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This thread is intended for discussing and reporting things about the new frob changes during beta. Most of the description below was already given in a previous thread. Bugtracker: #6658, #6668. New Frob Control Styles I have completely refactored the frob-handling code. Now, it is easy to setup different frob control styles. There are currently 3 (and a half), which you can try in 2.14 beta. Under "Settings > Gameplay > General > Hold Frob/Interact" (cvar tdm_frob_control_style), you can change the frob control style. This setting replaced the previous hold frob delay setting (tdm_holdfrob_delay), because I think that nobody would touch that value unless they want to disable the holdfrob mechanic, which can now be achieved by the new setting as well. The currently available control styles are: Disabled: No hold-frob mechanic, i.e., pre v2.12 control style TDM: Short frob is the same as pre v2.12, but long frob is a shortcut for "grab and then use" (use-type interactions) Thief (v2.12): Same as TDM, but behaviour for bodies is swapped. Body limbs are interacted with via "drag and drop". TDM-inverted: Short frob for use-type interactions, hold frob to "drag and drop" objects (when you release the mouse button, you will release the object) I always loved the drag and drop interaction with body limbs created by Daft Mugi and I wanted to see it consistently extended to all objects, which motivated the refactor. I am very happy with the result and I hope you players enjoy it as much as I do. The Thief control style will still remain the default settings, however, as I didn't want to open that can of worms. Hold-Frob Mechanic for Doors There was previously no hold-frob mechanic for doors, except for experimental manual door control feature. I have added two additional new control modes for hold-frob on doors, which you can activate through the cvar tdm_door_control. The modes are: 0: Disabled 1: Manual door fine control (experimental, existing feature) 2: Hold frob to slowly move doors. They are opened and closed alternatingly, just like regular frobbing a door, but interrupting a moving door is skipped. 3: Hold frob to slowly open doors. Additionally, I added in the ability to quickly force close a door by holding frob and pressing attack. It felt like mode 3 ("Slow Open") gave the most benefits and most direct controls to the player and pairs well with the force-close mechanic. So, I just set "Slow Open" as the default and I did not add it to the settings menu, but you are of course encouraged to try the other modes as well. The idea behind this addition is that the player can now slowly sneak and peak through a door, but then can also quickly shut the door again if the player deems the situation unsafe. This adds more skill expression and creates further immersion. 2.14 Beta Please use this thread to report any issues with frobbing (always state tdm_frob_control_style and tdm_door_control configuration), the new door control modes (please test them rigorously) and to give feedback on any of the above changes. Pinging players that previously showed interest in this: @wesp5, @snatcher, @Baal, @Skaruts, @Wellingtoncrab, @Amadeus

After several months of hard work, we are proud to announce the latest edition of "No Honor Among Thieves"!!! EFX EDITION!!! EFX reverb has been added to all missions! NHAT has never been more immersive. From the dry woody reverb of the local pub to the sonorous and lofty echo of the Cathedrals, prepare your ears for a auditory treat! PERFORMANCE!!! Several major sore spots that impacted performance in v3 and older have been substantially optimized. Players with less capable hardware will now be less frustrated traversing caves, courtyards, and forests. VISUALS!!! Many areas have been visually overhauled!!! Improved lighting, new scene geometry, new textures, new water effects ( thanks @Arcturus !!! ), more vertex blended terrains, and more. Some areas have been visually redesigned to better match the story and convey the key characters. GAMEPLAY!!! Some new play areas have been added. A little more rooftop action is available for climbers. A few new readables for side characters expand the lore of the mission. Improved AI scripted events in the final mission escape sequence!!! Other things: The ROQ videos have been converted to MP4 to make them more compatible with the latest TDM versions. This mission still uses 2.09 style API controlled videos, we will rework the menu gui to be 2.10 (beta) compatible shortly so that "Dev Build" players can enjoy the additional performance and improvements available in those builds. Credits: @Bikerdude for the majority of the mapping work in this overhaul @Dragofer for assisting with scripting and def setup @nbohr1more new cathedral textures and improved water material def setup, a few readables @Arcturus MD3 animated water and water textures Original crew: @Goldchocobo @RailGun @Mortem Desino who created the original version along with updates to versions up to v2.0. Thank you for permission work on this update! V4 Beta testers: @AluminumHaste @JackFarmer Screenshots: Hotfix release: Should fix two minor issues: Newest Hotfix: Gdrive - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e_LHa4RdZ0a1AD3FhgLq7OwvBmWUchJZ/view?usp=sharing Onedrive - https://1drv.ms/u/s!AuwAFc1gTZzehn0z9PsAVEIH0iFn?e=Gj0p6O ( Some additional performance optimization to the forest and fixes to other items found by Biker and Aluminumhaste in another round of testing.) For those of you who are testing the Dev Builds ( 2.10 alpha ), here is a 2.10 compliant version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xyPwDQjMQH1TAH98Vd29UUiB0Nki1-7j/view?usp=sharing

