*EDIT: Guys... I'm seeing a lot of comments just repeating "Dark Souls shouldn't have an Easy mode!" when that's not even what this video is about... Please actually watch the video and listen to what I actually say in it. Absorb the content and don't just judge a book by it's cover. Thank you. Link to Act Man's Video: th-cam.com/video/wgzkCK9Cggc/w-d-xo.html Any donations made to my Ko-fi goes to others in need: ko-fi.com/thegamertronshow _____________________________________________________________________ My Patreon: www.patreon.com/thegamertronshow My Twitter: twitter.com/GamerTronShow Join the Public Discord: discord.gg/CEvbTw8X
@@LordFinkenstein No... Saying that The Act Man is wrong about (certain things with) Dark Souls and Easy modes is nowhere is near the same topic as arguing for an easy mode in Dark Souls. Jesus Christ.
_"We don't want to include a difficulty selection because we want to bring everyone to the same level of discussion and the same level of enjoyment. "So we want everyone … to first face that challenge and to overcome it in some way that suits them as a player."_ _"We want everyone to feel that sense of accomplishment. We want everyone to feel elated and to join that discussion on the same level. We feel if there's different difficulties, that's going to segment and fragment the user base. People will have different experiences based on that [differing difficulty level]. This is something we take to heart when we design games."_ ~ Miyazaki, Hidetaka (2019)
Easy mode would make me wanna actually play easy mode. Whenever I meet a roadblock on another game I always just make it easier. Dark souls just forced me to deal with it. That's my opinion ( It seems my comment confuses some people. I'm agreeing with act man and saying that I like how this plays basically)
thats a good thing, overcoming a challenge, when you make a game easier for yourself by going into settings you a actively ruining your experience with the game
@@tbrown5836 that was the point of the comment. I actually did it. Not to mention I beat ds1 with one hand. I’ve gone along way since I last posted that
24:18 actually that one isn't too far off. Demon Souls didn't do so well in Japan when it was first released and only really started to get steam when they were ordered online by Western ps3 players based on some rumors of how it was this game that effectively dared you to try to finish it. When they got their copies and started spreading the rumors, sales began to rise. I personally think if it was packaged with a difficulty selection at the time it would have been just another fantasy game competing against Oblivion at the time. Maybe there would have been a chance but the odds were very low
One of my favorite videos made by Videogamedunkey is his video on video game difficulty. I love how he breaks down the difference between difficulty’s that are perfect for the game and are just straight up frustrating. When it come to Souls type games, there is one set difficulty, and for some players, it can be frustrating. Sure, you could just say ‘get gud’, but that only goes so far when you are stuck at the first boss for 30 minutes or an hour. At the end of the day, it’s the development team’s game and it’s their vision. If they want a hard game for hardcore gamers, it’s their choice, but not every person will be able to reach that criteria.
Yeah, it's called target audience, people who complain that they can't enjoy a game or something because of something prove they aren't the targeted demographic
Except they actually can reach that criteria by taking the time to learn how the boss works, what weapons are effective, and level up to the point where you’re strong enough to deal more damage.
@@nicegoatdoctor8224 We lived in an era where AAA games were too hand holdy... So this was expected. But New Game -1 was far better than whatever people wanted for their version of easy mode... No need to try if a micro transaction can buy the ending.
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 People are free to play New Game -1 if they want to, it’s just wrong to go saying that some people are incapable of playing the game just because it’s challenging.
@@nicegoatdoctor8224 "If I make you a God, will you succeed then? And if not, then is it truly the game's fault rather than your own incompetence, both as a player and as a mortal?", not a quote but a bit of wisdom about an honest effort. If Dark Souls 1 at NG-1 is too hard for players, then I don't know what else to say. But maybe this genre of games is probably not for those players. Even after Modding the game too, will they consider it too hard? In the end, if Easy Mode is still too difficult for players, then let the Corporate side of the argument sell them the solution. It is deserving for those who do not try nor to even make the effort as to understand the game. Just remember... If people don't have time to learn any game, then they don't have time to read a book. The amount of hours in Dark Souls 1 fails in comparison to the hours of Free to Play games and of MMOs. While, it is of similar hours for the AAA games of this era. The excuses people have is nothing more than petty reasons. And everything else is understandable within the context of Dark Souls 1. ... Much like life. People will either try or forever fail. Such is their vindication. Even when they are given everything on the platter...
My only big thing is that if you want an easy game you just don't play Dark Souls. Some games are made to be a certain way, and I'm not going to show up and demand it be altered just to feel included. If I want an easy game, I go buy one. i don't get kne known for being hard then complain about how it isn't accessible to me when I was the one who decided to not stick to what I could still be playing instead. There's a market for it and I would have willingly avoided it in that scenario.
Ive only recently gotten into the souls series with elden ring, ive always known about the souls games just never got around to trying them myself and when elden ring released i figured it was the perfect oppurtunity. With that mindset and perspective here is my opinion of an "easy mode". Dont. As far as im aware the difficulty and bar set so high in these games is a tribute to classic gaming like castlevania and megaman etc. These games didnt include easy modes and this forced people to get good at the game, which adds an immense amount of satisfaction just beating a level, let alone the whole game. The souls series is a modern version of this type of mentality and is made for gamers who want that kind of experience in their games which is becoming more and more scarce it feels like with modern gaming. Heres the thing, and again i have only started my first souls game with elden ring recently and have about 10 hours in, have died countless times already, and have gotten frustrated beyond belief with a couple encounters. If you want an easy mode than go find another game to play, dont taint the foundation of what this game is suppose to represent because monsters do too much damage or you die too easily. There is nothing wrong with this type of game not being for you, but dont take away what makes it special for the players that want these types of characteristics in their games.
@@TheGamerTronShow i was simply throwing my opinion into the discussion of the easy mode debate as a new player to the franchise. I just dont think anything should be adjusted at all, as you said in your vid its the devolopers vision for this game and experience. Dont know how having an opinion of my own has nothing to do with a video where you share your thoughts and opinions on the topic on hand, but ok...
@@TheGamerTronShow the topic on hand is that act man is wrong to disagree on the basis of an easy mode, and you disect the points he made about the theoretical implications of this feature if it were included. My comment wasnt geared toward you specifically, more of a blanket term in regards to if it should include an easy mode or not. Im not saying i agree with everything act man or you said, i watched both your vids to the end and this is the verdict i have come to even if there is a good way to go about including an "easy mode" i dont think it needs to be there.
@@tobiasterry7194 I'm literally just like you! Started on elden ring had a rough time but now I'm basically a God on the game and got my platinum achievement! I literally became so good that everything is easy now. I played 7 play through and got all ending that I wanted more of the experience.. so I started playing dark souls remastered and oh boi.. it's pretty different from elden ring. It's way harder and slower and I actually wanted to quit when I kept getting slaughtered in blighttown and the bed of chaos.. but I pushed through and achieved success! Because of the Act Mans video on why dark souls was a masterpiece I just gotta tried it.. hated it at first but now that I know the controllers, weaknesses of enemies and avoid from falling off cliffs I felt that I earn to say "git gud" to people. I just beaten dark souls twice and about to get my platinum on it. I'm really looking forward on playing the next 2 souls games! Honestly I always play in hard difficulty on all my games but satisfaction is not the same as souls games! Guess I became a souls fan boy and hey I'm okay with it cause I've never felt that wasting money a videogame was worth it till I bought elden ring and dark souls.
I watched the video, and just want to say that even though I disagree with most things you said, I really appreciate the fact that you are not toxic about it (i really enjoy the intro). Maybe it's just me, but when I see or hold a discussion about "Dark Souls and easy mode", I often see the people who want the easy mode just insulting people who are against even tho the discussion was pretty civilized up until now (just check the comments of most videos on that subject). So maybe I'm just unlucky and I just met the wrong people and read the wrong discussions, but still, I'd like to thank you for your not insulting approach.
Also, I feel the need to add something cause I don't want those toxic people to come after me too fast. On "my side of the argument", we do have what I'd call the "Git Gud Team", that just answer "Git Gud" to any opposing arguments. But I just want to justify that those people are pretty rare, unlike what some people like to say. Also, the GGT is mostly composed of people who have given up. Most of the GGT I discussed to are just saying that talking to people asking for an easy mode is like talking to a brick wall, and that their strongest arguments are "you mean", "you stoopid", 'you're a bad person", and that they've just given up on having a normal debate. I'd like to say sorry on their behalf, thank again the author of that video for not being too toxic, and ask civilized people that want an easy mode to make themselves louder please, so we can maybe have a real and ineteresting discussion about that "problem"
Dark souls already has an easy mode called coop. The game also gets easier the more you play it, you learn attack patterns, controls, your stats increase, you get better equipment. The reaction times required aren't all that bad either, you just get punished for failing them. All you need to beat Dark Souls is time.
@@TheEnigmaProductions the best advice i can tell you is don't play it. It is insulting for the dev that they make this game just like cuphead because it make you feel like you are human, you are weak, you don't have super power to fight god and dragon nobody will help you the only thing that you need is yourself. It is this game identiy. It is same situation as star war have plasma rifle and force. If these don't exist in the show it will be just a generic si-fi flim.
i just don’t get why people would want an easy mode on dark souls anywyas. The enjoyment comes from beating a challenging foe, being the underdog, doing something you thought you couldn’t do. Sure you can give urself nearly infinite health and damage but then when u go in there and slap a boss to the ground in 2 seconds, are you gonna feel any enjoyment? no? then why are you playing
@@TheGamerTronShow i guess so yeah, but then again while i hate to generalize, when talking about what’s fun and what’s not there is usually a rough guideline you can follow. Like how most would agree watching paint dry isn’t fun…
Correct me if the assumption was wrong as I haven’t really played any dark souls. But the point act man said about having to change mechanics such as stun on wheel guys or knock back on archers, seemed to be about the difficulty coming from the mentioned mechanics of those enemies rather than damage such as archers knock back making you fall off the ledge being the cause of death rather than flat damage.
Stun and knock back mechanics are in hundreds of video games with multiple difficulty options. These mechanics can add challenge to gameplay scenarios, yes, but are in no way a barrier to entry to gamers who play on easy difficulties.
@@TheGamerTronShow not at all. And I presume the part with the archers is quite far into the game buy which you’d be used to knock backs and such mechanics. Though I was more thinking it was a point to the particular location. That being a thin ledge where one hit and you fall off regardless of health, or is that not what the bit is like? As I haven’t played it.
High level players invading newbies is already a thing, yes. However, nobody being invaded is playing the game on easy mode. The people playing on easy mode are not the same people getting destroyed by high level players in the game as it is now.
I'll have to watch later. I will say, without watching, the challenges in souls games are why I play them. I feel overcoming that challenge is important and a good regard for game construction. But that's my opinion. EDIT: Oh, Ryan's on his "Objective/Subjective" schtick again. NORMAL DAY. NOTHING TO SEE HERE. .....though there's everything to see here. >>; Also, there would have to also be a difference in how the pvp might act, too... Not sure on that end, however. The PVE modes for the games? Nothing would alter. PVP? That'd be an issue... .............Wait, he think that cutting out multi-player would also mean pvp? WHAT
Oh, Ryan's on his "Objective/Subjective" Its called consistent logic. I'm not surprised you are not familiar with such concepts. Logic, fallacies and rules of argumentation are a very obscure subject on todays society, Not even 10% of people handle this topic well.
@@klaussone The objective/subjective distinction has nothing to do with logic actually. Logic is about what can validly be deduced given the truth (or falsity) of particular claims. It's about validity, not about whether claim A or claim B happens to be true or false. An argument can be logically valid despite the premises being false, and an argument can be logically invalid but the premises are true. And some common "logical" fallacies don't have much to do with logic but more with epistemology. A good example is the strawman fallacy (attacking a point that hasn't been made) mentioned in the video, which involves ascertaining which point is made and wheter is directed at that point or something else. That doesn't involve any logic as the fallacy here lies not in an error in reasoning (invalid arguement) but in attributing a statement to someone that hasn't been argued by them. The (strawman) argument made might be valid and true but irrelevant due to the fact that it hasn't been made by whom it is attributed to. Objective/subjective distinction is not related to logic, it's metaphysics and related to epistemology, philosophy of science and perhaps also philosophy of mind, but not logic. It posits
@@Bladieblah now you are arguing semantics? despite the fact that common language is not limited to hard definitions? matter of speaking assumes certain meaning to be understood. you literally added nothing. to the conversation. besides sounding pedantic and redundant. not to offend, but if you cant add value. then consider your interactions. since you mentioned epistemology.
@@klaussone You were the one lecturing the other guy and saying how this is a matter of "consistent logic" and how most society is uneducated on logic, while clearly not understanding what logic really is and this has little to do with it. If you're gonna correct someone and tell them how wrong they are it looks really silly to make mistakes like these. Especially if you claim to know your stuff. It's like saying you know all about physics and chemistry and then mixing them up later on
@@Bladieblah Yet It was not a lateral topic, it was related , and secondly since you seems oblivious to the quirks of language. You don't go around telling people who look thinner " you've lost mass" instead you say " you've lost weight", despite that being not the relevant metric. In that same line, you don't say " you are philosophically accurate" you say "consistent or solid logic" This is exactly why your comment was pedantic and redundant. My wording was deliberate and accurate for what I expected people to understand. Your comment however was useless and linguistically deaf. This is exactly why arguing semantics is the lowest form of argumentation only fit for the laziest. And I rather not take part on this again.
While I agree with some of your criticisms in this video, act man is right that the souls series would be worse with an easy mode and just changing stats isn’t enough. Dark Souls is designed to be a specific experience where the player learns the game by dying over and over. When you get killed by a mimic or an environmental hazard, or an ambush, you learn how to avoid them and better traverse the level next time around. There is no tutorial that tells you each bosses moveset. You learn it by getting killed by it. You persevere through the difficult challenges, and the joy you get when you do is unlike any other. Not only is that the entire appeal of the gameplay, but it’s also the philosophy of the game’s story. An easy mode is self defeating. This is the exact reason why a good easy mode would need to change a lot more than just stats. It would need to be an entirely different experience than the intended.
@@TheGamerTronShow No. I’ve done an over leveled play through before also. You can mod the game to play however you want and if you still enjoyed it that’s fine. But that isn’t the developer’s intended vision, and in my opinion lowering the difficulty just by stat changes makes the game worse and undermines a lot of the game design which is specifically designed around the difficulty. The game is made with the assumption that you will die a lot.
@@wetdon591 I explained why already. Because the game teaches you the mechanics by killing you, and making the game easier takes away from the intended effect of overcoming the struggle. Also I don’t need to “prove” anything. It’s my subjective opinion and I gave my reasoning behind it.
@@wetdon591 tf u mean? If the game is on easy mode then it’s easier not to die. Common sense. That’s my problem with it. Dark souls gameplay centers around overcoming difficult challenges through perseverance. If the game isn’t difficult then it looses a core part of its identity.
