joebarnin
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Posts posted by joebarnin
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56 minutes ago, Oleron said:
The order the you press the panels is important. Neimath’s journal has a hint at the end
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On 9/22/2019 at 2:03 PM, MVT said:
Here's a possibility:
As I recall, there are two dumpsters. You have to put him in the one by the stables. Putting him in the other one won't work.
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1 hour ago, Tarhiel said:
Fanatastic mission, joebarnin, I enjoyed it alot!
There were few thing at the end that baffled me:
- First, there was no clue as to where to look for the third part of the key - I ASSUMED I have read every readable and I haven´t missed it but I was worried that it might be still somewhere in the cathedral instead in the tomb, that maybe I have overlooked some clue. So giving to player a small hint, maybe in the second Niemath´s journal, that the third part still haven´t been found, wouldn´t be bad.
- Second thing which confused me was the note about "the water of the Saints" - all the time I thought "Of course, you need to use holy water on it" - so when I opened the tomb, I immediately, without touching the stone itslef, dipped water arrows to holy water and shoot the heart with it - only to be really surprised it didn´t help as the curse was still triggered.
So I took the heart, drop it on the ground and then repeated the process - to no avail.
Then I had to look into your clues, because I was baffled
The layout of the mission is well done, maybe some rooms could have been smaller (like forge or storage area), but overall it was nicely done.
Cathedral was majestic, I enjoyed walking in it just like that.
- Also, good job with the optional objective of helping the cook with Vincent - I thought I have to look for some evidence to discredit him, some dirt on him (usually in Thief/Dark mod missions it´s like that), but it didn´t occurred to me I have to frame him, so I had to look this one up.
But this is just me not being able to think out of the box, so this was a good puzzle.
- I really liked the rat´s + ring puzzle, it would never occur to me to follow the rat, only after I have read the readable - nicely done
I also like that Garret (I still call the main protagonist Garret, no matter what) had option to return it to the grave instead of keeping it.
- There´s one chest which I couldn´t open throughout the whole game - down in the church basement, it is in the room where there are 3 chests, 2 of them can be opened and the third I wasn´t able to find a key for.
And I must say your mission is well optimized - throughout the whole time I had stable frame rate of 120FPS, maybe even more, but that´s the maximum my monitor can draw.
Thanks for your detailed comments - I'm glad you liked it. For the two items mentioned, the readables could be more explicit. Specifically,
Niemath's second journal says "I just need to find the last key fragment", perhaps it should read "I just need to find the last key fragment, which I'm sure is down here in the crypts" or something similar. Maybe even provide more detailed clues as to its location
and
I sort of assume that you already found the stoup (the basin with the holy water in it) in the cathedral -- if you didn't, then I can understand the confusion. Perhaps his second journal could read "I understand the reference to the stoup in the cathedral" (instead of just "I understand the reference to the stoup"), thus pointing you back to look for it in the cathedral.
As for
There´s one chest which I couldn´t open throughout the whole game - down in the church basement, it is in the room where there are 3 chests, 2 of them can be opened and the third I wasn´t able to find a key for.
that turns out to be
one of the secrets. There is a key hidden on the legs/supports of the dining room table (downstairs). That will open that chest
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17 hours ago, Bienie said:
Just finished this one this evening. Great work! I really enjoyed the storyline, and the readables were well written.
I also very much enjoyed all the little side objectives you added, in particular helping Molly get that creep off her case and making sure the boy gets a new lease on life. But oh boy did you make me work for it! I really think in general you're putting a bit too much faith in the average player's ability to find small obscure objects, switches and such. I guess for side objectives that's OK but I had to consult the hints several times even on the main objective. That's really the only bit of criticism I have though.
One of the things I struggle with is how hard to make things for the player. I wasn't sure about this mission; that's why I put the hints in right from the start. Still, I was hoping that the main objective could be done without hints.
