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+---- Thread: Demon's Souls: Unused Tutorial level/variant (/thread-2704.html)
Demon's Souls: Unused Tutorial level/variant - G-Haven - 08-12-2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGcKHwYQdWc - Video/tour of the Tutorial Level that was not used.
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=4m47s - The version of the tutorial level that was used in the final game.
http://illusorywall.tumblr.com/post/124040552694/demons-souls-alternate-tutorial-prototype
(This is a big one, apparently.)
---
An early prototype of the tutorial level is still on the disc and can be accessed via hacking tools. It is essentially the same level as the one in the final version, but with various changes made:
[*]There are 4 crates positioned at the beginning of the level which the player must climb over to proceed, essentially introducing the climbing mechanic right away. The final version of the game removes them.
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=16s
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=5m20s
[*]There are no developer messages which go over the controls for the game. This was likely a later feature in the development of the level.
[*]An absence of the "developer phantoms", which were used to help guide the player in the right direction, typically in dark rooms.
[*] Depraved Ones, which are normally found in World 5 (Valley of Defilement), were used in place of the Dreglings found in the final version.
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=19s
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=5m23s
[*]Two freshly-dead soldiers with the Examine Remains prompt on them is found early on. The soldiers themselves glow brightly, which seems to be a visual effect that was previously used to indicate a body would have items on them for the taking. In the final version, the effect used for obtainable objects on bodies is a glowing orb above said body, and the soldiers previously found there are absent in the final version.
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=28s
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=5m50s
[*]There are unused corpse-models slumped over, with them basically being nothing but bones with clothing/armor still on. A few of these are replaced with bodies wearing full-plate armor in the final version.
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=59s
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=7m26s
[*]The player had to originally climb over the waist-high wall on the bridge to get to the next area. In the final version, a wall is collapsed with a corpse-model hanging off the edge of it. The body has a visible object (Three Crescent Moon Grasses) hovering over it, likely to help players learn about dropping down to other levels and using healing items to offset damage taken from it.
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=1m9s
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=7m39s
[*]The Archstone found under the gazebo in the final version is absent in the previous version. Instead, the gate blocking the door near it is absent and the player could walk through it, into the next area. Interestingly, it still uses the Archstone teleportation effect when the player is loaded into the next area, even though they are simply walking into a different map. The player could also walk back out to the previous map, where as they would normally be locked out upon arriving to the next area.
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=1m20s
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=10m34s
[*]An NPC wearing the Hunter's armor is present in the second area, who has a Talk prompt on them. However, there appear to be no voice clips associated with him nor any dialogue. He is absent in the final version.
There is also a knight behind him, who could have been a potential enemy that the Hunter NPC could have been planned fighting off and be saved by the player. The Knight is replaced with a normal soldier in the final version.
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=2m9s
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=11m
[*]Where there are normally two Blue-eyed Knights to fight, they are not present in the previous build. What is present, however, is a script that involved the roof above the player collapsing/exploding, which they likely had to dodge or wait and observe the room, in a possible attempt to teach them to not run blindly into rooms.
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=3m17s
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=12m18s
[*]An invisible (likely due to unloaded/absent textures) ladder next to the boiling cauldron, which would have took the player to the upper platform. It is absent in the final version, likely because it served no real purpose and taking the stairway up was faster.
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=3m56s
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=13m58s
[*]The closed gate with a body placed next to it, found to the right side after passing through the fog gate, was originally opened up. One of the pathways lead took the player back down to a drop-off into where the first Blue-eye Knight would be found. It was likely closed off as it likely wound up serving no purpose.
The other pathway lead outside, to an area with another closed gate at the end, but with no means to open it. Despite this, the area beyond that gate leads to a stairways down to a lever that opens up the gate found right at the beginning, which would have introduced the player to the concept of unlocking shortcuts.
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=15m48s
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=4m22s
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=6m41s
[*]To the left of the fog gate, the pathway ahead uses another roof-collapse script that is absent in the final game. In the final version, the roof is already collapsed.
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=6m12s
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=16m1s
[*] The Archstone that appears in the boss-room after defeating the Vanguard demon is absent in the previous build. Instead, it is another walkable pathway that lead down to the Dragon God Shrine area. The player could also walk back between the two areas.
The Dragon God that normally kills the player is absent, likely meaning this version either didn't have that in mind or they had not gotten around to adding it at that point.
https://youtu.be/DGcKHwYQdWc?t=8m20s
https://youtu.be/KfbhDut_yMI?t=18m10s