[username]

This just came in the mail today. Started out with a soldier as I generally prefer melee to magic as a primary mode of attack (and was told soldier is a good beginner's choice) and made my way through the tutorial. Seems decent so far but I've obviously yet to get to the meat of the game.
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http://www.audioatrocities.com/games/castlevania-sotn/clip1.mp3

[schild]

[gooktime]

Is that possible with a melee character?

[schild]

[username]

[schild]

[Drastic69]

Lol, I have to say I stumbled upon this website/thread the other day and I must say after reading this thread I ordered the game i cant wait till it gets here!

[eskaibo]

gj man
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♪ x x x ♫ x x x ♫ x ♫ ♫

[gooktime]

I don't think I've seen anything quite like the 3-3 boss before.

[schild]

[username]

[schild]

[another god]

I just got this. It's fucking awesome. And scary. No hand holding is yes.
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interdimensional

[gooktime]

So I only have 1-4 left. I've ended up with a kind of rounded royal. Will/End/Magic in the high thirties.

Can't decide whether to new game+ after this, or reroll a pure melee or something!

[CubaLibre]

Man I wish I had some money. D:
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Let's Play, starring me.

[schild]

[gooktime]

Shit, there's DLC planned?

[username]

I've finally gotten the chance to put a couple hours into this and its quality is readily apparent. As a confession of sorts I have very little experience with this genre so I'm probably walking in at a greater disadvantage than some, but even though I'm still in the first area I'm slowly making progress and getting better. I've hit a bit of a minor wall with those more heavily armored knights that have started to pop up (if I'm stuck in a narrow place with them it is very bad news, such as the staircase that is my current furthest reached point), but I'll probably get my tactics sorted out in the next run or so.

I don't want to turn this into a Q&A thread (I am aware of the wiki out there) but I was curious about one "big picture" point. It seems like it is a given that the vast majority will die in a stage before reaching the boss, which seems to mean that most often one will eventually defeat the boss in spirit form (I am aware that you get a resurrection item at some point and the multiplayer revival options). What I'm having a bit of an issue figuring out is what kind of difference it makes if you beat an area boss while alive as opposed to while a spirit. I know there is apparently some higher level world tendency stuff that is a bit beyond me at the moment, but I'm just curious if there is any more immediate difference.
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http://www.audioatrocities.com/games/castlevania-sotn/clip1.mp3

[gooktime]

I've read that bosses are harder in human form, though I'm not sure if that's just conjecture. There's no immediate difference really! I've also not looked into tendency on my first playthrough...

[another god]

It's pretty obvious that this is the kind of game that everyone thinks of when they're twelve. You're starting puberty and you want to be mature, but you're still adventurous and, well, a child. Knights and dragons are fucking rad, and being a knight and killing dragons realistically is way better than when you were a little kid. So it's realistic dungeon crawling whoa!

I had no idea how nerve wracking this game would turn out.

Like, "whoa this is serious business." But, seriously, this is serious fucking business. There's no running through everything and slashing stuff up till you drink a health potion. Hell, even when you die and restart you REALLY DIE. This soul concept of dying and having one chance to retrieve your body is intense. I don't think I've ever stopped and caught my breath as much in a game as I have in this one.

Anyways, is there a way to play with you guys? Or is everything random? I like how the whole game is IN GAME (even the leaderboards), but it makes it a little confusing for stuff like Multiplayer.
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interdimensional

[Sketch]

So, this arrived yesterday (and I nearly never got it since I had to go back to the post office to pick it up, and their mailman only returned with it minutes before closing).

Firstly, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it has a really cool story, which no one seems to be talking about. OK, it’s a little bit like Tolken meets Lovecraft, but it’s pulled off with great panache. Love the accents everyone has, very medieval. So yeah, I actually really like the story so far.


