Aprilsister

I should be able to launch TDM and pick this up with the new internal downloader, no? ... Answering my own question as I should have just gone ahead and tried it... Yes, this FM is listed in the file in whatever system keeps track of the missions that are "available" for download within 1.03 new mission downloader. Downloaded new mission list. Found "Lockdown" listed. Marked it for downloading. Set it going. Got the confirmation of a nice clean download. Installed the mission. Automatic restart of TDM. Quit TDM to come tell you all... Heading back in...

Are you saying that the whole process of dumping to (available) memory AND compressing AND writing is 3x as fast? Or just the eventual writing of the 20x smaller compressed data is 3x faster? ... Having taken a curiosity-piqued look inside one of the ~80MB saves from Heart: it's mostly full of code-comments! Maybe the whole save system needs an overhaul?

Is the purpose of these wonderful symbolic links to make things easier? I love 'em -- they sure are handy!

I mentioned this in the 1.03 beta testing thread but wasn't sure anyone saw it: One of the many cool things about TDM is the ability to abort a bowshot (without the old method of switching weapons), but it doesn't seem to work the same for the blackjack (possibly the same applies to the sword as well). Can we get this? ( Maybe for 1.05 after 1.04 is quickly deployed to be an update that is mainly about the huge set of assets {Melan, Serpentine, Nosslak...} awaiting distribution; and the little fixes that have been worked for 1.03 already; and as a good way of seeing how beautifully such thing will proceed with the new updater ) Thanks.

Trickster See the "Game broken after 1.03 update" thread... something to do with COMODO perhaps.

Is that "lol" as in "lnot oa lchance" or "lany ominute lnow"?

Well, yes. That's cool too. The reasons I have for my suggestions are that when I do use Quciksaves (which is less often than most I'll bet, ratio-wise {i.e. I usually do a stop-and-save}) I want a quick save... and OTOH, for a stop-and-save, I am in a pause-mode-mindset anyway and often get up and shake myself, get/do something in the real-world, cry out Absalom!Absalom!Absalom!...

I certainly am seeing save games more in the range of double-digit MBs rather than KBs... But I still would definitely want this to be optional -- at least for Quicksaves. If it could be implemented for stop-and-saves, sure that'd be cool.

Congrats on the Official Release! Now I can't wait to see the werebeasts (though I hope I don't come to regret saying that and they are terribly frightful (in either sense) and become overused: see frickin' zombies: for that matter see frickin' horror).

Well, to be honest, I will miss him a little... At least as far as Heart goes, because I have fond memories (or a fond memory) of being quite intrigued by his murderous ways when I played HOLS the first time.

Quite possibly the funniest stuff I've read here. Yes, the "original fans" (those fanatics who turn their nose up at TDM) are so ready to agree on what is an what is not "frivolous and arbitrary" and certainly they all agree on what "proceed naturally from the design of the Dark Engine." Yes, yes, yep. ... They aren't some hard to-please-fanatics. No. No. Nope. Who said that? They, these "original fans" only want better mechanics (but not those better mechanics) and improved AI capabilities (but not those...) ... The truth is they couldn't agree on any goddmaned thing in the positive. The only thing they do agree on is purely in the negative. These fucking people sit around for literally months... and complain and get snide and build a fucking culture out of doing do over a fucking logo... these "original fans"... None of them love Thief more than I do. And all the sentimentality and fetishistic bullshit in the world is not to the contrary.

Awesome! I do believe I've seen your AI-think-interleaving improvements at work quite a bit actually... I believe it manifests in what was just mentioned above about the AI experience Melan had; and I haven't seen any of the old hangups at all... plenty of opportunities for those and some temporary confusion that occurs as a bunch try to get through a door or narrow pathway... but so far always works itself out. Fine work I believe, grayman. I'm just wanting to solicit a bunch of thoroughness here with Heart since it was the one that AFAIR many had the RDGs problem. And then tomorrow you guys push this beauty out!