You're not objectively wrong, but most Dark Souls fans will disagree with you because, general consensus among people like me and Act Man is that the difficulty is 90% mechanics and 10% numbers. Just because turning up numbers works in other games does NOT mean it would work in Dark Souls. And, just because you made it easy by turning up numbers does not mean all Dark Souls fans will agree that the mechanics are being preserved. Gravity is legendary for being the hardest enemy in the entire game, often due to spots like the Anor Londo archers.
I'm not in defense of an easy mode, but I can see how it would work. Of course mechanics are 90%, but much of dark souls is about avoiding damage all together. If you make an easy mode tuning down numbers, what your doing is making the game less punishing. I believe that an easy mode affecting numbers would actually kind of affect the mechanics of the game as a whole. However, I dont think the game is nearly as rewarding when it's not punishing you properly. That's what gives you a rush of dopamine after killing a boss. It's finally achieving something after working hard to learn the move set if a boss that kills you if you make just one mistake in timing or positioning.
@@Asic229 I do agree that tuning numbers could make the game easier as a whole, but I don't think it would be the "working easy mode" that game journalists seem to want. An equivalent of this is just overleveling your character by soul farming.
so i watched your video and from the start of it i can understand, and agree some points you made that act man is making statements that are just not true, how ever from the devs, the bread and butter for ds is the trial and error of dealing with the same difficulty every has to deal with, its like training wheels on a bike and removing the training wheels, the satisfaction and achievement of that is un paramont, so an easy mode is possible and players would feel the same satisfaction, but it would be in sense, a false satisfaction, because the bread and butter of it was failing and achieving the difficult encounters that every1 else had to deal with. in short the devs dont want an easy mode because they want that identity to remain, that this is a hard game and we want you to expericen that hardship and die, because when u can get over it, the satisfaction imo would be much much better then if u had mods or an easy mode.
It’s true what he’s saying actually. Because numbers is only part of the problem. The whole games themselves are designed to fuck you over. Heck, I was getting frustrated parkouring down a secret area in Elden Ring.
as a certified souls veteran who has 100% completed the soulsbourne games I still think an easy mode would allow everyone to enjoy these great games A good example is celeste as that game has an assist mode which allowed hundreds of casual and disabled gamers to enjoy the game at their own pace and still gave hard-core gamers the the ability to play the normal version and have their fun "gitting gud"
I think you approached the Act Mans video like it was a genuine critique of easy modes in DS, where I think he was just speaking his opinion and why he thinks DS would suffer as a result of a option of a easier mode. Most DS fans, at least I'm assuming, prefer the game to not have a difficulty selection as the torment and difficulty of DS is integral to the experience as much as the story and lore, at least imo.
@@notfunnydidntlaugh8621 Well yes and no lol. I would say the story and lore is very deep and compelling, but unless you like puzzles, paying very very close attention to details, and piecing things together yourself, you're not going to really experience the lore. Therefore you just go to fight bosses like you said. Which in turn makes me laugh because if these people claim they want to experience the lore and world, yet they can't seem to put the effort in to play the game as intended... there's no way their going to put the effort in to figuring out the lore lmao
It doesn’t need an easy mode because the whole point of these games is you fighting in a dark, disgusting, hard world that doesn’t care about you. It’s about defying the odds and getting to the point where you feel the progression up until you fight the lord of cynder or radagon or ishin. You add an easy mode to dark souls and it will turn the most original idea into an rpg no better than ac odyssey
Same goes for celeste tho... And that game had an realy good easy mode, I can't se why DS could not theoratily have it too, It is made extremly clear to the player that turning on assist mode is wery much going agains the developers intent, but if you really need it, it exists, and in need it, they mean, not its too hard or anything,
I watched The Act Man's vid and he DID explain why having an easy mode in Dark Souls would be detrimental to the game. It's been a couple of days since I watched it but if I remember he said it would literally break the game up into two separate games. The Dark Souls games are built with the difficulty in mind, you take that away and the game falls apart.
16:26 Huh, that’s actually not a bad idea. Not sure if it’s possible with console (Does Dark Souls allow you to download mods?), but it’s a good idea none the least.
You'd need a file browsing application on the console in order to mod Dark Souls. I know Xbox One use to have one but it was removed; don't know about PlayStation 4 or any other consoles Dark Souls is on and even then it's not difficult to prevent people from using a file browsing application for modding. With that being said, there are guides on how to farm souls. Doing that would at least allow you to max out your health and stamina (and mana if you choose). Edit: it's also worth noting that invasions these days are only commonplace in certain areas of the game maps for all the Dark Souls games. I'd say it's worth finding out where those places are and then avoiding them for your farming. That way you can also turn on matchmaking and summon some friends without too much risk of invasions.
@@TheGamerTronShow well the overarching idea is difficulty in Souls but more specifically here you're refuting Ant Man's sloppy arguments about how easy mode would ruin Dark Souls. Yeah, I actually watched the video and agree his arguments are sloppy and sometimes actual nonsense (mostly all the pvp talk). I suggested that video because you seem interested in the greater subject at hand and that video is actually awesome.
I think act man's point about solaire's questline is that it would probably need some sort of rework because of the humanity farming part, or maybe him giving you the co-op soapstone, but idk. I haven't played Dark Souls 1 in a while, so I could very well be wrong.
I’m sure in that scenario solairs questline would be bare bones to him just finding his own sun. Things would play the same in that scenario but you can forget about jolly cooperation
To play devil's advocate, just because there is an easy mode, that doesn't change anything about the game itself. I understand that the difficulty is part of YOUR journey, but what about people who just want to play through Sekiro and enjoy the story but can't get past the first enemy? The game isn't fun for them, and including an easy mode would make the game more accessible to a wider audience. I THRIVE off difficulty but a lot of my friends do not. The harder modes will always be there, but having an easier mode for others isn't bad. Look at Devil May Cry, for example. Their hardest modes are UNREASONABLY difficult, but they offer an easy mode. I will always play the harder modes, but some will not. Telling someone, you need to 'git gud' is a cop out. Skill level in games will ALWAYS vary. Accounting for that and having an easy mode doesn't hurt anyone. It doesn't change the fact that Dark Souls is difficult and always will be. There's a novelty to them because of it and people don't like it when the novelty is challenged. THAT'S the real issue. TLDR; making games fun for more people is always best, so easy mode should be a thing in all games.
@@hunterofcomedy making games fun for more people is often used as an excuse for games that try to put as many different things as possible without anything being remotely worthwhile due to the chance of having to actually comprehend how the game works, why play a whole bundle of unfun things instead of say, games that are actually focused around what you like? . Even having the option of an easy mode just sort of dissuades from a good challenge because purposefully choosing a harder mode feels like a waste of time. As much as mass appeal is important (especially for money), Novelty is even more important since that's the whole reason we play multiple games. Some kind of games simply either don't work when they are easy or have other aspects that make them unappealing for players that have nothing to do with difficulty settings , I know I wouldn't ever want to play an easy rougelike game or a linear old school doom game. One depends on you dying while the other has "complex" levels (I say this because it seems gamers nowadays call doom levels maze-like, which says more about their sense of direction and lacking common sense than anything about old school shooter level design.) Don't mistake immediate sales numbers with quality, if people still come to play a game years after it has released rather than forget about in weeks once it's out of season, now that's the real markings of a fine game or idea. I have no real issue with easy modes themselves, but they are often part of an attempt to normalise the kind of stale and repetitive AAA games we have today onto every game. No "complex" levels since normies can't navigate their way through a box with check markers everywhere, no hard mechanics or techniques because they want to do all the cool things without any effort, no story telling style or subject that is not Hollywood-esque or vague because everyone has to understand it and shouldn't have to be offended by something or the other. It's stuff like that is what gets some people up in arms about this topic in particular.
@@necrosteel5013 Okay, I'm gonna tackle his methodically: How does having an easy mode "dissuade from a good challenge"? Remember Devil May Cry 3? That game was SUPER difficult when it was first released...and it had an easy mode. It wasn't a waste of time to selected a harder difficulty. And the very idea that selecting harder difficulties is a "waste of time" is beyond childish. When going into a new game, having the option to match the game to my skill level is a blessing, not a detractor. It's not a waste of time in the slightest. Novelty is important, to an extent, but not at the cost of people's enjoyment of a series. There are people who won't play dark souls because of the "novelty" of it being super hard. The amazing game design and lore of the world would interest most casual players, but because of this "elitist" mindset, it turns people off. Novelty is hurting the series as a whole, instead of being something that draws people to it. The issue is that you're putting your own opinion of difficulty as the standard for judgement. Just because YOU don't enjoy a linear doom game or an easy rougelike doesn't mean that others wouldn't play the shit out of it. I have a friend who isn't much of a gamer purely because most games are too hard for them. Having an easy mode fixes this for them and they can enjoy games that they would otherwise never play. They can navigate "complex" levels but die to enemies too quickly to enjoy the game. I agree that staying power of a game is dependent on a number of factors, and sales usually isn't it. However, you instantly lose credibility when using terms like "normies", as it makes you sound like an elite jerk. Games are for everyone and calling someone a "normie" suggests that you are above them, which is BS. Just because I can beat "unbeatable" game modes in certain games doesn't mean I'm better than anyone else. I just have different skillsets. I suck at sports games while there are people who make 10 times my income playing them. It's all relative if you think about it. I won't deny that AAA games are getting more uninspired, but that is a completely different argument. To briefly summarize my thoughts on that: yes, a lot of AAA developers are dumbing down games to make them more appeasing to casual games. And while that's annoying, it makes sense from a AAA developer standpoint. They have to appease their sponsors before anyone else or they will go out of business. They have to provide for their families and keep the company going. It's more of a problem with capitalism than game design. This is why indie games are doing so much better, as they have more freedom and therefore can take risks that AAA companies WON'T. But getting back to the original topic. Having an easy mode in Dark Souls wouldn't change anything. The complex level designs and puzzles would still be there, but the enemies would be easier to kill and therefor would give the play more time to figure out the complexity and eventually learn how the game can be solved. Personally, I think people are upset because they think that adding an easy mode would destroy THEIR enjoyment of the game, which isn't true. Many games have proven that by being super hard but having an easy mode. Mostly, they're afraid of "losing the novelty" of dark souls by adding an easy mode. But, as stated in this video, all you need is to tweak numbers a little. Then a wider amount of people can enjoy it, which SHOULD be the point. Games are meant to be fun, first and foremost. Having a game be customizable so that you can set it for your skill level SHOULD be a no brainer. But that's just my opinion.
@@jet-blackjo2455 Okay, so reading this, are you asking is it better to play a game with multiple difficulties compared to a game that super easy? Or do you mean a game that has a set difficulty that cannot be changed? I'll answer both just in case. Honestly, it will depend on the person. I GREATLY enjoy difficulty in my games. I play games on modes that many players say are "Impossible". So yes, I like to be challenged. I don't enjoy when a game is too easy. When I beat a difficult game, it does feel pretty great! However, I can get that from games that have multiple difficulties as well as games with a set difficulty. With that in mind, can I beat Dark Souls and feel accomplished if there was an easy mode? Absolutely, because I won't be playing on easy mode. That will be there for people who need it. I get that feeling of accomplishment regardless of whether the game has only one difficulty or selectable difficulties. I think others can as well, regardless if the game allows for an easier difficulty.
I did, and Act was right about the mechanics. Halving the damage of the bonewheels just means that a poor player gets stunlocked for twice as long. Unless change stun, that is going to happen. The pendulums in Sen's don't care how much health you have. If you aren't good at dodging, you are getting knocked off. Just changing health and damage values would mean a game mode that was labeled Easy, but that didn't really change much for a bad player. But now this poor player is getting whipped in easy mode.
The games are designed around 1 difficulty. Every player should have to put effort in, even insane players. Every player is equal and starts off every new game with no knowledge whatsoever. Every player has that one boss that they find the hardest, everyone beats the game and forms their own opinion about the game, everyone should be equal in the game. While I agree with you saying "you can't quantify fun", the game design is consistent and balanced and I feel personally that an easy mode could ruin that balance and ruin some of the character of souls games. That's just my opinion though.
Ok, dude, I really like this video and your points, BUT JESUS CHRIST, STOP PITCHING YOUR VOICE LIKE YOU DID AT CERTAIN POINTS IN THE VIDEO, I ACTUALLY WOULD RATHER HEAR AN HOUR LOOP OF SOME 13 YEAR OLD SCREAMING INTO THE MIC OF AN XBOX 360 HEADSET
I get your philosophical thoughts about act man's statements but I'm understanding from the perspective of where his intentions are. Set Difficulty in Dark Souls community is seen as a almost rite of passage to get through these games. People enjoy the sense of accomplishment whether solo/co-oping and/or eventually beating it solo themselves. Overall in your recent video you mention yourself "how not every game will be fun for everyone" The Soulsborne community is very passionate and many believe challenge is key to engagement in a time where most AAA games hold your hand.
Idk man like there's more than just changing enemys/player health fore example in Half-life 2 they mentioned that grenades in easy mode they take longer to blow up then it did normal or easy difficulty
i agree with the whole replaying games to alter the difficulty for subsequent playthroughs im a huge fan of the pokemon games so i play the games normally for the first time but on second playthroughs i add challenges to myself like adding level caps before boss fights or by restricting the pokemon i can use like for example only using pokemon that are water type or using only 3 pokemon instead of 6 or using pokemon only from a specific region etc.
Using what you said about managing your stamina and doge roles is like a puzzle for the archers, couldn't that same concept be said for every encounter with and enemy in the game, you mange your stamina bar and wait for an opening?
Exactly what I was thinking when he said that. That's what all their games are is managing this and that and timing. In other words anyone willing to put in a little bit if effort and learn the mechanics can get through them. I was a souls veteran and struggled with sekiro until I bothered to learn the mechanics and loves it after that.
@@HouseTrapJay I agree as a certified souls veteran who has 100% completed all those games I still think an easy mode would allow everyone to enjoy these great games A good example is celeste as that game has an assist mode which allowed hundreds of casual and disabled gamers to enjoy the game at their own pace and still gave hard-core gamers the the ability to play the normal version and have their fun "gitting gud"
@@Melbeezo yes and because people are so concerned about making sure games are for everyone they aren’t able to make games at their full potential. Assassins creed was great but to apeal to everyone they turned it into an rpg and it’s been on decline ever since. Borderlands is still a great looter shooter but they tried to make the story in 3 appeal to younger audiences with streamers and subscribers and that damaged the player base numbers. Changing what got you popular in the first place does not work. It only worked for elden ring because fromsoft didn’t change the formula they just toned down the punishment. Changing the formula by adding an easy mode unless they do it as a gag and make easy mode just a stupid joke is going to send the series into some kind of decline for years to come because once you start appealing to everybody you’re gonna go through hell if you dare stop
@@Melbeezo also let’s look at the community as well you think souls fans are toxic now with the “your run is invalid if you play it this way” you think that shits gonna go away if you add an easy mode? No it will just get worse and more souls fans will just jump on the bandwagon insulting and demeaning anyone who brags about a victory and all that’s gonna start with is “what difficulty” and god help you if you say easy mode
I tend too agree with act man, would mt Everest be better if it had an escalator? yeah it's an exclusionary take, but all accomplishment is categorically exclusionary, (still watching the video) Edit: did he say dark souls be less fun with an easy mode? Or did he say it's better without one because those are two different statements
Around the beginning of the video you are right we have no idea if an easy mode would hurt the franchise, I like the difficulty increase over progression because it made me think outside the box and required me to upgrade. Not hating on you it’s a good video
@@ventusvanitas7544 there is difference, for example doom eternal, you multiple mechanics and ways to play the game but you are forced to play the “fun” way which is bashing your keyboard and mouse or controller and experiencing ADHD, and then there is GTA 5, where you also have many ways to play and progress though story but you only “need” one of the mechanics or method in order to progress.
