Dark Souls�: Prepare To Die� Edition worth it?

Roland · 09-11-2012, 10:47 AM

So, recently a few friends of mine have been going on about Dark Souls. I know, I know, it's pretty old by now. Thing is, one of my friends loves the PC version of the game and claims it's better than the console version.

The rest insist that the PC version is a horrible port job and that the console version is superior, be it for balance reasons, framerate/resolution issues, or control issues. From what I understand, some of the issues with the PC version can be patched, while others can't. The big issue for me is mostly controls.

I don't have a computer-capable controller yet, but would it still be worth it to buy the PC version of the game over the console version?

Also, how the heck do you trademark the phrase "Prepare to die"? Seriously, that's bugging me now.

Azisien · 09-11-2012, 10:51 AM

The keyboard and mouse controls are manageable, but I wholeheartedly support the "terrible port" notion. They'll feel terrible at first but like any control scheme, you adapt quickly.

It's bad, as far as ports go.

But, you can remap a lot of keys to better positions, and you can download the mod that fixes the resolution (It's locked at 720p that it's at for consoles). Game actually plays a lot better at 1080 or higher.

Arcanum · 09-11-2012, 12:30 PM

The game was meant to be played with a controller. I'll just say that right now. And while the PC version is a bare-bones port, the game itself is amazing. In terms of balance, software-wise, I'm unsure if the console version has been patched to reflect the changes made in Prepare to Die, or if those changes will wait for the release of the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. Player-wise, word is there are a lot of cheaters on the PC using trainers and whatever else to min-max their stats, load up on infinite items, and go to town trolling players. In my own experience I've only encountered two or three invaders that definitely looked like they were min-maxing, but that is a problem present in the console version as well (it's just easier and less time-consuming on the PC thanks to trainers).

Anyway, like Azi said, there's a mod that fixes the graphical issues (it's called DSfix and is available right here) and I've had less framerate issues with the PC version than the PS3 version (although the beginning of Blighttown still had some significant slow down).

So with all that said, I'd say the deal breaker between the two versions would be the controls. Personally I tried keyboard and mouse for all of five minutes before hating it and going back to a controller. It's just that the game was designed with a controller in mind, and with it being a basic port there was almost no effort put into making the game or UI friendly to keyboards.

Also, it should be said that for $40 you're getting both Dark Souls and the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, whereas on the console you will have to buy the DLC separately, if you're so inclined. Either way, whichever version you choose, and despite the game's age, you should definitely play it.

greed · 09-11-2012, 12:38 PM

See the thing I've heard is it's a perfect port. In that it is identical to the console version (and even that's not true I've heard the framerate is far more stable if your PC is better than a PS3). A lot of the whining is from PC fanboys screaming and wailing about the PC version not being improved as befits their glorious PC master race. Basically you'll get the console experience nothing more, nothing less. But seeing as the game is better than any other game of the last 10 years on PC or console that's not really an issue.

TLDR it's not a bad port like SR2 or RE4 where the PC versio was actually worse than the console version. Dark Souls PC is identical to slightly better.

But yeah you definitely need a controller, it's not that the controls are badly done it's just the controls are designed for a controller to a point that keyboard and mouse simply will not work under any combination of keys and mouse it will always be vastly inferior.

Basically if you've got a good PC and can be bothered shelling out for a controller and dealing with the framerate mods it is the better version of Dark Souls. If not I'd get it for the PS3. But get it whatever you do it's the best game of the last decade.

**Revising Ocelot** · 09-11-2012, 12:46 PM

I'll more likely than not be picking this up come the Christmas sales, assuming I can steal one of my brother's 360 controllers (they do work on PC, right?). KB+M controls... well, I've heard the keyboard is fine, but the mouse is extremely messed up - to the point where people rebind it to IJKL.

The fact that somebody could mod in resolution fixes less than six hours after the game came out is shockingly poor form by FromSoftware, but oh well.

A Zarkin' Frood · 09-11-2012, 01:15 PM

If you need community fixes to make a port work as you would expect on your platform it's a shitty port. The End.

The game itself however is easily my favorite game of the decade. At the very least. Maybe of all time, we'll see. There have been very very few games that make me keep coming back for more. And even after 6 or 7 Playthroughs I keep finding new stuff, try out new builds and so on. And I have yet to even try one of the builds that require intended (by the developers) sequence breaking. The lore is rich, the gameplay is deep, there are no fucking 10 hour cutscenes or endless dialogue trees. The focus is clearly on the gameplay and figuring out the world.

I wont get the Prepare to Die edition on PC, but I'll get it on PS3 as soon as it releases. Maybe by then I'll be reliably online with my PS3 and can download the expansion by itself instead of buying the whole game plus the expansion in a store again. Even though for a game that great I'd be willing to pay that as well.

