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The Dark One

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Everything posted by The Dark One

  1. Back on target now… So, I’m not 100% sure who made this mission. The mission select screen says Silencium18, but the mission page on the Dark Mod website adds in Fidcal and Railgun, so eh. The Thieves is a simple and to the point mission. A member of a thieves guild has gone rogue and is harassing merchants and being a general nuisance, thus forcing our enterprising hero to kill him for the reward money. Another review I read implied that this was another early/test mission, and it shows in the general bareness of the level, as well as certain quirks, such as a key that doesn’t go with anything and a gang leader who oddly doesn’t seem to notice you banging about in his room unless you hit him. There are still out-of-way pieces of loot to uncover, and two different ways into The Thieves’(™) hideout, but other than that, the mission is quite basic. All in all I find this hard to rec on it’s own merits. It’s fun, but a little too simple to veteran players, and without much to set it apart from something like Awaiting the Storm.
  2. Thanks! It's still zoomed in a bit, but I can probably work around that. Thanks!
  3. Um, resolution is 1920x1080 Not sure what you want for moniter specs r_Width is at1600 and r_Height is set to 900. And I have no idea, TDM is really the only game I have on here. I've had this "freezing and forcing me to reset" issue before, but I've never had it do this.
  4. So I was playing a mission when TDM decided to shoot itself and lock up. After resetting my computer, I found that the screen was smaller: Now I have two black bars on both sides, with the actual screen compressed between them. I tried playing with the screen size and aspect ratio, but all I can seem to do is make the graphics sharper or force TDM into a window instead of the full screen. Is there some ideal to get the screen back to where it was? Or should I just go with this, since the game seems to run a little better. Essentially, I've gone from this: http://imgur.com/a/mV6Hr to this: http://imgur.com/a/a43xn Apologies for the poor quality, I'm mainly trying to show screen compression. First one is wider, second one is narrower. EDIT: Current settings for the second pic. 4:3 for aspect ratio. 1024X786 for screen size
  5. That pun is bad and the author should feel bad for making it. Inn Business (by RJFerret) is another atypical ission. This time, our plucky protagonist is hired to do a bit inn-based sabotage. The owner of an inn has hired him to sabotage a competitor by breaking in one night, robbing it, then coming back the next after security has been beefed up to rob it again, making people feel unsafe, so they’ll come to second guy’s inn. It’s genius, really. The mission feels very “lived-in” if that makes sense. The weather shifts over the course of the three days, going from dry pavement to snow everywhere. The guests and other NPCs do not remain static over the course of the three days (special mention goes to a mage who’s constantly coming up with new ways to mess with you), and little touches, such as dogs barking when you approach the church door, help to improve the atmosphere. Where the mission falls flat is in the loot goals. The numbers are apparently off, resulting in frustration for looters who want everything in a level. Also resulting in frustration for us underachieving plebs is the fact that loot is well-hidden, with some of it assuming the form of objects that aren’t normally loot in ordinary missions, which is most obvious. on the second night which suffers from a low amount of total loot. Said second night also has a unique security system in the form of sound detecting robot which, on my second playthrough at least, was incredibly sensitive, somehow able to tell that a footstep on the first floor was worthy of sounding the alarm. The third night changes the rules a bit, as Not-Garrett is summoned by his victim to point out security flaws remaining in the inn. It’s an interesting idea, but it does feel a little tacked-on, as well as flawed. You can “complete” the objectives, but if the warning note isn’t left in the perfect position, it will be unchecked without warning. The end result is an interesting idea that needed a little more coherence. And yet, the mission is fun. There are multiple hidden objectives to be found, although they require a fair bit of exploration to find. The mission has plenty of amusing (and it must be said, adult) moments, and the signs of an author who had fun piecing the whole thing together show through. It’s a flawed effort in places, but a very interesting and unique one. Recommended.
