Dark Souls II

Cruguey (18)

Posted 9 years ago.

I've been playing this quite bit recently. Picked it up on the Steam Summer Sale for $30. Since I am a fan of the first Dark Souls the purchase was a no brainer.

So first thing you notice is the game looks great and has options for the graphics unlike the first. I am using terrible PC hardware and the game runs great at med-high settings @ 2048x1152. I was afraid it would run like crap but I was very surprised by this. OFC I always turn AA off but IMO it is worth it for a good framerate (I am using an HD4870 - Phenom II X4 820 - 4GB RAM). OFC with a better system you could prolly max it out easily. The PC version has higher resolution textures and OFC the options to tweak. This is technically a console port but a lot of options were added for graphics and the keyboard + mouse is now a viable option. The inventory system as been reworked a bit and you can use the mouse in it if you want. I am using an XBox 360 controller as I am used to it.

Now for the meat of the game, the combat. At first the controls felt 'muddy'. This is from them changing some mechanics slightly. The time to raise your shield has increased enough that it is noticeable if you played the first one a lot. Once you get used to that it plays very similarly to the first. You can now bind a dedicated jump button if you wish but I prefer the old jumping method (double tap the dash while running). Another perhaps more major change is now there are far fewer invincibility frames when rolling. Parrying is now much more difficult as well as back stabbing. The AI has improved significantly, enemies are far less likely to fall off ledges and things like that. All of that combined raises the level of difficulty by a fair margin.

The stats system has gotten an overhaul as well and some stats now act differently. In Dark Souls, Poise was one of the best stats as it prevented you from getting staggered by a hard hitting enemy and dictated the strength of your shield block (meaning, how easy/hard it was to break your guard by depleting your stamina). Now the Poise stat only really prevents you from getting stunlocked.

The game does not use GWFL thankfully. It uses Steamworks for multiplayer matchmaking but still relies on the old system of directly connecting to the host. This change is amazing. I like to summon people to help with bosses and I have yet to get a failed summon. The game is still very active and there are people around everywhere to help when needed. Matchmaking is no longer based solely on your level. It now goes by "Soul Memory", the total number of souls you have collected in the current game. It is possible to stay low level but if you collected a ton of souls, you will be matched to those higher tier players regardless. This eliminates "twinking" but can make some areas harder if your soul memory is too high to summon help. Random invasions of other players is still in the game but it seems extremely rare unless you are in certain zones. Right now I have 50 hours ingame and have only been invaded twice.

There are some parts I don't really like too much. Now the zones are not interconnected like they were in Dark Souls. It is more like a central hub with spokes instead of a web. To me it feels sorta limiting but honestly there is not much keeping you from going where ever you want other than your personal skill level. Another thing is it seems extremely difficult to level your weapons/armor early game. I understand why (it is to prevent super weapons early game) but it is frustrating not being able to find the items you need and being limited to a small collection of weapons to choose from.

My overall impression is very positive. It is classic Dark Souls with upgrades. Unlike many sequels to popular games, this one does not make it easier nor are features removed. It retains the brutal difficulty and looks good doing it. There is nothing truly new about this game compared to the first, but why fix what isn't broken they say. And I have to agree on this point. Dramatically changing the game or making it easier would have been a mistake and From Software produced what the community wanted.

Roguey

Trueguey (22)

Posted 9 years ago.

hey there sinxar,

its good to hear they added pc controls and options. That did put me off the first game. I know there were mods for the game, but there wasnt even a resolution setting? I know the Xbox controller is good for pc gaming but it shouldnt be required.

Did the first release use GWFL? Didnt that get killed off? I thought developers were removing it from their games anyway?

As for the game, it sounds like they did the right think and didnt change too much - otherwise it could of alienated their original fan-base (as seen in other releases).

Sinxar

Cruguey (18)

Posted 9 years ago.

Dark Souls 1 uses GFWL. I am not sure what is going on with that. GWFL is going to disappear then now they are saying it isn't.

There is a resolution setting but IIRC it didn't do anything as the game was a direct console port and it was locked at 720p @ 30Hz or something like that. DSFix added resolution control and the unlocking of framerates.

Recently they disabled VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat). I don't know why they did that. There are some mods for the game, maybe people were getting banned or something. All I see on the Steam forums is how many people are cheating. I wouldn't say it is a bigger problem than in the first one but I think it is due to how many people are playing. What I mean is if 1 in 100 people cheat the number of cheaters would be higher the more people who play. Dark Souls 1 had a fair few cheaters as well but honestly I have only encountered 2 that I know of and none in Dark Souls II as of yet, but then again i'm not doing any PVP either. Still trying to beat the game lol.

