Fan Mission 48: A Score to Settle, by Springheel (2011/07/01)

[Flanders]

I'm pretty sure they were yours (otherwise I credited the wrong person in the info text!) but I'd have to go back and check.

 

I'm pretty sure as well, but I doubt I ever made them available as prefabs.

[pusianka]

Played it yesterday and finished without any troubles, I just had to reload once because I threw

Sykes into the privy

but the objective didn't untick. I did that after reload and this time it worked. Mission was outstanding! Probably the best so far. This was comparable to original thief missions. Congrats!

[lost_soul]

I really am surprised at how well these newer missions perform on old hardware. Whilst missions like NHAT 2 and 3 bring an old P4 with 1.7 gigs of RAM and a gf7600gs to its knees, missions like A Score to Settle and Return to the City V2 run almost flawlessly. If any of you low-enders are reading this who were barely able to play some of the earlier missions, give these new ones a try. I guess the mappers are really getting good at taking advantage of the technology.

[Shadowhide]

This was comparable to original thief missions. Congrats!

 

which you have not played?

 

 

[RPGista]

Got my hands on Dark Mods two days ago, was playing with the tutorial ever since, what a fantastic mod... This is the first mission I chose to play, and I will have to join everyone in saying this is surely one of the best gaming times I ever had.

 

I was specially impressed by the architecture, the city looks amazing in all it's degradation, density, sounds and very believeable urban form (full with darkalleys, varied and logical buildings, and overall very nice sense of scale). The possibilites given by the city, different paths and levels, or for going off-mission and entering people's houses, were in the perfect amount. Playing it slowly, and even though it's actually small, the city feels complex and diverse, that's a great feat in itself.

 

Gameplay wise, it also plays wonderfully, there are many tough nuts to crack, situations that took a long time for me to understand and get past. But above everything was the storyline, which is simple, but takes a shocking turn when you get to know more and more about the

villan, and you discover what hes been doing to people, it was one of the only times in recent memory I found myself actually caring for the characters in game (in hating them that is - (spoiler) it is REALLY a shame you are not allowed to kill the guy and make him pay, or at least take it out on the gang members,

you gotta remember the thief is not a hero, he is just tweaking the situation to his own advantage).

 

Again, spatially the map works wonderfully, everything feels right, the proportions, the building has all the expected functional areas, and this believability just added a LOT to the immersion for me.

 

Voted for near perfect in all departments, thanks a lot for this, can't wait to check all the missions, this mod and community are amazing.

[Springheel]

Well thanks very much, that's very nice to hear.

[ithel]

I took a break from brushing and played this marvelous mission. I very much admire the feel of it, there is such attention to detail.

 

Some non-spoilerish things that spring to mind that I really liked:

- the gutter down the center of the street

- the convoluted maze of streets

- the multiple ways not only into the hideout but to reach different floors

- the overheard conversations....they make the story come alive. The voice actors are simply amazing, very professional. The conversation in the bar near the beginning had better voice-acting than the Thief games, without question, and the language was far grittier and realistic to this setting.

 

One frightening moment had me dangling from a chain with a patrol inches away, mildly alerted. I was about to hit the old f12 when he decided it was nothing and left the area.

 

I'm one who found Sykes before finding Gridley. I didn't realize for awhile that the building I had entered was the same as the building guarded by a drunk and a couple other guards. I found it via jumping onto a small wall at the end of an alley. Once I reached Sykes, I felt I lacked the right equipment to take him on, so I left and explored the rest of the map, hoping to find more stuff. When I saw the sign for a particular street, I then remembered I was to have gone there first, heh.

 

I wasn't propositioned, as I don't think she ever saw me (just as well, I'm happily married anyway, heh). Regarding carrots, nope, he didn't enter the kitchen.

I did find the way into the attic without trouble. I did manage to understand a certain journal entry so as to avoid puncturing my face with nails.

I did want very badly to swing down from a certain high place with the big winch I found there. I did just about jump out of my seat as I turned a corner of what I thought were the

empty streets I had left and found an excited dude bearing down on me with torch and sword and a wild look in his eyes.