"When the leaves change and the air is still, there is a quiet." -Lady Blackbriar -=| DISPLACEMENT |=- BY AMADEUS & WELLINGTONCRAB = DOWNLOAD = <( | )> -PLAYS BEST ON 2.14- -JOIN THE BETA NOW- "Seek not the prideful sin that is perfection The Builder's light shines through all flaws. It is His wisdom to recognize a thing is done Before it is ever truly finished." -St. Edgar's Sermon of Rust LAMPFIRE HILLS... They say the woods around here give the tourists bad dreams, but I don't mind. I like it here. I feel like a piece of me belongs here. ... That it fits. DISPLACEMENT is a medium-sized traditional manor mission with a highly variable playtime. *2.14 provides a number of improvements to gameplay, performance, and stability. It is strongly encouraged to play on the latest 2.14 beta release. Join in testing now!* *Mods such as the “Unofficial Patch” and “TDM Modpack” are not supported by this mission and should be used at your own risk* https://www.thiefguild.com/fanmissions/97429/displacement CREDITS: ADDITIONAL MUSIC: -AIRSHIP BALLET -GIGAGOOGA ADDITIONAL SCRIPTING: -DRAGOFER -OBSTORTTE -FROST SALAMANDER -KINGSAL ADDITIONAL ASSETS: -KINGSAL -TDASH -SKACKY -BIKERDUDE -GOLDWELL -EPIFIRE -STRUNK -SHANNEN ART -POLYHAVEN -TEXTURES.COM -SKETCHFAB CULTURAL HERITAGE CC0 COMMUNITY -LOISTE INTERACTIVE -COLINFIZGIG -CDMIR BETA TESTERS: -KINGSAL -GOLDWELL -MAT99 -FROST SALAMANDER -MIKE A -STGATILOV -STIFU -MARBLEMAN -DETEEFF -THEBIGH FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: -STIFU FOR HIS EFFORT IN FIXING THE NOTORIOUS STUCK AI AND ARROW CRASH BUGS. -STGATILOV WHO MADE A NUMBER OF 2.14 OPTIMIZATIONS AND BUG FIXES. -KINGSAL FOR PROVIDING SOME OF THE MAIN MENU GUI ASSETS -PURAH FOR ORIGINATING THE SETTING OF LAMPFIRE HILLS, REIMAGINED HERE, IN HIS THIEF FMS. -GUY-ON THE COUCH AND JAM61 FOR THEIR SILENT HILL COMMUNITY MAPS WHICH HEAVILY INSPIRED THE LAMPFIRE HILLS REGION MAP. -SPECIAL THANKS TO LOISTE INTERACTIVE FOR ALLOWING US TO USE ASSETS FROM THEIR GAME "INFRA." SOME ADDIITONAL DETAILED LICENSING INFORMATION: SOME NOTES ON PERFORMANCE: NOTE TO MAPPERS: MOST OF THE NEW ASSETS IN THE MISSION ARE INCLUDED IN THE 2.14 BETA RELEASE.

Hidden Hands: Vitalic Fever Filename : hhvf.pk4 Date of release: 20/07/2019 Latest Version: 5 (21/04/2025) Version 5 - changes: - fixed defective ambient light - added subtitles (thanks to @datiswous) - added compressed briefing video (thanks to @datiswous - fixed/replace (defective) textures - added a few new models and items - added new title & loading screen - ...made a few tasks a little easier - dmap with 2.13 Hidden Hands Series: I. Initation - II. Vitalic Fever Jack Farmer: mapping & drafts Amadeus: alpha testing, geometry fixes, performance checks, drafts for gameplay and objectives, revision of all readables, dialogues & narrator texts Grayman: AI fixes, gameplay fixes, trap fixes Duzenko: alpha testing, performance checks and improvement tips Beta Testers: - Joebarnin - Cambridge Spy - Boiler's Hiss (aka "The architect's darling") - Jedi_Wannabe (aka "The man of many voices") - Amadeus (aka "The Writer") Voice actors: Malasdair Narrator Jedi_Wannabe All four guards chatting about the guests, chickens, inventions and unusual job interviews New Horizon The educated Builder Goldchocobo The naive Builder Special thanks to: - Springheel, Sotha, and Fidcal for the tutorials. - VanishedOne, Stumpy, Destined, Grayman, Joebarnin and ERH+ for patiently answering my questions solving all the in-game problems. - PsymH (aka "Stringer Bell") for connecting me with the right guys on TTLG for additional voice acting. - Goldwell for teaching me how to integrate a custom video in a fms and helping me with troubleshooting during the integration of one of the Builder's voices. - all voice actors & beta testers for their great support. - all others not mentioned here who answered my questions in the Newbie thread or via PM. Contributors from the Inventor's Guild: - Destined wrote a new definition for the "spidsey-babsies", enabling those beasts to move through tunnels. - Grayman wrote a script enabling Halfrid to hold the quill only when it is needed. He also fixed several other AI problems with respect to path finding, damages and interaction with light switches. Pilfered items: - Portal sky with hills and trees originally developed and arranged by Sotha for "Thomas Porter: The Transaction". - Frobbox booster re-created from a map originally developed by Grayman All new ambient music and sound effects written, performed and mixed by Jack Farmer. Briefing video by SirSmokeAlot Pictures Version 5 - changes: - fixed defective ambient light - added subtitles (thanks to @datiswous) - added compressed briefing video (thanks to @datiswous - fixed/replace (defective) textures - added a few new models and items - added new title & loading screen - ...made a few tasks a little easier - dmap with 2.13

