- Spoiler:
Outline of the Five Volumes of this Book of Strategy
In order to explain different aspects of the Way in individual sections, I have written this book in five volumes. These are entitled Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Void. [the void, or Nothingness, is a Buddhist term for the illusionary nature of worldly things.]
In the Earth book, I give an overall picture of the art of fighting and my own approach. It is difficult to know the true Way through swordsmanship alone. From large places one knows small places, from the shallows one goes to the depths. Because a straight road is made by leveling the earth and hardening it with gravel, I call the first volume Earth, as if it were a straight road mapped out on the ground.
Second, the Water volume. We make water our model and turn our spirit into water. Water adjusts itself to a square or round vessel with ease, turns itself into a single droplet or into a vast ocean. [Possibly a reference to Lao Tzu: Supreme good is like water. Water benefits everything, yet doesn't compete]. It has the color of aquamarine depths. With that clarity I will write out my approach in this volume.
Once you definitely understand the principle of swordsmanship, the ability to defeat a single person at will means the ability to defeat all the people of the world. The spirit of defeating one man is the same for defeating ten million men. A commander's strategy, which requires him to make something large out of something small, is comparable to the making of a giant Buddhist statue from a foot-high scale model. I cannot write in detail how this is done. The principle of strategy is to know ten thousand things by having one thing. A few things of My Niten Ichi School are explained in this Water book.
Third is the Fire volume. This book is about fighting. The spirit of fire is fierce, whether the fire be small or big; and so it is with battles. The Way to do battle is the same for man to man fights and for the clash of armies of ten thousands. You must appreciate that the spirit can become big or small. Big things are easy to see: small things are difficult to see. In other words, it is difficult for large numbers of men to change position, so their movements can be easily predicted. An individual can change his mind so quickly that his movements are difficult to predict. You must appreciate this. You must train day and night in order to get used to the quick changes of the mind in battle, until you begin to perceive them naturally. It is necessary to treat your training as part of everyday life. Then your spirit will remain unchanging.
Thus combat in battle is described in the Fire volume.
Fourthly the Wind volume (also the schools volume). This book is not concerned with my own Niten Ichi school but with other schools of strategy. By the term Wind I mean style or tradition, as in old traditions, present-day traditions, and family traditions of strategy. Here I clearly explain the strategies of the various schools in the world. This is tradition. It is difficult to know yourself if you do not know others [a possible reference to Sun Tzu: If you know your enemy and yourself, you will not be in danger in a hundred battles]. To all Ways there are side-tracks. Even if you study your Way daily, if your spirit diverges, objectively it is not the true Way, even though you may think you are following a good Way. What may be a little divergence in the beginning will later become a large divergence. You must realize this.
Strategy has come to be thought of as mere sword-fencing, and it is not unreasonable that this should be so. The benefit of my strategy, although it includes sword-fencing, lies in a different matter entirely. I have explained what is commonly meant by strategy in other schools in the Wind (Tradition) book.
Fifthly, the book of the Void. By void I mean that which has no beginning and no end. What can you call its innermost depths or its entrance? Attaining this principle means letting go of principles. The Way of strategy is the Way of nature. It has its own freedom. Once you detach from principles, you will acquire exceptional skill spontaneously and independently. Once you know the power of nature, you will discern the rhythm of any situation, and you will hit the enemy naturally with your every strike. All this is the Way of the Void. I intend to show how to enter the true Way naturally in the book of the Void.
+7
Kiva the wanderer
The Letter X
User1
Soris Ice Goldwing
WhatDoesThePendantDo?
Phoenix Rising
lextune
11 posters
PvP is ruined
Soris Ice Goldwing- Lordvessel
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- Post n°26
Re: PvP is ruined
The book is called The Book of Five RingsHis work is divided in five books. Here this is easier to explain: His outline
The Letter X- Revived
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- Post n°27
Re: PvP is ruined
Ah yes, the Way. I see I should definitely pick up these books - the Way was mentioned many a time in Sun Tzu and Sun Bin's writings.
Kiva the wanderer- Caffeinated
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- Post n°28
Re: PvP is ruined
lextune wrote:I have been at Dark Souls since the day it dropped. It is without a doubt my favorite game of all time. I have had 1000's of hours of PvE and PvP.
PvE is what it is, although I do still have fun with some challenge runs, but it was PvP that kept the game fresh.
In the last several months more and more hackers have crept into the XBOX world though.
Without exaggeration I can say that for the past week I have had a 75/25 ratio of hackers while hosting in the Burg and the Township. There is just nowhere you can go to get a fair, fun. duel.
Not much of a topic I realize, but I feel like I have earned a right to bid a formal farewell to random PvP, I hope to see more events organized so that I can try to take part in them, (they always seem to be on Saturday nights though, and I am a weeknight XBOXer, need to spend time with the wife on Sats). Other than formalized events, I can't see the point, (and I have been TRYING! I spent nearly five hours hosting last night).
I am legitimately sad.
Join me in Dark anor londo, i gravelorded that place last night and OMFG the non hackers were amazing, there was DMBs, Red phantoms and of course the helpless ones who have no clue what a gravelord is, oh the joy.
Kiva the wanderer- Caffeinated
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- Post n°29
Re: PvP is ruined
Soris Ice Goldwing wrote:That is good. Also I'm surprised you know of Musashi. The Earth book on strategy really does apply well in combat with this game.
The book of what now?
