DARK SOULS: if you need me i'll be in an induced coma so mvrch comes tomorrow

i've played a bit of the revised ds2 and the new enemy placements veered towards unfairly tough in the few areas i visited - those elephant monsters showed up really early iirc and there were big annoying mobs in a few areas. maybe i was just too used to the original placements, i dunno, but it seemed more difficult to me and i gave up pretty quick. i should go back to it at some point and go through the dlc areas.

i went to back to ds2 the other day and found that low-level griefing a la ds1 is now a thing thx to agape ring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m2a2dLdZ0M

he actually cries at the end

i find these compellingly watchable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XPAdlkQYYA

http://i.imgur.com/hTVBHcx.gif

amazing that dark souls can keep bringing the lulz four years after its release

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IG9afBRnzo

Something has happened to my Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition. I think there was a recent Steamworks update and maybe that is the cause? The controls are messed up. R Analog stick is 90 degrees off and the buttons are all switched.

My controller mapper x360ce fails to do anything to improve the situation. x360ce still works fine on Dark Souls II however so I don't think it's that.

On top of that I tried running the game right from the DARKSOULS.EXE and it won't run. I have to run it through Steam, either as a proxy shortcut, or through Steam itself. I almost think these two are related, as I can run DARKSOULS2.EXE just fine from explorer.

Oh yeah all this is happening in wonderful Windows 7 64-bit running DSFIX 2.4 and 32-bit Steam Dark Souls. My main rig is a PS2 controller through a blue HDE USB adapter using x360ce. Using this I can play Rocket League, Dark Souls 2, Metal Gear Solid V, Witcher 3, all without issue.

^thanks for reminding me why I don't play games on PC

i use a ps4 controller and ds4windows w/ no problem. you could try this:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=2037-QEUH-3335

welp, i ended up torrenting the old version of the game and installing that to a separate folder. what the hell do you know, it works again!

tried copying all the files over my Steam files, game loads, but no controller. like AT ALL. which is admittedly an improvement from where i was but still...

how ironic that if i had just not bought the game from Steam at all and stuck w the pirated version i wouldn't have this issue at all

it also looks like the DS Forums are gone now (???) maybe this is just a temp maintenance thing i dunno...

http://steamcommunity.com/app/211420/discussions/

Jordan is so otm lol

an update just in case this helps anyone else: i was successful at getting it to run using the "blocker" version of the dinput8.dll (at the link below) but only on the old version would it make the controller work, in the new Steam Beta it simply disabled the controller completely. which is good! that means i can use JoytoKey (which the game just always ignored previously), map everything to the keys on the keyboard, and i'm playing Dark Souls again, just w a janky camera stick.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4lfqq0DpUo-NDVjM2o2aTRYZDQ/edit?pli=1

yeah this is still my favorite of the series (haven't played Demon's yet).

i just started my first replay in a long time. i just killed the Moonlight Butterfly in my favorite area w the thickest sickest atmosphere, Darkroot Garden. of course as soon as i got to the top of the tower and collected a Divine Ember i accidentally fall off instead of taking the stairs. lol YOU DIED. ffs, how many times have i played through this game and done this every single time? and what do you know, on the way to collect my 14k of souls a tree guy pops out and eats me in dead in a single attack so i lose all my hard won blood echos. fuck.

i am glad i went back to the Undead Asylum before fighting him, as I found the Crest Shield there, which has incredible magic defense this early in the game.

after spending so much time in Dark Souls 2 it is good to be back in Lordran. the level design of this game truly is all-time amazing. just the design of a single hallway in the tutorial introduction area is incredible. when i finally got to The Depths on this playthrough, that first basement area before the sewers looked unnecessarily impressive. Dark Souls 2 had too many areas, so they were able to spend less time on each area itself. so there is a lot of stuff that are single hallways but they are closer to empty boxes. the original Dark Souls is much more about the micro architecture of these places.

in many places Dark Souls 1 actually looks better than Dark Souls 2, even the new HD version, just because of this tighter attention to detail and art design. also the character looks really good with the small circle of light glowing around them. this is something they took out of 2 and i think it makes me game seem muddier. it looks really nice and dramatic, especially up-close. i also favor the animations in Dark Souls 1.

Dark Souls 2 is still a great game and especially the latest version with all the DLC it is a beast of a game, but this first game really was something special.

