Would you have played the Demon/Dark Souls games if there was no online?

[Raku-Gosha]

Oh man, I stay far, far, far away from invading worlds. And when I do get invaded in Dark Souls II, I just run to a bonfire and wait for the guy to kill me. Or I kill myself. I suck fighting other people one-on-one in that game. Everyone else seems to know all the tricks to combat.
So yeah, if Dark Souls II was completely offline, I would have been fine with it, at least on the first playthrough. In Dark Souls, I always stay Hollow unless I'm coming up on a boss, because same thing.

However, I must admit that I get a blast out of co op. I love calling people to help me (because New Game+ has some boss fights that are a lot harder by yourself), or being called to help other people. I enjoy this aspect of both games the most, and I would be very sad if they were taken out. Honestly, I kind of wish they would make it so you could play with a friend through the whole game, but I understand that that kind of ruins the point of the game.
Still, it would be fun.

Regarding that last part, you actually can. Bring two even. Though your friends won't gain any real progress, but if you're persistent you can have a group to tag along. with 30 minutes to linger in your world depending on which sigh soapstone they use, you can summon help to clear an area a boss or both I believe the inscription ring would help.)

 

[Raku-Gosha]

]Having played Dark Souls on Xbox without a subscription to Gold, I would and I have. It's still a fantastic game, even if it makes the Covenants a bit vestigial-seeming.

Also, welcome to the Escapist, enjoy your stay. If you keep out of the basement and never utter a certain name that can be abbreviated to A.S, you'll have a great time here.

Hey thanks for the welcome.

That's the third time someone's mentioned the basement. I've read these forums for 2 years and still have no idea what that could refer to, but I'll keep that in mind.

OT: I have dabbled in both, and agree online or off it's a fantastic game, with this question I was more curious if the online aspect of the game truly contributed to peoples experience and so far it's been yeah.

 

[Raku-Gosha]

I would have yeah, and for the most part I did. I would have torn my hair out on the Smough and Ornstein fight though.

I find myself struggling with the four kings more often than not when venturing solo (Beatrice you scrub!!!) on the higher difficulties, their resistances get to bullshit levels.
Fire y u no kill everything no more.
:C

 

[Raku-Gosha]

There is no bigger 'fuck you' than finally being able to scrape your way through the duke's archives with enough souls for an upgrade only to be invaded and killed with the bonfire only a few steps away.

See, I like having the messages and seing the ghosts of other players and touching bloodstains. I don't want to go offline. And I like being able, you know, KINDLE THE BONFIRES, so I don't think it's possible to play the entire game hollow. But invaders can just go fuck right off.

Would I play without online features? Yes. I like MOST of the online features but in the end, those are just nice bonuses. I always saw Darks Souls as a singleplayer game and I enjoy it that way.

Homeward bones are your friend, my friend. I learned that the hard way NG+++ till I bothered to use them. Do not become me!

Have you gotten the chance to play 2 yet? if so, has your opinion changed at all? that one has a bit more focus on the multiplayer especially the covenants.

 

[Not Lord Atkin]

There is no bigger 'fuck you' than finally being able to scrape your way through the duke's archives with enough souls for an upgrade only to be invaded and killed with the bonfire only a few steps away.

See, I like having the messages and seing the ghosts of other players and touching bloodstains. I don't want to go offline. And I like being able, you know, KINDLE THE BONFIRES, so I don't think it's possible to play the entire game hollow. But invaders can just go fuck right off.

Would I play without online features? Yes. I like MOST of the online features but in the end, those are just nice bonuses. I always saw Darks Souls as a singleplayer game and I enjoy it that way.

Homeward bones are your friend, my friend. I learned that the hard way NG+++ till I bothered to use them. Do not become me!

Have you gotten the chance to play 2 yet? if so, has your opinion changed at all? that one has a bit more focus on the multiplayer especially the covenants.

Well I make a point of getting the homeward miracle when I can, which eliminates the need for homeward bones. Wouldn't have helped with the invader though. Plus it would still re-set all the enemies.
Fortunately, I was able to recover and reach the bonfire that one time. But holy shit was that a nuisance.