Arriving today at all libraries across the Empire, you'll now get to enjoy over 20 new book covers sourced from the Public Domain. Ranging from spellbooks to shiny ornate tomes and outright strange volumes, this pack has everything you need to add that extra bit of spice to your bookshelves. Brought to you by @Bikerdude and myself, we would like to remind you that: Yes, you can judge a book by its cover! You can download the pack here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pT31cbmk1n7GQ94LUvfk3GwHnmaXGNDK/view?usp=sharing Happy reading, Taffers!

This pinned thread's purpose is to collect links to all the discussion threads for new features to be added in 2.14: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/23080-214-new-and-updated-assets/ https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/23072-214-mirrors-and-remotes-resolution-and-optimizations/ https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/23070-214-tdm-version-macros-and-x-ray-breaking-change/ https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/23071-214-in-game-screenshot-as-menu-background/ https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/23073-214-interactible-projected-decals/ https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/23074-214-new-smoke-generation-system/ https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/23088-214-beta-ko-non-elite-ai-after-flash/ https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/23087-214-beta-frob-changes-additions/ https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22736-font-localization/page/2/#findComment-503417 Maybe: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/23104-script-debugger/ As well as older Feature Collection Threads: [2.13] Feature Discussion Threads [2.12] Feature discussion threads [2.11] Feature discussion threads [2.10] Feature discussion threads

Back in the day, Tels managed a squad of volunteer translators for TDM. I am not Tels, and could never do that. Nowadays, language translation using AI, either traditional machine learning (ML) models or large language models (LLMs), is common and increasingly fluent. It is often used as an adjunct to speed the work of professional human translators. By itself, AI translation can be imperfect but usually sufficient. Can this "sufficient" approach be used for TDM, to expedite translations? Let's see. I gave some initial thought to a bulk-translation daemon that might range across FMs and fill in all missing translations, without necessarily involving mappers. In the future, possibly AI could tackle that whole enchilada. I was at first visualizing something more modest: a backbone in a standard programming language (I sketched out C++ and C# projects, but lots of other possibilities) that would make calls to an API (I looked at those of Google Translate and ChatGPT). However, I changed focus due to certain concerns... Different FMs, and subsets with each FM, would likely have far better translations if they were properly grouped, ordered, and translated separately, with an appropriate context (e.g., phrase engineering) added. The FM's mapper is best placed to provide this grouping and context. I'll detail what I mean in the next few posts. The mapper would not be expected to know any TDM-supported languages besides English. Instead, each translated phrase could be back-translated to English and examined. Is the "round-trip" meaning OK, even if the English words have changed? Problematic translations could have their context tweaked and rerun. Many AI systems, particularly for API access, require a billing commitment (e.g., credit card). For a professional translator, this is no problem, and subscriptions allow access to more (and putatively better) models and higher quotas. This seems less appealing for TDM. A few paid AI systems have a no-subscription, pay-as-you-go account tier. The cost per translate is typically pennies. But it does introduce quota- and expense-management, and may exclude API usage. Access via API requires an API key (or at the higher end more elaborate security regime), with attendant key-security headaches. Which AI model is thought "best" for translation? Doesn't matter too much, because we can't afford the best. Furthermore, there's endless churn among AI models, with antidotal reports that a given model fluctuates in quality over time, and successor models can be worse than their predecessors. So, with these concerns in mind, I looked for public web-based AI sites that require no billing and provide low-quota but adequate AI. The mapper would enter and retrieve data manually. I will focus on ChatGPT in this exploration, after a quick preliminary test confirmed some promise. Also, as this exploration proceeds, I hope to propose changes to TDM to make it more viable for "sufficient" quality machine translation. Problem areas are incomplete fonts, space-constraints, and layout issues for translated strings. My proposals will likely surface as separate forum threads. That's enough for now. I'll be trying for 1 or 2 substantive posts per week, as I tackle a particular FM.

