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Nioh Alpha Demo Feedback

I disagree

The combat system is designed around the 0 stamina punish. The whole idea is that you need to be cognizant of your stamina gauge and not just mash offense.

Exactly this. The system works great, if you play smart you can keep on going without wasting stamina.

I'd like to see a better lock-on that locks you out of running.

I really hope they keep the stamina system (and difficulty) as it gives the games its flavor, along with the setting and stances.
 

Ridley327

Member
Difficulty toggle takes away game design aspect of each player going through the same stuff. Also you should just try to get better at the game if you dont like the diffuliculty I dont think its for you.

Pause button, totally agreed, unless you are online.

60 fps would be a godsend, whats the fps now?

In action mode, the cap is as high as 60 fps, but it's very unstable. The game definitely has issues with alpha effects, since the framerate dives when you're near a fire, an oni cloud or even near a shrine. Optimization has to happen.
 

Nephtes

Member
Your expectations are definitely reasonable. You should try increasing the brightness in-game btw.

It's just that the last part of your statement made it feel like making it more like Souls is the way to get that business when it most definitely isn't.

OMG it ALREADY IS very Souls-like!!!
/argh

It just needs a few little tweeks to get the "Nephtes Memorial This Game Are Souls Quality Stamp of Approval ™"

Which this game is DEFINITELY pining for.
 
I'm having a ton of trouble with this game. People say you can use the ki-recharge system for "almost" unlimited attacking.

Anyone made a good video of this so far. I practice in the first area just swinging blindly and then attempting it on the 1st enemy but I'm not quite sure how you go about doing it.

Do you do a basic combo say [ ] x 4 with the Katana in mid-stance, then press R1+X to change to a lower stance and your stamina is supposed to come back? Or do you press R1 to regain your "white" stamina and THEN press R1+X to change to a lower stance and begin attacking again?

EDIT: Beaten by a video above but would love a demonstration showing these "loops" and "attack chains" people are talking about.
 
Do you do a basic combo say [ ] x 4 with the Katana in mid-stance, then press R1+X to change to a lower stance and your stamina is supposed to come back? Or do you press R1 to regain your "white" stamina and THEN press R1+X to change to a lower stance and begin attacking again?


If you dont mind spoilers, you can watch this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdWIBeLGYY

Its hard to explain how the system works, but if you can do it properly youll become a relentless beast.
 

VashTS

Member
I feel like letting you run while locked on his weird and irritating at first, but giving the player more choice is never a bad thing. It feels like a very risk/reward concept when locked on.

You can either hold block and move slowly while stamina regen is slow, move slowly with the stick to stay locked to the enemy, or risk turning your back to create space between you and your opponent quickly without spending stamina.

Without being able to run while locked on would make group management absolutely garbage and I think this is the best way currently once you just spend the time to learn, keep your cool and not crank the sticks constantly.

Also, being able to manage your enemy's stamina is a welcomed addition to the souls formula. Being able to tire them out and get rewarded with a parrylike stab feels great.
 
J

JeremyEtcetera

Unconfirmed Member
Judging by the other threads on difficulty, the misunderstanding of game mechanics, and how Dark Souls fans want this to be a 1:1 souls experience, I'm betting Ni-Oh will slowly lose its identity and uniqueness after this.
 
Judging by the other threads on difficulty, the misunderstanding of game mechanics, and how Dark Souls fans want this to be a 1:1 souls experience, I'm betting Ni-Oh will slowly lose its identity and uniqueness after this.

If this happens, i wont get anywhere near the game.
 

Sylas

Member
Judging by the other threads on difficulty, the misunderstanding of game mechanics, and how Dark Souls fans want this to be a 1:1 souls experience, I'm betting Ni-Oh will slowly lose its identity and uniqueness after this.

I hope they don't take that from the feedback, but rather expand a tutorial system that does a better job of explaining the game's mechanics. A lot of the difficulty would be a lot more reasonable if and when they don't dump you into the game with absolutely no idea of how to play and how the Ki system works.
 

Ricker

Member
Yeah I will suggest the bigger font/text and the stamina thing for sure...not sure I will play far enough to notice anything more though...and instead of nerfing the difficulty,why not just add an easy mode and leave the default mode as it is now,that way everyone is happy ;)
 
D

Deleted member 325805

Unconfirmed Member
My biggest issues were:

. Items breaking constantly during boss fights with no way to repair them at the shrines, you'll definitely run out of reagents on tough fights, then what? Having to replace your superior items with downgrades is not acceptable nor fun.

