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Ulysses 2: Protecting the Flock By Sotha The mission starts some time after the events of Ulysses: Genesis, and continues the story of Ulysses. It is a medium sized mission with a focus on stealthy assassinations and hostage liberation. BUILD TIME: 12/2014 - 05/2015 CREDITS The TDM Community is thanked for steady supply of excellent mapping advice. Thanks goes also to everyone contributing to TDM! Voice Actors: Goldwell (as Goubert and Ulysses), Goldwell's Girlfriend (as Alis) Betatesters: Airship Ballet, Ryan101. Special Thanks to: Springheel and Melan (for proofreading). Story: Read & listen it in game. Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwR0ORZU5sraRGduUWlVRmtsX3c/view?usp=sharing Other: Spoilers: When discussing, please use spoiler tags, like this: [spoiler] Hidden text. [/spoiler] Mirrors: Could someone put this on TDM ingame downloader? Thanks!

@datiswous, made that correction fm_test.subs --> fm_conversations.subs @stgatilov, about srt naming and file location, would you be OK with the following edit? New/changed stuff in italics: srt command is followed by paths to a sound sample and its .srt file, typically with matching filenames. An .srt file is usually placed either with its sound file or in a "subtitles" folder. The .srt file format is described e.g. [1]. The file must be in engine-native encoding (internationalization is not supported yet anyway) and have no BOM mark. It contains a sequence of text messages to show during the sound sample, each with start and end timestamps within the sample's timeline. It is recommended to use common software to create .srt files for sound samples, instead of writing them manually. This way is more flexible but more complicated, and it is only necessary for long sounds, for instance sound sample of a briefing video. It's a simple enough standard that it can be shown as an short example, demonstrating that subtitle segments can have time gaps between them. And the example can show correct TDM usage, without requiring a trip off-site and picking through features that TDM doesn't support. Specifically, the example shows how to define two lines by direct entry, rather than using unsupported message location tags (X1, Y1, etc.). And skips other unavailable SRT font markups like italics, mentioned in the wikipedia description. The example would also show the TDM-specific path treatment. The example could be inserted before the sentence "It is recommended to use common software...."

Good work! I enjoy short missions because things are nice and focused - you get in, you get out. Also I tend to do better with the loot amounts and I was able to get all the loot without too much trouble, which is rare for me. If I were to make a suggestion though - I found the intro briefing sequence a bit distracting because it was so obvious the narration was pitch-shifted to make a deeper voice. If you felt the original voice wasn't deep enough for your needs, I would either get someone on the forums to record it for you or just leave as is. That's my only real complaint and it's not even about the mission itself, so pretty good first start!

I am pleased to announce the release of our new fan mission, The Hare in the Snare: Part 1 Mission type: City Missions + Inn/Tavern Description: People are being abducted off the streets and a Watch Captain requires the services of a thief to help him find out why. Download link (v1.0.2-release): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HYvM_u56wDB16uIlb7qgS_q3P24V69MO/view?usp=sharing Credits: Mapping and original characters: @Frost_Salamander Story, readables, custom models, voices and cinematics: @Kerry000 Menu title track produced and mixed by @JackFarmer with selected gigagooga sound samples Beta testers: @Cambridge Spy @Zerg Rush @Amadeus @Acolytesix @Lzocast @wesp5 @nbohr1more @Kerry000 @ate0ate @Wellingtoncrab @prjames Additional thanks: @Dragofer, @nbohr1moreand @peter_spyfor technical help @Springheel for the modules and tutorials @kingsalfor allowing @Kerry000to abuse his manbeast everyone else on Discord and the TDM forums who offered assistance Requirements and notes: This mission requires TDM 2.09. Earlier versions will probably work but you might see one or two missing models. You may experience some FPS drops in some areas with lower-end hardware. Mid-range and above should be fine. If you have issues, I highly recommend you use shadow maps instead of stencil (settings -> advanced -> shadows implementation). It makes a big difference. For 'Hard' and 'Expert' the light gem sensitivity has been increased by '1' (meaning easier for AI to detect you). Screenshots:

