Mostly says it all in the title. By dark souls syndrome, I am referencing a video game series that takes place in a post-prosperous fantasy land that is almost exclusively oppressive in it's atmosphere and slowly crumbling, all that past-prime stuff. I've noticed that so far alot of the settlements, concepts, and questlines I've developed are predominantly negative, hence the dark souls syndrome.
I suppose this can be from the standpoint that the mindset of the creator can leech into the work, but I seriously don't want to make it an exhausting time for my players by making the happier/lighter stuff so few and far between.
I just need help with getting ideas to beef up the lighter side of this world and some advice on how to create a bit more of a balance. Any help is greatly appreciated.
This came to me while researching the details of the Hinamizawa Syndrome - by no means I am implying that any series was inspired by the other, but I've noticed some similarities between the two. If you say "Higurashi is the Dark Souls of anime", L5 Rena will visit you in your sleep.
Both series feature a mysterious disease of unknown origin, that causes its victim to lose their sanity and lash out against their surroundings. Both seem to be triggered not just by time of exposure, but moral and personal choices - in Higurashi, avoiding full relapse is generally the point of each chapter, while the Darksign corrupts those that "lose their purpose in life". Both types of victims seem to maintain some level of sub-consciousness, usually murmuring things related to why they suffered from the disease.
The difference I see is, while the trigger for Darksign madness is very heavily implied (and leads to many tragic stories), Hinamizawa Syndrome is much more vague, with stress, doubt and mistrust all being potential catalysts. I am not that versed in Higurashi though, so I cannot say for certain that it's not explained further, and whether it drifts apart from this comparison, or strengthens it.
I was lucky enough to get a PS5 and Demon’s Souls. I’d never played it before and I absolutely loved it.
Every game I’ve played since Demon’s Souls has been a tad disappointing. I couldn’t really get into Immortals Fenyx Rising. Cyberpunk 2077 is ok I guess.
Anyone else get post soulsborne apathy? This happened before considerably after Sekiro too.
Currently on the section of first level friendships (those friendships developed around ages 3 to 6.) And as I am reading I am starting to realize that at 24 I'm still unaware of things that a 6yo has a solid grasp on.
I'll be honest it's pretty humiliating seeing just how far behind my peers I am. And incredibly daunting to see how much more work I have to do. I was only diagnosed 3 months ago but I had thought that I was muddling through social interactions fairly competently, learning through sheer brute force trial and error. But I see now that I'm far worse off than I thought I was.
Edit: To all those who would take what was originally a healthy, cordial, and otherwise wholesome comment section and sully it with political bullshit please kindly fuck off. I don't care if you're left wing or right wing, I don't appreciate you bringing that crap in.
I feel like I've been here so many times and then been away for a long time. And it feels like the most fresh times I was here, things were a lot nicer, or I was in a better situation.
It feels like there's not much for me to do here. Nothing feels all that new. Most things seem so obvious and predictable, and I don't feel them very much. I see others swept up in lively joy and intense sadness, they get fired up about various issues. This is not how I experience things. Good and bad seems like a false dichotomy. I do feel a clear difference between calm and stress, but I'm not attached to either one.
People have always called me wise beyond my years. Most of the things people get so obsessed with, that shake up their lives and bring tumultuous life lessons, they don't interest me. And when I have indulged, I haven't learned anything that wasn't already obvious.
People always come to me with problems and questions. I don't find these things very engaging, but I always offer whatever help I can provide. Usually just stating the obvious, which gets them inspired, but often they end up discarding the information. Asking again later, getting so excited about the "fresh" perspective that's really a repetition from last time.
Sometimes my advice really does help. But even then, I don't feel any different from when it doesn't. Because in the end, what seems good isn't necessarily any better than what seems bad. It's all just possibilities.
I find it hard to really engage with anything. I've tried my hand at a lot of things, and it's usually gone really well. But I lose interest eventually, because it doesn't mean anything. I've made a lot of money, I felt no different. I lost it all, it didn't change anything. I've meditated chunks of my life away and reached higher modes of consciousness, but in the end it didn't make a difference. I've dedicated myself to love and lost myself in those frequencies, but I came out the same as before with only superficial changes and fading memories of temporary conditional bliss.
Nothing lasts in this realm. Nothing is solid. Objective meaning seems absent. All in all, it doesn't feel real. And I don't know why I came back here. I feel like there's a mission, but I don't see how my achievements would really matter in the end. And I don't see a clear path other than ones I made up in my mind's eye. When I've found something that seems real to aim for, it's turned out to be another illusion without real substance.
I find it h
... keep reading on reddit ➡Just wondering, is it only me that compares everything to Dark Souls when playing it only to find out nothing’s the same and then just play Dark souls again?
Imposter syndrome, i.e. never feeling good enough no matter what you do.
I beat the whole game, King of the Storm and all. But then I thought, "yeah but I ended up at SL 100 and dumped a ton of points into VIG. I actually suck, I just tanked my way through."
So I started a new character, capped him at SL 80, put like 50 into strength and didn't level VIG past 30. Again I beat the whole game, this time the DLCs too. But then I thought, "yeah, but my character hit so hard, I took down a lot of bosses without experiencing a real challenge."
I bet that even if I managed to SL1 the game, I would be convinced that it was only because I spent so long and watched so many videos.
And all because I died a lot to Vicar Amelia when I played my first soulsborne game (Bloodborne). It doesn't matter that I later platinumed the game and beat dark souls 1-3.
