I can’t fathom why Sony doesn’t at least allow them to be moved, like MS does for your gamer profile. It can exist in only one location with move, so why not allow it?
JZigish
1662
The one thing I would add to the discussion is that I love how Demon’s Souls integrates the context around the game into the game itself. While there are certainly some people who would be hardcore enough to beat and enjoy Demon’s Souls without any outside help, the creators realized that audience wasn’t really big enough, and that inevitably guides would spring up describing how to cheese various parts of the game to avoid the challenge.
The first instinct of many designers is to either give in and pretend the universe outside the game doesn’t exist, or get defensive and try to make guides not work (trust me on this, lots of MMO designers hate people who read guides). Instead of doing this, Demon’s Souls embraces the kind of interactions that naturally build around a hardcore dungeon crawler game and brilliantly bring them into the fold. Some of us need to learn from the experiences of others (I love seeing the white ghosts go through a level, they always show me useful hiding spots) and Demon’s Souls lets us.
People say it’s a very difficult game, but this isn’t strictly true. There are many many games I have played that I would be completely unable to beat without turning to resources outside the game or cheating (ie, 90% of adventure games). If you’re patient and muddle through the early game, Demon’s Souls is 100% completable without having to leave the context of the game for help.
ckessel
1663
So, I’ve finally got Demon’s Souls. I can see from the manual it’s got some sort of pseudo multiplayer thing with the ability to see ghosts, invade other games, etc. I’m a single player gamer, exclusively. Do I want to turn any of that on? The idea of being invaded by someone else sounds pretty crappy, but the idea of seeing ghosts and blood splats from where others died would be cool.
ZekeDMS
1664
You really do. The game is still good without them, but they’re a big part of the experience, to help you out AND to let you invade other games. Messages can really help prevent frustration, and the ghostly aid/invasion really adds to the atmosphere.
If you’re patient and muddle through the early game, Demon’s Souls is 100% completable without having to leave the context of the game for help.
Reminds me of Baroque. While the game will just out-and-out viciously kill you at rare times, deaths are usually the player’s fault, usually an oversight or hastiness.
I bought a PS3 because of the this game and ONLY because of this game. My PS3 might as well be renamed Demon’S Souls Runtime.
Also when you say Demon’S Souls, do you always emphasis the “S” after the apostrophe? I always do. And everyone I talk to about the game now does too.
The sequel to Demon’s Souls should just be titled Demons’ Souls.
You can only be invaded while human, so stay dead and you’ll be fine. I think you’ll find that the other players are very well integrated with the “feel” of each level, and in a strange way they actually add to the sense of solitude and isolation.
So as soon as you are reborn, commit suicide by running off a high ledge in the Nexus (you can’t be invaded in the Nexus, so no hurry). Plus, you might want to consider giving coop a shot, as it is a really interesting dynamic in this game that is very unlike the way traditional coop titles run it. With a little skype and someone else who wants to play (I just made a new character to play with a friend that got it this week), it can be pretty exciting.
Also, it’s white tendency through dec 28th, so it’s almost like you have a slightly softened difficulty curve to get in the game. Make no mistake, though, the primary feedback is still a horrible death that feels awful despite recovery usually being minutes away.
ckessel
1668
I read your words, but it’s like I have dyslexia or something. Did you say to commit suicide? Why would I want to intentionally kill myself?
Edit: maybe I should just play for a bit first, then ask questions. I’m currently waiting upon an insanely long PS3 update…
When you start the game, you’ll be alive…shortly thereafter, you won’t. Then your health will be gimped, and you’ll look like a shadow of yourself. As a general rule, that is the most safe way to play the game, for a variety of reasons.
- Dying in human form lowers world tendency (makes it more black). Each notch down makes the world more challenging, which can be helpful if you want more xp or special unlocks, but can be a pain in the nuts if you don’t want the increased difficulty.
- You can’t be invaded as a shadow, but you can volunteer at no risk to yourself to play in other people’s games (by throwing down the blue stone that the lady in black will give you after your first real boss). This is a great way to explore levels that knocked the shit out of you the first time.