Soris Ice Goldwing- Lordvessel
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- Post n°30
Re: PvP is ruined
The Book of Five Rings Here is a link. Full Earth Book
Kiva the wanderer- Caffeinated
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- Post n°31
Re: PvP is ruined
Soris Ice Goldwing wrote:The Book of Five Rings Here is a link. Full Earth Book
Theres also a good work ethic hidden away in that book.
lextune- Caffeinated
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- Post n°32
Re: PvP is ruined
The Letter X wrote:I'm sorry for your experiences, lextune. Out of my 1000+ duels/invasions last week I ran into only one hacker. :|
I am always open to dueling you by the way. We can possibly set something up next week.
@Aim and Soris: I want in on this as well.
I would love to set up some duels!
Where are you PvPing most? I find it astonishing that I could have such a ridiculously high ratio while other XBOX regulars are avoiding it somehow.
User1- Abyss Dweller
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- Post n°33
Re: PvP is ruined
This derailing doesn't have enough insanity in it.
So, has everyone heard of the things going on between Pendant, Mildred and Rynn? I've heard he's quite the casanova in the bedchambers.
So, has everyone heard of the things going on between Pendant, Mildred and Rynn? I've heard he's quite the casanova in the bedchambers.
The Letter X- Revived
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- Post n°34
Re: PvP is ruined
I mostly stay in the Township, and I go to the Moonpit from time to time. The only hacker I recently saw was in the Township, where I'm sure you met a few. The Moonpit has been hacker-free for my whole Dark Souls career, though.
User1- Abyss Dweller
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- Post n°35
Re: PvP is ruined
I was ignored! How can you resist the derails? Your determination is set. I see your strength. You're going to set off my trap card if you keep trying to resist me.
The Letter X- Revived
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- Post n°36
Re: PvP is ruined
Also, lextune, are you running into more hackers when invading or hosting?
Soris Ice Goldwing- Lordvessel
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- Post n°37
Re: PvP is ruined
Has the number increased that much or does it shift every here and there? Anything consistence or to wide?
User1- Abyss Dweller
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- Post n°38
Re: PvP is ruined
It's just shiz all over for me.
lextune- Caffeinated
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- Post n°39
Re: PvP is ruined
The Letter X wrote:Also, lextune, are you running into more hackers when invading or hosting?
Tough to say. So it is probably 50/50.
Spent an hour in the Township last night and saw zero hackers though, only about 10 fights but still....
....maybe I just had an incredibly bad run of luck the two previous nights.....?
Kiva the wanderer- Caffeinated
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- Post n°40
Re: PvP is ruined
lextune wrote:The Letter X wrote:Also, lextune, are you running into more hackers when invading or hosting?
Tough to say. So it is probably 50/50.
Spent an hour in the Township last night and saw zero hackers though, only about 10 fights but still....
....maybe I just had an incredibly bad run of luck the two previous nights.....?
BRING IT ON MODDERS! But seriously its going to take more than an army of modders to make me stop PvPing in DkS.
xRamenatorx- Addicted
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- Post n°41
Re: PvP is ruined
lextune wrote:WhatDoesThePendantDo? wrote:BTW, do you avoid the hackers you run into over Live, I can't guarantee it'll work, but who knows? Maybe it'll help somewhat.
I have tried that. I invaded a gank squad a few days ago and know that one of them was hacking, so I "avoided" all three of them through XBL. Not even 10 minutes later I invaded them again, so I don't think it has much of an affect, if any.
Avoiding a olayer does have an affect. Players i used to see all the time that ive avoided, and that have avoided me, i rarely see anymire. Your problem was that while you did avoid them you never reloaded the game so you were still on the same server. From what i understand avoiding someone lowers the chance of being on the same server.
Latitoast- Chosen Undead
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- Post n°42
Re: PvP is ruined
Yeah there's a guy standing in the Township naked with the DSS, unlimited health, and some weird hacked Wrath of the Gods.
It certainly isn't fun when I have to leave a world every couple of invasions because "Invaded the world of _____ the guilty" pops up.
It certainly isn't fun when I have to leave a world every couple of invasions because "Invaded the world of _____ the guilty" pops up.
Soris Ice Goldwing- Lordvessel
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- Post n°43
Re: PvP is ruined
I'm telling you how on earth is hacking in this game fun?
Infighter- Obsessed
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- Post n°44
Re: PvP is ruined
Soris Ice Goldwing wrote:I'm telling you how on earth is hacking in this game fun?
To get the advantage, why do people hack games? Because they get salty about something or someone who they can't beat, or they have miserable lives, lol
Soris Ice Goldwing- Lordvessel
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- Post n°45
Re: PvP is ruined
An advantage in a game that requires skill? I said it again and I will say it again: This is not COD or any shooter, winning and bragging is not important in this game. The only advantage a player of this game has is the chance that the build he/she created reflects how they play and hope that it makes them the winner of a fight. There is enough stuff in the game that can give someone a big advantage over others. How much more does a person need?
Phoenix Rising- Caffeinated
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- Post n°46
Re: PvP is ruined
Ran into a few hackers the other day. One of which was ridiculously bad. Hacked Ornsteins armor and impossibly high HP. I parried him twice and BSed him once. Then he popped a mushroom.
On a second occasion I got TWoD'ed....that was quite fun too.
On a second occasion I got TWoD'ed....that was quite fun too.
AnCapaillMor- Insomniac
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- Post n°47
Re: PvP is ruined
Bumped into my first Xbox hacker after only a few hours play, SL12 at sens a red invades, he's wearing full elite with bloodshield and kellogs furry sword and moving pretty nimbly then proceeds to caste twop, pursuers and wog, managed to dodge them but kellog wiped me out.
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