I did take the admonition to kill no more than two as a directive to kill two....and I did accidentally overwrite the save I'd done so that I could redo that area without killing them... so I had to live with it, alas. I did also put arrows in two other people I found, just to make sure they weren't suffering. I longed for a rope arrow, yes I did.

 

Like Melan, you set a very high bar. Thank you for a great story and a fun gaming experience.

[Springheel]

Like Melan, you set a very high bar. Thank you for a great story and a fun gaming experience.

 

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the lengthy description...I love hearing about specific things that happened to people during their play.

 

the overheard conversations....they make the story come alive. The voice actors are simply amazing, very professional.

 

The voice actors were Bikerdude and Ocn and also one of the original actors who did the Thug vocals (a friend of Goldcochobo's). (I actually got the thug part of that dialogue two years before getting the other parts)

[ithel]

Sorry about the lack of spoiler code. I don't remember how to do that.

[Springheel]

No worries (it's under "other styles"...not very intuitive).

[ithel]

Testing spoiler code:

 

 

Well, darn, that was easy!

 

 

Thanks, Springheel.

[ECHELON]

Spring, i'm finishing now the translation and i want to ask you one thing.

 

The bridgeport population text, seems cut.

 

 

In Meona, with the same...

 

 

I'm wrong?

 

[Springheel]

Huh? I didn't actually use that text anywhere, did I?

 

I don't think this mission is a particularly good one to bother translating, as it has multiple English conversations and at least half a dozen images with writing on it, several of which are necessary for completing the mission. We'd need subtitle support before it could really be playable.

[Partol]

This mission does not dissapoint. Long, twisty city streets give a non-linear feeling.

Fun objective which does not involve the usual stealing or killing.

Impressive dialogue and story.

Several paths/routes to the same location.

cutscenes are nice (but low rez).

[fllood]

All said before... so I'll simply say...

 

:ph34r: :ph34r:

 

Where is the sequel??

[Springheel]

This mission does not dissapoint.

 

Thanks!

 

Where is the sequel??

 

Probably next summer at the rate I'm going now.

[fllood]

Probably next summer at the rate I'm going now.

sounds cool, at the rate you hugly contribute to the mod as well

[ocn]

Let me compliment you on one fine mission, Springheel. That was very atmospheric and a joy to play. A bit choppy on my system at places, and a nasty consistant bug as one of the guards ceased searching for me which crashed the game every time. Other than that- beautiful.

[Springheel]

Thanks! I'd like to bring Gridley back one day...hope you're still around.

[7upMan]

Spring, I just finished the mission. Not much to say except Excellent in every regard. However, the city was so huge that it could have used some more stuff to explore. Open windows and the like. I terribly missed the rope arrows. While I'm aware that roaming around tends to put finishing the objectives on hold, I immensely enjoy FMs that let the player explore freely. But this is complaining on a very high level, so pls disregard anything I'm saying.

[ocn]

Thanks! I'd like to bring Gridley back one day...hope you're still around.

 

I'd be happy to revisit that old geezer.

[Oldjim]

Playing on hardest I think I have got every bit of loot except for one piece outside the hideout judging by the show loot command but I haven't been able to find the skull ring.

 

I thought it would have been in the torture chamber but I haven't managed to find it and it doesn't appear to show up as loot

Despite not having finished it yet and I haven't killed anybody I have really enjoyed playing it

Edited November 21, 2011 by Oldjim

[Springheel]

About the ring.

 

mild spoiler:

 

Your hunch is right. 

 

 

full spoiler:

 

It's on the finger of a half-buried corpse in the torture room.

 

 

Glad you're enjoying it.

[Oldjim]

That took a bit of frobbing as it didn't show up.

Then sneaked out the back door and got back without the alarm being raised or to be more accurate without a load of men searching for me as I couldn't find a way of stopping someone shouting raise the alarm

Edited November 21, 2011 by Oldjim

[lost_soul]

Contains spoilers...

Here's a nice video playthrough with commentary.

 

Unfortunately I cannot understand most of it.