How to play Dark Souls

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Stalvern
Posts: 1952
Joined: June 18th, 2016, 7:15 pm

Re: How to play Dark Souls

Postby Stalvern » January 13th, 2018, 1:51 am

VideoGameCritic wrote:This thread has obviously generated a lot of interest and is much-needed.

My question is, what does it say about a game that requires a thread like this?
Is it a knock against the design of the game? Or maybe the lack of a manual?

It's not a knock against anything. Different games require different strategies and mindsets, and DaHeckIzDat is just pointing out what works best for this one.

Of the OP's eight items, three of them are purely motivational (#1, #6, #8), three concern the basic mechanics of character classes, stat leveling, and attack patterns (#2, #3, #4), and two concern the basic strategies of dodging and attacking from behind (#5, #7). None of the information should be new to anyone who has played the game (or even played a game). This is not to discount DaHeckIzDat's effort in putting the OP together, only to say that the game's difficulty does not come from design issues or a lack of information. The game is hard because it has to be played precisely and persistently, and the OP lays out specific priorities in where and how to build those qualities. It's an approach that can be figured out purely through experience, but DaHeckIzDat has given people a bit of a shortcut.
Last edited by Stalvern on January 13th, 2018, 9:07 am, edited 1 time in total.

DaHeckIzDat
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Re: How to play Dark Souls

Postby DaHeckIzDat » January 13th, 2018, 8:02 am

VideoGameCritic wrote:This thread has obviously generated a lot of interest and is much-needed.

My question is, what does it say about a game that requires a thread like this?
Is it a knock against the design of the game? Or maybe the lack of a manual?

I don't say a manual wouldn't help, but the biggest problem is that most games these days more or less play the same, so you have to completely change your mindset to get into Dark Souls.

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Atarifever
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Re: How to play Dark Souls

Postby Atarifever » January 13th, 2018, 8:16 am

VideoGameCritic wrote:This thread has obviously generated a lot of interest and is much-needed.

My question is, what does it say about a game that requires a thread like this?
Is it a knock against the design of the game? Or maybe the lack of a manual?


I see the exact same kind of thing happen with Monster Hunter (another series I want to get into, but don't have the time). I don't think it says anything about the game in a bad way. I think they are both sort of a new sub-genre. They're games that almost require the internet, not to play, but to have a community and resources available. They are very complicated and hard to get into without help, but end up breeding huge, passionate communities for that exact reason.

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Gentlegamer
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Re: How to play Dark Souls

Postby Gentlegamer » January 17th, 2018, 8:34 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:This thread has obviously generated a lot of interest and is much-needed.

My question is, what does it say about a game that requires a thread like this?
Is it a knock against the design of the game? Or maybe the lack of a manual?


It says it is an "old school" style of game, where figuring out the game is part of the game itself. It rewards those who pay attention and play cautiously. It does not reward those with an aversion to difficulty or those who expect hand holding.

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ptdebate
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Re: How to play Dark Souls

Postby ptdebate » January 19th, 2018, 4:53 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:This thread has obviously generated a lot of interest and is much-needed.

My question is, what does it say about a game that requires a thread like this?
Is it a knock against the design of the game? Or maybe the lack of a manual?


It’s not really a knock of any kind if you ask me. I don’t know that a manual would benefit a game like Dark Souls very much. Too much of it is experiential, instinctive almost. You have to just learn it by doing it.

Dark Souls is now considered an all-timer because it had the audacity to do things differently than everyone else. And what it did has been copied or echoed more than any other game since Doom.

DaHeckIzDat
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Re: How to play Dark Souls

Postby DaHeckIzDat » January 19th, 2018, 5:21 pm

#Whatever. A lot of people will tell you not to look at any guides or walkthroughs so that you get the best experience. I disagree. My advice is don't look at guides at first. Try to beat the level/boss on your own a few times, and if you feel truly stuck, then feel free to look up some advice. I still do this. I was playing 3 the other day, and I kept getting wrecked by Aldrich's arrow storm spell, so I looked up the best way to dodge that. Turns out, all I had to do was run in a circle, and they wouldn't catch me. I still beat the boss on my own, but that little tidbit saved me a lot of frustration.


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