The spiral sword that pinned poor Ash Judge Gouda was pulled, and the original stoned Gouda began to move as if breathing with life.
Chen Xu switched his single weapon to the dual-wielding mode in advance and activated its combat skills with a roaring effect. As Ash Judge Gouda tried to rise, Chen Xu relentlessly bullied the gouda, swiping the sword across the boss. Every sadist who sees this will surely cry foul.
The Gouda health bar visibly decreased at an astonishing rate. Before the Gouda could retaliate on this assailant, Chen Xu distanced himself.
Utilizing Gouda's predictable attack pattern, which resembled some wrestling moves Chen Xu rolled behind him, maintaining his energy bar with some reserves.
The dual-wielding struck mercilessly causing Ash Judge Gouda to stagger, lose balance, and collapse to his knees.
Qin Yi realized that Gouda had been weakened by the absurd yet effective weapon.
As Gouda knelt on the ground on his knee, Chen Xu timed his attacks perfectly, ensuring the energy still had some reserves. Soon, the BOSS, with half health, stopped twitching and started shaking. Its entire body was engulfed in black tentacles, which transformed into a big black snake, glaring at Chen Xu with menace.
["WoooOOoooo-DOINK! DOINK! -Pfffft-BZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!... Ka-CHING!!"]
Seizing this transformation window, Chen Xu landed two quick attacks.
["CLANG! SWOOSH—BANG!! CHHHHHHNNGG!!"]
["THUD! KA-CLUNK!—KRANGGG!!!"]
After the transformation, Gouda leaped into the air with a ferocious Push and Stomp attack. Chen Xu dodged with a light roll, avoiding the strike within the invincibility frame. Immediately after, he resumed his relentless aggression, draining Gouda's remaining health.
With a final roar, Ash Judge Gouda relented on his grief and fall. His eyes dim as the life force fades away. The black tentacles slither back into the void, and his final roar echoes with both pain and frustration.
"Great, the combat system is smooth, and overall actions feel excellent. Let's proceed with testing the follow-up sequences," Chen Xu remarked on his experience.
"As for the game's balance and difficulty, this level is easy and good enough. Since it's the first BOSS players will encounter, it shouldn't be excessively challenging. Let's give them an easy boss as the gift." Chen Xu decided to go with this.
The test results so far were satisfying. The game's visual quality had improved immensely compared to earlier versions. Blood effects are sufficient and environmental destruction during interaction and combat is immersive. For instance, Ash Gouda's halberd strikes in the courtyard caused visible cracks across the area, enhancing realism.
However, such effects are purely visual. For example, when Gouda's halberd hit the ground, cracks appeared, but no actual hole was created.
As mentioned earlier, although this element does not directly affect the core content of the game, it enhances the overall experience for players.
Some details are not central but they add to the immersion, subtly drawing players to submerge deeper.
Regarding the game's difficulty, the current product feels reasonable. For context, Ash Guda has another nickname from a previous era—The First Teacher. This title serves as a reminder of the game's nature.
For those who can overcome his challenge, Congratulations welcome to the Jungle! A door to a new world is opening before you, and you might even unlock special attributes this way. On the other hand, if Ash Guda feels like an invincible wall of misery, it may be wiser to request a refund before the refund period expires.
Alternatively, there's always this option taken by many players which is to change the boss attribute using the mod feature.
Some players prefer to experience the story and gameplay firsthand. Instead of relying on videos or walkthroughs but lack the skill to progress. For them, modifiers become an ideal weapon.
From a developer's perspective, there's no strong prejudice against using modifiers in single-player games. Each player chooses their own way to play.
Still, moderation is necessary when it comes to online modes. Dark Souls is not purely a single-player game. If someone plays online with modifiers, they might encounter other players through the invasion mechanism.
With rewards come risks. To address this, the game adopts a system inspired by a previous era. Players who use modifiers will have their save files flagged and moved to a separate server, where only modified saves exist. These flagged saves are restricted from accessing normal player servers. Additionally, achievements will not be recorded on modified save files.
This approach ensures fair play and prevents situations like new players—completely unfamiliar with the mechanics—getting maliciously invaded by overpowered characters wielding high-level equipment.
In a team discussion about the game's difficulty, Yang Xin asked, "Will the difficulty be raised, though? Right now, it feels a bit like a lawn mowing game."
Ruan Ningxue chimed in, "Exactly! Even the boss feels a bit lackluster compared to the mobs!"
Zhang Yi from the marketing team added, "So, is Dark Souls supposed to be a lawn-mowing game?"
At that moment, Qin Yi, still absorbed in planning the battle system, looked puzzled. The terms too easy, mowing, and without dying left him confused.
"Is this another setup? And why is Mr. Chen so good at it?"
The expressions of Qin Yi and the others were complicated but for different reasons.
'The game itself was fine, and so were the players. Clearly, the only bug is Mr Chen!' Qin Yi thought
'Who could have guessed that Mr Chen was actually practicing secretly?' Qin yi mused
Seeing their expressions, Chen Xu smiled and waved his hand. "It's mainly because I designed the boss. That makes it easier for me to handle. Ordinary players still need some practice."
He continued with a smile, quoting Sun Tzu "If you know your enemy and know yourself, you will survive thousands of battles"
"Ah, so that's it!" Zhang Yi clapped his hand, while others nodded in understanding.
Everyone has some understanding, but their gazes shifted toward Qin Yi's entourage. Their expressions were strange, to say the least.
Although no one said anything, Qin Yi and the others felt the unspoken thoughts loud and clear:
Didn't you also design the numerical content, boss actions, and the combat system for Dark Soul?
Is this what you call too difficult?
Are you sure you're not being overly demanding of players?
After Chen Xu left, Qin Yi noticed the stares and snorted as he stood up from his chair. The other staff members who worked on the combat and motion systems silently gave up their seats without a word, their actions eerily in sync.
"Simple? Let's see how you fare, prove me wrong and today drinks are on me" Qin Yi challenged.
One by one, those who had voiced dissatisfaction sat down, determined to experience the game for themselves.
Half an Hour Later
There were only ants dancing on the ground with the background song named We are not a threat to society.
Yang Xin was the first to speak. "I'll suggest adding some death achievements and counting to the game later. At least this way, players can earn some rewards or comfort after dying."
Ruan Ningxue, her expression equally complex, added, "Maybe after death, the screen can transition from scarlet to dark red, and finally to grayscale. And the message You are dead could use some beautification—anything to soothe the players a bit."
Their silent camaraderie said it all: Good luck to the players. This is the least we can do.
Qin Yi nodded as he wrote their quality feedback.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yi stood nearby with a helpless expression, reminiscent of a Chihuahua facing the midday sun with a dripping melon above his head.
"You're all fine with it," he muttered under his breath, "but what about me? The game promotion is heating up—what am I supposed to use for this?"
He thought back to Chen Xu's comfy game mechanics and compared them to his own experiences. Lost in thought, he sighed deeply.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Dark Soul has an invasion system for online games.