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Thought I'd share what I've been working on lately. While my mapping days are behind me, TDM still is still an inspiration for many of the fantasy illustrations I do in my free time. Here's a few that should look somewhat familiar:

Happy to oblige, here's a little description:

Have you guys ever noticed this English gentleman? https://piped.kavin.rocks/channel/UCSqIEwL7Olwd_krFWhEsTIg He has done plenty of Dark Mod mission playthroughs. I checked several of his walkthroughs the past few weeks and I have the impression he is playing the missions thoroughly and very, very slowly - to clarify: he's playing TLC from my HH series right now and towards the end the session already has 10 (!) videos of 40-60 (!!) minutes each....but then again I recall that before beta I myself estimated a playing time of five to seven hours, so... Anyway, he also played my favorite DM mission The Accountant 2 sometime ago - I will definitely watch all related videos in the next days as I have the feeling that it will be quite interesting because of the level design. So if you're looking for playthroughs where the player really sneaks through the mission and suspects the end (or something even worse) behind every wall, then you've come to the right place.

FYI, I finally got around to updating the VR mod to 2.10. Just follow the installation instructions: https://github.com/fholger/thedarkmodvr/wiki/Installation There are no new VR features. Development is currently on hold because I'm rather busy working on Half-Life 2 VR. I do want to return to TDM VR as soon as I have the time, though

You can make whatever you want. https://www.thedarkmod.com/missiondetails/?internalName=swing1_2

More here: https://www.mindplaces.com/

Maybe this is just an attempt at trolling, but your mission would include everything I do not like about TDM, so good luck.

Why u no YouTube? Here we go https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSqIEwL7Olwd_krFWhEsTIg/videos https://www.youtube.com/c/Boylag/videos

The wheels are grinding again for new Content!

Jerrkett

I'm not saying that there should be a soundtrack permanently, I'm just saying that it's a necessary art of choosing scenes and situations with the right music. For this it is necessary to have where to choose the corresponding music and have a sufficient repository. Always using the same music in every game is somewhat tiring. I remember very well one of my favorite missions, Requiem, with a sublime version of Beata Viscera by Perotin, which invited you to stay in the cathedral until it was over.

I don't recommend changing the volume of ambient music in a specific mission, because this is something that is supposed to be under the player's control (as chosen by the volume slider in preferences). If you change the volume in the map itself, all it means is that the player will adjust their own volume slider to compensate, so you're just annoying the player without really obtaining any "artistic freedom" for the effort. Ideally all ambients would have a carefully matched volume level, so players would know exactly how loud the music is going to be based on their volume control setting. However we are a long way from that ideal. It is very easy to add a custom ambient and make it far too loud, particularly if it's music you like and/or your own in-game ambient volume is set to a lower level than default.

I can only imagine what playing that mission in VR would feel like.

Ive already finished the mission and theres one I can say.. That was really great adventure and a pleasure to play it But damn.. Why only 2 holy water in the shop, huh? I cant defeat thoes demons in the factory, or meaby i can find another one somewhere else? By the way.. Great work indeed, Mr Goldwell! Looking forward for another stories from you, sir Best regards from Poland!

As I say, because of this I used as my main search engine, although it does not show as many results as other search engines and it is still in beta. PD. In the yt front ends, like CloudTube, YewTube, Invidious, etc. that are selfhosted streamers where are exists several public instances and some of these instances certainly don't work well. You can use a own instance, when you have a server or an old PC which you can use as such. You can find the Invidious files in GitHub. Until now I dont have problems with CloudTube, using this instance https://tube.cadence.moe https://tube.cadence.moe/search?q=the+dark+mod JewTube https://yewtu.be PD. Use Lemmy or Raddle instead of Reddit, they are also social networks similar to Reddit, but OpenSource, decentralized an federated. No Big Brother behind,, driven by the users.

First FreeTube is a known OpenSource desktop client for YouTube, there isn't a security risk (false positive from your AV). Maybe this and also cloudtube and other like yewtube are also OpenSource and forks from Invidious give alerts from certain companies, because permits to download YT vids. In Piped there isn't such option, it use it's own engine to stream YT vids, without using the googlevideoAPI, like the others, this permits it to control better the content and block ads and trackers from Google, also jump the invideo sponsor blocks and intros. It has a very impresive settings page in this sense. You can create an account (nick, mail) which permits to subscribe your prefered channels and shows new videos of these (Feed). Well, certainly there are a lot of more search engines as only Google, Bing, and Yahoo out there. The AI search engine you mencioned is Andi, privacy oriented and don't show a lot of results, it is different, Andi is an AI who understand the concept of your search and shows the most relevant results respect of your search, you can really chat with it. Something like Alexa, but without trackers, loggings and ads, 100% private. I use Andi for my first searches, before I use the others I use. To add Andi to your search engines in your browser to permit to search with your search or adress bar, use this code to put it as search engine in the list of your browser https://andisearch.com/?query=%s You'll find a very complete list of search engines in a post from oen of the user in the Vivaldi Forum, including the codes to use them in the browser from the adress or search bar https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/46609/guide-vivaldi-search-engines-collection

Yes, I know and @JackFarmertoo, but I don't like YouTube because of all the ad, tracker and country restriction crap it has, because of this I prefer Pieped, CloudTube or other privacy front ends, where you have all the channels from YT, but without the restrictions ads and other Google crap, Piped even blocked annoying intros and promotion blocks. I also use the FreeTube, it's a desktop client for YT with its own proxie.

