Dark Souls 3: Prepare to Drei

[Jeff Kelly]

DS 3 unlocked at midnight for most of us so I figured a dedicated thread might be in order.

Haven't played much so far. Just character generation and the tutorial area.

A few observations. Combat is basically like DS 1 but a little faster. Parry/riposte seems to be harder to pull off than in previous games. Enemy reactions are like in DS 1, so no enemies tracking your movement while swinging.

Load times are much improved from Bloodborne even though it uses the same engine. Even basic enemies do combos now and you're staggered more easily (could just be the low poise though)

PS 4 version is fine but only 30 fps, my PC doesn't meet the minimum requirements for the PC version though and so I could not test it.

Probably the most well realized tutorial area of any souls game.

[Falconeer]

Can't wait to get home today and play until I pass out. I know this will make me angry for lots of reasons, but it's Dark Souls so pretty much videogame heaven no matter what. I hate that the Dual Shock 4 doesn't seem to work with Dark Souls 2 and 3 on the PC, so I'll have to go back to the Dual Shock 3. A minor quibble, but the Dual Shock 4 is really the best controller ever so I really wish I could have used it especially considering it works with all the other PC games.

EDIT: PSA! Your save games are not held in the Steam Cloud! Which is completely "WTF?!?" - Anyway, save your saved games, to avoid losing everything in case of file corruption or hard disk failure. MEH!

[Gimfain]

After killing the tutorial boss I noticed how much quicker combat felt compared to 1+2, its a huge difference for someone that never played bloodborne. It will be interesting to see if that's a good or bad thing.

[Falconeer]

I vote bad.

[Velorath]

Can't wait to get home today and play until I pass out. I know this will make me angry for lots of reasons, but it's Dark Souls so pretty much videogame heaven no matter what. I hate that the Dual Shock 4 doesn't seem to work with Dark Souls 2 and 3 on the PC, so I'll have to go back to the Dual Shock 3. A minor quibble, but the Dual Shock 4 is really the best controller ever so I really wish I could have used it especially considering it works with all the other PC games.

EDIT: PSA! Your save games are not held in the Steam Cloud! Which is completely "WTF?!?" - Anyway, save your saved games, to avoid losing everything in case of file corruption or hard disk failure. MEH!

There are some workarounds to get the DS4 to work but might require more fiddling around than you want to deal with.

[Falconeer]

You've been playing a lot of it since last night Velorath. What's your take on the combat (even though I don't remember your take on the hyperspeed of Bloodborne).

[Velorath]

My issues with Bloodborne had less to do with combat speed and more with the lack of options (shield, magic, bows, etc...) which also led to limited tactics. Dark Souls 3's pacing in general seems to be off from previous Souls games in a way I can quite articulate yet. As far as combat in particular goes, it does seem faster paced and less deliberate early on with only a couple enemies at a time that don't react too quickly and go down in a hit or two. Then you'll occasionally run into a somewhat challenging enemy.

I started off as an Assassin (Dex and Int). Normally i start off straight Dex, but i felt like going with some magic this time. Picked up the Soul Arrow spell, and found a bow also but haven't used it much yet. I'll have a lot of time to play in the next couple days so we'll see how this goes.

[Druzil]

I caved and picked this up last night.   I just had time to download it though, I didn't actually fire it up.  I think my biggest decision is whether or not to update my NVidia driver before playing, the last time I updated it bricked my PC (first time that's ever happened).  Hopefully things are sorted out by now, it's been a few weeks.

My favorite weapon in the first Dark Souls was the Claymore, so I'm guessing I'll do a Strength build of some sort for this one.

[jakonovski]

Welp it's a Dark Souls, but way forgiving. For example you can just mash the roll button to make a string of perfectly timed rolls until your stamina runs out.

But what really interests me is why they changed all back stabs into ass stabs. Seriously, you stab everyone right in the butthole.

[climbjtree]

Praise the Sun!, then try but hole

[Falconeer]

Back stabs everywhere. I hate it. I also hate that it randomly crashes over and over.

[lesion]

Twice so far (invader and summon) I've seen player characters hovering around with no animations completely immune to damage. Not sure if it's a bug or hackers, but I'm 0/2 on non-exploitable multiplayer with this and The Division. Blah.

[Jeff Kelly]

I think my biggest decision is whether or not to update my NVidia driver before playing

I did but I probably wouldn't do it again. I dislike the whole "NVidia Experience" thing immensely. For example since a few updates ago the SW is no longer able to optimize Kerbal Space Program even though I haven't deleted and/or reinstalled it, it's still in the same directory it always has been. The NVidia SW claims though that it can't optimize it because it's installed in a directory NVida Experience has no access to - even though it worked for a year or more until an update to the NVidia SW broke it.

