I can't fathom how difficult the game will be without the help messages and death views.
There's a preview on the game in this week's Famitsu. The official title is now Dark Soul. Some info from the preview:
- This is the official title of what was previously Project Dark
- This time they want to increase the amount of field exploration in the game.
- All fields are seamless, so whatever you can see, you can reach and explore. If you see a fortress or castle walls in the distance, you can eventually get there.
- There will be no map display in the game, just a position display marker.
- They aim to make the game just as challenging than Demon's Souls, but also just as rewarding when you succeed. The sense of achievement is important.
- The gameplay will be similar to Demon's Souls in concept, where it's about trial and error and learning from your mistakes to play better.
- The game does not share the same world and story as Demon's Souls.
- The game will not use the same format as Demon's Souls in terms of having 5 worlds connected via a hub.
- Instead all maps in the game will be linked seamlessly in a connected world. The pace of the game will feel more about exploration and discovering locations, which you can then go inside into a dungeon or whatever and explore the interior further.
- There will be more complex level designs in the game using more vertical design in areas and such.
- The world setting is based on medieval dark fantasy, and will contain themes like "high fantasy of kings and knights", "death and the depths of the earth", and "the flames of chaos".
Edit: More details added.
- The character creation process will not be class based.
- The play style of the player character will have much more freedom this time.
- There will be many more spells and items, and the animation and uniqueness of weapons will also be increased.
- The online elements are very similar to Demon's Souls. There is cooperative and PvP.
- You can still leave messages, and see players who died at various places.
- There will be no Soul Tendency this time because they don't want to have to use dedicated servers to handle that shit again.
- Instead this time there will be more features allowing players to engage in "mutual role playing" which they say are still under wraps. They'll reveal more when it's time.
Interesting (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2010-09-16-from-software-creating-a-ps3-exclusive)
Looks to be Demons Souls 2 in everything but name. Why? To go multiplatform.
Debut Trailer (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/debut-trailer-dark-souls/710099)
Anyone else hear see something like "We have no plans for DLC" and think...yay?DLC does get bloody tiresome.
Namco demonstrated the punishing difficulty of Dark Souls at Gamescom today, pointing out that yes, it is in fact far more difficult than Demon's Souls due to the fact that more complex tactics are required to traverse the various areas in the game -- not just an affinity for the game's demanding combat system.
So what was initially a pretty decent CE has basically been turned to all-digital content. For those who aren't aware, any preorder of this game automatically gets you a CE. It was initially supposed to include an art book, game guide, and a download of the soundtrack. Now it's all digital content. My interest in preordering has declined substantially. Now you can ask "But K-man, since it was free content anyway why does this change your mind?" The short answer is that I can wait for a deal on the game rather than paying full price.
Did they have CE's in store?
I'm put off by the reported high difficulty. I'm definitely curious about it. Maybe someday they'll grace us with a demo.
I'm put off by the reported high difficulty. I'm definitely curious about it. Maybe someday they'll grace us with a demo.Same here. People say "difficult" but I hear "frustrating."
Actually, this one sounds a bit less frustrating than the first game. It's got checkpoints!
. . . powerful Pyromancy or life-saving Miracles will usually be limited to just a few uses. Magic is as relevant to the game as ever, but it's no longer a cheap-and-easy, rechargeable long-range option. Sooner or later, especially in the boss battles, you're going to have to wade on in there with an axe and risk your hide up close.Dark Souls Review (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/119/1197544p1.html)
This is one of many reasons that Dark Souls is considerably harder than Demon's Souls. (For context, I played through Demon's Souls about four times, and nothing in that game gave me the same trouble – and the same rush – as some of Dark Souls' crueler moments.) It appears to be FROM's mission to send you into harrowing spirals of despondency and self-pity at every opportunity. Levels and enemies alike are designed to be especially lethal. Like its predecessor, the game starts off borderline impossible and becomes more manageable the longer you play as you get together some half-decent equipment and build up your stats, but Dark Souls discourages grinding.