So, I highly recommend playing the game, but get the resolution fix, I heard it actually makes the game run better in general. If you have the console and are willing to pay the extra bucks, just wait until it releases for consoles.

greed · 09-11-2012, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Zarkin' Frood

If you need community fixes to make a port work as you would expect on your platform it's a shitty port. The End.

It works fine. It works exactly the same as consoles. It's a mod. People keep throwing around "bad port" like it's actually a problem that makes it worse than the console versions. It's exactly the same game as what was on consoles which was far better than anything else of the last 10 years.

A Zarkin' Frood · 09-11-2012, 03:09 PM

If I had never played the game before and got it now for PC I'd be pretty pissed to find that I can't run it in my monitors resolution without first applying a mod that has been released within hours of the release. So it can't have been too hard to add that feature. They probably just ported the X360 game directly and didn't actually do much to it. It's a lazy port at best. It runs, but it's evident they didn't put much work into it. I'm not going to call it a good port just because it works the same because that's kinda the problem. It's the console game but on PC with very little done to accommodate to a completely different audience. Supporting the most common resolutions and decent Mouse+Keyboard controls (not everyone has an X360 or similar gamepad, after all) would have been the first things I'd expect from a decent port. The game is great, but the port is poorly done. In my opinion anyway. The only thing that speaks for it, as a port, is that it's not infamous for crashes.

Arcanum · 09-11-2012, 03:17 PM

I define a good port as a game, while originally released on system X, tailored to take advantage of everything system Y has to offer. An example of this off the top of my head is Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The weapon quick select is a wheel menu on consoles, but uses your number keys on the PC. You can also use your numpad to enter access codes, and other things like that.

Meanwhile Dark Souls is the exact same game it is on consoles, only forced into a PC-shaped box. There are things it does well, such as giving you the option to change all of your keybindings, but your quick swap items/spells still have the cross reminiscent of a d-pad. However there were a lot of things done wrong, such as the resolution was locked in with no option to change it whatsoever and there are no advanced graphics options.

PC players aren't whining because the game wasn't improved for them. They are complaining because the port is lacking features that you would expect any PC game from five years ago to have.

Yes the game is basically the same as it is on consoles, but that is what qualifies it as a port, not a good port.

Grandmaster_Skweeb · 09-11-2012, 04:39 PM

I'm not surprised about the minimalist approach for porting it to PC. It is from From Software, after all. They're notorious for avoiding the PC platform at almost all costs and when they do make a port, three total so far to my knowledge, it is done with as little footwork possible. So color me surprised when I read about it and wasn't surprised that they did very little port work in the end.

This member of the glorious master race won't be playing it because I hate relying on third party fixes for something the dev's should've been assed to address in the first place. Chiefly the resolution issue. Not having a controller, and not willing to shell out cash for one for just one game, is another.

09-11-2012, 10:47 AM	#1
Roland Professional Layabout Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: A desert on and surrounded by mountains. Posts: 722	Dark Souls�: Prepare To Die� Edition worth it? So, recently a few friends of mine have been going on about Dark Souls. I know, I know, it's pretty old by now. Thing is, one of my friends loves the PC version of the game and claims it's better than the console version. The rest insist that the PC version is a horrible port job and that the console version is superior, be it for balance reasons, framerate/resolution issues, or control issues. From what I understand, some of the issues with the PC version can be patched, while others can't. The big issue for me is mostly controls. I don't have a computer-capable controller yet, but would it still be worth it to buy the PC version of the game over the console version? Also, how the heck do you trademark the phrase "Prepare to die"? Seriously, that's bugging me now.

09-11-2012, 10:51 AM	#2
Azisien wat Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,177	The keyboard and mouse controls are manageable, but I wholeheartedly support the "terrible port" notion. They'll feel terrible at first but like any control scheme, you adapt quickly. It's bad, as far as ports go. But, you can remap a lot of keys to better positions, and you can download the mod that fixes the resolution (It's locked at 720p that it's at for consoles). Game actually plays a lot better at 1080 or higher. Last edited by Azisien; 09-11-2012 at 10:58 AM.

09-11-2012, 12:30 PM	#3
Arcanum Strike the Earth! Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 3,185	The game was meant to be played with a controller. I'll just say that right now. And while the PC version is a bare-bones port, the game itself is amazing. In terms of balance, software-wise, I'm unsure if the console version has been patched to reflect the changes made in Prepare to Die, or if those changes will wait for the release of the Artorias of the Abyss DLC. Player-wise, word is there are a lot of cheaters on the PC using trainers and whatever else to min-max their stats, load up on infinite items, and go to town trolling players. In my own experience I've only encountered two or three invaders that definitely looked like they were min-maxing, but that is a problem present in the console version as well (it's just easier and less time-consuming on the PC thanks to trainers). Anyway, like Azi said, there's a mod that fixes the graphical issues (it's called DSfix and is available right here) and I've had less framerate issues with the PC version than the PS3 version (although the beginning of Blighttown still had some significant slow down). So with all that said, I'd say the deal breaker between the two versions would be the controls. Personally I tried keyboard and mouse for all of five minutes before hating it and going back to a controller. It's just that the game was designed with a controller in mind, and with it being a basic port there was almost no effort put into making the game or UI friendly to keyboards. Also, it should be said that for $40 you're getting both Dark Souls and the Artorias of the Abyss DLC, whereas on the console you will have to buy the DLC separately, if you're so inclined. Either way, whichever version you choose, and despite the game's age, you should definitely play it. __________________ POS Almighty has spoken.