. The lock on is wonky, you should always face the enemy when locked on for a start.

. Controls feel very floaty

. The game is too brutal in the start, the first mob literally one shots you, until you find a few items the game is overly punishing, once you can take a few hits it becomes a lot more enjoyable and less tedious.

. Frame rate needs work, even in action mode it never feels like it's hitting 60fps for more than the odd second or two when nothing is happening, and once you get to the second area it's chop city.

. Font is hard to read and the text is too small.

. Stopping dead when you're out of stamina, I don't think it's fun and I'd say it hurts the overall feel of the combat which is otherwise fast and fluid.

. No option to offer all at the shrine, being able to offer all non equipped items would be a great QoL addition.
 
I feel like letting you run while locked on his weird and irritating at first, but giving the player more choice is never a bad thing. It feels like a very risk/reward concept when locked on.

You can either hold block and move slowly while stamina regen is slow, move slowly with the stick to stay locked to the enemy, or risk turning your back to create space between you and your opponent quickly without spending stamina.

Without being able to run while locked on would make group management absolutely garbage and I think this is the best way currently once you just spend the time to learn, keep your cool and not crank the sticks constantly.

Also, being able to manage your enemy's stamina is a welcomed addition to the souls formula. Being able to tire them out and get rewarded with a parrylike stab feels great.

To be honest, the reason why I wanted the hard lock on was so dashing backwards didn't turn my back thus opening for extra damage. Only now do I realize that pressing X without the holding left stick does exactly that, dash backward without exposing the back. The point you made on having this much mobility when dealing with mobs is a great point.

I kinda regret suggesting a hard lock-on now on the survey.
 

soultron

Banned
Judging by the other threads on difficulty, the misunderstanding of game mechanics, and how Dark Souls fans want this to be a 1:1 souls experience, I'm betting Ni-Oh will slowly lose its identity and uniqueness after this.

It definitely has some issues that need fixing (weapon durability being the biggest) but if it goes even closer to Dark Souls, I'm out. I love the Souls games, but I also really like what Nioh is doing differently in its own right.
 

ironcreed

Banned
Don't get me wrong, I love a challenge and still want this game to offer it. It's just that having to grind in order to feel like I stand a chance in even the first area for hours is a tad overkill. They could tweak it down just a little and it would still be insanely hard. I am not asking for easy mode.
 
Don't get me wrong, I love a challenge and still want this game to offer it. It's just that having to grind in order to feel like I stand a chance in even the first area for hours is a tad overkill. They could tweak it down just a little and it would still be insanely hard. I am not asking for easy mode.
I think I only died like twice in the second area, and 5-6 times in the second boss. (I was doing a light build relying on dodging and this game does NOT give you i-frames in abundance like Souls does so I had to adapt).

The first area I died a LOT, particularly in the beginning groups of enemies because I simply was not used to the systems.

The biggest enemy for newplayers will be learning the combat system as it is a central part of the game and if you aren't utilizing everything the system has to offer i.e, ki pulses, stance changing etc, then this game will get downright undoable in later areas in the final game.

EDIT: What do you mean by grind though? The equipment was definitely good enough for the area.
 

Gbraga

Member
My biggest issues were:

. Stopping dead when you're out of stamina, I don't think it's fun and I'd say it hurts the overall feel of the combat which is otherwise fast and fluid.

It's not fun, but it's not supposed to be fun. It's punishment for letting your stamina run out. Stamina management, both yours and your enemies', is the most important part of this game's combat.

The active reload system with pressing R1/changing stances/dodging in low stance is amazing. I hope they don't change the punishment for running out of stamina, especially because it's something you can abuse on your enemies, using the charged moves.
 

ironcreed

Banned
I think I only died like twice in the second area, and 5-6 times in the second boss. (I was doing a light build relying on dodging and this game does NOT give you i-frames in abundance like Souls does so I had to adapt).

The first area I died a LOT, particularly in the beginning groups of enemies because I simply was not used to the systems.

The biggest enemy for newplayers will be learning the combat system as it is a central part of the game and if you aren't utilizing everything the system has to offer i.e, ki pulses, stance changing etc, then this game will get downright undoable in later areas in the final game.

EDIT: What do you mean by grind though? The equipment was definitely good enough for the area.

I did not stand a chance until I leveled up a bit and finally manged to get the bow, spear and an axe. Not to mention better armor. It started clicking more for sure at around the 3 hour mark, but I still have not even used Ki pulses yet. That should help later.
 

