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I don't think any declaration names can start with numbers; I doubt this is something specific to skins. This is similar to the rule in most programming languages where you can have a variable called "a1" but not "1a". However you can organise skins into virtual folders using forward slashes, and individual folder elements can start with numbers. The example in the D3 documentation is "skins/models/weapons/3rox".

It might then be best to add it to new light models designed for the purpose. The visual cue should be making them more glassy and fragile looking: Existing lamps look pretty solid, we can argue those were made of reinforced glass built to withstand powerful impacts, something something Inventors Guild... in contrast we'd have a few lamps with very transparent glass that show the light bulb inside, their design shows their fragility and makes it clear those are meant to be shot.

I would like to recommend adding "Warning: Skin names cannot start with numbers, as it will cause models to appear black in-game."

Breakable lights might be an interesting concept so long as they are not implemented retroactively. Add a loud sound or other punishment for breaking them as you see fit, but it would still change the difficulty and design intended by level authors if you applied it to all previously made levels. I would also suggest that if you instead intend to make breakable variants of existing light models that you add a clear visual indicator that the light is breakable, otherwise it would require explicit messaging to the player that electric lights are breakable in that particular FM. I’m hesitant to see something of this sort added as it is in stark contrast to Thief precedent, but I would be more supportive of it if it was added carefully and responsibly.

This post differentiates between "gratis" ("at no monetary cost") and "libre" ("with little or no restriction") per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gratis_versus_libre * A libre version of TDM could: ** Qualify TDM for an article on the LibreGameWiki *** TDM is currently listed as rejected https://libregamewiki.org/Libregamewiki:Rejected_games_list because "Media is non-commercial (under CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0). The engine is free though (modified Doom 3) (2013-10-19)" ** Qualify for software repositories like Debian *** TDM is currently listed as unsuitable https://wiki.debian.org/Games/Unsuitable#The_Dark_Mod because 1) "The gamedata is very large (2.3 GB)", and 2) "The license of the gamedata (otherwise it must go into non-free with the engine into contrib)" and links to https://svn.thedarkmod.com/publicsvn/darkmod_src/trunk/LICENSE.txt Questions: 1) tdm_installer.linux64 is 4.2 MB (unzipped), which is far from the 2.3 GB which is said to be too large. Yes, the user can use it to download data that is non-libre, but so can any web browser too. If the installer itself is completely libre, does anyone know the reason why it cannot be accepted into the Debian repository? 2) If adding the installer to the repository is not a viable solution, would it be possible to package the engine with a small and beginner friendly mission built only from libre media/gamedata into a "TDM-libre" release, and add user friendly functionality to download the 2.3 GB media/gamedata using "TDM-libre" (similar to mission downloading)? 3) Would such a "TDM-libre" release be acceptable for the Debian repository? 4) Would such a "TDM-libre" release be acceptable for LibreGameWiki? 5) Would the work be worth it? * Pros: Exposure in channels covering libre software (e.g. the LibreGameWiki). Distribution in channels allowing only libre software (e.g. the Debian repository). * Cons: The work required for the modifictions and release of "TDM-libre". Possible maintenance of "TDM-libre". I'm thinking that the wider reach may attract more volunteers to work on TDM, which may eventually make up for this work and hopefully be net positive. 6) Are there any TDM missions that are libre already today? If not, would anyone be willing to work on one to fulfill this? I'll contribute in any way I can. 7) I found the following related topics on the forum: * https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/16226-graphical-installers-for-tdm/ (installing only the updater) * https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/16640-problems-i-had-with-tdm-installation-on-linux-w-solutions/ (problems with installation on Linux) * https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/17743-building-tdm-on-debian-8-steamos-tdm-203/ (Building TDM on Debian 8 / SteamOS) * https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/18592-debian-packaging/ (Dark Radiant) ... but if there are other related previous discussions, I'd appreciate any links to them. Any thoughts or comments?

So these alternative arrow models are courtesy of Kingsal. He made them for his Volta campaign and has allowed myself and other mappers to use them if they want. You can find them in my FMs as well as Goldwell's.

I wonder about the alternative models for the arrows. Have they been used in other missions too already? I really like them, maybe I could extract them to my directory to use them in general for the game?

