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Posted

Knighton Manor, by Sotha, is a medium sized mission for The Dark Mod.

 

This is a straightforward mansion break-in, and perfect for anyone who is new to TDM or stealth gaming in general. While it is a prequel to the Thomas Porter series, it is not necessary to be familiar with the series to enjoy it.

 

knighton3.jpg

 

The story here is relatively simple. You’re breaking into the residence of a the captain of the City Watch, in order to steal an expensive scepter. What makes it stand out from other TDM missions is small immersive touches that increase your suspension of disbelief. I genuinely felt like a burglar breaking into a mansion most of the time, rather than someone playing a game.

 

For example, the mission opens with a small, cinematic sequence of the player (in first person) hopping over a hedge and hiding behind a tree while scoping out the front of the mansion. A few moments later, a group of party guests, bottles in hand, leave through the front gate, talking and laughing loudly like the group of drunks that they are.

 

knighton4.jpg

 

This minor touch already had me hooked. There were plenty of other situations that felt comfortably real too—the group of guards drinking and playing cards in their off-hours in the attic, and the left-over mess of spilled wine and empty bottles in the main hall. Sotha has the ability to tell stories with simple props and suggestive details—I felt like these AI had actual lives and weren’t just waiting around for me to break in.

 

knighton2.jpg

 

The gameplay was well-balanced. The number of guards wasn’t overwhelming, but some had lanterns, and there were enough to force you to pay attention. You had plenty of time to think and plan, for the most part, but you had to be careful when you ventured into new areas. There were several ways into the mansion, and you could proceed in a very open-ended manner.

 

There were a couple interesting secrets that I won’t spoil, except to say that they were the kind of discoveries that made me do things that had no gameplay purpose at all—I actually started sneaking around, dragging bodies and dropping evidence in particular places, not because it was an objective, but because I was caught up in the story and wanted to imagine how it would play out after I was gone. I love it when that happens in a mission.

 

knighton1.jpg

 

The mission had a small but clever puzzle that I won’t spoil either.

 

There was a moment near the end of the mission where AI did not react in a very believable manner, but after a couple hours of complete immersion, I was able to forgive that failing.

 

Simple, immersive, and with solid gameplay, I recommend Knighton Manor highly.

Review by Springheel

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  • 2 months later...
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Posted

Lutonaut's review of Heart of Lone Salvation (which I have just discovered).

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

  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

it was a 'thin' review that only hit on the very basics imo. But it was a positive review from start to finish, that's always good.

Dark is the sway that mows like a harvest

Posted

This is an excellent in-depth review. Props to the author.

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

  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 months later...
Posted

A new blog showed-up in my Google Searches:

 

"thed4rkblog"

 

http://thed4rkblog.blogspot.com/

 

?

 

The author did a scathing review of "Dragon's Claw" :unsure: (but prefaced the review with his appreciation of previous superior Biker missions).

 

... and gave Mortem Desino accolades as a "first time author" for "The Creeps" ^_^ ...

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...)

Posted (edited)

A new blog showed-up in my Google Searches:

"thed4rkblog"

http://thed4rkblog.blogspot.com/

?

 

The author did a scathing review of "Dragon's Claw" :unsure: (but prefaced the review with his appreciation of previous superior Biker missions).

... and gave Mortem Desino accolades as a "first time author" for "The Creeps" ^_^ ...

I actually agree with most of the Dragon's Claw review (and have written to that effect in the mission thread). The city segment is superflous and non-interactive, and the Plague Ward segment also lacks engaging gameplay. It looks appealing, but visuals only take a mission so far. It is a strongly flawed mission the same way RttC v1 is a strongly flawed mission due to the horrible performance. Bikerdude has done much better (e.g. with The Caduceus of St. Alban or Alberic's Curse), and I think reusing the terrain and expanding on it in another mission would do the work good.

 

Criticism, if done fairly and adeptly, should be welcomed.

Edited by Melan

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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Posted
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