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


Fidcal

  

50 members have voted

  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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OK. I've noticed some funky stuff with the mission that I don't really know what to make of.

 

Some of the xData messages are oddly misplaced (Like the message to Guard Captain Rowan that's instead displaying the briefing text), and the messages in game on the papers and books and what-not don't show up anymore (I saw someone else mention this a while ago... I think.)

 

Is this a mission related bug? Game related bug? Or what is it? :huh:

 

This one. :)

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This one. :)

 

I opened your map in DR. Looks like an obvious map bug:

 

 

There is a scroll named playerstip.

This scroll has spawnarg "xdata_contents" "maps/lockdown/mission_briefing"

 

Looks like a human error. According to your xdata files it should be "xdata_contents" "playersTip"

 

I think it is recommended to always have xdata pointers something like "maps/yourmission/entry" and not simply "entry." Strange you have it like this: for me the readable editor automatically suggests xdata content data "readables/missionname/<Name_Here>"

 

I also would be scared to put UpperCase letters in any part of a mission due to linux uppercase sensitivity. I might be over reacting, but it does not do any harm avoiding uppercase and it certainly soothes my fear of crossplatform incompability. One of my mission leaked in linux because it had CustomSkies name somewhere. :(

 

But these xdata-naming conventions are not imperative, just a thing to remember in the future.

 

 

 

 

I hope this helps! This is a really good mission and I'd love to see all the wrinkles ironed!

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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I also couldn't resist to take a look at the

 

 

 

captains desk.

 

You used stim-response! Clever, yes but the box is way too small and you can't get a feel of the size. No wonder it was difficult to place.

 

Have you taken a look at this wiki article?

http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Objectives_Editor#An_Objective_to_place_an_object_in_a_Certain_Location

 

It does beautifully and EXACTLY the thing you want. Plus you get to draw an entity box which is really easy to gauge to the table's size.

 

 

 

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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I kinda winged the xdata stuff with notepad. :o

 

You're frickin' kidding me, right?:huh: Pull a joke on poor Sotha, eh? It must have taken decades to write the readables without The Editor.

 

Drop a readable entity in DR. Select the entity. In the top menu choose Entity -> Readable Editor.

You get a nice what-you-see-is-what-you-get editor. Usage is pretty easy. Just make sure you have an existing xdata folder in your DR directory, otherwise you cannot save you work there.

Clipper

-The mapper's best friend.

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OK got it. I'll check into that too then. Lol. :laugh:

Dang... Anyway.

And no I'm not kidding anyone, I really did type it all in notepad without any real way of knowing what was right. I mean, I used the same syntax and stuff I saw in other people's FMs.:unsure: And when that didn't give any real errors in the older version of Lockdown I kinda just went with it.

 

But good to know, maybe now xdata editing won't be such a chore. :P

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Sorry, this fix up was somewhat rushed and I'm working furiously on my own FM so not had time to think. I did a lot of quick testing basically to make sure the objectives checked and mission completed etc so after about 5 play throughs I wasn't reading readables anymore just frobbing them. (nice FM but I'd played it a few times last year so was kinda burnt out.)

 

The 'tip' like all these 'place object' objectives, triggered when held near so it could fulfil the objective and then you could walk away with the scroll! So I changed it to force a drop. Don't see how that would change the xdata though. Also it was a small area in the centre of the desk because it was a s & r radius and I couldn't be bothered to mess with it other than size. With a big radius it meant it triggered if you put it high over the desk or even under it. I understand why it was s & r (to disable frob) but yeah, the info location thing is better.

 

Anyway, if nobody else can fix this up then I will make time just say the word. :)

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Hmm, sorry I should spotted these when I worked on it.

:blush:

 

No worries, man. You were busy making it awesome! :D

I really thought the xdata was one of the last things to ever give problems. Lesson learned.

 

@STiFU: Oh dear me. :unsure: I should've paid more attention to the wiki and such when I was making this mission full-force.

Oh well, there's certainly time in the future. ;)

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I enjoyed this mission a lot, and was also reminded of Life of the Party. My only complaint is story-related:

 

 

For the "find evidence of M's presence in the area" objective: First off, it's not clear if you're finding evidence to convince yourself (the player character), or if you're finding evidence that you will leave for the guard captain along with the tip off, or if you're going to add to the tip by writing in the evidence you found. In that case, I guess the tip note should leave off the part about the bar hideout until you actually find it, then that would be scrawled in.

 

Second, it wasn't clear why the objective completed when I went into M's hideout above the bar and frobbed a ring. Was that supposed to be his signet ring or something? It seemed to be normal loot in the inventory. I don't remember that place being explicitly mentioned as his hideout in the other readables, there were just references to "locking up the bar."

 

It might have been better if the other readables explicitly pointed to the hideout above the bar, and then you found some correspondence or something in that hideout, and that was the damning evidence. As-is, it's just a random ring that serves as evidence, and the player-character doesn't even know for sure whose hideout that is. Also, why did that room have the "haunted" lights going on? Vengeful spirits of all the people killed in the scheme? :)

 

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I enjoyed this mission a lot, and was also reminded of Life of the Party. My only complaint is story-related:

 

 

For the "find evidence of M's presence in the area" objective: First off, it's not clear if you're finding evidence to convince yourself (the player character), or if you're finding evidence that you will leave for the guard captain along with the tip off, or if you're going to add to the tip by writing in the evidence you found. In that case, I guess the tip note should leave off the part about the bar hideout until you actually find it, then that would be scrawled in.

 

Second, it wasn't clear why the objective completed when I went into M's hideout above the bar and frobbed a ring. Was that supposed to be his signet ring or something? It seemed to be normal loot in the inventory. I don't remember that place being explicitly mentioned as his hideout in the other readables, there were just references to "locking up the bar."