Builder Compound Pack will help you create better environments for your Builder-themed map sections! The aim of this experimental package is to provide high-quality models, materials, and other assets that don't put a big strain on the idtech4 engine. This early version is slightly more bare-bones than I wished for, as some modular sets (e.g. the roof) proved to be too complex and unfit for general use. Don't worry though, the set will be updated and expanded in future releases. Tweaks – Arch door and arch with hinges models have been removed. They were just static models, not actual door entities, and they weren't super useful, e.g. hey couldn't act as visportal closing entity due to gaps and transparent parts. – Detail texture stage added to selected materials (mostly those you can get very close to). As you approach a surface, you should see a slightly grainy layer that enhances the details. New content – Door01 and door01_frame have been added to both models and entities. This is a basic door for this corridor section. By default, it's locked (with easy lock) and AI will notice if it's left ajar. You may want to disable the latter (set ShouldBeClosed to 0) if you have a section with many AIs and doors, as it will probably disrupt AI patrolling too much. The frame will work with walls that are 16 units thick. Both door and the frame will work with grid of 8 and smaller. You can use the grid of 4 to change the door position within the frame. Look for grooves in the frame model. First of all, launch the map to see a simple section that was made with these assets. Use the menu or type map bc in the console to start the map. Noclip though the north wall, if you want to get to the staging area and see all pieces used to make this section. General info and tips: Make sure you have Rotate func_* entities around origin (Ctrl+R) enabled (Dark Radiant top icons) to use models efficiently. All models have custom pivot / origin point placement to make them snap to grid and geometry really fast. If you have keyboard shortcuts configured for RotateSelectionX/Y/Z and FloorSelection, placing these models around the map will be a breeze. I also recommend having shortcuts for SelectNudgeUp/Down/Left/Right, so you can move models in ortho views without using a mouse. DR detects models in a weird way, e.g. if your model is one-sided, or has some faces turned back to the camera in ortho view, selecting and moving it around will be difficult. Using keyboard is often more seamless and precise. You can select a model in perspective view, and then move it around in X/Y/Z plane using keyboard. Optimal scale for tileable materials is 0.125. This provides good pixel density vs repetition. Materials are optimized to be used both with and without post-processing, and the default gamma of 1.2. In some cases, specular hotspot might look slightly overblown with post-processing enabled. Correct look without post-processing was the first priority. Same principles apply to using lamp. The main idea behind this set is that you can use simple brushes for walls and floors, and wall panels have proper offset, so you don't need to use special surrounding BSP behind them. You can place panels right where your walls are, and there will be no z-fighting or clipping. Assumed basic measure for a corridor is 192 x 192 (length / width), but you can go lower if you don't plan to use arches and metal doors. The smallest wall panel piece is 24 units long. Use brushes to create basic space, then adjust it to what you can make with wall panels (combinations of 24, 48, 96, 192 etc.). DR's measurement tool is your friend. Default grid for placing most pieces is 8, but it goes down with smaller / more complex models and setups. One special case is matching metal doors to arch with hinges, this needs grid of 2. That's a mistake on my part. I didn't think of better pivot placement until it was too late. The example map contains a "staging area" where you'll find grouped arch, hinges, and doors, so you can use that as a template. As per The Dark Mod license, you may modify this pack's contents, although I'd advise against it. Most textures are compressed in lossy DDS format and compressing them again will result in loss of image quality. If you want to make changes, need alternative versions of a model or material contact me first. I'll see what I can do. Last but not least, I hope you'll find this pack useful and fun to work with, as I had plenty of fun while making it I already have a long list of models and features to include in subsequent releases, but I'm always open to feedback and suggestions. Thanks! Credits: Springheel, Obsttorte, Spooks, nbohr1more, STiFU, Destined and other TDM Forum members: guidance, encouragement, and fruitful discussions Epifire: asset feedback and critique The Black Arrow: inscription texts Plans for upcoming releases: Corridor: - Fixing the wall panel collision model, so strafing along it isn't wobbly Done. - Roof modular set Done. - Making metal door an entity with proper sounds and open/close times. Done, made proper door instead. - Floor switch model/entity for metal doors - Window set Done. Roadmap: All work is on hold for now. I'm working on a small FM that will use some of these assets plus many more. Some of existing assets will get reworked too. All links are taken down, and I have no release date yet, sorry.

I feel that tweaking shaders visually does more harm than good in the end. Here is one example of what shader tweaking leads to, and where I'll do yet another visually-breaking change: 6354 Before that is was untweakable specular which also broke visuals: 5044 What a game engine needs is a universal model (preferably well-known) with several tweakable parameters. In fact, the very idea of PBR and why it wins today is that it models real physics, and thus it works more or less the same way in every engine and scenario. It is a well-known standard (with minor variations). We can't have PBR yet (and maybe forever), thus we stick close to Phong reflection model, which has been around for decades and is also quite standard. Artists should make assets that would result in a beautiful picture, not shaders. But they can't do it if we have some weird non-standard lighting model which changes every year. We should never tweak shaders based on how average missions becomes seemingly nicer to us! If someone decides to add normal mapping, it should behave as an approximation for how real high-resolution surface should behave in our model, not as some kind of "beautifier effect". If you want to add some effect which is outside the current model, it should be done in a way that: it does not change how the previous model works (and how current missions look) it can be tweaked by understandable parameters it is applied in all shaders and all lighting the same way I believe we already have fresnel and rim, but it is kinda hardcoded and not present in all shaders. Yet another result of someone tweaking shaders based on how it looks and not on how sound it is mathematically.

Your skins don't have a model specified in the skin code. How do you think it works that way? Edit: The reason this happens (I think) is that the skin name cannot start with a number. skin one_brick_teal_blue { model models/title_models/walls/wooden_frame/straight_frame/straight_frame_wall_128_x_128.ase textures/darkmod/plaster/plaster_01 textures/darkmod/stone/brick/blocks_tealblue_dark }

I mean that moving them from one internal models file to another causes it to break. Example, building with models before creating a folder inside the models folder, and then moving models in there, causes all placed versions of those models to become blue/black squares.

Alright, new problem with making these skins (or should I make a new thread about this?) Why are my skinned models coming up black? Here is my updated code for a simple skin. And here is the model in the skin editor, changed to its creamy, plaster version. Yet for some reason, all of my skins are pure black. The wiki says this is caused by the editor not finding the skin definition, and that there are spelling errors somewhere. I am not sure what this means, though, since all of my directory paths are spelled right (otherwise, how would the skin editor display them perfectly fine?) Does the name of the file have to match the declared skin name?

I've seen fun workarounds like that in other game modding as well. Years ago, maybe even a decade, some fella who was making a mod for Mount & Blade over at the Taleworlds forums revealed that he put invisible human NPCs on the backs of regular horse NPCs, then put the horse NPCs inside a horse corral he built for one of his mod's locations/scenes and then did some minor scripting, so the horses with invisible riders would wander around the corral. The end result was that it looked they're doing this of their own will, rather than an NPC rider being scripted to ride around the corral slowly. Necessity is the mother of invention. I don't know about the newest Mount & Blade game, but the first generation ones (2008-2022) apparently had some sort of hardcoded issue back in the earlier years, where if you left a horse NPC without a rider in its saddle, the horses would just stand around and wait and you couldn't get them to move around. Placing an invisible rider in their saddles suddenly made it viable again, at least for background scenes, of riderless horses wandering around, for added atmosphere. First generation M&B presumed you'd mostly be seeing horses in movement with riders, and the only horses-wandering-loosely animations and scripting were done for situations when the rider was knocked off their horse or dismounted in the middle of a battle. Hence the really odd workarounds. So, an invisible NPC trick might not be out of the question in TDM, even though you could probably still bump into it, despite its invisibility.

