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[Updated] FM: The Siege Shop (v4.4) by PranQster and lowenz (2020/3/16)


PranQster

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have to say, this new version was really great. The outside area in front looked a lot better and the

addition of more choices to get in (through the water) was cool as well. Its nice to see somebody making use of the grass effect. The single downside I found was that if you rope up to the entrance at the start before the guard gets there, you will be spotted for sure and have to fight. There is nowhere to hide and he has a torch and is heading for the ledge.

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--- War does not decide who is right, war decides who is left.

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I have to say, this new version was really great. The outside area in front looked a lot better and the

addition of more choices to get in (through the water) was cool as well. Its nice to see somebody making use of the grass effect. The single downside I found was that if you rope up to the entrance at the start before the guard gets there, you will be spotted for sure and have to fight. There is nowhere to hide and he has a torch and is heading for the ledge.

 

Thank you. It was fun to re-do this, especially with lowenz ideas and advice. You should have seen the first version I did for testing :blink:. That was painful.

 

You can hide on the rock ledge next to the wooden platform. Crawl all the way back to the end and you will stay out of the torchlight. If his torch illuminates you when he turns around, he's typically 'too busy' to see you. I've hidden there at least a dozen times and, at the most, made the guard mumble a bit. Plus, there's a bit of loot on that rock ledge too.

Also, it's a good idea to retrieve your rope arrow after climbing up, just in case the guard happens to notice it.

 

Edited by PranQster

System: Mageia Linux Cauldron, aka Mageia 8

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I have to say, this new version was really great. The outside area in front looked a lot better and the

addition of more choices to get in (through the water) was cool as well. Its nice to see somebody making use of the grass effect. The single downside I found was that if you rope up to the entrance at the start before the guard gets there, you will be spotted for sure and have to fight. There is nowhere to hide and he has a torch and is heading for the ledge.

 

It's all about solid crafting abilities (PranQster) and good redesign/reimagination (me :D)

Thanks!

Edited by lowenz
  • Like 1

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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Time to get back to work on my next mission.

I get to scrap the town area I was unhappy with, especially since I already migrated the blacksmith forge into siegeshop. I also have a 'museum' building, which is total crap too, so it has to go. The rest of my town is crap, save for an inn/pub, where the player will start.

The rest of the new map includes a pretty decent sewer system, which I plan to expand upon...maybe. The rest is all in the great outdoors and is of fairly massive proportions.

I have a pagan village to finish there as well.

Then I have two other maps in progress.

One is a recreation of an famous fictional location featuring a round wooden green door with brass doorknob in the center.

The other was going to be for 'unusual gameplay', and is tentatively titled '1401: A Taffer's Odyssey'. It's definitely different.

System: Mageia Linux Cauldron, aka Mageia 8

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Had to lobotomize the siegeshop outdoor area in order to make the frame rate more sane.

Performance tuned version*.

Link to "Director's Cut" version: Siege Shop

 

* Yet another release.

This time I removed some of the eye candy from the outdoor scene. I'm sad to see it go, but glad to see the frame rate tripled in the outdoor area.

  • Guard carrying torch was killing frame rate in the balloon area. Torch removed. :(
  • Rain particles also removed and outdoor ambient sounds changed to non-rainfall sounds :(
  • Animated grass removed and replaced with more subtle seed grass. :(
  • Ambient sounds changed to zoned versions :)
  • Torches on front wall replaced. Shadows disabled on the lights near the balloon. :mellow:
  • Torches added to upper cave area. :(
  • Converted several patches from worldspawn to fs. & set noshadows on lots of things...both outside and in the workshop area. :mellow:

Edited by PranQster

System: Mageia Linux Cauldron, aka Mageia 8

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I was feeling very sad as I deleted several entities. But then that frown turned upside down as I saw the frame rate of the balloon scene go from 11-12 fps to 35-40 as you exit the cave. The rain and animated grass were cool, but not worth 20fps. I really liked having the patrol carry the torch through the cave, because then you couldn't sneak past him. But he was also a hardcore performance hit with that torch in his hand.