If you played your modded DS before playing the vanilla Dark Souls, would you still have died less? Because beyond changing the numbers, you still relied on the games mechanics to beat the modded game, and you learnt those mechanincs from dying a bunch in the vanilla game. So even with the number boosters, newbies (like myself) would still die a bunch simply because of the game's design. And i think thats what Act Man meant too. Its the design that makes it hard. If you dont know about stamina management, timing of rolls and strikes etc, you'll still die. So then, what is the point of the easy mode if the game plays the same way? Cos once you get the game's mechanics, youre good enough to level your player to make the game easier on later stages or on subsequent runs. The Souls series truly is a game designed to be beaten by anyone, if you commit on learning the game. And once you learn, the games do become easier...
I think Act man's video is was made more in response to AGAINST sjw Twitter culture or whatever, than it was in putting in good faith arguments. And I do agree that we shouldn't force developers to do anything they don't want too....(except microtransactions lmao I hate it here [I'm joking cause that'll never change]) And it's kinda weird that people see Twitter as a actual force that can impact things irl. (Reddit has more of an impact imo) And from what Ive seen, people are just ASKING for a easy mode. They aren't even trying to boycott or whatever. Ryan... You yourself use an easy mode. Why would you not advocate for an easy mode for others? Not force but advocate. Especially for console. Damage values the player receives is the best way for an easy mode
I dont think Act Man is nececerly wrong (tho even i could tell he said some facts about Souls kinda incorectly) about FromSoft games, since most of them already have "easy modes" such as Coop\Phantom Summoning, Magic\Pyro builds, Covenants, etc. Personally tho im on the side of the developers here - they should decide themselves what to do and in this case at least FromSoft clearly know what they doing cus everyone gets the same expierence (like Miyazaki-san said). Anyways nice video, the disscustion is kinda interesting.
I get where you're coming from on some of his arguments. (I cringed watching him say that they'd have to change Solaire's storyline.) Where I can see some issues regarding PvP. Dark Souls' PvP slips in and out of Dark Souls PvE and the two are very connected in that regard (rewards from covenants giving you spells/items that work decently well in PvE). The issue I can see in a Dark Souls game with an Easy mode, is in the design as is. If it did have an easy mode, PvP would have to either have Seperate Matchmaking, or be scaled according to the difficulty. IMO, scaling sounds alot more complicated than just having an arena mode. It could potentially work, if they had planned that from the get go. Of course, Act Man does make the point of "You have options" via summoning or using a different build. I know this video was released some time ago so me commenting now doesn't have as much effect as these are older arguments. But again, when it comes to an Easy Mode for any of the Soulsborne games, It has to be integral to how the game is designed at first. This next part is more subjective than the first. I think alot of the reason why people can appreciate the difficulty of the games is because of the experience it gives you. You may have a different opinion on that but I'm in favor of people having that same experience. A herculean task presented as unbeatable, but not impossible. I think an easy mode could ruin that if done incorrectly. And given the current mechanics of the game, based around leveling and designing a build, it would just lean you heavier into a tank build if you were to do it by your modded methods and honestly, Dark Souls asks you to be cautious and observant (of course there are parts that can be poorly designed i.e. Bed of Chaos or Prowling Magus). If you lessen the risk and make it easier, does it still have the same impact? The story may be the same, but you won't feel the same. I know that is subjective territory, but that does weigh in slightly on the discussion. The experience.
One of the things that made dark souls so popular was it’s difficulty, and making an easy mode, kind of destroys one of, not THE, but one of the main reasons that people play these games, and it really adds to the atmosphere. Really respectful video btw, even though I disagree
@@TheGamerTronShow I just feel like the crushing difficulty is one of the things that gave the souls franchise it’s killer reputation, and the sense of achievement that you got from finally beating a boss you have been stuck on forever, is something that is still unrivaled today with many other difficult games. I’m not saying that an easy mode would ruin the series, but while it would give the series more accessibility, it could also drive away old fans who spent so much time playing some of the hardest games of our generation. Yes they could still play the hard mode, but a lot of fans would be done, even with that fact. Souls games have always been built around their difficultly, and that is partially why so many people play them, and love them. I just feel like, even if you could choose between easy and hard mode, it would be disrespecting the legacy of the old games and if from software would be willing to go as far as change difficulty, what else would they be willing to do? You are right about act man’s vid though, I do think there is a chance that a dark souls game with easy mode could do well, it is just about principle.
@@minecarftassassin108 thank you I was thinking this the whole time listening to the video at work. I had to stop some reactions so people don’t think I’m losing it like apparently act man did.
I feel it all boils down to. “Hey maybe this game isn’t for me” if you can’t reach the minimum threshold to enjoy it. I enjoy the community and exclusivity of pushing THROUGH the suck.
I think you did a good job defending your position, but I personally still believe that the Souls games are better with one well designed difficulty. It fits the theme of the games and it makes the game really rewarding to play. I do appreciate your argumentation, but I disagree with the idea that it needs an easy mode.
Did you watch the video all the way through? He literally said the developers should make whatever game they please and that he doesn't care about the easy mode debate, he just took issue with how Act Man argued about it in a nonsensical way at some points.
@@TheGamerTronShow I wasn't saying that you were making those arguments. Sorry, I should have phrased it bettet. I just disagree with the argument for an easy mode as a whole. I am aware you were just attacking his poor argumentation.
Actually, Act Man is right. Because even if you do change the numbers, it doesn’t change the layouts of each area, doesn’t change the traps, etc. Because many casual players don’t just suffer from the enemies but from how the games are built. You’re half right tbh, but half wrong also. Changing numbers is one thing, changing the rest is another. And I’m someone who mostly plays offline mode.
@Ventus Vanitas Just less damage output from enemies wouldn't hurt the game in any way but make breeze killing em. I would say there are more other issues the games have than just that. Since most people find hard is the damage output from enemies compared to you. Like the surge, no matter what I dobI will always die within 5 hits.
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that your Dischord Server link is invalid and it does not work when I click on it. Anyways keep up the great videos.
I think Act Man's video was half pondering on the greater implications and considerations required for a good easy mode. They could just crank down the enemy damage but there are areas where that might be cheesy or ineffectual. It might be good enough for some but I think it's fair if the creators do not want to risk having a mode of questionable quality that doesnt live up to their standards. Then it becomes a give-and-take between putting in dev time and resources to a different mode or just making one dificulty. I dont think I'd care if the next game has an easy mode, but i also dont think the devs need to. If people wanna mod their game to make it easier that's their prerogative.
Not a bad video at all and yes some of the things pointed out are correct but at 20 min mark you kinda make a bad argument. The knock back should be adjusted if it were an easy mode because thats how you die in that section but saying you just time your dodges and manage your stamina - thats what you are supposed to do normally in dark souls ie easy mode not required and even with reduced damage areas like those (fall damage and knock back areas like sens fortress) will need to be changed to make an easier mode or in other words more accessible. Reducing damage removes the need for that management... Oo and yes you can make a statement like an easier mode is not needed as all games have a recommended difficulty that the game designers use as the most optimal for the intended experience.
Man,he just said its not fun,thats his opinion such as yours,its nothing important,i agree with him,a developer sees the game in one way and it shouldn't have a difficulty,its not the same game as idk assassin's creed I watch your channel since those amazing top 10 or 5 videos,with games but idk i dont rly enjoy this content,you are being so confident in your opinions, while the guy isnt rly wrong,souls games shouldn't have an easy mode
Please listen to what I'm actually arguing about in the video. You seem to misunderstand what I'm actually saying in this. Skip to the last few mins of the vid if you want an immediate idea.
@UCT3bhz-KQ3U2dMMg8U4lX4g his whole channel is based on his opinion, when u talk about something, there is always personal bias, he didn't say objectively the game won't be fun, I think what he was trying to do was represent the real fans who play these games a lot because of the lore and challenge, why do people play these games, for the challenge and making an easy mode will cater to a different audience, creating an easy mode will not sit right with the real fans and they won't find it fun, it's not a fact that they won't find it fun but it's very likely that they will not find it fun.
I agree with your points and I as a Dark Souls fan personally don't see the big deal in it having a difficulty. It would just be a dual sided player base one part hardcore one part casual not that deep many game fandoms do this and even get bigger for it because its more fun and inviting rather then always being difficult. You did a great job laying these points down and Act mans nonsense especially nice work.
The game shouldn't cater to the widest group of people possible. If they don't want to spend time with the game and improve then it's not the game for them, having everyone on the same playing field is good because everyone can share in the accomplishment of beating a tough souls game. Adding an easy mode would water down the experience into a boring mess of a game and if an easy mode was to ever be added it would be the most boring experience ever, just use a mod t9 make the game easy and see how boring the game gets.
@@patchesgaming9139 it's not about catering it's just a separate game mode for players who wanna play more casually how does how one player play the game effect how someone else is experiencing it I don't understand.
@@Tarragon_ it would be catering to people that are too lazy to learn how to play the game and not the fans. Again having a different difficulty would change how everything work, it's like a Jenga tower if the wrong block gets pulled the entire tower will collapse. An easy mode would make the games be a boring steamroll where there's no challenge and would lead to a unfulfilled experience where there's no triumphant feeling of defeating a tough boss. Playing a souls game isn't a mandatory experience that everyone has to experience If players want to play a casual game they should go play something casual obviously. Because a souls game isn't for them clearly.
@@patchesgaming9139 yes but how another player plays has nothing to do with you,you would just play the normal difficulty and me personally I would also just play the normal difficulty because it would never be the same but how one player plays is no Jenga tower if that's not how YOUR playing the game that's just how a casual is these are separate one has nothing to do with the other.
@@Tarragon_ Because that's not how it's meant to be played??? The devs themselves have explained why they don't add an easy mode one of them being "he believes that the joy of the game comes from persevering and overcoming those seemingly impossible challenges" someone playing on easy mode wouldn't get that same experience Miyazaki also explained "“We are always looking to improve, but, in our games specifically, hardship is what gives meaning to the experience. So, it's not something we're willing to abandon at the moment. It's our identity.” If they added an easy mode it would mean cheapening the experience and that's not what the devs want and it's not what the core fanbase want, If people aren't into that, fine. But if you're whinging that the game isn't holding your hand the entire time maybe go play something easy instead like COD or whatever. Explain why playing a souls game is a mandatory experience? Because you're acting as if it is.
I think Act-mans point against cutting out content in Dark Souls is that most of the level design in the game is made to accommodate its harder difficulty. Like meeting the Asylum demon for the first time. Or the hollows that ganke you in undead berg and even the Anor Londo Archers. When you come up against them, you meet what seems to be an insurmountable wall, and as you learn how to get past them it reinforces the theme of overcoming challenges. Yes you could say that changing some "statistics and rulesets" will do. However I argue that its a very cheap way of artificially lowering the difficulty, something that completly goes against what Fromsoft games are all about. Its about the level design, the lore and the gameplay, they all connect together that makes their games so special and memorable. Act-mans video is SOLEY about dark souls, reducing difficulty in dark souls will be very different compared to any other video game.
Sorry bro, but the act man is right on this one. You would have to fundamentally change the game on said easy mode, then rebalance said enemies and bosses and their placement, loot, bonfires, level costs, weapon stat requirements, and much more. Its not just fiddling with some numbers. For instance, what about the archers in anor londo, should they do less knockback, or be removed, what about the dragon sanctum in shulva sanctum city, does it need less traps and ghosts? Again, its not pulling up a cheat engine and changing numbers, which is ironic that you're cheating in dark souls and claiming that you played it.
Sorry bro, but I'm right on this one. You wouldn't have to fundamentally change the game on said easy mode. It is just fiddling with some numbers. There's no reason to be so arbitrary about the archers. The dragon sanctum does not need to have anything changed at all (being arbitrary again). "Again, its not pulling up a cheat engine and changing numbers" True. Developers have way better tools that make that much easier to program into their games. "which is ironic that you're cheating in dark souls and claiming that you played it." I have... There's videos and whole ass livestreams proving it 🤦
Actually, Dog is right, and so is AM. Because most of the deaths come from getting fucked by traps, ambushes, and level layouts involving parkour and such. Dying to groups of enemies or bosses isn’t so bad. But where you think you’re safe is “safe” isn’t safe at all. Changing stats will definitely make it easier to fight, but it’s not just about the combat. It’s about surviving to the end. And you can’t do that if you can’t protect from even falling through floors and grounds.
Why even play Dark Souls if you just want to break the game with sliders and items? If you're going this far to play a video game you can't approach the core experience of because its too hard for you, play something else. There's a million rpgs out there for you, but people want to say they've played and beaten DS so bad that you would see the developers compromise their vision of the game they wanted to create before you ever invested the energy it takes to learning DS. Dying in DS is as common as breathing, the game doesnt even really penalize you for dying and returning to fight again. Thats the whole point! You're not Kratos.
What are you going on about? What does any of that have to do with my video? I state in both the video and in the pinned comment that this video has nothing to do with whether dark souls should have an easy mode or not.
@@TheGamerTronShow One of your points you make towards the later part of the video, when you state that a person playing offline can modify their game with cheat engine and even other personal mods to tweak their experience. I recognize that you make this point in response to Act Man's criticism that it would be difficult to balance an online mode around that and it would in turn affect other players' experience. I'm extending the response you made in order to make a seperate point about the game's difficulty. Is Act Man being perhaps too obtuse about how difficult it would be to balance or if it affects other players' experience? Maybe. Is jerry-rigging the game to be a cake walk cheating yourself out of the real experience and challenge? Undeniably yes.
You act like all of your arguments are much better than act man’s and that he is saying stupid things but from what i know about game design the structure of a game has just as much to do with difficulty as the numbers. And a lot more people from what I have found agree with the act man it’s just that there is a really vocal minority of people asking for easy mode. Now act man admittedly didn’t have the best arguments but I think these videos are more convincing and comprehensive. m.th-cam.com/video/pKyKGuGU4bw/w-d-xo.html m.th-cam.com/video/d4-yoartbEA/w-d-xo.html
Great video. I didn't see Act Man's video, cause I believe devs has the right to do whatever they want with their games. I disagree with both sides. Devs shouldn't be forced to do (or not to do) easy modes pretty much what was said at 24:40 But listening to Act-man I get the feeling he has only played the DS games on a very basic level, Getting so many facts about the series wrong. Making lots of his points invalid. Also DS does have a easy difficulty. its called COOP and its available online and offline modes. Everyone can use COOP. Also 13:45 covenants are not disabled in offline modes you can still do a good number of them, and completing them do offer rewards to make the game easier.