  6. This is long overdue. Very, very overdue. Apologies to Airship Ballet, the author of this campaign. Quinn Co. is split into two missions, La Banque Bienveillante and Chase Mercantile, but since they’re similar in concept I’ll review them both at once. The summer solstice has arrived, and our hero is intent on robbing some of the local banks, which are storing goods from merchant ships. These are some of the more unique missions I’ve played on The Dark Mod. When you start up, you see the normal screen for buying weapons, but it’s different. Now you’re not buying equipment, but instead you’re buying equipment drops, keys, different loot drop-off points….Heck, you can even choose your own objectives here! The author stated that the missions were modeled after the Payday series, and this choice of “loadout” gives the missions replayability. La Banque is the opening act and does a good job. It’s linear, admittedly, but an absolute blast to play through, with neat touches in the technology on display, such as a very neat bit of food storage in the basement. Chase Mercantile is much more balanced, and once the player gets out of the opening basement they can more or less hit the rest of the bank in any order they choose. Both missions can be considered rather easy for Dark Mod missions, due to the fact that you have no loot goal and thus can technically just do the needed objectives and finish the missions, but they do have a way of discouraging knock-outs: A penalty system. Not-Garratt has hired cleaners to fix his “mistakes” and that involves bribing guards and hiding bodies: 500 loot for knock-outs, 1000 for deaths. While this doesn't sound like much, it adds up quick, though in fairness each mission is loaded with enough loot for ten thieves, so even the blackjack lovers will be able to get through. In La Banque, however, there are guards you more or less have to blackjack to get past, which is thankfully fixed (from what I could tell) in Mercantile. This penalty system doesn’t just affect completionists, since the loot from La Banque is used to purchase equipment in the sequel. The missions are both very fun to play, mainly due to the constant gratification you get from all the loot. I ended my second La Banque playthrough with somewhere in the 20,000 range, and Mercantile has even more loot that it’s predecessor. Both missions have creative uses of technology, especially in the vaults, which are loaded down with security systems that you have to maneuver your way around. There’s a fair bit of characterization in the missions as well, shown by the readables. I actually ended up feeling bad enough for my “victim” in Mercantile that I left his own personal vault (mostly, man’s gotta make a living) untouched. Still, the missions aren’t perfect. La Banque all but forces you to knock out certain guard to progress, and the linear nature of the mission might annoy. Mercantile also has a very irritatingly placed guard right before the vault, who can’t be knocked out (unless you’ve bought gas arrows, but the drop still forces you to run for it and then snipe quickly) and you haven’t arranged for him to be bribed from his post you’ll run into a sudden roadblock. This leads into my other main gripe: While the loadout makes for good replay value, it also leads into going into the mission without the proper equipment, which could make the mission tedious, see: the alternate loot drop in La Banque, which is vital if you don’t want to make like ten trips back and forth. Mercantile is also a pain if you don’t think to/can’t afford to bribe the guards, and not having certain keys makes the mission trickier than normal. I fully understand that this is the point (and I’m sure most here will like that), but I find it a tad irritating that you can sabotage yourself without knowing about it. All in all, my complaints are relatively minor. My only big complaints are that there isn’t a third mission, and that I wish it was possible to replay Mercantile without having to beat its predecessor. Obviously, recommended.
  7. For the record, PranQster (the author of The Siege Shop) insists that Lowenz be credited as co-author for his help in this mission. In The Siege Shop, our hero is sent out to a former Builder training fortress up in the mountains, which has been taken over by a group of mercenaries. Rumors are spreading that they’re building war machines up there, and a mole sent in has suddenly cut off contact. Needless to say, Not-Garrett is to find out the fate of the mole and steal any designs he finds. And loot the place, but he didn’t need to be told that. This is a rather unique mission in The DarK Mod. I don’t know of any other mission in Thief fan mission canon that has you infiltrating with a hot air balloon, for one. Small touches fill the place, such as a machine patrolling the bottom floor and archers that actually practice firing. I noticed that on my second playthrough and loved it. The mission is quite hard, especially on the highest difficulty, as you’re going to have to get a good 90% of the loot to finish, and a lot of it is quite well-hidden, along with a key for a valuable piece of loot. The mission also requires a bit of backtracking, and it falls a little too hard on the tedious end of the scale, due to a patrolling machine that moves at the speed of frozen molasses, making said backtracking a pain. The mission has very nice aesthetics to it, but then I like castle missions. Of particular note is the cavernous workshop on the lowest level and the moat running through it. As said before, the little touches help the atmosphere immensely, and I admit I enjoyed how the leader of the mercenaries was shown as a hard, but actually decent guy. It doesn't seem like much, but I liked it. All in all, a fun, though slightly tedious mission. Recommended.
