Skyrim Mod: A Story of Ash
Download on the Steam Workshop (requires Skyrim)
A story of Ash is a dungeon and quest mod for Skyrim. I wanted to create a short narrative experience. The player can stumble upon the location or enter it via quest from Malven Alen, a Dunmer migrating from Morrowind. I personally voiced acted this character and I took careful strides to replicate the sound of the Dunmer from that particular game.
My goals with this project were to show my ability to adapt to a game system and learn its tools as well as the strides I can take to replicate the feel of the game. This project was a one week long and was stressful but worth pushing myself to complete it.
Tools Used
Creation Kit, Photoshop, Audacity, Evernote
What did I Do?
I focused on level/narrative design
Used the creation kit mod tool and various outside tools to package dialogue to solve packaging errors in the engine
Built the dungeon based on established guidelines for caves and mines to fit within the specific district
Provided a golden path with several alternate paths to compliment different play-styles
Managed the placement of all items, traps, and NPCs to provide combat opportunities as well as challenges and rewards
Encouraged exploration with clues and hidden locations for replay and narrative value
Used lights to guide the players eye and convey important areas within the space (as well as danger)
Created custom NPC, quest, and dialogue to provide a hook for the player to head into the cave
Voice acted the part of the NPC because I can reproduce the Dunmer sound and for the challenge
Re-purposed tripwires into a puzzle that required ranged activation to re-purpose tools in an efficient way
Placed items to convey possible actions such as a bow and arrows before a puzzle that could make use of them
Hand-crafted environmental storytelling pieces accompanied with journal to tell a secondary story and provide insight if players discover the mine before the quest