Just had an idea - the difficulty level could actually change the readables, so that the text in the books is more explicit at easier levels. For example, on the hardest level it reads
I should thank Brother Minton for installing the switch in such a convenient location
but on the easiest level is reads
I should thank Brother Minton for installing the switch in such a convenient location, right on the side of my desk.
Has that even been done?
Funny thing is, as a player I'm not particularly bright and I usually need hints.
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3 hours ago, prjames said:
I'm stuck at the very end. I'm playing the "middle" difficulty level and have completed all other objectives thanks to the hints at the start of this thread.
The final objective says to exit via the Front Gate. None of the keys I have unlock the front gate. Also, although I managed to take the back way between the Green Room and the door to the storage room in the sewers, I also never found a key to that door. Is the front gate the way to exit? Or am I supposed to exit some other way? (Also, this problem doesn't change whether or not I cleanse the heart on the way out - it just changes the nature of the enemies I face.
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- prjames
The front gate is the way to exit. The Front Gate key is in different locations, depending on the difficulty. For 'middle' difficulty, there are two Front Gate keys available: 1) in the Guards Quarters, on top of one of the cabinets, and 2) in one of the Vestries (the one that doesn't have the clock), on the floor to the left of the desk. Either one of those keys will unlock the front gate, and then you'll be able to finish the mission.
The key to the sewer storage door is hanging on a nail in the wall, across from the locked door (not directly across, but close). It's located above a mushroom should you should be able to see it?
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22 minutes ago, Dead Rat said:
In the first post of this thread, there’s a section in spoiler text that provides some hints. Expand it, and expand the section within it about optional objectives. Within that you’ll find hints about Molly the cook - the hints are progressive so they don’t spoil everything at once.
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VanishedOne
My first idea was, after the cleanse, to have the builders returned in the position/state they were previously in. So if you had knocked them out, they would come back knocked out after the cleansing. That proved difficult to do - if they were laying on the floor then they would often fall through the floor or clip scenery in weird ways when I teleported them back. So I decided to restore them as they were at the beginning of the mission (and then explained it away in a readable). Maybe I could have provided some additional arrows for this eventuality?
At least the lights remained doused, if you doused them the first time.
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krrg - thanks for you comments.
21 hours ago, krrg said:I did find a very minor modeling glitch in the back of the cathedral where the window model's pillar is...obviously "empty".
D'oh! Good catch. If I ever do version 2, I'll fix that.
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boylag,
If you're looking for how to open the hidden door in the green room, one of the rocks on the ground in that room is a switch. Crouch down and you should be able to find it.
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Building on what VanishedOne wrote, there are a couple of ways to mark an objective as "invalid". It still shows up in the objectives list, but with a "crossed out" symbol in the checkbox.
You can do it with script code:
$player1.setObjectiveState( objNum, OBJ_INVALID );
where objNum is the objective number, e.g.:
$player1.setObjectiveState( 8, OBJ_INVALID );
Or with an atdm:target_setobjective_state object with the following spawn args:
"obj_id1" "8"
"obj_state" "2"(once again, assuming the objective is number 8). Make the atdm:target_setobjective_state the target of a trigger.
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11 hours ago, Jedi_Wannabe said:
Ah snap congrats on the release! Got the day off and was about to go for beta5 and saw this.
It was fun to test just wish I had more time to contribute. The mission definitely captures the essence of taffing at its finest.
The story, voice work, architectural lay out, and especially that intro, all golden!
Jedi - Thanks again for your testing, especially highlighting the performance issues. Let me know how the released version performs inside the cathedral.
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Excellent mission. Worth exploring to find all of the details. You've created a satisfying vignette of that location. I second Kerry000's comments, the atmosphere, sound, and details are superb.
I love some of the little touches, like
the way the hanging pots and pans in the ship gently sway with the rocking ship. Or, the crooked door that won't open because it is hanging off its hinges, in the deserted building connected to Frank's shop. I really appreciate that level of detail.
Thank you!
Edit: forgot to mention, I loved
way that that the ship was jam-packed with cargo. Felt so real. Again, a little thing, but added to the verisimilitude.