  8. Like Destined, I can also have a try at readables if you guys need any remaining help on that, though I also make no promises about my writing quality.
  9. I helped with that! Kind of, I just submitted some brief thoughts on missions and they got tweaked for the list. Speaking of reviews... -------------- This mission (by Pranqster) is also called Samhain Night, Samhain:Night on Bone Hill, and just Samhain. Throw a dart and pick a name, just don’t break your screen. This time, our respectful hero is off for a bit of grave robbing of the Goose family crypt. After a brief opening to show off the then-new plague masks models, Not-Garrett slips in to swipe the ruby….and promptly plunges into a water-filled tunnel, forcing a bit of tomb crawling to escape. Samhain Night isn’t horror, but more of a B-movie fest, forcing the player to constantly deal with new obstacles, from aggressive spiders to a (simple) maze. It’s quite fun, though some will gripe at the linearity of it all. Others will gripe about secret passages that open without much indication, causing a bit of irritation. Most will gripe about the high loot goals on the highest difficulty, which could force some backtracking, though in fairness the items you have to collect will add to it nicely. This mission is difficult, due to the aforementioned high loot goals and due to the fact that the highest difficulties forbid killing any of the undead that clog the tombs. An unhinted at secret room containing vital loot is also a pain to find. And getting a needed crown is an exercise that will require many reloads before figuring out a plan. All in all, this is a slightly uneven, but fun mission. It doesn’t aim to scare you, but to challenge you, and it does a good job on that front. And I admit a weakness for crypts with secret passages and booby traps. Recommended.
  10. Window of Opportunity (by RJFerret) takes our beloved charmer to the wilderness, as a rockslide has stranded him in a mountainside town. While there, he’s contacted by a merchant who wants him to get an artifact back from a caravan of traders. This mission is interesting, even just beyond the more outdoor/wilderness setting. The highest difficulty (which, full disclaimer, I didn’t play on), forces you to get by without knockouts. While there are only a few guards to watch out for, the area where all that sweet sweet loot is is small and well-lit, and the people are dutiful about re-lighting them, though you are granted plenty of water arrows to match. Where the mission really shines is in the caverns you have to traverse on higher difficulties. The opening reminds me of that one “Ted the Caver” creepypasta, and it ends up with you having to stalk dark and deep caves to find what lies beneath. It’s suitably creepy, with good atmosphere, and even something resembling an (easy) boss fight in the depths. It’s quite well-done, especially if you aren’t expecting it (I did explain it, but in my defense it’s over half the mission ). I do admit that the darkness makes moving around a pain, but it’s not hard to find the right path. I do want to know why the caves moved on pass the lair though, as there doesn’t seem to be much beyond it beyond a nice view. All in all, it was a solid, atmospheric mission. Can’t ask for much more. Recommended.
  11. Technically the full title is In A Time of Need 2: Breaking Out The Fence, but that’s so many words. Breaking Out the Fence is a sequel to In A Time of Need. Our dashing hero is looking forward to reaping the gains of a job well done, but the merchant he stole the spice from in turn stole the spice from a ruthless merchant’s guild. They want their cut, and have kidnapped Not-Garett’s fence to get it, meaning that he’ll have to bust the fence out, and implicate the guild in a murder to keep them from retaliating. First off, this mission has rain in it, which is automatically a plus. Second, it’s more complex that it’s predecessor. You need to slip into both an inn and a well-guarded store--and the sewers connecting them--to complete the mission, and while neither area is very big, there’s still plenty to find within. The mission plays around with some different features, such as security cameras around the store, but they felt a little unneeded. It’s easy to get around them and while you can find something to neutralize them you usually won’t need it by that point in the mission. Difficulty-wise, it’s somewhat high. The highest difficulty restricts your knockouts and the shop has quite a few guards wandering around. Still, I found it more than possible to sneak around undetected, barring a well-lit room which the guards seemed to constantly wander in and out of. There is a slightly obscure key needed, but there’s a visual cue to it.The loot goal is fair, with nothing overly hidden, though the safe you can crack has a slightly tricky combination to work out. All in all, this is a small mission, but with quite a lot of content within, even a few creepy bits down in the sewers below. Recommended, even if you didn’t play the first one.
