My copy of Infinite Space for the DS just arrived. For some reason it's a really rare game. Saw some people selling it for north of $150 on eBay .

In any case, space opera + non linearity + Platinum Games sounds very promising. Anybody played it?

Yeah, I also thought the round statue guys looked kind of dumb. I didn't find anything else in the area jarring though, maybe because I was too busy trying to not get myself killed at the time to critique the game's aesthetic quality.

I don't only mean aesthetics, though. Most locations in the game have really interesting challenges and creative mixups of enemies and terrain hazards. Each room is very well thought, allows for different strategies and tricks, and is a mini-puzzle of its own. Here, it looks like something a kid made in a level editor. Former bosses just spammed around en masse. It sure adds some gameplay time, but it's the cheapest way possible.

lost izalith is even worse. iirc the director said something along the lines that the area didn't come out the way he imagined so it was probably deadlines, yes.
imo from should have taken the whole demon ruins/lost izalith complex out of the retail version, take extra time to polish it and release it as dlc. they apparently did the same with oolacile and that's one of the best areas in the game with some of the best bosses now. but that probably wasn't their call to make so yeah.

Interesting. Probably removing these areas last minute would be more troublesome than just filling them with some placeholder enemies and hoping it'll pass. It's not like it's unplayable, after all. It stands out mainly because the rest of the game is so tightly designed. Bosses were cool, though. Centipede Demon is properly disgusting.

Is it me or did they got pressed against deadlines when working on Demon Ruins? The whole location is bland, sprinkled randomly with enemies that were bosses before with no rhyme or reason. And those demonic statue enemies sure do look like a cheap cop out from having to do their animations. It's weird considering how detailed and well thought the rest of the level design in this game is.

I don't have the DLC and I don't think I'll buy it. I try to avoid spending too much time with a single game these days. Lots of interesting stuff I should check out comes out every month and I only have limited free time.

I'm also not sure if I will engage into more serious PvP. I love it as a sub-aspect of the whole game, but I don't think it's good enough to treat it as a game of its own, with all the lag, slowdowns, and gameplay based on backstab fishing.

Remember too you get more souls when you win as host than you do as phantom

Yeah, I "remember". Aside from knowing the mechanics from DS, you already said that a few posts above .

Yeah, it was the same in Demon's Souls and I understand the meta for this game is also around SL125, which is what I'm trying to get. Just didn't know I'm getting so ahead of myself. I assumed most players must be at similar levels as I.

It's funny because I don't really have much time to play this and never farmed souls (killed some slimes for green titanite, but that wasn't much). Must have been really lucky with the forest or did stuff in awkward order. Forest fills your soul count like crazy. Whenever I sit there for more than half an hour, I later find I have around 70k-100k souls to spend. And as an invader I got lucky twice, once for 250k, once for 120k. I guess it made the difference.

Whatever. It should balance out in NG+, if I'm so desperate as to play the game again.

Interesting. I wonder how I got so much higher than the average then. Do people not spend their souls intentionally or just avoid PvP up until NG+?

Could be it. I wonder how it'll go in NG+ if I ever get the time to play it again. Especially as I don't really plan to level much from where I am.

what level were you at? you should be 50-60

Said already that I got several levels up from SL55 after killing a 250k souls worth player in PvP. And then stayed in the forest for a while more. I think I was at around SL80 when I killed O&S. With 30 vit and 30 faith. So probably quite above the designated level for that area.

I think I'm averagely skilled at this point. I have some experience from Demon's Souls and other similar games, so my build is pretty efficient and I mostly know what I'm doing, but most PvPers I meet are still significantly better. There's no skill in getting close to a monster and mashing R1, though. It's just a matter of knowing it works.

no i think you just have good reflexes

I dunno. I really just stayed there and took swings at their balls. No reflexes involved. I might just have been lucky too -- if Ornstein has some AoE attack, he never used it. Then again, same strategy worked for almost every boss and/or big creature I encountered so far. Sometimes with the caveat of having to step back if they prepare some AoE or adjust their position. It got to the point where even my girlfriend noticed the bosses are kinda boring. Oh look, a giant. Better get between its legs and swing at its butt. Oh, an Iron Golem. Gotta get between his legs and swing at his butt. Oh, giant knights. Those must be tough. I better get between their legs. A gargoyle? Can't reach me if I'm right under his butt. And then the same thing with O & S. My character is a slut! I'm going for Sif now. Guess what strategy I'm gonna try :D.

Another thing that works is getting very close to the enemy and start circling around it, striking a few times when they miss an attack. The Monster Hunter way. Worked for Gaping Dragon, Queelag, Drakes, Giant Felines, Mushroom Daddies, Knights -- basically all enemies that are not tall enough to have a safe spot below their asses.

You're using those AEO miracles I suppose (the one that slows down ennemies was too strong when the game launched, the wrath of gods is still good though)

Haven't used Tranquil Walk of Peace as I've heard it pisses other players off. Just unlocked Wrath of Gods but haven't used it yet. So far, I've been using only the default Heal and Lightning Spear, which are not PvP viable but make progression a bit easier. Especially as I have no other projectile weapon. So my character plays like a Strength or Quality build, only with a Divine weapon instead of +15 plus spell buff.

