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


Springheel

  

74 members have voted

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

    • Poor
      0
    • Tolerable
      1
    • Good
      12
    • Excellent
      43
    • Near Perfect
      18
  2. 2. Appearance: Vertical use, Visual pleasure, lighting, visual style, deduct bad texturing etc.

    • Poor
      0
    • Tolerable
      0
    • Good
      11
    • Excellent
      32
    • Near Perfect
      31
  3. 3. Story & Text: Story. Text. Briefing. Graphic storytelling

    • Poor
      0
    • Tolerable
      1
    • Good
      16
    • Excellent
      29
    • Near Perfect
      28


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@Fidcal

 

I'm disappointed your first experience was so poor. Sounds like several things were working against you:

 

 

On my way north at the start I very early got into Sykes' place without even knowing where I was so possibly this is explained at Gridley's

 

Yes, if you don't go to Gridley's first, things won't necessarily make sense. I think the objectives say to go there first, but there's no way to force a player to do so. I had hoped that players would be looking for "Galloway Road" and would also assume that a place with armed guards was not likely the right spot.

 

Humiliate objective checked off just by opening a door and I had no idea why.

 

There are four places that can satisfy that objective. You found the least obvious one, arguably, though I hoped the skulls, bars and dung were enough to make the new Objective make sense.

 

BTW the route I took from the start was over a wall then placed a plank and climbed it and got over a wall

 

Cool, I didn't know if anyone would be able to manage that route.

 

Never did find the attic even though I searched and searched and in the end notarget, noclipped everywhere around and above the ceiling looking for a trapdoor or ladder or something but nothing.

 

No, searching in Sykes' room is correct. There's only so many things to examine in there.

 

However it was not possible to drop the body in the privy because there was no room. At some point when the body had fallen on the floor it suddenly checked of the objective. Later I saw his body down in the pit. Puzzling.

 

There is enough room to drop him in there, though you might have to adjust yourself a bit. No idea how he could fall on the floor and then wind up in the pit.

 

I didn't know I was Corbin until I read Sykes' log. Even then I only guessed because I knew the name was a possible protaganist. Maybe it was mentioned in the briefing and I missed it.

 

It's in the conversation at Gridley's. But it's not a big deal if the player doesn't realize it.

 

Pipkin's ring objective won't check off so I cannot finish. I reloaded an earlier gamesave and got the rign again but the same problem.

 

I suspect this might be because you didn't go to Gridley's. This came up once during beta-testing but I could never reproduce it.

 

 

 

 

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Hmm, that came up once during a beta-test, but we couldn't reproduce it. Had you been to see Gridley already? Were you able to complete the mission?

 

No, not seen yet!

Task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen but to think what nobody has yet thought about that which everybody see. - E.S.

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re: not going to see Gridley first

 

 

The mission is supposed to still be completable even if you didn't see Gridley first, but that might mess up the ring objective (which is only mandatory on Hardcore). Not sure what happens in that case...you might still be able to finish by dropping the ring and picking it up again after visiting Gridley. But the storyline certainly isn't going to be as easy to follow if you don't do that objective first, like the objectives tell you to. :P

 

 

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@Fidcal

 

Regarding the attic entrance (full hint)

 

The hatch to the attic is in Sykes bedroom. You'll just have to frob the sword on the shield.

 

Mmmm... why would I do that?

Seems there are lots of known moveables one would not touch to risk clatter - especially with someone nearby. It didn't appear to be a loot object so I ignored it. In fact I took care not to frob it accidentally. :) I think what would work better is a fixture that doesn't normally frob. No wait - I thought you meant the sword on the table. You mean the one on the wall. I did look at that and I do recall a quick glint but I didn't really see it as a frob highlight. It was a faint flicker as I passed I took to be specular. Likely at that point I was noclipping around with my lantern - bright at close quarters looking for a trapdoor or similar.

 

Well then that would be a good switch then. I need to check that again. Maybe the clue could have been a little more specific - I'll have to re-read it. But it might be player failure in that case. I'd have happily read a player note ;) hint 1 at that point, eg, "attic eh? I wonder if there is a special lever?" I really wasn't looking for anything like that at that point - perhaps because I was befuddled by other things.

 

Regarding my route - I really was trying to head north to get to Grindleys (although I missed or forgot who or what that is - shop? another thief's den?) but over the wall I had nowhere to go but through some unknown door into an unknown place. Just my luck. I wish I'd had time to volunteer to beta test now - maybe suggest some things. No matter. I'm still enjoying it but I'm not going to be able to get Mission Complete - unless that objective checks off at Grindleys.

 

 

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re: not going to see Gridley first

 

 

The mission is supposed to still be completable even if you didn't see Gridley first, but that might mess up the ring objective (which is only mandatory on Hardcore). Not sure what happens in that case...you might still be able to finish by dropping the ring and picking it up again after visiting Gridley. But the storyline certainly isn't going to be as easy to follow if you don't do that objective first, like the objectives tell you to. :P

 

 

:D

 

About Gridley, see this funny problem (it's a short video):

 

 

Task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen but to think what nobody has yet thought about that which everybody see. - E.S.

