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Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition |OT| Durante Does In 23 Minutes What From Can't
- Thread starter indigo-cyclops
- Start date
I'm having a whole new connectivity issue all of a sudden. I get summoned successfully but as soon as I spawn there's nobody there and after about ten seconds I get a pop-up saying that I've been disconnected from the master of the world.
It's like a form of summoning failure designed specifically to get my hopes up.
It's like a form of summoning failure designed specifically to get my hopes up.
There really is a lot crammed into this game. When I first went through it, I felt like I was pretty thorough, but obviously I wasn't.
It's frustrating, but cool, since it gives a good bit of replay value. I know most people look it all up, but hey.
This happens to me a lot with invasions. I'll get the telltale signs that someone is trying to invade - bonfire stops working, fog doors appear, etc - and after a while it just goes back to normal.
OreoKraickerz
Neo Member
I've played through it three times this past year (just finished up the PC version on Sunday) and I still haven't done everything I want to do in the game. It's unbelievable how much cool there is packed into Dark Souls.
The online situation has me bummed. Helping guys in co-op was my bread and butter in the PS3 version. I just had my sign down at Anor Londo (sl 50) for 30 minutes and not a single bite 
From/Namco's silence on the port post-release doesn't give me hope that it will be fixed soon.
From/Namco's silence on the port post-release doesn't give me hope that it will be fixed soon.
PantherAttacks
Member
I'm playing through this again on the PC and loving every minute. Haven't seen any new content yet though and have avoided spoilers about it. Is it something I'll run into easily later in the game, or will I need to look up how to get access to the new stuff?
Maybe router issues? What does GFWL say about your UPnP and NAT?
Maybe router issues? What does GFWL say about your UPnP and NAT?
RockTurtle
Member
I'm used to the not-invasions anymore. I've taken to calling them Unvasions. This weird successful summon followed by immediate disconnection thing is something new and annoying. It's hit me three times tonight.
I suppose it's possible that it's all the same person, but the three were spread over the course of about an hour and a half. If it's one person who keeps tagging my sign only to have me never appear then that is one dedicated summoner. Or just somebody with an unfortunate router configuration who is hopelessly stuck on O&S and desperate for any help they can find.
You can discover the new content without looking anything up. Later in the game you'll notice something new, which will lead to a clue.
GFWL says UPnP: Available, in use & NAT Type: Open. I have my computer's IP DMZ'd, hope windows 7 firewall keeps me safe. The online problem seems common based on GAF feedback.
That hasn't happened to me yet but I expect it will.
The problem surrounding co-op is probably made worse with your sign disappearing for other players when someone attempts to summon you and fails to do so. I'm not even sure if it reappears after that. I know in many cases I've had better luck putting my sign back down after waiting for a good while and not getting a bite.
Firestorm or Fire Tempest probably.
The AoE Pyromancies are Fire Storm, Chaos Storm, and Fire Tempest, in order from weakest to strongest.
I remember my Nat is open, don't remember UPnP status, and the online stuff is really spotty. :/ Takes a while to invade or get summoned, summoning very rarely works, and getting invaded rarely works.
What helps finding /isolating texture sets is unequipping desired equipment alt-tab, deleting all previously grabbed textures, alt-tab back into the game and equipping everything, since textures seem to be loaded then (so they can even be updated while game the is running).
Then it is time figuring out what goes where
and finally changing
While some parts can be made transparent(notice the missing strap of the Balder Armor lower half (and the cloth thingies on both pictures)) the lower plates seem to have embedded textures or something like that.
EDIT: dang, hit wrong DaS thread tab >_< Well then, behold the mighty power of (unskilled )modding!
Then it is time figuring out what goes where
and finally changing
While some parts can be made transparent(notice the missing strap of the Balder Armor lower half (and the cloth thingies on both pictures)) the lower plates seem to have embedded textures or something like that.
EDIT: dang, hit wrong DaS thread tab >_< Well then, behold the mighty power of (unskilled )modding!
If it's faster than circling and axing, then I should be doing that
yes make the samves as it is a chance not to drop...happened to me and wasted a playthrough as I didn't use the saves....its not that hard ot keep him alive if you use the curses and bring ranged weapons....run by the ghosts initially then stnad on the ledge in back of the barn he sits on and peg off all the ghosts from a distance....then walk right in instead of getting ganked!