I have pre-ordered the PC version of Dark Souls 2. Played the first one on PS3 but I want to have decent framerate for this one.

 

[Raku-Gosha]

Dark Souls has an online mode???

Right, right, just kidding. Since I play DS on my Xbox 360 and am not ready to bend over and give Microsoft more money to get Xbox live gold I've never played it online and I don't have any problems with that. Pikachu and Snorlax were quite difficult without a decent co-op partner (and no, Solaire, you don't qualify as a decent co-op partner, you sun-worshipping fucknut) but after a whole night of blood, sweat and other bodily fluids I managed to beat them on my own!

Well, except for that one week let a friend of mine let me borrow his PS3 (my Xbox broke down and I had to wait a week to get it fixed). I... didn't really notice it, to be frank. The only noticeable difference that I felt was that I mostly stayed hollow so that I wouldn't be invaded by players that were faaaaaar better than me. I tried PVP'ing but yeah, it wasn't very interesting IMO. Just 2-5 minutes of running around, trying to get backstabs while receiving PM's mostly consisting of "git gud, scrub"....

And oh, welcome to the Escapist!!!! Keep your seatbelt on for the entire ride and don't venture into the basement.

How can you dishonor the Might Solaire like that man. Have you no shame? He's got your back more than your Estus, he brings the light where your skull lantern can not. He's there when you were to die alone, like The Taco Bells, Gap Drag , Pikachu and Snorlax, Spawns turd, and Gwyn himself. New game ++++++++ you will come to appreciate his summon sigh

Spoiler: If I didnt know better I'd think you had feelings for me

You've summed up the PVP quite succinctly lol, though I've been reminded time and again by the posters that's the least fascinating aspect they'd lose if online was gone. The bloodstains, messages and mirages of other players really add to the atmosphere and I'd concede it does.

Off Topic: the basement, the basement, the basement. I've heard enough about it but still have no idea what it means despite reading these forums for years. IS it where the bad threads go? You know Its best to stay ignant'.

 

[Raku-Gosha]

Spoiler: snip

There is no bigger 'fuck you' than finally being able to scrape your way through the duke's archives with enough souls for an upgrade only to be invaded and killed with the bonfire only a few steps away.

See, I like having the messages and seing the ghosts of other players and touching bloodstains. I don't want to go offline. And I like being able, you know, KINDLE THE BONFIRES, so I don't think it's possible to play the entire game hollow. But invaders can just go fuck right off.

Would I play without online features? Yes. I like MOST of the online features but in the end, those are just nice bonuses. I always saw Darks Souls as a singleplayer game and I enjoy it that way.

Homeward bones are your friend, my friend. I learned that the hard way NG+++ till I bothered to use them. Do not become me!

Have you gotten the chance to play 2 yet? if so, has your opinion changed at all? that one has a bit more focus on the multiplayer especially the covenants.

Well I make a point of getting the homeward miracle when I can, which eliminates the need for homeward bones. Wouldn't have helped with the invader though. Plus it would still re-set all the enemies.
Fortunately, I was able to recover and reach the bonfire that one time. But holy shit was that a nuisance.

I have pre-ordered the PC version of Dark Souls 2. Played the first one on PS3 but I want to have decent frame rate for this one.

Right you were being invaded, haven't had that happen to me in a while forgot about that. Glad you pulled through.

Regarding myself after clearing that place once full over I haven't spent more than 4 minutes in that place each subsequent run through in Ng+++ Just run out(de cell), nab the key, climb the ladder, open the door, swap the bridges, drop onto the other bridge, swap the bridges, slide down the ladder, open the shortcut get to the bonfire (thank god kindling on warp bonfires rollover) get my 20 and I'm outtie. I hate that place too.

 

[gLoveofLove]

Well considering that i originally played and completed Demon's completely offline, I would say I would still play and enjoy it. Although I feel like the game was missing an important aspect without, it was still fun as all hell.

 

[Skin]

I can't speak for how much activity Dark Souls 1 still has in PVP (though I'm certain people will be playing it for some time, especially since Dark Souls 2 hasn't been out for that long yet) but I've seen no shortage of online activity in Dark Souls 2. Getting summoned for most bosses happens really quickly, and the invasion focused covenants (Rat King and Belfry Guards at least) it takes very little time to run into other players.