I think it's time to replace the frob material stages with a shader (probably add a param to the existing ambient shader) There is more than one angle to this issue but I am mainly concerned about too many stages in materials that are somewhat taxing in terms of performance. Imagine rendering of 3K surfaces interacting with 3 lights in average and using materials with 7 stages in average. The renderer loops through every stage for every surface making it ~ 20K checks per loop. It has to happen during the depth stage, then each light and then the ambient pass resulting in 100K checks. It makes sense to try to reduce this load, especially considering that the frob stage is relatively rarely invoked and the checks happen on the backend making it hard to parallelize the computation. I am thinking adding a top-level material keyword that would apply as frob color and get passed to the ambient shader when the surface is a part of a frobable entity. I would like to hear your thoughts from the mapper/designer POV.

Miscellaneous asset fixes done: * More fixes in fonts and better support for Cyrillic and Romanian (post, 6642, 6661). * Added all missing mipmaps in DDS textures (post). * Fixed shop description of slow match (6629). * wood/panels/trim_wood_grunge_moulding_desat: fixed parallax confusion. * models/md5/chars/builders/guard/builder_armor material: brought back specularmap. * textures/darkmod/stone/brick/blocks_light_stained_trimmed material: fixed specularmap. * prefabs/doors/trapdoor_w-padlock prefab: fixed wrong particle (6662). * prefabs/mechanical/switches/wall_lever01 prefab: fixed frobbox of the lever (6060). * models/darkmod/architecture/doors/door*hinge models: fixed gaps in almost all versions (6671) [02]. * models/darkmod/furniture/wardrobe_open model and prefab: fixed clipping through frame (6272) [02]. * models/md5/chars/heads/female03_head_local and dds/models/md5/chars/heads/face_freckle textures: replaced (5545) [03]. * models/darkmod/readables/book_* model: fixed UV maps in sp1 and red1 versions, texture fix (6672) [03]. * prefabs/doors/curvedtop_door_96x48_3hinge_w-frame prefab: fixed hinge material (3212) [03]. * models/darkmod/readables/book_tome model: minor fixes [03]. * models/darkmod/containers/bucket model: gap fixes (6675) [04]. * models/darkmod/containers/barrel_wine model: fixed shadowmesh (6685) [04]. * New assets added: * atdm:ai_undressed_old_man_01: added new character model, including LODs, ragdoll, swappable head. * textures/darkmod/wood/panels/trim_wood_* material: added red variants. * textures/darkmod/wood/panels/panel_decorative_redder_grated material. * textures/darkmod/paint_paper/gold_pedals_* material: added RGB versions. * textures/darkmod/paint_paper/fleur_* material: added RGB versions. * textures/darkmod/stone/brick/red_worn_dirty_trim_wet material. * textures/darkmod/stone/brick/old_bricks_darkgrey_wet material. * models/darkmod/lights/non-extinguishable/painting_downlight model. * models/darkmod/containers/openable/safe_door_003_* and safe_wheel_003: added wall-in-safe door model and prefabs (6590). And there is a big set of assets added by @Wellingtoncrab and @Amadeus from the upcoming mission "Displacement". New models by TDash: * models/darkmod/furniture/beds/rustickingbed with skins DRustBed* * models/darkmod/furniture/seating/darmch1 with skins ArmCh* * models/darkmod/furniture/desk_pagan with skin JPagDesk2 * models/darkmod/furniture/steps_library with skin LibStepup1 * models/darkmod/mechanical/typewriter * models/darkmod/kitchen/wine_bottles_shelved*: versions A, B, C, D * models/darkmod/kitchen/whiskeyglass_silver * models/darkmod/kitchen/bottle_simple_* * models/darkmod/containers/crate_long_* * models/darkmod/containers/crate_simple* * trunk/models/darkmod/containers/wine_crate_03 * models/darkmod/furniture/cabinets/cupboard_* More models: * prefabs/mechanical/switches/red_button prefab along with models/darkmod/mechanical/switches/switch_redbutton* and switch_toggle* models and redbutton_glow* skins * models/darkmod/decorative/statues/bust_emperor_* model (and bust_emperess) * models/darkmod/kitchen/food/bread_loaf*: new versions 02, 03, 04, 05, 06 * models/darkmod/kitchen/food/croissant * models/darkmod/lights/non-extinguishable/streetlamps/streetlamp_iron_01 with skins streetlamp_iron_01_lit, streetlamp_iron_01_unlit * models/darkmod/decorative/trophy_plaque_* * models/darkmod/decorative/stuffed_hart* * models/darkmod/decorative/statues/statue_face_cover* * models/darkmod/loot/loot_golden_goblet* * models/darkmod/loot/loot_golden_vase_* * models/darkmod/decorative/ashtray * models/darkmod/decorative/cigar* with skins cigar and cigar_unlit * models/darkmod/loot/loot_crystalore* (and loot_rareore) New skins: * cabinet1_* for furniture: versions A, B, C * book_sp1_gold_crest for various books Stone, cobblestone, brick materials: * textures/darkmod/stone/brick/bricks_old_light* * textures/darkmod/stone/brick/blocks_sandstone_grime_trimmed * textures/darkmod/stone/brick/blocks_concrete_small_trimmed2 * textures/darkmod/stone/cobblestones/flagstones_bricks_multicolored* * textures/darkmod/stone/flat/tile_dirty_terracotta * textures/darkmod/stone/flat/tile_herringbone_grime* * textures/darkmod/stone/flat/tile_checkered_grime_tricolor* * textures/darkmod/stone/flat/tile_checkered_grime_small* * textures/darkmod/stone/natural/gravel_multi_color Other materials materials: * textures/darkmod/paint_paper/wallpaper_grunge_* * textures/darkmod/plaster/plaster_worn_painted_peeling_autumnal* * textures/darkmod/roof/rooftiles_clay_red_decorative* * textures/darkmod/wood/boards/planks_floor_* * textures/darkmod/glass/glass_brick_clear [03] * lights/watercaustics01 Note: [03] at the end of line means that this change appeared only in beta214-03.

