The Dark Souls PC version controversy.

[Ildanach]

I think all PC gamers should buy this game. Show your support. It is their first PC title. If you show them that PC is a viable platform, they'll do a better job next time, because now they have experience.

I think just buying it won't be enough we would have to hound them day and night about the problems if we ever wanted them fixed. Sales plus feedback might convince them.
Piracy and tantrum throwing won't.

There is truth in that.

2K games was tied to a lot of controversy on this issue with both Borderlands and The Darkness 2.

This however resulted in a newfound respect for their PC market going above and beyond for the release of the PC version of Borderlands 2.

Question is if it will take them 2 games of major issues before they listen to the market.

Which is why people should keep on trying I personally don't care about most of these issues, they are not a problem for me but I understand them a little thanks to Totalbiscuit.
Which is why I keep on making it clear that most of the things I talk about is my preference.
Hopefully people can get the patched Dark Souls that they want.

 

[Jynthor]

I think all PC gamers should buy this game. Show your support. It is their first PC title. If you show them that PC is a viable platform, they'll do a better job next time, because now they have experience.

I tried playing it, no, just no, I don't want them getting anywhere near a PC ever again.

 

[Ildanach]

I wonder if they could even count copies sold on Steam, or any digital platform.
Because if they don't this is all an exercise in futility :/
Well for anyone who cared.

 

[chadachada123]

I'm going to mirror Jim Sterling's recent video:

Buy the game (because it's fun as fuck) and then ***** continuously about the problems. Be honest: It's a great fucking game, but a terrible port. That will get From and Namco's attention AND respect.

I can guarantee, though, that the game is absolutely worth $40, even with its issues, because it's just a great fucking game.

 

[Fr]anc[is]

I wonder if they could even count copies sold on Steam, or any digital platform.
Because if they don't this is all an exercise in futility :/
Well for anyone who cared.

The steam global statistics page puts it at #10 right now at approximately 10,000 players.

 

[Techno Squidgy]

Even gabe isn't "nice" enough to migrate to linux, unless microsoft turns windows into a video converter it will never happen.

Erm, Valve are already working on a Linux version of the Source engine. There was an article on here about it a while ago, the results of the testing were pretty impressive. Here's the link to the article http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118882-Valves-Source-Engine-Runs-Better-on-Linux-Than-Windows

That doesn't mean he's switching Steam to Linux, they're just porting it over, the same thing they did with Macs. And if Steam did switch over to Linux completely and stopped supporting Windows well that would be up there in terms of stupidest ideas in history.

It'd move a lot of gamers over to Linux. Linux may require some technical knowhow and some googling, but most PC Gamers are used to that.

 

[Ildanach]

anc[is]

I wonder if they could even count copies sold on Steam, or any digital platform.
Because if they don't this is all an exercise in futility :/
Well for anyone who cared.

The steam global statistics page puts it at #10 right now at approximately 10,000 players.

But will the publisher look at that?
I think everyone should have brought boxed copies >.>
(Well I believe that boxed copies should actually have almost no DRM but that is just unreasonable since Steam is so much better /sarcasm)

 

[deathzero021]

hmm i was gonna buy this one Steam but now... not too sure. maybe if it goes on sale but not full price. also i won't rage over low fps and resolution but i will scratch my head by the concept of locking the fps... i mean i just don't get it. as a PC developer myself, it just doesn't make ANY sense. i don't think it's a "lack of experience" at all since all games are built and tested on PC's before ever being playable on a console. It seems to me that this port was made in the absolute lowest amount of time and money. what they did was simply take the 360 version as it is and sell it for the PC at a higher price. i know what this is, it's bad business. They didn't add or change a single thing to fit the PC because they didn't want to spend a dime on it. This is why you need a controller and the game runs on the limitations of a 360. well i hope they learn something from this and it probably is for the best if people ***** about this because game publishers really need to pay attention to the standards of a market they're about to sell products in.

 

[Dansen]

Damn this is just sad and pathetic. The PC players get DLC content half a year before console players, and still you complain. I could almost cry.

From Soft doesn't deserve this. I still urge PC players who signed the petition to buy the game, even at a reduced price, you owe them that much.

 

[Darkmantle]

I've said it before, and I will say it again. I hope FS learns from this, and never releases in the PC again. No sense trying to appease some people, especially when you've gone out of your way to try and give them what they want, and they throw it back in your face.

Perhaps yes,they should never bother with PC again if they are about to keep doing the same mistakes over and over with every game they release on the platform,and carry one game's problems (Ninja Blade) to the next one (Dark Souls).

No sense for costumers buying things that doesn't work as they are supposed,especially after they informed the developer in the past about what these mistakes were and why they were mistakes,and the developer years later still is so stubborn to keep porting games the same way and replicating the exact same technical issues again and again,even if last time they did their game averaged 6 out of 10 in press's reviews.

