Topic: Demon's Souls - Update: Remaster is coming to PS5 and PC

[Quemaqua]

I'd really like to get back into this again.  I enjoyed it so much, it's a shame it had to come at a time when gaming was on the wane for me.  But now that I'm getting into things again I really hope I can get back to it.  It was really something special.

[Pugnate]

Yea I couldn't get into FO3, but this game is just awesome. I love everything about it; the art; the difficulty; the mechanics...

It is a very different approach than to what I am used to in RPGs -- which are mostly from Bioware.

I guess I had just gotten to comfortable with Bioware games. Having played Baldur's Gate II on the hardest difficulty so many times, I played Dragon Age on max difficulty without problems. I didn't have any trouble figuring out the most efficient way to level up all of my characters etc etc.

This, is so different to what I am used to, that it is awesome.

I started the game three times already, because it took me a bit to get over some things. Anyway, I do love this game, even if it keeps handing my rear back to me. And I just love the multiplayer aspect of it. It is almost perfect. You know you aren't alone, without having some annoying bastards actually cramp your style.

edit:

Can someone please tell me how checkpoints work? Is it the fog?

[Pugnate]

OK I just killed my first Demon. That was awesome, and I bet this game will keep me occupied for a long time. It is just so awesome and addictive. I love the difficulty... it really adds to the game. It was frustrating at first, because I was approaching it like a typical RPG. I am glad I stuck with it, because it is really sweet. You just have to pick your battles, and not be afraid to use hit and run tactics. Really, there is so much about the difficulty that feels old school to me. This was what so many games were like back in the day.

The action elements are good enough to stand on their own, really.

Now that I've killed my first demon, I am going to stay alive and grind my stats up a little.

Also, if you somehow see a message near the top of the nexus about finding true love if you jump off... that's from me heh.

I also love the whole atmosphere they've put together. This is such a unique little gem, Demon's Souls is.

edit:

I agree with what Que said early. If Yahtzee is a reviewer worth his salt, he should have recognized the good stuff in the game, even if he didn't like it as a whole.

[iPPi]

There are no checkpoints in this game per se.  It saves automatically as you play, but if you die anywhere other than the Nexus, you will have to restart the zone from the nearest soulstone that is in the ground and all monsters respawn.

It's a very challenging and unforgiving game.  If you can get past the steep difficulty curve and brave through the early parts of the game it becomes very rewarding at the end.  It is so difficult at the start because you have to level up and get some gear.  Some parts of the game are near impossible without the appropriate gear, so I think it's important to at least have an idea of what you want to do before doing it.  If you are playing and are kind of aimlessly wandering about without a plan, you might feel like you're accomplishing nothing.

FYI -- it's important to get some fire resist gear because a lot of mobs and bosses use it, especially in the second world.

[Quemaqua]

Fuck you, Flamelurker.  Fuck you.

[Pugnate]

You know, I just want this game to sell enough to warrant a full budget sequel. Not so much, that it reaches a popularity level where too many people make noise about the game being too hard.

It isn't so hard if you pick your battles. It is quite practical, actually. These are demons. Of course they are going to rape you. Sometimes, I lull (no pun intended0 myself into a false sense of security when I see the lesser demons, thinking they should be a walkover, but when they horde you, they do a lot of damage fast. I just don't want to go into soul form, any time soon. That would be frustrating.

I can see myself playing this for the rest of my natural life... and then unnatural as well. 

I just love the multiplayer aspect of it. That is awesome. In fact, I'd say that reading the blood notes has saved my ass countless times.

edit:

Where do you buy new spells again?

[Quemaqua]

I believe there is a sequel planned, in fact.  The game did a lot better than anyone expected it to from what I understand.

Also, I spent probably 80% of my time in the game in soul form.

You buy spells from someone in the hub area.  I forget who.  Some guy standing around on the lower level.

[TheOtherBelmont]

Yeah a couple of the guys are kind of hidden in the Nexus area, one or two of them sit directly behind a pillar so you can't easily see them when you first get into the Nexus.  There's also a couple of guys you have to save in the levels before you can buy stuff from them in the Nexus, one of them sells weapons/items and another sells miracles I think.