Even witha ll my experience I still don't like the rate.....but you can ensure your SL is appropriate as mentioned, make sure you place your sign well (i.e. not obscurred by pots or a table that you broke in your game but is still visible in the hosts etc.), if its obviously high traffic, put your sign closest to the door...most people will take the first one they get to (but also realize others will be thinking like you and you don't want to overlap with others either,; but the most beneficial thing I have done is just make friends with those who you DO eventulaly connect with...for whatever reason, if it works well once, it seems ot work perpetually with no screw ups....one guy died 3 times on S&O but summoned me right away each time for anohter go. He liked my help so muich he asked me to excort him through the archives to get the moonluight sowrd I was weilding for him....had zero wait to summon in the archives. When you are trying to meet certian people occasionally you get on different servers and "cycling" through by teh suimmonee repeatedly putting their sign down enables a server reset each time and an eventual match if the host stays put.
I notice der feef finally did it! GOod work.....but THrakier, I hear ya...Capra was one of the worst bosses for me at the start and STILL IS a boos I die on at low level even after 1000 hours of souls....but let me tell you that Dark is better than Demon's in many ways as well despite this and perhaps only one other cheap boss (bed of chaos) and I implore you not to quit. Here are a few things others have neglected to mention about Capra but keep in mind my 30 -40 treks there cam e to end only 2-3 tried later when I took the above advice to GO RIGHT FIRST.....THEN roll away form his swing LEFT upthe stairs:
You CAN skip him until later even if you didn't take the master key. If you found your way to the garden and to the hydra, then you can
go all the way to the other side of the area where a black knight guards the grass crest shield and a cave like entrance (he is easy to bait along the path and if you can't kill him he can easily be dodged and run by...or kicked off the ledge to his death......this tunnel leads to a elevator and to the valley of the drakes. THere is a bonfire there so you can do multiple suicide ruins to get the items in teh valley by running by the drakes. HTe wooden shield from undead burg under the first crossbow archer will block at least one blast of lightining no matter how low level you are, but it is actually relatively easy ot run by them all without getting hit once. You pass a sleepuing dragon up the ridge (who will wake if you take the items there...not recomended until you open the gate to firelink) you cross a bridge and then on your left is a dark cave whichis the back door to blighttown. If you run by the first enemies 3 ogres, you can get the REAL New londo key which the master key replaces, open the gate to firelink and then you have the flexibility to heal at firelink or the bonfire in teh tunnel and get a ll the goodies along the way in th valley. Once you get Blighttown open, you can actually fight the boss pretty quick and miss mostof blightotown as well as depths....althoguh bringnin lots of purple moss from teh garden and the rusted ring from asylum revisited is best. If you can manage to beat Queelag down there, and you can, as at worst you get a NPC phantom even if you are offline (althoughI had NO problem getting summons for queelag as it is a bell boss.) ONce through there you can upgrade pyro with a covenant if you started as pyro, even go to sens fortress first and get even more equipment
get the gold hemmed set, get the pyro, get the lightnign spear, then come back with the Eagle shield,
THe key piece others have not mentioned is the shield part...once you get up the stairs the dogs run up there pretty quick so hold a relatively stable shield up let them clank once then press r1 for the spear attack with any spear or the
Estoc
don't fret feef, when there is a will there is a way. ALl of the keys that the master key replaces can be found strewn around and can be acquired through luck or a littel help form teh wiki...by the time you can buy it form a vendor as mentoined above,,it is useless by that point anyway as you will have opened most things anyway. You arleady got the key to the depths, but you may not want to go through Blighttown forwards (So see above)...I wouldn't, and haven't, except once just to say I did, but prefer to go form the back..every playthrough....its just better as the developers set up a reward system for figuring out the "less travelled path making all the difference!" and it is too lucrative. As well as fun....using
slumbering dragoncrest ring to backstab face eating zombies was another gloriously evil and devlish vengeance filled run.
->THIS<- game.
I feel bad for those poor saps who need a hand and repeatedly get "SUMMONING FAILED" followed by "Dark Spirit AssGrinder3000 Has Invaded!"
RockTurtle
Member
try to parry/backstab with a hornet ring!
I just stumbled across the Stone Knight armor set in
Its stats are so much higher than anything I currently have on me, I was kinda shocked. With Havel's Ring I can wear all of the pieces except one without slowing my character down. Is there any reason why I shouldn't wear this armor?
Darkroot Gardens
Its stats are so much higher than anything I currently have on me, I was kinda shocked. With Havel's Ring I can wear all of the pieces except one without slowing my character down. Is there any reason why I shouldn't wear this armor?
