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Fan Mission: Ulysses: Genesis by Sotha (2014/07/24)


Sotha

Rate Ulysses: Genesis  

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  1. 1. Gameplay: Enjoyment. Fun duration. Smooth flow, ect. Versus Bugs. Frustration, Boredom, framelag

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  2. 2. Appearance: Visual pleasure, lighting, visual style, deduct bad texturing etc.

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  3. 3. Story & Text: Story. Text. Briefing. Graphic storytelling

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I had similar funny issue. I had knocked out one of the targets early on before I knew he was a target and then spent the last part of the mission searching for this "final target" before coming to the conclusion that I could have possibly knocked him out earlier. I went to my body storage area and searched and turned the bodies into corpses and then I got the objective complete marker.

 

More comments coming soon. I have to organize my thoughts.

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks for another great mission, Sotha. Any time I see your name on an FM I know that it will be of high quality.

 

 

Please don't make warnings for your traps more obvious. The desk is fine the way it is, in my opinion. The note on the desk was quite clear, especially considering it was right next to a (barely) hidden switch.

 

 

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Metal Age vibe is very strong in this mission - for me, this is a very good thing. Definitely one of the best missions I played.

 

 

Automatons definitely deserve to be used more frequently - they present an unique challenge. They are a long-range version of a lamp-carrying guard, which makes hiding in front of them almost impossible.

 

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cool mission

 

 

but its a shame i dont know how mines work... never used them in all thief or tdm games ^^

if i drop them on the ground, everybody walks over them, not triggering them... (neither upside down nor the correct way... is there a trick? ;)

 

 

You need to use them rather than drop them

 

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At first as the map was loading, I thought starting locked in a cell was a bad idea. I expected the

usual idea, trap door in floor, or a lockpick found in cell (bad choices cause if u had it why not

get out earlier lol). However on loading, I realised none of those were true, and took me a min

to realise the way out. Only sticking point was the bars pointing inwards. I see why you did them,

but if u don't get the

Jump just right

then it will hang then fall again.

 

Everything else was excellent. Thought I'd made a mistake with the Capt, as I KO'd him with

gas mine before realising who he was. Arrows fixed him nicely lol.

 

Really liked the machine guys. Nice idea, are they in game, or did you create them?

I have an eclectic YouTube channel making videos on a variety of games. Come and have look here:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NeonsStyleHD

 

Dark Mod Missions: Briarwood Manor - available here or in game

http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/18980-fan-mission-briarwood-manor-by-neonsstyle-first-mission-6082017-update-16/

 

 

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Thanks for playing!

 

Really liked the machine guys. Nice idea, are they in game, or did you create them?

 

Yes, they were my creation for this mission. They are not in the core mod. Anyone can add the the entity to their maps by copying the entitydefs from the ulysses .pk4.

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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Now this was something! I did not play TDM over most of the Summer, but today, it was just the right time. Never thought we'd release two assassination missions in close succession. :laugh:

 

The environments are very nicely detailed, and it is certainly possible to see where the modular building technique you use can be very "cost-efficient". Hopefully newbies will discover this possibility and use it to make new missions.The gameplay and the new opponents - who should be included in a later TDM version - presented interesting challenges too, although a few locations in the mission had so heavy traffic that it felt like a matter of luck sneaking through. Nothing too severe, though. The clues and readables were very sensible (and creepy), and the variety of equipment was just appropriate.

 

So, good job, and hopefully we will see more from you yet. :)

Come the time of peril, did the ground gape, and did the dead rest unquiet 'gainst us. Our bands of iron and hammers of stone prevailed not, and some did doubt the Builder's plan. But the seals held strong, and the few did triumph, and the doubters were lain into the foundations of the new sanctum. -- Collected letters of the Smith-in-Exile, Civitas Approved

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  • 2 months later...

It's been awhile since I was able to use mines and rope arrows in a mission. That was a lot of fun. I like how you handled the restrictions in the hard setting - it still allows you to have fun, but keeps it challenging (kill only your targets, only 3 knockouts allowed, no harm to civilians). It was an interesting map too with the varied areas - there was never a dull moment.

I spent a lot of time trying to enter the manor from outside through the main entrance, but it didn't seem possible on the hardest setting.

I finally backtracked after giving up and discovered you are able to enter the manor quite easily from the inside. I had forgotten that the spiral staircase leading up from the lab went to a 3rd floor.

I also liked how quickly the AI would notice my rope arrow - you had to use it quickly - no hanging around. That added a bit of realism.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I just finished playing this. Wow... absolutely awesome mission, bravo! This does almost everything perfect: Progressive gameplay, a great theme, and the story is also pretty good for such a short mission.