I'm trying to get TDM build working on my laptop. Just installed VC2022, and now I get the following error: 1>OpenAL32.lib(alc.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol __imp___std_init_once_begin_initialize referenced in function alcOpenDevice 1>OpenAL32.lib(alc.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol __imp___std_init_once_complete referenced in function alcOpenDevice Searching has lead me to this issue: https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/-imp-std-init-once-complete-unresolved-external-sy/1684365 https://github.com/microsoft/STL/issues/2655 Obviously, developers accidentally broke binary compatibility on minor update of Visual C++ compiler (in version: 17.2 Preview 2). While they are seeking the way to fix it, I'd recommend to not update your Visual Studio in the near future. If you already suffer from this issue, then you can workaround it by adding the following e.g. to the end of Lib.cpp: #if defined(_M_IX86) #pragma comment(linker, "/ALTERNATENAME:__imp____std_init_once_begin_initialize@16=__imp__InitOnceBeginInitialize@16") #pragma comment(linker, "/ALTERNATENAME:__imp____std_init_once_complete@12=__imp__InitOnceComplete@12") #elif defined(_M_X64) #pragma comment(linker, "/ALTERNATENAME:__imp___std_init_once_begin_initialize=__imp_InitOnceBeginInitialize") #pragma comment(linker, "/ALTERNATENAME:__imp___std_init_once_complete=__imp_InitOnceComplete") #endif I'm not yet sure if we should commit this workaround, to be honest In theory, it does not break build, but adds a last resort option: if linker doesn't find symbol {nameonleft}, then it tries to use symbol {nameonright} instead of it.

I.ll take a look, thanks There are several playthrough channels for TDM, which I consult in occasions, one of these channels is from Boy Lag, not because he plays special expert, but because his nice form to play it, which is anytime good for some laughs with his reactions and comments. I also prefer a slow style playing TDM, I often wait for several cycles of the guards to search the best moment.

Heya, got around to playing this mission. It's become obvious to me that that @Bienie has a particular style to his missions, in that you can miss a LOT even if you think you're trying reasonably well. My issue is that I completed the main mission, completed two of the bonus objectives (the readables on a wall), but ended up with a little over 1000 loot even though I was playing on Expert and needed 2400. I think my issue is that Bienie likes his windows, particularly those placed up high that you'd normally not think are openable and just decoration. Is the player just supposed to frob every single window in the mission, even ones that are out of the way and not easily accessible? Additionally, I only found a single secret so far (out of 10) and I was starting to think there were no official secrets! I'm not sure if these are really criticisms though, I actually like this. It's very humbling and a good mission for folk who think they're pro loot hunters. Anyway, back to exploring.

Big text moment Embracer CEO Sees Great Potential for Legacy of Kain, Thief, Deus Ex Remakes/Remasters/Spin-Offs https://wccftech.com/embracer-ceo-sees-great-potential-for-legacy-of-kain-thief-deus-ex-remakes-remasters-spin-offs/

Support for FullName is implemented for the LWO exporter. It is not yet implemented for ASE export or either of the importers.

Very solid FM. I'll admit I didn't actually *end* the mission in spite of fulfilling the main objective because I didn't quite feel up to grind the loot, but I might finish that someday.

Yes. Copyright infringement comes from using the copyrighted code, it has nothing to do with what you use it for. Even if you copy that code into an Android alarm clock app, you have committed copyright infringement. Nope. Copyright applies in full to the engine and the basic code. It does not apply to the generic "idea", although it can apply to the idea at a more specific level (so you can't make another game called "Duke Nukem", but you can make another FPS featuring a musclebound dudebro protagonist). If they are using the same engine then they have licensed that engine. They are not using stolen code. If they did, they would be sued into oblivion. Again, you are confusing "ideas" with code. Anyone can make a generic shooter, RPG or platform game without infringing copyright, as long as it's not called "Super Mario Brothers". The basic idea might be the same. That has nothing to do with the code. You don't need to steal code to implement a game which has similar ideas. Claiming that software which does similar things must be using stolen code is the sort of thing Darl McBride came up with in the SCO vs IBM lawsuit. It failed spectacularly because his assumption was wrong. There was never any stolen code. Correct. Not correct. Copyright law applies to large companies just as it applies to individuals, and since they are prominent companies with deep pockets, they are much more likely to get sued. That's why they have a legal department to make sure they are using all IP correctly. They do not steal code. I suppose if you're talking about some fly-by-night Chinese rip-off company, then they might be stealing code (since enforcing IP against companies in China is notoriously difficult). But if we're talking about AAA game companies in the US or Europe, using stolen engine code is not normal behaviour, although there may be occasional instances where it happens.

