chakkman

Just a shot in the dark: Maybe the triangle lockpick fell through the table?

The only wish i have is that the performance will be improved and CPU consumption will be reduced at some point. Everything else is really secondary for me. It's the major issue i see with the TDM engine.

Hey Goldwell, just wanted to hop in to say that the Northdale campaign is by far the most exciting thing that happened in this mod for me (well, the Crucible of Omens campaign was equally exciting, but, unfortunately, discontinued...). Not to talk down other's work, but, Act 1 really has been another level, because of the things mentioned in this thread, like, the city hub, the whole level design, and overal consistency of the mission. I just can say that i'm very hyped, also by your post here: http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/10003-so-what-are-you-working-on-right-now/?p=424938 Can't wait for Act 2 (and the others, ofc).

Alright, fair enough.

Is it deliberate that the new version of this mission is named "Volta 2: Cauldron", while the older version 1.2 was named "Volta 2: Cauldron of the gods"? This way, i have the two missions in TDM now, opposed to the old version being updated. I know that i can manually remove the mission of course, i was just wondering. May have to do with savegames not being compatible anymore?

Define "from scratch". The way i understand programming, and modelling/artwork design, you never start "from scratch". And there are loads of examples out there where games were ported to a new engine, or of remakes and reboots. Sometimes, it's an absolute necessity to port your stuff to a new environment. So, i wouldn't say that the statement that it is a "dumb, dumb thing to do" can be generally made for something like this. Doesn't have to do with the topic in general, though, of course. And i very well understand the reasons why this isn't ported.

Is this already available in the ingame downloader? Still says version 1.2 or so.

You know, i would love that, but, the way it is now, with the engine TDM uses, it's fine with me. Actually, what i'd be massively interested in would be a Deus Ex like game like The Dark Mod, with custom missions, enhancing the orignal Deus Ex' gameplay. That in the Unreal Engine would be like WOW. Unfortunately, there seem to be few people as motivated as the TDM team, which is fair enough, of course, after all, it's something you do in your spare time, as a hobby.

Rather a opinion. I would say everyone here is old enough to think for him-/herself.

I agree. Actually, those HD and texture mods always take a bit of the atmosphere, IMO, simply because the game was meant to look like it does. Anyway, my point of view is that if you can look past bad graphics, there's a lot you will gain, because you will experience the real virtues of the game then, not the blinky, shiny surface. Of course good graphics are nice, but, if the gameplay is crap, the graphics can be nice as they want, it'll still be a crap game.

Well, nice story, but, how exactly does that help the OP?

Ignoring the conspiracy theories: Windows 7 will have extended support (only bugfixing, no feature updates) until mid 2020. There won't be any updates from that point. Considering you want to buy a new laptop, i'd really think twice about still sticking to a discontinued model OS. And if you want my opinion: Windows 10 is better in any regard. I wouldn't even consider installing Windows 7 anymore.

Fair enough. I'd disagree that it is like Bioshock, though. Atmosphere and setting wise, it is very different. I also hated the action focus in Bioshock. SS 2 is rather chilled RPG action. Let's say (or let me say), Bioshock is a bad copy. At least for me. The guy who directed Bioshock also is a bit of a controversial figure.

So it's decided. Bikerdude HAS to play SS 2.

It's your decision. Personally, i find that there are much more important aspects than graphics and fx. I'd even say that SS2's graphics are sufficient for the experience. Of course it's nice to have blinky blinky graphics, but, the gameplay and atmosphere are much more important for me. And that's also where it often lacks in games these days. Great graphics, but bad gameplay. To be honest, though, i wouldn't play the first System Shock today. It's not just the graphics, but, the controls also seem very cumbersome...

Prey will probably be the next game i will play through. Shame i passed on the Mooncrash DLC, but, will probably snatch it on the next sale.

I would love that. But, considering how few of the devs seem to be left (correct me if i'm wrong), i don't think it will happen.

I wrote it before somewhere: Kingdom Come is the first game to really feature a realistic looking forest. They really did a great job in that regard. Skyrim has the fantasy bonus though. It doesn't have to look realistic, because the setting is not on this planet.

I must admit that i dismissed Alpha Protocol because of the clunky stealth gameplay. Can't even remember now why it didn't work for me. Still bought it on Steam after that, some time ago, on a sale. Maybe time to give it another go. Actually, i love spy games.

No System Shock 2 because it is too old for you? Uuh... you're missing such a gem. Especially when you like the Thief games. SS 2 is one of the greated games ever for me. Probably only topped by Deus Ex.

You are wrong. You ALWAYS only owned the license to use the software, according to the license terms you agreed to. Again, if you actually owned the game, you could do whatever you like to with it. Change the code, crack the copy protection, or release it as your own game. It's not there to harm the poor customer, it is there to protect intellectual property. Imagine you create a map, upload it somewhere, someone takes it, calls it his own, doesn't credit you in any way, and posts it here. I doubt you'd find that very awesome.

That's already wrong on a base level. You don't own games. And they're not "exclusively your property". You own a license, and you're allowed for usage under the terms you agree to, when you bought the software. If games would be "your property", you could do whatever the hell you want to do with them, e.g. change the source code, sell it under a different name, or crack the software. That is all not allowed. And, TBH, the reselling of software IS a problem the software industry faces. Already simply because that case wasn't thoroughly thought through, and noone used to sell software, back in the days. Nowadays, people even want to sell Steam games. My advice would be to think through every purchase you make, instead of making insta- or impulse buys. Then you won't, or you're unlikely to face the situation that you have to resell your stuff. Frankly, i think being to able to resell a software is a luxury, and, arguing about resales is a first world problem. There are much more important topics, and, i don't get the riot like mentality about such issues either. Especially when the people frequently making it a topic are a special breed, which will literally complain about anything. Especially when big companies are in play. Often seems more like a political issue to me.

The main issue i have with the topic "climate change" is that everyone wants to discuss something which requires a deep knowledge of science. And, frankly, i also only see very few real scientists with enough knowledge to be able to judge the things associated with it as well. In the history of earth, there were ice ages, as well as periods of extreme hotness. Without any industrial, or man made influence. And, in these days, whenever it is hot for more than 2 weeks, we already want to see a pattern, or feel confirmed. I think, instead we should go back to some more serious science, and people who are able and willing to really get into the topic, instead of prophets of doom on every corner.

Yeah, they definitely did a lot of things so that the way you have taken doesn't have a huge impact on the things you can do in the game. I definitely can see why they did that, because it's a bit of a showbreaker, when you realize there are guilds, or things in the game that you cannot access because of a decision you made earlier in the game. After all, you can't know everything when you start the game, and, some things you learn after dozens, if not hundreds of hours. E.g., after 200 hours of playing Skyrim SE, i realized that you can actually move dead bodies...

Just think about it: What would you think as a wealth house owner, when most of your guards "take a snack" on their duty? I get that housemaids, and maybe the inhabitants would take a snack, but, guards? Really? Also, that really doesn't excuse guards in many missions entering the same room at the same time as other guards. Sometimes, as i mentioned, 3 or 4 at a time. That doesn't make sense at all, and just seems a desperate way to create some kind of "random-ness". Stealth gameplay lives from a portion of predictability. And, yes, that is unrealistic. Games don't have to be realistic to be fun to play.