From Software Elden Ring - From Software's new game with writing by GRRM

[Stoned Ape]

So, I just picked this up. I've not actually played anything From have designed previously, the level of hype from my friends about their games had put me off but after years of their nagging I finally caved and bought this. I've played for about an hour so far. Combat feels clunky and lacks fluidity (that might change as I learn the system, but I might get put off before that happens). Character movement feels sharp and the camera is very responsive but I really don't like the way manual aim without using lock on doesn't seem reliable for me (that's probably a skill issue though). Rolling on the ground while fighting in full armour looks goofy. Graphics are decent but overall I'm not sure what all the fuss is about and why playing this is supposed to be an enjoyable experience.

 

[Terenty]

Eh, id recommend starting with Dark Souls 1 or Demon Souls, imho they are the quintessential Souls games.

 

[Odoryuk]

Doesn't matter what you start with, they all complement each other.

 

[ghostdog]

So, I just picked this up. I've not actually played anything From have designed previously, the level of hype from my friends about their games had put me off but after years of their nagging I finally caved and bought this. I've played for about an hour so far. Combat feels clunky and lacks fluidity (that might change as I learn the system, but I might get put off before that happens). Character movement feels sharp and the camera is very responsive but I really don't like the way manual aim without using lock on doesn't seem reliable for me (that's probably a skill issue though). Rolling on the ground while fighting in full armour looks goofy. Graphics are decent but overall I'm not sure what all the fuss is about and why playing this is supposed to be an enjoyable experience.

If you're looking for a laid-back enjoyable experience, you won't find it. Souls games are mostly a mixture of frustration, tension, progression and exploration that eventually may bring you enjoyment. Also, don't expect any fluidity in combat like there is in action games like God of war or DMC. Fighting is about managing your resources (stamina) managing your spacing from enemies and delivering a few well-timed blows.

 

[Skinwalker]

Souls games are mostly a mixture of frustration, tension, progression and exploration that eventually may bring you enjoyment.

This was never true for me. From the very first soulsgame I've ever played, I've been fully immersed in the game and the combat always delighted me with its strict demand to pay close attention to enemy movements and positioning, instead of just spazzing out and mashing buttons until everything dies.

The rare parts where the soulsgames get frustrating (usually some disproportionately difficult and long boss fight, e.g. Ludwig, Sister Frida, M*lenia, Ornstein & Smaug Attorneys at Law, and also Slav Knight Gael would qualify if I hadn't cheesed him with poison mist lul) are my least favorite parts, and I'd never play these games if most of them felt like that.

 

[JarlFrank]

The boss fights are the least interesting thing about FromSoft games.
The level design is their real strength.
You could cut out most of the bosses and I wouldn't even notice or care.

 

[Jinn]

The only modern FromSoft game where I cared about and truly loved the boss fights was Sekiro, because they were all so phenomenal, engaging, and fun.

In terms of Soulsborne/Elden Ring, bosses have their place as kind of skill/build checks, but ultimately they mostly feel like they get in the way of what I really love, and that's the exploration, discovery, progression, and normal encounter design that plays off the environment.

EDIT: nearly forgot to mention Armored Core 6. The bosses were of similar quality as Sekiro's, imo, but I wish they hadn't been such a massive focus of the game overall, ie more exploration and interesting normal encounters throughout missions. Granted, AC is a different beast in regards to structure, but still valid to mention in this context.

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

EDIT: nearly forgot to mention Armored Core 6. The bosses were of similar quality as Sekiro's, imo,

Same combat designer, incdentally.
That man knows what the fuck he's doing, for sure.

I bought Armored Core VI at launch but for a reason or another I ended up playing it just recently and what do you know, I actually found it fucking outstanding from a combat/gameplay perspective.
Up there with Sekiro as their best combat... With the caveat that -like in Elden Ring- with the right build it's a bit more easy to "break" the encounters.

 

[Jinn]

With the caveat that -like in Elden Ring- with the right build it's a bit more easy to "break" the encounters.

And that's a-okay with me, as long as it's found naturally and not by being spoiled.

Nothing more detestable than a git-gud tard who spouts their shit while letting a guide play the game for them.

But yeah, AC6 combat is godly when you get in the flow of it. And the feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment after beating some of those bosses was outstanding. But again, wish the game gave that combat more time to shine aside from boss fights and arena matches.