Copyright infringement of imaginary property is not theft. There are no "stolen goods". It's just copyright infringement, with its own criminal and civil penalties but typically lax enforcement. We'll see if Embracer Group or whoever currently owns the Duke Nukem IP tries to shut down distribution and modding of a 20+ year old dead game, but they can't stop it if the people working on it are determined. There's a reason pretty much every movie and TV show is downloadable and streamable on pirate sites within hours of release: whack-a-mole doesn't work very well. Some people will get scared off by a DMCA letter, but the files are already widely available now. As for whether or not it should be linked in here, that's a question for the forum staff. Maybe the links should be removed. Just provide helpful hints instead.

Maybe Sokoban in first person? It looks like claustrofobic to me. How about tetris? Or another variant of stack barrels up puzzel or get candle out of maze, in some missions. Or a mission with a big companion cube, where you can hide at the backsides. A video from sokoban:

One of my mobile games is Lasertank, a old (1995) and very nice puzzle game, which maybe can be used as inspiration (PC and mobile (in the corresponding stores), free, no ads) One of the 2000 levels

It takes a long time to make a mission, at least if you want quality, and I am known for abandoning projects all the time. However, if I did ever finish a mission, it wouldn't be a typical one. First of all, I wouldn't give you any weapons, or even a blackjack. ...and if you so much as got spotted, you would fail the mission. ...and you wouldn't even be able to steal loot. ...so you wouldn't be a killer, you wouldn't be a thief - you would just be a burglar, I guess. I actually don't like crime sims - I just like to sneak. The mission would pretty much just be a walking sim, but if I could come up with some complex mechanical puzzles, I wouldn't mind a sneaky form of Myst. Would there be a story? Maybe. Maybe not. I feel that stories just take away from the player experience. They wouldn't even know where they were, and would have to figure it out as they explored. ...and it would probably partly be a horror map, so I'd probably have you sneak around in the tunnels of some spider hive, evading roaming spider patrols. Maybe there wouldn't even be an objective. Maybe I'd just start the player next to the door leading out of it, and you were welcome to stay and hang out in my huge map, for as long as you'd like. I like atmospheric environments more than I like objectives. I'd of course warn the player that my mission wouldn't be typical. The key to avoiding disappointment, is simply to set the right expectations beforehand.

I dont like those puzzels in missions. To me, it slows down the flow.

HAZARD PAY 1.5 [ TDM 2.10 REQUIRED] AUTHOR'S NOTE ================================ Hello! Its been a while since I’ve released something so I figured I'd join the Connections Competition and make a stand-alone adventure to try out the new 2.10 features. ================================ DESCRIPTION ================================ This is a medium size mission with an emphasis on adventure and stealth combat. !!! WARNING !!! I recommend NORMAL if you're looking to cruise and HARD / EXPERT if you're looking to sweat a little. EXPERT uses a prototype save room mechanic and is very tough. ================================ PLAY IT ================================ Requires TDM 2.10 DOWNLOAD HAZARD 1.5 ================================ PLAYTHROUGH ================================ Courtesy of Filizitas Part 1 Part2 Part3 ================================ CREDITS: VOCALS courtesy of the very talented : Goldwell, Mortem Desino, and Yandros. TESTING by the diligent and awesome : Amadeus, Epifire, Goldwell, Mike_A, and Moonbo ADDITIONAL SCRIPTING provided by the very talented Dragofer ADDITIONAL AUDIO by the masterful Goldwell PLAYTHROUGH by Filizitas

I am not old enough for that to be my time, but I like metal so ofc I do Big Hair needs to come back

I assume that you're not so young that you don't know about this classic:

I used to play this as a kid on my parents XT:

A good soundtrack also is important. Remember that Pixabay has a huge catalogue of royalty free music (every genre), which you can download compleetly free and use even in commercial projects (CC licenses and public domain) https://pixabay.com/music/ Adding Pixabay in your search engine list of your browser https://pixabay.com/images/search/?q=%s (Images by default,but also illustrations, vectors, music, sound effects and videos)

Yes, good old Swing, good jumping and climbing training mission, if you don't get seasick easily

Right, knock out is a fail of stealth, but often can't be avoid, due to the story and nature of TDM. But there are some ethical aspects I don't like so, not import me to steal all the loot possible in a house of a rich and greedy usurer or a corrupt bishop, but that I must do it in the house of poor people, from some humble servants, or from beggars to complete the loot limit isn't so nice. I also avoid if possible to knock them out, not so with the guards where I don't have problems to blackjack them when needed.