I want to like this game! I want to enjoy it! I have it but I keep dying and restarting from so far back that I usually end up leaving it for another day.
Well, I'm not looking for hand-holding or a cutscene driven experience. Just a good ol' fashioned quicksave so I don't have to repeat so damn much. The longevity of this game is derived from how many times I have to replay it just to get through 1 segment between checkpoints; at least that's how it's coming off to me right now.
. . .
That's what I was thinking. Thanks. And that is what I feared. No, thanks.I'm sure the game does have a fair length and a good amount of content, but if they say it's (on average) a 60-hour game I don't wanna spend 40 of those hours doing repeats. As it stands I have 3 hours logged into the game, all in the prologue. Replay value should be determined by different terms.
. . .
Basically it took me about half an hour to reach that point but I've spent nearly 2-3 hours replaying that same 10 minute segment. Get to the "boss," die, rinse and repeat. Roughly 1/3 of my game time is genuine and the rest is repeating due to inevitable failure. Of course the more frustrated I get the greater the chance of screwing up on the way. I don't get why the game doesn't autosave or at least give me a save right before the instant-death/high-threat situation. It's frustrating that I have to fiddle and fidget my way right up to the big scene and then die (repeatedly) just to replay all of that again. I suppose for some the threat of having to repeat so much gives a thrill but for me it's just tedious.
. . .
An announcement is coming......So "like" the page and I guess when enough people do it the announcement will be revealed. Will this be the fabled PC version? Some sort of DLC? Theres been rumor of them working on iOS as well...
We have something in-store for our DARK SOULS Fans ! Make sure to check out the following page (Link below), share, like and tell everyone.
https://www.facebook.com/darksouls/app_352678381442367
From the Dark Souls Facebook page: So "like" the page and I guess when enough people do it the announcement will be revealed. Will this be the fabled PC version? Some sort of DLC? Theres been rumor of them working on iOS as well...
I agree D. I'd rather play this on a system where the game doesn't drop to a slideshow.As long as they don't FUBAR the PC port...
On the PS3 it was just terrible at certain areas.So, why don't they try and fix the issue, if that's the case?
They've patched it, but you can't always just patch out framerate problems.Ah, so it's pushing the hell out of the PS3 hardware, then, I'd guess?
And D, don't get too excited. This game is much harder than other games I've seen you give up on for difficulty. Be forewarned.I am up for THIS challenge...
I would hope a PC version would fare better technically. It certainly should.
And hey, more power to you if you get it, I'm just saying this one might be pushing your limits just from stuff I've heard you say before. This is a tough game and you really have to want it if you're going to get through it. This is an RPG where your stats and your gear won't save you. Even at level 45 with powerful gear I can still get murdered by a cluster of weak enemies if I fuck up or get careless.
[21:25] <Que|dark> god damn it
[21:25] <Que|dark> I just killed myself trying to roll to a lower floor.
[21:25] <Que|dark> fuck me
[21:26] <Que|dark> I was like right around the corner from a bonfire and I PASSED IT THE FIRST TIME
[21:26] <Que|dark> ;okhawer;oiawe;lkjdg
[21:26] * Que|dark commits suicide.
[21:32] <Que|dark> wow, fucking hell
[21:32] <Que|dark> I got to the top of the fucking place, did all kinds of great shit, and I just died like 5 times just trying to get through the opening couple rooms
[21:39] <Que|dark> there we go, dead again
[21:39] <Que|dark> fuck me
[21:39] <Que|dark> on the swinging axe blades no less
[21:43] <Que|dark> hahaha... and this time I just ran, took every single chance I could take, jumped like a madman, didn't even look... all the way to the bonfire and 12 enemies killed themselves on traps trying to follow
[21:43] <Que|dark> I have 6000 souls
[21:44] <Que|dark> god this game is great. haha
[21:55] <Que|dark> aaand just got one-shotted by the boss from the top of the castle.