I fired it for a little while up the other day just to get the feel back. Finally beat Gwyndolin (the only DS1 boss I never got around to beating), then Gwyn, then starting messing around in NG+3. The ramp up in difficulty is pretty great, like I was rushing through and actually had difficulty getting to the gargoyles, because even a random hollow can take half your life bar in a couple hits.

this is fun & educational btw: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLToji_CQFzSTFPr3foUQaBKKWDXQ9qtFD

yeah im almost done taking out all the essential bosses, only have Gravelord Nito ahead of me. then i will go exploring and find the super hard DLC bosses and level up all my weapons so i can do the Achievements lol. eventually i want to see NG+ but also want to do a sorcerer build next, i have never tried the miracles/faith/int path and it looks interesting.

this has been the easiest playthrough yet and i wonder if i am just getting better or if i over-leveled my weapon. i have a Battle Axe+15 and am at SL 69 with no attributes over 30. oh yeah i am also using Ascended Pyromancy Flame+5 so that has been a HUGE help.

S&O gave me trouble but everyone else has fallen fast. Artorias went down in 2 battles. still maybe my favorite boss in the game. Bed Of Chaos mercyfully went down in two single fights. along the way i got lost in a part of Lost Izalith i had never seen before. cool! some weird lovecraftian squid demons to fight later when i want to explore!

i'll probably be playing this right up until Dark Souls 3.

oh, you mean that part where the floor falls from under your feet?

that's the one

I've been playing DS1 for about a week and I'm still in Undead Burg and I suck so bad

where are you stuck, exactly?

I'm not really stuck. I'm just still figuring out all the controls and tricks and parrying so I can get up to the next boss without dying. I'm getting better but then I looked at some tips online and it made me feel like I was missing a ton of stuff (eg humanity, kindling, summoning) so I've mostly been hanging around the bonfire and building up skills and trying out moves before I even attempt the next boss again.

let me know if you want some help w bosses. i can do co-op if you are on Steam.

I've been playing DS1 for about a week and I'm still in Undead Burg and I suck so bad

I still can't beat the first boss. :(

I'm at the Taurus Demon and I know how to beat him but haven't managed to do it yet. And then this morning, just thinking about it, I think I had an epiphany about a shortcut that, if it works, will make beating it much easier.

The game confronts you with the first boss before you're really ready for it. There's a way to get around it that seems like it should be obvious but it took me a while to find it. Apologies if you've already dealt with this and are still having trouble.

you kind of use the same technique in the first two bosses. trick in the Taurus Demon battle is to bait his attack so that he swings and misses while you are already running for the ladder. cos just running for it, he will catch up and smash you against the side of that tower.

Oh that ladder... ~memories~

the first time i fought the taurus demon he somehow fell off the side of the castle to his death and i was totally nonplussed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGbE0L2zWbc

i often have a five stage plan to take them out

Gone back to Dark Souls as all the DS3 reviews have got me hyped and it seems like even with 3 sopls titles and Bloodborne, DS1 is the one to put the time into.

So its good to see this thread revived.

almost made it through to the boss of blighttown, just a bit bored with the options for my cleric build, all the possible miracles/hammer class weapons/armour options seem a bit meh.

also dreading the spider boss of blighttown due to some PTSD caused by the Demon's Souls spider boss.

she's actually not that difficult once you figure out her two main attacks. to the point where you can skip other "earlier" bosses and take her out without too much of a problem. just stand in front of her, bait her spewing-lava-on-floor attack, then roll to the left or right side where you can start attacking. make sure to watch out for the explosion/force attack, in that event you will want to get your shield up or back away far enough so it doesn't get you.

of course getting into Blighttown without dying on the other hand...

REMASTERED https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch/Dark-Souls-Remastered-1325790.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=DarkSoulsRemastered%7CNintendoDirect%7Cw2

FUUUUUUUCK YESSSSSSSSSS

PS4 too https://blog.us.playstation.com/2018/01/11/dark-souls-remastered-comes-to-ps4-may-25/

Yessss.

Very curious if they'll make any changes to multiplayer besides upping the number of players. DS1 is still my favorite in single-player mode by far, but it's going to be tough going from DS3 back to the original pvp mechanics.

https://i.imgur.com/pTyZ4Ax.gif

baller as fuck

i don't understand what is happening

parry > quickly swap all gear into giant dad meme build > riposte, win game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjQxNf5uTSE

that is nice. one-shotting the boss seems like the more impressive part tho.

I've been watching a few playthroughs, or at least looking into the game a bit more (since its mechanics/instructions/goal were totally mysterious to me), and I'm unclear about something. Well, several things. If you make it to a future stage of the game and it turns out you don't have the Ring of Constipation or Sword Lube or whatever, can you go back to an earlier level and get it, or are you hosed? That is, are there decisions or mistakes you can make early on, or things you missed or forgot, that screw you over, and is that just then how it's going to be, until you start over at the beginning and try again?