Should there be some cutscene at the end? I found all the relics and Curio´s items, then went to sit in the chair in the red room, and that was it (still played and finished v1 on 2.13, because I was pretty far along). Anyways, time to say huge thank you to both of the creators and all the lovely people who were helping to test this mission - this has to be the most unique mission I have played so far on Dark mod - the (New) weird combination of aesthetically pleasing leveldesign and unclear story, sooo many options of entering and finding out unique "quests" and safe opening combinations is unheard/seen/played of. People in forums say its combination of Dishonored and Bioshock, I would add a hint of Dark Souls in the story area, mixed with Twin Peaks, and you start to get an idea. Although I am playing fanmissions from the very beginning of the mod´s existence, I felt completely lost here and I enjoyed that. I also didn´t know how to solve many of the combinations until I got a hint - overwhelmed by all the entry options and connectedness of the space(s) to the beauty of individual set pieces (I felt like a tourist, taking screenshots of almost everything). And the music! My goodness, that beautiful non-cacophonic chill music just begged me to stay and listen. I immediately recommended this mission in another forums where I am active, so hopefully people will get to play it. Well done, everyone, this is a threat. PS: Can I politely ask you to get together with Bikerdude, Kingsal, Sotha, Melan, Goldwell and anybody else who´s willing and put together an official campaign, please? Pretty please?

TDM 2.14 is ready for beta test This is how to get beta versions: Upgrade from any version (fast): 1 - Start tdm_installer in darkmod folder. 2 - On the first screen, check "Get custom version" and click "Next". Choose the first name in beta/2.14 list, should look like "beta214-NN". 3 - Click on "Refresh" button to ensure that it is not going to download too much stuff. 4 - Continue installing with "Next". Fresh install (slow): 1 - Create darkmod folder anywhere you like. 2 - Download the TDM Installer from downloads section of the website. Extract tdm_installer executable from the downloaded ZIP and place it into your darkmod folder. 3 - Start tdm_installer (in case of Linux, first edit file permissions to allow executing it). 4 - On the first screen, check "Get custom version" and click "Next". Choose the first name in beta/2.14 list, should look like "beta214-NN". 5 - Continue installing with "Next". In general, upgrade is recommended over fresh install. If you don't want to lose your current TDM installation, then you can copy the whole TDM directory and upgrade the copy. This way you can have both 2.14 beta and 2.13 at the same time. At the end of installation, tdm_installer resets your config by renaming darkmod.cfg to darkmod_{datatime}.cfg. This is a recommended procedure on upgrade, otherwise you are likely to have issues due to old config. If you need your old config for some reason, you can always find it in darkmod folder. Notes 1 - Please try to be specific when reporting a problem. What you were doing, where you were when the problem occurred, can you reproduce it, etc. This wiki article provides many suggestions for good bug reports. 2 - This effort is to find out if we broke anything in TDM with our 2.14 changes, if a new 2.14 feature isn't working correctly. We won't be trying to fix bugs that have been around for a long time. Instead, we will create an issue in bugtracker (if not yet present), to fix it after beta. 3 - If you find something wrong, it would be helpful if you report whether the issue happens in 2.13 too. By the way, you can easily get 2.13 version: just copy your darkmod folder and run tdm_installer on the copy, selecting "release213" on the custom version screen. Thank you for testing !

