a ton of souls putting points into dexterity when it doesn't affect damage anymore.