Dark Souls PC (Buyer Beware)

As far as ports go, I'll say this - it could have been worse. The pre-Durante IQ is bad and GFWL is gross but it's not buggy at all. I was honestly expecting instability and such.

Also those textures goddamn. All that beauty hidden until our eyes were opened by the (modded) PC version.
 
demosthenes said:
I'll try this but I doubt that's my issue. When I click "play" on Steam it opens on my 2nd monitor but it's not centered, it's like down and to the right. It proceeds to crash immediately.
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yes, this is an issue with the gfwl version you have. i had the same issue and fixed it after downloading some specific version that was found with some googling.
 
Misterinenja said:
Context here being, that, there are so many unknown factors when it comes to running PC games. I should be running TW2 on medium with playable framerate when it comes to my specs and can run most games on high settings. But something just doesn't go well with my PC. So you can't always blame the game - see this thread.

I hate typing on my phone.
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I agree with you. Although I feel it's much less of an issue these days. It was far far worse in the old days.
 
I wouldn't say "shoddy" cuz that means the port was broken, imo. I would say the port was "lazy". They didn't do anything to enhance the graphics and other settings but it played fine with and without the mod for me.
 
pa22word said:
As long as you stop posting your ignorant crap placing the blame on the people who bought it for the community dwindling when From shat out the port in the shape they did.
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From were incompetent, rather than lazy. Not that that's much better, but their willingness to improve their PC development skills should be applauded at least. Making the PC version the lead platform for Dark Souls II is a pretty big step for a Japanese developer.
 
What about that input lag mentioned in OP. Is it an issue on the PC?

I bought the PC version some days ago, but still haven't got around starting it yet. But input lag is a deal breaker to me :/
 
I just want to say this is probably an isolated case. The game has worked for a lot of people, and it's very serviceable with Durante's fix. You are right OP, the port was very mediocre by any standard. However, with DSFix, the game ran and looked a great deal better than the console versions.

If you are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the the pc version, by all means buy it if it's the only platform you can play it on. Dark Souls should be experienced by any person that really loves games.
 
Mogwai said:
What about that input lag mentioned in OP. Is it an issue on the PC?

I bought the PC version some days ago, but still haven't got around starting it yet. But input lag is a deal breaker to me :/
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This is the first I've heard about anything like that.
 
LiK said:
I wouldn't say "shoddy" cuz that means the port was broken
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It is broken in the way impact is talking about.

Matchmaking doesn't work and hasn't since launch. The fan made fix for which both is pretty inconvenient and arguably goes against the point of the system in the first place, and came so late most people moved on already.

Aretak said:
From were incompetent, rather than lazy. Not that that's much better, but their willingness to improve their PC development skills should be applauded at least. Making the PC version the lead platform for Dark Souls II is a pretty big step for a Japanese developer.
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I'm not attacking fromsoft as much as I am the idea that PC gamers are to blame for the online community being in the state it is (ie, basically dead).
 
I guess when PC gaming I usually check any game to make sure there isn't some absolutely highly praised mods I should start with. I never tried the game without that mod.

That said, I think it looks and runs far better on my PC than my PS3. Game is visually beautiful on my PC. I've enjoyed my time playing it on here.
 
K' Dash said:
I can run it @ 2560x1440 with max AA, 30fps locked, it runs very well.
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See I can't get it to run well past 1680 X 1050, and I have to set SMAA and SSAO to 0

I'm running an i7-4770k with a Sapphire 7950 and 32GB of RAM, so I should be having no issues...
 
legacyzero said:
FROM should have a friendly character named Durante in DS2.
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they acknowledged the existence of the mod, iirc. But yea, we need a Durante character, name, boss, item, weapon or anything that gives him some credit for saving the PC version.
 
Ceallach said:
See I can't get it to run well past 1680 X 1050, and I have to set SMAA and SSAO to 0

I'm running an i7-4770k with a Sapphire 7950 and 32GB of RAM, so I should be having no issues...
Click to expand...

You're right, you should be seeing better performance. At 30 fps I was downsampling from 3840x2160 with SSAO and SMAA enabled, at 60 fps I have no problem at native resolution with SSAO and SMAA enabled. I have a 7970, which is only slightly more capable but I only have a i7 930 @3.9 Ghz.
 
I don't know what you guys all did, but I can't even get it to open on my PC.

I've re-installed proper versions of GFWL, I've tried with, without DSFix... At first the game would open in window, black screen and error message. I can't even get it to do that now!!


Suggestion would be incredibly appreciated!
 
