Nioh thread

Didn't get a PS4 until the Pro came out, now I'm kind of disappointed I couldn't get the alpha demo when it was up. That alpha helmet looks great.

Is Nioh coming out for pc?

Probably

I just didn't git gud enough.

I summoned a guy for fun on the second alpha chapter thinking he would kill a guy or two before dying but he steamrolled the entire level and cheesed the boss and I got beat it.

This is what happened to me in the second beta level. Never beat the Unmatched Warrior of the West but I got his armour as a drop anyway.

Seems unlikely for the time being, the game's entire life has been as a PS exclusive, and Sony themselves are publishing the game. So far they've said it'll remain PS4 only.

Damn that's a shame, Muneshige was such an amazing and well designed boss fight, I just wish it had been in the Alpha. You'll get another chance when the game drops though, he's waiting.

...

William-sama meets the Shogun, Ieyasu Tokugawa.

This was supposed to be a film at first right? Then the writer saw a video game and thought being a video game would be better?

Someone who sounds like a prime candidate for making more shitty "cinematic" games and we might actually get something really good. It's weird.

Way back in 2005ish, the original version of the game was based on an unfinished script made by Kurosawa for a film movie called Oni that was then picked up and worked on by his son and Koei in collaboration. It was originally going to be some kind of Musou/tactics hybrid where you play as a half English half Japanese guy but they shelved it when they couldn't figure out a way to blend the gameplay that they were happy with.
Eventually they handed it to Team Ninja to see what they could come up with, but apparently the first few versions were too similar and derivative of Ninja Gaiden, so they went back to the drawing board, until inspiration struck and we got the version we now know. They also changed the protagonist to be loosely based on William Adams and apparently the current story isn't really based on that original script anymore, but that influence still feels like it remains to me.

...

I just hope they don't casualize it too much. At least there's Twilight mode.

Wish i had the money to pick it up on release.

To be honest, the changes they made from Alpha to Beta were already far too many and wholly unnecessary. Not only do they make the game easier and simpler, but it makes the game much less satisfying in general, disregarding difficulty. Twilight mode doesn't really help when the core gameplay is fundamentally changed like that with the game not being built around it, and we shouldn't have to play through huge chunks of the game to get to some potentially worthwhile content.
What we need is a mode that brings back the Alpha mechanics and balance, if they won't make them the default option. They need to know there's still a large demand for the game to play how it was originally created.

How do we do that?

That's the harder part, they do have a Twitter so some well written requests probably wouldn't go amiss, but there don't seem to be any more surveys or Betas coming. There's going to be a stream on the 20th but that'll be in Japanese and I don't know if they'll be reading the chat, though many people would be there anyway and it would bring more attention to the path the game has taken.

Very odd choice indeed.
Incidentally, I read something about her being a dead wife of Tokugawa or something. And the yuki-onna boss is Nobunaga's dead wife as well. Might as well toss a dead Nene or Cha-cha in there too to complete the trio.

Want to be hyped for this but KT's jewry has me a little worried.

Side note, I'd like if they could put Nyotengu from DOA in there as a secret boss or maybe just a very well hidden cameo.

Yep, apparently the manga says that, but also she says "Nobuyasu" in the cutscene before it, which was the name of Ieyasu's dead son. The Yuki-onna is Nou-hime, and I really like the irony of how they made Honnouji a frozen place.
There is a season pass, but not much news on what it'll entail. Most DLC they have for other games isn't entirely necessary though, they'll probably mostly stick to unique looking armour/weapons, with perhaps some missions, but hopefully those will at least have a lot of thought put into them. Also I wouldn't put it past them to have some kind of NG reference somewhere in the game.

I see high res texture maps and high poly models. What part looks like a tablet game to you?

There's going to be a season pass for this? I didn't expect that.

bui here

please erp with me as klonoa with stinky paws and i'll stop :3

my discord is Bui#3468
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Candy Crush

bui here

please erp with me as klonoa with stinky paws and i'll stop :3

my discord is Bui#3468
steam steamcommunity.com/id/furrets
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bui here

please erp with me as klonoa with stinky paws and i'll stop :3

my discord is Bui#3468
steam steamcommunity.com/id/furrets
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Said no one ever about that part of D/P/P

I hope there are more sexy monsters in the game.

They gotta work hard to top Oboro Muramasa in that department.

Speaking of working hard, the spam bot isn't even trying to blend in anymore.

bui here

please erp with me as klonoa with stinky paws and i'll stop :3

my discord is Bui#3468
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Star Wars was ALWAYS Leftist propaganda. Finn the black good guy? Lando always existed in the original trilogy. Unrealistically competent female Rey? Princess Leia existed. Oh every villain is a white male? Pfft that was also in the original trilogy.

The new "SJW" Star Wars films are just nurturing the seed that was always there and taking it to the logical extreme. No more, no less. Really getting sick of moronic fantards who ignore the very flaws of the original trilogy.

bui here

please erp with me as klonoa with stinky paws and i'll stop :3

my discord is Bui#3468
steam steamcommunity.com/id/furrets
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bui here

please erp with me as klonoa with stinky paws and i'll stop :3

my discord is Bui#3468
steam steamcommunity.com/id/furrets
you must have a cute klonoa avatar or i won't add you~

Not
Even
Once.

bui here

please erp with me as klonoa with stinky paws and i'll stop :3

my discord is Bui#3468
steam steamcommunity.com/id/furrets
you must have a cute klonoa avatar or i won't add you~

Mismatch.

bui here

please erp with me as klonoa with stinky paws and i'll stop :3

my discord is Bui#3468
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7

bui here

please erp with me as klonoa with stinky paws and i'll stop :3

my discord is Bui#3468
steam steamcommunity.com/id/furrets
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Last night I secretly ate your sister.

They need to know? You wouldn't even be able to convince me the majority preferred the Alpha. Unless you think they shoudl appeal to the minority instead because reasons.

Yeah, it's pretty odd, probably just saw everyone doing it and went with it themselves. It comes with the Deluxe edition if you were thinking of getting that already.