But maybe that's what keeps me coming back to the series?
Does anyone else feel like this?
Anyone else constantly stop running to preserve stamina that doesnt exist in this world lol I'm 40 hours in and cant break the habit!
Edit: I didn't mean this to be a "recommend new games" post haha. I just wanted to share the hate-love-hate-eventual reconciliation kind of relationship I had with the Souls series.
I consider myself a half-decent souls player...now. BB was my introduction to FromSoft, and I played it through from start to finish without putting it down. Absolutely fell in love with everything about the game, especially because the game never holds your hand (whether it be lore, quests, or even what to do next). Almost all other games became obsolete. So, when DSII: SOTFS came out, I immediately jumped in head first.
And then quit within 2 weeks and traded in the game because it was so frustrating. But, since all other games felt like a walk in the park, a few months later I bought it again. And then sold it again. And then bought it again. This cycle repeated 4 times - yes, I bought, sold, and re-bought one game 4 times, because I couldn't enjoy any other game.
I kept telling myself I wouldn't do the same thing again. I actually made it a full year before I eventually caved and bought DS3. EVERYTHING else just felt so mediocre in comparison to what I experienced with BB. Unsurprisingly though, I once again ended up trading in DS3 within a month, for something that I can't even remember playing.
It wasn't until January of this year that I bought The Fire Fades. I don't know what changed, but the gud was gotten, and the Ggs were in fact ez. I've since beaten DS3 several times over, and while I used to dread getting invaded, I now spend most of my time red-eying hoping to run into a gank squad (with the occasional sunbroing when I remember how frustrating the game was for me when I first started). Also beat DSR recently as well.
TL;DR anyone wanna help me beat Soulshome Syndrome? Pass is gitgud2018
Who else agrees?
Edit: I never said it made the game easier. You're telling me that bonfires like Dragonslayer Armor and Grand Archives are necessary? I didn't use any Sekiro examples because of spoilers, but there are a lot.
I'm currently playing through Dark Souls for the first time, and it's one of the more frustrating gaming experiences I've had. I'm not exactly blind, as I've seen a view reviews of the game and various discussions on subreddits like this one. I'm wondering if, over time, experienced players have forgotten what it was actually like playing for the first time.
I'm writing this as I just quit the game in annoyance for the third or fourth time so far. I'm in the Depths and fell through a hole in the ground. My framerate tanked to 0, the loading screen came up, and now I'm cursed. I know I have to go on a long run with half health all the way back up, farm up a few thousand souls, and then come back and hope it doesn't happen again. I'm really dreading this. Not like "ooh this will be such a cool challenge" but "man this is going to be a really boring and annoying hour before I can actually continue this goddamn game".
See, I've always heard that the game is "hard" but it seems like most of the gameplay is actually focused on inconvenience. When I beat the gargoyles it didn't feel like I actually got that much better, I just kept trying until they got in a lucky attack pattern. Compare this to something like Super Meat Boy, where you really do need to master the skill involved to progress.
And this wouldn't be so bad if my deaths felt always felt deserved. I'm sure if I played this game a second or third time I'd die a lot less, and part of that would be skill, but I think a lot of it would be learning the random bullshit that can happen from the engine/controls and avoiding it. Like when you're fighting an enemy on a ledge and, you try to stab them while locked on, but they decide to jump sideways and commit suicide so your character happily swivels 90 degrees mid-stab and falls to their death.
When the game is good it's really good, and the level design (at least in the undead areas) has been brilliant. But if I had to summarize my emotional experience so far, it would be frustrated annoyance. To what extent is this the standard experience for first-time play, but by the time you beat the game a few times you look back on it fondly? Or am I just a scrub, git gud, etc.
Played nioh, the surge, lords of the fallen, salt and sanctuary and kingdom hearts just to experience a souls like game in any way. Hoping a new from game is at least unveiled this year. Shadow of the colossus remake probably eases the pain until then.
Check out this article from EmuateThis' 5 Card Stud. What can I say... I agree with several of the ppoints he makes.
https://www.emulatethis.net/single-post/2018/04/19/Blogs-of-Rage-4-Darks-Souls-and-Stockholm-Syndrome
A few weeks ago, I went to the doc due to numbness and tingling in my right (dominant) hand. I work an office job that requires a good amount of typing, as well as write/compose music in my spare time. I noticed that my hand would start tingling if I raised it for a longer period of time, but it would go away. However, recently the symptoms have been present around 80 - 90% of the day.
When I saw the doc, she recommended getting a brace and wearing it at night, and then wearing it all the time if the symptoms didn't get better. She also mentioned that I may need to go to physical therapy if bracing it didn't work. It's been about a month now, and while the tingling seems to be better(?), I'm still having symptoms after bracing it, taking anti-inflammatory/Gabapentin, doing nerve gliding stretches, and changing my desk setup to be more ergonomic. (I also have a standing desk at work, and I'll be setting one up for home use soon.)
I've been reading that some folks go through surgery, but I wasn't sure 1) what the recovery time was for that and 2) the success rate. I don't want to "jump the gun" so to speak, but I'm sick of having this constantly impact my life and my work.
Got any tips/advice for dealing with this? I haven't had any formal tests yet (besides my GP taking a general look) so I don't know if my nerve is super compressed/etc., but any tips/next steps would be helpful.
After being ignored and stuck for several hours I realized the nurses couldn’t hear me.
