RPGista

I remember when TDM turned what, 1.8, 2.0? A bug fix from Grayman, who was my hero (helped me out many times, great missions and work) broke my mission, a part of it that took me aaaages to get right (in game "scripted" scenes using the conversation system). So then he became my biggest nightmare, I had to come back and redo that and had no idea how! Huge bummer. The moment I pointed it out to him, he worked it out for a few hours and came back with the solution, and saved my day. So he became a hundred porcent hero again, in my book. Thats the kind of support you get as a mission author in here (not mentioning all the hand holding throughout the whole process of making them). There has been amazing changes to TDM since I got to know it in version 1.6. Read the changelogs in the wiki page http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Category:What%27s_New. If that doesnt impress you, Im not sure what will. These guys are not fooling around.

Actually Toni this is a chat room, this is where people come to mingle and share ideas with other cool people. Bug tracking, mission or help threads, thats where you wanna keep off topic comments to a minimun. Dont try to take the fun away!

Count me in.

Hey, this is really cool, let me see if I can help you with those model and graphics. EDIT: Oh, Biker is on it.

The TDM guys are really understanding and usually go out of their way to argue any proposal out there, to give you a fair hearing. But there are limits to that. Not only in terms of resources, but also in terms of possible conflicts with the vision and design choices that support the game and give it the intended coherence. We, as fans, need to understand that. I agree with Airship, many sensible arguments were put foward here, many were simply ignored, and thats no way of making a case. There also doesnt seem to be majority supporting the suggestion. The game is open, though - that means anarchy; you can take it, tweak it, share that improvement with like minded people. Even though its not a part of the original game itself, its still open for all those interested, so its no different than having a "on, off" button inside the options panel. Like I said before, go for it man, beta test it, make a forum post about how this works for the player. I would rather see that than this conversation going nowhere.

No need for votes. All you need to do is betatest the modification till its 100%, release the package and announce it "Hey, if you guys wanna be able to extinguish small oil lamps as you would a candle, put this in your TDM folder". The question of adding this option as a spawnarg for future missions is a separate matter, for the devs to decide (manpower, relevance, etc), IMO.

I voted yes, I dont see why not, if its a small flame, why wouldnt you be able to extinguish it if you get you hands on it? Enclosed, electrical lights, pretty big flames, magical stuff, thats your tip you cant put it out by yourself, gameplay wise. But I never ever put out any lights, just cant be bothered to do it, so its nothing really personal for me. As we have seen, the developers dont believe this is a design choice they would like. So for me, this is the end of it, as far as making it to the core game is concerned. I think it is about time people start collecting tweaks that they believe would make TDM better and release that stuff as "XYZ Improvement Patch" with enough info so people can try it out and see if that works for them and actually improve their experience. In a non-destructive way, stuff you could put in and take out if you want, without damaging the install. Yours (and Destined's?) is a good example. Im tempted to do the same regarding combat, take Sirgen's modiffications, see what I can do myself, and release something for people that might appreciate TDM's combat possibilities (as we imagine it). Perhaps there could be a forum space for that.

Airship is on fire. And Cambridge, if its plot, or map layout stuff, you can always just post screens or info on the forums, people will give you suggestions. Or you can request a beta-tester, of course...

This guy is the pro.

Pretty interesting man, love the new tools being implemented.

Very, very nice, I really like the textured feel of the space, lots of lines, wood, bricks. The lighting is looking quite good as well, like fullbodied. Pretty cool man. The one thing I would mention perhaps is the POV, because you could possibly experiment with a more dramatic camera shot, maybe even an over the shoulder view (so we feel close to the observer, who is remembering), alternating with first person shots, or if not that, basicly more dramatic shots that tell the story in a more expressive way. I dont know, just might be fun to circle around looking for the best POV to get the emotion you are going for with each frame. A couple of fun examples of how this works, from the master himself, John Buscema (takes me back):