It's admittedly a hard thing to gauge, but back when the first changelist was announced and when the Beta dropped there was a large outcry about many of the changes. Most people that didn't like the game anymore wouldn't be sticking around in threads to talk about it now too. There's also the fact that many people never got to play the Alpha in the first place, with it coming out of nowhere right when Dark Souls 3 was released, so they don't know what they actually missed and have no way to judge.
Also adding onto that, many people just plain didn't give the Alpha the time it deserved to understand how it worked, and it shows in the complaints. The main examples are how people got mad about the Ki stagger from taking actions when Ki Pulse exists and the stagger itself gave you a much earlier fairer warning that made combat much more tactical. The lockon movement let you turn while running but you still stayed facing the enemy if you walked, dodged or guarded, though it still was necessary to make movement and guarding your rear truly important. Also, Durability being noticable for once in a game was hated on when they didn't learn about offering loot and stuck to low stance katana the whole time when both equipped weapons were generally enough if you played well and it was a big factor in balancing equipment and enemies alike.
Another problem with comparing the two is that a lot of people also focus on the content rather than the mechanics changes, giving a skewed view on things like saying the Beta is harder because of Muneshige without seeing how it would be with the past mechanics, and how the game's still been designed with those in mind.
I'm not sure if I'd call it a minority when it's pretty much their main target audience (the game's being sold on it being challenging, having a lot of combat depth and having an authentic setting), though what they're doing is essentially trying to "appeal to a wider audience" with these changes without taking fully into account how the rest of it is affected (weakening those three main aspects) and everyone knows how bad that can be for a game. Since it was how the game was originally made (they said it was 70% done at the time and most things were in place when we played it first), all that stuff has gotta still be there somewhere, and it would take minimal effort to have a mode that brings it back, and it would do nothing but increase sales and make the game much more satisfying and unique.

Yeah, I remember those arguments. I'm pretty sure you're the same user I argued with some time ago. I still disagree 100% with your assertions.

What is "most people", really? You just said it's a hard thing to gauge. Unless you conducted your own surveys, there's no way you can possibly know this. The only data available is pic related. You'll notice there's a significantly more positive feedback for the Beta in every single aspect.
There's also no way of knowing how many people came from Dark Souls vs. the number of people who had previously played the Alpha. What's even harder to believe is that the Alpha lovers supposedly lost all interest in Nioh over the changes in the Beta that they stopped discussing it altogether, and to the point where such a strong, negative opinion wasn't even reflected on the surveys. I'll just have to call bullshit on all of that.

I was going to address these mechanics you think make such a significant impact in the grand scheme of things, but that would go nowhere. I think our minds are made up at this point, and that will never change.

Well, it's hard to gauge in some ways, but it's pretty noticeable how very few people talk about the Alpha anymore or bring up comparisons, while many still don't know what was actually changed and I have seen many people say specifically that they had lost their interest because of it, it's not too unrealistic really with how games go these days. Also I mentioned how those survey results still aren't reliable because of how many people would have played only the Beta versus playing both (coming off of word of mouth from the Alpha, having nothing big releasing around it and generally having more info on the game accessible), as well as how the increase in content and the UI improvements would mask the more important changes for many people. It's easy to see how such opinions would be less noticeable on the survey, especially when it's something you have to convey through words rather than just pick one of those options. Taking the survey info at face value though, there's already a huge amount of people that liked the Alpha and not much increased, but some things that weren't even changed got different numbers.

As far as the mechanics go, if you don't see how all those changes to the most important fundamental parts of the combat would have a huge effect on how you play the game from what I already said then I don't really know what else to say, but I think it's important that people know the path the game has taken, it's quite unique in that regard. It's pretty telling though that the changes were made in the first place and people act like they were necessary.
That's why, while having different modes isn't great, I'd concede that it's the best, most elegant solution and should be in. It wouldn't take much to implement since it's all still there and the game is still balanced somewhat with it in mind (just look at how no boss or enemy has been able to circlestrafe like William does now, for example), wouldn't get in the way of either side (online play can just take the host's setting into account and let you search both) and would even mean more gameplay for those that play through on the changed Beta-esque mode first.

This doesn't prove anything, and I'm not sure if it's worth addressing any of it. You have your own personal interpretation of the data, then make whole arguments based on pure conjecture and anecdotal evidence. Even now, if I go to other forums I can see that the general consensus is that the Beta improved over the Alpha's jankiness. Some disagree, but like I said, it's the minority.

If there's one thing we can agree on, is that mechanics like durability could be implemented in a different game mode or difficulty setting. But to that effect, loot farming shouldn't be allowed to prevent players from having spare equipment and whetstones at all times. That's one of the reasons I don't think that mechanic wouldn't fit in well with the game as is.

I wasn't really talking about whether those that preferred the Alpha are specifically the majority or not, only about how large that group may be. Of course if we're talking about public opinion the only choice is that kind of evidence, that's basically what those survey results you used are, except more vague.
The point is there still exist many that would want to play the game the way it was supposed to be, and catering to them would be easy to do and be profitable for KT, they just have to know it's wanted. Others prefer the game in it's easier, simpler state (which doesn't say much about quality really, the trend lately is that easier=better regardless of depth), but watch any kind of footage and you'll see them not using all the tools to their advantage even now. Instead of taking the time to adjust and learn a new game, the game was changed to cater to them and they think they must have been right because of that. It's funny how you say the Alpha felt janky, when literally the only changes to the controls made were the item shortcut button, having to hold R1 to change weapons, and the ranged weapon controls being changed to Square/Triangle to fire, which many found much more awkward. Listening to what's been said makes it clear the view is "It plays more like other games do so it's better.", which doesn't take the game itself into account at all. The general opinion is rarely an educated one.

That makes absolutely no sense. Durability wasn't meant to make you carry around several extra sets of equipment, that's a common misconception people have from the very start of the game when you don't have anything good to use anyway. Having whetstones didn't negate the threat either, them fixing all equipped weapons and the gradual damage reduction was meant to make you think more about when to use them. Everything was in there for a reason and fit with each other, really the only bad decisions that didn't work with the game were the limited number of item shortcuts, the huge imbalance of Ninjutsu, Onmyoji and Living Weapon, and low stance having Dodge Pulse.

I don't understand how your head works that me writing two small paragraphs compels you to go on such a tangent. You go on about control schemes when I didn't even mention that. Surely, those weren't the only changes when you're trying so vehemently to defend the Alpha.

Well, clearly they would need to remove the part where the "loot is the main currency", and rebalance the whole thing. Maybe have preset equipment or something. It could be fun.

Which is your personal view of it, but even then, it doesn't matter what it was "meant" to do. People would naturally feel encouraged to do so because the game allows it. That can't be a misconception.

Having virtually unlimited whetstones does.

If you read it you'd see I addressed what you said while going back to generally talking about the Beta in comparison to the Alpha and why the changes were for the worse, which is what I've been focusing on the entire time.
You said people thought the Alpha was janky. That kind of thing manifests in controls, and I said specifically that I was talking only about control changes there. I don't know why you're trying to act like I said there were no changes elsewhere when that's literally the first thing I brought up.

So again, you think that they have to completely change how the game works to deal with reinstating something that worked fine the way it already was, without thinking about the rest of the game's state. Because there's no way they could rebalance the whole thing unless they spent another year or two remaking everything. Maybe you should have just played something else?