I've been having trouble finding a build im happy with. I think I nailed it with this char though and will at least finish the game before making a new char again.

Roguey

Trueguey (22)

Posted 9 years ago.

Dark Souls 1 uses GFWL. I am not sure what is going on with that. GWFL is going to disappear then now they are saying it isn't.
- Sinxar

Odd I thought MS said they were ditching GFWL - usally MS are good at dropping things, although in the case of GFWL thats a good thing. I knew of a few games which even patched it out - such as the Batman series.

There is a resolution setting but IIRC it didn't do anything as the game was a direct console port and it was locked at 720p @ 30Hz or something like that. DSFix added resolution control and the unlocking of framerates.
- Sinxar

Things like that kind-of annoy me, as surely it wouldnt of taken much by the developers to add a few more options. 720p @ 30fps is fair too low for a PC. Sounds like they didnt care much for the PC port.

Recently they disabled VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat). I don't know why they did that.
- Sinxar

For me that does ruin a game; knowing you have to put-up with people who have simply cheated their way to their status (which may of taken you days/weeks to get too) or giving them unfair disadvantage over others (like in a PvP area). How have the developers responded? any patches due? I guess this is one of the biggest downsides to PC gaming.

I've been having trouble finding a build im happy with. I think I nailed it with this char though and will at least finish the game before making a new char again.
- Sinxar

Usually thats the sign of a good game; if they really done the gameplay right then no build should be best, but better in different situations and/or depending on your play style.

Sinxar

Cruguey (18)

Posted 9 years ago.

So... From Software did a DX11 remake for the PC. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin.

It includes all the DLC and owners of the original get a discount. Since I didn't have any of the DLC I was able to get the new version for $30 USD. The same price as the DLC for the original. One of the main points was making it DirectX 11 and 64 bit optimized. There were some slight rebalancing of some items that was included in both versions. Item and mob placements has been changed also. Overall performance is very good but I did build a new PC recently so that could be a factor in it running well.

In my case it was worth the $30 for the DLC. Everything else is a bonus really. A lot of people are mad about this move and I can't blame them. I didn't agree with the remake of Metro: Last Night either. I'm not sure how much of a discount you get if you own the DLCs (it may only cost $20 USD in that case).

The graphics upgrade is noticeable if you played regular DS2 but nothing spectacular. I do like the rearranged mobs and items too. The online features seem to be working extremely well. They raised the player cap from 4 to 6 and added a ring to absorb souls instead of yourself. This is important to maintain your 'soul memory' at a certain level. This is the mechanic that works with the matchmaking system. I've had no issues summoning help for bosses and I have been invaded a few times already, far more than the original DS2.

(large image)

Overall for the cost of the DLC, I found it to be worthwhile if you are a Souls fan. There is no reason to buy the old version anymore and serves as the replacement. AFAIK people cannot play together unless they have the same version. I don't know why this is, maybe it is a balance thing, or perhaps some technical limitation who knows.

DARK SOULSâ„¢ II: Scholar of the First Sin - Steam

Roguey

Trueguey (22)

Posted 9 years ago.

They did a remake on Metro: Last Night? geez, that game was okay but I didnt find it all that great to be honest.

As for Darksouls, didnt the second one only come out recently? I remember you were talking about the first, which you said had a fixed resolution (unless you use some program)? from the screenshot it looks fairly up-to date (apart from the mountain texture). I guess your still enjoying the Darksouls series, and got fed-up of Elite?

Quite a few developers seem to be doing a rehash games, rather than make new full games. I guess its easier.

Sinxar

Cruguey (18)

Posted 9 years ago.

Yeah both games got redone, metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Night Redux. There was a huge uproar about the whole thing. It seems people have calmed down now though. I'm not really fed up of Elite, just bored to tears. While the wings update was nice, there is still nothing to really do. I tried pvp for a while and people either just run away or camp the entry points of beacons and combat zones. My favorite tactic is when a group of people wait for somebody to choose the wrong side in a conflict zone and instapop them.

Roguey

Trueguey (22)

Posted 9 years ago.

Yeah both games got redone, metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Night Redux. There was a huge uproar about the whole thing.
- Sinxar

Its a shame that developers seem to be annoying customers. It seems to be happening to quite a few games unfortunately.

I'm not really fed up of Elite, just bored to tears.
- Sinxar

Understandable, as ive got a bit bored of it too. I think they need to add the Thargoids with large scale instances (a bit like GW2 but in space). Then 10-20 more ships, global events and new missions/scaling. Although I will do a odd trade-run or two whilst waiting for v1.3.

Anyway... I think we got a little off-topic Smile

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