Do yourself a favour and search on Google "Ninja Blade PC port".

The exact same issues Ninja Blade had in 2009 that made the game to score 6/10 average are replicated on Dark Souls,like nobody told them in the past that these issues broke their game.
And it's even more ironic that back in 2009 a "modder" fixed Ninja Blade's resolution problem by just changing a line on the .ini file of the game with wordpad.
History repeats itself like From Software didn't learnt anything from Ninja Blade,pretending it never existed.

Well if you guys think they make shitty ports, don't beg them for one next time. They didn't lie to you. You knew what you were going to get they TOLD you what you were going to get, but you act all surprised and offended when you get it.

It would be different if they came out with the port themselves and wanted you to buy it, as with ninja blade. When ninja blade failed, they realized they were shitty at porting to PC, so they were not going to do it again. They had learned their lesson. But then everyone started coming out of the woodwork talking about how much they would love it if they got a port. So they did it anyway to please their "fans".

It just seems to me that one of the rudest things you can do is beg for something, and when it's given to you, ***** and moan and cry foul. Especially when you start saying they did it on purpose to spite you, like the OP, or that they hate their fans, like many others in this and other threads.

They didn't want to do it, because they knew it was going to be bad. The very people complaining are the same ones that told them they should do it anyway, and that they would find support on the PC.

There was no trickery involved, and they do not deserve the bile and hatred many throw at them. They are obviously just bad at PC ports. If you don't like it, stop requesting they make them.

 

[Darkmantle]

Basically the situation right there. They gave you the port you asked for, to the best of their ability, and you turn around and throw it in their faces. What did you expect from a developer who TOLD you that they were not good at PC ports. If I was in their shoes, my response would be "I tried my best, you don't like it? Fuck you".

You'd be an AMAZING businessman. I want to hire you and make you my head of public relations.

That's a really good summary of the response of PC Gamers, too. I also like to put imaginary, spazzy words in the mouths of my opponents. It makes it easier for me to hand wave them as ridiculous cartoons.

No it isn't akin to that. The developers told you what to expect, they were very upfront about their inexperience.

I don't understand this logic. So what? So what if they warned people? If the end product is bad, why is it NOT ALRIGHT to say "that's bad", and not buy it? Without this "wakka wakka entitled crybabies" narrative kicking in? Do we just have to buy it then, whether or not we like the look of it? "Oh gosh, that...didn't turn out well, did it? It looks really bad. Well, you DID warn me! Here's my money!".

What a curious interpretation of the customer/business dynamic.

Really? Cause I'll take the job.

And it matters that they warned people, they was no trickery involved. You knew what you were going to get. They are obviously bad at ports. If you don't appreciate the effort, or you think it's just too low quality for you, fine don't buy the damn thing.

Again, I hope From Soft never ports anything else to the PC, 2 reasons:

1.They are obviously unskilled at it (like they told everyone, didn't stop anyone from signing the petition though did it? ) and it shows
2.They gave it their best shot, and if that's not good enough for PC gamers, they should stop trying to appease a group that they cannot hope to please.

I'd rather they focus on making quality games on the consoles where they will continue to be appreciated.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

But then everyone started coming out of the woodwork talking about how much they would love it if they got a port. So they did it anyway to please their "fans".

Again, this is a bit of a twee narrative. They did it to capitalize on a significant body of potential customers. When companies release updates for free, it's something they've done to "please the fans". When companies develop and deliver a product at a significant price point, they are just doing business.

I do appreciate that there is no trickery involved, and I agree with you 100% on that count. I think they were surprisingly honest, really. I also think it's disingenuous to imply all this happened because they were trying to be lovely blokes and do us a solid.

Really? Cause I'll take the job.

Well you can't have it!

 

[Easton Dark]

Riiigghht. What company would be that dickish to their players just because they could? That would be like sticking two Silver Knights with Dragon Slayer Bows at the end of an incredibly narrow walkway where they can shoot you the whole wa-... OH MY GOD IT'S TRUE!!! 100% TRUE!!!!

I am at that exact spot you describe. From Software is full of fucking evil people.

 

[newwiseman]

The problem is that From had to change all the native graphics api calls to direct x api to make a port, it's not as straight forward as one would think and they obviously missed some steps; not uncommon. The fix is a mod to the dll that changes the direct x 9 api calls enabling full internal resolution, something I'm sure someone at From had on a stick note to do and then forgot about it.

It'll be a while before more intrepid miners (read: modders) fix the slowdowns and other graphic anomalies.

 

[Fr]anc[is]

Damn this is just sad and pathetic. The PC players get DLC content half a year before console players, and still you complain. I could almost cry.