There's actually input lag for certain actions on the consoles and it has nothing to do with how the game runs, but how they've programmed the actual fighting system. On several occasions I've had instances where I'll press the button to do an attack and it will take a solid 2 or 3 seconds before it actually registers, all while I'm still able to move around freely with the left thumbstick. I think there's some sort of queue system or something that's getting full or not working properly at certain times when attacking. I don't remember it being an issue in Demons Souls.
 
zma1013 said:
There's actually input lag for certain actions on the consoles and it has nothing to do with how the game runs, but how they've programmed the actual fighting system. On several occasions I've had instances where I'll press the button to do an attack and it will take a solid 2 or 3 seconds before it actually registers, all while I'm still able to move around freely with the left thumbstick. I think there's some sort of queue system or something that's getting full or not working properly at certain times when attacking. I don't remember it being an issue in Demons Souls.
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Can you provide an example here of what attacks?
 
TUSR said:
Can you provide an example here of what attacks?
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Any attacks really. I've had it lag when throwing fireballs, I've had it lag doing a heavy attack, had it lag doing a normal attack. It's gotten me killed a couple of times. Especially when throwing the big fireball because I'll push the button at what I think is a good moment to use it, nothing will happen for 2 or 3 seconds, then the enemy is ready to attack me and then I'll finally go into the fireball animation and I get hit while I'm in the animation. It doesn't happen a lot, but when it happens, it can hurt because timing in this game is everything. Pretty sure I've even had it happen trying to drink flasks.
 
I don't understand why people are defending a shitty port, smh.

More people should be warmed of the shitty drm, poor performance and unoffical fix need to properly run the game not "its not From Softwares fault! Support JRPGS and a we fixed it 10 minutes BS.
 
Giontatas26 said:
I don't know what you guys all did, but I can't even get it to open on my PC.

I've re-installed proper versions of GFWL, I've tried with, without DSFix... At first the game would open in window, black screen and error message. I can't even get it to do that now!!


Suggestion would be incredibly appreciated!
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Try to remove the joypad, if you use one. Then try to reinstall it completely, without DSfix. Then try uninstalling GFWL and reinstall GFW Marketplace, and log in there before starting the game.

Then try everything here. Then try everything here.

I had the same problem for months, and I have no freaking clue what fixed it in the end. It's just an insanely crappy port.
 
Misterinenja said:
There are known input bugs in the game.
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Oh really? That's interesting to know because it definitely seemed to be that way when I played it. Occasionally I'd have the odd occasions where where stuff just wouldn't come out right. I didn't think it was the normal vysnc input lag though because it wasn't uniform like vysnc lag usually is.
 
Giontatas26 said:
I don't know what you guys all did, but I can't even get it to open on my PC.

I've re-installed proper versions of GFWL, I've tried with, without DSFix... At first the game would open in window, black screen and error message. I can't even get it to do that now!!


Suggestion would be incredibly appreciated!
Click to expand...

What OS? On 8.1 I had to run GFWL setup as admin, allow Dark Souls to run as admin, and run in Win 7 compatility mode. It still hangs for a second before launching.
 
Tobor said:
Can anyone explain why From won't buy/ask permission to use the fix officially?
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Probably to do with being a Japanese developer, not having a great focus on Community Managers to help communicate things to and from the developers and the publisher.

I am sure they probably know about the fix but cannot support it. The fact they are not outright banning people for it shows that they appreciate what Durante did for the PC sales.
 
I'm having a blast with the PC version right now (I've rung the first bell, and all melts before my +10 Zweihander), but I wonder, why didn't Namco/FROM ever patch the game to include DSfix-like features?

It was a colossal pain in the ass applying DSfix since only one person here bothered to speak in laymen's terms when I asked what the #s in the .ini file meant, etc. You open that file and it's just a jumble of nonsense when you don't know how hacking works. Morten242's UI for DSfix is a neat application that streamlines the process -- you basically get a window where you can set the resolution, add anti-aliasing, etc -- but thankfully at least one person on GAF explained how the .ini works.

Also, OP, remember to toggle off anti-aliasing in the game options. You can pump it up in the .ini (I.E. SMAA x8), but you have to turn the option in the actual in-game menu to Off. Otherwise there will be strange glitches.

At any rate, Namco/FROM should update the hell out of the PC port.
 
Neiteio said:
I'm having a blast with the PC version right now (I've rung the first bell, and all melts before my +10 Zweihander), but I wonder, why didn't Namco/FROM ever patch the game to include DSfix-like features?

It was a colossal pain in the ass applying DSfix since only one person here bothered to speak in laymen's terms when I asked what the #s in the .ini file meant, etc. You open that file and it's just a jumble of nonsense when you don't know how hacking works. Morten242's UI for DSfix is a neat application that streamlines the process -- you basically get a window where you can set the resolution, add anti-aliasing, etc -- but thankfully at least one person on GAF explained how the .ini works.

Also, OP, remember to toggle off anti-aliasing in the game options. You can pump it up in the .ini (I.E. SMAA x8), but it you have to turn the option in the actual in-game menu to Off. Otherwise there will be strange glitches.

At any rate, Namco/FROM should update the hell out of the PC port.
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I figure they already got what they needed out of the PC version, namely money and a strong indication that people want Dark Souls on PC. Most of their efforts now are probably focused on Dark Souls II, since that runs on a new engine and is using PC as its lead platform.