Anyway you should endorse in more jolly cooperation ! Hunting other players is not nice!

Nah, they know what they are getting into staying in the forest in human form. It's fun for both sides. Tried some co-op early in the game, when my SL was low enough to get me summoned more often. It was fun, but it's kinda hard to get summoned in later areas. I may try with Anor Londo, though. I guess it also should get better with NG+.

Actually I'm in O&S right now and tried your method for big Orn and it seems to work, though not as well with katana (swings easily between his legs).

Yeah, I missed some hits as well. Try to untarget him and attack his legs. Makes camera less wobbly too.

For me it is the first part which is tough though. If you can deal damage quickly or it is ranged it gets much easier though.

That's where I think my extra levels made the difference. The only times I was hit were when I attacked Smough and Orn managed to reach me from behind. Being able to sustain those blows and kill Smough fast enough definitely helped. Divine Claymore +7 at 30 Faith makes quick work of bosses when two handed. It actually even manages to stun them sometimes.

Both hunted other players and have been hunted as a human. Even wrote about it just a few posts above. Playing a faith build with Divine Claymore/Zweihander.

I think I'm averagely skilled at this point. I have some experience from Demon's Souls and other similar games, so my build is pretty efficient and I mostly know what I'm doing, but most PvPers I meet are still significantly better. There's no skill in getting close to a monster and mashing R1, though. It's just a matter of knowing it works.

I play alone. I'm probably a bit over-leveled due to having some fun in the forest, though. On one hand, I was hit only once or twice, so it shouldn't really matter. On the other, maybe I was hit only once or twice precisely because I could kill them rather fast. Hard to say.

I killed Smough first, as I think it allows you to get Ornstein's armor later. He was also easier to kill. Ornstein alone was a joke. Didn't hit me a single time and I wasn't even dodging or paying attention. Basically the same strategy works here as with most DkS bosses -- you can stay between his legs and he won't be able to hit you. All his attacks, including that downward spear strike, landed behind my back. And when he jumped back, I just closed the distance again.

It kinda sucks when you think about it. Since I learned that trick on Gargoyles, I haven't died a single time in a boss battle (except for Capra).

Anor Londo done! Very cool level. It's nice to finally have some space to move around, especially after the Sen Fortress. Defeated Ornstein and Smough on the first attempt. They are either overrated or I'm overleveled. Standing between their legs and pummeling their balls was enough to kill them without the risk of getting hit. Fun fight either way.  

Trying the Forest Hunter covenant from the other side. Which is trying to survive as a human in the forest. Less WTF moments, but looks like a safer and more steady way to get the basics and farm some souls.

What Zenroth said. Don't worry about the royalty percentage and ask for an upfront payment as that's the only money you are ever going to see. Sadly, it's industry standard to never get any royalties from your retail sales.

Do you have any experience or proof to back this or do you just pull this info from thin air?

Yup. Good point. Should have mentioned I'm speaking from experience here. Seven years in video game industry. Several games by the last company I worked for were released in retail. We never saw any royalties, no matter what the contract said, how big was the distributor, or how well the game sold. Same thing for of other indies and small companies I know. Upfront fee is all you get in case of budget/indie/casual games. Maybe there are some exceptions, but I never encountered them, and I know it's the industry standard.

Why would anyone get to SL 450 is beyond me. And he didn't even feel any more powerful than the regular SL100 or SL125 PvPers I'm meeting. Still, gotta hand it to him -- he's going to remain in my heart as the most helpful player I've met.

A funny/awesome thing just happened to me. I was playing around with the Forest Hunter covenant. My character is around SL 55, so perhaps a bit underpowered for most of the opponents. But whatever -- I wanted some PvP practice. Won some, lost many more.

Then, as I'm about to call it a day, I get summoned to defend the forest. Okay, why not. One more time won't hurt. The host is clearly way above me in both player skill and character power. I manage to land some hits but it barely even makes a scratch. It looks like it's going to be a quick and easy battle for him. And then, he makes a stupid mistake and gets too close to a chasm. I launch a kick. It connects and drops him down to his death... BAM! +250k souls!

Dunno if it's a glitch or if he really was so over-leveled. Or maybe the rewards are different if the host dies from environment? In any case, at that point in the game it was worth 12 Soul Levels :D. Cool!

Haha, Forest covenant is fun!

What Zenroth said. Don't worry about the royalty percentage and ask for an upfront payment as that's the only money you are ever going to see. Sadly, it's industry standard to never get any royalties from your retail sales.

The guys invading < sl20 are pretty easy to kill, due to the leveling system they're generally either sl1 or sl6 so even a +5 weapon you'll kill them in a few shots or a well timed parry

Dunno about that. One of the first invasions I had was at a very low level. I managed to punish his whiff with a full Claymore 2h combo which... took less than 30% of his healthbar. Then he hit me twice with his elemental weapon and I died. The guy clearly had top-tier gear while I was still just going through the levels, learning the game, finding my stuff. Made me want to stay hollow through most of the early game areas.

I'm using a PvP build and I still kill bosses with ease. Same thing happened in Demon's Souls, maybe even to a greater degree. In general, PvP characters are highly optimized, so even if they don't have as many options available for them and rarely use magic missiles, they are still very powerful.