I'm Asssolutely sure I have seen that exact handle pop up on my screen at the most inopportune times!!! HHAHAHHAH still laughing as I type...good 1
Not really. It could be called a crutch since it'll make you want to tank every hit rather than trying to learn a boss's patterns and roll dodge attacks, but it will be more or less better than everything else you have defense and poise-wise until near end game. Later to free up ring slots or go under 25% you might want to use something like the elite knight set upgraded to +9/10, which has about the same amount of defense and half the poise at a fraction of the weight.
Yeah, wouldn't want to make things too easy. Thanks for the tip.
They are so boss. I'm going to roleplay one when I manage to get their weapons, shield and armor.
Zoso
It's been a long time, been a long time, been a long lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely time.
On my first playthrough and I was so prepared to get my ass kicked repeatedly by Smough & Ornstein after hearing so much about them. But strangely they went down second try. I took out Smough first, Ornstein second. I had more trouble with Quelaag.
Actually, so far I'd say the game isn't really as hard as its reputation would have you believe. But I can see it being a lot harder if you go 100% blind. I've looked at a few guides, mainly to figure out where I'm supposed to be going at times.
Actually, so far I'd say the game isn't really as hard as its reputation would have you believe. But I can see it being a lot harder if you go 100% blind. I've looked at a few guides, mainly to figure out where I'm supposed to be going at times.
Capra is probably the easiest boss once the dogs are out. Just circle-strafe and push against him the entire time - he won't leap at you when you are close - he just has 4 attacks - swing once, twice, three times or dual-overhead strike and that's it. All of which can be blocked. No rolling, just strafe and hold down block until you see his animation begin to reset to resting position, put away your shield, take a couple shots, equip shield and wait for the next reset while circling him.
The only hard part is making it past him when you first run in there. I come in from hard-right on the fog and make a gentle move towards his right then BAM - do a jump into a roll past him on the left to get past the dogs, up the stairs, kill the hounds and drop down.
IoCaster
Member
I started a new character for my replay and I'm not concerned about spoilers this time. My first time through I went with mostly melee and heavy armor. Had elite knight for most of the game and ended up mix-matching with some Havel late game using a +5 BKH for bosses. I'm going with a dex build and light armor this time and I'm looking for a weapon with a good weight/damage ratio for my boss killing needs. Hopefully something that would benefit from high dex/medium str. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.
Great Scythe?
This game is good. But also frustrating... in a weird way. I don't really think the game is that hard. I mean, I do die a lot, but almost all of my deaths are caused by A) Not knowing what to expect/first encounters, or B) Stupidity/rushing. Every time I slow myself down and concentrate on the battle I win. If anything, this game just shows me how impatient I am. The only thing I generally dislike are the level designs and environments. They don't look bad, they're just bland compared to today's standard. I guess this isn't really the point though since the levels are all designed for encounters, and less for exploration.
I do like how the one-time chance to retrieve your souls can add a lot of tension to the game. I lost 20,000 souls and two humanity in a cell, when I came back it was being guarded by a dark knight in a tiny hallway. I wanted my shit back.. I wanted it so bad. I also wanted that Knight's drop, so I ate two more humanity, potentially risking a lot more - and when I won, I got all my stuff back plus a weapon drop. but then I died
FFfff
I do like how the one-time chance to retrieve your souls can add a lot of tension to the game. I lost 20,000 souls and two humanity in a cell, when I came back it was being guarded by a dark knight in a tiny hallway. I wanted my shit back.. I wanted it so bad. I also wanted that Knight's drop, so I ate two more humanity, potentially risking a lot more - and when I won, I got all my stuff back plus a weapon drop.
but then I died FFfff
This game is good. But also frustrating... in a weird way. I don't really think the game is that hard. I mean, I do die a lot, but almost all of my deaths are caused by A) Not knowing what to expect/first encounters, or B) Stupidity/rushing. Every time I slow myself down and concentrate on the battle I win. If anything, this game just shows me how impatient I am. The only thing I generally dislike are the level designs and environments. They don't look bad, they're just bland compared to today's standard. I guess this isn't really the point though since the levels are all designed for encounters, and less for exploration.
I do like how the one-time chance to retrieve your souls can add a lot of tension to the game. I lost 20,000 souls and two humanity in a cell, when I came back it was being guarded by a dark knight in a tiny hallway. I wanted my shit back.. I wanted it so bad. I also wanted that Knight's drop, so I ate two more humanity, potentially risking a lot more - and when I won, I got all my stuff back plus a weapon drop.
FFfff
On the plus side, you got a weapon drop!