From Soft doesn't deserve this. I still urge PC players who signed the petition to buy the game, even at a reduced price, you owe them that much.

Yes that extra content is a good thing. So? What's that got to do with it? It is in fact possible to point out flaws in something without condemning the entire thing like a metacritic troll.

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

The problem is that From had to change all the native graphics api calls to direct x api to make a port

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the 360 use Direct X? I heard the name "Xbox" came about because "Direct X Box" sounded stupid.

I'm not saying that developing for the 360 and PC is exactly the same, just that I thought they both used Direct X.

To be honest, I'd be perfectly OK with it being exactly the same as the console version, with the same resolution and frame rate as long as it ran at least as well as the console version... but apparently it's full of bugs and feels horrible to play. I'm not going to drop £30 I barely have on something that doesn't work properly even if I did "ask for it" because that would be silly. If I'm going to spend money on a game I want to be certain that it will, at the very least, work properly and so far I haven't heard good things.

 

[thesilentman]

Damn this is just sad and pathetic. The PC players get DLC content half a year before console players, and still you complain. I could almost cry.

From Soft doesn't deserve this. I still urge PC players who signed the petition to buy the game, even at a reduced price, you owe them that much.

"You get more" is irrelevant, when that "more" is being run through the same filter as the entire game - a blurry, choppy shit filter. It doesn't change anything.

I'll tell you what From Software doesn't deserve. It doesn't deserve the profits it already made off of this bullshit non-effort port. What's sad and pathetic around here is how far people are willing to bend over backwards to lick the balls of a developer they seem to like, and not people who have a modicum of standards.

I asked another one of your ilk this question before. Do you honestly think From Software gets offended when someone on a forum says this port is shit? Do you think it breaks their little hearts to see this rush-job get hammered? Do you think they're delusional enough to think "Oh yeah, we're proud of this. Truly a monumental piece of work."? Finally, if you do, do you think it means jack shit when placed against the money they made already? I am curious to find out as to what you think the thought process of someone at From would be upon reading, for instance, this thread.

At least they'll try harder for the next PC release.

 

[A Weakgeek]

As a person who just got the game, and wasnt really involved in the petitions, or the series up until now I have only one thing to say.

THIS GAME LOOKS LIKE POO POO!

...its pretty fun to play though.

 

[Something Amyss]

sad? i found it humors given the amount of hypocrisy

"we want a game that was never intended for PC release, from a dev that doesn't make PC, now that we have it, we're gonna whiny like toddlers cause cause a more experienced with PCs modded fixed a problem the inexperienced with PC dev team missed"

the whole thread makes me giggle and glad i don't have that stick wedged up my ass like they do

I meant the fact that there was this grand conspiracy that could be uncovered by editing a single line in an .ini file, something my mom can do.

I find it funny in the first place that people have DEMANDED a console game on their platform of choice, complained about the distribution, then complained about the limitations, yeah. It's like this game was designed with consoles in mind or something.

 

[TrevHead]

Im sorry if they cant port the game, then give it to someone who can. Like an amateur!

I am not privileged that they decided to bring their game to my platform. I am a customer. And I am not going to buy that is the result of either incompetent or lazy work.

Durante spent more than 23 mins fixing it, that was only how long it took him to put his code into the game once he got hold of it, he worked on the code for a week beforehand getting it ready to slot into the game. The fix isn't 100% tested atm he is tweaking and updating it as he goes along. The suttlebuzz is that he is no normal amateur but trained as a professional. I would guess the work he is doing is one hell of a feather in his cap when approaching employers.

In regards to the port, i'm mostly pro From, they told ppl what std of port to expect and ppl have every right to not buy it as those who do want to. As someone who has my 360 plugged into my desktop I have no issue with 30FPS especially when the camera doesn't move as fast as a PC FPS. The 360 version has big frame dips in a couple of areas like Blightown. The port fixes this and with Durante's fixing ups the res, some ppl are happy enough with that.

To sum it up this PC Gamer review mirrors my viewpoint http://www.pcgamer.com/review/dark-souls-review/

Although...

From what i've gathered keeping tabs of the steam forums I will add that From shouldn't be automatically forgiven for every fault in the port. It's come to light that some pads have problems like wireless std 360 pads not working. Not good when you consider its a console port with pad it's main control method. Also ATI cards (which seems to be nothing new for PC games) have problems with massive framerate dips due to the game not using the GFX cards full power when it starts idling, the fix is to set everything in catalyst at max to stop it from idling.

Framerate, FPS issues aside I think any game sold on steam should have std PC compatibility rates, and from the looks of it to not provide compatibility patching but leave it to the community is lazy of From, especially when theres no demo.

Still it looks like much of it has or will be fixed or have workarounds, plus it's still launch day so i'll wait and see how it pans out before totally condemning them in that aspect

I still say the game's worth playing though.