On a lighter note (and because my holiday started today, oh yeah!), let's have a new thread for music, that you just enjoy and probably is not so well known...or somehow obscure but does not sound as strange as the songs we report in @STiFU's progessive music thread. Here is one of my new favourites, a similar recording of this track by other artists has been used in an US show broadcasted last year ( @Amadeus: What is the name of the show? )

https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/lasting-consequences-where-every-action-could-leave-a-trail-back-to-you-is-just-what-i-want-to-hear-from-a-medieval-thievery-simulator-so-this-first-person-sneaker-is-now-one-of-my-most-anticipated-games/

There is a new system in 2.14 for generating smoke particles (6309). In general, it reuses more common code from the other ways to generate particles (particle models and particle deform) and its behavior is more aligned with those other ways. Here are some of the differences compared to the old system that I know of. 1) The new system is FPS-independent. If I'm not mistaken, the old one I think generates 5x particles on 300 FPS and 25% of the particles on 15 FPS. 2) Two systems have a bit different spawning time. Particle stages normally work on periods of length (particleLife + deadTime). In the old system, particles spawn uniformly during the first (bunching * (particleLife + deadTime)) time, while in the new system they spawn during the first (bunching * particleLife) time, same as in particle models and particle deforms. 3) The old system does not respect cycling settings in the particle decl. It plays only one period of every particle stage and stops. However, func_smoke specifically has a high-level logic: it restarts itself if all the particles have been generated. This looks like infinite looping, but all the particle stages have the same period in this case (the maximum one). The new system can respect "cycles" parameter from .prt file if you set spawnarg "use_cycles" = "1" on func_smoke entity. So if your .prt file has e.g. 3 stages with different period and "cycles" = "0", then each stages will cycle infinitely with its own period. And if your .prt has "cycles" "10", then func_smoke will play 10 periods and stop. Note that without "use_cycles" spawnarg both systems just play one period of all particle stages. This is a very recent change. The new system is enabled by default, but it is controlled by cvar g_newSmokeParticles. If we discover serious problems with it during beta, we'll have to flip the cvar...

If I try to rotate a model, only the Rotation option is available in the transformation window. No option to scale: Is this normal? Also not able to do so in NetRadiant-custom. Found a solution: https://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Model_Scaling Mods, please delete. Sorry about being dumb.

Hello everyone, The subject is quite clear I guess. If you want to beta test the mission the forum is here : https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/23100-early-beta-lord-scrogianis-ledger

I guess this is basic stuff for you talented model-boys but now I've trudged for several hours without results and from what I have read in several forums/threads, it's even not that trivial. Therefore I dare to start a thread... I've download some models from the web but these come in some new and fancy format; (FBX, USD etc) not exactly the old and brittle format that we use in TDM So to import these into DarkRadiant I need to convert these to lwo or ASE, right? How do people go about this? I have tried to: - install Blender 5.0 and added an ASE-exporter plugin. Blender actually puts out an ASE-file but as I try to open it in DR, the model is only showed as that checkerboard error-box. Do I need to tinker with the model in a text editor first? I read something about changing something about a BITMAP-line... - use an ancient version (7.0) version of Lightwave but that program cannot even open the files (Not surprising)...

I have previously posted about automation efforts in this thread about watching over asset files. I decided to create a more generic thread for whatever discussions related to automation. The most recent version of automation library and scripts (by the time this topic was created) can be downloaded from this link. More information can be found in readme.md. It should run properly against any beta version of TDM 2.07. Some new Python 3 is required to run automation stuff. I'm afraid that decent skills in Python are needed if you want to do anything advanced with it. If you have some tedious work that you regularly do with TDM, and feel that it can be automated, post ideas here. UPDATE: Current version (2019.02.22) is available here. It should run properly against TDM 2.07. UPDATE: Current version (2026.02.11) is available here. It should run properly against TDM 2.14 at least.

@STiFUIm glad to see this is back on the menu! Looks really nice. A neutral grey or a very subtle "golden" hue for all frobable objects is the way to go. Colored shaders can get messy with different lighting scenarios, different loot object colors, always fighting players preferences, ect. Also object specific frob colors will open up a brand new communication channel that wasnt there before. Its just messy imo. I did some early prototypes for colors a long time ago, might be in the dev forums somewhere actually. Anyways, great to see it getting worked on. Thanks for doing it.

