OLD THREAD - Fan Mission: The Siege Shop by PranQster (2011/06/26)

[Sir Taffsalot]

This is pretty good for a first attempt at a dark mod FM. I really liked the air balloon. I think there might have been too many coin purses on the guards. I try to ghost as much as possible so I don't like getting too close to people unless I'm going to BJ them. But maybe thats just me. I'm playing on the hardest level and have completed everything except the loot level. I think I'll leave it for a few days. maybe if i come back to it with a pair of fresh eyes I'll notice a few things I didn't see before.

 

Thanks for the time and effert you put in to this. Hope this is the first of many.

 

 

[PranQster]

This is pretty good for a first attempt at a dark mod FM. I really liked the air balloon. I think there might have been too many coin purses on the guards. I try to ghost as much as possible so I don't like getting too close to people unless I'm going to BJ them. But maybe thats just me. I'm playing on the hardest level and have completed everything except the loot level. I think I'll leave it for a few days. maybe if i come back to it with a pair of fresh eyes I'll notice a few things I didn't see before.

 

Thanks for the time and effert you put in to this. Hope this is the first of many.

 

 

 

Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. I too hope this is the first of many.

I've already started on a new mission... a more traditional mansion/castle loot-mission (or so I think). The basic structure and and framework is done. So far just a few rooms are mostly finished... wine cellar, dining room and music room/auditorium (and looking damn nice I think) as well as some outdoor balconies. I am loosely basing the design on a real location somewhere in Europe, but have only outside photos to use as a reference and am creating a fictional interior. Gonna be quite big with lots of rooms, several stories and it will require dungeons I think, possibly a cistern. Architecture only so far... I figure this time I'll build the structure and then come up with a story and theme to fit it.

Siege Shop basically started with my making the drawbridge & portcullis and the two(?) siege weapons and then going "hmmm.... lets make a map around this stuff.." and I built a funny rectangular structure while still trying to learn basic map building.

[raymeld]

Sadly , this is the only FM I've not been able to complete to date. As I said in an earlier post I experienced freezing and playing

after the balloon ride

was like walking through treacle ! I know from the posts that someone with reasonable computer specs had the same problems. I tried again today and got the same result. Anyone have any tweeks they can suggest. As I said before , no other mission has produced the same slowing up I've experienced on this one.

Edited July 22, 2011 by raymeld

[AluminumHaste]

Sadly , this is the only FM I've not been able to complete to date. As I said in an earlier post I experienced freezing and playing

after the balloon ride

was like walking through treacle ! I know from the posts that someone with reasonable computer specs had the same problems. I tried again today and got the same result. Anyone have any tweeks they can suggest. As I said before , no other mission has produced the same slowing up I've experienced on this one.

 

No this mission is just completely un-optimized with regards to proper lighting practices, even on my beast of a laptop I was getting horrible FPS.

[PranQster]

No this mission is just completely un-optimized with regards to proper lighting practices, even on my beast of a laptop I was getting horrible FPS.

 

Yeah. Sorry all. You might just want to skip this mission if it doesn't work well for you.

It was basically just a map that I stuffed all of my newbie unique brushwork into... air balloon, catapult, functional drawbridge, wine vat with working tap, large wooden rabbit (lol), and a decapitated dude with bloody neck stump. The rest was just my learning project for making a mission.

 

My next map will be much more sane and a lot more fun. Even in early stages it has much more sane architecture and the vast majority of it so far is 'on the grid'. I still need to learn much about proper lighting, and won't release it until I get thumbs-up from all testers.

Edited August 3, 2011 by PranQster

[Aprilsister]

I have complete confidence that you will release a very fine mission next time around...

 

Except, caveat, caution... with the other way of getting beyond the beyond: pushing TDM to its limits. It is not necessary. Not to say you can't/shouldn't have some volume. And detail within said volume. But, generally, 2 or 3 nice, tight episodes are better than 1 hulking, lumbering, bloated so-and-so.

[PranQster]

I think I'm going to re-visit this mission, for several reasons.

1. I'll work on greatly improving the lighting, first and foremost.
2. The outdoor area and cityscape is pretty lame, in my opinion, so I am going to completely re-design that.
3. There is a lot of crappy architecture which needs fixing and I want to get it on-the-grid.
4. The aesthetic audio needs an overhaul.
5. It'll be good to take a small break from my current mission so I can come back to it with fresh eyes.

 

[Fidcal]

I've renamed zip to pk4 on the fidcal mirror. I looked inside and the map is dated 26 June 2011 so I think it must be uptodate. Dunno why it was zip.

[ECHELON]

I've renamed zip to pk4 on the fidcal mirror. I looked inside and the map is dated 26 June 2011 so I think it must be uptodate. Dunno why it was zip.

 

Mmm. Now the site tells me 404 error.

http://www.fidcal.com/darkuser/missions/siegeshop.zip

Edited August 14, 2011 by ECHELON

[Fidcal]

Sorry, I changed the file but forgot to change the link on the download page. Now fixed. Try again.

[PranQster]

Thanks Fidcal, I'll update my first post.

[Summer]

I have a whole bunch of keys - but apparently no key to the chest. Anyone want to give me a hint?