[21:59] <Que|dark> and there goes 10,000 souls from me falling from the top of the castle trying to get to the boss too hastily
Also X, I'm playing a New Game + now and was back in the asylum, and I guess you weren't reading the tutorial messages. The one in front of the first boss literally tells you how to do the plunging attack, and it's two feet before the spot where you're supposed to do it.Yeah, I was plodding through them after the first few that tell me what button does what. That last one I actually did read so I knew I had to drop attack him but like I said there was no time to do anything, I appear from the white light, and floor is gone almost instantly. After restarting the game from scratch, I spawn and the balcony is there for a solid 4-5 secs, plenty of time to gauge the environment and run off the edge.
According to a few details posted on NeoGAF (http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=469409) the game will be called 'Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition', will feature new bosses - with the rest of the content mirroring its console counterparts - and get released in August.
...
Rumours have also suggested From Software is currently working on Dark Souls DLC titled 'Forest of Darkness'.
NEW CONTENT(http://i.imgur.com/3YHmq.jpg)
Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition will include an untold chapter in the world of Lordran where the player must stop the spread of darkness at all costs by facing and defeating the Dark Knight Artorias.
New Bosses - Including Artorias of Abyss, Chimera of Tomb, and more
PVP Online Matchmaking System - Quick matching for co-op or PVP
New Areas – Including Oolacile Tomb, Old Ruins and more
New Enemies – Including Abyss Guard, Chained Prisoner and more
New NPCs – Including Hawkeye Gough and more
New Weapons and Armor – Equip some from the new bosses, enemies, and NPCs
Hell, Im practically thrilled its not Steamworks. I was totally prepared to be let down and not buy it because of that and just stick to the PS3. But now its pretty much guaranteed I'll get it on PC as well (unless the port is terrible or something).I'm glad it ain't Steamworks-required, either. Steam should always be an OPTION for the player [like how Impulse was], not a requirement.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (April 11, 2012) – Leading video game publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc., today announced that, by popular demand, Dark Souls™: Prepare to Die™ Edition will be releasing for the PC platform in North America on August 24th. This special, content-enhanced edition of the critically acclaimed Action-RPG developed by FromSoftware will be finely-tuned to cater to the PC gaming audience while retaining all of the deep challenge, rich atmosphere, and compelling gameplay that made the game a worldwide phenomenon. Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition on the PC platform will also include an enhanced PVP mode allowing players to more closely assemble battles against one another online in an all-out fight to the death that fans have demanded.I bolded the wrinkle. It only mentions digital download, and some people are thinking it means there will be no retail release...at least in the US. I would imagine Europe will see retail so maybe I can import a copy if that ends up being true.
In addition, the development team at FromSoftware has revealed an untold chapter in the world of Lordran created specifically to help further expand upon the lore of the game. ‘Artorias of the Abyss’ will include all-new areas to explore, enemies to encounter, and bosses to take down one by one as players are treated to an unseen side of Lordan where players must stop the spread of darkness at all costs by facing and defeating the Dark Knight Artorias.
“Our fans demanded to see this game brought to the PC, and the noise they have made was simply too loud and too passionate to ignore,” said Hidetaka Miyazaki, Creative Director for Dark Souls at FromSoftware, Inc., “This also allowed us to dive back into the world of Dark Souls, offering a special edition of the game that offers more ways to die over and over again than ever before. Adding a whole new chapter to tell the tale of the Dark Knight Artorias was an opportunity we’re also proud to have taken, as we’ve managed to expand the experience for our biggest fans without compromising the balance of the core game that we worked so hard to create. This edition of the game is our gift to the fans.”
Heralded by critics worldwide, IGN referred to the original Dark Souls™ release as, “One of the most thrilling, most fascinating and most completely absorbing experiences in gaming,” while GameSpot called it, “Extraordinary… an awesome and menacing world you may never forget.”