I installed it because I assumed that the SW could tell you or set up the optimal graphics setting for the majority of games but what it usually does is give you settings that are less than optimal for your HW. With DS 3 it even says that "this computer doesn't meet the minimum requirements for optimized settings" which is a very ass-backwards way of telling me that my computer doesn't meet the minimum HW requirements for the game.

It's usually a crapshoot if it works or if a new version of the driver and the support SW breaks shit and I usually only touch it if shit doesn't work.

[Falconeer]

So, random Dark Souls 3 observations so far, which is only two hours in.

- Great game. How could it be anything less?
- Feels forgiving. Dislike.
- Feels less grim. Dislike.
- Fantastic visuals.
- Combat is tight and satisfying as expected, but stamina recovers too quickly. It is of course better than Bloodborne cause shields are back and no silly attack-to-regenerate HP crap.
- The whole game seems to be a tribute to ALL the previous chapters including Demon's Souls. A lot of references, more or less subtle. "Then touch the demon darkness inside me". 

[Velorath]

It's not a bad game and I'm having some fun with it, but I also feel a bit like I'm just buying these games out of habit now and that From is just making them out of habit. It's still too early to really judge, but I think right now my biggest problem with this game is that the level and enemy design feels a bit uninspired. It also feels a lot more linear so far than any previous entry.

[Falconeer]

- Feels forgiving. Dislike.

Fuck it. I started again with Deprived. Solved most of my issues.

[schild]

It's not a bad game and I'm having some fun with it, but I also feel a bit like I'm just buying these games out of habit now and that From is just making them out of habit. It's still too early to really judge, but I think right now my biggest problem with this game is that the level and enemy design feels a bit uninspired. It also feels a lot more linear so far than any previous entry.

Honestly, Dark Souls 1 didn't even feel like an improvement to Demon's Souls. That we're three chapters in at this point is just silly.

[Druzil]

I think my biggest decision is whether or not to update my NVidia driver before playing

I did but I probably wouldn't do it again. I dislike the whole "NVidia Experience" thing immensely. For example since a few updates ago the SW is no longer able to optimize Kerbal Space Program even though I haven't deleted and/or reinstalled it, it's still in the same directory it always has been. The NVidia SW claims though that it can't optimize it because it's installed in a directory NVida Experience has no access to - even though it worked for a year or more until an update to the NVidia SW broke it.

I installed it because I assumed that the SW could tell you or set up the optimal graphics setting for the majority of games but what it usually does is give you settings that are less than optimal for your HW. With DS 3 it even says that "this computer doesn't meet the minimum requirements for optimized settings" which is a very ass-backwards way of telling me that my computer doesn't meet the minimum HW requirements for the game.

It's usually a crapshoot if it works or if a new version of the driver and the support SW breaks shit and I usually only touch it if shit doesn't work.

I ended up doing a clean install of the latest driver and so far I've had no issues and the game seems to run great (and it looks amazing).  Overall I don't have any strong opinions on NVida Experience but I will say that I love Shadow play.  So for me it's worth installing just for that.   The game optimization stuff I can live without.

I really like how they made a variety of weapons easily found right at the beginning.  I am a little curious if the game is actually much more forgiving or if everyone is just much better at the game from the start now that we're a bunch of games into the series.  The stamina does seem to refill pretty quick which is maybe the most forgiving thing I've noticed in just the first few hours.

[Yegolev]

It's not a bad game and I'm having some fun with it, but I also feel a bit like I'm just buying these games out of habit now and that From is just making them out of habit. It's still too early to really judge, but I think right now my biggest problem with this game is that the level and enemy design feels a bit uninspired. It also feels a lot more linear so far than any previous entry.

Honestly, Dark Souls 1 didn't even feel like an improvement to Demon's Souls. That we're three chapters in at this point is just silly.

My lack of completion of the previous games leads me to join your camp.  I get less far into each installment.

[Falconeer]

It's not a bad game and I'm having some fun with it, but I also feel a bit like I'm just buying these games out of habit now and that From is just making them out of habit. It's still too early to really judge, but I think right now my biggest problem with this game is that the level and enemy design feels a bit uninspired. It also feels a lot more linear so far than any previous entry.

Honestly, Dark Souls 1 didn't even feel like an improvement to Demon's Souls. That we're three chapters in at this point is just silly.

My lack of completion of the previous games leads me to join your camp.  I get less far into each installment.

If only there were better games to play, let alone worth completing.

[apocrypha]

My lack of completion of the previous games leads me to join your camp.  I get less far into each installment.

This is exactly why I've not bought DS3. If my progression curve followed the same pattern as the previous games I'd probably get beaten by the installation process this time round.

[Nija]

GIT GUD!

