Tarhiel
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Posts posted by Tarhiel
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2 hours ago, Kerry000 said:
@Spyrano and @JackFarmer,
Thank you both for the kind words and rest assured that we are hard at work on part 2. We're really glad to hear that you're looking forward to it
@Tarhiel,
Thank you for the glowing review, we truly appreciate it. Would you mind answering something for me so that we can gauge our development of the characters? Who did you want to kill in the mission? Did you want to kill them because of their involvement in the darker side of the plot, or do you usually enjoy killing characters in-game? It's important for us to create strong emotions in the player about certain characters whose stories are going to evolve along with the main plot.
Ha, good question:
I do not enjoy killing characters in general and I generally take the stealth approach, usually blackjacking them, but:
SpoilerBut here, especially the Dalton brothers, and their chief Hales (the "mute woman", ex City Watch), I would kill off.
As I learned later on, it was a story option to kill the Dalton brothers with the rat poison, and I found this really neat, because it was stated in the readables somebody tried to blackjack them and it didn´t work, leaving clue to the player, they cannot be blackjacked (which, of course, I promptly tried).
But after the build up from reading all the readables, slowly building the tension not knowing what exactly they did to your friend and whether he is still alive, and then learning right after encountering them that they cut his tongue out, I just saved the game (knowing it will be a failstate) and sneak past them and killed first with the arrow and the second shoot to death with several arrows.
Don´t get me wrong, I know they are just thugs, gorillas meant to do their master (Hales) bidding, she is the real villain in this story. And you could clearly see from the readables she is dangerous. But I was so angry at them and terrified Daltons might do this to others, I just went with it. It´s not very often this happens to me in the game, even in Dishonored, I enjoyed the non-lethal ways of getting rid of characters (I mean, cutting tongues out, and sending two former brothers and slave masters in to their own slave mines, letting them taste of their own medicine, or letting one duchess to be abducted by her creepy stalker and self-pronounced lover? That´s savage), because I found them more punishing than killing them, which actually would be more merciful, in some cases.
So killing those two silently was a prompt send-off, but there are several unanswered things about Hales:
- why did she hate beggars so much (it was stated in one of the readables)?
- what happened she fell of the grace (not being city watch member)?
I reckon that, even though it wasn´t explicitly stated, that now the good captain of the guards knows about her involvement, and he knows who she is, so this plays in our advantage and I would expect there would be a show down, where she will be called out by the captain, probably something she fears of (stated in her journal, that he would certainly recognize her).
I am really curious how this would play out.
Maybe that could be an optional mission goal added here - to drop her journal on the captain´s desk as well, making sure he KNOWS who´s he against.
Another persons which I would gladly blackjack, for purely technical reasons, were the two un-blackjackable guards guarding the Tottenhaum (you know which one I mean, forgot his precise name) mansion and always turning up the lights. I know this was meant to be a challenge (there was also this one guard with helmet on his head, just before entering the roof with the maur), but I ended up noclipping around them as their behavior was pesky.
At least one of them I would leave blackjackable for those of us, who does not play on ghost, OR leave one (just one) gas arrow in the whole level (these arrows are meant to be rare, so player would be extra cautious using them), but this is exactly the spot I would used them on.
By the way, whomsoever wrote your readables, should have won an Oscar.Those are one fucking perfectly executed readables - short (only as long as they need to be), precise, in character, in the right places and there was always some new bit of trivia you learned form them, slowly piecing the story together.
And I think I found only 3/5 secrets,
have no idea where the others might be
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Absolute blast to play - neat, tightly-packed mission in a small area, but brimming with content - both loot and story readables.
And the story you two cooked up is fantastic, on a professional level - I can´t wait to find out what will happen in the second part!
The attention to detail, intro and outro had a high production values, as already stated before me.
SpoilerI loved the fresh take on the intro story being told by another person and their own mission, and then cutting to you, only when thing got sour and you knew right from the beginning something is afoot.
And I definitely enjoyed working with the captain of the guards.I was a bit angry in certain parts of the story that I can´t kill certain characters, but I can see why now
SpoilerThey´re gonna be needed in the sequel.