Also - and I know this is part of the mechanic - there seems to be several different ways to kill many (all?) enemies, some really easy, most really hard. Like, one guy I saw made sure to gift himself the fire bombs right off the bat, knowing it would be key to easily defeating the first boss. How did he know that? Others said don't get the firebombs (or a few other things) because they're easy to get or find later. How did they know that? And even knowing that, is it better to get your ass kicked repeatedly by the first boss (as practice?) than to defeat it easily and move on? Likewise, I saw another clip that struggled with the second boss, on the bridge. Person died over and over again. But the other one I watched, the dude is all "you just need to apply this resin to your sword and it's as simple as that" and he kicked the boss's butt. How did he know that?

Couple of more questions. I see people reading notes/hints left for them. When I get the game for Switch in a few months, will those messages not be there when I start a fresh game locally? Or do they only show up if you're playing connected to the internet at large?

And then a last question. Some of the clips concede they've been doing some mining/grinding off-camera. Is this a part of the game, or is it just a cheaty shortcut to getting more powerful that some people take?

I can only speak to one point based on my limited experience with Demon's Souls, which is yes, the messages are online only (which I learned because the soon-to-be-expired Demon's Souls server was glitching like a motherfucker and I had to start playing offline to preserve my sanity).

I mean, I assume that this also holds true for Dark Souls.

f you make it to a future stage of the game and it turns out you don't have the Ring of Constipation or Sword Lube or whatever, can you go back to an earlier level and get it, or are you hosed?

you can always go back. there are very few items you absolutely have to get, and the ones there are you can't really miss. but there are items which will make your life easier in way way or another

How did he know that?

these are kind of 'how long is a piece of string' questions tbh - maybe they've played it before or read a guide or got lucky or any number of things. some players will find some enemies super-easy, others will struggle - it's kind of the nature of gaming that skill levels will vary

I see people reading notes/hints left for them.

you've gotta be online for these to show up

Is this a part of the game, or is it just a cheaty shortcut to getting more powerful that some people take?

both - i find it can be helpful to do a bit of grinding for practice with enemies i find challenging and level up a skill or two before i move on. on the other hand, some people can finish the game totally naked without ever levelling up or healing. it's enough of a game of skill that playing it like a total madman, iron man challenge-style, is an option, but most players will find their own level

honestly, just play it for yourself! part of the joy of it is finding what works for you. like, i've used magic approximately twice across all three dark souls games cuz melee-only builds are totally viable ways to play

and i'm too dumb to understand how magic works

Ok so:

That is, are there decisions or mistakes you can make early on, or things you missed or forgot, that screw you over, and is that just then how it's going to be, until you start over at the beginning and try again?

No, you can always go back. However, for much of the game, you can't go across the world instantly, so you might have to walk/fight your way there. That said, I can't think of anything so essential that it would block your progress if you didn't have it.

xp

Also - and I know this is part of the mechanic - there seems to be several different ways to kill many (all?) enemies, some really easy, most really hard. Like, one guy I saw made sure to gift himself the fire bombs right off the bat, knowing it would be key to easily defeating the first boss. How did he know that? Others said don't get the firebombs (or a few other things) because they're easy to get or find later. How did they know that? And even knowing that, is it better to get your ass kicked repeatedly by the first boss (as practice?) than to defeat it easily and move on? Likewise, I saw another clip that struggled with the second boss, on the bridge. Person died over and over again. But the other one I watched, the dude is all "you just need to apply this resin to your sword and it's as simple as that" and he kicked the boss's butt. How did he know that?

One of the great parts of the game is that there are so many different approaches. People using the bombs or resins early on probably played the game before, or watched a video of someone doing a speedrun. All valid approaches, but yeah, it's better to first learn to do it the old-fashioned way (learning a boss's moves so you can dodge or block them, then counterattack when it's safe). Unless you're not having fun, then do whatever.

Couple of more questions. I see people reading notes/hints left for them. When I get the game for Switch in a few months, will those messages not be there when I start a fresh game locally? Or do they only show up if you're playing connected to the internet at large?

Not those notes, but I'm sure players will start leaving notes for each other as soon as the game comes out. There are a couple notes in the game left by the developers that are there even offline though.

And then a last question. Some of the clips concede they've been doing some mining/grinding off-camera. Is this a part of the game, or is it just a cheaty shortcut to getting more powerful that some people take?

Mmmm, it's only a part of the game if you want it to be. If you're having trouble with a boss, grinding is not usually the answer, but it can help. Basically improving your stats & weapons just gives you more room to make mistakes. But people (who have played the game before, a lot) complete the game without ever levelling up.

When I first played DS I looked at this site a lot: http://darksouls.wikidot.com/

I tried not to read ahead, and mostly use it as a resource about the mechanics etc, but I think part of the fun of Dark Souls is the player-base as a whole figuring out this big puzzle that doesn't explain how it works. So I'd be at the gym seeing what I'd missed and thinking about my build etc.