 

It had to be done.

System: Mageia Linux Cauldron, aka Mageia 8

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Noob here hello. Thief 1&2 are strangely, and still arguably the greatest games ever created? I've just recently discovered TDM very cool... and appreciate everybody's hard work!! I'm into maybe 15 different FM's now and so far Siege Shop3 is definitely a fave, nice job. I just wish there were more water arrows - it's very hard to hide unconscious bodies, yes I love sneaking around with blackjack hehe.

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I feel honored. Thank you :)

Let me know of any issues and I'll address them.

I considered more arrows. Actually, there are few more arrows of different sorts in 'easy' mode, which do not exist in the higher difficulties. The starting gear amounts are different too.

If other players agree there should be more water arrows, I'll happily do so.

System: Mageia Linux Cauldron, aka Mageia 8

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I had an issue in the first area:

 

Quite dark which is fine and I had my lantern on and when you get to the end of the cave the waterfall and the platform above have light on them so that draws the players attention. I inspected the waterfall and found nothing and then inspected the wooden platform above and finally from the right angle I saw the arrow sticking out and tried to jump up and grab it since I had none.

 

On my second jump off the angled tunnel end wall, I missed and landed and couldn't move. I looked down and I was standing on the rope coil and saw the arrows and crouched to grab them. Then I was stuck in place and had to noclip out of the rope coil/skeleton area.

 

 

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OK. Thanks. I'll wrap some player clip around that rope coil and skeleton. I never got stuck there in dozens of times jumping there, so I didn't think I needed the player clip.

I might also need to increase the light coming from the mushroom on the skeleton. A few people have mentioned not noticing the items on the ground there.

Edited by PranQster

System: Mageia Linux Cauldron, aka Mageia 8

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Ok, so I finished the misison but I didn't finish the mission :\ Great fun!! Very difficult on hard and starting with 2 arrows was...yelp! Managed to make it work and push through though only by the skin of my teeth which was a nail biter I must say and really paid off. Had I turned around and gone a different direction first it would have been much easier. Great environments, felt lived in, great readables, absolutely loved it.

 

 

So I went in the castle via the water under the bridge and with only 2 water arrows just ran past the torches there on the cave bridge and aroused some suspicion but things quieted down and I saved a water arrow, yay! So on I went up in to the castle. Got through the doors to the drawbridge entry way without using any water arrows and it was tough but I did it which I'm proud about. I did have a save/reload one time but I was really proud of myself.

 

Anyway so once in the foyer (drawbridge entry room with the steam robot patrolling) I went in the guard room and then decided to go left having no idea where to go, it looked easier at the time, I saw the ladder going up on the left as I went in to the kitchen. Thoroughly explored the kitchen and the elevator up to the other rooms and then came back and decided to check out the ladder.

 

Went up the ladder quickly and got pretty lit up at the top but the guy in the chair didn't see me enough and went back to his buisness. Knocked him out and looted. Check the rest of the deck area there and then flipped the switch on the wall. The switch triggered an initial V. Loud sound that got cut off and then proceeded in to the rest of the sound which sounded like it probably should, guards were now scurrying because I think someone spotted the top of my head while I was peeking over the railing.

 

So I figured out that was the entry draw bridge because initially I didn't have any idea what the contraption was and I closed it again, guards are still alerted. I let things calm down and put out the torch on the wall by the ladder with my first water arrow so I could climb down uninjured.

 

Now I went the other way toward the double doors and the dungeon entry door (didn't know that at the time). WAY too much light in the double door (with the alter and the other elevator) room and guy sitting down so I fired my 1 regular arrow at the wall and he investigated and I got in, shut the doors and got up against the wall. Another guy came down the elevator and I decided the light in the center of the room had to go if I was going to operate through this room so I used my last water arrow there, knocked the guy out, dumped him under the elevator and proceeded on. So I get upstairs and loot the 2nd floor and then on to the 3rd floor.

 

I looted the music box and desk and proceeded through the 3rd floor entry room to the door and opened it and there's the guy playing the lute and 2 guys playing cards and WAY to much light, I'm pooping my pants at this point, no more water arrows. Then aNOTHEr guy comes in the door at the far side of the room and walks across and I'm like, "great another guy". So I shut the door and went back to the music box room to grab a candle with metal base I could clang around and try and get these guys out of the room.

 

So I open the door and start banging the candle on the door frame and that gets their suspicion but the lute player just sits there, so the two card players come over and both of them seemingly get stuck in the door, so I turn towards the center of the room I'm in and toss the candlestick out in to the room. That draws one of the 2 guards stuck in the door way out on to the stairs but not far enough and the other guy is standing in the doorway. Then the guy on the stairs investigates further and goes in to the room. About this time a bowman comes up the elevator and I also hear a door open. The door opening is the guy coming through the fireplace room. Finally they all are wondering around the bed and chest room and I slip in the door and shut it. Just me and the lute guy! I couldn't believe it. It was very very tense.

 

Turns out the lute guy doesn't see me and I assume he's blind? (I read a note later that stated he was infact blind). So anyway I get in to the next room with the storage and target practice dummies and find.... TWO MORE WATER ARROWS!! YES!! (I later used one to put out the fireplace fire which made that room easily negotiable on the way down which was a treat. Also got the card players money on the table.)

 

It was awesome! I go up to was turns out to be the roof and wap the archer there and find the box on the back side of the targets and also a weird metal landing sticking off the wall. I'm thinking, AHH! I can jump down in to the water from here and make my escape! Its at this point I notice 2 of the guards that were standing/guarding/walking around on the grass around the hot air baloon are both standing UNDER where the draw bridge goes down, and ON TOP of the moat/water. Not sure how they got there but maybe when I alerted the guards in the foyer by dropping the bridge and then raising it?? (found out later the bridge would no longer lower as it went down and stopped when it hit their heads.

 

Anyway so I head back to the roof entry and as I'm walking back I noticed I may be able to get on the roof of the roof-entry-door room off the wall. So I climb up there and look around and pop on my lantern and notice some bottles lying on the roof, sure enough, one is loot. (nice spot btw :) ) So I grab the bottom and all of a sudden I've got another objective? I check them and it says to pick pocket one of my old friends er whatever and I'm like, "how do I know what that is?". I was also under the impression at this point that I'd completely looted everything/everyone but then remembering the door to the right of the double doors and I'd not been in there yet.

 

So I head back down and go down in to the dungeon. I looted and knocked out everyone there except for the prisoner who had nothing. Found more water arrows! YES! Found the ledger to check off that objective and that was it. All objectives met except for the one that had been added on the roof when I picked up the wine bottle.

 

I had already pickpocketed everyone to that point, so I had no idea how to tell the name or location of this guy, and pretty much knew I'd pick pocketed everyone I'd seen, and thought I'd seen everyone. So I figured, I can end the mission, I have my escape route jumping off the roof in to the moat, etc.

 

Just to check before leaving I noclipped/notarget everywhere in the map and there is no one with anything on their belt. So I don't know how I would finish that objective. I also later found out on my way out that you could get in the balloon and ride up to that metal landing on the roof! Haha.. that would have been nice! It felt like I did the mission in entirely the wrong order.

 

So anyway, great mission, lots of fun, no idea where the rest of the loot was and it seemed pretty hard finding 5k worth so great settings for Difficult settings. Thoroughly enjoyed but would have liked to finish it :\

 

 

Bug Summary:

 

1) 2 guards get alerted and walk on water and block draw bridge from going down

2) Pull the draw bridge lever and there is a very loud abrupt sound for about 1 second that doesn't sound like it should be there

3) Pickpocketing everyone prior to receiving the last objective doesn't allow you to finish that objective.

