From Software The Dark Souls II Megathread™

[Kanedias]

It's the second one.

Normal enemies in Dark Souls 2 have a finite number of respawns. It doesn't matter if you die, you have to kill them a lot of times. I'm 100% sure on this, by the way.

 

[toro]

It's the second one.

Normal enemies in Dark Souls 2 have a finite number of respawns. It doesn't matter if you die, you have to kill them a lot of times. I'm 100% sure on this, by the way.

I think they mentioned something like 15 re-spawns. No more farming.

 

[Kanedias]

I know from what seems like a very reliable source that enemies in general have a limited amount of respawns, I don't know how many, people say 15 (I don't have a confirmation on this number). Anyways after a certain amount of respawns they are gone until the next NG unless you use the item which makes the enemies harder, Bonfire Ascetic, which resets this hidden counter.

I really don't know how they're going to handle the obvious issues with this.

Human Effigies. Upgrade Materials. Souls.

You lose 10% of your total HP every time you die, and it stacks. You need Human Effigies to get your max HP back. It will be a pain to get them without being able to farm.
It will also mean that the game will eventually become empty because you killed everything. I don't know how many Bonfire Ascetics are in the game, or if it's an infinite use item, or what.
And Souls...if you lose a large amount of souls, you won't be able to farm them from enemies apparently...what to do? coop or PvP I guess?

 

[Invictus]

I am curious about that 15 respawn mechanic too; from what I read before I though it would only apply to special enemies like the red phantoms or special enemies like the boars from DaS but now it looks like it could apply to all the enemies.
This new mechanic, along with the new 10% death penalty, seem to be balanced so that less experienced players can have an easier time getting to places where they have died repetedly (presumably so they can make their way easier to bosses and special enemies) but also has an unforseen consequence; limited farming for items and souls.
Since you can get only a lmited number of respawns of enemies that could drop lifegems or upgrade material plus a finite number of souls to harvest per level the game would force you to use your consumables wisely, be more selective with the use of souls for limited leveling, buying spells or upgrades and to entice you to move foward after you have "spent" the resources in an area.
This would also efectively "cap" you character level for certain accessible areas and ensure your character would be of a certain level or with a number of upgrades before venturing to a dangerous area too
Very interesting development....

 

[Invictus]

Thinking more about this I guess that having a diminishing returns system (where the higher level you are the less souls you get from mobs at lower levels) could have been an option but that could be exploited too by having a low level char decked in upgraded equipment or full of consumables

 

[aris]

It seems like the pinwheel skeletons are a LOT weaker in DS2, might just be how it seems, but in particular, it seems like if they hit you, they only get in a couple of hits, possibly due to their rolling distance seeming to be much shorter. In DS, if you attacked them while approaching or got caught off guard by one of them (which was extremely easy to do with rooms filled with 5-10 of them), you were pretty much fucked, as they would almost always stun-lock you and auto-kill you if you didn't dodge or face them with your shield up.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Goddammit just announce a PC release date already.

 

[aris]

I'm almost tempted to get a PS3 just for dark souls 2. Actually I have been tempted for quite a while, since by now, it actually has a library of some quite good titles from what I've heard.

 

[Jasede]

Why not get a PS4 instead? Is it not backwards compatible?
I haven't gotten any of the new consoles yet since... meh.

 

[Tripicus]

Why not get a PS4 instead? Is it not backwards compatible?

Nope.

As for the Stray Demon, I don't know if it's due to the part of the floor I fall through, but I found bee-lining for the guy after falling always worked.

 

[aris]

PS4 is not backward compatible, no (not even with ps or ps2 games at the moment, though emulation will sure come), and what's more, it will probably never be backwards compatible with PS3 due to the architecture of the system.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

PS4 is not backward compatible, no (not even with ps or ps2 games at the moment, though emulation will sure come), and what's more, it will probably never be backwards compatible with PS3 due to the architecture of the system.

For PS3 games, you have Playstation Now coming up, which I heard from Beta testers works remarkably well. There's also allegedly a PSX/PS2 emulator in works for the PS4.

 

[aris]

Nice! Never heard about the streaming! Too bad my internet here in Italy is way too bad to even consider it. As for the emulator, I've heard about it too. It can run pacman and some homebrewn as far as I've heard. Wouldn't hold my breath for actual games, it will probably be another 10 years, maybe more, before we will see a fully working emulator.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Nice! Never heard about the streaming! Too bad my internet here in Italy is way too bad to even consider it. As for the emulator, I've heard about it too. It can run pacman and some homebrewn as far as I've heard. Wouldn't hold my breath for actual games, it will probably be another 10 years, maybe more, before we will see a fully working emulator.