Here's my first FM. A small and easy mission, inspired by Thief's Den and The Bakery Job, where you must find and steal a cook's recipe book in order to save a friend from going out of business. Download: Mediafire (sk_cooks.pk4) TDM Website's Mission Page The in-game mission downloader Thanks to: The people who helped me get this far, both in the forums and on Discord. The beta testers: MirceaKitsune, Mat99, Baal, wesp5, Cambridge Spy, jaxa, grodenglaive, Acolytesix ( Per the author in the beta testing thread. ) Skaruts has given permission to the TDM Team to add Subtitles or Localization Strings to this mission. (No EFX Reverb.) If anyone from the Community or TDM team wishes to create these we will gladly test them and update the mission database.

Ooohhhhhh, it's twitching in the build intenstine, as we say in Sweden (or do we? :D) I'm quite eager to create something. But they're releasing new skaven models for Age of Sigmar 4 this summer... And I have a 2 year old... And work... And a girlfriend... And too little time... I will try to create something at least. If I run out of time, I'll run out of time; then I at least have built something that can be released after the contest... Count me in, with the caveat that I may pull out before deadline...!

I created two walls: both have a base brush that is 128 x 128, and 4 units thick. One of the brushes, however, has a little bit of decor that sticks out another 4 units. Later on when I was working on my map, I cloned a model, moved it 128 units, and then changed it's model. However, when changing it from the wall with decor to the wall with no decor, it proceeded to shift itself 2 units forward. I thought maybe it had to do with what grid size I had saved/exported the model as, but adjusting that did nothing. And the models are both aligned together. This is the only model I've had do this. What is causing this?

There are very few things that would drive a man of the streets like myself to the high seas. Before I even thought there were none at all. Yet when one of the nobles whom I had paid a visit to decided to make it his personal objective to end me, promising a mound of gold to the first cutthroat who brings him my head, it became clear no one could be trusted anymore. It was time for change. The most recent version (v2, June 2023) is available from the ingame downloader. Special thanks to: *Betatesters Oldjim, Bikerdude, Airship Ballet, Goldwell, Nbohr1more, JackFarmer, joebarnin, The Black Arrow, datiswous and Acolytesix - for their truly diligent efforts in getting this mission polished in all aspects *The DarkRadiant wiki, which is excellent and covers as good as everything *Bikerdude - for allowing me to repurpose his architecture models to improve the ending of the mission *Grayman - for allowing me to repurpose a mission of his for my briefing *Sotha - for his excellent briefing Format Update v2.0 (18/June/2023) Update v1.5 (02/March/2015)

A couple of things you can try (yes .ase files should work): I'm no expert with models, but do you have a field in the .ase file that looks something like this: *MATERIAL_NAME "textures\darkmod\plaster\plaster01" ? If the material name there isn't exactly as you specify in the skin it won't get replaced Check the console log in DarkRadiant to see if you have any errors when loading the skin. It's there in the 'console' tab.