Just to be clear from my world to yourses: I do not expect, claim or even recommend that I be the sole tester of Heart. AAMOF I would hope everyone feels absolutely free to double or triple or whatever up on any and all FMs and new features. To be even clearer: I have messed around with the new features and, as reported, done some Heart. All (excepting those few things I have mentioned) to great success! The main thing with Heart though, IMO, is to see if it has lost The Mystery Of The Random Dead Guys... which was never, AFAIK, something that could be reliably duplicated; so as many testers as possible would be a good thing here, I think.

The reality is: 1. It is not open. 2. It is not complete. 3. It is old. ... 98. It is now 5 years on and you realize... 99. TDM & DR are already here and they kick ass.

they're coming to take me away ha ha hee hee ha ha (but seriously, slightly sorry if I did get carried away there) Okay that's fair enough. If you are approaching this purely as an exercise in hacking it might be fun. Jerking off is a lot of fun too; but it is just jerking off.

I do aim to please. ...I sort of fancy myself a diplomat, even.

So? That's fine. You play pissed off. You worry about people who are so shallow that they will not want to try TDM at all because of something I said. It's a ridiculous and petty-minded thing you attribute to these people. If there are people who will be made to not try TDM at all because of something I said, which has NO ACTUAL (see I can type in all caps too, and break out the angry face and get bold) BEARING AT ALL ON HOW GOOD TDM IS... then those people are INDEED HUGE fools. Why do you want to insult so many people by attributing such pettiness to them? I will continue to assert that TDM is the best thing going as far as Thief development and progress goes... You continue to play at worrying about people who you obviously really have no respect for.

Not so. And not so. There will probably always be some people whose minds have permanently fossilized, sure. And others that will slowly, only slowly, catch on. And quite a few that will need a few of their herd to stumble forward to start the stampede. But eventually most of the "people" will figure it out and stop fucking around with that flawed old gem... Most of those people are after all Thief fans -- and that must surely be sign of some sort of above average intelligence (if even only slightly so). No. It's a silly waste of time to messing with that fragmentary, old gem. The best thing, of course, is to focus and build on this project. Of course.

Oh, yeah I'm sure I had saved and reloaded many times. I'd been up over the wall... down to the courtyard... up on the balcony... inside the main building... down to the 1st floor... down to the basement... down the well... through a bit of "sewer"... up to the back alley... and back to that body.

Argh nothing...

Okay, I've played a bit more of Heart and went back to check on a body I left in the shadows. Found this poor mangled wretch: I have played much more after that and have been documenting/screenshooting other bodies I leave here and there in various poses along the way -- I will revisit them and see if they warrant before-and-afters... ... A couple more things to mention or question I actually got stuck on hung up on this particular guy because he is so darn cute. Er no, really I got literally stuck/hungup on him, meaning maybe his model or mesh or whatever is less ~smooth~ than the rest? In case anyone would like to investigate: Loading takes a loooong time (meaning the initial load of this mission, the progress bar bar isn't too bad but the "mission loaded please wait" part almost makes me think it's "not responding" time. Of course this is a huge mission size-wise and fun/other-wise. Also this is manifested in the quick-save which maybe I just don't remember but takes a little longer than I expect... Now, this next bit is just another not-a-bug-but-I'll-mention-it here since the programming team is listening hopefully: I really like the ability to abort a bow shot but noticed the same is not true for blackjacking. Can you implement that please?

I liked it. Wasn't the "greatest thing ever", but compared to -- lets' look at a description of a new game I just came across, entirely typical: DE is much more engaging.

From Greebo's instructions in this thread.

Ah, I see... makes sense. Makes sense if I have this right: regular lowpoly model = visible mesh = round/highpoly compared to the other (shadow and collision) meshes even though you describe it as a "lowpoly model" (because it is where you come from, but fine for the game). Or generally if I have that right... I get the gist, basically, even if those 3 things are separate and distinct. Thanks for the answer.

Fidcal, you're a credit to any and all things you associate yourself with...