I really hope one day, and I still will be alive, the Crucible of Omens will be finished and released
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Very nice first mission!
I was surprised how well the manor itself was designed, that must have took a lot of time. And the tension! I was genuinely scared. I had to stop playing the mission during the night, and play during the day. That happened to me also with only one mission so far - Shalebridge Cradle.
Readables are very nicely written and I liked how you can systematically open every room in the house.
The only one I didn´t know how
Spoilerwas the secret room in the chapel. How do you open it? Is there a switch in the chapel somewhere?
Just as others have said, I also would like to see a resolution to a story:
Spoilerif there´s a way how to destroy the stone and the pesky dark voice, player should be able to learn it and do it.
If we are able to find a dewdrop, we should be able to put it to some use (bring to the burial place of Mary?) to let her spirit rest at ease?I have only one gripe with this mission - that it was too large. It has too large spaces with nothing goin on in them. Manor itself could have been shrunk down to at least half of its size and still could contain this story.
If it´s so big, why not populate it with some enemies? i have expected such a big place will be swarming with them after certain events.
And I have one question, which I wasn´t able to resolve:
SpoilerHow will you find out where the girl was buried?
I think it is the big withered three at left front side of the manor, near the polytunnel place, but I have no proof, I scouted it´s environment, I haven´t found any clue about it.
I even climbed it, as it seems climbable, thinking, maybe there is something in the topmost branches, but I haven´t found anything.
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On 3/28/2021 at 11:41 AM, duzenko said:
My goodness, thank you, you saved my playthrough!
This is exactly the reason why I couldn´t find the chapel key and couldn´t progress with a story!
SpoilerAfter I turned on the lights, the corpse started walking and must have kicked the key away, I haven´t yet managed to check that location up to that point!
If not for the command I would have to ghost through the door, so thank you!
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Congrats on the release!
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Congrats on the release!
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Wow, guys, optimization in 2.09 is above and beyond awesome - Painter's Wife, where I had before in the worst parts around 45 FPS, at best 75-85, now thanks to Image Sharpening I can now have 95 where before I had 45 and 120+ where I before had 75-85.
And without noticeable drop in image quality.
This is unbelievably awesome!
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6 minutes ago, MirceaKitsune said:
I'll be honest: I never once used either the Flashbomb or Flashmine, always saw them as pretty much useless. Nothing's ever motivated me to use them, I just pick them up and forget them in my inventory. A flash arrow on the other hand I would definitely use, it's an item I can see myself making practical usage of.
My idea is combining this EMP arrow with the flash arrow; When the arrow hits a surface, it will blind any AI looking, while also making electrical lights go out for a limited time. We could also disable the ability of the player blinding themselves as they can do with the flash mine / bomb, if it's proven that this is an annoyance. Which BTW I remember didn't work anyway when I tested this... the arrow made the AI rub their eyes, however the player didn't get blinded when seeing it explode.
Anyway turning off electric lights will likely require gamecode / script changes which I don't know how to do. What I think I will do in the end, because it's so simple, is adding the new arrow definition with the same effect as the flash bomb: Anyone with a FM can download my pk4 and temporarily add it to test its practical effects before we make those funky variations. I'm currently working on another little asset addition I'm thinking of proposing so perhaps after I finish that.
I wouldn´t go as far as making the flahbomb arrow capable of disabling electricity (practically, an EMP grenade), but the other capabilites sounds fine.
Besides, many lights in the missions are prebaked, it would be impossible to disable them and players might find it confusing, why this light was disabled, but the other one at the other side of the level could not.
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23 hours ago, MirceaKitsune said:
This is a thing I've thought about for a while now, and I really wanted to know if others would like to see it as well. I for one would really love to have this! Especially since it's so easy to implement, I did it myself just by changing one line in a def and already tested the idea in practice.
So in TDM you have two items that can act as weapons: The flashbomb and the flashmine. When they go off they create this bright flash which temporarily blinds every AI who sees it, including the player if they don't look away in time. It's a fun concept though I was never big into having a mine or a bomb doing it.