As for not rewarding skill as much imo its rewarding skill a great deal more, the main skill that Dark Souls 1 PVP required (in my experience at least) was guessing where the lag actually had the person at, and knowing what equipment was best for PVP. Dark Souls 2 is much more balanced in my experience, so most builds are perfectly viable for PVP, which creates a much greater variety in the encounters and rewards being able to deal with all manner of situation a lot more. This is all my experience/opinion so it might not match up to yours very well, but I'm curious what makes you say that it's inferior.

I never insinuated that Dark Souls 2 online was dead, rather that people having migrated back to the original to get their PvP fix. I remember logging onto Dark Souls a few weeks after DS2 release and I could not get a single invasion in any of the PvP hotspots. Now I can log on, go almost anywhere and get a good amount of PvP.

I'm going to have to disagree with your assessment of DS1 PvP. Like I said, Dark Souls is the most competitive non-competitive (in regards to "esports) game I have ever played. There are so many small nuances that make the combat so incredibly lively and complex. Dark Souls 2 on the other hand has dumbed the game down so that everyone can have a turn. And to be fair, there is nothing wrong with that. Alot of people are getting into PvP who avoided PvP before because it's alot more accessible.

It feels like every build is viable, but you need to remember, there is still a huge population of players playing, and most people are not PvPers. Give it a year or so down the line and you will see a massive change. The majority of people will have tryhard builds that are simply better than everything else.

The lag in DS1 is the same as it is in DS2, infact DS2 seems to have a worse netcode or poor design when it comes to phantom range (getting hit without the weapon actually making contact). Dark Souls has phantom range too, but to an extent. It does not always register as a hit whereas in DS2 it does. All other lag is similar. DS2 has a peer to peer connection as well.

I would equate learning DS1 PvP to trying to learn a MOBA as a complete noob. It doesn't matter how good you are at the PvE, the PvP is a different beast altogether. You need to put in hours trying to learn the game, but the pay off is much greater in my opinion.

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

Really? In DS2 i didn't get invaded anywhere near as much as i did in DS1 and i spent waaaay more time in human form.

I probably would still play Dark Souls if the online wasn't present, but i don't think it would be as much fun. I was a Sun worshipper in the first game, and in the second one and i always find tremendous fun in using the gesture system to communicate with people, then run around and help them clear an area of enemies and the boss.

Co-operation truly is jolly in Dark Souls, but i do agree that the invasions are the very worst part of the game. Dragon covenant is much better since they're more akin to actual duels. That or the Blood arena. I mean... have PvP if you want, but please don't stick that particular cock in my face 'cause i'm not interested.

That being said, i do think Dark Souls is more fun than Demon's Souls partly because of the online play. I just wish they'd let you use the covenants to completely choose how to interact with other players rather than just set a preference.

 

[JagermanXcell]

Really? In DS2 i didn't get invaded anywhere near as much as i did in DS1 and i spent waaaay more time in human form.

That's the magic of Dark Souls 2 soul memory, no twinks and nothing but...

Spoiler

Till NG+ where you get invaded by everyone every 2 seconds... also NG+ Looking Glass Knight OP.

OT: Offline/Offline i'll play it.

I just love the intensity it provides. Plus most invaders are kind of hmmmmmmmmmmmm stupid, so i'm pretty confident I can handle them with a summon/alone.

 

[Riddle78]

I would. I enjoy the Souls experience for the inherently lonely atmosphere the game generates,and the lore that lies crouched behind item descriptions and tangential mentions.

 

[default]

Well seeing as just then I was playing a few rounds of Dark Souls PvP, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it quite as much without the online aspects. They are utterly unique and fascinating, especially when you're just starting to learn about it. A random player can invade MY world and hunt me down to try and kill me while I'm making my way through the level?! Sweet!