With tense dungeon crawling and fearsome enemy encounters, the seamlessly intertwined world of Dark Souls is full of extreme battles, rewarding challenges, nuanced weaponry and magic, and the flexibility to customize each character to suit any desired play style. The innovative online component allows gamers to draw from the collective experience of the Dark Souls community as they either help or sabotage each other on the journey through the world of Lordran to save the land from darkness. With a massive, seamless open world design, Dark Souls encourages deep exploration and an adaptable gameplay experience.
Dark Souls™: Prepare to Die™ Edition will be available for digital download on the PC platform in North America on Augist 24th. For more information on the game, please be sure to visit www.PrepareToDie.com and www.facebook.com/DarkSouls.
In a Q&A session at a press event last week, Dark Souls producer Hidetaka Miyazaki gracefully handled the growing internet rage. He let on that they were aware of the fan outcry against using GFWL for Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition, but then he dumped the burden of answering a line of questions on a Namco Bandai representative.
According to Namco Bandai's rep, who had had an easy day up until then as the person that played the game for these sessions, one of the reasons for the choice of Games for Windows Live connectivity is that they already have a running server up for the Xbox 360 version of Dark Souls. He said that this is "the main reason we've picked the Xbox Live server."
But, leaving an out, he added, "The partnership is still ongoing, so we might have another announcement regarding publishing."
Namco Bandai kind of left it open, saying that specs and distribution details have yet to be determined.
Well uh...thats not very encouraging. (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-06-07-from-software-having-a-tough-time-porting-dark-souls-to-pc-frame-rate-issues-remain)
i have spent over an hour playing the same tiny bit again and again.That's how I feel about it. It's tedious.
i don't think i like this game. i really want to give it a proper try, but i'm no longer having fun.
The game truly is not for everyone.
OS: Windows XP , Windows Vista, Windows 7, or newer
Processor: 2.6 GHz Dual-Core
Memory: 1 GB (XP), 2GB (Vista/7)
Hard Disk Space: 4 GB
Video Card: 512 MB RAM, ATI Radeon 4850 or higher, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or higher
DirectX®: 9.0c
Sound: Direct Sound Compatible
Additional: Multiplayer requires microphone headset support
To cut to the chase, the frame-rate on consoles has always been a major area of complaint among Dark Souls fans, and the notorious Blight Town or New Londo Ruins areas are usually singled out as the big offenders. The implication of a PC release is obviously that all these problems can be tackled by the brute force of a faster CPU, and though there are very light hitches here and there, it's a relief to say Blight Town now plays without all the constant chugging. The improvement is staggering to those that endured the treacle-like pace of the area on PS3 and 360, already making this version a winning proposition.
There is bad news which could hit PC gamers pretty hit hard, though. While the frame-rate's rough edges have been filed down, you're still going to be playing at 30FPS out of the box, as widely rumoured. A graphics menu has been added in, but there are no obvious ways to raise the bar to the preferable 60FPS mark. In fact, options are pretty meagre overall on this front; you have the standard resolution and refresh rate settings (it does nothing to solve this), and also check-boxes to remove anti aliasing or motion blur. Barebones and to the point.
There's also something curious about the resolution too in that there's no change in clarity when attempting to crank up the settings. On close inspection, it appears that Dark Souls PC uses the very same 1024x720 internal framebuffer as the console versions, regardless of which resolution has been set in the menus. The option provided is for output resolution only; a simple courtesy to allow the game to play on most monitors, but the image quality will always remain the same. In short, PC gamers will very much be getting the genuine console experience here, right down to the pixel.
Is this surprising? I mean this thing's been rooted in the very definition of console port. It's a bit of a shame, but not necessarily that big of a deal.Thats what I felt. Yeah, it would have been nice to crank the res and run it at 60+FPS but oh well, it doesn't. They might have some good reasons why they can't do these things without a major engine overhaul. I mean, the locked internal res makes sense on consoles because there is never any reason to change it and it might just be hard coded, and UI elements are all in a "squished" format that takes all that into account. So to change it the entire UI would need to be redone along with the renderer...and for this port there was no way they would bother.
