Fan Mission: Alberic's Curse by b1k3rdude (Updated: 01/11/2014)

[Bikerdude]

http://k.min.us/jCfGA.jpg

 

"At night, they say, the Builders' hand comes loose from his mighty hammer and creatures wander out from their hiding places while he slumbers. But tis this night, above all others that unholy vapours cloak the land with gloomy curtains and night creatures dance and sing in the twilight. I can't say I'm looking forward to my endeavors this night.... I've been given a job by a Priest to retrieve two holy artifacts from an abandoned cloister in Eldin woods north of the city, simple job I thought, but the priest failed to mention the placed was haunted."

 

Build Time:

- version 1.0 was about 5 weeks, but we are now upto version 3.11.

 

Thanks:

• Respect to the Dark Mod team for putting up with all my questions and knocking up the various updates in short order!. Special thanks to Flanders and Springheel for their models and my testers for helping me squash all the bugs etc.
• Testers: Flanders, Jaxa, nbohr1more, Aluminumhaste, Baal,l Oldjim, Cookie, Obsttorte, lux, Mat99, AluminumHaste, thebigh
• Readables: Darkangel/Flanders/b1k3rdude with special thanks to Flanders for his original story..
• Resource: Flanders/Springheel - art direction and models.
• Misc: This is a homage to the original Thief2 mission from 2001 (The Cathedral of the Damned)

Download:

- The latest version is now available via the in-game downloader.

 

Info:

• This version has been heavily updated from the original, this came about as a result of need to be compatible with TDM 2.10+
• Repeat after me, "Read and explore, Read and explore"
• The mission is fully l10n ready. (thanks Tels)
• The mission now has EFX Reverb
• The mission now has Volumetric Light effects
• The mission now uses LOD settings for different detail levels
• There is now a script event related to the "Curse"
• A few new surprises...

Known issues:

• This mission will have less than optimal fps at a few points on the map, but most of my testers with lowish end rigs (P4/HD4650) are getting 30fps+ at the worst spots)
• For very low end PCs I recommend the following settings: V-sync is off, AA is off, Aniso is 4x or lower, advanced settings are simple/default & Post processing of disabled and as a last resort the command line arg ' r_skipFogLights 1 ' (turns off the fog)

[AluminumHaste]

Ohhh can't wait to play it!!!!

[Bikerdude]

heheh, Ah what r u like....

[AluminumHaste]

lol

[ungoliant]

grats on release, BD. Been looking forward to this one, of course

[Jesps]

Congratulations on the release. It looks very inviting from the screenshot.

 

Read and explore, Read and explore

[Neb]

Haven't completed it yet, but it's fantastic. Congrats.

[i30817]

I'm stuck inside the cathedral.

 

Only thing missing is the book and scepter that i know is behind one of those doors by a broken window.

 

There are 2 doors i can't open, and a secret lever in the bookcase that i don't know what it does (i already know about the other secret door, to the crypts.

 

Also, only found 1 key - for the footlocker, though that ended up not needed.

[lowenz]

Another jewel from Bikerdude!

Really perfect implementation of "Haunted Cathedral Mission" paradigm

 

 

Obviously searched for some minor bugs as always

Found 1 here (and in the other twin tower too):

 

 

 

There's the smoke but no torch around here (or the torch is IN the wall? )

Edited June 20, 2011 by lowenz

[AluminumHaste]

More than likely fog/smoke particles bleeding through because the portal is open. Amazing mission, can't wait to play it again.

[AluminumHaste]

I'm stuck inside the cathedral.

 

Only thing missing is the book and scepter that i know is behind one of those doors by a broken window.

 

There are 2 doors i can't open, and a secret lever in the bookcase that i don't know what it does (i already know about the other secret door, to the crypts.

 

Also, only found 1 key - for the footlocker, though that ended up not needed.

 

 

I had trouble figuring out what that secret lever did also, so I just tried getting to the other side of the wall that the lever is against. Go around.

 

[Bikerdude]

There's the smoke but no the torch around here (or the torch is IN the wall?

More than likely fog/smoke particles bleeding through because the portal is open. Amazing mission, can't wait to play it again.

Its actually a phantom torch inside the wall, that I couldn't find it in Darkradiant.

[Bikerdude]

• Only thing missing is the book and scepter that i know is behind one of those doors by a broken window.
• a secret lever in the bookcase that i don't know what it does
• There are 2 doors i can't open

 

Hint: The book would normally be read to the congregation.

Hint: Listen to the sound after frobbing, what direction is it coming from? (this is exactly the same way it is in T2 btw)

Hint: If a door is metal rather than wood, is there possibly something valuable the other side? and is it missing a handle, what would that suggest..?

 

[i30817]

Where is the other key? BTW there is black books not in shadow in that secret room. Like a shader error.

[i30817]

There is no frobable handle.

[Bikerdude]

• Where is the other key? BTW there is black books not in shadow in that secret room. Like a shader error.
• There is no frobable handle.

 

• Bloody tdm and its various idiosyncrasies, I had fixed that.
• Read what I said, then think about for a sec, then go into the mission and you will see what I am getting at, otherwise I will give you a spoiler.

[Thiefette]

Congrats on the release Bikerdude. Just finished it and I too had trouble with

 

 

the secret lever. I kept listening and checking out different places until I went in the stairway and closed the door - the one thing I hadn't done - and all was revealed. The only other problem I had was with so many doors but after running around for awhile I got my bearings on what door led where and things were good. Oh yeah one other thing - spiders - enough said.

 

All in all the mission was enjoyable. Your starting point was really a nice, calm summer's eve compared to what awaited inside.

 

 

 

Thanks for all your hard work.

[i30817]

Nope. Can't solve it.´

[Thiefette]

Nope. Can't solve it.´

 

 

 

Look up high for a room with a desk. Search the room throughly

 

[Briareos H]

Once again, a Bikerdude FM which doesn't use the same rating scale as others. Are you trying to be intentionally misleading?

I voted as if the poll was the regular one.

 

Anyway, the mission is gorgeous and technically very pleasing. The sneaking is nice but a bit repetitive. I couldn't really feel involved in the objectives, but then I'm a bit tired of that kind of mission.

As for the season theme, a lot more could have been done.

Edited June 20, 2011 by Briareos H

[Bikerdude]

Once again, a Bikerdude FM which doesn't use the same rating scale as others.

 

Anyway, the mission is gorgeous and technically very pleasing. The sneaking is nice but a bit repetitive. I couldn't really feel involved in the objectives, but then I'm a bit tired of that kind of mission.

As for the season theme, a lot more could have been done.

 

- I though its was, but amended to avoid aforementioned confusion.

- I wanted to add way more AI, and there is a method for spawning Ai into zones etc to you can have a perceived my Ai without actually having more ai thus keep cpu load low.

- on the season, how exactly..? (Im always learning) also don't forget I was the only one to attempt this season, which as you can imagine is the hardest!

 

On a different note, why cant I see the voters on the poll, I could on my previous contest maps.

[Chiron]

I've lockpicked this door, and it doesn't open. Is this by design or are the dead spiders blocking the door. After I've killed them they started to hover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2011 by Chiron

[Bikerdude]

Elo Chiron..

 

You tried frobbing it after unlocking..? I deliberately set doors differently.. (just like in real life)

[Chiron]

Yes, tried that. The door just makes a metal sound like it is being blocked.

 

I have a savegame if you want.

[Bikerdude]

Hmm, yup pm a link. I think this is probably an issue with your install though as that door has never been a prob if it s the one I'm thinking of.