The whole point of a mechanic in any game is to push a certain kind of gameplay. It's the same with having Ki or even health, not just what I see in it. Hording equipment becomes unnecessary because with a reasonable level of skill and how the game flows two weapons can take you through levels, and said loot can give you whetstones for using them. I won't say you can't play an FPS using nothing but melee attacks, but it's obvious what the intended idea is and that's a misconception of how best to play. Games have rules, saying they just don't matter is to not play the game at all.

No it doesn't unless you used one after each attack (which would be a threat itself with the animation), and we didn't get unlimited whetstones to allow that anyway. It still has an effect in balancing equipment, enemies and stances. One side area in the Alpha happened to give a large amount of them, and we didn't have any other levels to do by then, that is the only reason people were getting so many.

Yes, and what you see as a good feature, other people saw it as janky. So evidently, it's not just about the control scheme (and funny how you say "many people" found it to be awkward in the Beta, despite the survey results clearly showing otherwise), and it's in no way established the changes were for the worse.
The problem here is that you take your opinion and just run with it, as well as making assumptions, like "playing the game as it was supposed to be", and treat it as an undeniable fact.
It becomes pointless to question that, so I've mostly been avoiding chunks of text you write that result from that line of thinking, especially when the topic has been about a few mechanics that were merely smoothed out, and made less contrived (obviously you disagree with that, but just so you understand where I'm coming from). That's why I said our minds are made up, and that will never change.

The reason why I even mentioned that in the first place was to try to find some middle-ground. It's not like the return of durability is dependent on me, so it's pointless to try to poke holes in every little thing I say when I was just spitballing ideas (like I even care if they don't bring it back). So calm your autism.

This is some Olympic tier mental gymnastics. Here, I'll make it simple:
Large inventory space + loot farming = people hoarding extra equipment to nullify the effects of durability, making it meaningless and bloating the game loop. There, and it's part of the rules too! This isn't remotely close to being a misconception. You're overthinking this and getting it completely wrong somehow.

Again, I have no idea what you're on about because what I meant is that you could keep farming for those from enemies or even crates.

I can tell you that I played both the demos and I horded weapons and armor to bypass the durability issue. And that was even with me offering enough loot to max out my whetstone and glue inventory. It just came natural for me to do.

Perhaps you might want to clarify on what this "janky" is then. The game played fine for anyone that wasn't bad at it, and made a point of encouraging how to improve for those that were, through those mechanics. Keep getting hit in the back? Stop running or you'll take extra damage. Keep running out of Ki and getting tired? Stop mashing or it leaves you open. This fit the pace perfectly and made for some very tense and fun combat where improvement was noticeable and satisfying. Since you're so concerned with my word usage I'll simply say that Beta ranged controls was a complaint I personally saw a few times. It doesn't change the original point that the game's controls were pretty much identical and felt just as smooth in both, though I remember saying the survey results are too vague to be useful.
I call it "playing the game as it was supposed to be" because the game was built in that way for 70% of it's content, and after the changes suddenly made due to people whining, the enemies and areas haven't been given any tools to deal with it, instead being made weaker and slower as patch jobs to make things even simpler when the game is supposed to be a deep and challenging experience. This ain't rocket science, it goes against what they wanted to do, removes a level of tension and planning from combat, and makes the game less engaging. But whatever, you're set in thinking otherwise, though I think people are still unaware of how the game was and it's important they know.

That middle-ground was already found in the fact it could be a different selectable mode, there is no sense in trying to change it further. Maybe it'll surprise you, but of the main changes to the game, Durability is the one I'm least concerned with. That doesn't mean I'm not going to call a stupid idea what it is, so deal with it instead of needing to pull the durr autism card when someone disagrees with you, since I've been fairly civil.

Nice equation, except it's not even accurate since inventory space was reasonable but not big enough to really allow carrying a large amount of equipment and get more without needing to drop some. It became much more like this:
Medium inventory space + loot farming + trading loot for extra items (the important part) = a much more convenient method of keeping you and your equipment going that the game presents you with immediately and rewards you for. Speaking of inventory though, I've heard complaints of having to stop and sort it too often, which would be solved by offering things. Instead they increased the limit by two and a half to 500, which will only make that problem far worse for people that don't sort their inventory when it does end up full and is a clear example of how these changes aren't thought out.
Thinking it was necessary to carry several extra sets of equipment to deal with Durability is just wrong when the other options exist, and thinking that would make it meaningless is also wrong, because as I've said already, it is still a factor even if you have items to repair it.
That's a good doggo ruined by the watermark by the way.

Well, like I said, you can horde weaker equipment if you want to, but it's really not necessary or optimal since two strong weapons and proper stance/whetstone usage were enough.

Anyway, should probably give the thread more room to breathe alongside this topic. Think I haven't posted this footage yet from last month's stream. The next one should be happening very soon, but I'm not entirely sure what the link will be for that.
youtube.com/watch?v=cD29IDN-m1I They run the dojo at about 37 minutes and the actual level is at about 43:30.

This is just one of issues I have with your reasoning. For example, maybe turning your back to an opponent is inherently a retarded idea that makes no sense, thus has no reason to exist in a game, even if it was trying to be realistic.
I wouldn't even do that in real life, plus I can quickly move sideways or backwards without my body facing the other direction, why would this supernatural samurai I'm controlling be programmed to make such a basic mistake? So you see, that's just one of the things that have nothing to do with being good or bad at the game and are simply considered to be janky. I wasn't a fan of this kind of loose lock-on system in MGR either, and I much prefer how DMC and Souls games handle it.
Much like how DS2 and 3 improved the controls while locked-on compared to its predecessors, it never made sense how the player would suddenly lose the ability to roll diagonally relative to the enemy's position, or running sideways/backwards. Did this make older Souls games harder? Maybe you can argue that, but for the wrong reasons. It's just bad form and counter-intuitive.

Necessary? No, I never said that. It's just something that could have been abused. Inventory space was most definitely big enough to accommodate a handful of spare armor pieces of each type + weapons, at the very least. Saving spare parts in your inventory for later use also didn't detract from selling loot at all. You're treating this as an all-or-nothing issue.

Well I didn't horde weaker equipment I kept multiple copies of the most powerful equipment I could get, or at least the same type of equipment.
I'll admit that I hate durability in games unless they happen to be sims. It just feel out of place in most kinds of games.

Also, Let it Die has the right idea by implementing the stamina indicator right in the center of the screen, in a form of an heart that beats faster and changes color depending on the character's fatigue. That's both an audio and visual cue that is well noticeable. Nioh simply has a relatively small bar on the corner of the screen. Simply failing to pay attention to it could make you lose complete control of the character for a full second or two. The punishment was disproportionate because it felt wholly unnatural to look away from the action to check if you're close to getting tired.

