Existing Level Recreation - Ash Lake from Dark Souls 1 (complete)
I have completed the Existing Level Recreation assignment. Since my last blog post, I polished up the level, created my alteration, and completed my level maps.
As for the level maps, they were more time consuming that I initially thought. I think the main reasons for this are that I have never created a level map before and my level had a lot of organic elements. The organic dunes within my level made the map difficult because it was extremely difficult to color the differing elevations accurately. I think I spent too much time on this, because getting it as accurate as possible is not super important as long as the rough idea is there and the player understands what the map is trying to convey. However, I am very happy with my final maps, I think they are easy to understand and they are visually appealing (images below).
Original level:
Altered level:
For my alteration, I wanted to stay "true" to what Ash Lake represents in Dark Souls 1. Instead of being focused on exploration or combat, Ash Lake's strength is atmosphere, visuals, and story. Ash Lake is seemingly the only place untouched by the story events of Dark Souls 1. A place that still may have dragons (which were thought to be entirely wiped out). Ash Lake is unlike any other area in Dark Souls 1 both visually and mechanically. It exists in it's own world. The area is extremely hidden from the player, requiring finding two hidden paths, and then traversing an entire secret area before arriving there. While there are some enemies and mini-boss, the player is meant to walk and take in the surrealist landscape. I did not want to betray this aspect of the level, so my alteration changed the ending of the level to make it even more visually striking. Instead of walking into the giant tree to then find a dragon sitting on a perch, a giant log peeks up from the ground inviting the player to go inside. As they start walking, they start to see an orange glow, which sharply contrasts from the monochromatic blue that's present in the original Ash Lake level. Then, the player sees a bonfire peeking out from the bottom of the log. and then as the player keeps traveling down the log they see a giant pool of lava with a ginormous dragon skull sticking out of it. Despite the difference between a live dragon and dead dragon seeming large, it is actually insignificant to the story of Dark Souls 1. This world (Ash Lake) exists so separated from the main world and the player, that the things that occur there mean almost nothing. There being one dragon left or not does not matter, because it will die eventually. My alteration just shows that nothing, not even the alien world of Ash Lake, can escape the grasps of time. Which is also one of the core themes of the entire Dark Souls series.
Video walk-through of my level with commentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSzfQsfWMaI&t=1s
Final Images of original level:
Final images of altered level:
Video walk-through of Ash Lake in-game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJxeSbGs9JQ&t=120s
Screenshots of Ash Lake in-game:
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