I was curious to try all this out, so I had a go at it at least on code- and GUI-side. I am quite happy with the result. I have implemented dynamic HUD rules for the WeaponInventory, ItemInventory and HealthBar. Here are the current dynamic HUD rules, which are highly configurable (see cvars below): I found that any dynamic modulations of visibility did not work well for the crouch-intent indicator due to the attached scripts, so I decided to ditch that idea. My reasoning here was that people playing with lightgem probably don't mind the crouch-intent indicator, and people playing without lightgem would not want the crouch-intent indicator displayed on its own anyway. Here are the cvars: And here is a short demonstration video of the result. Of course, without proper explanation of what buttons I press and what I am demonstrating in any given moment, this video might be a bit hard to follow. I guess a better look at this will only be possible in the first dev build after 2.14 release. In the video, at first I demonstrate the dynamic hud of the weapon inventory, then the health bar, then the item inventory and finally, the health bar again due to drowning. Help Needed: Show Arrow Model on Equipped Bow Even though I am fairly happy with the result, I would still prefer if we could have the actual arrow models displayed somehow when equipping the bow (before drawing it). Ideally, the arrow would be attached to the idle position of the bow as if the thief was holding both bow and arrow in the left hand, as marked in red. Another option would be to take one of those first frames of the bow drawing animation that already shows the arrow, but could still be considered for an idle position. Of course, we would have to slow down the remainder of the bow drawing animation then, so that the shots-per-minute of the bow still remains the same. I wonder if there are still any modelers around, who would be interested in undertaking this task. Maybe it could even be solved via scripting only? (Just pinging some people, in case anybody knows someone, who might be able to support. @Arcturus, @kingsal, @Amadeus, @Dragofer)

Yeah, I guess it was something different, sorry that wasn't any help. I played a couple of times with 2.13 and am going to see what beta of 2.14 is available and will try to load that and see how different the experience is. Good luck and maybe now I'll cause some new problem no one has seen! Going to a new directory with this, I won't update my regular directory until the new version comes out.

I wish you all a happy new year!