It's kinda true though, having problems there would stem from not understanding or using what's in place to deal with it, namely Ki Pulse and management, proper movement and positioning, or offering loot and using both weapons efficiently.
This is a very odd thought process, he's not programmed to make a mistake, it's just something that isn't always the right idea and makes you consider when to use it. Being able to turn helped when fighting groups as you could watch your rear. I don't know if you've seen much kendo or just old school samurai movies, but there's no strafing involved, so it also made fights feel more authentic. Knowing when to move and how was a very important skill to have, to say otherwise because it's different in other games is discounting that this is Nioh, not them, and this is how the game is.
The difference with the Souls games other than having multiple full games is that aside from some small differences they were all generally balanced around the same setup. Being able to sprint backwards when locked on, while a welcome change, didn't affect the balance since that was already taken into account.

Keeping around that equipment just isn't worth it though, your weapons just don't get damaged that fast. It's not even a problem but since you get stronger weapons from bosses and each has their own particular effects the game is set up to let you know. Besides, you said it negated Durability and made it meaningless when it doesn't.

I think it fit the tone and setting fairly well in this game, plus it was gradual as well so you can deal with it as it comes. It felt damn refreshing to have to think about my weapons for once.

I dunno man, Let it Die's system is clever no doubt, but it's a bit of an exaggeration to say the Ki bar is hard to see or is hard to check during combat with the pace of it, not to mention you're meant to be paying attention to the entire screen to watch for other enemies. Plus, it intentionally starts you off with few enemies so you can get used to your limits. It's part of the learning curve to get a feel for how much Ki you have, same with any similar game.

...

Any word on playable characters other than William?

I think I read somewhere that we'll get to play as Hanzo and the girl warrior.

I wouldn't mind durability in games if it used a D&D style save rather than point based durability. That way you wouldn't be thinking " I have 20 more wacks with this sword" but rather "Do I want to use my sword in this way or against this enemy."

Not gonna happen, at least on release they've said that the game's focusing on William's story so he will be the only one playable. Maybe they'll consider it for DLC, but we'll probably get all their armour sets anyway.

I don't really know how D&D does it, but since Nioh had your damage decrease gradually (about 3/4 at half, 1/4 at 0) and different weapons and armour had different max levels of durability, I did get that feeling of which stance should I be using or should I use my spear for this part. It balanced being lightly armoured too, since the lower Ki costs were offset by damage leading to much more damage if you were hit multiple times, so you had to stay on your toes even with the benefits.

Durability in D&D works on a save-vs-damage basis. Someone who's more /tg/ than me could explain it better, but it works sort of like this:

tl;dr
Weapons in D&D don't take regular damage to their durability. They only take damage if you try to do something that threatens the weapon in some way (or if you have a stunning run of bad luck trying to do something harmless).

Oh, that sounds like it could be fun. I wouldn't say it's really similar, but different enemies would at least damage your sword at different rates, like the stone soldiers being made of stone as well as having tons of defense, so I guess they try to keep the same consideration. It was just good having it there and functional giving you some kind of actual punishment, unlike some games where it might as well not be there at all. The Ki stagger and lockon movement are much bigger more important changes though, those really shaped the combat.

Depends on the rule set. I know with 3.5 rules unless you specifically hit/got hit by a specific ability or hit a specific monster or specific material that specifically damaged your weapon or armour, you would never have to roll for damage. A 1 (critical failure) usually 'only' had you drop the weapon, fall over, leave yourself exposed (hit bonus for the enemy) ect.

New stream with gameplay footage, make of it what you will. The stage starts at about 51 minutes in.

"This is a very odd thought process"
Even more odd when you try to use real life to justify an unintuitive mechanic, which by the way is a total false equivalence. A more apt comparison would be having the camera represent my line of sight IRL, so focusing on an enemy means my eyes would be "locked" on to that target, in which case turning my back away would make me lose sight of him, which works like the "unlock" function in a game.

You're just saying that. It's completely foolish to act like you know exactly what's going to happen in a new level. You don't know how many enemies you'll face, or for how long you'll be stuck in a boss. These things eat away at your equipment, ergo, saving spare parts is a logical and natural course of action. As a result, the effects of durability are not as impactful as they could have been. This isn't playing the game wrong, it's the devs not accounting for the fact that a mechanic doesn't work that well with other systems present in Nioh.

"but it's a bit of an exaggeration to say the Ki bar is hard to see"
Not hard to see, but trying to attack only to find out you've run out stamina, using an item only to realize you have none in stock or the gun is empty, can happen on occasion to any player. It's not like your eyes are constantly darting across the screen at all times, if you focus on a specific point you can lose sight of what's around you. That's not an exaggeration, and the example I gave you simply works better in that regard. I don't mind that I get staggered if I run out of stamina in Let it Die, because the warning signs are communicated to the player in the most intuitive way possible. Nioh lacks that degree of feedback, therefore, the punishment for running out of Ki shouldn't be as harsh.

meant to greentext instead of using quotes

That's funny. I got summoned and steamrolled that level and cheesed the bat lady with my shurikens for a bunch of people. It's too bad the first helmet looks so much better than the second one even though it was so much easier to get.

Look, unless this games let's me engage in a little Otoko-no-ko then I'm not buying, no true samurai operates without that kinda downtime, Fundoshi and all.

Bonus points for a Gwydolin tier NPC in the brothel

as advertised.

how was it made more simple/easier?
the improved inventory slots?
i dont get the accusation that the game was made easier. i actually had more trouble with the beta than i did with the alpha. maybe people thought the beta was easier because it was their 2nd time playing it and knew what to do and where to go?

I think it's not going to receive a PC version. TK fucked most of their PC releases, and with so much Soney Money, this is probably Bloodborne 2.0.
But there is a chance. If it bomb on PS4, I might see a PC release as a possibility to try to recoup the losses. But it will be half assed.

Does "Ni-Oh" mean anything?

youtube.com/watch?v=oCCTAdbPIo8

I think you're missing a very simple but important factor here. Games are inherently designed around their mechanics to invoke a certain style and mood of play. There is a clear difference between them purposefully making the combat reminiscent of how samurai fought through it's mechanics to evoke a certain tone and depth of strategy, and someone playing what they made and equating what they're able to do as inferior solely based on how other games handle it. Imagine if you could run and shoot at the same time in a Resident Evil game. Would that control "smoother" or "better" to some people? Perhaps, but it would also be missing the entire point of the game as it's not what it was designed around, crippling the tension, gameplay and atmosphere.

Don't think I said that, though you're essentially acting the same way by assuming you absolutely need extra equipment beyond your repair items to deal with gradual depletion, but a part of getting better at a game is learning to judge the game flow. In the short examples we saw, repair items filled the role of spare parts far better than extra equipment could.
And again, you're not accounting for the fact that just because you have the items to deal with it doesn't invalidate the threat. There can and have been situations where you're forced into long battles without a chance to repair, and knowing how to deal with that justifies it's existence alone. The gauntlet side missions we saw were a perfect example of that and show they knew exactly what they were doing.

