From Software Elden Ring - From Software's new game with writing by GRRM

[Matador]

Never understood the appeal of DS1's interlinked levels, I mean the world isn't coherent anyway and you get fast travel later on (Which makes the first part of the game even more confusing because you just have more tedious travel to go through.). Interconnected design I guess can be explored in later playthroughs for just screwing around.

That's because you're you, smaug. It's okay. You'll grow older. And I was going to say wiser, but... probably not. In any case, at some point you'll get it. Somehow.

Or he probably cares more about gameplay than lore and immersion.

My man, if you don't think taking a random elevator in Undead Parish and ending up in Firelink Shrine is the tightest shit then get out of my face

No, it's just an elevator. DeS had a great hub system, why replace that with something worse?

It's great world design. You don't only have to make the individual levels good, you have to integrate them coherently in the world, even at geometrical level. It's much harder than having separate levels. Not only they achieved that it in DS1, they even manage to mix it with good pace in the exploration feeling and gameplay risk/reward. It's impressive and memorable.

I won't never forget when I had come up a long way the undead Burg and Parish, knowing was very far from the initial Hub to unexplored dangerous areas like the NOPE ghosts I ran like a bitch in the beginning, or the nasty Skeletons on the Cemetery; I dreaded having to come back that path. Suddenly I get on a room, I get down with the elevator and I'm back to the starter area, unlocking a rewarding and deserved shortcut after a long and dangerous trip. And that's only the beginning.

It's timeless gaming. And it shows the thought, talent and passion they put on DS1. Maybe it seems easy for you now that you have experienced it some times, and in other games. But it's not easy to execute well, and we have to value it, like is deserved.

Played recently Ninja Gaiden Black on master ninja, and it has the same approach, and it's great. But it's not as well integrated on the gameplay loop. Because the game is structured in missions, and the unlocking of areas is linear because of it, so it's not so rewarding as a single, non linear, long and arduous quest.

 

[Perkel]

Or that time when you went to Deeps then Blightown no shortcut anywhere, toxic, poison 5 estus flasks only. Then you kill Queelag and the realize that there is still road down and you are far far far far far far away from Firelink and road doesn't end anywhere. No way to upgrade, restock, no full estus.

Then find shortcut from Blightown to firelink and you get



Blightown on PS3 sucked major ass due to 12fps framerate. But it was my favorite place on PC precisely due to above. Especially once you realize there is completely separate hidden route in tree.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

Then find shortcut from Blightown to firelink and you get

yeeeeeah. Blightown is a peak Souls.

 

[Caim]

Gotta have that ring-shaped level design. Go up from Firelink to Undead Burg, find that little side path behind the barrels, fight through and get back on track at the top of the staircase? Ring. Go down the stairs and past the merchant, run a gauntlet and climb up to a jump with stuff to find? Ring. Go up to the Taurus Demon, beat it, go past the bridge, down a flight of stairs and down a ladder to the bonfire in the area? Ring. Fight past the rats, the arrmored boar, all those Hollows and the first few Balder Knights, then open the grate back to where the bull is? Motherfucking ring.

It's rings all the way down.

 

[The_Mask]

It's rings all the way down.

It's almost like it's a theme... or something...

 

[Ivan]

that first time you enter Blighttown and go use the bathroom, not realizing that you take gradual damage

 

[Jenkem]

 

[Lyric Suite]

The poor boomer doesn't even know what the hell this game is, or video games in general probably.

 

[Shrimp]

Even GRRM just calls it a sequel to Dark Souls. He also says that his work with it was done "years ago" and that his job more or less just was to create a setting for them to place the game in.
That's probably the final nail in the coffin for the people who genuinely believed it'd have some deep and engaging (lol) story.

 

[Verylittlefishes]

The poor boomer doesn't even know what the hell this game is, or video games in general probably.

he knows what vidya are, he just openly despises it

 

[hackncrazy]

Even GRRM just calls it a sequel to Dark Souls. He also says that his work with it was done "years ago" and that his job more or less just was to create a setting for them to place the game in.
That's probably the final nail in the coffin for the people who genuinely believed it'd have some deep and engaging (lol) story.

Who the hell is more than 11 years old and cares about story on the medium that is by far the WORST for telling stories?

I mean, in 40+ years of videogame history, how many great stories do we have? 2 or 3?

 

[Verylittlefishes]

I mean, in 40+ years of videogame history, how many great stories do we have? 2 or 3?

I updated my journal, lemme check it.

 

[Cugel]

Even GRRM just calls it a sequel to Dark Souls. He also says that his work with it was done "years ago" and that his job more or less just was to create a setting for them to place the game in.
That's probably the final nail in the coffin for the people who genuinely believed it'd have some deep and engaging (lol) story.

I think the vast majority of people just expect Dark Souls but open world and with some neat worldbuilding.

 

[Great Deceiver]

I find it hilarious that people actually believe GRRM did any sort of work on this, rather than just cashing in a check 5 years ago and writing a single-page general outline (if that).

 

[Caim]

Even GRRM just calls it a sequel to Dark Souls. He also says that his work with it was done "years ago" and that his job more or less just was to create a setting for them to place the game in.
That's probably the final nail in the coffin for the people who genuinely believed it'd have some deep and engaging (lol) story.

I think the vast majority of people just expect Dark Souls but open world and with some neat worldbuilding.

People could've gotten Dark Souls 4: Breath of the Wild and they would be 100% content, even if we knew just about nothing about the game before this month's trailer.