@@TheGamerTronShow Most (if not all) covenants are completed by offering items to a NPC. Normally you get the needed covenant items by doing online activities. However it is possible to farm the covenant items from AI. Since your on PC you can just mod the needed items and complete the covenant that way.
@@TheGamerTronShow every convent can be played with, you just can't access the online part of it, you can grind out all you need for the covenants from enemy drops.
well produced video but your points dont make sense u say act man cant say the games are better off without easy mode but why then can you say the games are better off with an easy mode just seems hypocritical
@@TheGamerTronShow it is obviously implied if u are laughing at the notion of him saying the games arent better off and u made a whole video on why that is wrong?
@@TheGamerTronShow making ur charector 1 shot enemies and u take no damage would make the game not fun at all and what weight would the story have if u just walk thru it at that point just watch someone play it
@@tylernash7370 "making ur charector 1 shot enemies and u take no damage" I don't do this and never argue for this. Please stop wasting both of our time if you're just going to keep making strawman arguments.
@@TheGamerTronShow I’m not saying that Act man is correct in every single point, I do agree with you in the part in which people that play easy mode should be respected a bit more, but everything else, I disagree man, sorry. But still I respect your opinion, also your scream sounds like a skegsi of the dark crystal, I find it funny 😆.
@@pablofernandezortiz7460 What do you mean by "your opinion" though? This video isn't about my opinions on anything. It's about how The Act Man got things factually, objectively wrong in his video. You have me very confused by your comment here.
@@TheGamerTronShow sorry for not responding to your comment sooner, but I had to think my response. Now I think that what the act man was saying is that making a videogame more easy, doesn’t necessarily make it better. Let me give you an example, I played devil may cry v on the easiest difficulty and I was bored. When I increased the difficulty of the game, I actually had a lot of fun, and that’s my point. Some times is good to play easy game, I sometimes play kirby games to relax, but in other cases is good that people challenge their skills and improve, because that can be a lot of fun, but if you add easy mode to games that don’t need it, then you are telling people that they shouldn’t improve. In shooters and slashers it’s totally fine to play first on easy if it’s your first game of this type, but if you don’t try to increase the difficulty curve, then you’re not experiencing the full potential of the game. Now I will admit that in retrospective, Act man does exaggerate a lot with his points, but I do think he means well for players.
People who are against an easy mode are just emotional, forthing-at-the-mouth, play-my-way-or-don't-play-at-all gatekeepers. Couldn't care less about Dark Souls getting an easy mode, but their argumentation is not objective at all. End of the day, it's entirely up to the devs on what kind of game they want to make. No amount of hardcore fanboys arbitrarily breaking down how they think an easy mode would affect the games and their reputation will change the fact that it's all speculative bullshit on their part. There's no good faith discussion to be had with this so it's pointless to even engage.
I agree. Difficulty’s exist because we all vary in skill level. We pick our difficulty’s based on that. There’s no legitimate way to argue against that, also as ryan and act man noted that depends on what the developers want to do regarding difficulty. I cannot stand those who mock and make fun of those who play on easy difficulty. Some people are better than others at certain things in life, applies to games as well, that’s just a fact of life. This whole mentality by modern day gamers who mock and belittle for playing on lower difficulty’s is part of why the gamertron and others became disillusioned with the gaming community. Mostly the toxic fake outrage culture on TH-cam by gaming youtubers take the big bulk of the reason.
I feel like selectable difficulty modes that just sort of change numbers around are kind of sloppy ways of approaching accessibility and I think Dark Souls already does it better than most other games. Your difficulty is altered by a few factors that all exist within the game world. It's based on your build, whether or not you have cooperators, the amount of exploration you do, and the paths you choose to take.
Ok, I removed my previous comment because of misunderstanding My absolute apologies about it.... But the multiplayer aspect might be affected by it and not in a good way I think the best possiblity is to make a speical arcade game where you can test out against bosses and make their level based on diffculty, that way you have a way to train without the frustration of losing all your shit or the long jouerny to get to that boss stage.... Sometimes you lose modt potions and health before you even reach the boss, I think having a better tutorial on dodging, parrying etc can be helpful I guess Act Man percpective on making an easy mode ruining the multiplayer and story doesn't seems right.... I mean yeah I get his percpection on what COULD happen, but I don't understand why would it come to be... The one thing I agree with him though is the fact that the Easy Mode will change Dark Souls to the worse, and FromSoftware need to avoid adding it, and in my opinion adding easy mode will make their games much less memroable.... people who just want to play once will have a lot easier time to pass it all a lot quicker which isn't the point of FromSoftware and their games, this is my own reason and opinion on the game and why we should avoid adding easy modes I apologies again for not watching your video completely.... my bad, your video brought out some of the flaws inAct man's video about this subject. Thank you for reading my comment Also your arguement in 15:45 you claim you have mods to make the game easier.... so what is the point on adding easy mode?! I mean addimg easy mode is more momey to FromSoftware and it's not so simple because it requires a whole new code which isn't that hard, but it doesn't seems to be neccessery.... but What is the point of easy mode if people can make it instead?
Watched half of the video and you seem to misrepresent what he's actually saying in the video and nitpicking points to fit your narrative. Not saying that he's right about everything but misrepresenting his points doesn't really work in favour of your arguments.
I get that ActMan was complicating things, but this game should NOT have an easy mode. Anybody and Everybody can beat DS if they really wanted to. Nobody started these games being a god at it. The games clearly have a target audience that want and love the challenge. It’s not Dark Souls without it.
@@TheGamerTronShow You never did and I did watch the full video, but the topic was still about it. Yes it would be a very simple thing to do to add an “easy mode” if that’s your whole point. Your version of an “easy mode” is a lazy numbers change. Making it the same game whilst also giving weaker players a chance is a different story. Which I believe ActMan was trying to do. Basically not giving up the games identity with two difficulty options.
@@TheGamerTronShow ActMan’s view on implementation isn’t that far off except he is wrong about pvp. It would not be simple like you say if it was officially considered by FromSoft. Reducing enemy damage is not the best implementation of an easy mode because of what Dark Souls represents. Many companies don’t build their games around being challenging like FromSoft does. ActMan is right to say that you can’t reduce it because it literally will destroy what the game is about. This is fact. Usually easier difficulties in games make many mechanics obsolete because of how much less crucial they become. This is true in many cases and would be for DS. He isn’t correct on everything, but neither are you.
@@TacoNeenja "because of what Dark Souls represents" It represents different things to different people. It's subjective. "it literally will destroy what the game is about." It's about different things to different people. It's subjective. "This is fact." No. You're just being arbitrary. "Usually easier difficulties in games make many mechanics obsolete because of how much less crucial they become. This is true in many cases..." No. Straight up, No. You would know that is not true if you'd actually played any games on easy difficulty. "He isn’t correct on everything, but neither are you." This isn't about me being "correct". These aren't opinions I'm putting on the table here. Just advocating for consistent logic. Watch some videos from Mauler to see where I'm coming from here.
So you actually don't disagree with this video at all? Since my video has literally nothing to do with wanting to add an easy mode into dark souls. I even say as much in both the video and in the pinned comment.
You absolutely killed it, I couldn't agree more. I always found Act Mans arguments to be absurd and polluted with subjectivity and extrapolating bewildering strawman arguments. Especially regarding everything to do with online. First off, like you said, low level twinks are a MASSIVE problem in the Souls series, not only do they gatekeep newer players beyond the developers intenttion, they also hurt people trying to advance in co-op covenants. My proposal is to do away with the invasion system entirely, leave PvP to designated arena's and Soapstone duels, make it a voluntary event, this would be good for Red Phantoms aswell because it means they don't have to waste time loading into a Host world that will just immediately DC from the server. Add incentives for summoning a hostile phantom, regardless if you win or lose the duel, like rare upgrade materials or covenant offerings* (the item will be placed in your inventory upon victory OR respawn to avoid players abusing the system by just instantly disconnecting during the duel) ALSO add a brief preparation window where neither player can harm the other to avoid spawn killing with a message like "Hostile Apparition will completely manifest in 10...9...8...7..." etc. AND lastly, make co-op phantoms completely unable to harm the Red Phantom, like when a Host aggro's an NPC, they can still provide passive support, but they can't just dogpile and gank the enemy. I think this change ALONE would massively settle the difficulty argument because people struggling will be more inclined to go online and summon friendly phantoms to shoulder some of the games burdens.
Dude is right about the multiplayer thing BUT AM is right about the day mode thing. While the PvP does have problems of twinkies, he’s right about just everything else. Ambushes, layouts, traps, etc. AIs and damage points of who you fight is just part of the “problem,” but peope die more to gravity than getting backstabbed.
If Act Man's idea of an "easy mode" is not a slippery slope, then I don't know what is. Its almost as if he thinks the only people who play on easy mode are game "journalists" based on his arguments. If what he says is true, then games like GROUND BRANCH, a tac-shooter, would become Call of Duty if you lower the difficulty. As far as I'm aware, I still had no hud, movement is still slow and realistic, and I can still get one-shotted by a fairly accurate "untrained" (easy difficulty) enemy in that game. Oh and my view doesn't zoom in when I aim unless I got a magnified optic so yeah... It also just doesn't make sense from a development and logistical stand point - Is he suggesting that there will be multiple editions of a game being sold, each one dedicated to a seperate difficulty? Da fauk?
5:01 As a more… Casual Gamer I confess I prefer games that allow me to RP and feel like an honest Bad Ass. Because honestly Ladies and Gentlemen rarely do I have time to “Git gud.” Now if I was making money playing video games for a living then you’re damn right I’d attempt a greater level of proficiency. But it’s not my job and as such my primary focus is what’s paying the bills. Video games are for me an escape from the daily grind, that said from a sales point of view making a product more accessible to a greater audience means more money for the developers, and consequently more games for EVERYONE.
Then yes dark souls and games like it aren't for you,trying to dumb down the game for someone like you ruins a large point in why the game is successful
Bullshit. Game could be easier and no one would really care, since its main point are atmosphere, dialogues, characters, and artstyle. Not the numbers of deaths.
@@Huczek141 I'm not speaking about the number of death but the fact that in souls game, the character you play is supposed to be a little shitty human against FUCKING MONSTERS/GODS and that the difficulty is what makes those gods/monsters credible
*EDIT: Guys... I'm seeing a lot of comments just repeating "Dark Souls shouldn't have an Easy mode!" when that's not even what this video is about... Please actually watch the video and listen to what I actually say in it. Absorb the content and don't just judge a book by it's cover. Thank you.
Link to Act Man's Video: th-cam.com/video/wgzkCK9Cggc/w-d-xo.html
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So, the title is clickbait?
@@LordFinkenstein No... Saying that The Act Man is wrong about (certain things with) Dark Souls and Easy modes is nowhere is near the same topic as arguing for an easy mode in Dark Souls. Jesus Christ.
the easy mode is you being able to chose your build if you really want an easy mode get a black knight greatsword and go bonk thats the easy mode
_"We don't want to include a difficulty selection because we want to bring everyone to the same level of discussion and the same level of enjoyment. "So we want everyone … to first face that challenge and to overcome it in some way that suits them as a player."_
_"We want everyone to feel that sense of accomplishment. We want everyone to feel elated and to join that discussion on the same level. We feel if there's different difficulties, that's going to segment and fragment the user base. People will have different experiences based on that [differing difficulty level]. This is something we take to heart when we design games."_
~ Miyazaki, Hidetaka (2019)
Funny how I mention this very thing in the video eh?
Easy mode would make me wanna actually play easy mode. Whenever I meet a roadblock on another game I always just make it easier. Dark souls just forced me to deal with it. That's my opinion
( It seems my comment confuses some people. I'm agreeing with act man and saying that I like how this plays basically)
Honestly in my opinion that's a good thing they make you overcome it instead of just making it easier
I 100% agree
thats a good thing, overcoming a challenge, when you make a game easier for yourself by going into settings you a actively ruining your experience with the game
@@tbrown5836 that was the point of the comment. I actually did it. Not to mention I beat ds1 with one hand. I’ve gone along way since I last posted that
Well a lot of us have little time
You said Ariamis wrong... argument destroyed
Hm nah.
Dude when he gets annoyed he sounds like mickey mouse
💀
"This is not a personal attack"
Proceeds to counterclaim in the most insufferable way
24:18 actually that one isn't too far off. Demon Souls didn't do so well in Japan when it was first released and only really started to get steam when they were ordered online by Western ps3 players based on some rumors of how it was this game that effectively dared you to try to finish it. When they got their copies and started spreading the rumors, sales began to rise. I personally think if it was packaged with a difficulty selection at the time it would have been just another fantasy game competing against Oblivion at the time. Maybe there would have been a chance but the odds were very low
One of my favorite videos made by Videogamedunkey is his video on video game difficulty. I love how he breaks down the difference between difficulty’s that are perfect for the game and are just straight up frustrating. When it come to Souls type games, there is one set difficulty, and for some players, it can be frustrating. Sure, you could just say ‘get gud’, but that only goes so far when you are stuck at the first boss for 30 minutes or an hour.
At the end of the day, it’s the development team’s game and it’s their vision. If they want a hard game for hardcore gamers, it’s their choice, but not every person will be able to reach that criteria.
Yeah, it's called target audience, people who complain that they can't enjoy a game or something because of something prove they aren't the targeted demographic
Except they actually can reach that criteria by taking the time to learn how the boss works, what weapons are effective, and level up to the point where you’re strong enough to deal more damage.
@@nicegoatdoctor8224
We lived in an era where AAA games were too hand holdy... So this was expected.
But New Game -1 was far better than whatever people wanted for their version of easy mode... No need to try if a micro transaction can buy the ending.
@@absolstoryoffiction6615 People are free to play New Game -1 if they want to, it’s just wrong to go saying that some people are incapable of playing the game just because it’s challenging.
@@nicegoatdoctor8224
"If I make you a God, will you succeed then? And if not, then is it truly the game's fault rather than your own incompetence, both as a player and as a mortal?", not a quote but a bit of wisdom about an honest effort.
If Dark Souls 1 at NG-1 is too hard for players, then I don't know what else to say. But maybe this genre of games is probably not for those players. Even after Modding the game too, will they consider it too hard?
In the end, if Easy Mode is still too difficult for players, then let the Corporate side of the argument sell them the solution. It is deserving for those who do not try nor to even make the effort as to understand the game.
Just remember... If people don't have time to learn any game, then they don't have time to read a book. The amount of hours in Dark Souls 1 fails in comparison to the hours of Free to Play games and of MMOs. While, it is of similar hours for the AAA games of this era. The excuses people have is nothing more than petty reasons. And everything else is understandable within the context of Dark Souls 1.
... Much like life. People will either try or forever fail. Such is their vindication. Even when they are given everything on the platter...
My only big thing is that if you want an easy game you just don't play Dark Souls. Some games are made to be a certain way, and I'm not going to show up and demand it be altered just to feel included.
If I want an easy game, I go buy one. i don't get kne known for being hard then complain about how it isn't accessible to me when I was the one who decided to not stick to what I could still be playing instead. There's a market for it and I would have willingly avoided it in that scenario.