4) Trying to jump on the bookshelf in the guys quarters, 2nd floor above the kitchen, throws you off to the left at an extremely high rate of speed in to the wall? (weird physics? vertical sync was off? no idea.)

5) Dead guy in the dungeon by the battle axe stuck in the beheading block looked like he was doing push-ups. He was not a rag doll, he was supported by his toes and fists, knees weren't touching the ground, looked like he was doing push-ups but he was dead.

6) The guard room with the keys on the wall inside the foyer, the back wall behind the table opposite the door has was looks like a detail patch cutting at a skew angle through the wall and it shifts as you move around the room.

 

Sorry to talk your ears off :P

 

 

 

Thank you for all the hard work. This misison was a great playing, great looking mission with some unique stuff and was a ton of fun.

 

Can't wait for the next iteration!

Edited by Lux
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Thank you Lux! Glad you had a fun time.

In regards to your issues:

 

  1. Guards walking on the bridge span... I forgot to re-do that. There is an nodraw wall which blocks entry to the drawbridge, but moves when the bridge is activated. I think instead of that, I'll use an MC static brush which always moves with the end of the bridge, only allowing AI in that area when the bridge is fully lowered.
  2. That Alarm sound worked perfectly when I first set it up. But then started failing like that for no apparent reason. I have switched around how it gets triggered a few times. I think I'll delete it and make it fresh.
  3. Yeah, lowenz and I ran across that during testing, but it was a last minute addition. I decided to make it "optional" so the mission could be finished without it. It makes no real difference in the game except for the satisfaction of getting the objective.
  4. Hmmm... I'll have to check that out. I must have a clip brush on there which needs re-doing.
  5. This one pisses me off... That dead guy was positioned perfectly before and ended up flat on the ground, close to the block, with arms looking relaxed. Neither his position, or nodraw_solid brushes around him (to keep him from being trod upon and allow the ragdoll to stay within a certain area), have been moved. I'll fix it.
  6. Will check that wall near the keys. I had rebuilt stuff in that area at least 4 times, so maybe some garbage lying about.

 

 

Edited by PranQster

System: Mageia Linux Cauldron, aka Mageia 8

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Updated version of Siegeshop, please re-download it for fixed to the issues seen by Lux...most of them anyway.

 

Issues worked on:

  1. Bridge span. Hard to come up with a good fix, since the bridge needs to move and the AI need worldspawn MC to walk across it. In this version they do not cross the bridge. So they do not end up standing in mid-air with a bridge getting stuck on top of them. Hopefully I can find a better solution to this.
  2. Alarm fixed. Triggers returned to how I first set them up. Alarm active timer set to the move time of the drawbridge. Volume adjusted quite a bit lower than default (down to 12 from 60) and max distance set so it can be heard throughout the room.
  3. No fix for this yet.
  4. Re-did clip brushes on much of the furniture in the Captain's quarters. I played all over the bookcases with no issue.
  5. Dead guy re-positioned and reverted to original commoner body. Blood splatter patches re-positioned to better match the in-game ragdoll position. It's now back to how it was supposed to be.
  6. Re-did much of the wall/floor/ceiling vertexes in that area.

 

 

Also fixed...

  • mysterious disappearance of lighted mushroom on skeleton in the start area
  • smoke particle for the saucepan on the stove
  • steam particle for the larger cook pot on the stove
  • something else, I forget

Edited by PranQster

System: Mageia Linux Cauldron, aka Mageia 8

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When you trigger that optional objective can't you just teleport the dude in to the area with something on his belt? That way he could not have been knocked out.

 

Also, why is it that a pile of wine bottles on a roof leads the main character to believe that the guy is there? Its pretty non-specific. Maybe a short readable like drunken poetry signed by the guy or something like that placed with the bottles would be less abrupt?

 

 

 

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