Hi, this mission is crashing on my system and I cannot go on. Playing "Hidden Hands - The lost citadel" Version 6 on Fedora Linux Version 38. I paste the whole output of the console below. Perhaps someone can find the cause for the crash, that would be very nice [stefan@fedora darkmod]$ ./thedarkmod.x64 TDM 2.11/64 #10264 (1435:10264) linux-x86_64 Jan 30 2023 02:02:43 /proc/cpuinfo CPU frequency: 899.998 MHz 900 MHz Intel CPU with SSE & SSE2 & SSE3 & SSSE3 & SSE41 & AVX found interface lo - loopback Found Intel CPU, features: SSE SSE2 SSE3 SSSE3 SSE41 AVX TDM using AVX for SIMD processing. Found 0 new missions and 0 packages. ------ Initializing File System ------ Current search path: [M] /home/stefan/darkmod/fms/hhtlc [M] /home/stefan/darkmod/fms/hhtlc/hhtlc_1b4187d3b30d65cf.pk4 (665 files - 0xf04d8d7e) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/ [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_wood01.pk4 (382 files - 0x54c704d0) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_window01.pk4 (399 files - 0x50a48869) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_stone_sculpted01.pk4 (464 files - 0x3bd63c7c) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_stone_natural01.pk4 (141 files - 0x4d0836ff) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_stone_flat01.pk4 (302 files - 0x671a22d2) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_stone_cobblestones01.pk4 (271 files - 0xc46ab14f) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_stone_brick01.pk4 (527 files - 0x1d087cf8) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_sfx01.pk4 (69 files - 0x2c673886) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_roof01.pk4 (69 files - 0x24547b7) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_plaster01.pk4 (142 files - 0x9747529e) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_paint_paper01.pk4 (67 files - 0xa4a95a09) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_other01.pk4 (127 files - 0x36932451) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_nature01.pk4 (286 files - 0x19240606) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_metal01.pk4 (509 files - 0x441d098f) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_glass01.pk4 (51 files - 0x3f3721e) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_fabric01.pk4 (43 files - 0x649daf73) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_door01.pk4 (177 files - 0xb0130166) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_decals01.pk4 (474 files - 0xe2ff12c6) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_carpet01.pk4 (130 files - 0x79bc3d7c) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_textures_base01.pk4 (435 files - 0xc07a324) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_standalone.pk4 (4 files - 0xb3f36d20) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_vocals_decls01.pk4 (32 files - 0x53cda0aa) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_vocals07.pk4 (1111 files - 0xa13ec4c2) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_vocals06.pk4 (696 files - 0x44c85e78) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_vocals05.pk4 (119 files - 0x6cf23214) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_vocals04.pk4 (2869 files - 0xd7ec1256) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_vocals03.pk4 (743 files - 0xb3f2e0f1) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_vocals02.pk4 (1299 files - 0x5092940e) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_vocals01.pk4 (82 files - 0xf4d326b2) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_sfx02.pk4 (605 files - 0x31673482) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_sfx01.pk4 (987 files - 0x97451b7a) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_ambient_decls01.pk4 (8 files - 0x9404877c) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_ambient03.pk4 (24 files - 0xd28ca9ec) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_ambient02.pk4 (163 files - 0x84efad22) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_sound_ambient01.pk4 (220 files - 0xee228c81) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_prefabs01.pk4 (1017 files - 0x506baa0b) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_player01.pk4 (127 files - 0xd983fc45) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_models_decls01.pk4 (101 files - 0x146c787) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_models02.pk4 (2241 files - 0x42cdbf62) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_models01.pk4 (3326 files - 0x829270f2) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_gui_credits01.pk4 (49 files - 0xbff51863) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_gui01.pk4 (758 files - 0xcbf4fd2d) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_fonts01.pk4 (696 files - 0x7c5027bf) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_env01.pk4 (176 files - 0x8bd4045b) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_defs01.pk4 (194 files - 0xe5f440dc) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_base01.pk4 (223 files - 0x9704b43c) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_steambots01.pk4 (31 files - 0x26416485) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_monsters_spiders01.pk4 (80 files - 0x15c3ef89) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_humanoid_undead01.pk4 (55 files - 0x25e463ad) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_humanoid_townsfolk01.pk4 (104 files - 0xa6f7c573) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_humanoid_pagans01.pk4 (10 files - 0x566fb35a) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_humanoid_nobles01.pk4 (51 files - 0x5ca54cab) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_humanoid_mages01.pk4 (8 files - 0x5e7a666b) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_humanoid_heads01.pk4 (100 files - 0x45ec787e) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_humanoid_guards01.pk4 (379 files - 0x9801be8d) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_humanoid_females01.pk4 (172 files - 0xc7de4598) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_humanoid_builders01.pk4 (91 files - 0x6dea9b57) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_humanoid_beasts02.pk4 (229 files - 0x886c9a98) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_humanoid_beasts01.pk4 (23 files - 0xba9da54c) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_base01.pk4 (9 files - 0x1de319e8) [C] /home/stefan/darkmod/tdm_ai_animals01.pk4 (82 files - 0x6c0fda50) File System Initialized. -------------------------------------- Couldn't open journal files /proc/cpuinfo CPU processors: 2 /proc/cpuinfo CPU logical cores: 4 ----- Initializing Decls ----- WARNING:file materials/puzzle_paintings.mtr, line 228: material 'textures/puzzle/flower' previously defined at materials/puzzle_paintings.mtr:14 WARNING:file sound/ambient.sndshd, line 79: sound 'firstfloor' previously defined at sound/ambient.sndshd:51 WARNING:file sound/soul.sndshd, line 129: sound 'builder_tim_1' previously defined at sound/soul.sndshd:102 WARNING:file sound/video.sndshd, line 12: sound 'main' previously defined at sound/ambient.sndshd:1 ------------------------------ I18N: SetLanguage: 'english'. I18N: Found no character remapping for english. I18N: 1321 strings read from strings/english.lang I18N: 'strings/fm/english.lang' not found. Couldn't exec editor.cfg - file does not exist. execing default.cfg Gamepad modifier button assigned to 6 execing Darkmod.cfg execing DarkmodKeybinds.cfg execing DarkmodPadbinds.cfg Gamepad modifier button assigned to 6 Couldn't exec autoexec.cfg - file does not exist. I18N: SetLanguage: 'german'. I18N: Found no character remapping for german. I18N: 1321 strings read from strings/german.lang I18N: 'strings/fm/german.lang' not found. I18NLocal: 'strings/fm/english.lang' not found, skipping it. ----- Initializing OpenAL ----- Setup OpenAL device and context OpenAL: found device 'ALSA Default' [ACTIVE] OpenAL: found device 'HDA Intel PCH, CS4208 Analog (CARD=PCH,DEV=0)' OpenAL: found device 'HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 0 (CARD=PCH,DEV=3)' OpenAL: found device 'HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 1 (CARD=PCH,DEV=7)' OpenAL: found device 'HDA Intel PCH, HDMI 2 (CARD=PCH,DEV=8)' OpenAL: device 'ALSA Default' opened successfully OpenAL: HRTF is available [ALSOFT] (EE) Failed to set real-time priority for thread: Operation not permitted (1) OpenAL vendor: OpenAL Community OpenAL renderer: OpenAL Soft OpenAL version: 1.1 ALSOFT 1.21.1 OpenAL: found EFX extension OpenAL: HRTF is disabled (reason: 0 = ALC_HRTF_DISABLED_SOFT) OpenAL: found 256 hardware voices ----- Initializing OpenGL ----- Initializing OpenGL display ...initializing QGL ------- Input Initialization ------- ------------------------------------ OpenGL vendor: Intel OpenGL renderer: Mesa Intel(R) HD Graphics 615 (KBL GT2) OpenGL version: 4.6 (Core Profile) Mesa 23.1.9 core Checking required OpenGL features... v - using GL_VERSION_3_3 v - using GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc Checking optional OpenGL extensions... v - using GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic maxTextureAnisotropy: 16.000000 v - using GL_ARB_stencil_texturing X - GL_EXT_depth_bounds_test not found v - using GL_ARB_buffer_storage v - using GL_ARB_texture_storage v - using GL_ARB_multi_draw_indirect v - using GL_ARB_vertex_attrib_binding X - GL_ARB_compatibility not found v - using GL_KHR_debug Max active texture units in fragment shader: 32 Max combined texture units: 192 Max anti-aliasing samples: 16 Max geometry output vertices: 256 Max geometry output components: 1024 Max vertex attribs: 16 ---------- R_ReloadGLSLPrograms_f ----------- Linking GLSL program cubeMap ... Linking GLSL program bumpyEnvironment ... Linking GLSL program depthAlpha ... Linking GLSL program fog ... Linking GLSL program oldStage ... Linking GLSL program blend ... Linking GLSL program stencilshadow ... Linking GLSL program shadowMapA ... Linking GLSL program ambientInteraction ... Linking GLSL program interactionStencil ... Linking GLSL program interactionShadowMaps ... Linking GLSL program interactionMultiLight ... Linking GLSL program frob ... Linking GLSL program soft_particle ... Linking GLSL program tonemap ... Linking GLSL program gaussian_blur ... Linking GLSL program testImageCube ... --------------------------------- Font fonts/english/stone in size 12 not found, using size 24 instead. --------- Initializing Game ---------- The Dark Mod 2.11/64, linux-x86_64, code revision 10264 Build date: Jan 30 2023 Initializing event system ...873 event definitions Initializing class hierarchy ...172 classes, 1732032 bytes for event callbacks Initializing scripts ---------- Compile stats ---------- Memory usage: Strings: 56, 9048 bytes Statements: 23155, 926200 bytes Functions: 1358, 177432 bytes Variables: 107720 bytes Mem used: 2149432 bytes Static data: 408 bytes Allocated: 1152120 bytes Thread size: 7928 bytes Maximum object size: 816 