[Aptorian]

Morgoth, on 12 February 2016 - 12:11 PM, said:

Also, when you're in Blightown, don't miss the hidden entrance to I'm not saying.

Are you referring to

Spoiler

the secret entrance to that hollow tree? Or the stairs up to the Londo area/Drake area?

I am currently at the Spider Demon. She is a complete bitch. I tried using the summoning trick but that NPC is stuck at the entrance for some reason.

This post has been edited by Apt: 12 February 2016 - 01:52 PM

[Traveller]

You can use her soul to make a nice sword though.

You could always summon another player and co-op - but you'll probably kill her yourself before you have to do that.

Definitely check out the tree.

[WinterPhoenix]

Ahhhh, lagtown, how I hate thee! Literally the worst area in the game, though I found the Hollow Tree and the place it leads to be close seconds!

Quelag took me a few tries on my first ever playthrough, the lava spewing can be a complete bitch to deal with for sure, summoning always helps even if it's only for the distraction that it provides, but I found that the summon for Quelag usually dies very quickly, less useful than others.

The copy of Dark Souls I ordered came before the actual console, but the console came today, so I'll finally be able to start my run at some point tonight I reckon, honestly can't wait

You can cheese quite a few of the Prowling Demons you encounter actually, in a similar manner, I pretty much never bother to fight them one on one. Cheese 'em in NG and then just leave 'em alone in NG+ and further.

[Mentalist]

oh, FUCK YOU, AK.

I was almost done the last Mali mission (yes, the trick is, in fact, massing Gbetos-- get like 40 of those, and they SHRED anything Sumanguru sends at you). I smashed the Wonder with like 25 years left on the clock, though I did end up losing basically all my Navy and ran out of Gold in the process. I cleared about 3/4 of the enemy city, took over one of the gold- carrying islands in the middle of the map, and was generally about to win (another 15 min or les,s just to finish mopping up). And then my game crashes. Just like it did (multiple times) with the last Ethiopian mission.

SO. FRUSTRATING. Good thing I have the long weekend to go through that again.

[Morgoth]

Apt, on 12 February 2016 - 01:51 PM, said:

Morgoth, on 12 February 2016 - 12:11 PM, said:

Also, when you're in Blightown, don't miss the hidden entrance to I'm not saying.

Are you referring to

Spoiler

the secret entrance to that hollow tree? Or the stairs up to the Londo area/Drake area?

I am currently at the Spider Demon. She is a complete bitch. I tried using the summoning trick but that NPC is stuck at the entrance for some reason.

Funny how different players struggle with different bosses. I had a hell of a time dealing with the Hydra, but I killed Quelag on my first try. And yeah, the hollow tree.

The worst boss though, by far, was the Bed of Chaos. Enjoy.

[WinterPhoenix]

Morgoth, on 13 February 2016 - 09:16 PM, said:

Apt, on 12 February 2016 - 01:51 PM, said:

Morgoth, on 12 February 2016 - 12:11 PM, said:

Also, when you're in Blightown, don't miss the hidden entrance to I'm not saying.

Are you referring to

Spoiler

the secret entrance to that hollow tree? Or the stairs up to the Londo area/Drake area?

I am currently at the Spider Demon. She is a complete bitch. I tried using the summoning trick but that NPC is stuck at the entrance for some reason.

Funny how different players struggle with different bosses. I had a hell of a time dealing with the Hydra, but I killed Quelag on my first try. And yeah, the hollow tree.

The worst boss though, by far, was the Bed of Chaos. Enjoy.

I've already made my thoughts on the Be of Chaos clear on this thread, but I'll reiterate, most annoying fight EVER! Hate that damn fight sooooooo much!

I always had a difficult time with Hydra's as well, I can't stand Ash Lake or the Hollow Tree, nothing good comes from going to Blighttown!!!!!!!

[Traveller]

Had a turn last night. Beat the gargoyles quickly enough, then went into undertown to free the pyromancer (I want the flame for Sif) But I need to beat the Capra to get the key, and the damn thing kept following me up the steps.

Found the thief set on the way though, so I finally have some decent clothes, yay.

I want to head into the depths after Quelaag, but I want Havels ring, the Poison-bite ring and some more purple moss first so I went into the garden area.

I killed the Prowling Demon on the way - just kept running in through the door on the garden side, hit it double-handed with the drake sword, retreated.

(I did a speed run down into the depths just to see how far I'd get - i made it to the water wheel at the base before some mosquitos ganged up on me. This is by far the best route though - you hardly have to fight anything and you can be at the bottom bonfire in about three minutes. If you have moss.)

Quelaag is fairly easy to lure into spewing so you can roll round and do some two handed damage while she's busy iirc.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 14 February 2016 - 08:39 AM

[Silencer]

Don't really have a horse in this race, but figured I'd put this out there for discussion -

A lot of posts over the past page or two have been Dark Souls related. How do you guys prefer this thread be treated: as a "small back-and-forth only", where discussion like the last few pages should be moved on to the (already established) relevant game thread, or as a "natural flow" topic where if a bunch of people do happen to be playing a game at a given time, extended posting about it is OK?