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2 hours ago, grayman said:
Umm, I'm going to object to having the pk4 and the map named "heart".
We already have "Heart of Lone Salvation". Its pk4 is named "heartv2" (and probably v1 was just named "heart") and its map file is named "heart".
So, for people like me, who keep copies of *.map and *.script files for reference and debugging, I'm not going to be able to have 2 map and script files named "heart". It's either one or the other.
I suggest that you re-release this with a different filename: perhaps "heartmattis" or something similar.
Done. The new pk4 is up on Dropbox, and I changed the link in my original post. The pk4 is called 'heartstmattis' and files have been renamed to this as well (e.g., .map and .script files).
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There are rumors that a legendary ruby, the Heart of Saint Mattis, actually exists. Break into the the Northgate Cathedral, find it, and steal it.BackgroundThis is my second Dark Mod mission (Mission of Mercy was the first). This is a small-medium mission, with some extras. See below for hints.My wife just gave me an idea for mission number three, so look for that next year.I notice that Dragofer just released a mission today. I hope I'm not violating an unwritten protocol by releasing another mission on the same day.DownloadThe mission is available in the in-game downloader. As well as here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/jah5svj5eagnhs8/heartstmattis.pk4?dl=1. (<-- NEW LINK. Per grayman's request, the name of the pk4 and map have been changed). Place the PK4 in your \fms folder. TDM will recognize it as a new mission.I18nI have not done the work required for internationalization.OpenAL EFX
This mission uses it (version 2), so I recommend turning it on in the Audio Settings.
ThanksMany thanks to the beta testers, who really helped me get this mission into shape: Cambridge Spy, Shadow, Jedi_Wannabe (who also did some performance work on the map), SuaveSteveThanks to Mike and Chloe for their outstanding voice work!The cathedral in this mission was inspired in many ways by bikerdude's excellent St. Albans Cathedral. I haven't played all of the DM missions, but to me St. Albans is the gold standard of cathedrals.Music includes Cantus Firmus Monks by Doug Maxwell/Media Right Productions (royalty free)The video series by Springheel and Sotha were helpful and energizing.Thanks to the entire Dark Mod community for building an amazing project.Hints and Tips (warning: contains progressive spoilers)Does this mission have scary things?YesWhich: giant spiders, skeletons, ghosts, or undead?YesNavigationHow do I get into the cathedral?Front doorOn the left side (left, when facing the front door) under some bushes is a sewer grate. One of the front door guards has a keyOn the right side, there is a ventilation grateHow do I get to the graveyard?Backdoor (from the Vestries)Ventilation shaftsMain ObjectivesFinding the Heart of Saint MattisFirst, investigating Neimath would be a good ideaOkay, I completed that objective. now what?Having read his journal, you learn a couple of things:The Gear of Assembly might be useful. Eventually you'll find out where it is. ButClayton has it in his safe. What's the combo?In Clayton's bedroom it's written on a note. Also, it's in another readable476One of the mausoleums might be involved.The hexagon shaped one.Some of the tiles can be pushed, and they make noise.Wasn't there a poem in Neimath's journal?Wind, Fire, Rain, RockOkay, I'm past the mausoleum.In the crypt tunnels, hunt around for Mattis' tomb.It's the one that requires a keyA special keyBuilt with the Gear of AssemblyYou need three components. By now you should have two. The other can be found in the crypt tunnels.Three possible locations: One is in the 'green' room, in a broken crypt. One is in the large room (lowest level), scattered among the bones. One is in the 'blue' room, behind one of the crypts. Once you have all three fragments, select the Gear of Assembly in your inventory and 'use' it (U), that will assemble the key.Investigating NeimathReadables provide some cluesSpecifically, the one in Clayton's desk, and a note in one of the vestries.Those two indicate two places where Neimath was lurking.A statue in an enclave is the switch which opens a niche in one of the small storage rooms within the dining room. Read the book. Make sure you take everything else.Optional objective associated with the main objectiveWhen you get into the crypt tunnels, you'll find Neimath's second journal. Read itHmm, where did I see something about "waters of the saints"?In the main cathedral room, there's a stoup (basin) with some water in it.Once you get the