Largest object type name: speaker_zone_ambient ...6 aas types game initialized. -------------------------------------- Parsing material files Found 0 new missions and 0 packages. Found 42 mods in the FM folder. Parsed 46 mission declarations. No 'tdm_mapsequence.txt' file found for the current mod: hhtlc -------- Initializing Session -------- session initialized -------------------------------------- Font fonts/english/mason_glow in size 12 not found, using size 48 instead. Font fonts/english/mason_glow in size 24 not found, using size 48 instead. Font fonts/english/mason in size 12 not found, using size 48 instead. Font fonts/english/mason in size 24 not found, using size 48 instead. WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'QuitGameDialogAskEverytimeOption' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'ColorPrecision' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'OpenDoorsOnUnlock' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'InvPickupMessages' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'HideLightgem' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'BowAimer' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'FrobHelper' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'showTooltips' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'MeleeInvertAttack' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'MeleeInvertParry' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'SCGeneralBind5' has value count unequal to choices count --- Common Initialization Complete --- ------------- Warnings --------------- during The Dark Mod initialization... WARNING:file materials/puzzle_paintings.mtr, line 228: material 'textures/puzzle/flower' previously defined at materials/puzzle_paintings.mtr:14 WARNING:file sound/ambient.sndshd, line 79: sound 'firstfloor' previously defined at sound/ambient.sndshd:51 WARNING:file sound/soul.sndshd, line 129: sound 'builder_tim_1' previously defined at sound/soul.sndshd:102 WARNING:file sound/video.sndshd, line 12: sound 'main' previously defined at sound/ambient.sndshd:1 WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'BowAimer' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'ColorPrecision' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'FrobHelper' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'HideLightgem' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'InvPickupMessages' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'MeleeInvertAttack' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'MeleeInvertParry' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'OpenDoorsOnUnlock' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'QuitGameDialogAskEverytimeOption' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'SCGeneralBind5' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'showTooltips' has value count unequal to choices count 15 warnings WARNING: terminal type 'xterm-256color' is unknown. terminal support may not work correctly terminal support enabled ( use +set in_tty 0 to disabled ) pid: 4247 Async thread started Couldn't exec autocommands.cfg - file does not exist. Found 0 new missions and 0 packages. Found 42 mods in the FM folder. reloading guis/msg.gui. WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'QuitGameDialogAskEverytimeOption' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'ColorPrecision' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'OpenDoorsOnUnlock' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'InvPickupMessages' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'HideLightgem' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'BowAimer' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'FrobHelper' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'showTooltips' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'MeleeInvertAttack' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'MeleeInvertParry' has value count unequal to choices count WARNING:idChoiceWindow:: gui 'guis/mainmenu.gui' window 'SCGeneralBind5' has value count unequal to choices count reloading guis/mainmenu.gui. WARNING:unknown destination 'FlareBox::rect' of set command at /fms/hhtlc/hhtlc_1b4187d3b30d65cf.pk4/guis/map/hhtlc.gui:48 WARNING:unknown destination 'FlareBox::rect' of set command at /fms/hhtlc/hhtlc_1b4187d3b30d65cf.pk4/guis/map/hhtlc.gui:53 WARNING:unknown destination 'FlareBox::rect' of set command at /fms/hhtlc/hhtlc_1b4187d3b30d65cf.pk4/guis/map/hhtlc.gui:58 WARNING:unknown destination 'FlareBox::rect' of set command at /fms/hhtlc/hhtlc_1b4187d3b30d65cf.pk4/guis/map/hhtlc.gui:63 WARNING:unknown destination 'FlareBox::rect' of set command at /fms/hhtlc/hhtlc_1b4187d3b30d65cf.pk4/guis/map/hhtlc.gui:68 WARNING:unknown destination 'FlareBox::rect' of set command at /fms/hhtlc/hhtlc_1b4187d3b30d65cf.pk4/guis/map/hhtlc.gui:73 --------- Map Initialization --------- Map: hhtlc ------- Game Map Init SaveGame ------- ---------- Compile stats ---------- Memory usage: Strings: 57, 9144 bytes Statements: 23506, 940240 bytes Functions: 1379, 179716 bytes Variables: 108332 bytes Mem used: 2188540 bytes Static data: 408 bytes Allocated: 1176676 bytes Thread size: 7928 bytes collision data: 1373 models 163204 vertices (5100 KB) 273893 edges (12838 KB) 110189 polygons (8170 KB) 15680 brushes (2322 KB) 138243 nodes (6480 KB) 243924 polygon refs (3811 KB) 58507 brush refs (914 KB) 85771 internal edges 9795 sharp edges 0 contained polygons removed 0 polygons merged 39637 KB total memory used 2123 msec to load collision data. map bounds are (22831.0, 23151.4, 9093.0) 79 KB passage memory used to build PVS 52 msec to calculate PVS 252 areas 598 portals 14 areas visible on average 7 KB PVS data [Load AAS] missing maps/hhtlc.aas48 [Load AAS] loading maps/hhtlc.aas96 done. [Load AAS] loading maps/hhtlc.aas32 done. [Load AAS] missing maps/hhtlc.aas100 [Load AAS] loading maps/hhtlc.aas_rat done. [Load AAS] loading maps/hhtlc.aas_elemental done. WARNING:Couldn't load gui: 'guis/map_of.gui' WARNING:idCollisionModelManagerLocal::LoadModel: collision file for 'models/ritual_hammer2.lwo' contains different model WARNING:idCollisionModelManagerLocal::LoadModel: collision file for 'models/ritual_hammer3.lwo' contains different model WARNING:idCollisionModelManagerLocal::LoadModel: collision file for 'models/ritual_hammer4.lwo' contains different model WARNING:Couldn't load sound 'explosion_all_clear.wav' using default [map entity: atdm_trigger_voice_12] [decl: explosion_all_clear in <implicit file>] [sound: explosion_all_clear.wav] No running thread for RestoreScriptObject(), creating new one. -------------------------------------- ----- idRenderModelManagerLocal::EndLevelLoad ----- 0 models purged from previous level, 2786 models kept. --------------------------------------------------- ----- idImageManager::EndLevelLoad ----- WARNING:Couldn't load image: lights/qc_comj [map entity: light_159] [decl: lights/qc_comj in <implicit file>] [image: lights/qc_comj] WARNING:Couldn't load image: guis/assets/game_maps/map_of_icon [map entity: MapMansion1] [decl: atdm:map_of in def/tdm_shopitems.def] [decl: guis/assets/game_maps/map_of_icon in <implicit file>] [image: guis/assets/game_maps/map_of_icon] 0 purged from previous 219 kept from previous 2070 new loaded all images loaded in 41.8 seconds ---------------------------------------- Linking GLSL program cubeMap ... Linking GLSL program bumpyEnvironment ... Linking GLSL program depthAlpha ... Linking GLSL program fog ... Linking GLSL program oldStage ... Linking GLSL program blend ... Linking GLSL program stencilshadow ... Linking GLSL program shadowMapA ... Linking GLSL program ambientInteraction ... Linking GLSL program interactionStencil ... Linking GLSL program interactionShadowMaps ... Linking GLSL program interactionMultiLight ... Linking GLSL program frob ... Linking GLSL program soft_particle ... Linking GLSL program tonemap ... Linking GLSL program gaussian_blur ... Linking GLSL program testImageCube ... Linking GLSL program depth ... Linking GLSL program interaction_ambient ... Linking GLSL program interaction_stencil ... Linking GLSL program interaction_shadowmap ... Linking GLSL program stencil_shadow ... Linking GLSL program shadow_map ... Linking GLSL program frob_silhouette ... Linking GLSL program frob_highlight ... Linking GLSL program frob_extrude ... Linking GLSL program frob_apply ... Linking GLSL program heatHazeWithDepth ... Linking GLSL program HeatHazeWithMaskAndDepth ... Linking GLSL program heatHaze ... Linking GLSL program heatHazeWithMaskAndBlur ... Linking GLSL program fresnel ... Linking GLSL program ambientEnvironment ... Linking GLSL program heatHazeWithMaskAndDepth ... ---------------------------------------- ----- idSoundCache::EndLevelLoad ----- 394497k referenced 125k purged ---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- 77079 msec to load hhtlc Interaction table generated: size = 0/512 Initial counts: 6903 entities 665 lightDefs 5265 entityDefs ------------- Warnings --------------- during hhtlc... WARNING:Couldn't load gui: 'guis/map_of.gui' WARNING:Couldn't load image: guis/assets/game_maps/map_of_icon WARNING:Couldn't load image: lights/qc_comj WARNING:Couldn't load sound 'explosion_all_clear.wav' using default WARNING:idCollisionModelManagerLocal::LoadModel: collision file for 'models/ritual_hammer2.lwo' contains different model WARNING:idCollisionModelManagerLocal::LoadModel: collision file for 'models/ritual_hammer3.lwo' contains different model WARNING:idCollisionModelManagerLocal::LoadModel: collision file for 'models/ritual_hammer4.lwo' contains different model 7 warnings Interaction table generated: size = 0/512 Initial counts: 6903 entities 665 lightDefs 5265 entityDefs WARNING:Restarted sound to avoid offset overflow: sound/ambient/environmental/water_pool02.ogg WARNING:Restarted sound to avoid offset overflow: sound/ambient/ambience/silence.ogg WARNING:Restarted sound to avoid offset overflow: sound/ambient/ambience/alien05.ogg Linking GLSL program environment ... The ambient volume is now -1.885291 decibels (range: -60..0), i.e., 87.749992% of full volume. Restarting ambient sound snd_ct_babtistery'(derelict03) with volume -1.885291 signal caught: Segmentation fault si_code 128 Trying to exit gracefully.. ----- idRenderModelManagerLocal::EndLevelLoad ----- 0 models purged from previous level, 2786 models kept. --------------------------------------------------- Regenerated world, staticAllocCount = 0. Getting threadname failed, reason: No such file or directory (2) --------- Game Map Shutdown ---------- ModelGenerator memory: 67 LOD entries with 0 users using 1072 bytes. --------- Game Map Shutdown done ----- Shutting down sound hardware idRenderSystem::Shutdown() ...shutting down QGL I18NLocal: Shutdown. ------------ Game Shutdown ----------- ModelGenerator memory: No LOD entries. Shutdown event system -------------------------------------- Sys_Error: ERROR: pthread_join Frontend failed shutdown terminal support About to exit with code 1