Ive only recently gotten into the souls series with elden ring, ive always known about the souls games just never got around to trying them myself and when elden ring released i figured it was the perfect oppurtunity. With that mindset and perspective here is my opinion of an "easy mode". Dont. As far as im aware the difficulty and bar set so high in these games is a tribute to classic gaming like castlevania and megaman etc. These games didnt include easy modes and this forced people to get good at the game, which adds an immense amount of satisfaction just beating a level, let alone the whole game. The souls series is a modern version of this type of mentality and is made for gamers who want that kind of experience in their games which is becoming more and more scarce it feels like with modern gaming. Heres the thing, and again i have only started my first souls game with elden ring recently and have about 10 hours in, have died countless times already, and have gotten frustrated beyond belief with a couple encounters. If you want an easy mode than go find another game to play, dont taint the foundation of what this game is suppose to represent because monsters do too much damage or you die too easily. There is nothing wrong with this type of game not being for you, but dont take away what makes it special for the players that want these types of characteristics in their games.
Ok... None of what you wrote has anything to do with my video though ಠ_ಠ
@@TheGamerTronShow i was simply throwing my opinion into the discussion of the easy mode debate as a new player to the franchise. I just dont think anything should be adjusted at all, as you said in your vid its the devolopers vision for this game and experience. Dont know how having an opinion of my own has nothing to do with a video where you share your thoughts and opinions on the topic on hand, but ok...
@@tobiasterry7194 "thoughts and opinions on the topic on hand"
Nothing you wrote in your first comment was about the topic on hand though :-/
@@TheGamerTronShow the topic on hand is that act man is wrong to disagree on the basis of an easy mode, and you disect the points he made about the theoretical implications of this feature if it were included. My comment wasnt geared toward you specifically, more of a blanket term in regards to if it should include an easy mode or not. Im not saying i agree with everything act man or you said, i watched both your vids to the end and this is the verdict i have come to even if there is a good way to go about including an "easy mode" i dont think it needs to be there.
@@tobiasterry7194 I'm literally just like you! Started on elden ring had a rough time but now I'm basically a God on the game and got my platinum achievement! I literally became so good that everything is easy now. I played 7 play through and got all ending that I wanted more of the experience.. so I started playing dark souls remastered and oh boi.. it's pretty different from elden ring. It's way harder and slower and I actually wanted to quit when I kept getting slaughtered in blighttown and the bed of chaos.. but I pushed through and achieved success! Because of the Act Mans video on why dark souls was a masterpiece I just gotta tried it.. hated it at first but now that I know the controllers, weaknesses of enemies and avoid from falling off cliffs I felt that I earn to say "git gud" to people. I just beaten dark souls twice and about to get my platinum on it. I'm really looking forward on playing the next 2 souls games! Honestly I always play in hard difficulty on all my games but satisfaction is not the same as souls games! Guess I became a souls fan boy and hey I'm okay with it cause I've never felt that wasting money a videogame was worth it till I bought elden ring and dark souls.
I watched the video, and just want to say that even though I disagree with most things you said, I really appreciate the fact that you are not toxic about it (i really enjoy the intro). Maybe it's just me, but when I see or hold a discussion about "Dark Souls and easy mode", I often see the people who want the easy mode just insulting people who are against even tho the discussion was pretty civilized up until now (just check the comments of most videos on that subject). So maybe I'm just unlucky and I just met the wrong people and read the wrong discussions, but still, I'd like to thank you for your not insulting approach.
Also, I feel the need to add something cause I don't want those toxic people to come after me too fast.
On "my side of the argument", we do have what I'd call the "Git Gud Team", that just answer "Git Gud" to any opposing arguments. But I just want to justify that those people are pretty rare, unlike what some people like to say. Also, the GGT is mostly composed of people who have given up. Most of the GGT I discussed to are just saying that talking to people asking for an easy mode is like talking to a brick wall, and that their strongest arguments are "you mean", "you stoopid", 'you're a bad person", and that they've just given up on having a normal debate. I'd like to say sorry on their behalf, thank again the author of that video for not being too toxic, and ask civilized people that want an easy mode to make themselves louder please, so we can maybe have a real and ineteresting discussion about that "problem"
But I don't "want an easy mode" in Dark Souls... I say as much in the video and in the pinned comment. That's not even what this video is about 😒
Dark souls already has an easy mode called coop. The game also gets easier the more you play it, you learn attack patterns, controls, your stats increase, you get better equipment. The reaction times required aren't all that bad either, you just get punished for failing them. All you need to beat Dark Souls is time.
Okay... has nothing to do with what I argue in this video though 😅
Not everyone can or wants to co-op tho
@@TheEnigmaProductions the best advice i can tell you is don't play it.
It is insulting for the dev that they make this game just like cuphead because it make you feel like you are human, you are weak, you don't have super power to fight god and dragon nobody will help you the only thing that you need is yourself. It is this game identiy. It is same situation as star war have plasma rifle and force. If these don't exist in the show it will be just a generic si-fi flim.
@@TheEnigmaProductions then learn how to play the game or just don't play it, it's not mandatory to experience
Facts. Literally "git gud" and it's becomes easy! 🤣
i just don’t get why people would want an easy mode on dark souls anywyas. The enjoyment comes from beating a challenging foe, being the underdog, doing something you thought you couldn’t do. Sure you can give urself nearly infinite health and damage but then when u go in there and slap a boss to the ground in 2 seconds, are you gonna feel any enjoyment? no? then why are you playing
Enjoyment is subjective...
@@TheGamerTronShow i guess so yeah, but then again while i hate to generalize, when talking about what’s fun and what’s not there is usually a rough guideline you can follow. Like how most would agree watching paint dry isn’t fun…
Correct me if the assumption was wrong as I haven’t really played any dark souls. But the point act man said about having to change mechanics such as stun on wheel guys or knock back on archers, seemed to be about the difficulty coming from the mentioned mechanics of those enemies rather than damage such as archers knock back making you fall off the ledge being the cause of death rather than flat damage.
Stun and knock back mechanics are in hundreds of video games with multiple difficulty options. These mechanics can add challenge to gameplay scenarios, yes, but are in no way a barrier to entry to gamers who play on easy difficulties.
@@TheGamerTronShow not at all. And I presume the part with the archers is quite far into the game buy which you’d be used to knock backs and such mechanics. Though I was more thinking it was a point to the particular location. That being a thin ledge where one hit and you fall off regardless of health, or is that not what the bit is like? As I haven’t played it.
@@dalorasinum386 What happens at that bit is totally dependent on the player choice and approach.
@@TheGamerTronShow I guess as does every scenario in every game really.
High level players invading newbies is already a thing, yes. However, nobody being invaded is playing the game on easy mode.
The people playing on easy mode are not the same people getting destroyed by high level players in the game as it is now.
isn't the top mods for Elden Ring is easy mode ?
I'll have to watch later. I will say, without watching, the challenges in souls games are why I play them. I feel overcoming that challenge is important and a good regard for game construction. But that's my opinion.
EDIT: Oh, Ryan's on his "Objective/Subjective" schtick again. NORMAL DAY. NOTHING TO SEE HERE.
.....though there's everything to see here. >>;
Also, there would have to also be a difference in how the pvp might act, too... Not sure on that end, however. The PVE modes for the games? Nothing would alter. PVP? That'd be an issue...
.............Wait, he think that cutting out multi-player would also mean pvp?
WHAT
Oh, Ryan's on his "Objective/Subjective" Its called consistent logic. I'm not surprised you are not familiar with such concepts. Logic, fallacies and rules of argumentation are a very obscure subject on todays society, Not even 10% of people handle this topic well.
@@klaussone The objective/subjective distinction has nothing to do with logic actually. Logic is about what can validly be deduced given the truth (or falsity) of particular claims. It's about validity, not about whether claim A or claim B happens to be true or false. An argument can be logically valid despite the premises being false, and an argument can be logically invalid but the premises are true.
And some common "logical" fallacies don't have much to do with logic but more with epistemology. A good example is the strawman fallacy (attacking a point that hasn't been made) mentioned in the video, which involves ascertaining which point is made and wheter is directed at that point or something else. That doesn't involve any logic as the fallacy here lies not in an error in reasoning (invalid arguement) but in attributing a statement to someone that hasn't been argued by them. The (strawman) argument made might be valid and true but irrelevant due to the fact that it hasn't been made by whom it is attributed to.
Objective/subjective distinction is not related to logic, it's metaphysics and related to epistemology, philosophy of science and perhaps also philosophy of mind, but not logic. It posits
@@Bladieblah now you are arguing semantics? despite the fact that common language is not limited to hard definitions? matter of speaking assumes certain meaning to be understood. you literally added nothing. to the conversation. besides sounding pedantic and redundant. not to offend, but if you cant add value. then consider your interactions. since you mentioned epistemology.
@@klaussone You were the one lecturing the other guy and saying how this is a matter of "consistent logic" and how most society is uneducated on logic, while clearly not understanding what logic really is and this has little to do with it. If you're gonna correct someone and tell them how wrong they are it looks really silly to make mistakes like these. Especially if you claim to know your stuff. It's like saying you know all about physics and chemistry and then mixing them up later on
@@Bladieblah Yet It was not a lateral topic, it was related , and secondly since you seems oblivious to the quirks of language. You don't go around telling people who look thinner " you've lost mass" instead you say " you've lost weight", despite that being not the relevant metric.
In that same line, you don't say " you are philosophically accurate" you say "consistent or solid logic" This is exactly why your comment was pedantic and redundant. My wording was deliberate and accurate for what I expected people to understand. Your comment however was useless and linguistically deaf. This is exactly why arguing semantics is the lowest form of argumentation only fit for the laziest. And I rather not take part on this again.
While I agree with some of your criticisms in this video, act man is right that the souls series would be worse with an easy mode and just changing stats isn’t enough. Dark Souls is designed to be a specific experience where the player learns the game by dying over and over. When you get killed by a mimic or an environmental hazard, or an ambush, you learn how to avoid them and better traverse the level next time around. There is no tutorial that tells you each bosses moveset. You learn it by getting killed by it. You persevere through the difficult challenges, and the joy you get when you do is unlike any other. Not only is that the entire appeal of the gameplay, but it’s also the philosophy of the game’s story. An easy mode is self defeating. This is the exact reason why a good easy mode would need to change a lot more than just stats. It would need to be an entirely different experience than the intended.
And the whole segment of the video about my own custom modded easy mode did nothing to alter your perspective?
@@TheGamerTronShow
No. I’ve done an over leveled play through before also. You can mod the game to play however you want and if you still enjoyed it that’s fine. But that isn’t the developer’s intended vision, and in my opinion lowering the difficulty just by stat changes makes the game worse and undermines a lot of the game design which is specifically designed around the difficulty. The game is made with the assumption that you will die a lot.
@@wetdon591
I explained why already. Because the game teaches you the mechanics by killing you, and making the game easier takes away from the intended effect of overcoming the struggle. Also I don’t need to “prove” anything. It’s my subjective opinion and I gave my reasoning behind it.
@@wetdon591
If it’s actually easy then by definition you will die far less.
@@wetdon591 tf u mean? If the game is on easy mode then it’s easier not to die. Common sense.
That’s my problem with it. Dark souls gameplay centers around overcoming difficult challenges through perseverance. If the game isn’t difficult then it looses a core part of its identity.
You're not objectively wrong, but most Dark Souls fans will disagree with you because, general consensus among people like me and Act Man is that the difficulty is 90% mechanics and 10% numbers. Just because turning up numbers works in other games does NOT mean it would work in Dark Souls. And, just because you made it easy by turning up numbers does not mean all Dark Souls fans will agree that the mechanics are being preserved. Gravity is legendary for being the hardest enemy in the entire game, often due to spots like the Anor Londo archers.
Gravity is actually the second hardest part of the game. Number 1 is obviously the horribly slow, delayed, clunky rolling.
I'm not in defense of an easy mode, but I can see how it would work. Of course mechanics are 90%, but much of dark souls is about avoiding damage all together. If you make an easy mode tuning down numbers, what your doing is making the game less punishing. I believe that an easy mode affecting numbers would actually kind of affect the mechanics of the game as a whole. However, I dont think the game is nearly as rewarding when it's not punishing you properly. That's what gives you a rush of dopamine after killing a boss. It's finally achieving something after working hard to learn the move set if a boss that kills you if you make just one mistake in timing or positioning.
@@Asic229 I do agree that tuning numbers could make the game easier as a whole, but I don't think it would be the "working easy mode" that game journalists seem to want. An equivalent of this is just overleveling your character by soul farming.
so i watched your video and from the start of it i can understand, and agree some points you made that act man is making statements that are just not true, how ever from the devs, the bread and butter for ds is the trial and error of dealing with the same difficulty every has to deal with, its like training wheels on a bike and removing the training wheels, the satisfaction and achievement of that is un paramont, so an easy mode is possible and players would feel the same satisfaction, but it would be in sense, a false satisfaction, because the bread and butter of it was failing and achieving the difficult encounters that every1 else had to deal with. in short the devs dont want an easy mode because they want that identity to remain, that this is a hard game and we want you to expericen that hardship and die, because when u can get over it, the satisfaction imo would be much much better then if u had mods or an easy mode.
It’s true what he’s saying actually. Because numbers is only part of the problem. The whole games themselves are designed to fuck you over. Heck, I was getting frustrated parkouring down a secret area in Elden Ring.
@@ventusvanitas7544 that's elden tbf D's 3 for example has little to no bullshit look at sister freide
@@insperrr.a what crack you taken-
as a certified souls veteran who has 100% completed the soulsbourne games
I still think an easy mode would allow everyone to enjoy these great games
A good example is celeste as that game has an assist mode which allowed hundreds of casual and disabled gamers to enjoy the game at their own pace and still gave hard-core gamers the the ability to play the normal version and have their fun "gitting gud"
@@Melbeezo if they want easy mode, go magic build and do co-op/Ao summons
8:36 When I was still in Uni yes. Now… not so much. There’s only so much preteen vitriol and teabagging I’m willing to endure.
He has right claims but he delivers them like a soyjack therefore I decline
I need a soundbite of "No fun is subjective"
I think you approached the Act Mans video like it was a genuine critique of easy modes in DS, where I think he was just speaking his opinion and why he thinks DS would suffer as a result of a option of a easier mode. Most DS fans, at least I'm assuming, prefer the game to not have a difficulty selection as the torment and difficulty of DS is integral to the experience as much as the story and lore, at least imo.
The story and lore is worthless. You play DS and its spinoffs to fight bosses.
@@notfunnydidntlaugh8621 Well yes and no lol. I would say the story and lore is very deep and compelling, but unless you like puzzles, paying very very close attention to details, and piecing things together yourself, you're not going to really experience the lore. Therefore you just go to fight bosses like you said.