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I'm little in a hurry, but have to say that this was a very enjoyable mission overall.

Even the intro shows class, and the melting candle is just very good style,spot on, very atmospheric.

It shows an artist crafted this wonderful piece, thanks !

Edited by Outlooker

"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly while bad people will find a way around the laws." - Plato

"When outmatched... cheat."— Batman

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Mmmm... why would I do that?

Seems there are lots of known moveables one would not touch to risk clatter - especially with someone nearby. It didn't appear to be a loot object so I ignored it. In fact I took care not to frob it accidentally. :) I think what would work better is a fixture that doesn't normally frob. No wait - I thought you meant the sword on the table. You mean the one on the wall. I did look at that and I do recall a quick glint but I didn't really see it as a frob highlight. It was a faint flicker as I passed I took to be specular. Likely at that point I was noclipping around with my lantern - bright at close quarters looking for a trapdoor or similar.

 

Well then that would be a good switch then. I need to check that again. Maybe the clue could have been a little more specific - I'll have to re-read it. But it might be player failure in that case. I'd have happily read a player note ;) hint 1 at that point, eg, "attic eh? I wonder if there is a special lever?" I really wasn't looking for anything like that at that point - perhaps because I was befuddled by other things.

 

Regarding my route - I really was trying to head north to get to Grindleys (although I missed or forgot who or what that is - shop? another thief's den?) but over the wall I had nowhere to go but through some unknown door into an unknown place. Just my luck. I wish I'd had time to volunteer to beta test now - maybe suggest some things. No matter. I'm still enjoying it but I'm not going to be able to get Mission Complete - unless that objective checks off at Grindleys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't think there ever was a speciffic readable/conversation that mentions anything more than that the loot are in the attic. So I checked the roof everywhere in the bedroom and around. Then I saw a square that didn't look natural, in the corner by the privy door. I jumped and tried to frob without luck, then I went downstairs to get some crates to climb up, no luck. Then I frobbed about and found something. Woa, a lever :)

 

 

(Sorry Springheel for not mentioning "full spoiler" before)

Edited by Fieldmedic
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I think I'm playing this back to front - but I just want to say how impressive this level is - the slum feels maze like and intimidating!

"No proposition Euclid wrote,

No formulae the text-books know,

Will turn the bullet from your coat,

Or ward the tulwar's downward blow

Strike hard who cares—shoot straight who can—

The odds are on the cheaper man."

 

From 'Arithmetic on the Frontier' by Rudyard Kipling

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I think I'm playing this back to front - but I just want to say how impressive this level is - the slum feels maze like and intimidating!

 

Yes, great touch designing the slum!

Task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen but to think what nobody has yet thought about that which everybody see. - E.S.

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Just finished: Definitely an enjoyable mission!

City architecture and ambient sound was particularly good and the briefing + loading screen is just pure awesome!

 

I never found the backdoor to Sykes hideout and ran in straight through the front door :D ...

 

I also couldn't find the ring. I expected it to be in the "interrogation" room on one of the corpses or something but was unable to find it.

 

I think a litte more linearity would have helped the mission. Maybe having the map right at the beginning would have been enough. Then people would not have accidentally gone for Sykes without having completed the first objective.

 

I really liked the guy, who was knocking at the door right at the beginning. This and the great ambient sounds made the city come very much alive.

 

I personally am not a huge fan of ingame-graphics-videos. I think the ending would have been better if the player climbed down and opened the grate himself. BTW: The ending video for some reason played twice for me ... the second time without sound though. (But this might be an issue with my darkmod installation ... it has a few peculiarities ...)

 

 

 

Congrats to Springheel for a really good release!

I've got to get some sleep now :) ...

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Finished up your mission and must say I enjoyed it.

 

 

Your streets felt like an old city. After making a detour to the first house and then on up to what turned out to be the hideout, I used the compass to find my way north. There was a couple of points I checked inventory to see if there was a map as I did feel a little lost but eventually found my way to Gridley.

 

Some of the things I liked (also) was your candle burning on loading screen. The AI patrol pattern changed - it seemed to depend on where I was standing. And the guy eating the carrot in the hideout - haven't seen that one before.:P I liked your story line too.

 

One issue I had was when I'd stopped playing for awhile and then went back in to play, my cleverly hidden knocked out AI's were moved and laying about in the open so I quickly had to hide them again. I played this on easy as your warning made it sound extremely difficult. I found all the loot and had a stealth score of 4.

 

I apologize for not commenting on your textures etc. as I just got a new monitor and am having difficulty getting the right settings I guess because there was a lot of plasticy (is that a word?) looking spots. Judging by others comments I'm pretty sure its me. I just couldn't wait to play it so I got it okay but wanted to see what others said so I'd know whether I needed to fiddle with it some more.

 

 

I plan on playing it again on a harder level so will do it then.

 

 

 

Thanks again for all your hard work.