You're too kind! I don't think I've created something on par with what some of the veteran creators have put out just yet, but I'm very happy about how well it's been received. It's been especially nice reading messages sent to me about the lighting and sound design inside the house, as I spent a long time tweaking it and was afraid others wouldn't appreciate those tiny details. I'll certainly be back again to release another mission in the future as you've all been very welcoming, especially the dev team!

The Numbers don't lie. It has been 15 years since the release of TDM 1.0 in 2009. I think we should consider a contest to celebrate this. Further, the contest goal should be with the intention of motivating the completion of a campaign that can be deemed official. Here are some possible ways forward: Proposal 1: Middle mission(s) Authors are asked to create a mission that expands the story between "A New Job" and "Tears of St Lucia". This can involve escaping the heavily guarded city perimeter, stowing away on a ship or caravan, attempting to recruit a partner for St Lucia and failing, getting caught by Builders before arriving and having to escape their compound, getting lost in haunted woods on the way there, etc. Any interesting way that the connection between the two official missions can be expanded. Points are awarded for making explicit references to Corbin, St Lucia, and any story elements in the two official missions. If the resultant mission is of high enough quality, it can possibly be made into an official mission. If we get a number of excellent submissions and they do not cause logical inconsistencies, we might even be able to add two or more to the official list. Proposal 2: Intellectual Property distinct approximation of TDS missions Over the years, many have asked that we recreate Thief 1 \ 2 in this engine. Obviously we cannot do this due to copyright law but we could create similar missions and stories that approximate the Thief 1 or 2 designs. That said, I think that most of our audience has played these missions to death so it may be underwhelming to see them arrive in approximate form anyway. What might be better would be to develop a similar story to TDS and make missions that resemble what T1 \ T2 players were dreaming would arrive when TDS was announced and the first screen-shots were shown in gaming magazines. So take any TDS mission you like, examine the story arc and wildly re-interpret something similar but on a much grander scale. Since it's possible that two or more contestants will choose the same mission to re-interpret, we have a slot system were authors need to claim their preferred mission and if it is taken then they must select another one or lose some story points. The slots represent a sketch of what the mission author might try to do rather than a blueprint. If authors can come up with a mission that has almost no resemblance to any TDS mission but would make for a compelling story development in a similar story arc then that can be claimed as an alternative to a slot. Proposal 3: Same as proposal 2 but we stick with Thief 1 rather than TDS. Wildly re-interpret T1 based on what you may have dreamed of when reading the gaming magazines or playing the demo. Slots system to prevent duplicate submissions. Maybe with either proposals 3 and 4, we still require the use of Corbin as the protagonist and a connective enough story that they could also be adapted as middle missions for the official campaign if the team agrees on it. Proposal 4: Another "Connections" Contest. We just allow authors to connect any two missions with each other or expand the story of an existing series or single mission. So those are my thoughts. I'll leave it to players and mission authors to suggest other proposals and if we have some sort of consensus about the most popular proposals then we will make a poll. Realistically between now and October we may not be able to hold a contest with any strict guidelines ( and tricky issues with maintaining a distance to Thief IP ) so proposal 4 may still be the easiest option.