I'm just asking because it feels like the thread over the past couple of pages could be a bit of a tract for non-DS fans to wade through, or could be seen as prohibitive to others dropping new games into the mix (if everyone is on about DS, no-one will bother responding to, say, a post about "I'm currently playing Tetris"), and I'm conscious of the fact that I haven't done anything about it until now because I do play the Souls games so it doesn't bother me. Anyway, feedback appreciated.

[Aptorian]

It's a grey area I think. It started with me just asking questions and giving impressions. Didn't really want to make another thread for it. But now that more members are (re)playing it, it's probably more productive to move it to a thread of its own.

[Traveller]

Move it - I was thinking the same thing. Should have started in the DS thread a couple of pages back, sorry.

[Aptorian]

Since I am not sure where Silencer will move this - is there a Dark Souls thread? - I will leave another Dark Souls comment here.

I am starting to consider whether or not I want to actually finish this game. I've played Dark Souls A LOT over the past 2 weeks. I've enjoyed the challenge and I like the mystery of the whole thing but I don't think Dark Souls is a great game. I am not even sure it's a good game.

My opinion of the game waxess and wanes as I progress though new areas and eventually approach the bosses. I love exploring new environments, encountering new enemy types, trying to analyze their movement patterns and adjust my fighting style. Managing to defeat a tough opponent or finishing a zone feels like a tremendous accomplishment but it's just soured by the overall shittyness of the game.

My main issue has to be these fucking checkpoints. There is no reason what so ever for there to be this far between each firelink shrine. It's just cheap padding that makes the game feel tedious and frustrating rather than challenging. When I eventually reach a boss and get clobbered, I don't want to reload and have to fight 5-10 or 20 mobs one more time to get to the challenging boss fight that might destroy me in 5 seconds.

I am currently in Anor Londo and there is a section where I have to run down stairs, across a bridge and it takes over 2 minutes just to get back to the enemies. Every time. That's not difficulty. That's not skill based challenge. That's just bad game design. An appologist would argue that this teaches the player to be careful, it makes them savor every new foothold they make, etc. but seriously, this kind of shit would not fly in any other game. There's a reason why JRPGs are loathed by so many people.

But that's just the central issue I have. What's more annoying is the pacing. While new shortcuts open eventually, you can find yourself out of arrows, cursed, needing a special resource from a vendor, etc. and the closest blacksmith is literally half an hour away in game time. I just found a new blacksmith but before that I hadn't seen somebody who could sell anything for 5 hours. Again you could argue that this teaches the player to be prepared, to stock up on the ressources they might need, etc. but again, that's bullshit. That's needless padding of game time. It's an inconvenience that frustrates rather than challenges.

Then there's shit like an unintuituve UI that doesn't explain shit and is terrible to navigate, inventory that is impossible to keep track off, environmental design that is slapped together like a downloaded Gary's Mod level, surfaces that can't be walked or jumped across, surfaces that are invisibly sloped, textures that look like a PS2 game, enemies that hit you through solid surfaces, quest objectives that have no description or logic that lets you know what is going on without a guide, etc., etc., etc.

I feel like this game has so many issues that would have made "the hardcore" video gamers have a seizure and yet somehow this game gets a pass and is called a masterpiece and brilliant game design, etc. I feel like Dark Souls is a golden nugget laying at the bottom of a creak full of raw sewage.

... and yet I am probably going to keep playing some more because I want to say I beat this stupid game.

[WinterPhoenix]

I think perhaps the discussion should be moved as well, I wouldn't want Souls enthusiasm to subvert the intention of the thread, with multiple people now regularly posting while they play/replay this game that might become a possibility, it's not exactly counter to the aim of the thread and I can't say whether it has put anyone off from posting about another game they playing, but the possibility suggest maybe moving this to whatever Dark Souls thread already exists - or indeed creating a new one I suppose.

That being said, as I am currently unaware as to whether this discussion will be moved or where to, I will post this here and if a decision is made to move the discussion then this will be my last DS related post on this thread, as far as this replay goes at any rate.

Started my replay this morning, still in the Undead Burg, debating whether or not the Black Knight will own me or not lol Was going to start last night but I went out drinking, figured Drunk Souls was a no no

Collected the graveyard items outside the Catacombs, using the Winged Spear just now, debating whether or not to try a New Londo run to get the Fire Keeper Soul there really early, I think the ghost's will kick my arse though.

As for Blighttown, my OCD won't let me use the shortcut on NG, even though I recovered my old profile, so I don't need any of the items for achievements and such, I MUST COLLECT ALL! So I'll be running the Blighttown gauntlet for the first time in years once I get there. Considering fighting the Stray Demon early, so I can gain access to the ring that lets you move fast through water and the swamps and such, might be underestimating that big lug though, not sure.