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Very enjoyable, I'm not done yet but I must say that I got things exactly in the same order as Fidcal (except that the ring objective worked). By the way

 

 

 

Yes, if you don't go to Gridley's first, things won't necessarily make sense. I think the objectives say to go there first, but there's no way to force a player to do so. I had hoped that players would be looking for "Galloway Road" and would also assume that a place with armed guards was not likely the right spot.

Thing is, for me I was trying to find Gridley's place. From the starting point I just went north as I was told, and the first building I managed to enter was Sykes' gang's ;)

 

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I'm not done yet but I must say that I got things exactly in the same order as Fidcal

 

 

I thought that telling players that Gridley was on "Galloway Road" would be enough, since

 

1. There are road signs near Sykes' place, but none of them say Galloway, and

2. The hideout is guarded by armed guards who will kill you, which should be a clue that it's not home to your friendly informant.

 

But, obviously a number of people have had that problem, so I guess I needed to do something more. It still should be completable that way, but it won't make as much sense.

 

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I have also had that in one of my missions (although it was harder and required a little out of the box thinking), and I think if people are given advance warning, it is cool to be allowed to make that choice.

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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Sadly this all went horribly wrong. :(

 

 

 

I continued north in search of Gridleys. I found the road but not Gridleys though I went round and round keeping away from that torch guy. Eventually I went round a corner and found an unlocked door. Just inside a blond guy was sitting. I stopped just in time in the doorway - no way past him - and considered a water arrow at the candle. But perhaps he is Gridley? How to tell? Suddenly up came Mission Complete and a video started showing the way out. After finishing this triggered a second time but only to opening the trap door then a real Mission Complete came up. I had only 328 loot and the ring objective was not checked off so something wrong here.

 

I'm guessing this is Gridley and if you get to him first it all works correctly and maybe he tells you to come back there later to escape? But because I had already done the Sykes objectives the first time I saw him then it completed? Yet I had only a fraction of the loot.

 

 

 

I might play this again but go the 'proper way' to Gridley first to see how that plays.

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The loot objective is only a bonus objective. You can complete the mission without doing it.

 

 

What happened is essentially what is supposed to happen...you completed all the mandatory objectives, just not really in the best order (not sure why the ring didn't check off).

 

I guess a starting map to Gridley's was in order, though as I've said before, I assumed people would keep searching until they found Galloway Road, and would stay away from places with hostile guards until then.

 

The main reason I didn't include a map to Gridley's is because I thought if people went straight there they would be very likely to miss the conversation in the bar. Without the map, I assumed most people would go left and see where the thug went, hear the conversation, continue on, spot the bonfire and guards and figure, "Oops, that's obviously not my informant" and go a different way.

 

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Ah I think I'd overlooked it if the loot was optional. So everything roughly worked but confusing (for me.) Just reading through the thread now and most players made it OK. As said, it wasn't intentional I went the wrong way.

 

The lighting was perfect but I'm almost expecting that these days as most FMs are very good - but what stood out was the sfx in the streets etc. This really added life to it and was one of my aims way back in Den I recall although that was just one street. I think I'll add this to my beta check list and add more to my own FM later.

 

 

 

Some of the loot looked impossible without a water arrow or else a diversion so I left several till later in case I needed water for something more critical - but I never had a 'later' :laugh: Some of it also looked as though it would be suspicious if taken and cause an alert. These are situations I tend to leave and trust I can find enough loot elsewhere. After all, in RL, an opportunist thief would not take unnecessary chances but go for the easy stuff.

 

An alert triggered down one street even in total darkness and with moss down so I think this must be related to some end sequence I never saw. I never heard any alarm or anything so it was puzzling. As it was I took the opportunity to go in the tavern but there was no time to take anything and not even a small hiding place I could find.

 

 

 

I'll reserve voting until I've played again.

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re: loot

 

Some of the loot looked impossible without a water arrow or else a diversion so I left several till later in case I needed water for something more critical - but I never had a 'later' :laugh: Some of it also looked as though it would be suspicious if taken and cause an alert. These are situations I tend to leave and trust I can find enough loot elsewhere. After all, in RL, an opportunist thief would not take unnecessary chances but go for the easy stuff.

 

Yes, you're exactly right. That's my take as well, and another reason why the loot objective is optional.

 

An alert triggered down one street even in total darkness and with moss down so I think this must be related to some end sequence I never saw.

 

That is a scripted event...the assumption is that someone finds Sykes in the cell and raises the alarm. It's a way to make sure the return to Gridley's isn't just anticlimactic back-tracking.

 

Obviously it wouldn't make much sense if you didn't know you were supposed to go back to Gridley's.

 

 

 

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I had a lot of crashes ;(

 

 

I can remember when you try to get rid of S.... I tried it with an other person - CRASH

 

Than in S... 's house, I went to the upper floor, opend the door to get recognized by all the guards, went back into the house +quicksave. CRASH ;( so the savegame is also broken, reload means instant crash after the loading screen ;(

 

I also had some other crashes, but no seen reasons... normally I don't have crashes!

 

 

 

 

Edited by Berny
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