CONCLUSION AT THE START OF A LONG POST:
This is a manly man’s game. Not something for kids or grandmothers who own a Wii. It is the antithesis to the deluge of casual mindless wank that’s flooded the market. It is the cure to the plethora of games which are so easy and devoid of design-intelligence they might as well be exercises in masturbation, like when they hook electrodes up to a rat’s brain and he pushes a button to orgasm until he dies. Demon’s Souls, so far, is a proper game, with a clearly defined risk/reward system that requires skill, patience and intelligence to succeed. Not even lightning fast dexterity like say SFIV (at least not that I’ve seen yet), but rather a sharp understanding of when to attack, when to roll away and when to run like a motherfucker. And the levels are not simply corridors camouflaged as open areas – they are complex networks which, as others have said, show intelligent design. Not simply a funnelling affect so everyone ends up at the correct spot.

I don’t know if I’ll finish it. And I don’t know if it’s the best game of the year. But at the moment I love it more intensely than anything else (except Valkyria Chronicles).




Back to the game... I’ve not played a game this terrifying since Steel Battalion on the Xbox. This game isn’t difficult, it’s pure unbridled terror, because there are no-mid-level saves, and death has a more substantial impact than simply making you hit the quick-load button (wow, PC gaming has made me soft). Another God sums it up well.

At first I used magic a lot, with my Royal, since that could take enemies down in one hit. Then I thought: this is cheating. So I went in swinging my sword like a fool and died quite quickly. Lesson learned: don’t be afraid to hold back and spam them with projectile fire.

One of the scariest moments was when I found the dragon on the bridge in 1-1. I walked slowly along taking shots at those block the route, when suddenly a dragon appears and I’m like OHSHITMOTHERFUCKER!!! And run like hell to the cover of the stone entrance way. So, the dragon takes down most enemies and then leaves, and I think it’s safe. So I go back on to take out a few straggling soldiers near the end, and then I hear flapping. I look around and see nothing, and then suddenly the dragon IS RIGHT ON TOP OF ME. I stab the joystick like mad to disengage the stupid lock-on, turn tail and RUN RUN RUN like a madman desperately hoping I can outrun the flames. Which I do. So I think screw this, I’m taking an alternative route. Backtracking I take a right in the path and come to 2 dragons on a hill, touch a red blood stain and watch as one knight relives his last moments on that hill. I try going near and they start breathing fire, so I realise: one dragon is better than two. The thing is, I’ve got like 2000 souls now, and don’t want to die so far into the castle. Anyway, I see a message on a the floor and it says something like “Run straight through” near the bridge. Well, running across that bridge was the scariest moment I can recall in a long time. But I made it.

What makes DS so terrifying, is that every step you take, is potentially a step you will have to take again to recover your lost souls. If halfway through a level they made the enemies easier, or removed the enemies altogether, it wouldn’t make it any less scary, because you keep thinking that any second you might die. Places of sanctuary, like a merchant, are areas to savour. Otherwise the terror and adrenaline experience when walking along and finding even basic enemies, is almost enough to make you want to stop playing.

It does an excellent job showing you how softened we’ve all become with modern game design, where success and euphoria is almost intravenous, and as a result becomes diluted. Here, every achievement, every victory, is a triumph and the exhilaration is unparalleled. Finishing the first boss, I had a 30-minute come down period such was the adrenaline and endorphin rush. I’ve not had it that strong since beating Ninja Gaiden on the NES. I thought I’d pass out. Except, Demon’s Souls isn’t cheap, or that tough. I only died 3 times and recovered my souls each time, but when I was alive, I had something to struggle for. It wasn’t just moving from A-Z like other games, and when I found a message saying “I want to go home,” I rated it, because I really understood what he was saying.

The messages are a brilliant touch. They’re like a trail of candy and I found myself really excited when I saw a new one, even though the content is all pre-written. And to find one that warns of danger and is rated highly, now that is an experience in fear that is difficult to describe. You know the danger is there, but you almost don’t want to face it, and yet you must. There is something joyous about this, harking back to the playground days when children would swap tricks and tips and advice with each other. It’s a mechanic which cancels out the online FAQ, since they are only hints, not full explanations.

Though sadly I got a message in-game saying that From Software is only obliged to keep the servers running for 6 months. And they may decide to close them in September. The game would lose a great deal without those messages, and so it seems this is a game “of the times”, and if you’re not playing it now, you won’t get the same experience if you play it in a year’s time. Then again, they might not close the servers...

