From Software The Dark Souls II Megathread™

[Damned Registrations]

The Armored Core games are very good, usually there are big differences in gameplay in every one of them. Like the arcadey AC4 vs the more sim-like AC5. They use the same graphical assets, so? It makes sense from a financial and time perspective.

Yeah but AC 3>4 and 4>5 were major jumps in the series. I was talking about things like 2>2:AA, 3>(I forget what this was even called), 4>4:4A. Those didn't have much difference. I like the series, and like I said, I don't begrudge them this sort of thing. I'm just saying it's something they do. Just because a cheap cash grab can be a good game doesn't mean it isn't a cheap cash grab. We should probably expect a lot of the same enemies and equipment to show up again, unlike with Dark Souls, where it had entirely different things from Demons's Souls.

 

[J_C]

The Armored Core games are very good, usually there are big differences in gameplay in every one of them. Like the arcadey AC4 vs the more sim-like AC5. They use the same graphical assets, so? It makes sense from a financial and time perspective.

Yeah but AC 3>4 and 4>5 were major jumps in the series. I was talking about things like 2>2:AA, 3>(I forget what this was even called), 4>4:4A. Those didn't have much difference. I like the series, and like I said, I don't begrudge them this sort of thing. I'm just saying it's something they do. Just because a cheap cash grab can be a good game doesn't mean it isn't a cheap cash grab. We should probably expect a lot of the same enemies and equipment to show up again, unlike with Dark Souls, where it had entirely different things from Demons's Souls.

I see. Well I will be okey with a cash grap if the game is similar, but improves the first game's shortcomings.

 

[Hobo Elf]

They made Eternal Ring, obviously they've done some good since then but that's a level of shit you don't forget.

What's wrong with Eternal Ring? It had its cons, but also pros over the KF series.

 

[Damned Registrations]

Same here. Like I said, the worrying part isn't that it might be a cash grab, but that the new director seems like a twat who would rather be making movies. His previous work is as director for a company that gets outsourced to produce cutscenes. It doesn't get much worse than that. Even a guy who was the lead designer for some popamole cover shooters would at least have experience making games, all this fucker has done is make movies. And they were for shit like Monster Hunter at that. Which I like as a game, but the cutscenes are basically just big action scenes to make shit look impressive. They have no subtlety or variety in atmosphere. I'm having nightmares of the next game being turned into some sort of linear DMC clone filled with QTE and the main character being a badass in cutscenes every 3 minutes.

 

[AngryEddy]

Are you fucking kidding?

??

Actually, that's just what I was saying. I'm expecting the game to be a shameless cash grab - I'm just hoping there might be at least something redeemable about it, which is where we disagree, I guess.

The game has a decent, long enough development time. It doesn't look a cash grab for me. Especially since From Software is not known for those kind of games.

?

Like every single armored core has had a cash grab sequel on the same engine with 80% of the same assets. Not that I mind, I think it's a good practice to make a game or three that way, so development can be focused on aspects like gameplay and writing instead of just cranking out more shiny polygons. But they certainly have a history of doing this sort of thing.

The part that is concerning is who they changed the director to. The guy has AWFUL credentials. I'd have honestly preferred it if they had appointed a completely unheard of guy fresh out of school or something. This is like finding out they cast Jim Carrey as a main character in Game of Thrones.

Like every single armored core has had a cash grab sequel on the same engine with 80% of the same assets.

The Armored Core games are very good, usually there are big differences in gameplay in every one of them. Like the arcadey AC4 vs the more sim-like AC5. They use the same graphical assets, so? It makes sense from a financial and time perspective.

I have to say, I liked Last Raven the best.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

The Armored Core games are very good, usually there are big differences in gameplay in every one of them. Like the arcadey AC4 vs the more sim-like AC5. They use the same graphical assets, so? It makes sense from a financial and time perspective.

Yeah but AC 3>4 and 4>5 were major jumps in the series. I was talking about things like 2>2:AA, 3>(I forget what this was even called), 4>4:4A. Those didn't have much difference. I like the series, and like I said, I don't begrudge them this sort of thing. I'm just saying it's something they do. Just because a cheap cash grab can be a good game doesn't mean it isn't a cheap cash grab. We should probably expect a lot of the same enemies and equipment to show up again, unlike with Dark Souls, where it had entirely different things from Demons's Souls.