I always wondered: Why do we not have an arrow version of this as well?! Wouldn't it be fun if TDM had a flash arrow too? You shoot it and when it hits a wall, it creates the same flash that blinds every AI who sees it! The arrow is slow enough for the player to have time to look away after firing it.
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I, for one, would then definitely start using them.
I am never using bombs neither mines in any of my playthroughs.I think it is also more coherent with the gameworld concept - having arrows as a viable means of solution. This, and only this, out of all the other objects at player´s disposal should have been remade to an arrow in the former Thief games as well.
Bombs and mines should definitely stay in and it should be up to designers whether they would want to use it in their missions.
Similarly, I would also welcome keychain as an optional purchasable object at the beginning of the mission for those of us, who does not want to scroll through many keys in their inventory and are afraid of dropping them in case they might need them.
Keychain would act as 1 object which you can use on the doors, and if you have the key to the right doors, they would open after the use - it has already been implemented the Thief COSAS fanmissions - it´s neat little thing.All the keys should stack on the keyring and not take place in the inventory, if the player had purchased it, with the exception of special keys (ancient runes/non-typical shaped keys).
These two Quality of Life improvements I would welcome with the open arms
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Congrats, joebarnin, this is not your first mission and one can see all the experience you applied from your previous missions - well designed, fresh, with lots of interesting ideas.
SInce many before me already said what was good and bad + I am lazy today and don´´ want to write much, I will just say:
SpoilerI really liked the fresh take on the peeping-tom "mechanic", that was great!
Also all the flats were well done - player always knows where is he and where the other flat, which is mentioned in the readables, is and there are enough subtle hints about the secret switches.
Though I have to say, I had to noclip to 2 of them - both in the Hammerite cathedral, one up on the roofbeam, the second on the light - how were the player supposed to know they are there?The only reason I found them was because I have the "highlight loot" button bound, otherwise I would have never found them, since they are not mentioned anywhere + pretty invisible.
Also the travel back to past - was that inspired by Back to the Future movies? Because I would say it was, even down to the diction and vocabulary used by the inventor himself in the readable!
I thought it was clever homage, only to read here, it is probably not so?
Also, one other thing: player should not be able to tinker with the date setup on the time-travel machine, as this might disrupt the time continuum - I was able to set a different date on the machine, only to end up again in the future where I came from, which doesn´t make sense.
When the player can´t use the date settings in the future, because the machine is broke down, that make sense.
But player shouldn´t be able to do that even in the past, when the machine is functional - player voice should stop himself from changing the date, warning him about the repercussions, in the similar way as when the protagonist stops you from returning to the future without the picture, when you try to frob the lever on the time-machine.
Congrats again, this was a blast to play!
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Hi guys,
How do I find the map to the underwater facility?
SpoilerIf it is the map you will acquire be copying the weathered map, that didn´t trigger the objective for me.
All the other objectives are done.
EDIT:// Nevermind,
SpoilerFound it in the warehouse building, in the same room where the inventor talks to some other guy about the underwater suit and submarine thingy, right on the table with the base model.
Must have miss the frobbable scroll before. -
6 hours ago, MrMunkeepants said:
he had a few I didn't, but it reminded me that he lists the clock tower on Bell Street when it is on Hill Street (in case that is confusing anyone else) and that the map has the clock tower in the center but it is actually by Marlow Manor - unless there is a second one?
There is not, but there is one tower which looks like Belltower and it kept confusing me as well, until I realized those are two different towers.
The one I am speaking about looks like it´s smoking out of it.
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On 7/5/2020 at 4:31 PM, mmij said:
Congratulations on putting together this epic-scale map with some interesting and frustratingly, fun missions. I can tell a lot of work went into it from many different people.
I enjoyed the main storyline, the idea of the player being more than just a simple thief. And how you can choose the method of exacting revenge on the villain makes it more than just a Mario World level —collect coins, free the princess... Oops! She's in another castle.
And as much as I enjoyed the missions, I do feel the need to share my critic of the map.
Humans build cities based on a geometry for planned growth or asymmetrically for natural growth. This map uses neither and is difficult to navigate. All the buildings have near identical exteriors in the dim light, there are no landmarks to reference. And the street signs are dark placards sitting in the dark, of limited use on the ground, but definitely not helpful if you've gone vertical.
