Why Dark Souls is the 'Ikea' of Games (GDC 2017 Talk)

[Armenius]

This video came across my recs on Youtube, showing the algorithm actually working in this point. This development session at GDC 2017 was very poignant and I think the big video game publishers should take heed of its points more in today's market. It points out how, in trying to appeal to everyone, games are destined to fade into history under a shadow of mediocrity. The comparison to Ikea makes sense as he explains, so I recommend watching it all the way through.



Questions near the end are hilarious as young developers ask "how can I take these lessons and serve a larger audience?" Almost like it fell on deaf ears or simply flew over their heads.

 

[Comixbooks]

Kings Field set up the tone for the Dark Souls series that applies to any game out there that emotional intelligence surpasses in game mechanics.

 

[viivo]

Like many super difficult NES and SNES games, DS is repetition and rote memorization. It doesn't require skill or intelligence, just time.




And maybe a sprinkling of autism.

 

[defaultluser]

Like many super difficult NES and SNES games, DS is repetition and rote memorization. It doesn't require skill or intelligence, just time.




And maybe a sprinkling of autism.

Yeah, this is why I hate it. Any decent Chcekpoint game would autosave right before a big boss battle, but no - not Dark Souls of Justice. You have to rekill the intro crap EVERY TIME you try the boss fight over. And this was the first fucking boss battle in the game, so you can imagine how much farther I played that shitshow.

I only enjoyed memory shooters/platforms back when you had nothing better to play, but we would make it sane with things like the Konami Code (or continues used in many Capcom games).

I've really enjoyed the days of PC FPS gaming (where you have dedicated quicksdave/load buttons). The level of difficulty is on YOU (and how often you use this crutch), not the game developer.

 

[Armenius]

Yeah, this is why I hate it. Any decent Chcekpoint game would autosave right before a big boss battle, but no - not Dark Souls of Justice. You have to rekill the intro crap EVERY TIME you try the boss fight over. And this was the first fucking boss battle in the game, so you can imagine how much farther I played that shitshow.

I only enjoyed memory shooters/platforms back when you had nothing better to play, but we would make it sane with things like the Konami Code (or continues used in many Capcom games).

I've really enjoyed the days of PC FPS gaming (where you have dedicated quicksdave/load buttons). The level of difficulty is on YOU (and how often you use this crutch), not the game developer.

There is a bonfire right outside the room of the first boss. And as you go through the game the distance from bonfire to boss gets progressively longer. The game is paced perfectly for you to learn the mechanics.

 

[defaultluser]

There is a bonfire right outside the room of the first boss. And as you go through the game the distance from bonfire to boss gets progressively longer. The game is paced perfectly for you to learn the mechanics.

I don't care about the growth in bonfire length as you get deeper in the game. I care that the bonfire re-spawns every time you die at that boss, and you have ti refight the entire sub-army before the boss.

For comparison, another better-balanced Checkpoint fighter would be Borderlands: you can re-spawn, at the cost of a percentage of your current credits, and the enemies leading up to the boss do not re-spawn (unless you took forever to get to the boss). This is a much better design, because you always take a permanent penalty with each death, but shouldn't have to fight anyone except the boss the second go through.

Yes, I know you don't want to admit that it's true, but there are other options for games besides PERFECT memory brawlers.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

I don't care about the growth in bonfire length as you get deeper in the game. I care that the bonfire re-spawns every time you die at that boss, and you have ti refight the entire sub-army before the boss.

For comparison, another better-balanced Checkpoint fighter would be Borderlands: you can re-spawn, at the cost of a percentage of your current credits, and the enemies leading up to the boss do not re-spawn (unless you took forever to get to the boss). This is a much better design, because you always take a permanent penalty with each death, but shouldn't have to fight anyone except the boss the second go through.

Yes, I know you don't want to admit that it's true, but there are other options for games besides PERFECT memory brawlers.

That's literally the heart of the design of Dark Souls. I'm not saying you have to like it, but it's not some kind of short sighted mistake by From.