I played my first playthrough the same way as Que and spent about a large majority of the time in soul form, as long as you have that one ring (I think its called the Cling Ring?) that gives you more health in soul form its not so bad.  You find that ring on the first level right after you open the gate to Phalanx I think but before you head in.  Dying in physical form affects the world tendency which can be both good and bad and not having to worry about that until you get more comfortable with the game makes things a little easier.  Being in soul form also prevents people from invading your game, which works out better, especially at the beginning of the game.  Later on, when you are more comfortable with the game and have a little bit better gear, people invading your game isn't so bad.

Also, fuck you guys for making me want to play this again.

[iPPi]

Well if you're alive you can summon players to help you as well.  Every invasion attempt has ended poorly for the dude that invaded my game either because I destroyed him or he was outnumbered by myself + summoned people.

I think I ended up spending the last half of the game in live form. 

There are two guys at the start that can teach you spells and miracles (they are separate, on opposite sides of the Nexus on the first floor).  They are only apprentices though so they can only teach the basic spells.  You have to rescue Sage Freke for advanced miracles (will need Demon Souls to learn), and Yuria the Witch and this other wizard I don't remember who will teach you offensive spells.

Once you have a wand/talisman and 10 intelligence and 10 faith you can learn spells (10 int only) and miracles (10 faith and 10 int).  You can learn all the spells but you can only 'remember' a certain number at a time and can only take those with you outside the Nexus.

[Pugnate]

So no one has invaded my game yet? I need to be prepared for this I guess. How do I summon someone if I get invaded? I think it is awesome that I have no choice in getting invaded.

Also, how do you invade someone else?

[TheOtherBelmont]

So no one has invaded my game yet? I need to be prepared for this I guess. How do I summon someone if I get invaded? I think it is awesome that I have no choice in getting invaded.

Also, how do you invade someone else?

There are stones that you use for summoning people and invading other people's games.  I can't remember what they are called off the top of my head but they are easily noticeable when you first get them in your inventory.

[iPPi]

You should see blue notes on the ground when you're alive.  Those are summon marks that allow you to summon other players.  You'll only see them when you're alive and are of a level close to the other player.  You'll need a blue and red soulstone to drop your own mark or to invade other players, respectively, if I recall correctly.

[ScaryTooth]

I'm trying to play through this again, just having a hard time finding he time with school and work and all.

But this is honestly one of my favorite games of all time. If you haven't played it yet, your are really missing something special. It's just all kinds of awesome.

[Cobra951]

I stumbled into this speedrun just now.  I guess now I have some idea what the fuss is about.  Wish I could play some.

[iPPi]

Holy crap I'm gonna have to take a look at this when I get home.  That's insane!

[K-man]

As has been discussed thoroughly on IRC, I have been back into this game the past few days.

It's too good and too unique to leave in the backlog pile.  I will see this through.

[K-man]

As has been discussed thoroughly on IRC, I have been back into this game the past few days.

It's too good and too unique to leave in the backlog pile.  I will see this through.

Yeah, so about that statement...

Anyway Idol is playing it. And I finished Borderlands so I'm about to do the same. 

[Quemaqua]

If I finish Dark Souls within a reasonable time frame I'd like to do the same. Here's hoping!

[idolminds]

Golden Skeletons are jerks.

[K-man]

The Red Knight has always been my litmus test, and for the first time last night I was able to dispatch him without much trouble at all.  I still just can't go in and just wail on him, but then that's a dumb tactic anyway.

[K-man]

So after trying (like a bitch) to attack Adjudicator from the top level with arrows and dying horribly, I ran down to him quickly the second time and was able to close range him without getting hit.

There's still some things I have to find in 4-1 though.  I see gold orbs that I can't reach.

[K-man]

Finished my first level last night.  The final level boss is literally down the hall from Flamelurker.  The other enemy between them is one crystal lizard.  Unbeknownst to me at the time, apparently you are required to clear at least one level before you can access 1-3 and 1-4

[Quemaqua]

I'm gearing up to get back to my game of Demon's Souls after finishing up Dark Souls. Really excited.

[Xessive]

Hey, how exactly does the multiplayer work in this game?

I know it's not your typical multiplayer but I don't know the specifics.