Complaint From Players The player must pick up candles before extinguishing them, and then the player must remember to drop the candle. The player must drag a body before shouldering it (picking it up), and the player must remember to frob again to stop dragging the body. The player finds this annoying or easy to make mistakes. For players who ghost, some of them have the goal of returning objects back to their original positions. With the current "pick up, use item, and drop" system, the item might not return easily or at all to its original position. For example, a candlestick might bounce off its holder. (See player quotes at the bottom.) Bug Tracker https://bugs.thedarkmod.com/view.php?id=6316 Problems to Solve How can the "pick up" step be eliminated so that the player can directly use or interact with the item where it is in the game world? How can so much key pressing and mouse clicking be eliminated when the player wants to directly use an item? How can candles be extinguished and lanterns toggled off/on without first picking them up? How can bodies be shouldered without first dragging them? Solution Design Goals Make TDM easier for new players while also improving it for longtime players. Reduce tedious steps for common frob interactions. Make it intuitive so that menu settings are unnecessary. Do not introduce bugs or break the game. Terms frob -- the frob button action happens instantly. hold frob -- the frob button is held for 200ms before the action happens. (This can be changed via cvar: 200ms by default.) Proposed Solution Note: Some issues have been struckthrough to show changes since the patch has been updated. Change how frobbing works for bodies, candles, and lanterns. For bodies: Frob to shoulder (pick up) a body. Second frob to drop shouldered body, while allowing frob on doors, switches, etc. Hold frob (key down) to start drag, continue to hold frob (key down) to drag body, and then release frob (key up) to stop dragging body. Also, a body can be dragged immediately by holding frob and moving the mouse. For candles/lanterns: Frob to extinguish candles and toggle off/on lanterns. Hold frob to pick it up, and then frob again to drop. Frob to pick it up, and then frob again to drop. Hold frob to extinguish candles and toggle off/on lanterns. For food: Frob to pick it up, and then frob again to drop. Hold frob to eat food. For other items: No change. New cvar "tdm_frobhold_delay", default:"200" The frob hold delay (in ms) before drag or extinguish. Set to 0 for TDM v2.11 (and prior) behavior. Solution Benefits Bodies: New players will have less to learn to get started moving knocked out guards. With TDM v2.11 and earlier, some players have played several missions before realizing that they could shoulder a body instead of dragging it long distances. Frob to shoulder body matches Thief, so longtime Thief players will find it familiar. Second frob drops a shouldered body. Players still have the ability to both shoulder and drag bodies. Compatible with the new auto-search bodies feature. Dragging feels more natural -- just grab, hold, and drop with a single button press. There is no longer the need to press the button twice. Also, it's no longer possible to walk away from a body while unintentionally dragging it. Set "tdm_frobhold_delay" cvar to delay of 0 to restore TDM v2.11 (and prior) behavior. Candles: New players will have less to learn to get started extinguishing candles. With TDM v2.11 and earlier, some players didn't know they could extinguish candles by picking them up and using them. Instead, they resorted to throwing them to extinguish them or hiding them. Hold frob to extinguish a candle feels like "pinching" it out. Once a candle is picked up, players still have the ability to manipulate and use them the same way they are used to in TDM v2.11 and earlier. For players who ghost and have the goal of putting objects back to their original positions, they'll have an easier time and not have to deal with candles popping off their holders when trying to place them back carefully. Set "tdm_frobhold_delay" cvar to delay of 0 to restore TDM v2.11 (and prior) behavior. Solution Issues Bodies: Frob does not drop a shouldered body, so that might be unexpected for new players. This is also different than Thief where a second frob will drop a body. "Use Inv. Item" or "Drop Inv. Item" drops the body. This is the same as TDM v2.11 and earlier. This is the price to pay for being able to frob (open/close) doors while shouldering a body. Patch was updated to drop body on second frob, while allowing frob on doors, switches, etc. Candles: Picking up a candle or lantern requires a slight delay, because the player must hold the frob button. The player might unintentionally extinguish a candle while moving it if they hold down frob. The player will need to learn that holding frob will extinguish the candle. The player can change the delay period via the "tdm_frobhold_delay" cvar. Also, when the cvar is set to a delay of 0, the behavior matches TDM v2.11 and earlier, meaning the player would have to first "Frob/Interact" to pick up the candle and then press "Use Inv. Item" to extinguish it. Some players might unintentionally extinguish a candle when they are trying to move it or pick it up. They need to make sure to hold frob to initiate moving the candle. When a candle is unlit, it will highlight but do nothing on frob. That might confuse players. However, the player will likely learn after extinguishing several candles that an unlit candle still highlights. It makes sense that an already-extinguished candle cannot be extinguished on frob. The official "Training Mission" might need to have its instructions updated to correctly guide the player through candle manipulation training. Updating the training mission to include the hold frob to extinguish would probably be helpful. Similar Solutions In Fallout 4, frob uses an item and long-press frob picks it up. Goldwell's mission, "Accountant 2: New In Town", has candles that extinguish on frob without the need of picking them up first. Snatcher's TDM Modpack includes a "Blow / Ignite" item that allows the player to blow out candles Wesp5's Unofficial Patch provides a way to directly extinguish movable candles by frobbing. Demonstration Videos Note: The last two videos don't quite demonstrate the latest patch anymore. But the gist is the same. This feature proposal is best experienced in game, but some demonstration videos are better than nothing. The following videos show either a clear improvement or that the player is not slowed down with the change in controls. For example, "long-press" sounds long, but it really isn't. Video: Body Shouldering and Dragging The purpose of this video is to show that frob to shoulder a body is fast and long-press frob to drag a body is fast enough and accurate. Video: Long-Press Frob to Pick Up Candle The purpose of this video is to show how the long-press frob to pick up a candle isn't really much slower than regular frob. Video: Frob to Extinguish The purpose of this video -- if a bit contrived -- is to show the efficiency and precision of this proposed feature. The task in the video was for the player to as quickly and accurately as possible extinguish candles and put them back in their original positions. On the left, TDM v2.11 is shown. The player has to highlight each candle, press "Frob/Interact" to pick up, press "Use Inv. Item" to extinguish, make sure the candle is back in place, and finally press "Frob/Interact" to drop the candle. The result shows mistakes and candles getting misplaced. On the right, the proposed feature is shown. The player frobs to extinguish the candles. The result shows no mistakes and candles are kept in their original positions. Special Thanks @Wellingtoncrab was instrumental in improving this feature during its early stages. We had many discussions covering varying scenarios, pros, and cons, and how it would affect the gameplay and player experience. Originally, I had a completely different solution that added a special "use modifier" keybinding. He suggested the frob to use and long-press frob to pick up mechanics. I coded it up, gave it a try, and found it to be too good. Without his feedback and patience, this feature wouldn't be as good as it is. Thank you, @Wellingtoncrab! And, of note, @Wellingtoncrab hasn't been able to try it in game yet, because I'm using Linux and can't compile a Windows build for him. So, if this feature isn't good, that's my fault. Code Patch I'll post the code patch in another post below this one so that folks who compile TDM themselves can give this proposal a try in game. And, if you do, I look forward to your feedback! Player Complaints TTLG (2023-01-10) Player 1: TDM Forums (2021-03-13) Player 2: Player 3: TDM Forums (2023-06-17) Player 4: TDM Discord (2021-05-18) Player 5: TDM Discord (2023-02-14) Player 6: Player 7: Player 8: