Improved matchmaking by connecting to friends by targeting them via their Steam64 ID.
Permissions and credits
Author's instructions
File credits
Created by Wulf2k with help from Chronia and Jellybaby44.
Donation Points system
This mod is not opted-in to receive Donation Points
Changelogs
Version 1.2
Fixed issue where channel was sometimes stuck on 0, due to not finding DARKSOULS.exe under certain conditions.
Added Named Nodes feature, which shows actual Steam Usernames in the Node Drawing display.
Added Expand feature, which lists Soul Levels, In-Game Locations, and Phantom/ Body types of connected players.
Version 1.1
Added hotkey support for toggling Node display - Ctrl-1
Reconnect button re-attaches DSCM to DARKSOULS.exe if it disconnects/ didn't find it.
Source code added to github and linked in readme file
Dark Souls, without modification, has a pervasive issue with its online functionality. The game often fails to find connections (nodes) with other players, which can require restarting the game, playing around with changing download regions, and waiting 10+ minutes after restarting the game to see IF the problem is fixed.
DSCM fixes the broken matchmaking by facilitating connections via DSCM-net. This network runs in parallel with the general public, meaning players who use this mod are not segregated from players who aren't. It is possible to find and pair with specific friends more easily with DSCM, but by default it will fill your connections with random players. Just like normal Dark Souls, if the online worked better.
There are also other neat features with regards to how DSCM builds up your connections. With a normal maximum of 20 connections at a time, vanilla Dark Souls may just fill these connections with whomever it can find. With DSCM, it'll take into consideration your area, covenant, and level range to try to match you with players who you'll have a better chance of being able to summon or invade.
Check the readme page here on the Nexus for more information, or the "help" tab within DSCM. DSCM requires .NET Framework 4.5
Note that DSCM doesn't affect normal matchmaking mechanics. All invading & summoning works the same as before. What DSCM does is gather a list of potential people to match you with, in a way that the base game often fails to do.