[Traveller]

Yeah there's sometimes a whole room full of jars or crates with no loot there. But sometimes, there's a concealed shortcut or item, so you just have to roll through 'em.

I just actually got scared playing for the first time. Old Yarnham. Just quietly making my way through the misty streets when this goddamn scream starts from god knows where.. really creepy.

And things leaping through wooden doors. old trick but it still works. Fuck that made me jump.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 05 April 2015 - 11:28 PM

[QuickTidal]

So I've gotten into the swing of "timing" my fighting with enemies so that I don't get slaughtered even when more than one or two attack me at once...which is nice. It also means that I've pretty much learned how to get from the first lantern to the Cleric boss on the bridge without losing too much health from any enemies, and able to hang on to MOST of my Blood Vials. Still can't beat the Cleric, even though I know the secret is to doge past his smaller right hand and get around behind him and swing...but he's just time consuming and I don't know why all the videos I watch of people playing this game APPEAR to have a target lock (little white dot) on enemies and I don't...this is especially galling when I'm fighting the Cleric and it's not targeted so I get turned around and can't sort out which way I'm facing. I've swung more times at nothing/air in that fight as a result of not being able to see what I'm aiming at.

A few other notables:

1. I hate the gun. Like hate it, don't bother EVER using it. I use the long form of my blade because I LOVE the R2 circle swing attack and how much damage it deals out (and takes care of multiple enemies if need be). And I'm fine using that for the rest of the game. I keep upgrading the gun...but I never bother using it.

2. I've now started leveling with Insight after speaking with the Doll. So at least now I feel like I'm GETTING somewhere.

3. Yarnham is fucking HUGE. There are so many dead ends and such that still have enemies I sometimes get lost.

4. I also have no idea how to load up the molotovs or pebbles into the empty slot to throw....but it doesn't reallly matter because I have no target anyways...so if I throw a pebbled it doesn't hit a specific enemy, it just kind of goes in front of me (and I have to select it from the inventory) I haven't a clue how to load it into a quick spot.

[Traveller]

R3 to lock. You need this! It will lock your nearest foe even through smoke if you haven't seen it yet. Once locked you can flip between attacking targets. The best thing it does though is turn your roll into a dodge. A quick one, sideways, back, or rush in. It's essential,dI'd say. (I kill those wolf beasts quickly now by waiting for them to pounce; sidestep quickly then strong attack.)

And, for the Cleric, you can flip it up to target his head. Three shots from the gun will stun him - you can then attack, or lob about 5 molotovs at him. (Press option button, scroll down to the empty slots, assign molotovs/stones etc, then use square to throw.)

Yes Yarnham is huge - best bits for me are finding gates to open up shortcuts back to lamps. You end up where you started but it's progress.

Oh and you can make bullets from your health bar if you ever run out. Push up on d-pad. You get regain with this, so if you do it just before attacking something you get your health straight back.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 06 April 2015 - 06:40 PM

[QuickTidal]

Coolio, thanks for the info. Yeah the targeting thing was driving me mental...and finding out how to do it was beyond my brief Google Fu yesterday.

[Traveller]

It should make things easier! Is this why your gun has been useless?

When you get attacked, if you're locked on, wait until they're just about to land a strike before you fire - they'll get knocked back and stunned, enough time tomland a hit or two.

Mostly though I'd practise evasion; dodging round without taking any hits. That sidestep is awesome although bigger things need two quickly to avoid.

[Wolfdrop]

Also remember that the gun is really just there to disrupt combos and set enemies up for criticals. That said, I just got a fucking cannon...

This post has been edited by Wolfdrop: 06 April 2015 - 07:17 PM

[amphibian]

QuickTidal, on 06 April 2015 - 05:32 PM, said:

So I've gotten into the swing of "timing" my fighting with enemies so that I don't get slaughtered even when more than one or two attack me at once...which is nice.

Congratulations, you're now getting into what FROM Software wants from their players: timing of attacks and evasion until you can smite the enemy without getting hurt much in the exchange.

What some people do, especially in the Player vs. Player modes of FROM games, is bait others in by attacking in a way that purposely misses, which invites a particular kind of attack, which is then countered and punished. You may be able to develop that skill by figuring out what moves trigger what responses in the enemy.

[Traveller]

Briar King, on 06 April 2015 - 09:38 PM, said:

I want to fucking cry.

I just got the blood-starved beast down to a sliver of health on my first go - got killed and went back but now I've used up all my stuff and his psycho mode is now slaying me.

[QuickTidal]

amphibian, on 06 April 2015 - 07:50 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 06 April 2015 - 05:32 PM, said:

So I've gotten into the swing of "timing" my fighting with enemies so that I don't get slaughtered even when more than one or two attack me at once...which is nice.

Congratulations, you're now getting into what FROM Software wants from their players: timing of attacks and evasion until you can smite the enemy without getting hurt much in the exchange.

What some people do, especially in the Player vs. Player modes of FROM games, is bait others in by attacking in a way that purposely misses, which invites a particular kind of attack, which is then countered and punished. You may be able to develop that skill by figuring out what moves trigger what responses in the enemy.

Pretty crazy stuff!

[QuickTidal]

Briar King, on 07 April 2015 - 02:00 AM, said:

I finally beat that Bane looking guy in 1st area only to find out there was nothing behind him!!! Ugh!!! I've lost 1000's of BEs on him!

