the game starts to feel quite a bit easier IMO. Though I did kill that boss quickly today too, even though that's where I was stuck and called it for the night yesterday... maybe I was just getting tired last night or maybe I'm in a better headspace today. However, the easiness is somewhat welcome since I like seeing and exploring the new areas. Progression equally as fun as that feeling you get after dying for hours on one boss.
But, along the lines of exploration, I also hit a point where the game starts to look really cheap? Like, that comparison video posted earlier is just a taste really... It started to look even worse. Really noticed it in the + Show Spoiler +
Scorpioness
fight, both boss and arena, and the zone shortly thereafter that has a large gorge and a Demon Ruins feel to it (spacious). Holy shit it looked bad. No LOD / "out-of-focus" backgrounds or anything that made DkS so cleverly beautiful at times it might not have been otherwise. The graphics and lighting feel like stock Oblivion or something along those lines. Game's still really good, I'm actually enjoying it more by the minute. But the graphic engine issue is starting to bother me more and more, on top of already being something I disliked right off the bat.
Starting to build a lot of (false) hopes that the PC version is what they showed at E3 hehe....
On March 13 2014 13:36 RagequitBM wrote: Oh, I hope that's not the only way. It does reset the cooldown according to the dark souls wiki. http://darksouls.wikia.com/wiki/Bonfire_Ascetic But it seems like a rare item.
Also, I can't figure out how to beat the Greatsword knights in the tower. I've been getting spanked by them constantly for the passed 2 hours. I just can't figure out a way to get damage in without getting smashed for half my health everytime.
I found a fire sword that owned those guys really good.
Don't click this if you don't want to know where I found it. + Show Spoiler +
its down where you jump on the scaffolding then go into the tunnel where that snake spits fire near the midget statues.
On March 13 2014 01:51 Pwere wrote: They implement a measure to reduce farming, and this is a bad thing somehow?
It could be, when the bosses are killing you in only a couple hits and you want to level up a bit to help. Also the curse mechanic means you to need to use effigy every handful of deaths, and a lack of enemies to kill means harder to find effigy and no souls to buy it with.
A lot of the new game mechanics seem to interfere destructively, even though individually that probably wasn't the intention. The despawning enemies means over time, if you're stuck, you have less souls to upgrade/level up with. You also have less souls/enemies with which to obtain effigy, which you'll need as you keep dying to the boss. Also, it seems they want us to use lifegems now and then since they give you much less Estus, but lifegems are a non-renewable healing item, so eventually you'll eat through those as you're stuck too. In a way, all these combine to, on paper (I haven't had despawns yet so I can't see from experience), make each attempt at a boss slightly more and more difficult than the last.
It just seems strange from a design perspective. Will have to see more info on how they work as people unlock the secrets.
I think they did this to encourage joining other peoples games. This does 3 things at once
1. It lets you farm for more souls with little risk. 2. It lets you regain your health without using effigy if you are successful 3. It encourages you to be a larger part of the game world.
On March 13 2014 01:51 Pwere wrote: They implement a measure to reduce farming, and this is a bad thing somehow?
It could be, when the bosses are killing you in only a couple hits and you want to level up a bit to help. Also the curse mechanic means you to need to use effigy every handful of deaths, and a lack of enemies to kill means harder to find effigy and no souls to buy it with.
A lot of the new game mechanics seem to interfere destructively, even though individually that probably wasn't the intention. The despawning enemies means over time, if you're stuck, you have less souls to upgrade/level up with. You also have less souls/enemies with which to obtain effigy, which you'll need as you keep dying to the boss. Also, it seems they want us to use lifegems now and then since they give you much less Estus, but lifegems are a non-renewable healing item, so eventually you'll eat through those as you're stuck too. In a way, all these combine to, on paper (I haven't had despawns yet so I can't see from experience), make each attempt at a boss slightly more and more difficult than the last.
It just seems strange from a design perspective. Will have to see more info on how they work as people unlock the secrets.
I think they did this to encourage joining other peoples games. This does 3 things at once
1. It lets you farm for more souls with little risk. 2. It lets you regain your health without using effigy if you are successful 3. It encourages you to be a larger part of the game world.
I think is a pretty brilliant mechanic imo.
If this is the case (I didn't actually learn that white phantoming reduced curse until this morning) then it actually makes sense, and I'm also going to try it quite a bit later. Was avoiding getting or giving help until after I beat it once, but it does seem sensible actually.
The bell keeper cov invades ANYONE who enters the bell tower, so even if you are a part of the covenant it will spawn grey phantoms if you try to actually climb the tower. Like the forest keepers from the last game you don't need to be actually in the tower to be summoned, just have the ring on (unlike the ratbros).
On March 13 2014 01:51 Pwere wrote: They implement a measure to reduce farming, and this is a bad thing somehow?
It could be, when the bosses are killing you in only a couple hits and you want to level up a bit to help. Also the curse mechanic means you to need to use effigy every handful of deaths, and a lack of enemies to kill means harder to find effigy and no souls to buy it with.
A lot of the new game mechanics seem to interfere destructively, even though individually that probably wasn't the intention. The despawning enemies means over time, if you're stuck, you have less souls to upgrade/level up with. You also have less souls/enemies with which to obtain effigy, which you'll need as you keep dying to the boss. Also, it seems they want us to use lifegems now and then since they give you much less Estus, but lifegems are a non-renewable healing item, so eventually you'll eat through those as you're stuck too. In a way, all these combine to, on paper (I haven't had despawns yet so I can't see from experience), make each attempt at a boss slightly more and more difficult than the last.
It just seems strange from a design perspective. Will have to see more info on how they work as people unlock the secrets.
I think they did this to encourage joining other peoples games. This does 3 things at once
1. It lets you farm for more souls with little risk. 2. It lets you regain your health without using effigy if you are successful 3. It encourages you to be a larger part of the game world.
I think is a pretty brilliant mechanic imo.
Considering the fact that not everybody plays online, your answer is still the best I'v read on the internet. I will play some online and figure out if it works.
Makes you wonder: either the footage was from PC version all along and PC will have the graphics that were intended for the game or they "buffed" it artificially. Anyway, 25th of april can't come soon enough
On March 15 2014 12:33 BLinD-RawR wrote: old dragonslayer man....that was a sad boss fight for me.
Yeah, the feels from me as well. He doesn't have that amazing golden shimmer, and it just doesn't feel the same when he doesn't have his big loveable side kick with him.