Anyone else feel like Ash Lake is unfinished?

[Quadsword]

Like there was a bunch of content planned for this area that just got cut from the final game? Ash Lake has always been a strange area for me. It's gorgeous to look and has a haunting soundtrack, but there's almost nothing to it.

The only points of interest are the hydra and the path of the dragon covenant. You can't even invade people in this area which is so disappointing. How cool would it be to have duels with Ash Lake as the backdrop?

[Melth]

I think that that is very likely. There are many unfinished areas in the game.

I'm kind of sad that the remaster didn't work on any of those. If I were one of the original developers, I know I would have wanted to take the second opportunity to fully realize the original project

[ɮɛǟ ♛]

I never got the feeling that it was unfinished to be honest, it is one of my favorite and most impactful areas, both for the scenery and music. I think that the "emptiness" it has makes sense lore-wise and helps adding to the feeling of awe and fear it creates.

[achilleas_demetriou]

what if there was a mod whose sole purpose is to make this game feel more complete?

[Lord Bob]

Originally posted by Melth:

I'm kind of sad that the remaster didn't work on any of those. If I were one of the original developers, I know I would have wanted to take the second opportunity to fully realize the original project

I absolutely agree. The remaster was exactly just that: a polished version of the original game that that could have been a lot more, if only someone would have taken care of it.

Originally posted by ɮɛǟ ♛:

I never got the feeling that it was unfinished to be honest, it is one of my favorite and most impactful areas, both for the scenery and music. I think that the "emptiness" it has makes sense lore-wise and helps adding to the feeling of awe and fear it creates.

Very nicely put. It felt the same to me.

Originally posted by achilleas_demetriou:

what if there was a mod whose sole purpose is to make this game feel more complete?

I wish, especially if the mod used actually cut content and tried stringing it together in an elegenant way with the content already present.

[strike478]

Originally posted by Quadsword:

Like there was a bunch of content planned for this area that just got cut from the final game? Ash Lake has always been a strange area for me. It's gorgeous to look and has a haunting soundtrack, but there's almost nothing to it.

The only points of interest are the hydra and the path of the dragon covenant. You can't even invade people in this area which is so disappointing. How cool would it be to have duels with Ash Lake as the backdrop?

I feel like Ash Lake were designed that waqy. Long walk through haunting and partially empty place. I feel like DS2 and 3 has more unfinished content. Also lets not forget Bloodborne.

[Apathy]

Ash Lake is barren because it's where life first sprang into being and the world is now dying. The implication is that nothing new is being born in the Ash Lake, and hasn't for quite some time.

Now there are some unfinished areas such as Lost Izaleth and the Painted World, but Ash Lake isn't unfinished imo. It's barren by design.

[ɮɛǟ ♛]

Originally posted by Apathy:

Ash Lake is barren because it's where life first sprang into being and the world is now dying. The implication is that nothing new is being born in the Ash Lake, and hasn't for quite some time.

Now there are some unfinished areas such as Lost Izaleth and the Painted World, but Ash Lake isn't unfinished imo. It's barren by design.

Painted World actually IS finished, it was the first level they designed, but long before they decided what to do with it-Priscilla was supposed to be the main heroine of the story and at Firelink Shrine, she was added there after they decided to change stuff(probably because of time restraints)

[Apathy]

Originally posted by ɮɛǟ ♛:

Originally posted by Apathy:

Ash Lake is barren because it's where life first sprang into being and the world is now dying. The implication is that nothing new is being born in the Ash Lake, and hasn't for quite some time.

Now there are some unfinished areas such as Lost Izaleth and the Painted World, but Ash Lake isn't unfinished imo. It's barren by design.

Painted World actually IS finished, it was the first level they designed, but long before they decided what to do with it-Priscilla was supposed to be the main heroine of the story and at Firelink Shrine, she was added there after they decided to change stuff(probably because of time restraints)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qcHrzK9bro

Priscilla isn't the only thing I'm talking about. There's also a Black Eye Orb quest line regarding Shiva of the East in the Painted World.

Priscilla herself was originally supposed to be able to be rescued from the Painted World and taken to Firelink like other NPCs. She has sitting animations and several attacks that were removed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3c7vYH0N_8

The Ring of Condemnation was originally awarded to those who entered a Covenant with Velka, Goddess of Sin. Both it and her Covenant are cut content. Given that the Painted World is where you find the other Velka related items it's most likely where the Covenant would have been located.

http://darksouls.wikidot.com/unused-content

So the Painted World isn't really that complete. It has tons of cut content in it. Not to mention the fact that the entire place is an homage to Demon's Souls. The Painted World, much like most of the rest of the game, fell victim to the game's time restraints.

[ɮɛǟ ♛]

Originally posted by Apathy:

Originally posted by ɮɛǟ ♛:

Painted World actually IS finished, it was the first level they designed, but long before they decided what to do with it-Priscilla was supposed to be the main heroine of the story and at Firelink Shrine, she was added there after they decided to change stuff(probably because of time restraints)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qcHrzK9bro

Priscilla isn't the only thing I'm talking about. There's also a Black Eye Orb quest line regarding Shiva of the East in the Painted World.

Priscilla herself was originally supposed to be able to be rescued from the Painted World and taken to Firelink like other NPCs. She has sitting animations and several attacks that were removed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3c7vYH0N_8

The Ring of Condemnation was originally awarded to those who entered a Covenant with Velka, Goddess of Sin. Both it and her Covenant are cut content. Given that the Painted World is where you find the other Velka related items it's most likely where the Covenant would have been located.

http://darksouls.wikidot.com/unused-content

So the Painted World isn't really that complete. It has tons of cut content in it. Not to mention the fact that the entire place is an homage to Demon's Souls. The Painted World, much like most of the rest of the game, fell victim to the game's time restraints.

I knew most of these stuff, i do not really see the "saving Priscilla" from there, Miyazaki mentioned on a design works interview that she was supposed to be at Firelink from the start. A big shame they scrapped a lot of good ideas they had. Maybe someday they will do a proper and worthy remake.

[Apathy]

There's rumors that the Painted World was supposed to be the tutorial area and you'd be deported to the Asylum and have to get back to Anor Londo. It's mostly because the Painted World is filled with references to Demon's Souls and in canon is a prison in which they locked abominations into. Don't know how true it is but it would fit honestly. If nothing else it's good fodder for modders to make a campaign. I didn't get far enough into Daughters of Ash or the other mods to see what they did with Priscilla.

[ɮɛǟ ♛]

Interesting stuff. I should give Daughters of Ash a go some time.