Which in turn makes me laugh because if these people claim they want to experience the lore and world, yet they can't seem to put the effort in to play the game as intended... there's no way their going to put the effort in to figuring out the lore lmao
It doesn’t need an easy mode because the whole point of these games is you fighting in a dark, disgusting, hard world that doesn’t care about you. It’s about defying the odds and getting to the point where you feel the progression up until you fight the lord of cynder or radagon or ishin. You add an easy mode to dark souls and it will turn the most original idea into an rpg no better than ac odyssey
Same goes for celeste tho... And that game had an realy good easy mode, I can't se why DS could not theoratily have it too, It is made extremly clear to the player that turning on assist mode is wery much going agains the developers intent, but if you really need it, it exists, and in need it, they mean, not its too hard or anything,
I watched The Act Man's vid and he DID explain why having an easy mode in Dark Souls would be detrimental to the game. It's been a couple of days since I watched it but if I remember he said it would literally break the game up into two separate games. The Dark Souls games are built with the difficulty in mind, you take that away and the game falls apart.
You didn't even watch my video before leaving this comment eh?
16:26 Huh, that’s actually not a bad idea. Not sure if it’s possible with console (Does Dark Souls allow you to download mods?), but it’s a good idea none the least.
You'd need a file browsing application on the console in order to mod Dark Souls. I know Xbox One use to have one but it was removed; don't know about PlayStation 4 or any other consoles Dark Souls is on and even then it's not difficult to prevent people from using a file browsing application for modding.
With that being said, there are guides on how to farm souls. Doing that would at least allow you to max out your health and stamina (and mana if you choose).
Edit: it's also worth noting that invasions these days are only commonplace in certain areas of the game maps for all the Dark Souls games. I'd say it's worth finding out where those places are and then avoiding them for your farming. That way you can also turn on matchmaking and summon some friends without too much risk of invasions.
It is moddable, but you can't play online without risking a ban
If you want to see a video that explores this in excruciating detail, Darkfry has the absolute best I've seen.
Out of curiosity, what do you think this video is about?
@@TheGamerTronShow well the overarching idea is difficulty in Souls but more specifically here you're refuting Ant Man's sloppy arguments about how easy mode would ruin Dark Souls. Yeah, I actually watched the video and agree his arguments are sloppy and sometimes actual nonsense (mostly all the pvp talk).
I suggested that video because you seem interested in the greater subject at hand and that video is actually awesome.
His argument could’ve had more details and more examples but he’s actually correct lol
I think act man's point about solaire's questline is that it would probably need some sort of rework because of the humanity farming part, or maybe him giving you the co-op soapstone, but idk. I haven't played Dark Souls 1 in a while, so I could very well be wrong.
I’m sure in that scenario solairs questline would be bare bones to him just finding his own sun. Things would play the same in that scenario but you can forget about jolly cooperation
What is that he plays during the video
Remnant: From the Ashes
For me difficulty is part of the journey
An easy mode is akin to going to a neighbor's house
Only if it difficulty based on skill level
To play devil's advocate, just because there is an easy mode, that doesn't change anything about the game itself. I understand that the difficulty is part of YOUR journey, but what about people who just want to play through Sekiro and enjoy the story but can't get past the first enemy? The game isn't fun for them, and including an easy mode would make the game more accessible to a wider audience. I THRIVE off difficulty but a lot of my friends do not. The harder modes will always be there, but having an easier mode for others isn't bad.
Look at Devil May Cry, for example. Their hardest modes are UNREASONABLY difficult, but they offer an easy mode. I will always play the harder modes, but some will not. Telling someone, you need to 'git gud' is a cop out. Skill level in games will ALWAYS vary. Accounting for that and having an easy mode doesn't hurt anyone. It doesn't change the fact that Dark Souls is difficult and always will be. There's a novelty to them because of it and people don't like it when the novelty is challenged. THAT'S the real issue.
TLDR; making games fun for more people is always best, so easy mode should be a thing in all games.
@@hunterofcomedy making games fun for more people is often used as an excuse for games that try to put as many different things as possible without anything being remotely worthwhile due to the chance of having to actually comprehend how the game works, why play a whole bundle of unfun things instead of say, games that are actually focused around what you like? . Even having the option of an easy mode just sort of dissuades from a good challenge because purposefully choosing a harder mode feels like a waste of time. As much as mass appeal is important (especially for money), Novelty is even more important since that's the whole reason we play multiple games. Some kind of games simply either don't work when they are easy or have other aspects that make them unappealing for players that have nothing to do with difficulty settings , I know I wouldn't ever want to play an easy rougelike game or a linear old school doom game. One depends on you dying while the other has "complex" levels (I say this because it seems gamers nowadays call doom levels maze-like, which says more about their sense of direction and lacking common sense than anything about old school shooter level design.) Don't mistake immediate sales numbers with quality, if people still come to play a game years after it has released rather than forget about in weeks once it's out of season, now that's the real markings of a fine game or idea. I have no real issue with easy modes themselves, but they are often part of an attempt to normalise the kind of stale and repetitive AAA games we have today onto every game. No "complex" levels since normies can't navigate their way through a box with check markers everywhere, no hard mechanics or techniques because they want to do all the cool things without any effort, no story telling style or subject that is not Hollywood-esque or vague because everyone has to understand it and shouldn't have to be offended by something or the other.
It's stuff like that is what gets some people up in arms about this topic in particular.
@@necrosteel5013 Okay, I'm gonna tackle his methodically:
How does having an easy mode "dissuade from a good challenge"? Remember Devil May Cry 3? That game was SUPER difficult when it was first released...and it had an easy mode. It wasn't a waste of time to selected a harder difficulty. And the very idea that selecting harder difficulties is a "waste of time" is beyond childish. When going into a new game, having the option to match the game to my skill level is a blessing, not a detractor. It's not a waste of time in the slightest.
Novelty is important, to an extent, but not at the cost of people's enjoyment of a series. There are people who won't play dark souls because of the "novelty" of it being super hard. The amazing game design and lore of the world would interest most casual players, but because of this "elitist" mindset, it turns people off. Novelty is hurting the series as a whole, instead of being something that draws people to it.
The issue is that you're putting your own opinion of difficulty as the standard for judgement. Just because YOU don't enjoy a linear doom game or an easy rougelike doesn't mean that others wouldn't play the shit out of it. I have a friend who isn't much of a gamer purely because most games are too hard for them. Having an easy mode fixes this for them and they can enjoy games that they would otherwise never play. They can navigate "complex" levels but die to enemies too quickly to enjoy the game.
I agree that staying power of a game is dependent on a number of factors, and sales usually isn't it. However, you instantly lose credibility when using terms like "normies", as it makes you sound like an elite jerk. Games are for everyone and calling someone a "normie" suggests that you are above them, which is BS. Just because I can beat "unbeatable" game modes in certain games doesn't mean I'm better than anyone else. I just have different skillsets. I suck at sports games while there are people who make 10 times my income playing them. It's all relative if you think about it.
I won't deny that AAA games are getting more uninspired, but that is a completely different argument. To briefly summarize my thoughts on that: yes, a lot of AAA developers are dumbing down games to make them more appeasing to casual games. And while that's annoying, it makes sense from a AAA developer standpoint. They have to appease their sponsors before anyone else or they will go out of business. They have to provide for their families and keep the company going. It's more of a problem with capitalism than game design. This is why indie games are doing so much better, as they have more freedom and therefore can take risks that AAA companies WON'T.
But getting back to the original topic. Having an easy mode in Dark Souls wouldn't change anything. The complex level designs and puzzles would still be there, but the enemies would be easier to kill and therefor would give the play more time to figure out the complexity and eventually learn how the game can be solved.
Personally, I think people are upset because they think that adding an easy mode would destroy THEIR enjoyment of the game, which isn't true. Many games have proven that by being super hard but having an easy mode. Mostly, they're afraid of "losing the novelty" of dark souls by adding an easy mode. But, as stated in this video, all you need is to tweak numbers a little. Then a wider amount of people can enjoy it, which SHOULD be the point.
Games are meant to be fun, first and foremost. Having a game be customizable so that you can set it for your skill level SHOULD be a no brainer. But that's just my opinion.
@@hunterofcomedy what's a better feeling, playing a game with different difficultys and winning or playing a game that has no difficulty and winning?
@@jet-blackjo2455 Okay, so reading this, are you asking is it better to play a game with multiple difficulties compared to a game that super easy? Or do you mean a game that has a set difficulty that cannot be changed?
I'll answer both just in case.
Honestly, it will depend on the person. I GREATLY enjoy difficulty in my games. I play games on modes that many players say are "Impossible". So yes, I like to be challenged. I don't enjoy when a game is too easy. When I beat a difficult game, it does feel pretty great! However, I can get that from games that have multiple difficulties as well as games with a set difficulty.
With that in mind, can I beat Dark Souls and feel accomplished if there was an easy mode? Absolutely, because I won't be playing on easy mode. That will be there for people who need it.
I get that feeling of accomplishment regardless of whether the game has only one difficulty or selectable difficulties. I think others can as well, regardless if the game allows for an easier difficulty.
I’m part of the “you call this hard?” side of the argument. As someone who was chiefing it up at the Senpo Temple…
What numbers are you going to adjust in Sen's Fortress, dude? You would have to reconstruct, or alter entire sections of the game.
Listen to what is actually said in the video please... 😒
I did, and Act was right about the mechanics. Halving the damage of the bonewheels just means that a poor player gets stunlocked for twice as long. Unless change stun, that is going to happen.
The pendulums in Sen's don't care how much health you have. If you aren't good at dodging, you are getting knocked off.
Just changing health and damage values would mean a game mode that was labeled Easy, but that didn't really change much for a bad player. But now this poor player is getting whipped in easy mode.
@@daegannlongstrider1293 Your reply just proves that you didn't. 😔
The games are designed around 1 difficulty. Every player should have to put effort in, even insane players. Every player is equal and starts off every new game with no knowledge whatsoever. Every player has that one boss that they find the hardest, everyone beats the game and forms their own opinion about the game, everyone should be equal in the game. While I agree with you saying "you can't quantify fun", the game design is consistent and balanced and I feel personally that an easy mode could ruin that balance and ruin some of the character of souls games. That's just my opinion though.
the thing is tho, not every player starts or even is equal, so, not everyone is equal in the game tho...
Ok, dude, I really like this video and your points, BUT JESUS CHRIST, STOP PITCHING YOUR VOICE LIKE YOU DID AT CERTAIN POINTS IN THE VIDEO, I ACTUALLY WOULD RATHER HEAR AN HOUR LOOP OF SOME 13 YEAR OLD SCREAMING INTO THE MIC OF AN XBOX 360 HEADSET
I get your philosophical thoughts about act man's statements but I'm understanding from the perspective of where his intentions are. Set Difficulty in Dark Souls community is seen as a almost rite of passage to get through these games. People enjoy the sense of accomplishment whether solo/co-oping and/or eventually beating it solo themselves. Overall in your recent video you mention yourself "how not every game will be fun for everyone" The Soulsborne community is very passionate and many believe challenge is key to engagement in a time where most AAA games hold your hand.
Idk man like there's more than just changing enemys/player health fore example in Half-life 2 they mentioned that grenades in easy mode they take longer to blow up then it did normal or easy difficulty
i agree with the whole replaying games to alter the difficulty for subsequent playthroughs im a huge fan of the pokemon games so i play the games normally for the first time but on second playthroughs i add challenges to myself like adding level caps before boss fights or by restricting the pokemon i can use like for example only using pokemon that are water type or using only 3 pokemon instead of 6 or using pokemon only from a specific region etc.
Using what you said about managing your stamina and doge roles is like a puzzle for the archers, couldn't that same concept be said for every encounter with and enemy in the game, you mange your stamina bar and wait for an opening?
Exactly what I was thinking when he said that. That's what all their games are is managing this and that and timing. In other words anyone willing to put in a little bit if effort and learn the mechanics can get through them. I was a souls veteran and struggled with sekiro until I bothered to learn the mechanics and loves it after that.
@@HouseTrapJay put points into vigor
@@HouseTrapJay I agree as a certified souls veteran who has 100% completed all those games
I still think an easy mode would allow everyone to enjoy these great games
A good example is celeste as that game has an assist mode which allowed hundreds of casual and disabled gamers to enjoy the game at their own pace and still gave hard-core gamers the the ability to play the normal version and have their fun "gitting gud"
@@Melbeezo yes and because people are so concerned about making sure games are for everyone they aren’t able to make games at their full potential. Assassins creed was great but to apeal to everyone they turned it into an rpg and it’s been on decline ever since. Borderlands is still a great looter shooter but they tried to make the story in 3 appeal to younger audiences with streamers and subscribers and that damaged the player base numbers. Changing what got you popular in the first place does not work. It only worked for elden ring because fromsoft didn’t change the formula they just toned down the punishment. Changing the formula by adding an easy mode unless they do it as a gag and make easy mode just a stupid joke is going to send the series into some kind of decline for years to come because once you start appealing to everybody you’re gonna go through hell if you dare stop
@@Melbeezo also let’s look at the community as well you think souls fans are toxic now with the “your run is invalid if you play it this way” you think that shits gonna go away if you add an easy mode? No it will just get worse and more souls fans will just jump on the bandwagon insulting and demeaning anyone who brags about a victory and all that’s gonna start with is “what difficulty” and god help you if you say easy mode
LMAO over a dozen dislikes as soon as the vid went live! I know for a fact you folks didn't even listen to a word I said before disliking. COME ON! 🤣
Well... What can i say :) fromsoftware games are ezy, and those have Ezy mode like spells and cheesy tactics
I don't get why people can't just watch the video first before dislike bombing it
I tend too agree with act man, would mt Everest be better if it had an escalator? yeah it's an exclusionary take, but all accomplishment is categorically exclusionary, (still watching the video)
Edit: did he say dark souls be less fun with an easy mode? Or did he say it's better without one because those are two different statements
@@quatreraberbawinner2628 Mount Everest would be better if you could just go to the top lmao
@@wetdon591like what?
The multiplayer one is funny as people would cheat(megamule) just to avoid singleplayer so an easy mode would be a god send to them
Okay... you have a point, I thought this was gonna be dark souls needs easy mode or smth glad I read the comments, good video man 👍
What game were you playing at the beginning?
Around the beginning of the video you are right we have no idea if an easy mode would hurt the franchise, I like the difficulty increase over progression because it made me think outside the box and required me to upgrade. Not hating on you it’s a good video
Doesn’t change everything else that makes the game harder. Who you fight is one thing, traps, level designs, etc. are whole other things.
@@ventusvanitas7544 there is difference, for example doom eternal, you multiple mechanics and ways to play the game but you are forced to play the “fun” way which is bashing your keyboard and mouse or controller and experiencing ADHD, and then there is GTA 5, where you also have many ways to play and progress though story but you only “need” one of the mechanics or method in order to progress.
I personally agree that they don't need it
Okay... What does that have to do with this video?
@@TheGamerTronShow Absolutely nothing
@@zucchini4077 *breathes in*
Boi
If you played your modded DS before playing the vanilla Dark Souls, would you still have died less?
Because beyond changing the numbers, you still relied on the games mechanics to beat the modded game, and you learnt those mechanincs from dying a bunch in the vanilla game.
So even with the number boosters, newbies (like myself) would still die a bunch simply because of the game's design. And i think thats what Act Man meant too.