I find it hilarious that people actually believe GRRM did any sort of work on this, rather than just cashing in a check 5 years ago and writing a single-page general outline (if that).

Knowing Dark Souls lore I wouldn't be surprised if that was the exact thing he was asked to do, with every few words being chopped off and put in a different description of an item that is so-so at best hidden somewhere in the game.

 

[Child of Malkav]

Myiazaki said in one of the DkS3 interviews (can still be found) that he knows the story of these games but he won't reveal it. What do you think? Bullshit? Yes or no.

 

[Multidirectional]

I find it hilarious that people actually believe GRRM did any sort of work on this, rather than just cashing in a check 5 years ago and writing a single-page general outline (if that).

It's kind of how they invite some known director to direct a pilot when making a new show. HBO did this for couple shows with Scorsese, for example. After that those shows are "made by Scorsese" as far as normies are concerned.

 

[Shrimp]

Myiazaki said in one of the DkS3 interviews (can still be found) that he knows the story of these games but he won't reveal it. What do you think? Bullshit? Yes or no.

"The story" is just a loose series of events from before the game takes place. These events are intentionally left vague so you can choose to interpret them as whatever the fuck you want. It's not the main focus of these games by any means and as long as there is no official releases or confirmations from official sources then as far as I am concerned the game has no canon story.

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

I find it hilarious that people actually believe GRRM did any sort of work on this, rather than just cashing in a check 5 years ago and writing a single-page general outline (if that).

It's kind of how they invite some known director to direct a pilot when making a new show. HBO did this for couple shows with Scorsese, for example. After that those shows are "made by Scorsese" as far as normies are concerned.

Scorsese was a producer and key creative on those two HBO shows, it's why he directed them. It's like Sam Raimi directing the first episodes of shows he's the producer on since that Rake remake.

 

[Child of Malkav]

Myiazaki said in one of the DkS3 interviews (can still be found) that he knows the story of these games but he won't reveal it. What do you think? Bullshit? Yes or no.

"The story" is just a loose series of events from before the game takes place. These events are intentionally left vague so you can choose to interpret them as whatever the fuck you want. It's not the main focus of these games by any means and as long as there is no official releases or confirmations from official sources then as far as I am concerned the game has no canon story.

The current events are not clear either not just the ones before. And I agree about the information from official sources and everything. Might just be that they're literally throwing stuff at the wall and let the players create connections where they don't exist.

 

[Multidirectional]

Scorsese was a producer and key creative on those two HBO shows, it's why he directed them.

Bullshit, he directed the pilot and then fucked off, letting them slap his name on them. If he was actually involved those shows would've been at least slightly better than they ended up being. It was just a marketing trick, they paid him for the name.

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

Scorsese was a producer and key creative on those two HBO shows, it's why he directed them.

Bullshit, he directed the pilot and then fucked off, letting them slap his name on them. If he was actually involved those shows would've been at least slightly better than they ended up being. It was just a marketing trick.

Nope, he was involved with them beyond just directing a episode of the show. You can believe he wasn't because you don't like the shows or whatever bullshit, but it doesn't change things.

 

[fork]

Even GRRM just calls it a sequel to Dark Souls. He also says that his work with it was done "years ago" and that his job more or less just was to create a setting for them to place the game in.
That's probably the final nail in the coffin for the people who genuinely believed it'd have some deep and engaging (lol) story.

I think the vast majority of people just expect Dark Souls but open world and with some neat worldbuilding.

I feel like I must point out again how retarded "Dark Souls but open world" sounds.

The best thing about Dark Souls is that it is not open world. Exploration like in Dark Souls is not possible in a true open world. There may be some hope left that the dungeons might resemble Dark Souls' interconnected level design somewhat, but I seriously doubt it. Like, even Sekiro, which was _not_ open world, while still having good level design, had nowhere near as many *woah* moments as Dark Souls, and neither had Bloodborne. Level design-wise, From have been on a decline ever since Dark Souls, and I doubt they'll turn that around with Elden Ring.

So in my view, there's no reason to be excited, because there are enough mediocre open world games (which all are not worth playing) already.

 

[Shrimp]

Even GRRM just calls it a sequel to Dark Souls. He also says that his work with it was done "years ago" and that his job more or less just was to create a setting for them to place the game in.
That's probably the final nail in the coffin for the people who genuinely believed it'd have some deep and engaging (lol) story.

I think the vast majority of people just expect Dark Souls but open world and with some neat worldbuilding.

I feel like I must point out again how retarded "Dark Souls but open world" sounds.

The best thing about Dark Souls is that it is not open world. Exploration like in Dark Souls is not possible in a true open world. There may be some hope left that the dungeons might resemble Dark Souls' interconnected level design somewhat, but I seriously doubt it.

I have a feeling that it won't be open world in the sense of a flat grass field on a rectangular map. I wouldn't be surprised if it's just a bunch of different large open areas like Darkroot Garden in DS1 or the poison swamp in DS3, except these areas will be connected to a number of other similar areas.

 

[Child of Malkav]

The castles or dungeons are going to be Soulsborne styled in size and interconnectivity. It's just that in order to travel from castle to castle you have to go through an open map with its own design, dangers, multiple approaches, random encounters (???), villages or ruins, bosses and stuff.
In DkS and BBB we explore isolated, well crafted towns, cities etc. I assume that the castles or dungeons in ER are also going to maintain the same consistency.