I'd like to better understand what you want. The design of dragging bodies is to hold frob (key down) to drag and release frob (key up) to let go. That way it's impossible to walk away while unintentionally dragging a body. Plus, it's quick to grab and move several body limbs in rapid succession. This is thought to provide a better experience, especially for new players. Towards the beginning of this thread, I created a "tdm_frobhold_drag_body_behavior" cvar. https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22198-feature-proposal-frob-to-use-world-item/&do=findComment&comment=487580 "tdm_frobhold_drag_body_behavior", default:"1" Which drag body behavior? 1 --- on frob key up, drop body (limb). 0 --- on second frob, drop body (limb), TDM v2.11 (and prior) behavior. That cvar was removed shortly afterwards, because it was said that it wasn't needed. With that cvar set to 0, a second frob would be required to let go of the body. Is that the behavior that you want? If so, I can add that cvar back. Also, I saw elsewhere that you want the ability to revert back to the old way. If you mean that all of the controls match TDM 2.11, that can be done with "tdm_frobhold_delay 0" and there will be a menu setting to disable it as well.

Brief overview GRAPHICS 1) Required OpenGL version raised to GL 3.3. This version is supposed to be final for the nearest years. ARB shaders removed completely. Some further cleanup done. 2) The rendering now works on the "new backend" by default, and the old backend is marked for removal in future. The new backend is not only a major refactoring of OpenGL-related code, but also a strong movement towards minimizing driver overhead. It includes improvements like: UBO streaming, bindless textures, multidrawindirect commands, lightgem triple buffering. 3) The additional color correction that got included into 2.08 has been disabled. Also gamma/brightness settings now affect everything, including: underwater, GUIs, menu, etc. As the result, the gamma/brightness behavior of TDM 2.07 is fully restored. 4) RGTC texture compression is now used by default for normal maps. The plan is to convert existing normal maps to DDS files with RGTC compression in future (to reduce load times). For now compression is done during level load. 5) The well-known cvar com_smp aka "Multi Core Enhancement" optimization has become stable enough to be enabled by default and to be removed from the settings menu. Its place in experimental settings is now taken by the new parallel optimization: cvar r_useParallelAddModels aka "Frontend Acceleration". Needless to say, this mode has got a major overhaul and numerous fixes. 6) Added sharpening filter, which is applied to the final rendered image and improves its look. It is enabled by default, controlled by "Sharpen Image" setting in the menu. 7) Fixed "borderless" fullscreen mode (Windows-only). Ironically, it was broken in 2.08 release and worked exactly the same as ordinary fullscreen mode. Now it should hopefully work as intended. MAPPING 1) First implementation of "hot reload" feature: updating new map changes without restarting game. It is also integrated into DarkRadiant (with the help of DarkRadiant devs , of course). Here is the wiki page about it (beware: it is quite technical ). Please report related issues and feedback to the dedicated forum discussion. 2) Finally, the rotation hack is totally removed from any map when player loads it. For any entity, bad rotation is embedded into its model. Internally, the transformed model is saved on player's machine as "proxy model" (4970). 3) Particle systems were greatly refactored, fixing the issue with bounding box (5136). Added "mapLayout linear" mode to particle static collisions, which allows snow or fire to stop at objects (5437). See also wiki page about particle collisions. 4) Every warning about missing image/sound is followed by detailed explanation how it was referenced. It is controlled by decl_stack cvar and is enabled by default. It is already helping us in a desperate fight with console warnings 5) A bunch of console warnings were fixed or disabled. More fixes will follow in future. 6) GUI scripts got some attention due to the story of menu refactoring (5323 - not done yet). Fixed awful bug about lost GUI commands. Added much more debug logging under LC_MAINMENU/LT_DEBUG. ASSETS 1 ) Added bed/shelf/desk prefabs and desk models by Dragofer. 2) Streamlined and cleaned up TDM's prefabs. Make sure to also get DR 2.11 for its greatly improved handling of prefabs! (5499) 3 ) Added new statue provided by LDAsh. 4 ) Added moving version of Epifire's steam engine as a prefab provided by bikerdude. (beta4) 5 ) Added blue version of the fire elemental. 6 ) Added display cabinet provided by bikerdude. 7 ) Added naval clock decorative item by Dragofer. 8 ) Added openable version of the display case with prefabs. 9 ) Added Dram's animated firefly particles and prefabs in 4 colours. 10) Added or restored ambient AI entities and prefabs. 11 ) Fixed sounds from unlit/extinguished gas lamp (5216). 12 ) Various asset fixes: cathedral_torn skin for paintings, chandelier_ornate02 model, restored prefab of AIs playing dice etc. 13 ) Fixes for the manbeast character by Dragofer and Kingsal. GAMEPLAY 1) Conversation and other sounds are no longer stopped by saving or going to main menu (4341). 2) Added experimental gamepad support (instructions here 5400). 3) Creeping now works in "always run" mode (5320). BUGFIXING cull objects behind mirrors (4946), AAS limit on dmap, inventory cursor crashes (5302), blurry parchments fonts, lockpick highlight, black screenshot in downloader (4488), crash on door unlocking (5318), hyphens in skin files (5322), doors stuck after long play (5331), bind/unbind crash (5409), custom fire arrows crash; TROUBLESHOOTING CVARS * r_useNewBackend --- which rendering backend to use. Default value of 1 means using the new one. In case of graphical issues, it might be worth trying to set it to 0 to check if issue goes away. Note: please report all problems which happen with value of 1, but don't happen with value of 0 ! Most likely the old backend will be deleted completely by TDM 2.10, so if there is any problem with it, it's better to know about it now. * r_usePersistentMapping, r_useMultiDrawIndirect, r_useBindlessTextures, r_gpuBufferNonpersistentUpdateMode --- cvars for enabling/disabling various code paths in rendering backend (some of them only work with new backend). In case of graphical problems, changing one of these might help. But even if it does, please report the original issue to us! * r_useParallelAddModels --- controls new acceleration for rendering frontend. Can be changed in Experimental graphics menu under name "Frontend Acceleration". It can potentially cause crashes, including rare and nondeterminstic ones =( * g_entityBindNew --- switches the code for binding entities between the old and the new one. Might be relevant in case of crashes, attachment/bind issues. * r_postprocess_XXX (6 cvars) --- affect color correction and gamma/brightness. If you decide to use old darkmod.cfg, then be sure to reset them all to defaults, otherwise you'll have overly bright main menu. MORE CVARS * r_shadowMapSinglePass --- experimental optimization for shadow maps only. By default it is 0 (disabled), it can be enabled to 1 (generate many shadow maps at once) and 2 (compute interactions from many light at once). We would be happy if you post your results * in_pad* --- configuring gamepad (experimental). See more info here. * decl_stack --- enables/disables "stack trace" for missing asset warnings. NEW COMMANDS * reloadMap --- that's manual hot reload command without DR. Forces reload of changes from the .map file. * respawn {entityname} --- deletes and spawns afresh entity with specified name (from .map file). * bindPadButton ??? --- controls experimental gamepad bindings, see instructions.