So I guess no retail release is confirmed.
The description states: Available on August, 24th 2012 for digital download only.
And oh shit, at the end...is that a Steam logo? "Prepare to die" indeed.....
Is this surprising? I mean this thing's been rooted in the very definition of console port. It's a bit of a shame, but not necessarily that big of a deal.
GreenManGaming has DS:PTD PC (http://www.greenmangaming.com/s/us/en/pc/games/action/dark-souls-prepare-die-edition-na/) listed as requiring Steam DRM; and that Online Play requires G4WL.
Gamersgate has DS:PTD PC (http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-DSPDE/dark-souls-prepare-to-die-edition) as requiring Steamworks; and it has the G4WL on the picture of the gamebox.
I'm going to bet - this game REQUIRE both; just like Dawn of War 2 did.
WTH this game is using both services, I'll be damned if I know...
Seriously - if they are going to pick a service, they should PICK one service or the other to handle EVERYTHING.
[shrug]
There's little point in grabbing it on PC...unless you dont have a console to play it.Ooooh-ooh-ooh!
I dunno...such people might exist.
I was all set to buy. GFWL, internal res, 30FPS...all of it, its fine. Its certainly no worse than the console versions. But digital download only and requiring Steam. Line crossed.I wish Gogamer was still around, as well - hehe. ;)
Though maybe I should look. I guess Europe is getting a retail release and I see mention it will also be sold through the Microsoft Marketplace. Will those also require Steam? If not then I may import a UK copy (oh GoGamer, where are you?)
Stupid waste of time. If you can't deal with the game the way it's currently designed, you really just shouldn't play it. It may sound elitist to say so, but an easy mode violates the core principles the game is designed around and would hollow it in a way it doesn't deserve.
(http://images.wikia.com/tron/images/b/bc/Bitidle.png)
DSfix 1.0
Posted on 2012-09-07
This version fixes the following issues:
Crashing when alt-tabbing back into fullscreen mode
Correctly restore the render pipeline after the SMAA step (this may fix the sporadic issues with SMAA)
It introduces these features:
All the hotkeys are now configurable in DSfixKeys.ini
Integrated SSAO. Note that there are still some artifacts caused by the effect. The adventurous can enable the “reloadSSAOEffect” keybinding and try to tweak the VSSAO.fx effect file.
I’m not happy with the current state of the SSAO, but I wanted to get the release out because of the bugfixes and configurable keybindings that people asked for.
Wow, I wish we had this guy working on Ghost Recon Future Soldier!Given the disaster you said GR:FS PC is - yeah, that'd probably help, hehe!
DSfix 1.1
Posted on 2012-09-09
This is a rather big one.
Bugfixes:
SSAO depth buffer inaccuracy fixed. Removes line artifacts from SSAO.
Added further renderpipeline state restoration after SMAA and checks whether we are at the correct stage. May (again) fix the SMAA issues some people are having.
Fixed windows scaling issue when toggling between borderless windowed fullscreen and windowed mode.
New features:
SSAO is now configurable in the .ini, with 3 strength presets (low, medium and high).
Optional high-quality DoF blur. This allows you to set the sharpness as intended while still maintaining very high DoF image quality.
And maybe the most requested one: HUD on/off toggle as bindable key action. Default is the right Ctrl key.
I’m a bit burnt out now after basically spending ~90% of my free time on this for almost 3 weeks.
I’ll probably start getting the fix cleaned up for an open source release so that others can pick up the torch.
Will you release the source code?
Yes, as soon as it is at least remotely presentable and I no longer make large changes daily. I hope it will help people attempt similar things for other games and/or implement the 100s of features people are asking for in Dark Souls that I will never get to. I guess it should be ready some time next weekend.