Author Note: Shadows of Northdale is a new campaign that takes place in a city called Northdale that is situated up in the mountains of the western empire. Across the campaign the player will traverse through the varying districts of the city with each mission featuring it's own unique location as well as different locations in the city hub to access. ACT I is the first mission which is designed to introduce the player to the city hub area and the new mechanics available to them. During the first night in the city hub section there are a couple of places to explore however this will expand and open up further as you progress through the campaign's missions. This mission features some aspects which are different to the usual dark mod FM experience which are: - Food is an item that is picked up and stored in your inventory, pressing the use key with the food item highlighted will cause the player to eat it and gain 5hp - There is an ingame fence where you can purchase gear using any loot you may have found during the mission, you can visit him as many times as you wish but do be mindful of your loot goals - Also inside the fence's shop are contracts, these are readables which detail tasks that a client wishes you to complete for an agreed sum of gold. Upon completing them you will be rewarded with the designated sum immediately - Because you are not a wanted criminal (yet) the citywatch will only attack you if they catch you breaking the law or find you near the scene of a crime - Candles are pinchable in this mission, frobbing them causes Corbin to pinch them to put them out rather than pick them up The mission was designed and tested on 2.05, if you are playing on any other version there may be bugs present. If you enjoyed the mission please feel free to leave a review, I enjoy reading them and it gives me inspiration for my next projects. Tell me what you felt worked and what you felt could be improved for next time. Have fun taffers! - Goldwell. 2.06 UPDATE INFO: If you are experiencing any path finding issues (AI walking around in circles or getting stuck) on 2.06 then please enter the following console command to resolve these issues cm_backFaceCull 0. Thanks goes to Nbohr1more for solving that! Testers Crowind Epifire Kingsal Random_Taffer Skacky SquadaFroinx Voice Actors AndrosTheOxen Goldwell SlyFoxx Custom assets Andreas Rocha Bentraxx Bob Necro Dragofer Epifire Freesound Kingsal MalachiAD Tannar And a very special thank you to the following people without whom the mission would not exist: Epifire for creating some amazing detailed custom models that help bring a unique layer that wouldn't be possible without it. Seriously go check out his modeling page! Dude is very talented https://sketchfab.com/Epifire Grayman for helping to debug a lot of critical bugs in the mission, without him there wouldnt be a mission Kingsal and Skacky for helping out with excellent tips on level design, flow and lighting Moonbo for lending his writing talents to help optimize the briefing video script Obsttorte for making the majority of the scripts featured in this mission, and for dealing with my constant nagging about issues and bugs, you are awesome! SlyFoxx for lending his vocal talents and making the fence character come to life and sound great SquadaFroinx for providing thorough beta reports (that are equally hilarious as they are useful) And finally a huge thank you to Tannar for drawing the fantastic looking ingame map Available via in-game downloader MIRROR File Size: 295 mb