  12. For the record, kyrrma (the creator of this mission) also worked on Exhumed. In A Time of Need is about need. Your need. Our dashing hero is targeting a merchant who’s been dealing in spice and has made a bit of money with it. So a simple smash and grab is called for. This mission is honestly rather small, which might disappoint those who like voyeuring their way across mansions.. Still, it makes good use of the layout, offering multiple ways into the home and making the layout feel plausible. Another plus is that the mission does change between difficulty levels, though the difference between medium and expert is one of loot goals. Still, it’s a nice change. Sadly, there isn’t much to say about this mission. It’s a good first effort with a non-linear style that I like. Recommended, but more experienced players might be a tad underwhelmed.
  13. It’s not a habit, I can quit anytime I want. Old Habits (by Obsttorte) is a pretty straightforward mansion mission. Our hero is bumming it at the bar when he runs into an old and recently fired friend. Said friend was formerly employed at the estate of Sir Aaron, and managed to find a weak spot, a weak wall near the sewers. “There’s a jeweled scepter in need of stealing, now get to work.” That sums it up. Wait, did that already. In my review of Old Habits, I mentioned that I’d recommend it in spite of flaws if it hadn’t been for a remake of the mission done by the same author. This is that remake: Old Habits II. While the set-up is the same, the mission has gotten a complete overhaul. This is obvious from the very first room. In the original, you had a long tunnel to go through to reach the mansion proper, even though it was established that you could hear the sewer just from pressing up against the wall. Here, the wall actually is next to the sewer. Little things like that. The mission also benefits from more non-linearity. The main issue with the first Old Habits was that you had no other options than a linier, guard filled hallway. Here you can do some parkour to find slightly different routes, and the second floor is less guard choked and has multiple pathways to your target. There’s also a bit with a chapel that’s quite fun, with hints scattered across the mission, though it’s a little too easy to lock yourself out of it without knowing, but in fairness the creator gives you a buffer to avoid that. Most of this mission’s issue s are technical. There’s a non-critical note in one of the bedrooms that sounds like you’re adding it to your inventory when no such thing happens. I also would sometimes phase through a ceiling for a split second in the chapel at times. The main issue is getting the key to said chapel, which, due to the quirks of the physics engine, can very well result in the mission crashing. I’m honestly tempted to just say that you should feel justified in noclipping through the door. It’s a shame, since it’s such a smear on a very good mission. On the whole, this is a very good mission. The difficulty isn’t as high, yes, but I’ll take a solid, challenging but fair mission over something hard for the sake of hard. If you can get get around the chapel issue, recommended. If you can’t, it's still recommended.
  14. The part in the shadows is a wood wall, the stone doesn't cover all to the top of the celling. I suppose I can just make that part something else rocky looking, since I doubt people will notice unless I blab it on a public thread.
  15. Fixed! I thought I made a brush, but maybe I did, deleted the map, then forgot the next go around. I do have another (mild) issue though. http://imgur.com/LliiSCn The stone part of the wall ended up too low and I'm not sure how to fix it. It's a mild thing (I can just change that bit of wood into something else), but I'd like to know if there's a way to tweak it.
  16. ]dmap GN1T ---- dmap ---- --- LoadDMapFile --- loading fms\NewMap\maps\GN1T glprogs/ambientEnvironment.vfp glprogs/ambientEnvironment.vfp 0 total world brushes 0 total world triSurfs 0 patches 90 entities 62 planes 0 areaportals size: 1000000015047466200000000000000,1000000015047466200000000000000,100000001 5047466200000000000000 to -1000000015047466200000000000000,-1000000015047466200 000000000000,-1000000015047466200000000000000 1 entities containing primitives processed. ----- WriteOutputFile ----- writing fms\NewMap\maps\GN1T.proc ERROR:Entity 23 has surfaces, but no name key ---------- Think this is the relevant part?
