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Fan Mission: In the North (by grayman) (2012/10/20)


grayman

In the North (by grayman) (2012/10/20)  

127 members have voted

  1. 1. Appearance

  2. 2. Gameplay

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  3. 3. Story

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That's good to hear.

 

What would be a better way to enjoy 2.0 then a new mission by gray - the - man :smile:

FM's: Builder Roads, Old Habits, Old Habits Rebuild

Mapping and Scripting: Apples and Peaches

Sculptris Models and Tutorials: Obsttortes Models

My wiki articles: Obstipedia

Texture Blending in DR: DR ASE Blend Exporter

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  • 1 month later...

What a masterpiece! I loved the scale of the building and how different the upper levels were from the lower levels. The readables made the place come alive. I know that killing Isn't professional (according to Garrett the the greatest thief of them all) but after reading that Harckoff wanted to kill my noble lord because he wouldn't pay the protection money made me want to kill anyone who wielded a weapon for Harckoff.

After reading Trumble's journal I didn't want to kill him anymore. way to put emotion into the mission :) The encounter with Grimmore was creepy until I realized he was friendly. The ending cinematic was a fun finishing touch. Since I didn't get to kill Harckoff myself, I'm glad someone did.

It was cool to have so much going on besides just the main objectives. I'm really looking forward to more missions for William Steele!

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  • 1 month later...

Wow! That was...well let's just say I am in the middle of playing through Dark Souls at the moment, and then I saw the article on RPS about standalone TDM, and I knew I had to give it a go, so I tried this mission, and it has distracted me from Dark Souls for most of 2 days, which is high praise.

 

Probably heresy round these parts, but I was never a huge fan of the original Thief games. I have played, if not finished, all 3 but tended to get lost in some of the huge levels. I loved the atmosphere though, and the whole 'being a thief & not fighting' thing, all of which is present and correct here.

 

This is the most perfectly realised, small-scale adventure I have played I think. The level design and layout is probably better than the original games, and the story is just brilliant - had me caring about these people I had never seen just from the writing. Deciding to

give the gold to Tremble* & daughter was a no-brainer. And the "bad guy", who you also never see, was made suitably hateful & creepy just through more excellent text.

Would really like a separate UI for reading notes/journals that didn't get in the way of all the useful tools/equipment, but I guess that's something the core mod deals with.

 

Where the hell the 500-ish gold I missed was hidden I cannot even begin to imagine, but the way almost everything could be worked out via reading the, er, 'readables' and a bit of creative jumping was amazing. And the attention to detail was superb, even the stuff that was just flavour...or maybe there were clues to more gold? I thought I had stolen most of the servants' wages that had been hidden away in weird places, but obviously not;)

 

One tiny gripe -

was stuck for ages trying to find the relevant candle to get into crypt, mostly because I had confused chapel with church. I think one word, 'private', or 'personal' chapel (which would tie in with another readable)

would have sorted that out for me, but I was quite chuffed when I finally got it!

 

Am a bit worried now all the other fan-made stuff might not be up to this standard, but am very glad TDM exists, 'cause this is my kind of game, and am going to try some more missions.

 

Anyway, I know there's no donations or anything like that for TDM stuff 'cause it's all done for love of the game (which is super cool), but if there's something you (greyman) would like me to throw cash at that you want to support that i'm not fundamentally opposed to then that's the least I can do to thank you for this...and can't wait for part 2!

 

 

*I assume he was the un-blackjackable badass in the neck-covering helmet who you had to keep avoiding? Or, in my case,  gas-arrowing eventually...he got annoying if you like to explore.

Edited by xiani
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Thanks for playing. Glad you liked it.

 

You are not alone with your "one tiny gripe". When all the Steele missions are finished and I string them together in a campaign, I'll go back and fix that.

 

The best contribution you can make is to learn mapping and deliver your own mission. Or if you're an artist, contribute some art assets. Or music. Or sound effects. Or fix a few bugs if you're a coder. Anything you can bring to the table that's uniquely you will be much appreciated, not only by the team, but by anyone who maps or plays the missions made for TDM.

 

Again, thanks. Steele #2 and #3 will be released simultaneously, hopefully sometime this calendar year.

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Make sure your install folder is named "darkmod" all lower case

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but I've tried D:\Games\darkmod, and D:\darkmod and there is no difference.

I've tried three other missions (Penny Dreadful, St. Lucia and the Training Mission) and they save/re-load with no issues. Very odd.

- Blake Casimir -

Melodic Cosmic Space Techno

http://www.blakecasimir.co.uk

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D:\Games\tdm_win\maps\ws1_north.script"

 

This path doesn't make sense if your folder is actually "darkmod" and not "tdm_win".

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Springheel: Are you quoting me or nbohr? Either way it seems like poor coding (frankly) would be the only reason TDM "must" be within a folder called darkmod. Clearly this isn't a requirement as other missions play just fine. So, nbohr's suggestion seems odd to me.