Also, they may already "know" about DSFix... Dark Souls II features ambient occlusion that looks almost exactly the same as Durante's implementation, and even generates the same artifacts on certain objects and surfaces. :P
 
Game runs buttery smooth for me with the dsfix. Sorry man it must be your computer. The pc port is the best version of Dark Souls. No input lag from using the ps3 controller either.
 
Since this thread happened to pop up I wanted to see if anyone is having problems with the online component. I'm working through my first playthrough and using the dsfix. Ive had no issues getting the game to work online for the first 6 hours and now it seems to always give me a GFWL error and send me into offline mode.



I want to read misleading messages and be invaded! -Masochist 2013


Im probably moving this info to the dsfix thread but does anyone have any setting recommendations for my machine:
I7-2600 with a slight overclock to 4.0
and a Radeon 6950

I feel like I could be squeezing out prettier visuals than what I have right now.
 
PBalfredo said:
I thought DSfix was just a resolution fix. How do you use it to improve the framerate?
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You can unlock the framerate but set the limit at whatever you want, which allows the game to run more smoothy. By default, it's all-or-nothing 30FPS or 15.
 
Giontatas26 said:
I don't know what you guys all did, but I can't even get it to open on my PC.

I've re-installed proper versions of GFWL, I've tried with, without DSFix... At first the game would open in window, black screen and error message. I can't even get it to do that now!!


Suggestion would be incredibly appreciated!
Click to expand...

I had this problem and I'm being completely serious with this suggestion: start it, walk away from your computer for 20 minutes, don't change the input on the monitor/tv, don't use the computer for anything else, just give it a solid chunk of time.

I really thought the game was straight up broken/ had some major driver issues with my computer or something (and in many ways, that's true) but it usually just needs a really long time to start up. All the symptoms you described are things I ran into. Make sure a dark souls process isn't already running in your task manager/process manager, that will screw things up too. Whenever I had tried to prematurely close the window, thinking it had crashed, it would end up keeping some dark souls process running.
 
kick51 said:
So you'll start your boycott then miss Dark Souls 2, which is going to be a good port.

makes sense
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I can live without the game easily. It's not even high on my purchase list. The fact that it isn't next gen means I may not get it at all since I'm moving away from PC gaming and towards consoles right now. I truly hate developers that release broken games and make the community fix them. Dark Souls was one of the most insulting examples of that I ever seen. TO ALL DEVELOPERS: It is not our job to fix your games.
 
AppleSmack said:
I can live without the game easily. It's not even high on my purchase list. The fact that it isn't next gen means I may not get it at all since I'm moving away from PC gaming and towards consoles right now. I truly hate developers that release broken games and make the community fix them. Dark Souls was one of the most insulting examples of that I ever seen. TO ALL DEVELOPERS: It is not our job to fix your games.
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Can you accept them admitting it was a bad port and putting their limited resources toward making Dark Souls II really great on PC as an apology?
 
Eh, I cut them some slack initially because it was their first ever PC game, but I can't for the life of me understand why they wouldn't have patched it by now, especially since it's been shown to be incredibly easy to do and well... already done for them.

I'm hoping for much better things from the Dark Souls 2 release.
 
zma1013 said:
Eh, I cut them some slack initially because it was their first ever PC game, but I can't for the life of me understand why they wouldn't have patched it by now, especially since it's been shown to be incredibly easy to do and well... already done for them.
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Japanese developers not caring much about the PC version + GFWL making incredibly obnoxious and expensive to offer post-release support for a game.

That said, everyone here keep mentioning the Durante Fix, but actually that's a bit beyond the point. What's more relevant to me is that the OP claims just aren't true regardless of using the fix or not.
The port is poor, lazy and whatever you want, but the game surely isn't incredibly demanding or unplayable in its vanilla state.
 
Orayn said:
Can you accept them admitting it was a bad port and putting their limited resources toward making Dark Souls II really great on PC as an apology?
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Well I consider it a start. Going to wait to see how the PC version turns out before actually forgiving them though.
 
(Buyer beware the game is awesome)

Took me all of 5 minutes to get DSfix downloaded. Ran fine @ 30 FPS without it, my PC is up to spec though.

Are you new to PC gaming? Console ports usually have issues.
 
Not too familiar with GFWL (haven't used it in years), but is it required each time you launch the game or just for the initial activation?

i.e. Can I get rid of it after the initial launch?
 
Mupod said:
As far as ports go, I'll say this - it could have been worse. The pre-Durante IQ is bad and GFWL is gross but it's not buggy at all. I was honestly expecting instability and such.
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I can't remember the last time a 3D game didn't allow you to change the resolution. Shit, it must have been when games still ran in software mode. So yeah, even though Dark Souls technically worked, it was an embarrassment of a port.

I wound up getting the game on sale and Paypal'd the difference to Durante. DSFix is easily one of the most effective PC mods of all time
 
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