Its the design that makes it hard. If you dont know about stamina management, timing of rolls and strikes etc, you'll still die. So then, what is the point of the easy mode if the game plays the same way?
Cos once you get the game's mechanics, youre good enough to level your player to make the game easier on later stages or on subsequent runs.
The Souls series truly is a game designed to be beaten by anyone, if you commit on learning the game. And once you learn, the games do become easier...
What game is the background?
Remnant: From the Ashes
I think Act man's video is was made more in response to AGAINST sjw Twitter culture or whatever, than it was in putting in good faith arguments. And I do agree that we shouldn't force developers to do anything they don't want too....(except microtransactions lmao I hate it here [I'm joking cause that'll never change])
And it's kinda weird that people see Twitter as a actual force that can impact things irl. (Reddit has more of an impact imo)
And from what Ive seen, people are just ASKING for a easy mode. They aren't even trying to boycott or whatever.
Ryan... You yourself use an easy mode. Why would you not advocate for an easy mode for others? Not force but advocate. Especially for console.
Damage values the player receives is the best way for an easy mode
"Why would you not advocate for an easy mode for others?"
25:05
"Jesus christ I'm old"
SHUT UP, WIPPERSNAPPER
*swings cane*
No matter where I go I seem to always find you.
6:14 I agree, I was confused too when I watched that part
11:49 ARE YOU TELLING ME......
HE'S GOING TO JUST RIDE ON THE IDEA....
THAT YOU CAN JUST PULL YOUR ETHERNET CABLE AND NOT ADDRESS THAT...
ok.
I dont think Act Man is nececerly wrong (tho even i could tell he said some facts about Souls kinda incorectly) about FromSoft games, since most of them already have "easy modes" such as Coop\Phantom Summoning, Magic\Pyro builds, Covenants, etc. Personally tho im on the side of the developers here - they should decide themselves what to do and in this case at least FromSoft clearly know what they doing cus everyone gets the same expierence (like Miyazaki-san said). Anyways nice video, the disscustion is kinda interesting.
I get where you're coming from on some of his arguments. (I cringed watching him say that they'd have to change Solaire's storyline.) Where I can see some issues regarding PvP. Dark Souls' PvP slips in and out of Dark Souls PvE and the two are very connected in that regard (rewards from covenants giving you spells/items that work decently well in PvE). The issue I can see in a Dark Souls game with an Easy mode, is in the design as is. If it did have an easy mode, PvP would have to either have Seperate Matchmaking, or be scaled according to the difficulty. IMO, scaling sounds alot more complicated than just having an arena mode. It could potentially work, if they had planned that from the get go. Of course, Act Man does make the point of "You have options" via summoning or using a different build.
I know this video was released some time ago so me commenting now doesn't have as much effect as these are older arguments. But again, when it comes to an Easy Mode for any of the Soulsborne games, It has to be integral to how the game is designed at first.
This next part is more subjective than the first.
I think alot of the reason why people can appreciate the difficulty of the games is because of the experience it gives you. You may have a different opinion on that but I'm in favor of people having that same experience. A herculean task presented as unbeatable, but not impossible. I think an easy mode could ruin that if done incorrectly. And given the current mechanics of the game, based around leveling and designing a build, it would just lean you heavier into a tank build if you were to do it by your modded methods and honestly, Dark Souls asks you to be cautious and observant (of course there are parts that can be poorly designed i.e. Bed of Chaos or Prowling Magus). If you lessen the risk and make it easier, does it still have the same impact? The story may be the same, but you won't feel the same. I know that is subjective territory, but that does weigh in slightly on the discussion. The experience.
💯 agree
One of the things that made dark souls so popular was it’s difficulty, and making an easy mode, kind of destroys one of, not THE, but one of the main reasons that people play these games, and it really adds to the atmosphere. Really respectful video btw, even though I disagree
What do you disagree with exactly?
@@TheGamerTronShow I just feel like the crushing difficulty is one of the things that gave the souls franchise it’s killer reputation, and the sense of achievement that you got from finally beating a boss you have been stuck on forever, is something that is still unrivaled today with many other difficult games. I’m not saying that an easy mode would ruin the series, but while it would give the series more accessibility, it could also drive away old fans who spent so much time playing some of the hardest games of our generation. Yes they could still play the hard mode, but a lot of fans would be done, even with that fact. Souls games have always been built around their difficultly, and that is partially why so many people play them, and love them. I just feel like, even if you could choose between easy and hard mode, it would be disrespecting the legacy of the old games and if from software would be willing to go as far as change difficulty, what else would they be willing to do? You are right about act man’s vid though, I do think there is a chance that a dark souls game with easy mode could do well, it is just about principle.
@@filmetiquette2409 This doesn't answer my question...
I mean... I'm firmly in the "SoulsBorne doesn't need an easy mode" camp, but this guy's arguments against it are pretty nuts.
Did you watch Act man's vid?video? Because in my option this guy took a lot of Act man's quotes out of context
@@minecarftassassin108 yeah, for a guy that advocating against straw man arguments he sure does use them a lot
@@minecarftassassin108 thank you I was thinking this the whole time listening to the video at work. I had to stop some reactions so people don’t think I’m losing it like apparently act man did.
1:44 You had me at "subjective" 😩
What’s the game in the background
Remnant: From The Ashes
I feel it all boils down to. “Hey maybe this game isn’t for me” if you can’t reach the minimum threshold to enjoy it. I enjoy the community and exclusivity of pushing THROUGH the suck.
Okay... has nothing to do with what I argue in this video though 😅
I think you did a good job defending your position, but I personally still believe that the Souls games are better with one well designed difficulty. It fits the theme of the games and it makes the game really rewarding to play.
I do appreciate your argumentation, but I disagree with the idea that it needs an easy mode.
Did you watch the video all the way through? He literally said the developers should make whatever game they please and that he doesn't care about the easy mode debate, he just took issue with how Act Man argued about it in a nonsensical way at some points.
"I disagree with the idea that it needs an easy mode."
I never once in the video say that Dark Souls needs an easy mode... Come on dude.
@@TheGamerTronShow I wasn't saying that you were making those arguments. Sorry, I should have phrased it bettet. I just disagree with the argument for an easy mode as a whole. I am aware you were just attacking his poor argumentation.
@@Bolt9236 Appreciate it 👍
Actually, Act Man is right. Because even if you do change the numbers, it doesn’t change the layouts of each area, doesn’t change the traps, etc. Because many casual players don’t just suffer from the enemies but from how the games are built. You’re half right tbh, but half wrong also. Changing numbers is one thing, changing the rest is another. And I’m someone who mostly plays offline mode.
Generally, that doesn't have to be changed.
Layout doesn't change. Traps can't attack any different.
@@dimitrifake53 you’re late, and true but it’ll be difficult to remember each and every one of them
@Ventus Vanitas It would be hard to recall every single one of them, but if kostly tackle a section per section, then it won't be that bad.
@@dimitrifake53 probably. But honestly, it just ruins the game
@Ventus Vanitas Just less damage output from enemies wouldn't hurt the game in any way but make breeze killing em.
I would say there are more other issues the games have than just that.
Since most people find hard is the damage output from enemies compared to you. Like the surge, no matter what I dobI will always die within 5 hits.
Hey, I just wanted to let you know that your Dischord Server link is invalid and it does not work when I click on it.
Anyways keep up the great videos.
“Fun is subjective”
Yeah this is Act Man’s opinion
His comments say otherwise.
Why not "THIS IS NOT AN INTENDED EXPERIENCE, PLZ DON'T PLAY UNLESS COMPLETELY SURE"
like Celeste did? whit a great result, dont know of a single person who used it, exept for goofing off ofc
I think Act Man's video was half pondering on the greater implications and considerations required for a good easy mode. They could just crank down the enemy damage but there are areas where that might be cheesy or ineffectual. It might be good enough for some but I think it's fair if the creators do not want to risk having a mode of questionable quality that doesnt live up to their standards. Then it becomes a give-and-take between putting in dev time and resources to a different mode or just making one dificulty. I dont think I'd care if the next game has an easy mode, but i also dont think the devs need to. If people wanna mod their game to make it easier that's their prerogative.
, he doesn’t get that act man was simply stating adding an easy mode would take away from the harshness of the games world
Not a bad video at all and yes some of the things pointed out are correct but at 20 min mark you kinda make a bad argument. The knock back should be adjusted if it were an easy mode because thats how you die in that section but saying you just time your dodges and manage your stamina - thats what you are supposed to do normally in dark souls ie easy mode not required and even with reduced damage areas like those (fall damage and knock back areas like sens fortress) will need to be changed to make an easier mode or in other words more accessible. Reducing damage removes the need for that management...
Oo and yes you can make a statement like an easier mode is not needed as all games have a recommended difficulty that the game designers use as the most optimal for the intended experience.
You and Actman both has some very good points and I've enjoyed both of these videos :)
Man,he just said its not fun,thats his opinion such as yours,its nothing important,i agree with him,a developer sees the game in one way and it shouldn't have a difficulty,its not the same game as idk assassin's creed
I watch your channel since those amazing top 10 or 5 videos,with games but idk i dont rly enjoy this content,you are being so confident in your opinions, while the guy isnt rly wrong,souls games shouldn't have an easy mode
Please listen to what I'm actually arguing about in the video. You seem to misunderstand what I'm actually saying in this. Skip to the last few mins of the vid if you want an immediate idea.
@UCT3bhz-KQ3U2dMMg8U4lX4g his whole channel is based on his opinion, when u talk about something, there is always personal bias, he didn't say objectively the game won't be fun, I think what he was trying to do was represent the real fans who play these games a lot because of the lore and challenge, why do people play these games, for the challenge and making an easy mode will cater to a different audience, creating an easy mode will not sit right with the real fans and they won't find it fun, it's not a fact that they won't find it fun but it's very likely that they will not find it fun.
@@boysinthehood9355 they can just do one thing - dont fucking play it. there, its that simple
@@Huczek141 who are u talking about
Listen it's supposed to be hard that's why it's called dark souls it's hard.
You didn't even watch the video or read the pinned comment did you?
If you want easy mode dark souls play co op. Making the enemies easier to kill won’t help.
What game is he playing?
Remnant: From The Ashes
@@TheGamerTronShow thanks for telling man, it looked cool, I had gotten it from ps plus and I had it in my library for almost a year.
I agree with your points and I as a Dark Souls fan personally don't see the big deal in it having a difficulty. It would just be a dual sided player base one part hardcore one part casual not that deep many game fandoms do this and even get bigger for it because its more fun and inviting rather then always being difficult. You did a great job laying these points down and Act mans nonsense especially nice work.
The game shouldn't cater to the widest group of people possible. If they don't want to spend time with the game and improve then it's not the game for them, having everyone on the same playing field is good because everyone can share in the accomplishment of beating a tough souls game. Adding an easy mode would water down the experience into a boring mess of a game and if an easy mode was to ever be added it would be the most boring experience ever, just use a mod t9 make the game easy and see how boring the game gets.
@@patchesgaming9139 it's not about catering it's just a separate game mode for players who wanna play more casually how does how one player play the game effect how someone else is experiencing it I don't understand.
@@Tarragon_ it would be catering to people that are too lazy to learn how to play the game and not the fans. Again having a different difficulty would change how everything work, it's like a Jenga tower if the wrong block gets pulled the entire tower will collapse. An easy mode would make the games be a boring steamroll where there's no challenge and would lead to a unfulfilled experience where there's no triumphant feeling of defeating a tough boss. Playing a souls game isn't a mandatory experience that everyone has to experience
If players want to play a casual game they should go play something casual obviously. Because a souls game isn't for them clearly.
@@patchesgaming9139 yes but how another player plays has nothing to do with you,you would just play the normal difficulty and me personally I would also just play the normal difficulty because it would never be the same but how one player plays is no Jenga tower if that's not how YOUR playing the game that's just how a casual is these are separate one has nothing to do with the other.
@@Tarragon_ Because that's not how it's meant to be played??? The devs themselves have explained why they don't add an easy mode one of them being "he believes that the joy of the game comes from persevering and overcoming those seemingly impossible challenges" someone playing on easy mode wouldn't get that same experience
Miyazaki also explained "“We are always looking to improve, but, in our games specifically, hardship is what gives meaning to the experience. So, it's not something we're willing to abandon at the moment. It's our identity.” If they added an easy mode it would mean cheapening the experience and that's not what the devs want and it's not what the core fanbase want, If people aren't into that, fine. But if you're whinging that the game isn't holding your hand the entire time maybe go play something easy instead like COD or whatever.
Explain why playing a souls game is a mandatory experience? Because you're acting as if it is.
I think Act-mans point against cutting out content in Dark Souls is that most of the level design in the game is made to accommodate its harder difficulty. Like meeting the Asylum demon for the first time. Or the hollows that ganke you in undead berg and even the Anor Londo Archers. When you come up against them, you meet what seems to be an insurmountable wall, and as you learn how to get past them it reinforces the theme of overcoming challenges. Yes you could say that changing some "statistics and rulesets" will do. However I argue that its a very cheap way of artificially lowering the difficulty, something that completly goes against what Fromsoft games are all about. Its about the level design, the lore and the gameplay, they all connect together that makes their games so special and memorable. Act-mans video is SOLEY about dark souls, reducing difficulty in dark souls will be very different compared to any other video game.
@@wetdon591 I'm not saying that they don't m8. But thats for the sake of balancing.
Sorry bro, but the act man is right on this one. You would have to fundamentally change the game on said easy mode, then rebalance said enemies and bosses and their placement, loot, bonfires, level costs, weapon stat requirements, and much more. Its not just fiddling with some numbers. For instance, what about the archers in anor londo, should they do less knockback, or be removed, what about the dragon sanctum in shulva sanctum city, does it need less traps and ghosts? Again, its not pulling up a cheat engine and changing numbers, which is ironic that you're cheating in dark souls and claiming that you played it.
Sorry bro, but I'm right on this one. You wouldn't have to fundamentally change the game on said easy mode. It is just fiddling with some numbers.
There's no reason to be so arbitrary about the archers. The dragon sanctum does not need to have anything changed at all (being arbitrary again).
"Again, its not pulling up a cheat engine and changing numbers"
True. Developers have way better tools that make that much easier to program into their games.
"which is ironic that you're cheating in dark souls and claiming that you played it."
I have... There's videos and whole ass livestreams proving it 🤦
Actually, Dog is right, and so is AM. Because most of the deaths come from getting fucked by traps, ambushes, and level layouts involving parkour and such. Dying to groups of enemies or bosses isn’t so bad. But where you think you’re safe is “safe” isn’t safe at all. Changing stats will definitely make it easier to fight, but it’s not just about the combat. It’s about surviving to the end. And you can’t do that if you can’t protect from even falling through floors and grounds.
I'm playing dark souls with the inferoplus mod, shooting beam rifle at bosses are fun
10:51 I can confirm this is true.
If Dark souls was easy then I wouldn't give a shit about the series.
Ok... Has nothing to do with my video...