No, not really. This is one of those games where there is an actual learning curve and it gets rewarding as you get better. Like real rewarding. Not like raiding in WoW.

The downside that I have seen so far is that, similar to Bloodborne, charging any enemy and going towards their weapon side is too effective. Even bosses.

Play aggressive, but it may take you a long time to get comfortable with the idea of playing aggressive.

This is like action RPG chess. I don't even consider these games unfair anymore. Maybe it's a new mental state?!

[Yegolev]

I think mental state has a lot to do with it.  Playing defensively is a hard habit to break in Bloodborne even though it generally gets me killed.

I've picked up Demon's Souls again and I figure if I can at least get one more trophy, that will be enough to annoy my DS3-playing friends.  Maaaaaybe I'll finish it, I don't know.  I do know that being aggressive in Demon's Souls gets me killed, at least as a mage.

[schild]

Said it when it launched, will say it again - Demon's Souls is the most fair game ever made. 100% of the time when you die it's your fault. That carries onto the other games for the most part.

[Nija]

You still want a 100% physical block shield. You just use it much less than you would otherwise. The safest place to be, almost as an all-encompassing rule, is as close as possible to the enemy. Just like Bloodborne.

[lesion]

Unless you're fighting those wacky inflatable chaos monsters. Dear god. Almost as scary as the quadruped frost knights.

[Gimfain]

The more I play from software's d.souls the more I go away from the overwhelming experience that you had the first time to it turning into just another game to beat. I simply don't get the adrenaline kick fighting bosses anymore, its just another time learning how to counter the attacks. I the same thing I had with raiding at the end with the exception that all wipes are caused by my mistakes and there is no waiting between fights.

I need something new. No idea what that would be.

[Hawkbit]

Contextually not relevant but these conversations often remind me of

So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark—that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.

[Kail]

My lack of completion of the previous games leads me to join your camp.  I get less far into each installment.

This is exactly why I've not bought DS3. If my progression curve followed the same pattern as the previous games I'd probably get beaten by the installation process this time round.

Yeah, every time one of these games launches I think "I should go back and beat Dark Souls 1 before I play this one" then I start a new game and get to Firelink Shrine, kill a few skeletons and call it a day, and never log in again.  Then I spend the rest of the week feeling like an alien for being the only person who doesn't know what the hell anyone on the internet is talking about suddenly.

[Merusk]

Nah, you're not alone. I've never gotten past the first campfire. Game bored me enough that I stopped and haven't ever gone back. Not my style of fun.

[Rasix]

I appreciated what Demon's Souls was doing back when I played it.  It was very hard but rewarded mastery.  The atmosphere was perfect. 

I ended up getting to the point where I could do pretty decent, but overall, the frustration of learning every new encounter, memorizing monster placements and dealing with the control scheme (which is fine for the game) wore me down.  I don't really want to play a game where I need to continually improve over the course of the game.  20 year old me would probably love it.  37 year old me wants to relax at some point and just faceroll. 

I think I got to the first bonfire in Dark Souls 1 and never got much beyond.  The game doesn't offer me anything at this time in my life that's worth the skill climb.  That sort of need for continual improvement only really appeals to me in a competitive PVP environment where at least my baseline to carry me to a comfortable place in many instances.

tl:dr I don't want to get gud. 

[Fabricated]

I found Dark Souls really boring, and Dark Souls 2 I watched most of and found REALLY boring.

Demon's Souls and Bloodborne are the best games in the series. From should give it a break for a bit- an HD Remaster of Demon's Souls would be something I'd want instead of a new game at this point.

[Falconeer]

Bloodborne

Yeah.... no.

[Rendakor]

I appreciated what Demon's Souls was doing back when I played it.  It was very hard but rewarded mastery.  The atmosphere was perfect. 

I ended up getting to the point where I could do pretty decent, but overall, the frustration of learning every new encounter, memorizing monster placements and dealing with the control scheme (which is fine for the game) wore me down.  I don't really want to play a game where I need to continually improve over the course of the game.  20 year old me would probably love it.  37 year old me wants to relax at some point and just faceroll. 

I think I got to the first bonfire in Dark Souls 1 and never got much beyond.  The game doesn't offer me anything at this time in my life that's worth the skill climb.  That sort of need for continual improvement only really appeals to me in a competitive PVP environment where at least my baseline to carry me to a comfortable place in many instances.

tl:dr I don't want to get gud. 

This right here.

[lesion]

Found a new (optional) zone tonight and two minutes later was shot into a sub-floor by a crossbow bolt the size of a subway car. The sub-floor, of course, was filled with demon rape.

I love this shit. Even though I'm over 30 and by default now bad at video games. Best Dark Souls to date--it has all the loot.