But all of those could be solved by just plain knowing your limits and learning your options. That's a completely basic skill in literally anything way back to even Tetris. You look at it ahead of time and prepare, and if you misjudge it then it's your own fault. Paying attention to the screen and knowing where to focus on when is also part of the skill and learning curve, and it's hard to get more intuitive than a bar that is always present on the screen outside of combat. The punishment should be harsh because there are several ways to refill and manipulate it as well as your enemies and you have large amounts of it, this game was based around patience and momentum and planning.
Because to bring things back around, the problem here and what I was ultimately against was that the constant changes and watering down of the game led to a much easier, simpler and less satisfying game that goes against what they are trying to create, and there should therefore be a selectable mode to bring back the features and balance from before so those that preferred it can enjoy the original design, and others even get more gameplay by changing to it next playthrough. I mean come on, did you watch that stream I posted? They refer to it as "shinege", literally "death game", as the term they've tried to coin as a very hard game, and then they proceed to show someone getting through apparently a stage that's halfway through the game by mashing buttons and ignoring most of the game's mechanics. Does that really look ok to you? And before you suggest it,, these demos have always lined up with what we've gotten to play ourselves, and we see their stats in them all.

So you know for a fact how samurai fought, and that they regularly used to turn their backs on an enemy in direct combat and didn't strafe for some reason, and this game absolutely needs to emulate that (even if it's nonsensical and doesn't work well) also because reasons. Got it.

This game isn't remotely close to a survival horror game, it's going right in the opposite direction. False equivalence.

It's very clear in that short paragraph you're treating your own opinion as if it's the authority on how the game should "feel", when all you have is flimsy comparisons to back up your arguments.

So let's try this one more time, the lock-on function is a direct command you're giving a character to stay on target, nothing more. The best way to achieve this is to look at other great games in the genre as a point of reference. Saying "oh, but it would be more unique this or that way" is not good enough justification to mess with something that's well established.
The tool here isn't at fault. Instead, you use the tools that are already available to shape other things as you see fit.

But you did.

Are you serious right now? So simply not taking chances means I know for certain what would happen next? You're stretching logic too thin, stop torturing your mind.

So first you say equipment doesn't break that fast, now you're saying certain battles alone are enough to destroy your equipment. Holy Fucking Shit.
What's even more ridiculous, is that you're only helping my argument when I said that you should always store spare equipment just in case. But whatever, at this point I'm just curious to see you untangle your way out of an argument while I bang my head on the desk.

I've said my piece and I don't wish to keep repeating myself. This is absolutely pointless.

You wouldn't even be listening if I said yes, explained why, and made you a drawing.

Thanks Team Ninja, oh well it'll be copied on other websites that were reporting on it. I brought up some points in another post but I'll go more into it. There were many different balance and mechanic changes that affected the game in different ways like the Dodge/Combo Pulse swap, enemies being far less aggressive in pursuit and two ranged weapons, with only a few being straight up improvements. I'll focus on the main changes that are the most important and here's a webm I picked up that shows them very conveniently.

In the Alpha, taking an action you didn't have the Ki for led to getting tired like you would be from getting hit at low Ki. This led to a much more immediate and present sense of Ki management, since you had to focus staying out of that potential situation and make your Ki matter rather than it only mattering if you spend it all and then get hit, when most of the time in the Beta you would swing first anyway. That punishment being immediate felt more fair and transparent though, warning you right away.
The lockon movement being changed was another large factor in combat as I've just been going on about. While locked on, you would turn if running, and stay facing them if you walked, dodged or held your guard up. Since the game placed great importance on rear attacks and positioning, this made movement equally important and skillful, often the deciding factor in a fight. This and the Ki stagger led to a very methodical but explosive momentum fuelled samurai-esque style of combat, where you were fully encouraged towards improving and making each fight look like a proper fight scene. The change threw that out for being able to circlestrafe around enemies freely and safely which they're not equipped to deal with. For more proof notice how there's not a single enemy or boss that strafes like that (except revenants which don't count for obvious reasons), not even Muneshige. They also changed the camera angle to one that's far more awkward for dealing with enemies and is less intense.
There was also Durability, which again I've been talking about, more than I even want to, but to sum up it's influence; it pushed the loot economy while going through levels, gave a subtle but necessary punishment for dying or playing inefficiently, meant you had to use both equipped weapons other than them being far too easily forgettable window dressing, and would have been something for spending gold on. Plus it would have worked perfectly with Familiarity in a Vagrant Story-style double edged system, which is fairly vanilla and boring otherwise.
Finally, enemy health was drastically reduced, and they continue to do so, which of course leads to people being able to brute force encounters instead of actually learning how best to tackle the enemies and how combat works until it's too late. It also makes fights that are supposed to be interesting instead become anticlimactic and trivial.

Sorry but you got hoodwinked. By featuring different and more levels that were further on in the game, they masked the objective changes to the mechanics that make the game easier to play on the whole. They do the same thing in their streams with how they play and set up stats/equipment. The health nerfs alone were still more than noticeable even in those later levels, but it's undeniable that those fights would be more difficult, require more strategy and be more deep and interesting if they had kept the same mechanics and balance.

I loaned a PS4 from a friend to play DaS3 and the Nioh alpha happened to come out that week. I ended up playing it almost more than DaS3, I was quite enamored by something that felt like a more tactical and less vertical Ninja Gaiden. So I'll be getting it.

Well, sit tight and come have fun with the threads in the future. It already started autistic discussions before release.

Well this is incredible, I don't even know where to start. Apparently all historical info and samurai media based around how they fought can't possibly exist or be readily available, not even to a JAPANESE company making a game based in the Sengoku Era of JAPAN which was one of the most pivotal researched times of war with SAMURAI in their country. Then you completely pull the opposite of the implication made because I dunno, I guess you can't handle not running sideways? I don't know how else you came to that conclusion when it is so painfully obvious that it's forcing the opposite and making it important to face forward through it being intentional. But apparently it's also nonsensical for a Japanese game about samurai to aim to make you feel like a samurai, because other games you've played about other things don't feel that way.

You really can't see the wood for the trees can you? Because of thinking everything can only ever be defined in one specific way like how you personally envision it, you're missing the blindingly obvious. Lock-on, like any function, exists based on the specific game's rules, and Nioh's combat was designed around how this system worked. And it worked well, with a consistent sense of risk vs reward that played into the other mechanics. But hey, since it's not how other games did it, homogenization is a much better idea, the rest of the game be damned!