Dark Souls.
Anor Londo is a goddamn amazing piece of architecture
I had an image yesterday of, say, a Dark Souls dude wandering along and then bayonetta just bounds past him, pummels a giant statue in the face with the guns on her feet, twists, and a giant hand slams out of the air and crushes him.
The art is weirdly Bayonetta is what I'm saying.
Anor Londo is a goddamn amazing piece of architecture
I had an image yesterday of, say, a Dark Souls dude wandering along and then bayonetta just bounds past him, pummels a giant statue in the face with the guns on her feet, twists, and a giant hand slams out of the air and crushes him.
The art is weirdly Bayonetta is what I'm saying.
I think I'm going to start to use light armour and heavy weapons. Shadow armour and possibly the black knight axe. Any thoughts on this? On the paper it seems nice, you gain agility to execute perfect and high damaging attacks that are slow.
I've tried it with a Dragon Tooth and it seems nice with single enemies, not really sure about bosses...
I've tried it with a Dragon Tooth and it seems nice with single enemies, not really sure about bosses...
ShipTheCheese
Member
Anybody else watching the Epic Name Bro walkthrough of Prepare to Die? I know most of you are still too busy playing, but it's definitely worth checking out. Apart from getting some really good tips, he also talks a lot about the DS lore during this playthrough. Always been a fan of this guy, it's nice to see him do a proper playthrough from start to finish.
He does the whole playthrough from the beginning? Not just the new stuff? Nice.
Can anybody recommend me some book series that are in the same category as the lore of Dark Souls? I love the game's lore...wish there was a book written about it, but that isn't going to happen so I need to find something else that's similar. Anyone have any series in mind that has that same bleak, depressing, desolate atmosphere that the game captures so well?
ShipTheCheese
Member
Yeah, I think Zeliard will like it as well, since ENB is not upgrading his VIT at all. And he'll be equipping the Calamity Ring once he's taken down Kalameet, so that should get really interesting when everything can one-shot him.
It begins here.
IoCaster
Member
I checked the wiki and it looks pretty damn good. I'll have to make a quick trip into the Catacombs to get it, but I should be able to manage that. Thanks.
heliconsoul
Member
I recently picked up a Great Scythe and +5 Chaos'd it. With 10 humanity the thing does so much damage it's ridiculous. Currently slicing through NG+ with it without any effort whatsoever.
Will do me until I get my strength up enough to wield the Black Knight Greataxe anyway.
somesplace
Neo Member
I don't know if I've ever disagreed with an opinion more
x2.
exploring an environment for the first time, taking it all in, scoping out all the enemies carefully, wondering what's going to happen when that huge thing around the corner notices me... this is the genius of dark souls
the environments aren't gaudy, but detailed and beautiful. even lacking the high resolution and sophisticated rendering techniques of other games, the environments manage to shine regardless.
dropping into anor lando the first time literally took my breath away; i can't remember the last time i was so struck by a scene. maybe wind waker or sotc? walking through the royal wood, i noticed the tranquil scene gradually transformed by abyssal cracks (matched with ominous thunder and a darkening horizon). beautiful! in contrast to the bombast of a god of war, for example, this display is a breath of fresh air.
or how about the skyline you view after ascending the undead burg, and stand alongside solaire? praise the sun, indeed! although technically a bit flawed, the curious mixture of overwhelming sun and dark clouds, and resplendent rays mixed in with uncertain colors paints an eternal sunset unlike any i've seen before in a game.
even in the dreary depths of blighttown, looking up to see the foundations of the burg intertwined with gargantuan roots and mysterious crumbling stonework i was struck by the complexity of this vision. not only do scenes like this have the obvious effect of lending a delightful cohesion to the world, but the mixture of feelings i had while viewing these once-familiar lands from a distant vista was completely sublime. a far-off place is usually empty in its unfamiliarity, but in dark souls as in a few other games (sands of time, ICO) the background truly adds depth, as you find yourself surprised by the sight, and then pause to contemplate the distance that now separates you from the memories of your old journeys. i found these sights often offered some respite during the harshest bits of my adventure, as well; though far away, the "outside world" became tangible again, beckoning me onward.
sadly i know a lot of people are seemingly immune to the souls games' visual charm, and seem to see only the ugly textures, strange/outdated lighting methods, and the odd visual effects (eg river in darkroot garden haha wtf). oh well, i suppose it's some relief we can all enjoy the beautiful verisimilitude of armored kill, skyrim, cysis, or the witcher in the end.