This is true. On pretty much any mansion or city level, chances are you will be pilfering some impoverished servant's or trades-person's life savings in order to meet the loot goal; money they probably need to feed their families. But it is treated no differently than stealing some oligarch's silverware or finding some gems in a cave. There is a bit of a moral double standard at work, considering how much Thief and all its derivatives revolve around themes of retributive justice and avoiding indiscriminate carnage. It would be interesting if more FMs played with the concept of moral forbearance. Maybe have an optional objective on expert to not harm any innocents, and stealing the wrong bits of loot would make you fail it (until you uncover evidence of wrongdoing). Anyway, I personally appreciate missions that aims to be like Myst but with stealth. (Although, for my money, Riven is the one to emulate in terms of sublime puzzle walking simulators). To me, knockouts and ticking up the loot counter aren't that rewarding compared to the pure joy of exploration and discoverable storytelling. It might actually be easier to make a really fun level without having to worry about loot placement or combat balancing. Plot-wise there is a lot of well trodden ground for detective scenarios and escape-the-house/cave type thrillers in that mold. A rom-com (or ero-com) would actually be a really different and interesting framing device for such an FM. (But it would have to be released on Valentines day! That's just the law.) Of course you should just do what you want to do. Take the ideas and advice of the community for what you can get out of them, but in the end always make your FM (or any other hobby project) for yourself first. That way at minimum one person will always be happy with it (even if it is never finished).

Zero secrets, and only the bare minimum of loot... I'm not a good enough tomb raider, it seems. Nice touch with the , I was worried I wouldn't find it what it would open before I'd be done with the mission.

Andisearch is absolutely marvelous. I asked it what the most interesting Dark Mod mission was, and it came up with for example a PC Gamer article on the subject: https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-thief-dark-mod-missions/ Thank you so much!

That's very strange. I believe your installation was not perfectly "clean", and the saintlucia directory was present before update. I have seen such behavior many times after update, but never on fresh install. Here is the full story. the original version of Saint Lucia mission had codename saintlucia. That's how the directory and the pk4 file was named. At some moment it got a major update, and the new version was called stlucia. Right now it seems that changing codename was not a good idea, but I can imagine it being more convenient at the time when the change happened. Now the thing is: tdm_installer does not remove empty directories. It removes existing files if it believes the files are part of the core game (start with "tdm_" or belong to a hardcoded list), but if a directory becomes empty because of that, it remains. That's why if you upgrade TDM from an old version before the Saint Lucia update to the new version after the update, you'll get an empty directory. Just let it be. Sometimes being perfect is hard and yields no benefit anyway

Not only in games, also the companies of OS use plagiarism. Even the logo and default desktop image is the one of Windows, but it isn't from MS, its a Brasilian imitación of Windows 10 and 11 with Linux base, which run windows apps and is legit. (WindowsFX - Freemium OpenSource) Similar attempt with ReactOS, even using invers engineering to imitate a compatible clon of older Windows, at least using a own logo (OSS) As I say, for some companies, copyright is a relative thing.

At times while building I've thought something like, this room is half stone and half wood. So I'll take the preset for WOODEN_MEDIUMROOM and CASTLE_MEDIUMROOM and average them. That's about as much micromanaging as I'd want to do though.

I managed to find more loot than there was available in the mission! Any idea where the extra 54 gold come from?

The term actually comes from cases like the game "Area 51", where at least for a limited time, it was made available for free for the entire internet, or cases where copyright eventually expires. Those cases are rare, but it happens.

I remember when the Blender limit was 19 characters. At least the developers of Blender have generously allowed us a whole 63 characters to play with, although why the hell anyone thinks it is acceptable to have hard-coded name length limits in 2022 is anyone's guess. The aforementioned "skin trick" was something I came up with as well: each model had a material name like "sk/my_model" which then used a skin to map the model surfaces onto the real textures. But this is only useful for models which have their own custom texture; it is not so convenient if you want the model to use a regular, arbitrary Dark Mod texture. I'll have to check the state of the import/export scripts. The custom property approach should certainly solve the problem and I'm sure it has been discussed before, but I don't recall if it actually made it into the code. Perhaps if it hasn't already been implemented, the time to do so is now, given that the 63-character limit is clearly causing problems for some people.

I would like share the new update here, it has a lot new performance! If you had serious performance problems in the island mission, try this new build! https://filly-the-owl.itch.io/delightfyl-demo-2/devlog/337939/hotfix-0074-performance

Have you tried it via Link? Since there's no roomscale tracking yet, you wouldn't lose much, anyway, and it would rule out potential issues with VD.