High-Priority Issues That Hurt the Game Right Now

[april]

Are the first 10 posts in this thread two gpt responses back and forthing with eachother? This entire post is formatted the same way GPT formats things (as well as Indentical in grammar/syntax usage ).

[Bl.z]

Dude, I use GPT to translate because my English is terrible. But just for that, it’s not a crime to not master the imperium language

[Psytoxin]

Yeah I use it to make my responses a bit cleaner. I write my responses to chat GPT and then I use that. Sometimes it omits some stuff which is annoying but yeah.

[Divici]

@Psytoxin

• Fallen Embers feel valuable but get wasted. The drop rate is fine, but the current enchantment system forces players to burn through Embers for mediocre results. Since gear has a kind of linear progression even if you’re simply wearing cloth running out of embers makes it difficult to find upgrades without spending a lot of embers.
  Possible Solution:
  Improve enchantment usefulness, so each use feels impactful. This is better than simply increasing Ember drops. This is a kind of difficult point because it’s very much co-dependant on the enchantments, but i’d figure i’d talk about it because a lot of people seem to have problems with it.

I fully agree on this. One solution could be to give the player the option, when they use an ember, to take the new enchant or keeping the previous.

[SantaDrugen]

In my case it’s not GPT, but I guess civilized discussions on internet forums do appear strange, as they are too rare.

[Minman]

@Psytoxin

I get what you’re saying — that it’s a bold way to teach the player something — but I don’t think it actually teaches anything meaningful. Especially in Darek’s case, the knockdown just feels like a bad move. Sure, it’s rare in the game overall, but that makes it even more jarring when it does happen and ends your run.

You could argue “well, he’s a boss, so if he knocks you down you should probably die,” but what’s the lesson there? It just feels like, “here’s a cheap move that kills you, good luck next time.” That’s not engaging or insightful — it’s frustrating. And if the point was to teach me something, then clearly that message isn’t landing, because multiple people I’ve spoken with dislike that fight for the same reason.

The move doesn’t add anything of value. It’s too fast, the punishment is too severe (instant death), and the takeaway — whatever it’s supposed to be — is unclear. If Darek only ever used that move in close range, then sure, the player could anticipate it and it would feel fair. But it’s mixed in randomly with his other attacks, so unless you’ve already seen it once, there’s no real way to prepare. You either get lucky or you don’t.

It’s not that you can’t learn over time — it’s that the lesson is built on randomness. That’s like trying to learn strategy from a slot machine. Sometimes you win, but you didn’t actually learn anything meaningful. So yeah… knockdowns suck. Now what?

Totally hear you on that. There’s definitely a fine line between challenge and cheapness, and Darek’s knockdown seems to lean too hard into the latter. I think a lot of us are okay with getting punished in a boss fight — if there’s a clear way to read or counter it. But when it comes out of nowhere, is rarely used, and ends the run instantly? Yeah, that doesn’t feel like a lesson, it feels like a coin flip.

What makes it worse is how inconsistent it is. Like you said, if it only triggered under certain conditions — close range, after a specific animation, whatever — then at least players could start to adapt. But randomness with lethal consequences just kills the flow. It doesn’t build mastery, it just adds frustration. Funny enough, that’s kind of why I’ve been using Overchat AI lately when I want to really discuss game design or bounce ideas around. It helps distill actual insight from all the noise, which honestly feels way more productive than trial-and-error mechanics that rely on luck. When a system is designed to support clear feedback and real learning — like Overchat does in conversation — that’s when you actually improve. So yeah… knockdowns suck. Let’s build smarter mechanics (and tools).

Games usually teach best through iteration and clarity. If a player dies, they should at least feel like they understand why — and what they could do better. With Darek, the message is muddled, and that’s probably why so many people bounce off that fight or just feel bitter about it.

Honestly, if they toned down the move or made it more readable, I think people would appreciate the fight a lot more. Right now, it feels less like a test of skill and more like bad RNG with a side of “gotcha.”

[Psytoxin]

You perfectly understood and put it very clear. Thank you.

[Canis.Lupus.Arctos]

@Bl.z

…I’ve never understood how Souls fans are so forgiving of the number of unspecified features…

well, LOL, that’s part of the charm of FromSoft games, and reason the fans even applaud FromSoft… but make no mistake that’s not as replicate-able as many players, and even some devs, think it is…

back on the subject, this:

@Psytoxin

This isn’t about making AI easier, it’s about making it more natural. The current AI feels robotic and omniscient

indeed this… is not even about difficulty, just feels too gamey… XD