Note that there are no gamepad input mappings active by default (except for the main menu). That's still something we need to sort out. Follow this guide to actually make the gamepad work: https://github.com/fholger/thedarkmodvr/wiki/Gamepad-support

Not to be a nag, but I was thinking about the columns problem. If you go to the view source tab in the wiki article: https://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Fan_Missions_for_The_Dark_Mod&action=edit The raw table data is accessible directly: |- !align=left|{{TDM-FM|written|Written in Stone}} |Bikerdude, Amadeus, Dragofer |{{Forumlink|https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/21265-written-in-stone-beta-210-only-20220128/}} |2022-01-28 |338 |Yes |Yes |CCC 22, Elixir |City Missions |Undead, Horror Themes |- Each pipe character represents one of the columns.

Hi guys, through the "cheats" topic I got the idea, that it would be quite useful, if there were tags for missions (the post was about removing the killing restriction in some missions to suit the prefered play style). I don't know how easy or difficult this is, but with them, it would be quite convenient to pick missions with playstyles, environment, etc one does want to use. This could also be expanded to other mission properties. I remember a discussion about climbable drains, handles on doors, that cannot be picked and other things the map author chooses for himself. That way these things would be clearer and as I said before, it is easier to choose missions with playstyles that suit oneself. What do think?

Terrific! The beta test thread is up: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22238-beta-testing-the-spider-and-the-finch/

Fair enough. Anyway I got my gamepad and found a configuration that works with Linux. Am able to play Xonotic on it, including looking around with one thumb stick and gradual movement with the other! For TheDarkMod however nothing happens, it's ignoring the thumbsticks and buttons entirely: The buttons cannot be set in the menu and the dpads aren't working either. I have the in_pad* cvars set to their default values; Do I need to set a special cvar to enable gamepad support first?