Another issue with the mapping is that, because of the hodgepodge of structures, there are many areas where you can literally walk on air (Hill Street is a good example), or get pushed sideways during a jump by an invisible wall. The latter is a feature found throughout the map. I have no suggestions on how to fix this other than through a walkthrough in Dark Radiant.
But about the layout of the city, I do have a suggestion. It's based on my past work within government public works. And I give it as advice, to be regarded or disregarded —not for me to be a know-it-all or an attacker. I know a ton of work went into this project.
Any building that was constructed by the government, a church, or wealthier faction should be part of a geometry. It can be part of a grid —polar or Cartesian— a militant triangle, star, diamond, etc. (as long as it's pointy), or your choice of polygon. Poorer areas, or places where the sprawl has grown with the city's population, are normally going to be like tree branches or rivers. The passageways flow around larger buildings (connecting to but not overpowering geometric ones) and natural formations.
So for this map, the area around the church, the clock tower, and all major buildings housing the wealthy or government services (electrical and water centers) should be on a geometric pattern. This includes the verticals. The pipes and lines should radiate out in the same pattern as the ground-level roads.
The "sprawl" is not random. There is a pattern to how sprawls develop, and often it grows like a tree. main branch of traffic forms, and the smaller branches bud out after that. If the sprawl is growing out of decay, the original large structures will look more like rocks in a river if you take a bird's-eye view.
In areas where geometrical growth meets asymmetrical growth, in a newer city (only a couple hundred years old) you often find its a no-man's zone. There's not really any established business or housing from either side that seems to be permanent. It's in flux. Older cities will still maintain the line, but there is a mix of well and poorly funded architecture.
Two of the biggies for navigation are the facades and the roads. In an area around a well-funded, high-profile project such as a church, the church will decide the look of the area. If its design is sedate and dark, many of the major structures in the neighborhood will to reflect that. And the road, which is normally funded by the builder, will be uniform in that area and wider than those found elsewhere.
So around our theoretical church, that's in an older city, the buildings should show signs of having started out from the same designer. The roads should all be the same material and wide enough for high traffic or parades.
A more recently built clock tower nearby our church will have it's own sycophantic buildings, but in better condition, and its own unique, wide pavements. If the structures' properties meet, then there is a distinct border. More often than not though, there is an intermediate section of sprawl that connects the two areas. Where sprawl sits closely between two properties, it leans more towards one design or the other.
This is not really important for smaller maps. Smaller maps are tiny sections of larger geometry or asymmetric growth and can be treated independently. There are fewer high-level patterns to consider, and the above topics won't affect a player's run. But on a large map such as this one, consideration to city planning and growth can drastically increase a player's ability to navigate.
One last note. This advice is given based the growth of a city considering material wealth only. Vying political factions and wars will change the footprint of various parts of a city in different ways than I described above. Asymmetric and geometric patterns will still arise, but density and direction will be different.
Thank you for this unexpected and interesting bit of trivia, I´m intrigued!
Is there any book or article you would recommend to read to learn more about all this?
Because this would be important reference material for area level design. I remember @Melan once wrote about the book he recommends about design of houses and how it informs his approach to design certain missions.
It would be interesting to read your material as well.
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Congratulations again to the creators of this mission, mission like this has not been done yet, both to the scope and complexity.
This was a blast to test and anybody playing this is up for a ride
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Hello OGDA,
Very nice first mission!
I enjoyed a small mission after playing certain gargantuan mission in making.
Can I just ask
SpoilerHow am I supposed to go to the hidden bar? I must have missed a hidden switch or something.
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Hello everybody,
I am currently betatesting Painter´s Wife and this strange crash occurs - it happens to me and also user Krillmar and I was recommended to post it here:
Once I am trying to use key to unlock secret (the small showcase with mini Smurph-like houses in a library) it always crashes - i was tried to delete darkmod.cfg and use freshly created one - to no avail
I have updated my Nvidia drivers from 26.21.14.4274 to the latest ones - still, no avail.
Edited://
It turned out not to be a 2.08-specific bug and has already been fixed/worked around by creators of the mission.