That being said, I played the majority of my first 80 hours hollow and loved the game to bits. Once I started getting into the online though, I started loving it for all new reasons. The PvP is sometimes infuriating, unbalanced, laggy, glitchy and has clear bias towards some tactics... and I wouldn't have it any other way. Dark Souls PvP is the wild west. You have to adapt and learn on the fly, or die. There's not much else quite like it, and I love reading my opponents, testing their weaknesses and strengths and behaviours while dodging and exchanging swings.

Looking forward to see what Dark Souls 2 has to offer.

 

[Bertylicious]

I have maybe 150~ hours of PvE playtime both Dark Souls games combined, maximum. I have probably 1000 hours of DkS1 PvP, so yeh, I really do enjoy the online component. Dark Souls PvP is the most competitive non-competitive game I have ever played.

I feel that DkS2 is an inferior game especially regarding the PvP and I am not even talking about balance. The system doesn't reward the players skill anywhere near as much as DkS1 did. It's dead in the water and the amount of PvP that is currently going on in DkS1 is a testament of its failure as a PvP experience.

People are sticking too it because they expect it to get alot better. Dark Souls 1 is still an incredibly imbalanced game, it had very few patches that actually catered to PvP, and one of the biggest ones was with the release of the DLC.

Skin has highlighted an excellent point; balancing.

PvE tends to focus on becoming uber powerful and launching 'teh ultimate swirly attack' against hapless foes. PvP is a competition and uber powerful swirly attacks are akin to doping in sport, to get the most out of the experience all sides must be balanced. That Dark Souls has the PvP following that it does is testimony to the quality of its design.

I guess I'd better set my stall out and say that I am not a fan of online play. I play games to get away from people and always found the online component to be undesirable, from the annoying invasions to the garish summon signs splattered all over the floors near the boss zones. A guy I know who knows a guy who said he did time with a guy who got some money from Keyser Soze told me that the need for balance in World of Warcraft for PvP lead to the game becoming a homogenised bore and I worry that the same thing could happen with future offerings from From Software.

 

[moggett88]

I did. Connecting my Xbox to the internet is such a massive faff, I only do it once when I first install a game to make sure it's been updated. After that, I'm all alone

 

[DanielBrown]

Yes, it would actually make my experience easier. I always played offline because I didn't want to get invaded, so every time I started it up I had to sign out of PSN and decline the game messages for getting me to play online.

 

[raeior]

I played Dark Souls in offline mode so there you go. I started playing it online but getting invaded on my way through the Undead Burg several times by various incarnations of Mr. "everything +15 with burning scythe of destruction" who instantly killed me annoyed me so much that I started again in offline mode. The soapstones are a really nice idea as is the co-op stuff but the invasions are just fucking annoying. Especially when it's designed as a gankers paradise. Honestly I couldn't care less if it has multiplayer or not. I was just glad that it was optional in DS1. The new mirror knight boss (or the old yellow..monk...thing? in Demon's Souls) sounds awesome though, so for stuff like that I can see why multiplayer can be a good idea.

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

As there are ZERO online features that appeal to me as it is, yes I would/did play them offline lol.

 

[Samael Barghest]

I've always hated the invasion system. You have to be human to kindle bon fires but being human means invasion. While I have met decent people it doesn't change the fact that there's no system to stop people who have all the toys from going back to an earlier part of the game and kicking the ass of people who are just now getting started. Not to mention, like last night, a random invasion can bring the progress you're making to a screeching halt. The girl was nice but doesn't change the fact that she took me out of my zone when I was about to fight Ornstein and Smough. If From made it where it was optional, that would be good. I know a lot of people say if you don't want to be invaded, play offline. But then you don't receive tips doing so. Well then don't be human. But then you can't kindle bon fires. The system as a whole is set up to force you to play online.

 

[The White Hunter]

I have it blocked on my firewall, stops invasions but keeps most other things in tact. My tolerance for gobshites is very low and maybe 1/4 of encounters I win, out of the 3/4 remaining i'd say maybe 1/8 of them result in some twat sending me some abusive horseshit.

Yeah so it doesn't go through anymore.

And yeah I'd still play them, the games solo experience is the best aspect and stands alone without the online. As for Demon's Souls I could never stay connected to it's wank servers and thus played offline.