Actually, if you can manage it, you can leap onto the ledge, scoot down it to leap over the metal fence and drop down below skipping a huge portion of the map ffrom that area. It's a cheat...but yeah there is really nothingelse behind taking out that bastard. I skip over him now.

You haven't even run into the two werewolves on the bridge yet...those two are REALLY fuckers.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 07 April 2015 - 10:56 AM

[Wolfdrop]

He sometimes drops blood stones and slotable gems which can make the beginning a bit easier.

[Traveller]

The two wolves on the bridge are good for farming early on. Just go up through the house, lure them down the steps and hit them with something long - they can't reach you and you get an easy 900 plus the ones from the trip up. They also drop up to 3 blood vials each, although sometimes when they're killed they fall through the floor which is a bit annoying.

BK if you want a head start, head right from the central yarnham lamp, drop down to the fire through the gap in the wall, stab that guy in the back, then run down the steps and all the way up the main street without fighting anyone. Run up the steps on the left before the bonfire and cart with the shooter on the roof; round the railing, and through the tunnel, and wait.. no one will follow you. Smash the coffins on the left, drop down and kill the dogs, then follow round to the left, through the lower floor of the house, and open the gate back to central yarnham lamp. You can then farm the wolfies upstairs from the lamp, and take on the cleric without a long trip.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 07 April 2015 - 11:35 AM

[QuickTidal]

Traveller, on 07 April 2015 - 11:32 AM, said:

The two wolves on the bridge are good for farming early on. Just go up through the house, lure them down the steps and hit them with something long - they can't reach you and you get an easy 900 plus the ones from the trip up. They also drop up to 3 blood vials each, although sometimes when they're killed they fall through the floor which is a bit annoying.

I totally discovered this after I fought them the first time...and yeah it's a good farming spot now.

[Maark Abbott]

amphibian, on 06 April 2015 - 07:50 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 06 April 2015 - 05:32 PM, said:

So I've gotten into the swing of "timing" my fighting with enemies so that I don't get slaughtered even when more than one or two attack me at once...which is nice.

Congratulations, you're now getting into what FROM Software wants from their players: timing of attacks and evasion until you can smite the enemy without getting hurt much in the exchange.

What some people do, especially in the Player vs. Player modes of FROM games, is bait others in by attacking in a way that purposely misses, which invites a particular kind of attack, which is then countered and punished. You may be able to develop that skill by figuring out what moves trigger what responses in the enemy.

View it like a fighting game. Sometimes you want to bait a punishable move so that you can use one that if you whiffed it would be punishable, but on counter hit leads to big damage and / or setups for further damage opportunities. It would seem that the same principle applies here. Same high stakes if you cock it up, too.

[QuickTidal]

Briar King, on 07 April 2015 - 06:57 PM, said:

Finally made it past the bonfire...only to get killed by 2 dogs. I spent so long on that play through that when I popped back up at the lantern I ragequit the day. Maybe I ll calm down in a few hrs. My son was loling at me

A friend of mine who is a veteran of these games has told me that the above bolded is the staus quo for the game and playing it. Fight>Die>Fight>Die>Fight>Advance a BIT>Die>Ragequit>Wait a day>Fight REPEAT.

[QuickTidal]

Maark, on 07 April 2015 - 06:53 PM, said:

Same high stakes if you cock it up, too.

Cocking things up is my particular specialty.

[amphibian]

All I can tell you is that I saw my on-screen character die thousands of times in Dark Souls and a few dozen while I play Dark Souls 2 now. I'm a year plus behind current gen games, so I'll play Bloodborne next year.

And I will die hundreds of times there, I'm sure.

The frustration of the dying is balanced out by the "fairness" of the game, if that makes sense. Very similar dynamic to Brazilian jiu jitsu. I borked this rule or that rule in this complex, constantly shifting situation and I "died" or "lost a limb". Reset. Repeat, with a little bit of improvement due to experience and better adherence to/application of the right rules.

[Wolfdrop]

Just going to leave these here...

[Traveller]

I think it's worth remembering that BK and QT haven't spent hours creeping through Boletaria in Demon's Souls; dying, trying again, getting further, dying again..

only in Demon's, the health is only found lying around, not through killing undead. But its only there on your first visit. So die and try again, and it isn't there any more. So it got harder and harder until you realise that the only true way to progress is to learn how to dodge.. everything.

Then add more hours than I can remember on Dark Souls, newgame+ etc until the dodge, strike, retreat pattern becomes second nature. Like looking round every corner, especially when there's a tempting prize in plain sight to lure you in. It must be pretty hard to be starting out on the successor to those two!

As soon as you beat something that up until that moment you swear is totally impossible and unfair, you get to realise what these games are about though.

I was almost yelling at the tv last night when I stocked up all my resources for a boss fight, and then died of poisoning just one.. goddam.. shot.. from winning.

Awesome game so far.(I'm of to kill that bastard now..)

This post has been edited by Traveller: 07 April 2015 - 08:55 PM

[Wolfdrop]

Attempted a boss multiple times, Rom the Vacuous Spider, kept smashing me with all his minions.

When you respawn and realize your blood vials aren't at twenty, they're at 3. That you're going to have to go on a big ass hunt just to be ready to take him on again.

I just curled into the foetal position and lay for for a while...