 

[Wasteland]

So, I just picked this up. I've not actually played anything From have designed previously, the level of hype from my friends about their games had put me off but after years of their nagging I finally caved and bought this. I've played for about an hour so far. Combat feels clunky and lacks fluidity (that might change as I learn the system, but I might get put off before that happens). Character movement feels sharp and the camera is very responsive but I really don't like the way manual aim without using lock on doesn't seem reliable for me (that's probably a skill issue though). Rolling on the ground while fighting in full armour looks goofy. Graphics are decent but overall I'm not sure what all the fuss is about and why playing this is supposed to be an enjoyable experience.

I'm in a similar boat, having just started Elden Ring. It's my first Souls game. First impressions, after a dozen hours or so:

The Bad:

• The game's default keyboard controls are among the worst I've ever seen. I think I've mostly resolved that issue by rebinding several things, but AFAICT there will always be compromises. For one thing, you can't rebind menu controls. As an example, the shortest sequence to quit out goes something like this: Esc -> Up Arrow -> E -> Z -> E -> Left Arrow -> E. I've seen internet commenters complain that you can't rebind the Map key; personally I don't mind that the Map key is "G." What's annoying is that pressing G again (or Esc) won't dismiss the map. Instead, a second press of G brings up the Map screen's help menu. So what usually happens is that I'll press G to refer to the map, then instinctively press G again, which means that then I have to press Q twice to exit the map.
• The camera, likewise, is extremely goofy by default. Disabling the 'auto-turn' and 'wall collision' options seems to fix the worst of the camera's issues, but not all of them. I think 2/3rds of the "clunky" feeling comes from wrestling the camera.
• I'm not thrilled about the lack of a pause key. I've heard that you can pause the game by surfing to one of the help menus within the inventory screen, but that only emphasizes the complaint--if a pause function exists, then why not make it obvious/accessible?

The Ambivalent:

• A codexer earlier in the thread observed that the Smithing Stone system tends to work at cross purposes with the game's excellent variety of weapons, at least early on. I agree with that. More generally, I think character progression is a little dull. The system seems to encourage pumping points into Vigor, for extra HP, for the first 40-50 levels of the game--and not just because HP is helpful. Offensive stats are more or less pointless without a heavily upgraded weapon, which takes a very long time to obtain.
• I haven't played long enough to render a proper judgment with respect to the open world, or the issue of copy-pasted assets therein. I'll just say that I think I understand where both sides are coming from. The expansiveness of the open world certainly lends a sense of awe to the experience, at the outset. Expansiveness can quickly become exhausting, too. I'm not sure that an open world design meshes especially well with the Souls franchise's apparently characteristic lack of explicit directions, either. A simple quest journal would go a long way.

The Good:

• I'm really digging the atmosphere. Art direction is top notch.
• Related to the atmosphere is the sense of danger. You can't help but feel immersed when every wrong move is punished with near-instant death. There's no tuning out.
• It's refreshing to have to manage resources.
• At the risk of contradicting myself, the lack of in-your-face direction also aids immersion. The fact that e.g. you can't look at the map when you have an enemy's attention is a nice touch. To echo an earlier poster, it feels almost as if the map is a physical item that your character has to pull out and unfurl.
• Itemization is fantastic, though again, it probably suffers due to the size of the open world.
• Performance is great. My GPU barely pulls 50 watts at max settings (sans ray tracing) @ a rock solid 60 FPS. I'll bet this game would run on a toaster oven.

I don't know that I'll ever finish the game--and I really doubt I'll be up for expansion content--but it's a lot of fun so far.

 

[9ted6]

Elden Ring's biggest problem is that the open world, its biggest selling point and the thing all the journos hyped to no end, is completely dead and lifeless.

There was no reason to make it open world and throw a bunch of copypasted mismatched levels together. It doesn't add anything to the game at all.

 

[Skinwalker]

.

keyboard controls

Stop posting.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

.

keyboard controls

Stop posting.

Lmao

 

[mediocrepoet]

.

keyboard controls

Stop posting.

Post using your controller, casual bitch.

 

[Odoryuk]

Get on my level

 

[Stoned Ape]

I've played about 6 hours so far. Now that I've seen a bit more of the world and its weirdness I'm enjoying exploring it a lot more and the atmosphere is great.