- Most enemies that are lethal to you at your level will probably continue to be so with your full human health. It is best to learn how to deal with each enemy and come out unscathed, or level some and come back (no matter what you upgrade, your damage resistance increases every level and is a much bigger improvement than mere additional hp).
But yeah, all of these things will make more sense once you’ve played for a while.
ckessel
1670
Stupid question. Is there some way to pause this game? The doorbell rang, I answered it, talked to a friend for a few minutes, came back and was dead. I’d brought up the inventory screen, but that clearly doesn’t pause.
And oh my god, do I suck with this movement scheme. The FPS standard of backwards walks backwards and sideways strafes is so ingrained. I keep showing every enemy my unprotected side and back whenever I try to maneuver :)
JZigish
1671
Nope. Demon’s don’t wait for you to pause.
However, most of the areas in the game are totally safe once you clear them. With rare exceptions enemies won’t persue you very far from where they spawn. And the nexus area is always safe.
Is it worth buying a PS3 for this game, or do you think it might eventually make its way onto a 360/PC?
ckessel
1673
Man, I’ll never understand what possesses a developer not to have a pause in a single player game. What the hell are people supposed do with the phone rings or someone knocks the door? Oh well. Sounds like safety generally isn’t too far away so hopefully it won’t be a nuisance.
You don’t really need to pause. It’s easy to just stop somewhere safe since enemies are stationary until the see you.
The word is that it will never be multiplatform. While Sony is not the publisher, they own the rights to it or have dirty pictures of the devs or something. DS is definitely a good enough game for its target audience that it justifies a PS3 on its own. Of course, the catch 22 is that you kind of have to buy it and play for a while to find out if you are part of that demographic.
It is a nuisance, but it kind of works with the way multiplayer is seamlessly integrated. Just don’t ever walk away from the screen while connected to PSN in human form…that’s invariably when you are invaded.
ckessel
1676
Damn this is frustrating. 3 hours of play and I still have no idea how parry/riposte works. Seems completely random, as is whether or not an opponents hit “stuns” me or whatever it is that keeps me from using my shield. I feel like I have very little control over my guy in combat.
I essentially have gained zero souls because I keep dying trying to get back to my previous set of souls. I had about 1500 at one point, but I’m back to zero again because I died on my way back to the 1500 spot.
- What type of character did you choose? Royal is by far the most accessible, because you start with an unencumbered character who can dodge freely, a ranged weapon with effectively infinite ammo, and the only starting character item that is pretty much a prerequisite (the mp regeneration ring).
A Royal also starts with a rapier and shield, which is a good combination because the shield can stay up while you stab. Rather than trying to riposte/parry, focus on dodging and keeping your shield up, and use your spare brainpower to find a balance between “lock on” and “no lock” combat. You’ll notice with the former that dodging laterally and backpedaling with your shield up tend to yield the best results, vs the instinctive backward dodge that beginning players do. You can also practice (with the guys at the beginning especially) dodge rolling at an angle towards the enemies as they lunge at you, and then turning around and backstabbing them. With the lock on (clicking right thumbstick) it’s important to use it sparingly since having your camera control taken from you can be lethal. If you have a plan for what to do for the range you’ve locked on at (eg a magic missile or something) then by all means, otherwise keep it off until you strike or it will restrict your mobility.
If you decide to stick with some other type of character, that’s fine but at least try taking stuff off (boots, helmets, armor, and only last of all shield and weapon) until you get to less than 50% of your max equip weight. Now try rolling and feel the difference. It completely changes the way you handle your character, and if for some reason you chose a starting build that is over that 50% it is well worth your while to strip down and try again.