  17. I tried, but it created a .proc file? Which I can't open. But I did see the error it was giving me, "Entity 23 has surfaces, but no name key."
  18. I've got some error about "entity 23"? I know I'm seeing "23" at least. When I tried to dmap I got that error and it didn't even stay long enough for me to see it on the console. Pointfile said it wouldn't open, so I can't see if it's a leak. I don't think it's saved in the wrong place either.
  19. Pretend that I have something witty here. Obsttorte returns with another mission, The Builder Roads, which has 100% less roads. This time our hero is a trader whose latest deal has gone sour, leaving him without the means to pay his debts to the Very Nice People. His only hope is to make off with a recently discovered scripture from the nearby church. This mission is, like Old Habits, harder than your normal mission, mainly on high difficulties, which forbid anyone from seeing or hearing you. The number of guards you encounter also rises with the difficulty, and those player on higher levels would do well to explore before completing objectives. The mission is relatively open-ended, allowing you to explore the church/barracks at your leisure, and with a plausible layout to boot. Little touches, such as transparent windows, help with planning where to go and what to do. Loot can be well-hidden, and on the highest difficulty you’re going to have to find most of it. That being said, the mission is mostly simple in the first part, with only a few guards on patrol, with the difficulty kicking in once you find out where to go. On lower difficulties I think it might be too easy, if just because it won’t take you long to knock out the guards. Compared to Old Habits, this is much fairer on difficulty: It’s still tricky, but careful planning can get you through, and the more non-linear layout helps quite a bit. There was a few times when it felt like I had failed the mission for no reason since none of the guards seemed to have been alerted to my presence, but those were few and far between. The last segment could have used some tweaking, since it’s possible to do it too quickly and mess up even if the sequence is done right, but even that was a mild flaw, fixed with a quick load. On the whole, a very solid mission with a good challenge for those on higher difficulties. Recommended.
  20. Hm, idle question: How do you reselect something you've deselected? Like let's say I want to move the players starting point a little to the left, how would I reselect?
  21. It’s not a habit, I can quit anytime I want. Old Habits (by Obsttorte) is a pretty straightforward mansion mission. Our hero is bumming it at the bar when he runs into an old and recently fired friend. Said friend was formerly employed at the estate of Sir Aaron, and managed to find a weak spot, a weak wall near the sewers. “There’s a jeweled scepter in need of stealing, now get to work.” That sums it up. Old Habits is a relatively short mission with a few points of note. For example, the oddly colorful and very nice garden, which has some hidden secrets for those who search it and is probably my favorite part of the mission. Also, the outside yard which is a tad too well-guarded, but offers some nice parkour. Finally, the difficulty. It’s hard. And not in the fun way. The second floor of the manor suddenly dumps you in a linear path filled with torch wielding guards (in a hallway that’s already well-lit so logically they don’t even need them) who you can’t knock out. You are granted some tools to deal with them...if you can find them, and even then it’s a trial. I don’t mind difficulty, heck long time players of Thief might be rubbing their hands at the thought of a spike like this, but it makes the latter part of the mission far too tedious if you go in unprepared. The loot goal is mostly reasonable, though on higher difficulties you have to find a certain number of specific objects, which is slightly trickier, but still doable. All in all, a decent if difficult mission. Normally I’d recommend it in spite of those flaws, because it is still good, but the author remade this mission and balanced it out and added more to it. Therefore, I’d have to recommend this only to people who want a challenge.
  22. Far as I can tell that fixed it, thanks.
  23. I'm seeing everything in the folder, but not the folder itself. Pretend that "prefabs" isn't there and that you see it all under "darkmod". (Or "Darkmod" on my thing, but I can't imagine that messing anything up.) Apologies for all this trouble, by the by. <.<
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