 

It might have been better if the other readables explicitly pointed to the hideout above the bar, and then you found some correspondence or something in that hideout, and that was the damning evidence. As-is, it's just a random ring that serves as evidence, and the player-character doesn't even know for sure whose hideout that is. Also, why did that room have the "haunted" lights going on? Vengeful spirits of all the people killed in the scheme? :)

 

 

Thanks for playing it, Ishtvan! :)

 

 

 

Regarding the Murchad thing and the tip for guard captain rowan.

 

The idea was that your friend, who game you the tip, tells you to look for Murchad or evidence of his presence.

He doesn't know for sure that Murchad is even residing anywhere near the town, but he gives you the letter just in case you find evidence that he actually has a hideout in town which effectively makes the letter important to the guard captain. :)

So you can go on with tipping him off so the guards can deal with him themselves.

 

So I can't really give the player too much information where Murchad's hideout is, as it isn't exactly known to anyone. But I can try to make something point to that place in particular as important, otherwise, as you said, it's just a room with random loot that happens to be important. :P

 

And I'm pretty sure I named the ring in question to something like "Murchad's Ring". Or maybe I didn't, I'll check into it. xD

 

As for the haunted lights, Yeah dunno what's going on there but I think I'll replace it. :huh:

 

Hope that answered something, the story isn't exactly well thought-out. :blush:

 

 

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Ahh 2011 started really well playing Lockdown of difficult :) ...

 

I felt the dense architecture is what really make this FM so well! And the need to do much exploring and a lot of vertical break and enter action. Really a lot of fun. All combined it felt similiar as some well done T1 FM in a very good nostalgic way.

 

Detailed thoughts:

 

 

Even with some existing AI shotcomings and bugs I rated Gameplay excellent. For me this FM is immersing, has a very well flow and most important to gameplay: simply was much fun. I'm also very pro to the challenge you gave with the dense patrolled areas. But if you like to force ghosting as an objective please do so only on difficult. Also some hint to find about the area of M.'s hideout would have been good. With this and some more polishing - specially the AI and text issues mentioned in former posts - I would have rated gameplay near perfect.

 

Appearance had been excellent. The compact and cramped architecture give a atmo that real old medieval European cities do have. Great archivement!. Also I welcome the varity you have used in different areas and rooms. I alsolutly loved the visuals of the small builders crypt. Special Kudus for the idea and realisation of the zombie in the water grave. fantastic!

 

I rated Story very good for two reasons. While the mission story hook is a promising idea I never really feld being lockdowned. I don't know how this could have been archived - if at all. I expected some feel being stuck in a part of the city where the guards are really alert. that would be to hard for gameplay of course. but anyway I missed some tension really feeling lockdowned and in the urge to fucking leave that place. Also I agree with everything Ishtvan said about the M objective. Said that I do like the plot and grafic storytelling very much. well done GDG.

 

 

Thanks for that fine Mission everyone involved!

 

Would love to see part 2 realised GameDevGoro ...

Edited by fllood

"To rush is without doubt the most important enemy of joy" ~ Thieves Saying

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@fllood

Thanks for playing it, man. :)

 

Here's something for you:

 

 

The idea about the whole lockdown situation is that it doesn't really affect the player at all. The lockdown is simply one of those "Stay inside, commoners. There's danger in the streets!"-type lockdowns. The player is free to come and go as he pleases, since he doesn't bother with ordinary routes to begin with. ;)

 

 

 

 

Just a gentle reminder re all the work that Fidcal and myself put into to get the map upto scratch. Fids fixed a lot of the internal stuff that was broken and myself the architecture that was atmosphere broken.

 

-_-

Yes. Totally. 100% percent!

Without you guys, Fidcal and you, Bikerdude, this FM probably wouldn't have seen the light of day. So I owe you guys one, that's for damn sure. :)So everyone should be extremely thankful for the work Fidcal and Bikerdude put into fixing this mission! *woo!*

I know I am. :)

...I just did the groundwork (and not too good a groundwork at that :o).

 

EDIT* Whoah, lowenz! You hit me during my writing of the post.

How did you do that!? xD

Edited by GameDevGoro
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EDIT* Whoah, lowenz! You hit me during my writing of the post.

How did you do that!? xD

tongue.gif

 

There's another little problem with a torch in hammer.....err ph34r.gif builders laugh.gif generator room: I can't put it out with water arrows!

 

 

Ah, I'm uploading a video with the first 10 minutes of FM as always ;)

Edited by lowenz

Task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen but to think what nobody has yet thought about that which everybody see. - E.S.

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There's another little problem with a torch in hammer.....err ph34r.gif builders laugh.gif generator room: I can't put it out with water arrows!

That's weird. Never heard of anything quite like it. xD

Maybe it's an undead torch that is already unlit but only appears to be lit! :P

 

Ah, I'm uploading a video with the first 10 minutes of FM as always ;)

That's pretty cool. :)

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lowenz appears to have a knack for finding collision issues... :)

 

I think it's a little cumbersome for all the involved contributors to keep acknowledging each other when saying thanks.

 

It might be easier to speak in the "Royal We".

Example: "We are glad that you enjoyed our such and such." ;)

(Just a suggestion.)

 

Or just do what Fidcal and Sotha do for The Alchemist: "If you are paying attention to the thread, then you get the glory :laugh: "

 

(I haven't had a chance to play much of the revised version of this one but the beta was a gem so thanks to all on all accounts :D...)

Please visit TDM's IndieDB site and help promote the mod:

 

http://www.indiedb.com/mods/the-dark-mod

 

(Yeah, shameless promotion... but traffic is traffic folks...)

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