Gitaroo

Member
I feel like the fov needs to be much wider, and th camera needs to be higher when lock on. Main character is always in the way, I can't see where and what the enermy is doing.
 
I did not stand a chance until I leveled up a bit and finally manged to get the bow, spear and an axe. Not to mention better armor. It started clicking more for sure at around the 3 hour mark, but I still have not even used Ki pulses yet. That should help later.
Yeah the game only got "doable" for me once I learned how to use Ki pulses though I'm mainly using swords and light armor to maintain mobility. Might use heavier weapons for subsequent playthroughs when the full game drops but yeah.

You should definitely use Ki pulses and stance changes. The game was definitely built around them and using them can give you the much needed edge in a lot of situations, particularly against mobs of enemies.
 

Gurish

Member
No one cares about the visuals? I played it today and even on movie mode it looks like a PS3 game, BB and DS3 feels like a gen apart almost.

Not that I expect them to improve on that too drastically at this stage.
 

ironcreed

Banned
Yeah the game only got "doable" for me once I learned how to use Ki pulses though I'm mainly using swords and light armor to maintain mobility. Might use heavier weapons for subsequent playthroughs when the full game drops but yeah.

You should definitely use Ki pulses and stance changes. The game was definitely built around them and using them can give you the much needed edge in a lot of situations, particularly against mobs of enemies.

I got stance changes down, now it is on to learning Ki pulses. Perhaps I can at least make it to the first boss later on, lol.
 

Gbraga

Member
No one cares about the visuals? I played it today and even on movie mode it looks like a PS3 game, BB and DS3 feels like a gen apart almost.

Not that I expect them to improve on that too drastically at this stage.

I hope they make the visuals worse if that's what it takes for it to run better.
 

ironcreed

Banned
No one cares about the visuals? I played it today and even on movie mode it looks like a PS3 game, BB and DS3 feels like a gen apart almost.

Not that I expect them to improve on that too drastically at this stage.

I don't think it's that bad looking of a game at all. I kind of like it, to be honest.
 
I got stance changes down, now it is on to learning Ki pulses. Perhaps I can at least make it to the first boss later on, lol.
There's an upgrade for the sword moveset that allows you to do both and rewards you for it. Gives you 10% or more stamina recovered in a Ki Pulse if you do a stance change.

Essentially makes you feel like a real goddamn badass when you do two heavy attacks, change into light stance, do a quickstep,change back into heavy and keep wailing away.
 
No one cares about the visuals? I played it today and even on movie mode it looks like a PS3 game, BB and DS3 feels like a gen apart almost.

Not that I expect them to improve on that too drastically at this stage.

I mean if they can improve on that without taking a huge hit to an already very variable framerate, then great. It's just something I'm not all that focused on. I'm more concerned about them improving the framerate, if I wasn't clear.
 

Qvoth

Member
just played for an hour or so, kept dying from the 1st bloody grave until i got somewhat better at the game lol
i'm enjoying it so far
got an axe from a grave, been rocking it ever since
p0QHO.gif
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
No one cares about the visuals? I played it today and even on movie mode it looks like a PS3 game, BB and DS3 feels like a gen apart almost.

Not that I expect them to improve on that too drastically at this stage.

Seeing as the demo is from the game when it was in Alpha state and could already be months and months old by the time it released, I'm not that worried. The game isn't coming out next month and a lot of tinkering to get things looking their best happens after the alpha state so I expect a decent upgrade in visuals when the game is finally released.
 

ironcreed

Banned
There's an upgrade for the sword moveset that allows you to do both and rewards you for it. Gives you 10% or more stamina recovered in a Ki Pulse if you do a stance change.

Essentially makes you feel like a real goddamn badass when you do two heavy attacks, change into light stance, do a quickstep,change back into heavy and keep wailing away.

Interesting. Yeah, I really just need to get more skills and a feel for the flow of it all. The most intriguing game in years for me.
 

BiggNife

Member
Judging by the other threads on difficulty, the misunderstanding of game mechanics, and how Dark Souls fans want this to be a 1:1 souls experience, I'm betting Ni-Oh will slowly lose its identity and uniqueness after this.

The problem is that the game doesn't explain shit. The mechanics of Nioh seem mechanically sound but they are not as intuitive as, say, Bloodborne's mechanics so the game would benefit greatly from a real tutorial.

In Bloodborne, you learn right away that you regain health by attacking because it's something every player does anyway. Conversely, the Ki recharge mechanic is not as straightfoward. Pressing R1 mid-combat isn't something a player is going to do normally if they're not aware of the mechanic. I can't remember offhand if there's even a button prompt for "R1 to Ki Pulse," but even if there is, that doesn't help at all because no one playing the game for the first time has any idea what "Ki Pulse" means. It might as well say "R1 to propogate bamfmodads."