In case of AC4->AC4A though it's more like AC4A is the finished game.

Also, AC3 series didn't have one spin-off game, it had five.

 

[Fat Dragon]

Same here. Like I said, the worrying part isn't that it might be a cash grab, but that the new director seems like a twat who would rather be making movies. His previous work is as director for a company that gets outsourced to produce cutscenes. It doesn't get much worse than that. Even a guy who was the lead designer for some popamole cover shooters would at least have experience making games, all this fucker has done is make movies. And they were for shit like Monster Hunter at that. Which I like as a game, but the cutscenes are basically just big action scenes to make shit look impressive. They have no subtlety or variety in atmosphere. I'm having nightmares of the next game being turned into some sort of linear DMC clone filled with QTE and the main character being a badass in cutscenes every 3 minutes.

Actually, DS2 has two directors. There's Shibuya, the one you're talking about. He has also worked on games before though, he was director for FromSoft's Another Century Episode games. Never played them, but it's some sort of mecha game, I think, and was well received in Japan. Geez, how many different mecha games does FromSoft make?
-edit He also helped make the new game engine DS2 will use.

Nobody really knows anything about the other guy. I'm mostly neutral on the game at the moment. Would like to see the game turn out good, but if it doesn't it wouldn't really surprise me.

 

[LivingOne]

I have the same stance as Fat Dragon on the game.Also i think current consoles logos could be placeholder mostly because this series is a bigger succes than AC so they might not try a slamdunk.

 

[Damned Registrations]

The dragon on the bridge certainly wasn't unavoidable. I guarantee nobody who played demon's souls got hit by that fucker. The bridge is covered in scorch marks and charred corpses, and you've already seen the dragon. You probably won't put two and two together the first time you get there (though you might) but it puts you in the right mindset for the rest of the game: You need to pay attention to shit. Getting killed by that dragon will make you more wary of things like the traps in Sen's Fortress, the lower undead burg, the depths, the catacombs, and all sorts of other places. That dragon is one of the best parts of the game's design. In almost any other game it'd get replaced by some lame ass NPC breaking the fourth wall to tell you to be wary of traps and pay attention to your surroundings.

 

[Delterius]

sea I don't think there's any danger that people here won't get your point, but the problem is that it isn't backed by recent history. Its like the M&M Codex interviewee said: accessibility and simplification aren't the same - however developers have used the former as a matter to cover for the latter.

There are a few things which are just outright cheap too, like the first time the dragon kills you on the bridge early on - basically no way to avoid it.

Though I agree a exccess of cheap traps can be damaging to gameplay, and I do think the courteous ones were the funniest (Sen's Fortress 'wtf, a bloodstain on the elevator? I'm not going up there'). I'd caution against removing too much of those cheap traps, for one they aren't necessarily cheap (as a example, I had no problems with the dragon, assuming you mean the one from the Burg) and they do add a lot to ambience.

 

[J_C]

The dragon on the bridge certainly wasn't unavoidable. I guarantee nobody who played demon's souls got hit by that fucker. The bridge is covered in scorch marks and charred corpses, and you've already seen the dragon. You probably won't put two and two together the first time you get there (though you might) but it puts you in the right mindset for the rest of the game: You need to pay attention to shit. Getting killed by that dragon will make you more wary of things like the traps in Sen's Fortress, the lower undead burg, the depths, the catacombs, and all sorts of other places. That dragon is one of the best parts of the game's design. In almost any other game it'd get replaced by some lame ass NPC breaking the fourth wall to tell you to be wary of traps and pay attention to your surroundings.

Oh I actually agree it's a great design choice to make it near-unavoidable for new players. However it's also very defeating to get past a boss, and then get your ass instakilled immediately after with no checkpoint in isght (the only way to get one is to trigger the dragon the first time and die). From what I remember, there is actually no way to avoid the fire the first time, unless you know the dragon is sitting right above you and you repeat inching forward and running away until you hit the trigger point.

But dying is not a big deal in this game anyway.

 

[Damned Registrations]

Especially at a point like that. OTOH, dying in a place like the depths or the great hollow, where your bloodstain is probably lost somewhere PAST whatever mistake you made the first time that pushed you into a worse, secondary trap (such as falling into the frog pit in the depths and then dying several seconds later so the bloodstain is among the frogs you only reached by falling into the middle of them); those are the brutal deaths that take everything.