 

 

The first thing that came as a positive shock was seeing the cyborg troopers, if calling them such is appropriate. I did not expect to see steampunk augmented soldiers in a TDM mission, but this made it happen! Is the model and NPC definition included in TDM, or only provided with the mission? It would be wonderful if the team could agree to include them if not... many fantasist missions could use those characters, and even I'm thinking about it (if this is alright).

 

The next thing I loved was the progressiveness, and that you start from the ground up: You escape as a prisoner, with no items whatsoever. It's your job to find find the lockpicks / sword / blackjack / arrows. Another thing I liked is that by having several assassinations as primary objectives, this puts TDM's combat system a bit into focus... I'm a fan of missions that empathize stealth but also require some combat here and there. The key-code on the safe is also a nice touch, I like keypads with secret codes.

 

The objectives are nicely divided... with the exception that killing the robots and burning the schematic should have probably been separate objectives, to keep track of them more easily. The gameplay is otherwise much harder than the average TDM mission, although not in an annoying way so I can't complain. I also loved the fact that there was a video intro, but was disappointed that (like almost all missions) this did not have an outro and you go directly to the end mission screen.

 

The level design is of great quality, and I also like how the map is divided into a few different themes: The crazy scientist basement at the bottom, several prestigious rooms at the upper floors, and a large open garden outside. I've been looking for missions that take place in a more recent era, and make extensive use of electricity and modern concepts. The story isn't too fancy, but for a mission of this length it's more than comprehensive! You find journals from several characters, and there are even story related dialogues between NPC's.

 

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Thanks for playing! I'm glad you like it.

 

 

 

The automata are a mission asset. It is simply a reskinned builder guard with some props attached and a new vocal set.

 

It is a mission asset, but uses mostly core TDM assets, except the steam backpack is a model i made in DR. Anyone could add it to their mission if they copied the entitydef and associated files from my mission.

 

I don't think the automata is polished enough to go to the core. Add a unique model, robotic anims and a vocal set similar to Karras' creations, and then I think it would be ready.

 

I wholeheartedly agree about the assassination part. There are a lot of great mechanics in TDM that people rarely explore because fighting or killing is generally avoided.

 

There is Ulysses 2 in the works, and the series missions will be all assassination jobs to offer more TDM missions of this genre.

 

 

  • Like 2

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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So a text file with the entity definition is all that's needed to get the characters working in another mission? I wasn't sure if custom models are involved, but if it's only the backpack that's probably fine. If character creation is so flexible without having to edit and re-export every 3D model involved, I may even improve a bit on the concept or make my own!

 

And I'll gladly wait for part 2! You're certainly good at mission making, and it will surely be very fun any interesting :D

 

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So a text file with the entity definition is all that's needed to get the characters working in another mission? I wasn't sure if custom models are involved, but if it's only the backpack that's probably fine. If character creation is so flexible without having to edit and re-export every 3D model involved, I may even improve a bit on the concept or make my own!

 

And I'll gladly wait for part 2! You're certainly good at mission making, and it will surely be very fun any interesting :D

 

 

 

 

Well, not really a single file.

 

If you examine the .pk4 for the mission, you will need

def/steampunk_automaton.def

def/steampunk_automaton_vocals.def

models/darkmod/prison/steampunk_automaton_backpack.ase

models/darkmod/prison/steampunk_automaton_lightbeam.ase

skins/steampunk_automaton.skin

particles/tobacco_smoke.prt

sound/tdm_ai_steampunk_automaton.sndshd

sound/sfx/automaton/(all sound files from here. Not all are mine, they have been taken from freesound.org and the authors need to be credited if you reuse them.)

 

Making custom characters is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Simple skin swapping and prop attachment gets you really far.

 

Oh, and if you like my missions, feel free to examine the Thomas Porter series while you wait for U2.

http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Fan_Missions_for_The_Dark_Mod

(See the series column for Thomas Porter.)

 

 

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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Well, not really a single file.

 

If you examine the .pk4 for the mission, you will need

def/steampunk_automaton.def

def/steampunk_automaton_vocals.def

models/darkmod/prison/steampunk_automaton_backpack.ase

models/darkmod/prison/steampunk_automaton_lightbeam.ase

skins/steampunk_automaton.skin

particles/tobacco_smoke.prt

sound/tdm_ai_steampunk_automaton.sndshd

sound/sfx/automaton/(all sound files from here. Not all are mine, they have been taken from freesound.org and the authors need to be credited if you reuse them.)

 

Making custom characters is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Simple skin swapping and prop attachment gets you really far.

 

Oh, and if you like my missions, feel free to examine the Thomas Porter series while you wait for U2.

http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Fan_Missions_for_The_Dark_Mod

(See the series column for Thomas Porter.)

 

 

 

Thanks, that's helpful to know. ase is a lightweight model format, and I remember it's native to Radiant, so these are very flexible definitions.