Repair items can be acquired midlevel by getting loot and offering it. This lets you keep using the stronger weapons with effects you're used to. This is not difficult to understand.

Wait, nevermind, I guess you really can't understand the concept of a gradual system since you think a potential threat that was hinted at in Beta is an absolute guarantee that is stopped by your specific method only. Do you even know how the game worked, or are you so determined to make yourself look intelligent that you disregard something so obvious as "Hm, maybe going into the menu to change my entire equipment set wouldn't be feasible in the middle of a fight, but when the fight ends I have a chance to repair."?

If you're going to make such a naive comment and really can't see the problem with the part where she holds forward, mashes so loud you can hear it, and still comes one hit away from killing a boss halfway through the game, then there's no point in me continuing to pretend you know what you're talking about and I'm done replying.

MUH CONNOTASHUNS. MUH INTENSHUNS.
MUH EVOKED FEELINGS OF SAMURAI WITH LIVING PIÑATAS AND RANDOM LOOT

Here's your position summed up:
The premise of game X, is that you press a button, and only after two seconds the game registers that input and starts the actual animation.
- This game is Unique(tm) because it doesn't ride the coattails of other games in the genre, where the character reacts immediately to your inputs (that shit is for conformist faggots, really).
- This game is hard but fair because the player should know this always works consistently and therefore should come prepared.
- This is acceptable because it was intentional and it's trying to emulate [insert bullshit comparison here] and was marketed that way, so you also can't criticize it.

And I'm already giving you way too much credit by assuming that was what the devs wanted all along (despite them coming to a playerbase and ask for fucking feedback themselves in the first place, but nevermind that).

Yeah, posting a direct quote of yours that you claimed to not have said.

I've already accused you of treating this as an all-or-nothing issue, and I've said before that keeping spare equipment doesn't detract from selling loot to acquire said items (right here ), but you just made the same mistake. Proof that you're just going around in circles.

Nowhere have I said X, Y, or fucking Z were the ONLY methods for anything ever.

No, but it would be worth it for at least after and before the fight. Especially by equipping an armor set at top condition between waves of enemies, you might not even have to use any repair items at all.

Please do.

Yeah, nah. Remember how you said it was in other games as well but you weren't able to handle it then either? All this and it turns out you're just blaming the game for something you don't like all along under the guise of knowing what's best for it. Not to mention that's a blatant false equivalence itself.
Oh, and:
gematsu.com/2015/09/ni-oh-announced-ps4
gematsu.com/2015/12/nioh-playstation-experience-2015-screenshots
Read any kind of article or interview regarding the game, or just use common sense. Common sense should be applied to the rest of your post as well actually, instead of wasting my time I'm going to move on and try talking about the game.

Anyway, in that stream they did that no one has watched, they show the hidden teahouse at the end, which seems to be a place you can spend a kind of currency you get from playing online. Among the things you can buy are skins to look like other characters. So people like who were hoping to have others to play as besides William are somewhat in luck.

I have no idea what you're even talking about. What is "it"? Where's the false equivalence? If you're going to be vague you might as well not say anything.

Same for the links you posted. What am I meant to see here? A generalized overview mentioning some stuff about history and strategic gameplay? Those articles don't go into enough detail to prove or disprove anything either of us have been saying about durability, the lock-on, etc.
Yeah, it doesn't work that way.

Oh well, guess I have to bump the thread somehow. That teahouse thing is actually a pretty big deal and something people wanted to know about.

"It", obviously being the running sidestrafe when locked, one of the things we've been talking about the entire time lest you forget. And saying a control scheme choice that has been in other games (>>11513270 where you say you just don't like it) and doesn't actively restrict the player is equal to a built in input delay is not just false, but straight up retarded.

Here's another example. Mario, Sonic and Castlevania all are built around platforming, Mario can be considered the baseline here. Sonic's design is based around using speed and momentum gained through skill to proceed, therefore you can spin through enemies and the level design features ramps and loops.
Castlevania, by comparison is focused on tension and carefully proceeding through traps and treachery, highlighted by how you can't change your jump arc or kill things on contact and a slower walkspeed. To complain there's no boost pads in Castlevania would be dumb and missing the point. That's what you're doing because you don't want to go easy on the analog stick when necessary.

The links are evidence that the devs intended it to be a "strategic sword-fighting action" game focused on representing a "Japanese-style Sengoku world" with "high difficulty missions" from the very beginning of this version, because for some reason you can't see that. If you want to argue that the most recent gameplay (the stream footage I posted as my evidence of how the game is now) achieves that better through all the changes then you'll have to give me a few hours to stop laughing.

Keyword: ONE of the things. It shouldn't be my job to guess what exactly you were referring to, so you really have no excuse for being vague.
I can tell we're off to a great start in the 3rd day of this pointless back-and-forth.

For starters, just because other games work similarly doesn't excuse a mechanic that is badly implemented.
Second, no fucking shit. That's what all of us do when we criticize something. People don't like a thing, and they want that thing to be replaced for something else that they think is best. The issue I have with you is that you've been acting to speak on behalf of the developers on every issue.

Ok, then drop that comparison if it bothers you so much. Nothing changes, I still stand by my points.

Your argument against strafing in Nioh (besides muh difficulty and the "deep" strategy involved), is based on "homogenization". So by that logic, if we put DMC4 next to Dark Souls (or any other game that works similarly, pretty sure it's also in one of the Ratchet & Clank games), does this mean they are the same because you can lock-strafe? No, no they fucking aren't. Not even remotely close. This is why I said this particular tool -as for its best implementation goes- isn't at fault , and there's no need to "reinvent the wheel" to create something new and unique.

The rest is you arguing exactly as I predicted. You think your arguments are proven by your own interpretation of some basic info the company has laid out.

Only happened to be the thing we were just talking about at that same point in each post but divert if you wish.

See this is where it all falls flat, you have not once given any reason as to why it was badly implemented in Nioh whereas I've given plenty to the contrary which you just ignore and dismiss as "ur opinion". The closest you've came is that you just shouldn't have to think about it in any game, which is singleminded and says nothing about how the rest of the game is built.

Oh no you don't Mr Strawman, that comment on homogenization was merely in response to your argument about how lock-on should only be defined in one term and implemented in one way. Nioh's take on it was purposefully done to work with the rest of the game (like all your examples actually) to instill a certain pace that cannot be replicated otherwise. See every single gameplay video after the change where everyone immediately runs circles around enemies with no danger or care.

My arguments are proven by the game itself, which I happened to play a lot of.

...

NeIR is also PC…

Also can you play as a girl? I liked the demo even though it had some bull shit parts tbh. Also is there any articles of SJW cucks compalining about a white guy in old japan even though this game is made by the japs themselves?