There’s kind of a hidden camaraderie, and I took great effort to place genuine messages, warning of ambushes and such like. Rating a message basically means you approve of it, right? I will admit though that in the Nexus (the safe hub world) I placed a message by a fatal cliff saying you should “jump here”. A little later I found a bloodstain there, and watching it I saw someone nervously go to the edge, then walk back and take a running jump. I vowed never to trick someone like that again. Though I did laugh.

It’s tough, but I only died three times in the run up to the first boss, when I tried to be macho and run in swords swinging to a fight, when I underestimated a particularly tough knight, and when I stood in front of some boulders held up by wooden planks and stupidly cut them down with my sword. Obviously they crushed me. The trick is to cut the wood standing from the side.


QUESTIONS:
How does saving work? I couldn’t find a save point last night so switched it off assuming the game autosaved after the first boss. I’ve not put it on since.

[schild]

[gooktime]

The game autosaves a lot - even when you change your inventory somehow. Notice the icon in the top right?

I think the difficulty might have been overstated a little! schild said earlier on, that by a certain point your character becomes an extension of yourself and this is very true. When you're confident in how you want to play it, the game suddenly clicks and feels much better.

I just noticed that when you go to the leaderboard/pantheon, you can see more detailed information on the players there by hitting triangle - you can see their stats and equipment.

[boojiboy7]

[Sketch]

[jjsimpso]

My hand has recovered from tendonitis and I've started lightly playing this game again. I'm playing as a Temple Knight. I finished the first boss last night and agree completely with Sketch's comments. It has been a long time since I've felt as accomplished just by finishing the first stage of a game.

I don't know how useful it is, but I'd like to add fellow Demon's Souls players to my friends list. My PSN id is TaipeiGamer. Feel free to add me!

[another god]

I'm going to make a post about this game in the Multiplayer forum so we can talk about getting people playing together, but we should keep the talk about how awesome the game is over here so people can read it and be jealous of us.

PSN: anothergod

Edit:

http://forums.selectbutton.net/viewtopic.php?p=523420#523420
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interdimensional

[Cossix]

My fucking shipment got delayed :(

[Sketch]

Just beat the giant spider demon, thanks mainly to some helpful chap leaving a message pointing out where it was safe to stand!

Man, it's like being back at school and everyone's sharing tips with each other.

I actually then found a better spot so left another message there. It should be easy for anyone entering. If you're going to mine area, you'll be wanting the light crossbow and some bolts, or non-fire projectile magic.

Anyone got any tips for those freaky laughing dudes? They take ages to drop with projectiles, and their blasts are semi-homing. I must have wasted 8 strong herbs healing myself when taking one down.

Stupidly though, after finishing the mine level, I then went and wasted 5000 souls buying a miracle without a talisman to use it.

Just to say again, this is an astounding game, and not as difficult as you may think. Every so often you'll permanently activate a shortcut in a level, making things much easier when you respawn.

Schild was right, once you've gone through a level a few times, you realise what a thing of genius it is. I mean, this is proper, functioning architecture right here, and it works incredibly well, especially with the shortcuts. When I activated the patinosta, I just let it take me round a few times. I mean, there's a freakin' patinosta in the game!

[gooktime]

[Sketch]

So it's a difficult game until you find the enemy's WEAK SPOT and deal MASSIVE DAMAGE? Hmm... I might try the easy way of defeating them, and then on a second playthrough try it with proper melee combat. With 2500 souls it was terrifying going into that dank pit and suddenly having to roll to avoid the spider's flames - so I kinda appreciated the safe spot.

I really like how even a little bit of progress can open up shortcuts/yield new items, so even if you do die and lose your souls, it never feels like a total loss.

What kind of playtime did you clock finishing it gooktime?

[gooktime]

About fifty hours I guess? I've barely touched co-op/pvp and the tendency stuff though.

[jakten]

I've been wanting this game since I saw the first post and man, I can't wait to get my hands on this. You guys have hyped me up so much and I'm going to shell out the money to pick this up as soon as I get some to spend.

I've been curious to somethings though. I know you guys have said that videos just don't do it justice, which I believe, but the controls seem rather clunky and finicky. It seems like people tend to end up slashing into the air often and it kind of reminds me of how the fighting is in monster hunter. Is this a good way to look at it? I found the PSP monster hunters to have pretty lame controls.

