Next video subject! And figuring out how to break it down. (Patreon)

With the servers still offline until some unknown time after the release of Elden Ring, I decided to switch gears. I've been wanting to do a video about how multiplayer was timed in Dark Souls 2, and how killing enemies reduced the amount of time a summoned shade can spend in the host's world. I don't think anyone has ever gone through and figured out how much negative time each enemy is worth, so it could be interesting figuring all of that out. Maybe there's some weird outliers? Who knows! I'm hoping that the servers will be fixed not too long after the release of Elden Ring. But by that point, it might get bumped down the priority list a little.

What I am working on now instead is a follow up to "How the Gutter Got Gutted!" This time it'll be an exploration of the Iron Keep's prototype map.

There's a lot of weird stuff in here. And by weird, I mean it actually makes a lot of thematic sense.

It's not totally unexplored content by any means. Years back I posted a few screenshots to my (now defunct) tumblr, and sanadsk also made a video on it. However, I think it's worth re-examining with a bit more depth.

Like I did with the video about The Gutter, my goal is to have it so that the viewer will have a really solid understanding of everything that was different about the prototype map, and a clear 3D picture in their head of the layout. Mind you, it's a completely different level than the final Iron Keep, not just something with minor differences.

But even though I knew I was going to talk about this eventually, I didn't have a complete mental image in my head of what the area looked like exactly. The tricky part about exploring a prototype map like this is that it's not totally complete. There are lots of dead ends and missing segments of map. And on top of that, there's so many different entrances, little maze-like areas, that it's hard to even know where to begin. What actually even was the entrance to this level? (it doesn't have any of those Japanese notes floating in the air, sadly)

So I systematically went through every single room, noted where every single exit leads, where every forking path takes you, etc. I also took extensive screenshots and basically ran a rough draft of the tour by Moonlight Ruin, to get a second set of eyes on this stuff (turns out I missed an unused room with a bonfire that wasn't loading for me! Kind of important).

With that completed, I now feel totally prepared to be a tour guide for the prototype Iron Keep, and I'll be working on the actual script over the next couple days. I'm kind of glad the servers being offline helped nudge me in this direction anyways, it's about time for another cut content episode.