The new and additional Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss content will be released on Xbox Live and PSN on 24th October, Namco Bananas has said.:D
Console DLC coming Oct 24th (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-09-19-console-dark-souls-artorias-of-the-abyss-dlc-out-on-24th-october)
:D
I bought this on a whim a few weeks ago. I remembered reading the Demons Souls thread here long ago and enjoying it despite knowing nothing about what I was reading. I've been using a 360 controller, I didn't even bother with the keyboard as I assumed that I would be as frustrated as Nickclone - the devs basically said if it was going to PC it was going to be a direct port and don't bother expecting anything else. And, as a result, you pretty much have to download the latest DXFix that MysterD posted, since the game defaults to 1024x768 without it.
I'm not sure what the easy mode is, I saw something about it after I bought it but I haven't looked for the option so I don't know if it's there. The game is pretty challenging but is tons of fun. Running through an area for the first time and figuring out how to tackle it (or just to let it be for now) is lots of fun. It's not a game that I play much, but once a week or so I load it up and knock out a section that I've been on for a minute. Getting to the next bonfire or beating the boss that has been kicking your ass is pretty rewarding.
It’s been a while, but I just released a new version of DSfix!
Bugfixes:
Fixed an issue with SSAO being rendered on top of particle effects/fog/water, instead of below them.
Improved the method used to determine when in the render pipeline to apply SMAA/SSAO, and also included more robust renderstate management. (This may fix the random display corruption issue people have been sporadically reporting ever since SMAA was included)
Tweaked the SSAO parameters a bit
New features:
As many modders requested, you can now load .dds texture overrides in addition to .png
It is now possible to set the desired target FPS of the game in the .ini, thanks to Nwks (Clément Barnier)! (This is fully integrated and also works correctly together with the intro skip feature)
Regarding the FPS override feature, please carefully read the notes in the .ini
This is the most invasive feature of DSfix, and thus carries the highest risk.
I am well aware that there are still many issues remaining with the minimal HuD, and since it seems like no one is fixing them I will get back to it at some point.
As for the performance requirements of 60 FPS, personally (after disabling all power management options for my GPU and CPU) I can mostly maintain 60 FPS at 1080p, 810 DoF with DoF blur 1, SMAA 4 and SSAO 2. This is on an i7 920 at 3.6 GHz and a 660ti.
DSfix 1.6.1
Posted on 2012-09-29
Sorry about the bug in 1.6, it *should* be fixed now.
Changelog:
Fixed sporadic graphics issues introduced in 1.6
Fixed modified HUD issues with very long spell names
Fixed modified HUD issues with “POISONED”/”BLOOD LOSS” text
DSfix 1.7
Posted on 2012-09-29
And one more for the road.
Changes:
Re-implemented the FPS limiter. It’s quite exact now and also performed at a better point in time (before presenting the frame)
Made frame period calculation (for animation) slightly more exact
Added FPS thresholding for SMAA. What this means is that you can supply a value – say 45 FPS – and if the game is in danger of dropping below that, SMAA will be disabled. It will be re-enabled once the framerate is safely above the threshold again.
I grabbed it on the sale price. Bit wasteful of me, but I can't help it. This is one of the best games I've ever played, I wanted to try it on the PC, and wouldn't mind going through again at some point, especially now that I know the ropes.
D:(click to show/hide)
Yep. That about sums it up. But it just gets better and deeper and richer as it goes and you dig into the world. Also harder. Way way harder.
(click to show/hide)
I still think this is probably the best game of its kind ever made. Hardly masochistic to enjoy oneself so much.Haha it's masochistic to enjoy so much torture!
You just need to be more patient with the game, put your pride aside, and pick your battles. Honestly, I didn't die nearly so much.I don't know man.. I can't go ninja, causin' all kinds of ninjuries to my unwary foes! It's no fun!
Dark Souls was notoriously one of the most challenging games of 2011. It killed players over and over, sometimes rewarding patience and determination in the face of death and failure with yet more death and failure.(click to show/hide)
I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW TO PLAY THIS?!Yeah.. I know how you feel.
I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW TO PLAY THIS?!