5 Mbps downstream is the min. requirement for streaming PS3 games. According to Betatester leaks, it works remarkably well with that speed. No lag either.

 

[aris]

Nice! Never heard about the streaming! Too bad my internet here in Italy is way too bad to even consider it. As for the emulator, I've heard about it too. It can run pacman and some homebrewn as far as I've heard. Wouldn't hold my breath for actual games, it will probably be another 10 years, maybe more, before we will see a fully working emulator.

5 Mbps downstream is the min. requirement for streaming PS3 games. According to Betatester leaks, it works remarkably well with that speed. No lag either.

Well, speed is not the problem, stability is. I can play online for max 10 minutes before I get a timeout.

 

[Invictus]

Getting a PS3 especialy now seems like a pretty sweet deal; I have a pretty small library of PS3 titles, mostly the God of War, Metal Gear, NCAA and Red Dead Redemption, Last of Us and the Ico/Shadow of the Colossus pack (and of course the Souls games) and there is defiently some cool games to play from your couch.
Also since we are looking ar least at a 6 week delay of DS2 for the PC the PS3 will come in handy :D

 

[Torrasque01]

The biggest and IMO insurmountable problem will be unplayable input lag for any game requiring at least a little timing or accuracy, if you don't live right next to the server cluster. Eastern Europe and Central Asia will be fucked the most by this and it's really easy to check with an OnLive demo. It's a pipedream basically, and the closest you can get to something feasible is the Steam In-home Streaming stuff.

 

[Kanedias]

I got a PS3 for Demon's Souls, it was worth it, even if the thing was pretty expensive. I will get Dark Souls II on release for the PS3 and probably the PC version later on, as it should appear in Steam sales.

 

[Cowboy Moment]

I'd rather wait for a version that doesn't run below 25 FPS, look like shit, and have annoyingly long loading times. Even though I do own a PS3. Also, I find myself wanting to take screenshots of Souls games, and that's too advanced of a functionality for the PS3 to support.

 

[Blackguard]

I got a PS3 for Demon's Souls, it was worth it, even if the thing was pretty expensive. I will get Dark Souls II on release for the PS3 and probably the PC version later on, as it should appear in Steam sales.

I can't say I got my PS3 just for Demon's Souls, but it was certainly one of the biggest reasons. Really love the thing now.

Even got Dark Souls for it even though I already had the PC version. The load times aren't that much longer, but the framerate definitely suffers at some points. Mainly at the bottom of Blighttown. It hasn't really been a big issue for me though. Also PS3 has way more active online mode it seems. Even see summon signs at remote places like the butterfly, or painted world.

 

[Jick Magger]

I'd always recommend trying to hunt down a fat model, if only because you'll be able to play PS1/2 games on it. Mine's been working like a charm since I bought it in '07. Not planning on buying a PS4 on the grounds that it's not backwards compatible with anything at all alone.

 

[Torrasque01]

Also PS3 has way more active online mode it seems. Even see summon signs at remote places like the butterfly, or painted world.

That's not actually true and if From ports it to Steamworks you'll see how much GFWL hobbles the multiplayer. There are tons of people playing daily but barely anyone can make stable connections, port forward shittery included.

 

[praetor]

That's not actually true and if From ports it to Steamworks you'll see how much GFWL hobbles the multiplayer. There are tons of people playing daily but barely anyone can make stable connections, port forward shittery included.

huh? are you living under a rock? the PS3 has several times the number of sales of those on either the PC or xcocks

 

[Blackguard]

That's not actually true and if From ports it to Steamworks you'll see how much GFWL hobbles the multiplayer. There are tons of people playing daily but barely anyone can make stable connections, port forward shittery included.

huh? are you living under a rock? the PS3 has several times the number of sales of those on either the PC or xcocks

Yeah, I've played lot's of DS on both PC and PS3, and all the multiplayer aspects of the game are way more visible on the PS3. It's not just summons/invasions either. Like eg. coming from the PC version it's really noticeable how many more free estus flasks you are constantly getting from other people kindling their bonfires. The PC version feels rather dead in that respect after having played DS on PS3.

 

[Torrasque01]

huh? are you living under a rock? the PS3 has several times the number of sales of those on either the PC or xcocks

Can you source that claim? Have you seen any numbers? Even if in total it sold more on the PS3, they don't have the benefit of regular steam sales to inject new blood into the community. It's really easy to check http://store.steampowered.com/stats/ and see that it has a 7200 peak daily. I'd bet my left nut the PS3 doesn't reach those numbers at this point in the game's lifetime. The only people still playing are jap pvp autists.