[idolminds]

Basic online functions are blood stains, ghosts, and notes. While you are online you will find blood stains on the ground. Touch them and you'll see a red ghost reenact the last moments before it died. Thats actually a recording of another player dying on that spot. Ghosts will show up without you doing anything, and those are other players playing the game and being in the same area as you. You cant interact with them but sometimes you'll find hidden passages and stuff by seeing what they do.

Notes are like bloodstains, but they are...well, notes dropped on the ground. Touch them to read them. People will leave clues and hints, or bad hints that will get you killed. You get to figure out which is which.

Now you can actually play with other people. You can summon other people into your game to help you. You drop a mark on the ground asking for help and if someone in the same area sees it in their game they can choose to come in and help you (or if you see a mark on the ground you can choose to go help someone else). The other way is black phantoms where a person will invade your game with the goal of killing you. Kill them first, if you can. Or you can go invade other peoples games.

But this isn't like most other games. Theres no friends list or voice chat. You will be teaming up with or fighting strangers unless you plan ahead with a friend ("I'm going to drop my summon sign behind the big rock thats next to the place you kill the 3 skeletons in level 4-3.").

[Xessive]

Thanks, Idol. That clarifies quite a bit.

It's certainly a interesting take on online interaction. Kinda wish there was a dedicated coop option (since I love coop gameplay) but I'll take it for what it is.

[idolminds]

I was ready, I had the time and equipment. I think I can do it...finally take on flamelurker!

Instead I went into 5-1 because I'm a wuss. Or maybe not, because 5-1 is...weird. Lots of narrow catwalks and potential falls to death. Which I did once. But I did make my way through pretty well. I came across an area that looked like it had a bridge to lower, I assumed it was a shortcut. So one of those "Ill come around to the other side at some point" things, right? As I passed through the fog door to the boss...I'm going to say thats a "No." The boss wasn't that tough, so hooray I beat a new section!

[K-man]

I completed world 3 yesterday.  It wasn't my intention to finish the entire world but oh well.  It's probably the most interesting part I've played in the game so far, with one caveat.  I'm all for a game having dark areas.  That's fine.  But don't make it so dark I can't see.  Either give me enough ambient light to see what I'm doing or give me a torch or something.  I did a lot of aimless wandering last night trying to find my way through a certain section, and I fell to my death more than once.  Oh and this is with the in-game brightness set to max.  There's enough in this game to kill you.  No sense in adding a poor design choice to the mix.

I'm finding that despite not building at all for it, I'm using a crap ton of arrows.  Considering I've JUST NOW found some decent magic resist gear, going up to melee Cthulu guards was not an option.  If I ever make another character I'm going to focus less on melee and more on ranged or magic.  I've got just enough points in miracles to cast evacuate on my current character, and that's all I use.  The rest is melee/arrows.  Considering I've been using the same weapon for some time now and have been unable to upgrade it, arrows have been becoming my main means of damage dealing.  Since I haven't quite decided what I want to use as my "main" weapon, this isn't wholly a bad thing.  I saved Yurt, then dispatched him in the Nexus.  he was rather easy to kill considering how intimidating he looked/talked.  Just took maybe 7-8 arrows.

I'm shooting for world 5-1 next.  That's another one that's been giving me major issues.  Some due to falling to my death, some due to catching plague and not having widows lotus.  Those annoying guys in 3-1 had a ton of it, though.  And so did that creepy singing NPC merchant.

I'm in love with the game as a whole though.  It's grabbed hold and hopefully won't let go until I've finished up.

[Quemaqua]

You sure there's no way to light things up? There's a spell and item in Dark Souls, very helpful, and essential in one case.

I had a very different experience from you and idol. I was full melee, very rarely used arrows at all, and I finished 3-1 way, way, way before you did. I never had much trouble with the guards. They're easy to spot and you can duck into the empty cells to avoid getting blasted. I think I had a couple deaths, but nothing terrible.

I really want to get back into this... I wish I had the time. Things have been so busy lately.

[Cools!]

This game sounds like lots of fun, but not sure I'll have the time since I'm still playing Skyrim and Diablo 3 is coming out soon. Hehe.

[K-man]

Que, there could be a spell in DS, but since i'm purely a strength/vit/endurance build I likely don't have the means to cast it.

And once I figured out how close I could get to the chtulu guards to dispatch them with arrows, things got a lot easier.