Subtitle capabilities available in 2.10/2.11 are described in the wiki "Subtitles". For info about one new project using these capabilities, see the thread "English Subtitles for AI Barks". That project includes development of a TDM subtitle style guide. The thread here is mainly focused on ideas that would require future engine changes to implement. A. Automatic Switching Between Subtitle Languages Based on Settings This is a follow-on of a forum discussion between datiswous and Geep. It is desirable to have a standardized method for: subtitles to be authored in multiple languages, and so packaged and distributed as part of TDM and its FMs a gamer to dynamically select subtitles in a desired language The subtitle language choice might be controlled by the existing TDM language choice within Settings, or a separate "Subtitles Language" setting. B. Other Possible Improvements Requiring Engine Changes Most of these involve allowing the subtitle code to know something about game entities, and convey that to the gamer. Examples of useful knowledge: the ID of the speaker (or other source) the location of the speaker, relative to the player, the player's view, and other speaking AI. This type of information helps to disambiguate when there are multiple voices present. There are lots of ways such info is visually conveyed in other subtitle/caption systems, and might be added to TDM. C. Providing Subtitles for Existing FX These would have the "verbosity effects" subtitle tag. Beyond 2.11 capabilities, some of the location aspects of (B) would be pertinent.

Inn Business It's business, at an inn, over three nights. Development screenshots: Download: https://drive.google...dit?usp=sharing Update 1.48 uploaded March 8th, 2014, one change: patches key rarely not being frobable in one of its possible spots Big thanks to my beta testers: Airship Ballet, Kyyrma and AluminumHaste! Development supporters of note: Sotha, Springheel and Obsttorte. Also thanks Sotha, for urinating in my mission. ;-) And thanks Kyyrma for the title screen! My appreciation to all forum/wiki contributors, without whom, this wouldn't exist. Thanks to positive commenters on my previous mission too, extra motivation helps! :-) Note this uses campaign features, what you use the first night, impacts subsequent nights. And to quote a tester, "...the level is maybe best experienced in more than one sitting". If you do pause between nights, please be sure to save, you can't begin partway through effectively. (If you accidentally start a night you already completed, just fail the kill objective to switch to another night.) If your frame rates are too low facing the cemetery, please reduce your "Object Details LOD" setting. It was designed with "AI Vision" set to "Forgiving", to be able to sneak through with minimal reactions, if you want more/less, adjust your settings accordingly. There are several random, conditional aspects, and ways of going about things, so others might have slightly different experiences. Post here if you discover hidden objectives for extra points! My condolences to loot completionists, I made a bit on the third night hard, you've got your challenge cut out for you! Speaking of which, there's a TDM bug that mission complete totals too high, here are the real amounts per night: 2026/970/202. Oh, there is something that in the U.S. would be rated PG, in case you play with kids in earshot. I hope you enjoy playing it, feel free to let me know you did, and I'm glad to respond to inquiries (like how stuff was done, nothing was scripted). (Note which night you are referring to if it's something specific.) (Please remember spoiler tags to not expose things meant to be discovered by playing.) Like so: [spoiler]secrets[/spoiler] Developed for TDM 2.01. PS: Thiefette, good news, no spiders! Springheel, if you find an optional objective you can skip...you might find it immersion breaking. Others, no undead! There are a couple other interactive critters though. :-) Edit note: Some posts below were from users of an unreleased version of TDM 2.02 which broke several things, they do not reflect regular game-play.

I plan to gradually try out all or most of the different path node types and adjust them depending on the interaction. Though I don't plan to use it in this particular mission, I have a keen interest in the follow type, as I'll want an NPC to follow the player character in another, future FM I'd like to create. Never too soon to try out various functions while I'm already learning new FM-building skins after a long hiatus. Thank you for the suggestion. I completely forgot about the location system ambients as an option ! A few years back, when I was testing various stuff in DR, I did actually use that approach instead, once or twice. I haven't used DR much in recent years, so I eventually forgot about setting it up that way. Acknowledged, and I'll look into it. It'll save a lot of time concerning the audio side of the mission. My first few missions won't have much a natural environment, they'll largelly be small and focused on buildings or urban spaces, so I won't need to bother with detailed audio for rivers yet. I have an outdoor FM planned for later (it's in the pre-production phase), and I'll have a good reason to study it in greater detail. It's actually okay, I don't reallt need rectangular speakers. Given that I've been reminded I can set a main ambience for each room - something I did know before, but forgot, after not working properly with DR these past few years - I'll do just that, and use the speakers for more secondary ambience concerns. Handy indeed. A rectangular shape would be easier to remember. I'll just use the filters in the editor to put away the speakers if I ever the get the impression they're blocking my view. Also, I don't actually mind the shape all that much. As you and the others say, the size/radius of the speaker is the actual key aspect. I'm a bit disappointed it's seemingly not possible to resize speakers the same way you can resize brushes or certain models, though you can still tweak the radius numerically, manually. As long as I can work with that, the actual shape of a speaker isn't really important. My main concern is expanding the minimum and maximum radius areas to an extent where they'll be audible for most for all of the respective areas the player will visit, rather than fading away quickly once the player leaves the hub of the speaker behind. As was already said above, I'll use the different utility to set the main ambient for the individual rooms, rather than a manually placed speaker, and I'll reserve the speakers for additional sound effects or more local ambience. I've already added some extra parameters to the speakers I'm testing out in my FM, so I'll take a look at those soon, though I'll deal with the main room ambience settings first. I'd like to thank everyone for their replies. While I'm not surprised by the answers, I'm now more confident in working with the path node and speaker entities. On an unrelated sidenote to all of this, the same in-development FM where I'm testing the speaker placement and range was tested yesterday for whether an NPC AI can walk from the ground floor all the way to the topmost floor, without issues. Thankfully, there have been no issues at all, and the test subject - a female mage, whom I won't use in the completed FM, sadly - did a successful first ascent of the tower-like building that'll serve as the main setting. (That's all your getting from me for now, concerning the FM contents.)