 

[Tommers]

That run from the burg bonfire to the Taurus demon is training. Imagine if the enemies didn't respawn - the game wouldn't work. No souls and it would be over in about 10 hours.

The problem with something like BioShock is that the enemies didn't respawn. Dying had no consequences. In Dark Souls deciding whether to push on and make progress or go back to the bonfire and cash in your souls (to make a different kind of progress) is one of the best things about it.

 

[Elwro]

The game gives you a homeward bone after you beat the Taurus demon. I remembered thinking "Hm, is this a sign it's a good idea to go back and level up"? and proceeding forward anyway, not being fast enough to survive the dragon.

This way you learn to interpret the game's messages

 

[insukk]

Demon's Souls was released in October 2009.
Dark Souls was released in September 2011.
Dark Souls II probably will be released in the late 2013 or even early 2014. Again, why is this one considered a cheap cash grab?

 

[JudasIscariot]

The dragon on the bridge certainly wasn't unavoidable. I guarantee nobody who played demon's souls got hit by that fucker. The bridge is covered in scorch marks and charred corpses, and you've already seen the dragon. You probably won't put two and two together the first time you get there (though you might) but it puts you in the right mindset for the rest of the game: You need to pay attention to shit. Getting killed by that dragon will make you more wary of things like the traps in Sen's Fortress, the lower undead burg, the depths, the catacombs, and all sorts of other places. That dragon is one of the best parts of the game's design. In almost any other game it'd get replaced by some lame ass NPC breaking the fourth wall to tell you to be wary of traps and pay attention to your surroundings.

Actually, it IS avoidable. If you strip down your armor AFTER it settles on the gate and fast run towards the stairs on the right hand side, you ought to be able to make it in time and have a shortcut at the same time. I can see, though, that first time players might not know about this shortcut, God knows I didn't and got my ass scorched :D

 

[Damned Registrations]

Ultimately that dragon kills everyone because they expect it to show up in front of them and nobody looks behind themselves. Even though shit has already snuck up behind you multiple times by that point. Oldest tricks work the best I suppose.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

The statement is suspicious, but FromSoft's history looks good enough to trust them. Whining like a bunch of sissies would not be a wise move until more information bumps up. But hey, it's internet.

 

[bert]

 

[DragoFireheart]

Actually, it IS avoidable. If you strip down your armor AFTER it settles on the gate and fast run towards the stairs on the right hand side, you ought to be able to make it in time and have a shortcut at the same time. I can see, though, that first time players might not know about this shortcut, God knows I didn't and got my ass scorched :D

Or you could have the Master Key you can go through the Valley of the Drakes, then Darkroot Basin/Garden and then Undead Parish.

 

[Volrath]

They want to appeal to a broader audience. If that doesn't ring off any alarmbells I don't know what will. Game will be shit.

Making the game appeal to a broader audience doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to make it easier - but they might do a better job of explaining some of the mechanics, and might also implement a less frustrating and pointlessly repetitive death penalty.

So I guess the past decade hasn't taught you anything.

 

[Damned Registrations]

They want to appeal to a broader audience. If that doesn't ring off any alarmbells I don't know what will. Game will be shit.

Making the game appeal to a broader audience doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to make it easier - but they might do a better job of explaining some of the mechanics, and might also implement a less frustrating and pointlessly repetitive death penalty.

So I guess the past decade hasn't taught you anything.

This, pretty much. If they were actually going to improve the UI and such, they'd have probably mentioned that specifically instead of vague 'accessible to a broader audience' statements. That shit is pretty much invariably a polite way of inviting retards to play the game.

I'm also not convinced you could make the mechanics more transparent without sacrificing atmosphere. I generally like my mechanics pretty transparent, but not in a game like this. I don't want to know how many swings of an axe it will take to stagger an enemy in elite knight armor. I want that fucker to be scary and mysterious.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

One question has importance above all other though:

Will Giantdad be a canon NPC?

 

[Fat Dragon]

DS2 12-minute gameplay trailer tomorrow:
https://twitter.com/lynchtacular/status/321699109528559616/photo/1

 

[Fat Dragon]

And now IGN has posted the first screenshot for DS2:
https://twitter.com/lynchtacular/status/321782366286774272/photo/1

Doesn't look a whole lot different, really. Actually, if it wasn't IGN posting it, I'd have just marked it off as a doctored DS1 screen.