Now that Dark Souls II is out on PC we (Bandai Namco Games) would like to field any on-going or outstanding questions you have about the game. We see comments, concerns, bug reports, rants, and raves all over. And it's quite difficult to keep up with all the different conversations happening in different places. But we'd like to help you get answers to some of your questions regarding the game. Bear in mind that we are not the developers, that honor still sits with FromSoftware, but we are constantly sending feedback their way. We're committed to making sure your opinions are heard and you have a great Dark Souls II experience.
We'll do our best to answer any questions posted in this thread. If there's a question that we don't know the answer to or can't answer at this time, we'll try to notate that.
If you have questions about ongoing bug reports, cheaters, bans, game functionality, leave them in this thread and we'll update over the next few days with as many answers as possible.
What is the status on the VAC ban issue?
Progress on this issue has been slow-going. FromSoftware and our Bandai Namco Games office in Japan are in contact with Valve and are working through this currently. We hope to have a resolution soon and we'll let you know as soon as we hear more information.
What does Bandai Namco Games or FromSoftware plan to do with potential cheating/hacking in Dark Souls II?
The Dark Souls II server team is constantly monitoring player activity. If a player has stats or weapons that they shouldn't, the server team is tracking that. It is up to the Dark Souls II server team to submit to Valve what they would like to ban, in terms of hacks and cheats, and then VAC will take care of the bans. As we progress, we'll do our best to share what information is provided to us by FromSoftware, but any cheat, hack, or player bans are up to the discretion of the Dark Souls II server team. If you have specific questions about this - You can reach out to our game support: North/South America:
http://support.bandainamcogames.com/ Other Territories:
http://www.bandainamcogames.co.uk/support
You can read more about how VAC works (and how to report a cheat) here:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?p_faqid=370
Any official word on whether or not [insert any of the popular mods here] will trigger VAC on Dark Souls 2?
No official word yet. As FromSoftware starts to define more and more cheats, we have communicated and detailed the harmless mods that some users have been using. In the end we can't say for sure, since that is up to the Dark Souls II server team, but we'll let everyone know what we learn as these conversations progress. Although if there is a thread or an information hub somewhere that has a list of all these mods and how they actually affect game files, that will help as we supply more information to FromSoftware. Thanks for the info - I think we have all the info we need.
We know the consoles couldn't handle the lightning that was shown in the trailers, so why was it removed from the PC?
The only comment that we have made on this is sharing FromSoftware's response: Throughout the game development process, a game is constantly being balanced not only in game playability, but also in the realm of resource management.
A developer is always challenged with creating the most rewarding gaming experience while delivering continuity in graphical quality, gameplay dynamics, and balance within the game. The final version of Dark Souls II displays the culmination of this delicate balance and were very proud of the positive media and fan reception for the game."
What is the situation with the PC servers?? Are the conection problems solved or are you still working on it??
We had a hiccup May 2nd and 6th. Servers are currently up and running now, if you are still experiencing more connectivity issues, make sure to get in touch with support so we can help troubleshoot. We hope that everything will be more stable moving forward.
I am still having this crash, any word on when this will be fixed? Frustrating paying $50 for a game and not being able to play it for 2 weeks.
If you are still experiencing a crash at startup (and your system meets the minimum requirements) be sure to get in touch with our support team and they'll walk you through next-steps from there.
Do you have any insight as to why the LGK bosses lightning sword attacks are about a billion decibels louder then anything else in the game?
We do not know why that seems to be the case. We'll follow up with our QA team today though. Thanks for the heads-up!
Is there any chance you could add option to remove mouse delay on attacks? Will you ever fix UI showing pad buttons while playing on mouse/keyboard?
We've read through almost all player feedback on Keyboard and Mouse controls and have passed them along to the developer. If we hear of any changes coming to the controls, we'll let you know.
I have Internet connectivity problems that cause me to connect and disconnect randomly. This creates scenarios where I am restricted in online gameplay. This is one of the biggest problems I have with the game
If the Dark Souls II servers detect multiple disconnections or failed connections, you will be temporarily limited from joining multiplayer sessions. You can also try using the 'Bone of Order' item, which will attempt to restore links to other worlds.
Does From Software consider changing some of the not so popular gameplay elements?
This is always possible in the future. We have gathered feedback, read forums, and talked with many community members regarding limited respawns, Soul Memory, etc. In the end these are design choices that are made by FromSoftware, but we are definitely discussing your feedback with them.
Why is there no offline mode ingame?
The integration of offline/on-line gameplay is how FromSoftware has designed the game. If you would like to play completely offline, you can always disable your internet connection.
From what I understand then FromSoftware are monitoring things such as stats. So what (if anything) happens if a save gets corrupted and someone is forced to use an earlier save where the stats are much lower?
When we say FromSoftware are monitoring stats, they are monitoring things like if a character is Soul Level 50, but has 99 Vitality. That can't be accomplished through normal gameplay.
Are there still server issues? Messages are rare for me, and summon signs are literally non existent. My roommate has the same SM as my main character, and there's nothing we can to do even see each other. We've tried the name ring too, and nothing works. This has only been a problem since yesterday's server outage
From what we understand, servers should be working properly. If you are seeing weird issues like this and everything was fine before the last server outage, get in touch with our support so we can document the issue and troubleshoot. North/South America:
http://support.bandainamcogames.com/ Other Territories:
http://www.bandainamcogames.co.uk/support
Is there anything being done about weapon durability degrading so quickly when hitting corpses?
From what we understand, this functionality is intentional. We've passed along feedback to the developer and it is always possible that this updated in future calibrations.