MajorLunaC

Well, that's what I was hoping the interactive files for each map would help with. The script would store the current values, and on portal contact, the current values are written to the auto-executing interactive file for the next map, which is then executed. The auto-executed interactive files would just assign certain variables that the save takes into account foremost. (Pardon my brainless pseudocode) Say something like "sv_health 50%", "sv_sneak_attribute 9", etc. Likely, the interactive auto-executed files would be stored in a similar format as the save files, but I don't think cheating is that big of a worry in a single-player game. The loading time really doesn't bother me much. Even many modern games have long loading screens, and older ones had plenty long ones too. It's an acceptable mechanic, as "Teleportation Time". As for the video, you can just add a [Continue...] button that you can press any time after the loading is done. Wait if you want to watch, or skip it and go. That's how I've seen it solved in many games. But yeah, overall, this does still sound like a lot of coding even at minimal, and all the pretended/illusion workarounds.

If you're sure it was Aluminum Haste, search YouTube, not the Forum. I only found a video tutorial on the combat, and a list of others I haven't checked yet: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Aluminum+Haste+dark+mod I also completely forgot to mention, I was wondering why it isn't considered a block when both you and the AI swing the sword at the same time to attack. The swords should normally bounce off when they hit each other, but I just end up getting damaged.

If I understand you right, that's what I meant. It would literally be a blurry water-like/portal-like doorway (maybe with a screenshot image on it) that when you contact it, it completely ends and shuts down the entire current mission (restart, yes, fine), unloading all resources (maybe producing an auto-save just before) and loading a completely new mission from scratch, and you're waiting at a loading screen the whole map-change time. Quite literally, you're hiding the menu and screen to Load a New Mission, and just auto-starting a new mission in a list, instead of manually exiting the current mission and then going to the menu and then starting the new mission. It's an in-game trigger to automatically save and end/exit the current mission, and then automatically start a new mission from scratch. In NO WAY do you EVER load 2 maps/FMs at once. It's all an illusion, NOT the heavy-duty continuous loading of something like Gears of War or Just Cause 2. The real complication comes from managing the save files and interactive files, from what I see. Maybe I'm missing something in the logic or I didn't explain clearly enough? Assuming you can string missions together, is it 2-way or linear switching of missions? I'm guessing linear, meaning once you finish a mission, it's over and you can't go back. It doesn't mean as much if you can't reload a previously defined save state of a mission and can't add triggers that change the behavior from mission to mission.

Don't tell me I have to practice until I get perfect timing. These observations are from lots and lots and lots of dying at the hands of heavily armored foes. I can't lay a single clean hit on heavily armored foes (Training duel 2 + 3). How do you hit them if they're always blocking by the time you swing your arm forward?

I would like to suggest a "Campaign Mode", where basically multiple maps are linked together and have some interaction. Sounds complex, but it can be made relatively simply. Basically, it would act something like Fable doorways, where a doorway just loads a certain new map (Mission). The interactivity would come in with text files that pertain to a map (i.e. A-Night-To-Remember.inter), which is read as an auto-execute file when that map is loaded. It starts out empty, but any map can append to that file when there exists a certain trigger or event. This would allow campaigns/missions that span several maps. As for the saves, while in Campaign Mode, all map saves are redirected to a directory specific to a campaign. So when you have a "Dark Forest" campaign, all individual map saves go in "Dark-Forest-Campaign/Save-A/". All the maps would really then have only 1 save, and all the individual map saves are copied in bulk to "Dark-Forest-Campaign/Save-B/" when you save in the second slot. These would also, of course, include the interactive files mentioned. I'm not exactly sure how the load would choose the right map save to load, but I think a separate "Dark-Forest-Campaign.inter" could log that. This would permit entire storylines to be produced that can have multiple endings, with the illusion of being in a much larger landscape. I think this could help with immersion into the game. What do you think?

I know as a Thief-like game, The Dark Mod is not really supposed to be focused on fighting, but there should be reasonable fighting mechanics. I don't know how to beat any of the heavily armored enemies in the tutorial apart from shooting an arrow right in their face. *Combat Issues: - AI blocks perfectly every time, the moment you even start swinging the sword. - AI side swing and over-head swing are difficult to distinguish. - Your block must start the moment the AI even begins to swing. Any later and your block may unexpectedly fail even though it's the correct direction and the visuals display you fully blocking. To fix the issues, I can only think of suggesting that the AI might need a random chance of blocking correctly, higher with class of fighter. The animation and sword movements need to be a bit more obvious so the side swing and over-head are easily distinguishable. The player's mechanics either need to be tweaked so blocking correctly is more likely or maybe an auto-block with a high chance of blocking correctly (last resort). What do you think?