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I try to ghost as much as possible, and even though now I do understand how the score works. but I wouldn´t be against making it vice versa - now the smaller number is better, but it would be easier to understand if 100 (percent) would be optimal and lower score means worse rating.
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In no particular order:
1. The Heart of the Lone Salvation
2. Requiem
3. A House of Locked Secrets
4. Volta 1: Volta and The Stone
5. Volta 2: Cauldron of the GodsHonorable mentions(because we can´t write more than 5):
Glenham Tower
Return to the City -
Hey, Amadeus,
This is your first mission? Impressive!
All the typical mistakes of upcoming mappers are not here - too vast spaces with nothing to do or unclear goals are not present; level-design is concise, micro-stories of its inhabitants gave it life-like feeling and it was very well optimized!
The main villain twist on how to get rid of him was original
I also liked the way code was hidden - if player found just one half with a little bit of combinatoric you could still open the safe
All in all, awesome little mission
SpoilerI was missing cca 700-800 gold, probably form the last secret which I didn´t discover:
I had:
- Windowsill
- Secret black magic tunnel in the store
- And 2 more which I don´t remember, I have no idea where the last one could be.
EDIT:// I found the last secret - it was in the bookshelf of man who is watching you, near your flat. I also missed some loot on the streets and the one in the maintenance sewers.
I also experienced the same reflection bug as Bluehawk and I thought the moor is un-blackjackable, until I have read the forum - it would not have occurred to me to steal the bracelet right form his arm, but it should have, since it was glowing green.
Also, I would have welcomed the possibility to cure the hammerite, since he writes in his letter that he feels his powers is draining while he stays here and player will find a voodoo doll in moors´s apartment, I definitely wouldn´t mind a hidden objective of curing him by tossing the doll into the holy water, just like the bracelet - because I did it and nothing happened.
Also, it would be a nice hint to players as to what to do with a bracelet as well
I also hope you would release another stories of your protagonist.
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Congratulations on the release, looking forward to play it!
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3 hours ago, peter_spy said:
Actually, looking by the MSI Afterburner stats, current TDM soft shadow implementation eats up a lot of GPU performance, not only GPU memory. At this point stencil shadows with soft shadows option are more performance efficient than shadow maps with decent quality/resolution.
Do you think it will be optimized later on?
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What a wonderful little mission released at the end of the year!
Really nice surprise, Golwdell and Kingsal, I will just reiterate what Shadow said:
SpoilerThat shrinking "bag of holding" was a brilliant idea and I think this was the first mission ever in Darkmod to use this. And just today i was thinking about it that i haven´t played for a long time Thief or Darkmod FM with this mechanic - and what do you know
I was able to get on the roof of the house Garret´s room is located in, by opening the metal window shutters and climbing upon them. I wouldn´t count it as bug, even though I could access areas which should be off limits - this is something I love about Darkmods mission - freedom to go everywhere you want and not being tied down by invisible walls.
I will refrain from my typical longer posts today and will just say this was a pleasant surprise, from poster collecting (not overdone, for which I am thankful) to snowballs throwing
Merry Christmas everybody and a happy new year!
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Very nice compact little mission;
I hope our hero´s journey will continue and that he will
Spoilertake on the gang
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21 hours ago, MirceaKitsune said:
I know this is an ancient thread and aren't looking to upset anyone by necroposting. Just wanted to bump this one more time, since it's still an initiative I think is valid. Most FM's look very similar, especially the urban ones... I've been eagerly awaiting more missions taking place in different themes and representing different cultures. If anyone plans on creating a new FM anytime soon, maybe this inspires them to give this a shot.
Well, if you haven´t played Cauldron of Gods, you just might be pleasantly surprised
I think many of those assets might be reused in an wholly Egyptian-styled mission
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Fan Mission: The Hare in the Snare, Part 1
in Fan Missions
Posted
Sorry for the later reply:
It was these secrets:
1. hanged man
2. bird man
3. I forgot this one, probably some loot or some hidden area, maybe the one in which connects the Tottenhaums room with the balcony where you can find golden looking glass on a table?