The problem with abandoning the core action gaming mechanics that support a dodge-centric playthrough is that the Souls games don't have much else to offer in terms of interesting gameplay. Most of the game is centered on timing and spacing; two things that dodging interacts with better than any other playstyles.
Again, there isn't just one way of playing dark souls, which the devs fully intended all the way. They aren't taking the dodge centric playstyle away, they are simply making it less good, and making it have more sense. Like for example, you aren't going to dodge a horizontal swing with a sideway roll anymore, which makes perfect sense.
Both Poise-tanking and hitstun-mongering don't really offer much in the way of meaningful gameworld interaction. Either your numbers are high enough to permit the player to ignore the enemy abilities wholesale, or they aren't. Decidedly uninteresting gameplay.
At its essence, all rpgs are about getting your numbers high enough. I personally have neither done poise tanking nor hitstun mongering though.
Command of resources isn't a very interesting angle either. Ammunition can be purchased in unlimited quantities, and the pseudo-Vancian casting rewards metagame knowledge more than actual skill application. Do you have enough magical, homing Pew-Pews to kill all the baddies? If yes, then the path to victory is clear and well-worn. Most spells don't have a whole lot of "play"to them.
I was more talking about managing consumables, knowing when to use them (after a dodge you can almost always use a consumable right after (at least in dark souls), so that's a no-brainer. For example, when fighting artorias, if you can dodge his attacks, then you pretty much have a window after every attack he makes to either consume a consumable, or attack him, not so if you use a shield (especially not if you don't have a sufficiently high poise), and you have to be a lot more careful with your timings), managing your stamina. I was not talking about stuff you can get unlimited quantities of (although that will cost you unlimited souls).
Basically the further one moves away from action mechanics, the less interesting gameplay becomes in the Souls games. There's likely little chance of DS2 pulling a Dragon's Dogma and providing differentiated mechanical foundations for dissimilar playstyles, but it's something I'd like to see the series, or action-RPGs in general, take to heart going forward. "Stats plus simple actions" doesn't make for fulfilling play; sheild/poise tanking didn't elicit much in the way of excitement.
What I've been saying all the way, is that I want both playstyles to be more viable, and it seems like it's going to be in dark souls 2, so the devs are basically in complete agreement with me here. And the fact that they are nerfing roll, also shows that they agree with me when I say that the roll was too good.
That being said, they have nerfed the shield play as well (though not as hard in my opinion), seeing as there is a delay now before your stamina starts to go up again, which means that you have to me much more careful. Something that I like.
Please someone explain to me how that Gaudost dumbfuck could have been bashing the game 2 months ago about how it was "poorly designed" over beign butthurt for getting his casual gamer candy ass handed to him by the Silver Knights in Anor Londo until we pointed out he could use a bow or some sort of strategic thinking for getting through there if his skillz where not up to it, only to come back with "yeah the game is a cakewalk now" to trying to somehow educate us of which game mechanic is more manly and why DS is not very good as an ARPG?
For fuck sake someone put this retard out of his misery
Rage at the moment, I admit, for no really good reason. Also, I wasn't that knowledgeable about the game, and didn't have any good ranged attacks. Of course, after seeing how overpowered magic is, the game eventually became a cakewalk for the most part, also because I learned the mechanics better. It's not really that complicated, now is it? What on earth does that have to do with the argument at hand? You know that you seem more like a dumbfuck, when the only thing you are capable of is going straight to the lowest denominator?