- Blake Casimir -

Melodic Cosmic Space Techno

http://www.blakecasimir.co.uk

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The solution to the *.script file not loading is to have your root TDM folder named "darkmod". It doesn't matter where that folder lives.

 

The fix to the problem is being worked on.

 

I wouldn't consider it poor coding because the installation instructions say to name the root folder "darkmod". What we didn't anticipate was that many people would obtain the game through torrents and downloads and not read the instructions, which were posted on the TDM web site, which was unavailable for a time due to heavy traffic.

 

If you have this:

 

<anywhere on your system>/darkmod/fms/ws1_north

 

then savegames should load fine.

 

The savegame you created originally (which failed to load) might not load after you straighten out the "darkmod" folder name. I'm not sure about that, though.

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Grayman, thank you for answering. I don't wish to appear critical, but it does seem to me that asking users to place the game in a folder with a particular name is a peculiar and unnecessary requirement. But having renamed the tdm_win folder to darkmod, and started your mission from the beginning, I can now save and load the game.

Edited by chischis

- Blake Casimir -

Melodic Cosmic Space Techno

http://www.blakecasimir.co.uk

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Good. Glad you got it working.

 

The name of the root folder is a holdover from when Doom3 was required. We spotted the problem just before release of the standalone version, and I decided it wasn't worth delaying the release, since the web site gave instructions for naming the root folder, which would prevent the problem. Unfortunately, the immense demand after release swamped and killed the web site, denying people the instructions. That's not something we anticipated happening. People doing upgrades from 1.08 would not have experienced the problem, given that the root folder would already have been properly named, so at least they were spared.

 

The web site is now back online, the instructions are once again available, and a fix is in the works.

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Excellent FM. I find it comparable to Requiem which I hold the best. :)

 

I read through the thread and noticed many people made the same mistake as I did; mistook Church for a Chapel. :D

But I realized it just before almost giving up.

 

 

Also, I like how the guard (and others) gets awaken by the clock and goes on duty. :D

 

 

Almost everything was perfect, but I'd like to point out a few things.

 

 

- Two NPCs were carrying unpickable sacks, I hate those. :D

- I could barely hear what Grimmore was talking the first time because of too loud music. Maybe I was standing too far when the cut scene activated?

- There was some strange loud ticking noise in the library all the time until I actually went there. After female guard opened the door for the lady, the noise stopped.

- Also, climbing that big black vase at the end of the hall gets you stuck. If you crouch while stuck you also fall in. Here is a screenshot:

 

ufu3.th.jpg

 

 

There are quite a lot of notes, but it doesn't look like that in the end, aside from having a cluttered inventory.

 

As for the final statistics, I'm sorry but I'm one of those that use "KO anything that moves" strategy, as Springheel calls it. The only FM I completed without using Blackjack is The Knighton Manor, because hardest difficulty, which I always play on, requires it. Maybe your FM should too. If other people don't like it, there are always lower difficulties to choose from. This is why there are different difficulty settings after all.

 

ho3w.th.jpg

 

Thank you for the top quality FM. :)

Edited by eqagunn
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Thanks for playing!

 

At some point, In the North will join the other Steele missions in a campaign (I hope), which will give me an opportunity to remove the Church/Chapel issue. Unhappily, it never occurred to me, and wasn't raised during beta testing. The sign outside the Chapel identifies it as the Chapel.

 

 

 

The hip bags you can't frob are Mandrasola spice bags. This has always been confusing. For a background on these bags, you can play the mission Mandrasola.

 

I'll make a note of the vase problem.

 

You can't be too far from Grimmore because the cutscene places you where you need to be. I don't know what the problem is that some folks have with cutscene voice volume. I've had to stop playing one mission myself because the voiceover was way too loud. It might depend on the differences between the computer used to design the mission and some computers it's played on.

 

Edit: I checked the speaker positions. You're probably referring to the first time you see Grimmore. In that instance, your position is not controlled by the cutscene (it is the second time you meet him), but the speaker volume is such that it doesn't matter. However, the speaker is right on a visportal face, so it's possible that might have affected the volume. It'll be moved off that face in the update.

 

 

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I've just finished my walkthrough just the way I like it - quickly and quietly. ;)

tga8.th.jpg

 