 

I shall check out Thomas Porter as well, thanks for the heads up.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Either this is a version 2.03-bug or I misunderstood the objectives.

 

 

I don't manage to get the objective 'Find out who to kill' checked. Is there a special readable that tells me the people that have to be killed, which - after I read it - checks this objective and tells me in the objectives, which persons need to be killed? I assume not.

 

So far, I killed three people: The scientist in the lab, the nobleman, and the captain. Is there a fourth? Killing anybody else (except destroying the automatons) results in 'mission lost' since I am playing on the highest difficulty level.

 

I also burned the plans for the automatons, not sure, if this is important.

 

I guess to end the mission, I have to walk to the front gate outside (can't go through it because the map ends there). But since the above objective is not checked, I can't trigger the mission's end.

 

 

Any help is much appreciated.

 

Apart from that: Great mission design, Sotha!

 

 

I also liked the trapped desk, not too harsh in my opinion. Like you said, there is a warning stuck on it. Traps that are too obvious are boring.

 

 

Edited by MjT
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Reading the book should check off the 'find who' objective and give 3 x 'kill' objectives.

If it does happen, all is ok. If it does not happen, something is broken. Does it or does it not? Can some else confirm?

  • Like 1

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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First of all, thanks for the super fast reply.

 

 

 

At first (until now) I thought that the book in the desk was only decoration. I didn't manage to pick it up when I was in that room the first time. I guess I didnt try often enough / got the desk lid instead or slipped while right-clicking and thought that it is a static object. And/or I was in a hurry because I heard an automaton approaching and then forgot about it.

I even revisited the room, the desk in particular, later on and still didnt realise that this was a readable. It's weird how sometimes you don't see the most obvious things...

 

tl,dr: my bad, sorry.

 

 

 

Thanks for the fun mission, I really enjoyed it!

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Nice mission. Enjoyed it to the end.

Loved the scripted events and the reference to Thief 2 robots. Very skillfuly done!

"I really perceive that vanity about which most men merely prate — the vanity of the human or temporal life. I live continually in a reverie of the future. I have no faith in human perfectibility. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active — not more happy — nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago. The result will never vary — and to suppose that it will, is to suppose that the foregone man has lived in vain — that the foregone time is but the rudiment of the future — that the myriads who have perished have not been upon equal footing with ourselves — nor are we with our posterity. I cannot agree to lose sight of man the individual, in man the mass."...

- 2 July 1844 letter to James Russell Lowell from Edgar Allan Poe.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

So far I'm loving this! but I ran unto a game breaking bug:

 

 

 

Identify and eliminate Beaumont. Identifying him was easy. He had a conversation with Edward and they agreed to meet at the study to discuss further. Very well, I managed to go to the second floor and was surprised to find Edward up there alone, I thought he was going to have a conversation with Beaumont. Anyway, I killed Edward and started looking for Beaumont. After 15 minutes of frustration I decided to cheat and used the command console to find every AI in the map. So I went killing every single one of them and no sign of my target anywhere. He completely disappeared.

 

And BTW, I kinda agree with the criticism against the trap. The reason I fell for it is because the note on it wasn't frobbable (the desk behind it wouldn't let me) and I had but a couple of a second to inspect everything while the room was empty. It felt a little cheap but I admit that if the note had functioned normally it would be all right.

 

 

 

 

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Weird thing this Beaumont disappearance. It has not been reported before. Can you repeat it, possibly follow them with noclip/notarget and see where B disappears? Perhaps a navigation issue that has emerged with the new TDM version?

 

I agree with the trap. I played some other mission, which had a deadly trap and I realize they never should be insta-kill. Maiming, yes. Making a lot of noise, yes, but insta-killing traps... they are just wrong. We gotta make mistakes to learn, right?

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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Weird thing this Beaumont disappearance. It has not been reported before. Can you repeat it, possibly follow them with noclip/notarget and see where B disappears? Perhaps a navigation issue that has emerged with the new TDM version?

 

I agree with the trap. I played some other mission, which had a deadly trap and I realize they never should be insta-kill. Maiming, yes. Making a lot of noise, yes, but insta-killing traps... they are just wrong. We gotta make mistakes to learn, right?

Figured out what happened! Here's how you reproduce it

 

 

put a dead or unconscious body in the captain's bed and wait for him to find it. Once he's on an alerted state he will try to sit on his chair and will be stuck on a sitting animation (this only happens if he's alerted) that causes him to slowly displace himself inside the wall. Once he reaches the furnace on the other room he will switch his sitting animation to a different kind of sitting (without rotating) and he will start "rowing" back to where he came from. Then he passes his chair and continues in the other direction until he reaches the void and fall to oblivion.

 

 

 

So there you go :)

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