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Re: stun. I know it’s a lot to ask, but keeping an eye on your stamina bar (green) will help you a great deal in this matter, along with paying attention to the visual cues an enemy offers. Your basic inhabitant of Boletaria has a big lunge attack that will probably break your guard right off the bat; that’s a good one to use that diagonal dodge/backstab thing on since it’s so telegraphed. The next thing to watch out for is their flurry of attacks when they are already nearby; individually they won’t guard break, but the combo can be lethal. The fun part is almost all of your potential starting builds short of the thief have greater range than them, which means you can backpedal from their attack, wait for them to finish, and step forward a bit and hurt them. Other than that, you’re worried about death by a thousand cuts rather than one fell swoop. That means you need to practice that opening area until you can get through it unscathed, then move on. You have to feel comfortable with handling those guys, and for chrissakes don’t take that door on the left that’s open right now thanks to full white tendency.
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Fire: Fire is probably the big X factor of early Boletaria levels. You see it on a regular schlub’s weapon, you need to be a thousand times more cautious with them. That’s when it pays to realize, hey, if I’m at a diagonal angle from them at the corner of a stairwell within their usual attack range, these dumb motherfuckers will lunge right into space. You need to be aware of the red-banded barrels, and make sure you are nowhere near them when those fiery bitches come at you. If you see a blue knight, feel free to magic missile them. If you see a red knight, turn the fuck around and go somewhere else. All of those corpses around you were brave people…you need to be alive, not honorable.
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Get the thief ring. You’ll have a chance right after the first blue knight, when you go through that misty doorway (strongly recommend you go down the nearby tower full of fire-wielding assholes and unlock the shortcut to the beginning if you haven’t already as well as the cling ring, which is more of a safety blanket than anything else but it helps). Just take the stairs about 3/4 of the way down, then roll off diagonally over the little wall and down onto the stage where some armored dumbass is reflecting on the poor decisionmaking that led him to this point. You’ll find the ring there, and that will make you invisible to almost all enemies except at close range. That’s huge for reasons I’m sure you can figure out.
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If you get to right before the final boss, and you still don’t have a purple flame shield (which you will be unable to equip but that’s not the point), that means you missed a left turn before that final bridge. You need to take care of that now while the white tendency is still in effect and the dragons are away, and scoop that loot. Even if you decide not to follow the usual basic build (getting strength up to 22 ASAP to use the purple flame shield), it’s best to have the option in case you change your mind.
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Finally: we’re all in this together. I flipped my controller just last night on a simple farming mission that I blew thanks to being a cocky idiot. Parry/riposte is definitely what I would classify as a high-risk tactic due to the potential for disaster. You don’t start with the triple lindy, you have to build up to it imo. It’s awesome when you can do it, but what you’ll find if you can master the basics is that certain weapons/shields make parries and the like much more accessible if that’s your bag, plus you’ll have much higher damage resistance and now-wimpy enemies to practice on.
ckessel
1678
I appreciate all the advice. My sense of direction isn’t the best, so I find myself a bit lost at times, but I’ve gone through the first part of the first starting area enough times now I’m a little use to it. I haven’t found the Thief ring and I’m not quite sure where it is based on your directions. I’ll hunt around.
I’m a cleric. I figured I’m old with questionable reflexes, so I tried to pick a tank. So far, the starting heal spell seems pointless as I find so many healing herbs. Starts with a nice shield and armor though.
There are many enemies in the game that patrol. Not so much in the starting level, though.
Basically, you’ll be walking up that open area first, then turning left and ascending a complicated tower which gets capped off with that one asshole lobbing a giant stone bowling ball down the stairs at you. At the top of that wall, you’ll see a blue knight, with a fog door directly behind him. That’s the one I’m referring to.
I’m a cleric. I figured I’m old with questionable reflexes, so I tried to pick a tank. So far, the starting heal spell seems pointless as I find so many healing herbs. Starts with a nice shield and armor though.
Right, and if there’s any way I could convince you to start again and choose a royal, let me know. Reflexes have nothing to do with any of the builds I’ve tried apart from fist weapons, and even then it was more a question of knowing what to react to than actual hand/eye coordination. That armor is what is making you roll like sack of potatoes, and that will get you killed more often than that thin veneer of protection will help you. Compared to a heal spell, a magic missile spell (royal) is a multi-tool with both beginner and advanced applications. Etc. But good luck, whatever you decide.