I also spent a couple of those hours repeatedly clearing the soldier's camp just outside the gate to try to learn the combat mechanics a bit. I'm still not sold on the system, it feels like you're being encouraged to play reactively rather than being creative with your abilities. I still find rolling goofy but I understand I pretty much have to do it in order to have any chance against bosses.

Speaking of which, I bounced off the first field boss and main boss I met quite a few times then decided I was badly underlevelled and I'd come back to try again later. I'm not young anymore and my reflexes aren't as sharp as they used to be so I expect I'll have to rely on getting much better gear to have a chance. Boss fights feel like they have even less leeway for creativity than normal combat, it's like learning a pattern by rote and following it or being punished for doing what the designers didn't want you to.

I beat the sub-boss in the wolf cave before logging out of the game yesterday after using the tower shield and partisan I looted from the soldier's camp. This leads me to believe that the creativity will come in finding the gear that will allow you to create a successful build rather than in how you approach the combat itself. That's fine I suppose although not my favourite way to play action games.

So, I'm finding the exploration and feel of the world more enjoyable than I expected, but the combat somewhat limiting and less satisfying than I anticipated. I am enjoying it more than I did initially and I'll stick with it unless the boss fights really put me off.

 

[Odoryuk]

This leads me to believe that the creativity will come in finding the gear that will allow you to create a successful build rather than in how you approach the combat itself. That's fine I suppose although not my favourite way to play action games.

The equipment is the major element that defines how you play, even different weapons of the same weapon type can feel vastly different and require a different approach. Your weapons defines the spacing you need to create with the enemies, your attack timings, etc. There's no creativity as in immersive sim creativity of dealing with enemies (there's stealth but it doesn't work on bosses), but you can have very different approaches to enemies and bosses based on how you build your character. I'd suggest to you to look into crafting (the Santa looking guy in the first church sells a crafting tool), it can expand the way you deal with enemies and bosses, and you have to find recipes for items, so you gotta explore more locations, a win–win situation.

 

[Terenty]

I am enjoying it more than I did initially and I'll stick with it unless the boss fights really put me off.

If you are prepared to die 20+ times to a boss then you are good to go. Though it's kinda easier in ER with the addition of spirit ashes

 

[Odoryuk]

I am enjoying it more than I did initially and I'll stick with it unless the boss fights really put me off.

If you are prepared to die 20+ times to a boss then you are good to go. Though it's kinda easier in ER with the addition of spirit ashes

Right, if you have troubles with bosses, getting a good spirit ash is necessary. Jellyfish spirit ash can really help you with the bosses in the beginning of the game, if you want someone stronger, try to beat the very first dungeon where you start the game after tutorial, that guy can carry you through the midgame as well.

 

[JarlFrank]

I'm not thrilled about the lack of a pause key.

Here you go:
https://www.nexusmods.com/eldenring/mods/43

 

[Lyric Suite]

Boss fights feel like they have even less leeway for creativity than normal combat, it's like learning a pattern by rote and following it or being punished for doing what the designers didn't want you to.

That's the best part for me.

Figuring out how to do that is where the true complexity of the game lies, and the best part for me (and what made fall in love with FromSoft games) is that reflexes have nothing to do with it. I'm a case in point since i'm in my 40s and my reflexes also aren't what they used to be either, and yet had no trouble achieving a degree of mastery in those games.

With that said, you can approach the game any way you want.

 

[ghostdog]

I'm not thrilled about the lack of a pause key.

Here you go:
https://www.nexusmods.com/eldenring/mods/43

There is a certain menu that pauses the game (don't know if it's patched out)

open the menu screen, select inventory, press the help button, and then select Menu Explanation.

 

[Odoryuk]

There is a certain menu that pauses the game (don't know if it's patched out)

It can't be patched out, it's the same game function that pauses the game during tutorial messages (only works when there's no other players present in your game)

 

[Machocruz]

Just age better, bros. Almost 50 and still no action of any kind poses a problem. Except maybe in the bedroom.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Just age better, bros. Almost 50 and still no action of any kind poses a problem. Except maybe in the bedroom.

... You know, quite often it's the other way around. Maybe go see a doctor about the limp noodle.