"so I'd imagine support for gamepads might have existed in vanilla idTech 4" No vanilla idtech 4 has no gamepad support, is possible to go around that by using some emulation/translation software, that maps gamepad cmds to keyboard cmds but the code itself has no idea about gamepads. (that can be easelly changed today) idSoftware were not fans of those for FPS's when Doom 3 was made (that I totally agree), they were openly against gamepads (that has of course changed now) the game was also PC exclusive for years, they were a very PC centric company in the past.

Welcome to the Dark Mod forums MarsManon! Thank you very much for the kind words about SLL, it's always nice to hear We all worked real hard on bringing Grayman's map to life and I'm glad you enjoyed it

I was so enchanted by this FM, I had to sign up to the forums the same day I finished it to come thank the authors Genuinely, truly incredible work! I was so overwhelmed in places that I resorted to just shouting joy at my monitor two, three, maybe four entirely separate times while playing. Exploring, puzzling, finding something new, trying to use it, and finding it does a whole new, separate, wonderful thing! There aren't enough words inside me to describe the feeling. It was breathtaking. I don't have any specific feedback that hasn't come through this thread before Thanks so much for making this, for all the inspiration and ingenuity and effort it took. If I never play another level this good, in any other game, in my life, I'd be fine with that.

OK I think I've got to the bottom of this. I've created this forum thread (with bug report): https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/22221-bug-drowning-ai-in-shallow-water/ I can apply a workaround, although it won't be perfect and the bug itself needs fixing in the engine. There are a few other things that need fixing so will put an update together soonish.

If any mappers have encountered weirdness with kill objectives not working with drowning AI, I think I've found out why. I don't think it would be a particularly difficult one to fix either. I've raised this bug report: https://bugs.thedarkmod.com/view.php?id=6323 Some context here: https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/21837-fan-mission-the-lieutenant-2-high-expectations-by-frost_salamander-20230424/&do=findComment&comment=487316 I think this is a bug, but just raising here in case some people think otherwise.

How you can help depends a lot on what skills you have. I can Record Video Recording "Let's Play" videos or simple walkthroughs of existing missions and posting them to Youtube is great exposure for the mod (see example .) Be sure to let us know so we can link to them. If you have some editing ability, Video tutorials, where you explain how the mod works, or how to use specific tools, would also be great. Video trailers, showcasing interesting places and features, are also great for publicity. An example is . I can Write Writing reviews for missions are always nice, especially if they include good screenshots. Not only does it give us something to post on other forums, but it makes mappers feel good when their mission gets attention (especially if it's positive). We have a collective thread to post reviews in: http://forums.thedar...s-walkthroughs/ Writing reviews of the mod as a whole, targetted an an audience that doesn't know much about TDM, is also very useful. You could also try offering your services to mappers to create interesting readables, or to proofread for their mission. I can Act and Record Audio We are always on the lookout for good quality audio recordings for vocal sets. If interested, you can pick a few different lines from this script: http://wiki.thedarkm...t:_Average_Jack and send the recordings to Springheel, who then writes a script based on the type of voice you have. I can Translate We could always use translations of our menu/hud into more languages. Also, only a few FMs are aavailable in more than one language, so there is a lot of work there, see the I18N Translator's Guide in the Wiki. I can Model Great! Take a look at the model request thread:http://forums.thedar...-requests-here/ and pick something that interests you. Or just post a, "Hey, anybody want a model?" thread in this forum and I'm sure mappers will get back to you. I can Animate Fantastic. We can always use more good animations. Our current character rigs use a Maya skeleton. PM Springheel for more info. I know C++ Have a look at our coding section in the wiki, pick an issue or feature from the bugtracker of the mod or the leveleditor, download the recent sourcecode release (or better ask for an SVN checkout) and get cracking. Make sure nobody is already working on that specific issue and feel free to ask questions. I can Edit Images We can always use completely new textures and/or improved versions of older textures. How to get started and how to import them into the mod. I can Take Photos Good quality photos of useful textures (medieval-ish building facades, dirt, rocks, wood, etc) are always welcome. The fewer directional shadows and higher resolution, the better. I don't have any skills Even if you can't do any of the above, you can still help out. Talk about TDM in other forums; share your (preferably positive) experiences with other gamers you know. Last, but not least, compliment people when you like their work. Saying "thanks", to a developer or, "I really enjoyed your mission" to a mapper will make their day. -------------------- I'll update this further as more things occur to me.