PixlBit

I honestly feel like the tank/knight build for Demon's Souls is a trap for new players. It's a great learning curve, but using magic and stabby swords might get you through the first area a lot easier. A tip: You shouldn't worry so much about the 'blood stain'. You can muscle through as a ghost. You will collect enough souls to level up when you kill the boss. I don't think you can level up at all until you kill the first boss in 1-1, so you're gonna have to force through. You also don't have to kill everything. You should only try to kill things that you can't avoid. Also, those fire bomb throwing enemies are probably the toughest thing about the level, when they all gain up on you. But you got through farther this time, that's good. I also don't think you can summon help until you kill the first boss either. Don't get too frustrated. Feel free to ask us for tips and help. @Yarger, @whatsacow are pretty knowledgeable and @asrealasitgets (that's me!) also can offer advice. I think you did good man! 

Also, there is a useful ring that gives you more HP as a ghost in 1-1. It is at the bottom of the stairs where that first 'blue-glow' knight is blocking a fog door. Also, a lever to open a shortcut back up to the fog door.

I did try and run past everything a few times. That was fun, but I wanted to practice my swordplay so I started killing everything after that. 

I like your advice. I'll take it.

I see that keeping your distance is a good strategy.

I'm excited to get back in there again.

I saw that ring item in the walkthrough. I tried not to look, really I did.

If it isn't obvious yet, you really need to manage your stamina bar (the green bar). When you hold your shield up and absorb a hit, it will eat your stamina, thus you don't want to get up close to enemies and just absorb their attacks, because actually they are slowly killing you too. You should circle and backstab when you can or wait for them to swing and take advantage of their animation. If it helps maybe you can farm shardstone in 1-1 and level up your sword to +1 or +2 for extra damage, but don't worry about farming yet. Only if you really can't progress. Have fun!

Also, dont ever try to fight more than one enemy at a time, always pick them off.

I noticed the stamina bar when I tried to sprint through the level one time. I also noticed that my attacks did nothing when the bar was low. I'll watch that. Thanks.

Shardstone? I was wondering if I had to break everything I saw for items, but there didn't seem to be any except on fallen foes.

You don't really have to worry about spending souls until you finish the first level. When you finish the first level, even if you've lost a lot of souls, the boss will give you enough to level up a few times.

 If you have a really hard time, try and level up your intelligence and use magic, it makes the game MUCH easier. It doesn't work against everything though, and the key to the Souls' games is being adaptive.

 As for Parrying... I've finished Dark Souls 5 times, Demon's Souls 3 times, and Dark Souls 2 twice and it still takes me a good hour or two to remember how to parry properly. 

 A good rule for this game though: Light armour is your friend. It's better to be able to dodge an attack, and dodging is something you should get used to early...

 Finally, on the topic of Brutal Doom, I feel like the real star of that mod is over looked. The gore isn't the most important part. They upgraded the sound, added mouse look, added new weapons, changed enemy attacks, redid all of the music, and much, much more. Even without the gore, Brutal Doom would be a necessary edition to the game. With the gore, it's just fucking fantastic.

Yeah! Heavy armor is a no-no. You need to move freely and evade, evade, evade. And although you can't level up your char, you can level up your weapon one or two levels if you have enough shardstones and farmed souls. 

Yeah but it's not worth wasting them at this point, especially when he won't have any really good weapons. He's just be wasting them on crappy low tier weapons.

That was going to be my first priority when I talked to the blacksmith in the Nexus, but I kept losing all my souls. I'll have to farm that stuff carefully and buff up my weapons. I know where that crossbow is now too. I'll have to start using ranged attacks as well.

There must be a little accountant within me saying, "save every last soul!". I'll have to ignore that 'til the boss, like you said.

The parrying clearly needs very careful timing. It's really satisfying to get that massive attack when you've done it right. Miss it though, and there goes some precious health. I think I'll take your advice and learn how to do those dive rolls correctly. I noticed how loudly my heavy armor hits the floor when I do them. Lighter armor seems like a good idea.