[idolminds]

Playing some 3-2 and 4-2 today. 3-2 I knew had that rune sword and rune shield on a ledge you have to land on...but thats a tricky ledge to land on. I died probably 20 times before I actually got it. That was a bit frustrating, but I had like 10k souls by the time I got out. I didnt go any further due to frustration but getting back to that point only requires fighting one enemy, so whatever.

4-2 was a bit more interesting. Like kman Im finding arrows to be very valuable. I can pull individuals away on those cliffs and deal with them one on one...or just snipe them to death. I got into this cave area with more of those respawning ghost dudes...so I knew there was a reaper nearby. I took care of him but there must be another a little further down. I got VERY lucky when I heard a faint female laugh and I ran to the side only to see a spike show up where I was just standing. Theres some invisible assassin ghosts in there. I guess they go for a backstab because the next time I went through that area...thats exactly what I got. I survived, but barely. I died not much farther past that as I got trapped between two ghost dudes. 20k souls...I went back for it then evacuated. Bro wanted to watch something and I cant bitch because Castle is on tonight so I'll be taking the TV over for that, heh. But I should be able to take on the rest of 4-2. I might switch to a magic blocking shield, like...oh, the rune shield I just picked up? Then I can charge up to the ghost dudes, waste em, and move on.

[K-man]

Finally made it through 5-1 without falling to my death.  Well, sorta.  I got to the boss and started spamming lava bow.  I realized he was regenerating health so my idea was to just run down and melee.

Yeah.  I ran straight forward, off a cliff, to my doom.  Talk about discouraging.  Anyway, I was able to make it back.  Luckily the boss was fairly easy to melee down, almost like an apology for the shitty level design that came before it.  Anyway I ventured straight forward into 5-2, which was a mistake.  While I was able to pick up a ton of loot, I wasn't properly equipped to handle what was thrown at me.  I ran out of arrows and ended up getting pounded to death by a group of bugs right before what I presumed was the boss.

I've been invaded a few more times and it appears the people that do this still play the game primarily for that.  They are always well equipped and I never really have a chance at beating them.  Oh well.  My main focus is getting through the game, not powering up a pvp toon.  I sort of prefer playing through the game in spirit form anyway.

[idolminds]

Well its a good thing some of us got into this when we did. Demons Souls servers going offline May 31st.

Looks like they are turning the month of May into a world tendency event. 1-15th and 16-31st, I guess they are doing voting to see which will be white and which will be black? Either way, I'll have to take advantage of those.

[K-man]

I knew it would happen sooner or later, but I am really really bummed it's going down.

[Quemaqua]

It got me playing. I doubt I'll manage to beat it in time, but I'd at least like to try and get in on those tendency events. I'll try to get in an hour or two when I can on good nights.

[K-man]

Here's what sucks.  I can't beat the game yet, despite finishing everything except 1-3 and 1-4.  If I beat the game then I automatically start a NG+ and have to play through everything again.  I want to see those tendency events, and I doubt I'll be able play through again in enough time to do it.

So I guess I'll finish up 1-3 and 1-4 and wait.

[Quemaqua]

http://www.theflyingmonkeyapparatus.com/2012/04/the-soul-of-a-game/

So I started that as a post and ended up turning it into a blog. Basically about the differences between these two. After going back and playing Demon's Souls, I have some things to say, and I can tell those who've doubted that yes, Dark Souls is far and away the better game, as good a game as the first one turned out to be.

[K-man]

So last night I venture into 1-3 for the first time.  I get maybe 1 minute into the level and boom, I'm invaded.  I hide behind a carriage and at first the dude doesn't see me.  Then he catches a glimpse of me coming back down the stairs.  He engages me for a second.  I then hit him with my Uchigatana +5 and he just stops.  All he'll do is defend.  Then he uses a "come here!" signal.  Well I follow him and he ends up running me through the entire level up to the boss.

I ended up messaging him after I finished off Penetrator.  Talked for a bit.  Dude's really nice and helpful.  Knows a ton about these games.

Anyway, it's encounters like that, unique to Demon's Souls, that i'll miss.

[Quemaqua]

Well, Dark Souls online component should be going for a good while yet. It isn't exactly the same, but it's very similar. I've had some cool experiences there.