Heart, drop it in the stoup.Do I have to do this?No, it is optional.But there are consequences.Are there other optional objectives?Yes. How many?Three.One involves Molly the cook.Two ways to get that.If you enter the kitchen, you'll hear Molly talking to herself, which will invoke the objective.Sneak into her room and find her journal. Reading it though will invoke the objective.How to solve this objective:Look for some reason that a Builder might be discreditedIn one of the vestries, there is a note from Bartholomew about Pagen documents.If a Builder were in possession of one of those, he will be expelled.Pagen scolls can be found in Forge, and in the storage room in the sewer.One of the beds in the Guards' room has a note on it that identifies Vincent's bed.Put the scroll in the chest at the foot of his bed.One involves a widow's wedding ring. Get that byreading a book in one of the vestries. Where to look for the ring:See if there's an animal in the graveyardFind the bushes where the rat lives. Look around for the ring. Then drop it on the grave. Which one? The book has a clueMarna leaves flowers on the grave.One involves a guard named Buford.Finding it requires finding one of the secrets. The one in the vestries.Head up into the secret room. Read the book. Pick up the loot. Drop it...in the bushes by the door to the cemetery that you can't open.Are there 'secrets'?Yes, six.Two in the downstairs rooms.Actually both are in the dining roomOne is a key tucked into legs/supports of the table. What does it open?Look in the storage room, near the bathroom.One is hidden on a hanging oil lamp.Two are loot items in the cathedral main roomBoth involve climbingOne is at the top of one of the long hanging oil lamp fixtures.Shoot an rope arrow into the round ornamental global just above the lamp, climb up, then switch to the hanging chain (it is climbable). Climb all the way up.One is on the large hammer statue behind the altar.It is on the back of the wooden base, up high. You have to shoot an arrow into the base up high, climb up, and grab it.One is in one of the vestries.Notice the position of the two cupboardsOne is more forward than the other.Climb over it, then drop down behind it. See the switch. That opens a trap door above the cupboard.One is in the transition from the mausoleum to the tunnels.Part way down the ladder, look around for a niche-
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Congratulations! Downloading now.
When it rains, it pours: I'm about to release my mission too.
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Thanks everyone for your ideas. I decided to avoid the problem, so I adjusted the lights at the front of the building so that they no longer cast onto the front wall. Works like a charm, shadowcast counts inside are down to reasonable numbers. “Problem avoided” rather than “problem solved”, but it was time to move on. I’ve save a copy of the map from before these changes, so I can always go back and try “one more” fix, if something comes to mind. Thanks again.
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4 hours ago, VanishedOne said:
This is a long shot if there are no other signs of light-bleed or internal leaks, but are there any non-opaque brush surfaces (like caulk or nodraw) in the problematic wall, including surfaces you can't see because they're flush with an adjacent brush?
(Caulk is opaque in a certain sense, but internal caulking has given me light-related headaches before. I sometimes use shadowcaulk for that reason.)
Good idea, but I just checked for this situation, and no luck. It was worth a shot.
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5 hours ago, Springheel said:
Did you move the radius of the light as I suggested? You should be able to move it so that it doesn't overlap the interior room, and the move the light center so that it stays on the torch.
I gave this a quick test, and I'm seeing strange behavior. I created a light_torchflame, and offset the light_center, similar to your diagram above. First, the particle emitter is at the origin, not the light_center. I suspect I can figure out how to fix that. Second, the light that is cast has a few issues. There is light at the light_center, broadcast to the 'left'. But it uses the 'biground_torchflicker' texture, so it doesn't quite look right. The wall doesn't get any light, and I guess that's what is intended, but that looks incorrect too. Finally, there appears to be light coming from the location of the emitter. Not just the flames, but cast light.
Here's what it looks like. Light from the light_center shouldn't reach that wall.
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16 minutes ago, Jedi_Wannabe said:
Eager to see the results joe!