Yeah you often see sprinting limitation in games. Im not against it, actually. I wouldnt like to see a bar, though. Just some heavy breathing and inability to sprint for a while, once youve done it too much. The thing is, in a game like Stalker, it makes a lot of sense. You are usually crossing big distances (so the question of speed vs carrying tons of equipment or loot arises), and in firefights you need to really run around trying to dodge the bullets and look for cover, so mobility is key (again, vs carrying lots of weapons and loot). In TDM, running already has a negative aspect to it (huge noise, and making you visible), if you can run because nobody is listening, then the map is clear and it would be boring to be forced to walk around bare rooms because you are getting tired all the time. Its single missions (even in campaigns), so the matter of carrying excess equipment or loot for later is not applicable. Also, I just competed in a 5k run in a speed that most would call sprinting and thats really no problem for someone as fit as our thief. And if you think about the people who won first places, those guys were sprinting throughout the whole thing. Even if our thief is not a professional athlete, he would obviously be fit enough to run confortably and fast when needed. But it could be interesting, gameplay wise, to have him tire out eventually. It would be something to beta test for a while and see if any fun aspect comes out of it.

Vanished One has the eye of an eagle. Cool fuits/vegetables! You might also play with the specular levels to find the right balance for each piece. Now that I mention it, whats up with those stock glass bottles there, they could definitely do with a bit more shine if you ask me.

Whoa, did NOT see those moonlight expriments, SteveL my friend! Incredible and fantastic. I believe I was the first guy to use parallel moonlight in a TDM map, so this has a nice nostalgia feel for me. Your setup woulda really come in handy back then. Are you planning on using it for your map, please do. As for the issue of parallel lights, I remember I wasnt able to put it work for a while, untill I came across Katsbits tutorial about them and he had a downloadable light entity that I simply imported in my map and that worked. Dont remember why I couldnt make it work manually.

Yeah, I made a site on wordpress once, for a short film I worked on. It worked quite well, but I remember not being able to find a template (or edit the one I did choose) to make it as bare and minimal as I liked, I had to work with their constraints. Maybe they have new ones by now...

Merry - I hear you. I cant stand 3DS. Blender IS a total mess, its like flying a(n alien) plane. I also liked modo because of that, easy interface. Just focus on the fun part, which is putting the stuff you make out there.

Goldwell - Lovely shots man, love those moonlight showers. Just one suggestion: please dont use that "glow in the dark" glass material. TDM has some materials that simply dont work well with light, specially in the dark (ironically). I would suggest the warped glass, it looks the best in my experience (though you could create a different bump map, with less distortion if you want).

Hey, thats cool! But wait, are those what, nuts or... Pretty cool to see youre picking up modelling aswell, its not easy. Heard lightwave is kinda hard to work with, but then again, all of them are. I would recommend blender, if you are getting started. Not because its the most powerful, but because there's just something about supporting and using open software, it just rocks. Im learning it myself, after going through Modo (which is quite good, as far as game modeling goes).

Maybe this is a bit lame for a post, but I was looking for a good website host to start putting my work online, and Im still not sure which one would be best. There are a good number of internet savy people here, so maybe you guys could give me a few suggestions: - I have some art material I would like to upload. This could be a blog sort of thing, or a site that is easily expanded. This would probably be my "personnal creation" site where I would be putting my stuff as I make them. - A portfolio site, we all know what thats like. - A "professional" site where you put material on your completed works, and WIPs. Architecture is the field. I've been posting most of my art stuff on social media, and using direct emails and a pdf portfolio for professional needs . But I want to expand a bit and have something online to refer to. No need for a payed subscription, a free, simple hosting will do. But I must stress this - no ads. I know of wordpress, but little else. Any good ideas?

Uhhh... You guys need to watch more american humour. Also, loosen up.

The story seems very unique. The photography is amazing, beautiful use of light on those island scenes... Amazing stuff.

Thats pretty awesome, man, lovely stand. I think the stone one definitely works best. The "soft" edges on the normal map (due to the scan, Id assume) is exactly what you would expect on most granite sculptures, because the stones were so hard and difficult to work with. Not so much with wood, where we would expect sharp detail work.

Capela - go for it, man. I like your use of wood against stone. Just be sure to study real architecture in books and online, your ideas and motivation will be endless. Gestas - Really nice model! Love the expression on the face. Whose sculpture is that from, out of curiosity?

I like this idea, it would be great to have work done on a more organic way, a more complex outdoors landscape, less orthogonal architecture...

This mission has one of the coolest final sections you can find, pretty tense stuff. Also, lots of diversity in scary situations, felt like a classic D&D horror mission for me. Everyone should try it.