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FM: Lockdown Part 1 by GameDevGoro and BikerDude (2010/12/24)


Fidcal

  

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  1. 1. Gameplay: Enjoyment. Fun duration. Smooth flow, ect. Versus Bugs. Frustration, Boredom, framelag

  2. 2. Appearance: Visual pleasure, lighting, visual style, deduct bad texturing etc.

  3. 3. Story & Text: Story. Text. Briefing. Graphic storytelling



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This is a not bad small street FM with a bit of climbing here and there, a few builders, the inevitable city watch, and, oh yes a couple of dead zombies. Or is they?

 

The town is completely locked down by the city watch because of bandits. You've found a way in. Complete your objectives - then find a way out!

 

 

lockdown01.jpg

 

Notes:

If you find the way out before completing the objectives then it's blocked - just come back later.

One objective on Expert causes a forced drop. This is intended so you cannot take the thing away again!

Loot is rather easy for Expert (didn't realize until I'd burnt out with beta testing and fixes and uploaded! But you can still get all you want.

If this FM seems familiar to anyone it was beta'd fairly openly about a year ago but the author has had no time to finish off the fixes. Althought it appears to be Part 1 of a series; don't hold your breath for a follow up!

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Mainly just a lot of housekeeping and the like in DR,

 

- changing & adding lights, adding no shadows and or changing texture

- adding architectural details and restricting player access to retain immersion and atmosphere

- changing patrol routes, lots of Ai were gett stuck or going places they shouldnt.

- changing sound propagation and positions to keep the immersion factor high.

- fixing a shed load of VP's and converting a lot of brush to FS to up the fps.

- adding detail here and there inline with my other immersion factor additions & changes.

 

Re what Fids did, I imagine he will be along shortly to elaborate. Its a small but fun little mission and if GDG wants to do a 'part 2' I am more than happy to help out etc.

 

No stop asking questions and get taffing..!!

 

<bikerdude swiggs some wine while working on RTTC for Melan.>

 

Edited by Bikerdude
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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...

Edited by Aprilsister
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What a nice xmas present! Thanks guys!

 

I wish I had some playing time to try this out soon...

 

BTW: the drawing is a nice compared to the usual blurred screenies etc. Refreshing change and a good idea, I like it! Who's the artist?

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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Wow, I must say - the touchups and work done has taken this 'nice tense' mission and given it a load of class and character that fits perfectly with what I think it was setting out to do. A really nice showcase of the new HDR and ambient, gives such a good contrast in my mind :)

 

I hope GDG gifts us with a second installment sometime!

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Oh man, this is insanely great! :D

 

Thanks for finishing it, Fidcal and Bikerdude, you guys are awesome! :) (I didn't forget anyone, right? :o)

 

Going to check it out right about now. ;)

 

I hope GDG gifts us with a second installment sometime!

Oh I will, that much I've decided already, the only question is when though.

 

Oh also thanks to everyone who tested it! :)

 

Edit* I just had a chance to play it briefly and check out the difference and I must say, I am gobsmacked! :o

It has sooo much more feel to it now than it did when I worked on it so thanks again and fantastic work, everyone! :D

Edited by GameDevGoro
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Wow, I must say - the touchups and work done has taken this 'nice tense' mission and given it a load of class and character that fits perfectly with what I think it was setting out to do.

 

just had a chance to play it briefly and check out the difference and I must say, I am gobsmacked! :o

It has sooo much more feel to it now than it did when I worked on it so thanks again and fantastic work, everyone!

 

Coolies, its much easier to clean up someone elses mission than build one from scratch. But essentially my part of the remite was to darken down the lights, figure out how to put fog in the skybox and then add some polish by way of rooftops and other little details. Glad your enjoying it.

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Well, this goes on my list of missions to come back to when I get my new computer. Got hit with 0 FPS when I opened the guardhouse door. Prior to that it was fine.

 

Looks nice, though.

 

Thanks!

Yes I think there is an open slit window gap in the guardhouse so it is effectively open to the outer streets beyond that. Nothing that most systems shouldn't handle with ease though. Maybe it's a texture load thing too so worth waiting 20 seconds to see if it clears if your graphic code has not got much RAM. I've noticed right at the start of Heart facing the wall in the first few seconds that my fps are about 12-15fps then 10 to 15 seconds later (without me moving) they move up to 60fps. Although that is more likely the moveables and other things settling just after game start.
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Yes I think there is an open slit window gap in the guardhouse so it is effectively open to the outer streets beyond that.

Grr I though I had caught ALL the little things that before I passed it on etc. But as you say, gotta be a texture/loading glitch.. Grayman what the spects of your pc..?

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Hey you guys that was really a lot more than I was expecting!

 

I played it through and

 

 

 

though I definitely reached the loot objective, I came up waaaay short of what the stats said I could have gotten. So I went back for more (and to kill them zombies real dead because I hate them). Found out I'd bypassed almost half the fun! Missed a big section of the map, not because it wasn't available on Easy (no noKOs for me), but just that it wasn't part of the objectives...

 

 

 

found out this mission has, for me, a few hours (3+) of gameplay! Which is, as I say, much more than I'd anticipated. So...

 

Thanks ToadTadWater for bring up the "whatever happened to...?" (BTW -- Ironyman -- WHT ToadTadWater?) ; thanks Melan for reviving the WHT?; and of course thanks again to the 3 authors, GameDevGoro, Bikerdude and Fidcal who contributed to getting the FM wrapped up and presented!

Edited by Aprilsister
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I do want to mention just in a very uncritical, "only putting it out there" way, a few couple of things this cool mission prompted me to jot down:

 

I guess this is known but just in case, I noticed that a few of the posted readables (I have mentioned that I like to read what I can in the "real world" {not frobbing, even using the spyglass if necessary}) had "<title>" on them. I assume this has to do with Fidcal's excellent new(ish) system for creating such things.

 

I wish there were more varied, bookcases & books. And I also miss the lever-switches that we'd find in bookcases, fireplaces and such too -- I think I've seen them in one FM? Or are they one of the things that won't be semi-duplicated for TDM. Used to find them a lot in T1&2 if you know what I mean. These things along with banner slashing are missed to be honest but I'm not supposed to get sentimental... ;)

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Thief had a book switch but it's easy to make one in Dark Mod. Just make a switch or lever and give it any model you want: a book, a statue, whatever. It can be made to tilt or rotate or move in and out. It's really that easy.

 

Anyway, glad you enjoyed it. I too found another area I never found before so it's quite a decent layout of streets and alleys even though of a moderate size.

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Bookshelf switches can be hellish in TDM. In T1/T2, they required you to find a book object in a flat book texture. Here, they require you to pick one book model from among several other book models, which is even less fun than it sounds when you are not sure there is a secret switch in the area.

Come the time of peril, did the ground gape, and did the dead rest unquiet 'gainst us. Our bands of iron and hammers of stone prevailed not, and some did doubt the Builder's plan. But the seals held strong, and the few did triumph, and the doubters were lain into the foundations of the new sanctum. -- Collected letters of the Smith-in-Exile, Civitas Approved

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A mapper can do the following:

 

Make sure there is a good clue so the player should be certain that there is a switch and that it must be within a reasonably sized area (ie, not a city nor even a large room with lots of compexity.

Make sure the frob_distance and frobbox_size is sufficient so just scanning the book shelf the one book highlights easily and sticks out like a sore thumb.

If necessary, copy the material and increase its frob brightness.

Check local lighting so its frob highlight is not overwhelmed.

 

It is possible to make the book shine from across a room if necessary depending how easy you want it to be.

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