One thing I was wondering, was this problem existing BEFORE the alterations to the VPs? Had you narrowed this issue down as being a contributing factor to the performance in the said interiors already? I guess my fear is, did I make a bigger headache for you?
Nope, Jedi, you are innocent
. This problem has been there all along.
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3 hours ago, Springheel said:
Did you move the radius of the light as I suggested? You should be able to move it so that it doesn't overlap the interior room, and the move the light center so that it stays on the torch.
Shoot, forgot to try that. I'll give it a go now.
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9 hours ago, demagogue said:
The advice people often give in this situation is, when you really can't find the source of a problem, you just clear the problem area or brushes and re-build it from scratch with a very clean building style. If you can track it down to a small area, then that's not so bad, but if it's a larger area, that might be more effort than it's worth, especially in your case of otherwise being on the verge of release.
I spend a lot of time this weekend trying to do this, without success. I probably wasn't as systematic as I needed to be. It's a fairly complex area to redo.
One thing I forgot to mention in my previous post: I did have some success in one interior room. The boundary between inside and outside consists of two walls, worldspawn brushes, each 8 units thick, adjacent to each other. As a test, I expanded one of the walls by two units, so that the two walls overlapped. E.g.:
In one interior room, that effectively 'blocked' the outdoor light - the shadowcast count dropped, and the r_showlightcount dropped by one as well. So, partial success. But this 'fix' did not work for other interior rooms.
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Springheel & peter_spy - Good idea. Today I checked to see if there were any internal leaks, and I didn't find any. I followed the technique described by Springheel in one of his videos. There were no obvious leaks.
I've spent a lot of time trying to isolate the problem, but every time I think I get close, it gets more complicated. Here's what I can say for sure:
- The outdoor light contributes to the shadowcasting calls (and to the light count) of nearby interior rooms. Dousing the light brings the shadowcasting/lightcount down.
- As far as I can tell, there are no leaks in visportals (or anywhere else).
- If I isolate the interior room, so that there are no other light sources, then the problem goes away. That is, even when the outdoor light is lit, it doesn't contribute to shadowcasting/lightcount, but only if the indoor room blocks all other light sources.
I tried setting the outdoor light to noshadows, and that reduced the shadowcasting counts, but you could see the light through the walls (in the interior), which I guess is expected?
I've spent a lot of time trying to figure this out. I'm ready to release the mission - it is playable, but there may be performance issues in this room for certain hardware. It would be nice to resolve this, but unless someone has a brainstorm...
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I'm about to release a new mission, but I've got a performance issue that I'd like to resolve. I've got a building with a torch light on the outside wall. The light is causing performance issues inside the building, even though the wall blocks the light from getting inside. On the interior surfaces, the shadowcasting calls ('shdw' when doing r_showprimitives) are high. If I extinguish the outdoor light, the shdw count drops way down, and "r_showlightcount 1" drops by one too (on the interior surfaces).
Any ideas on how the light is getting through? It doesn't show as light - the walls (brushes) are blocking the light. But somehow the engine thinks the light is there. There's another building with the same kind of light on the outside wall, and it all works fine. I keep experimenting with the walls, but so far I can't figure out what the issue is.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
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22 hours ago, Shadow said:
me me me me me me me me me me me me !!!!!
Thanks! I'm working on version 2 of the beta. I'll include you on the distribution of that.
Newbie DarkRadiant Questions
in TDM Editors Guild
Posted
Here's something I did - maybe it'll work for you. Create a thin no draw brush (e.g., tdm_nodrawsolid_wood) that lays on top of the door (in front of it). Convert it to func_static. Set frobable=1. You may have to set frob_distance to a value too. This will 'catch' the frob and prevent the door from getting it. At least, that's what I think happens. Anyway, it worked for me.
Specifically, I was having trouble with a user frobbing a switch from the other side of a wall. The switch was on side A of the way, but the player could frob it from side B. So I put the frobable brush on side B, and it blocked the switch from getting frobed from side B.