Why even play Dark Souls if you just want to break the game with sliders and items? If you're going this far to play a video game you can't approach the core experience of because its too hard for you, play something else. There's a million rpgs out there for you, but people want to say they've played and beaten DS so bad that you would see the developers compromise their vision of the game they wanted to create before you ever invested the energy it takes to learning DS. Dying in DS is as common as breathing, the game doesnt even really penalize you for dying and returning to fight again. Thats the whole point! You're not Kratos.
What are you going on about? What does any of that have to do with my video? I state in both the video and in the pinned comment that this video has nothing to do with whether dark souls should have an easy mode or not.
@@TheGamerTronShow One of your points you make towards the later part of the video, when you state that a person playing offline can modify their game with cheat engine and even other personal mods to tweak their experience. I recognize that you make this point in response to Act Man's criticism that it would be difficult to balance an online mode around that and it would in turn affect other players' experience. I'm extending the response you made in order to make a seperate point about the game's difficulty. Is Act Man being perhaps too obtuse about how difficult it would be to balance or if it affects other players' experience? Maybe. Is jerry-rigging the game to be a cake walk cheating yourself out of the real experience and challenge? Undeniably yes.
@@sicksabre Still missing the point... 😔
Dark souls doesnt need an easy mode because Dark Souls is easy, just one shot every boss nerd
Didn't even watch the video or read the pinned comment did you?
You act like all of your arguments are much better than act man’s and that he is saying stupid things but from what i know about game design the structure of a game has just as much to do with difficulty as the numbers. And a lot more people from what I have found agree with the act man it’s just that there is a really vocal minority of people asking for easy mode.
Now act man admittedly didn’t have the best arguments but I think these videos are more convincing and comprehensive.
m.th-cam.com/video/pKyKGuGU4bw/w-d-xo.html
m.th-cam.com/video/d4-yoartbEA/w-d-xo.html
Great video.
I didn't see Act Man's video, cause I believe devs has the right to do whatever they want with their games.
I disagree with both sides. Devs shouldn't be forced to do (or not to do) easy modes
pretty much what was said at 24:40
But listening to Act-man I get the feeling he has only played the DS games on a very basic level, Getting so many facts about the series wrong. Making lots of his points invalid.
Also DS does have a easy difficulty. its called COOP and its available online and offline modes. Everyone can use COOP.
Also 13:45 covenants are not disabled in offline modes you can still do a good number of them, and completing them do offer rewards to make the game easier.
Which Covenants besides Chaos Servant can you interact with in offline mode?
@@TheGamerTronShow Most (if not all) covenants are completed by offering items to a NPC. Normally you get the needed covenant items by doing online activities. However it is possible to farm the covenant items from AI.
Since your on PC you can just mod the needed items and complete the covenant that way.
"I didn't see Act man's video" then how can you criticize him. Watch the video.
bru have you seen the actman actual review of the game, that aint basic
@@TheGamerTronShow every convent can be played with, you just can't access the online part of it, you can grind out all you need for the covenants from enemy drops.
17:03 then do it and promote the mod so there’s no argument anymore!
well produced video but your points dont make sense u say act man cant say the games are better off without easy mode but why then can you say the games are better off with an easy mode just seems hypocritical
"but why then can you say the games are better off with an easy mode"
I literally never said this...
@@TheGamerTronShow it is obviously implied if u are laughing at the notion of him saying the games arent better off and u made a whole video on why that is wrong?
@@tylernash7370 "it is obviously implied"
No. You're just projecting man.
@@TheGamerTronShow making ur charector 1 shot enemies and u take no damage would make the game not fun at all and what weight would the story have if u just walk thru it at that point just watch someone play it
@@tylernash7370 "making ur charector 1 shot enemies and u take no damage"
I don't do this and never argue for this.
Please stop wasting both of our time if you're just going to keep making strawman arguments.
Easy mode is for Noobs,and dark souls is not for noobs
Has nothing to do with the video or anything I talk about.
Don't disrespect act man
So letting someone know when they got something factually wrong or said something ridiculous is disrespecting them? ಠ_ಠ
Hey what game are you playing at the beginning?
Remnant: From The Ashes
@@TheGamerTronShow Thanks a lot!
I always knew I would disagree with you in some topic sooner or later, still you make great points.
What do you disagree with exactly?
@@TheGamerTronShow I’m not saying that Act man is correct in every single point, I do agree with you in the part in which people that play easy mode should be respected a bit more, but everything else, I disagree man, sorry. But still I respect your opinion, also your scream sounds like a skegsi of the dark crystal, I find it funny 😆.
@@pablofernandezortiz7460 What do you mean by "your opinion" though? This video isn't about my opinions on anything. It's about how The Act Man got things factually, objectively wrong in his video.
You have me very confused by your comment here.
@@TheGamerTronShow sorry for not responding to your comment sooner, but I had to think my response. Now I think that what the act man was saying is that making a videogame more easy, doesn’t necessarily make it better. Let me give you an example, I played devil may cry v on the easiest difficulty and I was bored. When I increased the difficulty of the game, I actually had a lot of fun, and that’s my point. Some times is good to play easy game, I sometimes play kirby games to relax, but in other cases is good that people challenge their skills and improve, because that can be a lot of fun, but if you add easy mode to games that don’t need it, then you are telling people that they shouldn’t improve. In shooters and slashers it’s totally fine to play first on easy if it’s your first game of this type, but if you don’t try to increase the difficulty curve, then you’re not experiencing the full potential of the game. Now I will admit that in retrospective, Act man does exaggerate a lot with his points, but I do think he means well for players.
@@wetdon591 I don’t complain
People who are against an easy mode are just emotional, forthing-at-the-mouth, play-my-way-or-don't-play-at-all gatekeepers. Couldn't care less about Dark Souls getting an easy mode, but their argumentation is not objective at all. End of the day, it's entirely up to the devs on what kind of game they want to make. No amount of hardcore fanboys arbitrarily breaking down how they think an easy mode would affect the games and their reputation will change the fact that it's all speculative bullshit on their part. There's no good faith discussion to be had with this so it's pointless to even engage.
I agree. Difficulty’s exist because we all vary in skill level. We pick our difficulty’s based on that. There’s no legitimate way to argue against that, also as ryan and act man noted that depends on what the developers want to do regarding difficulty.
I cannot stand those who mock and make fun of those who play on easy difficulty. Some people are better than others at certain things in life, applies to games as well, that’s just a fact of life. This whole mentality by modern day gamers who mock and belittle for playing on lower difficulty’s is part of why the gamertron and others became disillusioned with the gaming community. Mostly the toxic fake outrage culture on TH-cam by gaming youtubers take the big bulk of the reason.
I feel like selectable difficulty modes that just sort of change numbers around are kind of sloppy ways of approaching accessibility and I think Dark Souls already does it better than most other games. Your difficulty is altered by a few factors that all exist within the game world. It's based on your build, whether or not you have cooperators, the amount of exploration you do, and the paths you choose to take.
Ok, I removed my previous comment because of misunderstanding My absolute apologies about it....
But the multiplayer aspect might be affected by it and not in a good way
I think the best possiblity is to make a speical arcade game where you can test out against bosses and make their level based on diffculty, that way you have a way to train without the frustration of losing all your shit or the long jouerny to get to that boss stage.... Sometimes you lose modt potions and health before you even reach the boss, I think having a better tutorial on dodging, parrying etc can be helpful I guess
Act Man percpective on making an easy mode ruining the multiplayer and story doesn't seems right....
I mean yeah I get his percpection on what COULD happen, but I don't understand why would it come to be...
The one thing I agree with him though is the fact that the Easy Mode will change Dark Souls to the worse, and FromSoftware need to avoid adding it, and in my opinion adding easy mode will make their games much less memroable.... people who just want to play once will have a lot easier time to pass it all a lot quicker which isn't the point of FromSoftware and their games, this is my own reason and opinion on the game and why we should avoid adding easy modes I apologies again for not watching your video completely.... my bad, your video brought out some of the flaws inAct man's video about this subject. Thank you for reading my comment
Also your arguement in 15:45 you claim you have mods to make the game easier.... so what is the point on adding easy mode?!
I mean addimg easy mode is more momey to FromSoftware and it's not so simple because it requires a whole new code which isn't that hard, but it doesn't seems to be neccessery.... but What is the point of easy mode if people can make it instead?
You just advertised his disk plate ad!
It's really not that hard a game to be honest
Watched half of the video and you seem to misrepresent what he's actually saying in the video and nitpicking points to fit your narrative. Not saying that he's right about everything but misrepresenting his points doesn't really work in favour of your arguments.
Nothing is misrepresented???
What are you referring to? I'm responding to exactly what he says. What is there to misrepresent?
I get that ActMan was complicating things, but this game should NOT have an easy mode. Anybody and Everybody can beat DS if they really wanted to. Nobody started these games being a god at it.
The games clearly have a target audience that want and love the challenge. It’s not Dark Souls without it.
"but this game should NOT have an easy mode."
And if you watched the video you'd know that I never argued that it should...
@@TheGamerTronShow You never did and I did watch the full video, but the topic was still about it.
Yes it would be a very simple thing to do to add an “easy mode” if that’s your whole point. Your version of an “easy mode” is a lazy numbers change.
Making it the same game whilst also giving weaker players a chance is a different story. Which I believe ActMan was trying to do. Basically not giving up the games identity with two difficulty options.
@@TacoNeenja "but the topic was still about it" no it wasn't. At all.
The topic was about how Actman made statements that were objectively wrong.
@@TheGamerTronShow ActMan’s view on implementation isn’t that far off except he is wrong about pvp. It would not be simple like you say if it was officially considered by FromSoft.
Reducing enemy damage is not the best implementation of an easy mode because of what Dark Souls represents. Many companies don’t build their games around being challenging like FromSoft does. ActMan is right to say that you can’t reduce it because it literally will destroy what the game is about. This is fact.
Usually easier difficulties in games make many mechanics obsolete because of how much less crucial they become. This is true in many cases and would be for DS.
He isn’t correct on everything, but neither are you.
@@TacoNeenja "because of what Dark Souls represents"
It represents different things to different people. It's subjective.
"it literally will destroy what the game is about."
It's about different things to different people. It's subjective.
"This is fact."
No. You're just being arbitrary.
"Usually easier difficulties in games make many mechanics obsolete because of how much less crucial they become. This is true in many cases..."
No. Straight up, No. You would know that is not true if you'd actually played any games on easy difficulty.
"He isn’t correct on everything, but neither are you."
This isn't about me being "correct". These aren't opinions I'm putting on the table here. Just advocating for consistent logic. Watch some videos from Mauler to see where I'm coming from here.
almost got me half way but dislike but you got my sub we will watch you career with great interest :) keep it up
I disagree with this video act man what is 100% right they should never add an easy mode
So you actually don't disagree with this video at all? Since my video has literally nothing to do with wanting to add an easy mode into dark souls. I even say as much in both the video and in the pinned comment.
I personaly whouldnt think it whould ruin the game BUT it whould ptobably change the souls comunity
It’s more than just damage and health. That’s all I’ll say.
You absolutely killed it, I couldn't agree more. I always found Act Mans arguments to be absurd and polluted with subjectivity and extrapolating bewildering strawman arguments. Especially regarding everything to do with online. First off, like you said, low level twinks are a MASSIVE problem in the Souls series, not only do they gatekeep newer players beyond the developers intenttion, they also hurt people trying to advance in co-op covenants.
My proposal is to do away with the invasion system entirely, leave PvP to designated arena's and Soapstone duels, make it a voluntary event, this would be good for Red Phantoms aswell because it means they don't have to waste time loading into a Host world that will just immediately DC from the server. Add incentives for summoning a hostile phantom, regardless if you win or lose the duel, like rare upgrade materials or covenant offerings* (the item will be placed in your inventory upon victory OR respawn to avoid players abusing the system by just instantly disconnecting during the duel) ALSO add a brief preparation window where neither player can harm the other to avoid spawn killing with a message like "Hostile Apparition will completely manifest in 10...9...8...7..." etc. AND lastly, make co-op phantoms completely unable to harm the Red Phantom, like when a Host aggro's an NPC, they can still provide passive support, but they can't just dogpile and gank the enemy.
I think this change ALONE would massively settle the difficulty argument because people struggling will be more inclined to go online and summon friendly phantoms to shoulder some of the games burdens.
Dude is right about the multiplayer thing BUT AM is right about the day mode thing. While the PvP does have problems of twinkies, he’s right about just everything else. Ambushes, layouts, traps, etc. AIs and damage points of who you fight is just part of the “problem,” but peope die more to gravity than getting backstabbed.
3:10 Lol you are too focused on the wording. Of course he cannot prove it 100 percent. It's an opinion piece on video games, not science.
th-cam.com/video/E9QU9JouSBs/w-d-xo.html
Act Man confused Easy Mode with the ESRB. Like hard mode is rated R and easy is PG-13
If Act Man's idea of an "easy mode" is not a slippery slope, then I don't know what is.
Its almost as if he thinks the only people who play on easy mode are game "journalists" based on his arguments. If what he says is true, then games like GROUND BRANCH, a tac-shooter, would become Call of Duty if you lower the difficulty.
As far as I'm aware, I still had no hud, movement is still slow and realistic, and I can still get one-shotted by a fairly accurate "untrained" (easy difficulty) enemy in that game. Oh and my view doesn't zoom in when I aim unless I got a magnified optic so yeah...
It also just doesn't make sense from a development and logistical stand point - Is he suggesting that there will be multiple editions of a game being sold, each one dedicated to a seperate difficulty? Da fauk?
He’s right though 💀
5:01 As a more… Casual Gamer I confess I prefer games that allow me to RP and feel like an honest Bad Ass. Because honestly Ladies and Gentlemen rarely do I have time to “Git gud.” Now if I was making money playing video games for a living then you’re damn right I’d attempt a greater level of proficiency. But it’s not my job and as such my primary focus is what’s paying the bills. Video games are for me an escape from the daily grind, that said from a sales point of view making a product more accessible to a greater audience means more money for the developers, and consequently more games for EVERYONE.
Even tho dark souls is hard game, this series is still very successful and earns a shit ton of money
Then yes dark souls and games like it aren't for you,trying to dumb down the game for someone like you ruins a large point in why the game is successful
@@badasscrusader A snide remark, lovely.
I’ll be thinking of you the next time I decide to pick up Dark Souls again and just to endlessly farm.
@@nyogtheeldritchgentleman okay if you want to go for it
@@wetdon591 I mean dark souls 3 sold 13 million copies, I would say that's a shit ton
The entire point of Souls game design is made around difficulty and because of that the ez mode would be bland
Okay... has nothing to do with what I argue in this video though 😅
Bullshit. Game could be easier and no one would really care, since its main point are atmosphere, dialogues, characters, and artstyle. Not the numbers of deaths.
@@Huczek141 I'm not speaking about the number of death but the fact that in souls game, the character you play is supposed to be a little shitty human against FUCKING MONSTERS/GODS and that the difficulty is what makes those gods/monsters credible
@@voilavoila196 you think this is like surrealism lmao
@@voilavoila196 when I play a game that’s too easy I just lose my shit like you do