Well, Mr. grayman, let me thank you oh so much for the grand experience, that is "In the North". I'm fairly new to TDM, but so far your FM is hands down my favourite. Creeping along the corridors of a church-turned-mansion, I was amazed by the intricacy and integrity of your level design. I mean, in order to build such diverse yet realistically looking locations one must have some sort of education in architecture, doesn't he? The mansion totally made sense to me. It was a believable environment, that had me think like a thief. Real people could probably live in that house. And that's something you almost never see in games nowadays, since all those "professional" designers tend to build obstacle courses rather than self-sufficient environments. "In the North" had me immersed, and that's exactly what I was looking for. That's to say nothing about the sheer beauty of it all. From the cozy, warm interiors to the bleak, snowy outdoors, from the vibrant blue shining of the "Hammer room" to the sinister bloody glow of the underground crypt - everything here is awe-inspiring. On a personal note, I am a dweller of the northernmost large city in the world, and as such I simply adore wintery setting in my games. While playing WS1 I would mantle some random window in the courtyard and just contemplate the gentle snowfall and the guards patrolling below me. :rolleyes: So, by now you might think: "This guy sure feels enthusiastic about the mission". But I haven't even gotten to the best part yet. As if being immersive and charming is not enough, WS1 is also really well-balanced gameplay-wise. It certainly isn't the hardest of the FMs that I've played, but the multitude of ways, in which you can walk this mission through makes for some amazing replayability. I found scrutinizing the three maps of the level to be a highly entertaining pastime, believe it or not. As for the story, I think, that given the genre, it's main purpose is to add to the level design. All that verbally communicated information must draw player's attention to his\her surroundings, give it reason, breathe life into it. It's the combination of two that makes the largest impact. And as far as I'm concerned, your readables and cutscenes do a fine job. The church/chapel issue did confuse me for a bit, but I sorted things out. And mind you, I'm not even a native English speaker, so if I managed, then everyone else should, too. B) Also, I could barely make out what that apparition in the chapel was saying, mainly due to the loud ambiance music, but apart from that I have no cavils left. The plot was intriguing and the characters vivid.

 

You know, not more than a month ago I was reading the materials regarding the new Thief game and thinking to myself: "Damn it! Another series that I loved since childhood bites the dust". I was kinda sad, really. Now, after playing several astounding TDM missions (yours included), my spirits have lifted. Screw Eidos Montreal. Screw console corridor gaming. Screw rope-eligible areas. Screw moronic puzzles and hints at every turn. I'm home.

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That's a very nice review. I'm glad you enjoyed the mission. In case you don't know, it's the first in a series. Look for other William Steele missions in the future.

 

We had 70-some missions available when 2.00 was released. Since then, TDM has received a large influx of new players. We're hoping they enjoy the missions, and that more than a few of them will create new missions for all of us to enjoy.

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Congrats!! You're really putting me between two chairs here: Finishing Dishonored or playing your FM... :)

Damn it, I can't believe I actually forgot to play this beauty over Dishonored... :D So, I finally DID play it and man it was a treat. I simply loved the whole nordic architecture and snowy outsides. Only the Hammer-Room was a little too colorful for me, but aside from that, everything was wonderful! Fantastic explorative gameplay. Maybe a bit too many candles which made waterarrows pretty much obsolete, but hey, at least we have a very entertaining map for beginner to mediocre players now. Cudos, mate!

 

Also this was the first FM ever I finished with all the loot on the first run, which felt kinda cool! :) And the stealth score is not too shabby either...

post-684-0-64341700-1382651409_thumb.jpg

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Only 8 minutes for the whole map? Good job, I guess... Took me 2 and a half hours on my first try...

Well, you know, it's all about planning your route. And boy, does WS1 have room for that! I've had a couple of hours to spare last night, so I printed the maps, did some scribbling on them and played through the level. It gets better though. I'm not the biggest fan of pixel-hunting, and therefore I don't even have a complete loot map in my head. So, I am convinced WS1 can be played through even faster!

 

Now I'm toying with an idea of making a video of "ghosting WS1 on Difficult under 10 minutes and without saves", if anyone's interested. I really doubt I could beat my time this way, since I had to load a couple of times yesterday, but it could still be interesting, no?

 

P.S. Loot placement is another thing I liked about WS1. It was sensible, with a good amount of secrets. Yay!

Edited by Tenebricus
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Now I'm toying with an idea of making a video of "ghosting WS1 on Difficult under 10 minutes and without saves", if anyone's interested. I really doubt I could beat my time this way, since I had to load a couple of times yesterday, but it could still be interesting, no?

 

I'd be interested, because I can't imagine how it could be done.

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Ghosting usually means "leave everything untouched aside from objective relevant stuff". Especially lights should not be doused. So what you did there is no true ghosting but rather "getting trough the mission completely undetected". Still a nice achievement getting through the mission undetected in under 10 minutes, though.

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Did he put out more than one light? I think that would count as ghosting unless you wanted to be really hardcore about it.

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A year of work boils down to 10 minutes. :blink:

 

Of course, to do that in 10 minutes, you had to have played the mission before. Being able to skip the story and the cutscene and much of the loot and most of the mansion, and the optional objectives helps, too. It doesn't look like you read any of the readables, either, on your earlier run(s), otherwise you wouldn't have said the lady in black was "the maid", or opening the desk in the cellar was "unnecessary".

 

And 'ghosting' means you left the area as you found it. Candles remain lit, all opened doors are closed behind you, anything you grab isn't missed, etc. To the inhabitants, it's as if you were never there.

 

Thanks for playing, though.

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