[PranQster]

I have a whole bunch of keys - but apparently no key to the chest. Anyone want to give me a hint?

 

The key is...

... just a few feet away from the chest.

 

More spoiled:

check out the bed

 

 

But that's strange. I thought the chest key was the first one available and was required first in order to reach other keys... unless noclip was used somewhere...?

Edited August 18, 2011 by PranQster

[PranQster]

... damn sensitive scroll pad on this laptop.... made me post when I was still typing.

Edited August 18, 2011 by PranQster

[Summer]

The key is...

... just a few feet away from the chest.

 

More spoiled:

check out the bed

 

 

But that's strange. I thought the chest key was the first one available and was required first in order to reach other keys... unless noclip was used somewhere...?

 

Nope, didn't use noclip. Didn't even know you could do that.

 

The reason why I got other keys is because

I banged on the gate leading to the smithy with my sword and the dudes on the other side were kind enough to open the door for me coming to get me, and then I took them out - leaving the door wide open.

 

 

What? I shouldn't have done that?

[AluminumHaste]

Don't get me wrong PranQster I enjoyed the mission for sure, the only things I took issue with is the performance and the lackluster starting area, other than that it was a solid mission.

[Summer]

Thanks, PranQster! It was a fun mission. The balloon ride especially

[PranQster]

Nope, didn't use noclip. Didn't even know you could do that.

 

The reason why I got other keys is because

I banged on the gate leading to the smithy with my sword and the dudes on the other side were kind enough to open the door for me coming to get me, and then I took them out - leaving the door wide open.

 

 

What? I shouldn't have done that?

LOL, whatever works I'm just so conditioned to sneaking that I didn't think about them opening the gate. The guy who can open it didn't used to be able to, so I kind of forgot that I had changed that.

 

Don't get me wrong PranQster I enjoyed the mission for sure, the only things I took issue with is the performance and the lackluster starting area, other than that it was a solid mission.

Right on I'm still going to spruce it up a bit and re-release it.

 

Thanks, PranQster! It was a fun mission. The balloon ride especially

 

Thank you very much. Glad you had fun.

[plotzzz]

Hi, as I hate too much violence, I wanted to know if I really have to skip this FM, or if it's only at one particular moment I could skip or at least be warned. Thanks.

[AluminumHaste]

It's just a beheaded model with the head lying on the floor in a pool of blood which is a really cool effect, that's about it.

[PranQster]

Hi, as I hate too much violence, I wanted to know if I really have to skip this FM, or if it's only at one particular moment I could skip or at least be warned. Thanks.

You can play through it just fine, but keep this in mind:

 

When you go down and enter into the dungeons through the gate at the bottom of the stone stairs, across the room to your left is a scene of an execution. You can avoid having to see it by turning your view a bit to the left. It's mostly in shadows, so nothing too graphic can be seen until you get close... just keep looking more to the left to keep the chopping block out of view. A few guards will gather there and you can sneak up to get keys. You don't have to see the graphic stuff if you don't want to.

There is also nothing (yet) of real interest in the cells themselves, but feel free to venture to them, most are empty and one has a guy pacing, but no secrets or loot, etc.

 

 

It's just a beheaded model with the head lying on the floor in a pool of blood which is a really cool effect, that's about it.

Yes, it's nothing animated or prolonged and can be avoided with a turn of the player's viewpoint.

 

 

[plotzzz]

Thank you both. Having to fear stuff (like undeads jumping at me out of a closet) really spoil my fun!

[Oldjim]

I enjoyed this one - the balloon and the steam robot were really good

I got the keys in the guard area by

hitting the steam robot with a broadhead arrow which caused it to squeal and look around. This was a nice effect a bit like I had punctured the boiler This brought out the guard

having got all the keys I couldn't see what to do with the

captains room key and the evidence room key

 

Edited November 11, 2011 by Oldjim

[PranQster]

I enjoyed this one - the balloon and the steam robot were really good

I got the keys in the guard area by

hitting the steam robot with a broadhead arrow which caused it to squeal and look around. This was a nice effect a bit like I had punctured the boiler This brought out the guard

having got all the keys I couldn't see what to do with the

captains room key and the evidence room key

 

 

Nice! Thank you. The balloon was originally going to also be the exit vehicle at the end of the mission. But I wanted to force everyone to use the drawbridge, since that was my first big newbie mapper accomplishment . In fact, the entire map was built after and around the drawbridge.

The way to get the key, as originally intended , was:

 

A red key hanging on the back of the headboard on the bed in the captain's bedroom. It opens the nearby footlocker, in which is the workshop key. That leads to the door to the key room where the dungeon key is kept.

 

As for the other keys you mentioned:

 

The captain's key is not important. I only exists to show that he has a key to his room, which has a pickable lock.

The evidence room key however is necessary to finish the mission, since the evidence room lock is not pickable (unless I screwed up and don't remember properly). Though you may have gotten in to the evidence room while the captain was going through the door, or else he failed to re-lock it like he should after going through it.

 

Edited November 12, 2011 by PranQster

[PranQster]

Just a reminder to anyone who downloaded this mission previous to September 21. Re-download it and delete any version already installed. You have the old version which, though you can certainly play it, is rather worse than the current version. If you start in a sewer, you have the old version.