09-11-2012, 12:46 PM	#5
Revising Ocelot Douchebag Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Probably somewhere in England. Posts: 1,897	I'll more likely than not be picking this up come the Christmas sales, assuming I can steal one of my brother's 360 controllers (they do work on PC, right?). KB+M controls... well, I've heard the keyboard is fine, but the mouse is extremely messed up - to the point where people rebind it to IJKL. The fact that somebody could mod in resolution fixes less than six hours after the game came out is shockingly poor form by FromSoftware, but oh well. __________________ magic sucks

09-11-2012, 01:15 PM	#6
A Zarkin' Frood formerly known as Prince. Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Right here, with you >:) Posts: 2,396	If you need community fixes to make a port work as you would expect on your platform it's a shitty port. The End. The game itself however is easily my favorite game of the decade. At the very least. Maybe of all time, we'll see. There have been very very few games that make me keep coming back for more. And even after 6 or 7 Playthroughs I keep finding new stuff, try out new builds and so on. And I have yet to even try one of the builds that require intended (by the developers) sequence breaking. The lore is rich, the gameplay is deep, there are no fucking 10 hour cutscenes or endless dialogue trees. The focus is clearly on the gameplay and figuring out the world. I wont get the Prepare to Die edition on PC, but I'll get it on PS3 as soon as it releases. Maybe by then I'll be reliably online with my PS3 and can download the expansion by itself instead of buying the whole game plus the expansion in a store again. Even though for a game that great I'd be willing to pay that as well. So, I highly recommend playing the game, but get the resolution fix, I heard it actually makes the game run better in general. If you have the console and are willing to pay the extra bucks, just wait until it releases for consoles. __________________ >:( C-: Last edited by A Zarkin' Frood; 09-11-2012 at 01:20 PM.

09-11-2012, 03:09 PM	#8
A Zarkin' Frood formerly known as Prince. Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Right here, with you >:) Posts: 2,396	If I had never played the game before and got it now for PC I'd be pretty pissed to find that I can't run it in my monitors resolution without first applying a mod that has been released within hours of the release. So it can't have been too hard to add that feature. They probably just ported the X360 game directly and didn't actually do much to it. It's a lazy port at best. It runs, but it's evident they didn't put much work into it. I'm not going to call it a good port just because it works the same because that's kinda the problem. It's the console game but on PC with very little done to accommodate to a completely different audience. Supporting the most common resolutions and decent Mouse+Keyboard controls (not everyone has an X360 or similar gamepad, after all) would have been the first things I'd expect from a decent port. The game is great, but the port is poorly done. In my opinion anyway. The only thing that speaks for it, as a port, is that it's not infamous for crashes. __________________ >:( C-: Last edited by A Zarkin' Frood; 09-11-2012 at 03:13 PM.

09-11-2012, 03:17 PM	#9
Arcanum Strike the Earth! Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 3,185	I define a good port as a game, while originally released on system X, tailored to take advantage of everything system Y has to offer. An example of this off the top of my head is Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The weapon quick select is a wheel menu on consoles, but uses your number keys on the PC. You can also use your numpad to enter access codes, and other things like that. Meanwhile Dark Souls is the exact same game it is on consoles, only forced into a PC-shaped box. There are things it does well, such as giving you the option to change all of your keybindings, but your quick swap items/spells still have the cross reminiscent of a d-pad. However there were a lot of things done wrong, such as the resolution was locked in with no option to change it whatsoever and there are no advanced graphics options. PC players aren't whining because the game wasn't improved for them. They are complaining because the port is lacking features that you would expect any PC game from five years ago to have. Yes the game is basically the same as it is on consoles, but that is what qualifies it as a port, not a good port. __________________ POS Almighty has spoken.

09-11-2012, 04:39 PM	#10
Grandmaster_Skweeb Doesn't care anymore Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 2,429	I'm not surprised about the minimalist approach for porting it to PC. It is from From Software, after all. They're notorious for avoiding the PC platform at almost all costs and when they do make a port, three total so far to my knowledge, it is done with as little footwork possible. So color me surprised when I read about it and wasn't surprised that they did very little port work in the end. This member of the glorious master race won't be playing it because I hate relying on third party fixes for something the dev's should've been assed to address in the first place. Chiefly the resolution issue. Not having a controller, and not willing to shell out cash for one for just one game, is another.