I'm hoping I'll be able to get this in the next 2 or so weeks. :)
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T U M B L R
T W I T T E R

[another god]

I barely have any problems with the controls. Schild says they're perfect, but I think the lock-on does present a few problems.

The way the game works is that the Left stick moves your person, and the Right stick moves your head. Regular uses like block and attack are mapped to the first shoulder button, and sneakier ones like parry and thrust/hard attack are mapped to the second shoulder button. Ls for left hand equip, and Rs for right hand equip.

For the most part, that's your main mode of playing. Everything else is secondary stuff. The d-pad's left/right change your left/right equips to alternates. Up/down changes your magic or selected item. Square uses your item. Triangle 2-hands a weapon. And circle sprints (hold), rolls (tap + direction), or jumps back (tap). X is your examine button. Also, it is your emote button - hold it and shake in a direction for emotes.

Now, the controls being "clunky" probably refers to the game not letting you DMC everything. There's not much canceling, a lot of the game is waiting blocking and baiting, and, well, yeah. Stuff that should come out fast comes out fast, but there's almost always a recovery. You have to play out your moves in advance, and if they get technical, you have to execute well or face the consequences. Though honestly, if you're in the survival horror mindset, you don't even think about these things. Nothing seems like it's too slow. It all seems real.

The one real problem with the controls has to do with the lock-on. Lock-on auto-targets another target after every kill. It makes facing 4 archers slightly spread out super easy because after you slash a couple down you don't even have to think about targeting the next ones and killing them. This isn't a problem for playing as much as it doesn't feel like it fits with the game. The problem with lock-on is that sometimes it'll give you another target that you might *not* want to lock onto e.g. a dragon flying by just as you kill the first soldier will snag your lock-on, and it makes your camera fly by real quickly.

I don't know if that's a real problem because it hasn't done anything bad yet, it's just real scary that it takes so much (important) control away from me.
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interdimensional

[Sketch]

That's a good criticism. In world 1-2 I wanted to lock on to a dude on the stairs, but the dragon came by at that moment and even though I was looking right at the guy, it locked onto the dragon.

[gooktime]

Sometimes it's just better not to use it. You can kind of end up more precise that way, hitting things too far-away for lock on with spells for example! 5-1 has lots of narrow walkways over enormous falls, so you pretty much can't use it there.

You can kill that dragon the first time you see it, if you're a spellcaster by then. I just stood at the top of the first archway and hit him with soul arrow from there. It took a while and some old spice and it's not the best idea early on if you aren't a royal with the mp regen ring they start with, but it's nice to have him out of the way.

[schild]

Controls being precise and lock-on not being your friend are two entirely different things. I'd say it's fairly arguable that while the input for lock-on is found on the control, it's not really part of the control scheme. It's fairly apparent that any sort of lock on in any game would take some control away from the player (thus being... anti-control?), and I never actually use it unless I'm kiting a laughing minister or a boss with multiple lock-on points. And even then, only when using magic. I never use it with melee characters, the controls are good enough to just ignore it as a utility.

[Sketch]

[gooktime]

You don't need to do them in order, you know! you have four other worlds you could finish first. I still recommend taking out the dragon at the beginning of 1-2, it makes it a ton easier. Tower Knight is also very easy to cheese if you're a caster.

[another god]

For 1-2:

Take off your armor. At 50% equip weight you go "normal speed", but between 25 and 50% you gain a speed bonus. I got my Knight to 25% by removing his helmet and his breastplate and he books it. The #1 problem I'm having with the Tower Knight level is the Tower Knight himself. Melee vs. the Tower Knight blows.

My roommate got him with a lot of arrows to his feet (100+), but I'm cooller than that. And hard headed. I guess that's why I keep dying.

Btw, don't give up on the game! As long as you're pateint, you're always making progress. My bloodstain has something like 6k souls, and everytime I try again I get another 1-2k. By the time I finally do beat the Tower Knight (or if I decide to go back to the nexus), I'll have a lot more points to get a lot more cool stuff.

Also, try using an ephemeral eye and getting some help on hard parts. The spider boss was super easy for my starting royal because I had someone to help show me the way.
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interdimensional

[jjsimpso]