I was thinking there were probably more tweaks to Doom than just gore in Brutal Doom. I just haven't had the opportunity to play it yet. Thanks for the info. 

If you ever need any help in Demon's, just shoot me a PM and I'll do what I can to aid you onward bud!

Will do. I'll need all the help I can get.

I love the physical versions of Catan and Ticket to Ride! I have Catan on XBox and have enjoyed that too.

I kinda want to get in on Demon's Souls, but um, the difficulty of that game scares me.

I got Carcassonne in meat space. I haven't played it though because I have no one to play it with. I'd love to get Ticket to Ride because there are way more expansions for the board game. I wish they'd done more for the XBLA version. Catan too.

One day, I'm going to get them all and make a little library. Ah dreams.

Knight is for advanced players....try using the Royal.  

That soul arrow helps out a bunch.  Any there's no shame in using magic...at least during your first run ;)

I'm torn now between staying with the Knight and starting over with a new class.

don't waste time agonizing over it man!  Roll a Royal, try him out.  You're still very early in the game, so you'll have your pick.

Maybe I'll do a new build every week. Unless of course, I start winning with one of them. 

Experiment with a new class anyway. It won't hurt to go through the tutorial with another class just to get a feel for controls. You will notice a  class with lighter armor or magic makes it a competely different game. This isn't a race. It's for fun. You may find that you hate the game as a knight, but then really love it as a 'Royal'. (Hint)

I started two classes and switch back and forth. They feel different. A mage and a royal.

I'd like to do a mage. I think I chose Knight both times I played. I like the fighting, it just has a steep learning curve.

there are some people out there that have made mods of the original wolfenstein and others that used the half life engine to make a more modern version of the game. Still cant touch the orignal. I actually bought this game two weeks agto when it was on sale. I held off on it before because for some odd reason I feel sick everytime I played it. like the framerate was too low and made my head spin. But now that I bought I don' thave that problem anymore.

I didn't know those two last XBLA titles were still posted, let alone onlineable. NOt sure I'd give thema  try since you don't get to kill many people like Quake III Arena Arcade, which I also bought when it was on sale.

I really loved being able to lean, take cover, and dual wield in the original Wolfenstein they put in WNO.

I forgot about the sounds in original Wolfenstein, "Mein Leben!".

Useless fact: both Ticket to Ride and Catan are European board games.

All the best board/card games come from Europe lol. I love Dominion, personally.

Oh man, I want to play that too. Anyone a jetsetter and can meet in Vegas for some board gaming? Wait, that's not me either. Never mind.

More useless facts: I think Settlers of Catan is German and Ticket to Ride is by Brit Alan R. Moon but it's described as German-like on the wiki.

There's so many cool board games out right now. I really want to get into it hardcore. Is there any way us Pixlbits can play board games in some hologramatic arena?

I love Ticket to Ride. I have it on my iPhone and have put gobs of time into it. I'd love to get the physical edition but the problem with games in the real world is that you need people to play them with lol.

That's my problem. My comic store has loads of board games, including all the Ticket to Ride games, and I look at them longingly every time I'm in there. I've considered joining a group at my local strategy gaming shop. If my gaming buddy moves to Virginia, like he might soon, I'm going to look into that.

Well if he moves to Virginia and you did too, then you could both come over and play with me and my wife 

Ha ha! I might visit him there sometime, if he goes, but I would probably not live there. Unless there was some job opportunity.

Demon Souls! I haven't played it yet, but I downloaded it and hopefully either today, or tomorrow I get started so I have all weekend to play it and give my feedback for the Game of the Month discussion.

Awesome! "Abandon all hope, ye who enter Demon's Souls." But seriously, it's fun. 

Don't know much about New Order but it's awesome they include the original Wolfenstein with updated gameplay. Is the campaighn nice and meaty?

Yea, the game is long for a shooter, about 15 hours. The original Wolfenstein game is probably not the whole game, at least I never finished it. To explain that more would be a spoiler. The way it comes up is really cool though.