I have been wantign to get a cheap ps4 in expectation of DQ XI

Near the end of the stream at they showed how you could spend a currency earned from playing online to buy different things, including skins to look like the other characters, so playing as Ginchiyo or Okatsu became a lot more likely all of a sudden.
Probably like ten. William-sama is actually a celebrated figure who was pretty important in Japanese history, and they wouldn't think to do research like that.

...

Who exactly is this guy? Also I really, really hope his actual name is William-sama and you're not just typing like a fucking weeb faggot.

He was an English sailor whose circumstances led to him being stranded in Japan and eventually became one of the very few Western samurai through his contributions to Japanese trading.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Adams_(sailor) is a pretty nice read.
In Nioh he's somewhat reimagined as an Irish (judging by the accent) sailor who travels to Japan to hunt down Kelly (the bald guy) and rescue Saiorse, his guardian spirit waifu who he fights demons with.
He's basically what Ken-sama wished he could be and is the original ultimate weeb, hence William-sama.

That's actually pretty damn awesome.

...

Right as I was going to bed, the shitfest continues. Well, last one for the night.

Yes, as well as OTHER things, like durability for instance. Especially when you said I couldn't "handle" it which had me even more confused because I never said or implied such a thing (going back to that post, I simply said I wasn't a fan of the loose lock-on system in MGR, and that's it), but do continue grasping at those straws, I guess.

Oh but I did, you just gave some flimsy excuse based on """"historical accuracy"""" (which is dubious at best) to try and justify an idea that is inherently stupid; You do NOT turn your back to an enemy in direct combat.
This isn't hard to understand, and no amount of muh samurai movies will make your opinion more correct.

But it IS your opinion, as it is mine, you dullard. What? You think you're talking from a position of God?

I said you shouldn't have to think about it? What the fuck is this nonsense?

This notion that you're going to win every fight by simply circle-strafing every enemy is 100% bullshit. That wouldn't work with groups of enemies, it wouldn't work in narrow spaces, certain types of enemies/attacks, etc. And THAT is the most important part, not to fuck with an established mechanic, but to make creative and difficult scenarios around it.

You mean, an outdated version of the game that the devs willingly changed (for the better).

Thinking about getting a PS4, is it a good time to pick one up?
Seems like there's a decent amount of games for it now.
Brand new PS4's for $249 doesn't seem bad at all.

Fuck you.

Well, considering how you complain about it only because you say you shouldn't have to deal with it, while anyone that was good at the game took heed of it and used it to their advantage, you can forgive me for coming to the most logical conclusion.

Good thing I didn't when I was playing the game, because this system happens to punish you for doing such a thing carelessly! And yet you keep flipping that basic intention around because you think you're above playing a game by it's rules. Is it any wonder that you sound like you were just shit at it? That's not a bad thing by the way, people can always improve if they choose to.
Oh and lets not forget how this game was originally based on an unfinished Kurosawa script. But keep saying that the samurai game doesn't want to be a samurai game.

I'm talking from a position of experience, and unlike you I back my opinion up with objectivity, research and evidence. I went into the game with no preconceptions about how it should be made and saw it for what it was. Notice how I'm the only one that's posted gameplay.

Nice reading comprehension right here. Not having to be concerned with movement when you take extra damage from behind would and did indeed make all of those much simpler to win. Watch ANY footage and this is clear, only you are unable to see basic cause and effect.
The fucking irony. I'm impressed someone can be so thickheaded.

Nnnnnnnnnnnnope, there is more footage in this thread of the recent versions than the Alpha. That's how this kind of thing works, you compare them. And thinking there's no way the "wider audience" disease could affect the game is laughable.

With the Slim and Pro both giving you more choices and making the originals cheaper, plus some of the bigger games just around the corner, it seems like a pretty good time if there's enough games out now for you to be interested.

I'm not even going to attempt to decipher this.

Yeah, because you couldn't strafe naturally in the first place.

So it was a script based of such and such, therefore the player character shouldn't be able to strafe-lock. Well, that's not a gigantic leap in logic! Did samurai also have i-frames in their dodges, and used their fucking spears to jump behind the enemy? Jesus fucking Christ, those mental gymnastics of yours are fucking astounding.

You mean, the supposed intended rules that you personally THINK they should have been.

Holy shit, you're desperate.

Bullshit to all of those…

…And bullshit to this. You think that proves anything? Don't make me laugh.
Maybe you should see XLHGladiator's video of the Alpha version. He made this game almost look a stylish beat 'em up. Welp, so much for historical accuracy of the samurai!
Also, I don't know what you're trying to prove with that webm or if you were just baiting for parries, but those enemies are complete push-overs, and from that video anyone can spot clear openings after their attacks, so that slow approach is totally unnecessary. Strafe-locking isn't going to make them more or less of a challenge.

I don't even know what the fuck you're talking about. You're just quoting things I said previously and adding your own opinions to them.

Yes, the dodge which could put you behind an enemy in an instant with the right stance. Faster than circle-strafing, plus it has i-frames. Hilarious!

Wrong, it's a concern when you sprint backwards you'll face the opposite direction of your target, and also when you're being attacked in groups.
Besides that, refer to the comparisons I made between older vs newer Souls games. The older games limited your lock-on movement so it made each fight more complicated than it needed to be. Was it for a good reason? I argued that no, because it was counter-intuitive and made no sense. But in your head, when something is difficult and complicated must means it's good, whereas simplicity (say, like Doom or Tetris) must means it's shit.

Well, in your mind, it was.

You're full of shit, because there were already plenty of scenarios in the Beta where you couldn't simply circle-strafe (whether you were attacked in groups, or were at the the risk of falling of a cliff). Judging from that Ogress boss fight, it's evident her fire breath and quick multi-hit attacks can't simply be avoided by just circle-strafing.

Right back at you, you insufferable autistic faggot.

Even more laughable is that you think TEH CASUALS or whatever would simply be content with changes to strafe-locking. As if that crowd could even identify any actual issues.

After all this bullshit, it's kind of hilarious that you're trying to act smug, as if that's going to bring back the Alpha build. Well, guess what? You can say bye-bye to that clunky shit, fuckboi.

Man, with this much impotent rage I must have hit the nail on the head.

That's what I said, you can't strafe safely so you learn to walk and when to run and sprint.

Think you've assembled a strawarmy at this point. Again you blind yourself to the blatantly obvious by not seeing it as a sum of it's parts. A focus on more cautious movement among the rest of the game's design (Ki Pulse and the stance system) combined and happened to give the game a samurai-esque feel as well as how they fueled the gameplay, a bit like how Ninja Gaiden was their "ninja game". This is discussed in every interview.

hahahahahahaha it's how the game was programmed

Oh, guess I'm convinced.