I get that people hate hand-holding, and I do too, but the game needs to teach the player a base understanding of how the game works or else they're just going to get frustrated, as observed by a lot of comments on the demo.
 

Gbraga

Member
There's an upgrade for the sword moveset that allows you to do both and rewards you for it. Gives you 10% or more stamina recovered in a Ki Pulse if you do a stance change.

Essentially makes you feel like a real goddamn badass when you do two heavy attacks, change into light stance, do a quickstep,change back into heavy and keep wailing away.

I didn't see that upgrade yet! This is fantastic!

They really know their shit.

I hope I can beat the demo today >_<
 

guybrushfreeman

Unconfirmed Member
I would have the character start about 5 levels higher and that's about it. The beginning difficulty is not representative of the rest of the game. When I started the second mission I was so much stronger all the comments I was thinking of making about the first section went away because I was so much stronger.

Edit: The second thing is loot and grinding. I'm not really sure what they're going for here. It wasn't a bad thing as such but the game feels like it really encourages you to grind the way loot drops constantly. A few minutes of grinding next to the shine at the start of the second level and I might have been almost twice as powerful as before. It makes it feel like you don't really get stronger by progressing through the game. Rather, you do some progression and then grind a little. The way items mostly dropped from giving things to the shine reinforces this. It would've been better if I could just buy supplies as I needed them at the shine I think.
 
No one cares about the visuals? I played it today and even on movie mode it looks like a PS3 game, BB and DS3 feels like a gen apart almost.

Not that I expect them to improve on that too drastically at this stage.

Shocker, its the gameplay that actually matters most in a game :O
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
Seems like a really interesting game. I was expecting something more like Onimusha and came away surprised at how inspired it was by the Souls games. That's definitely not a negative in my book.

I hope they sort out the performance, though. It's not really a looker, and even with the lower resolution mode the demo runs like garbage and has lots of texture/LOD issues.
 

BiggNife

Member
No one cares about the visuals? I played it today and even on movie mode it looks like a PS3 game, BB and DS3 feels like a gen apart almost.

Not that I expect them to improve on that too drastically at this stage.

Honestly the visual aesthetic and art style is strong enough that I really didn't have an issue with the graphic fidelity. In a game like this, I care way more about framerate anyway. I switched almost immediately to Action Mode and had no desire to go back to Movie Mode.
 

Ferrio

Banned
Durability and amount of items that drop need to be adjusted. Inventory management looks like it'll make fallout blush.
 
I would the camera to not auto-center so quickly, if at all.
The frame rate also needs to be drastically improved. But I didn't change modes so maybe I'll be happy with Action Mode.
 

myco666

Member
Okay now I beat the first boss and managed to grasp on more mechanics like parry and ki pulse. Definitely starting to feel better about the game after learning to play almost right. There were two things I weren't too happy about though.

- Blocking still wasn't really good on that first boss fight since sometimes it just doesn't work and I have no idea why. Maybe bad hitboxes?

- Durability needs tweaking as you burn through gear, wetstones and glue very fast making you have to constantly change equipment or worse, start to farm for them.
 

Oreiller

Member
I would have the character start about 5 levels higher and that's about it.

That's where I stand as well, or I would put the option to start with some armor. I also think they should explain their mecanics more, it's fun to discover stuff but the stamina regen is so essential that it really should be explained more clearly.
 

Sayad

Member
Judging by the other threads on difficulty, the misunderstanding of game mechanics, and how Dark Souls fans want this to be a 1:1 souls experience, I'm betting Ni-Oh will slowly lose its identity and uniqueness after this.
I'll be out if this happens.
 

Skulldead

Member
No way this game will be that hard in the Japaneses release, i'm sure 95% of the japaness will complain about how too hard the game is, just check FFXV demo that they complain the demo was too hard, WHAT !!! ...

BUT IF the game become market around that, then i don't see the point of changing this. This is perfect at the moment. The only hing i would change is Inventory management and the overabundance of drop (perhaps it's normal for demo purpose and balancing). Everything so far is at the right direction.
 

Sayad

Member
No one cares about the visuals? I played it today and even on movie mode it looks like a PS3 game, BB and DS3 feels like a gen apart almost.

Not that I expect them to improve on that too drastically at this stage.
Only thing I hated about the graphic is the framerate.
 
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