As for engineered difficulty, frustration over challenge, I it is true that this game often walks the line and sometimes falls headfirst into pure frustration. I am not surprised your post comes after you have reached Anor Londo for the first time Apt, I completely agree about that particular run. Nonetheless I think your last line really explains just why this game 'gets a pass' as you say. It didn't seem to matter what the game through at me, I simply became more determined to get everything done, and looked harder and harder to find ways to cheese the game right back lol

This post has been edited by WinterPhoenix: 14 February 2016 - 02:00 PM

[Maark Abbott]

As a non-Souls player, your discussion hasn't bothered me at all or turned the thread into a slog. From my perspective, you can carry on with it as much as you like. Whether the mods agree is a different call, though.

Anyway, I'd forgotten how dire most Resident Evil dialogue is until now.

"You'll pay for what you did!"
"Hahahaha! We'll see which one of us is gonna die!"

And of course...

"Hey, Queeny! Feast on this!"

[Traveller]

The crappy runs up to bosses are the main reason a lot of people say 'fuck this.' I hate it as part of the game design; especially when getting one-shotted as soon as you reach the boss. But when you get it right, make the right moves, and finally beat something that has been a torment for ages.. it makes it feel more like a victory attained through skill and perseverance. And sheer bloody mindedness.

DS 2 in comparison, with bonfires all over the place, didn't have that feel of achievement as a consequence, although some of the bosses were pretty good.

My wife just brought home SW Battlefront. I was going to wait until it was cheap, having been a bit dubious based on what most people say about it - but I've just been blowing the shit out of stuff in an X - wing while the kids cheer me on - damn that was fun.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 14 February 2016 - 04:23 PM

[Traveller]

I spent some of the evening playing Battlefront.

The fighter stuff is great - mainly because I like dogfighting, and also because I keep topping the leaderboard for kills.

The fps multiplayer part - well, it's chaotic to say the least. The maps enable people to pop up and kill you from behind while armed with all sorts of stuff that is way of my league as a beginner in this.

That said, it brings a certain satisfaction bringing down the sort that look like they've been playing for weeks and have all sorts of custom gear. And you just know they'll come for revenge, all pissed, and walk right into a trap.

It's been a while since Battlefield 2, but some things don't change.

It looks amazing. And is as shallow as a puddle, but it's very Star Wars, so it's nice to dip into for a dogfight.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 14 February 2016 - 11:36 PM

[Traveller]

Briar King, on 15 February 2016 - 01:45 AM, said:

I've heard it was a huge let down shortly after the nostalgia wears off by a lot of people.

I'm under no illusion - but having such low expectations means I've not been massively let down. I've hardly touched most of the content yet - I did some training missions including clearing the hoth base with Vader, which my boy liked, and some Speeder bike chases which look great and had my girl cheering whenever I blew up a rebel.

And flying around in a space battle with the Falcon and Slave 1 appearing now and then is fun. I'd like some Clone Wars era stuff too ideally.

Besides that... well, there isn't really anything else, I really don't know how this game warrants the same price as Witcher 3 or Fallout.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 15 February 2016 - 05:40 PM

[Obdigore]

Silencer,

String these people who play different games than me up by their toes until they move to their own thread!

Nah, it doesn't bother me but when the jabbering goes on for 3+ pages maybe its time to make a dedicated thread?

[Aptorian]

I've been playing some Dying Light: The Following DLC.

This is an awesome expansion. The inclusion of the buggy to race around in completely changes the dynamic of the game. You feel powerful enough that you're not afraid to just race across a field but at the same time the impacts and physics of the game are such that you always feel like you could crash and burn any second.

There's a ridiculous amount of content on this new map. I can't imagine I will get around to exploring everything but I believe it when they say that this expansion is as big, if not as dense, as the main game.

[Khellendros]

I've got about four games on the go currently.

Trying to get through the original 1987 Metal Gear - tough, and very tempted to put it on the Easy difficulty! Most annoying thing is only being able to save at certain points which are few and far between. Still a game with an amazing amount of mechanics, considering its age.

Shadow of Mordor - Got this over a year ago but only started playing it this weekend, mainly because I got Dragon Age: Inquisition around the same time and played that instead. Really fun game so far, already got me swearing at Uthrak the Executioner, who, ironically, refuses to execute me, and whenever he defeats me he laughs and walks away to torment me again in the future.

Resogun - Playing this coop with a friend, ah local coop! Tons of fun, tough but fair, and looks gorgeous, reminds me of good old Geometry Wars.

The Witness - Started playing this with the girlfriend, you know we're enjoying it because we continually snatch the controller from each other when we're convinced we have the solution Haven't got too far as yet though.

And also finished Anomaly 2 - nice fun reverse tower defense game. Apparently I'm ranked 200-something in the world, which I think speaks of how few people played and completed it rather than my actual ability!

[Tiste Simeon]

So I started playing Syndicate. I'm enjoying being back in the AC world and London is beautifully rendered! Is it worth sticking with one of the twins or do I need to keep swapping? So far I like Evie better...