You mean this one? youtube.com/watch?v=HPmUPfN33a8
Yeah I've watched all his videos many times as well as shown them to others, they're real fun to watch and I played very similarly myself. Looks like you have no idea what's actually going on in there though from what it sounds like you're equating it to. By the way, I didn't say samurai = slow, the main words I've used are explosive and momentum. That video is a perfect example actually if you keep track of his timing.
The webm I just threw in for the hell of it, but it does happen to show when you might want to stay locked on but also have freedom of movement. I'm not even the one playing in it or any of them

Hmm, you're right dodges are pretty good and having something like that for free would greatly simplify things. Oh wait! They cost Ki and have recovery! For once I agree with you, this IS hilarious.

Which is a different maneuver that trades Ki for speed and had an important place when stagger was a thing with it's lower costs. So you're saying here is that not having to concern yourself with where you run doesn't make fights simpler, because sprinting is there, even though that hasn't changed and we're not even talking about sprinting? As far as that last sentence goes, whatever helps you sleep at night, but it doesn't particularly say much about your expertise in the game if you think lightly moving the stick is hard.

and we're back here ahahaha

A rare situation where you can't run sideways? Just run backwards in the same manner, you still face the same way and can safely retreat. Please, I really have to know, did you actually not consider that possibility? Also if anything the Ogress fight showed the opposite, all those attacks meant for catching your rear mean nothing since you're still facing the right way to block. Plus the player wasn't very good.

So now you're ignoring all of the other changes that were and continue to be made just so you can keep arguing instead of actually talking about Nioh or anything else in this thread. This is sad now.

And lo and behold the facade finally lifts. Ladies and gentlemen, this guy filled out the surveys instead of playing a different game.

Gay.

Yeah, stupid people really bother me. Especially when they also act arrogantly.
You do realize you're just proving my point, right? Remember, the Alpha build. Is. Not. Coming. Back.
Moving on…

Right, but having to deal with jank does not prove that mechanic was intentional. That was my point.

Again, you're just running with your own interpretation of their view of what a samurai game should be like.
You have your head so far up your own ass, that you fail to see that drawing the line at strafe-locking would be completely arbitrary, and has no impact on "evoking feelings of the Sengoku era" or what have you. The way you force a connection between these two things is utterly absurd, especially when there's a bunch of other powerful moves and supernatural shit, which further muddies the water and makes it impossible to tell either way.
There's no way I can explain this to you better, so you either accept it or you don't. This will be the last time I repeat myself on this particular issue.

Wow, you sure showed me. It was programmed this or that way, therefore everything must have been intentional and nothing should ever be fixed, even glitches, right? Hell, by your own admission, you said the Alpha had issues and needed to be rebalanced. So congratu-fucking-lations on another non-argument.

Of course you aren't, just like you can't convince me by simply claiming you're being objective. It doesn't work that way, you child.

Wrong on all accounts. Because what you don't seem to get is that strafe-locking wouldn't make things in that video any easier, and that dodging is actually faster and far more powerful than circle-strafing. You can see this being the case in XLHGladiator's videos of the Beta, circle-strafing is rarely used (he mostly does it to avoid slow vertical attacks, big whoop) and it simply can't compare to the other crazy things he does.
That was the one of the reasons why I mentioned that video, which is in direct contrast to the webm you posted, as well as to show that your theory that this game was trying to imitate how the samurai fought is completely bogus.

They cost very little Ki, actually. Not to mention in the full game we'll likely be leveling up far beyond than we did in the demo, so pumping points in Ki on top of using equipment that increases stats, will make dodges even more powerful.
So really, you can't have it both ways. Either you think circle-strafing is broken, as well as dodging (which would make the whole game broken from the get-go), or you have to GASP rethink your views on what this game is trying achieve.

As for sprinting while lock-on, I simply used that as an example to point out you can still be hit in the back when you're trying to run away from say, a long ranged attack, or running around a large boss only to be hit by a sweeping attack. The argument was to prove that strafe-locking doesn't break the game nowhere near as much as you make it seem.

Except that's not established nowhere except in your own head. That's the whole reason why we're having this discussion.

Except blocking costs Ki, and you can't just back off to recover Ki after being caught in a multi-hit attack. There are many ways where that strategy can go wrong.

I don't know how you reach such conclusions, or if you're just shit talking and blowing smoke out of your ass. Regardless, that's not even worth addressing.

Anyhow, I won't have time to deal with this because I have to meet with my family, so knock yourself out.
And Merry fucking Christmas, you stupid nigger.

Anyway, I believe my very first post in this long road was about requesting an optional mode to play like the Alpha. You don't need me to tell you how this part of your post makes you sound, especially to anyone else in the thread.

When it's something as pivotal as how you move, has lasted in the game until it was 70% complete, and coincides with the rest of the game's mechanics (high damage/can't block when hit from behind for both you and enemies, failure to plan ahead and over-extension being punished hard, Ki Pulse also making combat very momentum based) as well as being shared by every single enemy, yeah it was probably intentional.

But you see, you're the one that's been focused solely on that singular aspect of control while I consider it alongside all the other mechanics that first and foremost combined to create a combat system both tactical and action packed. It also happens to follow a similar style to many samurai depictions.
Kinda like other games, Bushido Blade, Onimusha, Kengo, Sword of the Samurai, Way of the Samurai and so on.
Oh and I've personally done a bit of Kendo myself.

Ties into that objectivity thing as I can view what's good and bad about every version.

And yet in the first few seconds he runs sideways, plus later on he misjudges his Ki and runs out, but this is a Beta video with all the changes in place. Any time he runs while locked on, he is now far more safe than he would have been before the change, because if he happened to get hit he would be hurt far less. So he can run around more while the enemies are weaker themselves. Somehow you cannot understand this basic cause and effect. Plus he's barely even using high stance and besides samurai =/= slow. You should watch 13 Assassins, that's a good movie I watched again quite recently.

No, not really unless you're in low stance and light armour which sacrifices other things, and Ki costs can easily mount up depending on stance and situation. Ki also could only be raised very slightly through levels. Dodges still have large recovery, require timing and change based on stance, none of which applies to running if you face the enemy the whole time.

Those sweeping attacks are the ones meant to catch your rear when you try to circle the enemy by the way, a pretty obvious risk and reward situation.

And if it does you still take far less damage which is the whole point. Instead of having to plan ahead and use Ki and movement wisely to avoid heavy damage, you get a slap on the wrist and learn nothing.

My conclusion here, aside from that the game has had several changes to make it easier even past the Beta, was that you have not made a single post outside of this discussion so it looks like it's the only reason you're in this thread rather than Nioh itself. Then you signed off with a petty and bitchy remark which seems to confirm that.

Merry Christmas ya filthy animal, and have a fucking good holiday.