Fan Mission: One Step Too Far, by Dragofer (2014/08/04)

[Bikerdude]

But not showing up on the downloader as an update

The mission author didn't specify it as a major update, just a replacement for the existing mission.

@Dragofer, what say you..?

[Dragofer]

The mission author didn't specify it as a major update, just a replacement for the existing mission.

@Dragofer, what say you..?

 

Yes that's right, it's mainly just tweaks to make the gameplay more even. It came across my thoughts to extend the ending with something, but following Melan's advice to focus on new works, rather than going back and adding on to what's already been done.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Dragofer

[DeusXIncognita]

Played through the map now, and quite enjoyed it.

I wouldn't have thought it possible that such a cramped mission is possible.

The visual style and decorations inside the ship were wonderful.

 

There were quite a few points taking from my enjoyment though (That of course may contain spoilers):

 

 

- The captain and his first mate had a tendency to get stuck. Examples: The first mate running circles inside his small cramped cabin. The captain standing permanently outside the first mates cabin. The captain repeating going in and out of the first mates cabin.

- The first mate sometimes stood up inside his table

- The first mate never left his cabin. It was not really possible to look around in there.

- There was no easy way to decide which NPC I can show to and which not. At first that made it good, because I didn't know that the two on deck were no problem, but when I knew that, there were only three people left that cared if i was near them - and they were stuck in cramped cabins. Would have been nicer to know which were a problem, and that those on the deck should be evaded too.

- The ship was way to small. When reading the log of people of the first mate, it seems that about 13 people are deceased already? No way that they all would have any space on this ship. (Although theoretically you can stuff them in different places, but otherwise no.)

- No hint to the secret areas. I wasn't sure if the loot should be in the later area, or in the ship. And the ship was had hard to search areas. Because the first mate got stuck in my first playthrough, I used noclip to see what was in there, and then stumbled upon one secret treasure. After that I searched for them, and managed to see them, but a hint wouldn't have hurt.

- The cutscenes were too dark for me, seeing it the first time I saw only a non moving scene, and thought the white should be snow (because of the noise), and nothing happened. I thought I am bugged because it was black for some time. The second time I saw a crewman going under deck and heard someone getting slashed. Now I read here that there should be somthing with the skeleton, so I still missed something.

- It would be nice if the cabin could not be skipped.

- The second part was a nice trailer for another part, but if there is ever a second one, it might be nice if the second part is where the second mission begins.

- On the lower level of the galley, near the Chest, where the purse lies next to it and urns are inside, I got stuck on both tries, had to noclip out.

- The crow's nest only had a few uninteresting items, nothing making it worht climbing up there.

- You couldn't get inside the ship after it crashed, but there were the ghostly noises inside

- You couldn't find anyone after the crash. At least I didn't. Thought I should have found a corpse at least somewhere.

- No clue who the people in the cabin were (That saved them this time, I have killed too, so who knows why there is a corpse inside the cabin. Blackjack it was)

- One really long readable. I would have liked more to have that seperated.

- A few non moveable readables, that only could be read partly, then I had to wait for an NPC to come in, go out again, and then be able to read more of it, and that quite a few times.

- I got stuck in the crashed ship, when going down the stairs where I slept, the door there was not frobable, and I couldn't get up again in anyway.

 

 

 

Cause that list isn't so short, also a few of my highlights:

 

 

- I stumbled over the secret skeleton closet when trying to hide from the captain on my first play

- The ship itself, and how all that stuff seemed really realistic inside there. Also the was you put different interesting things inside all those chests and lockers.

- The rooms and their decoration, it made it quite believable how everything necessary was cramped inside the room avaiable, and you could still live there.

- Several ways in the cabin.

- Upon reading all those stories about the phenomenons of the settlers I knew we will get to one of these places. Also really interesting to read, and much of it.

- Interesting placement of some things that had some little story to it for me (The book in the galley, seemed there was someone reading there. And the bottle under the hat, seemed like a secret drinker)

- The athmosphere of that moving ship, with the skybox, the moonlight glowing in at several windows, ...

- The creepy athmosphere after the crash in the wilderness and on the ship.

- Nice storytelling (The story itself, and the way to tell it with the "speaking" book)

 

 

 

All in all a nice mission, but not as enjoyable as it should be (because the setting is great).

A few gameplay issues and gameplay hindering bugs less and it would be simply wonderful.

[Dragofer]

Thanks for your comments DeusXIncognita, you make many points that I think are fair to make. The main things that are probably responsible for most of your observations are:

- the ship needed to be bigger.

- that I learned about the technical elements like AI pathfinding and clipping after the interior was finished

- and that a story needs a handful more explanation to be completely satisfying

 

I'm glad you had enjoyed it in spite of all though, and that you mentioned my book of eccentric travel accounts

 

The cutscene was too dark

 

 

What happens is that the wraith of the book has animated the skeleton in the captain's cabin and causes the ship to run aground where it needs you by eliminating anyone who could interfere. You wake up uneasy at night just in time to see the skeleton standing with green-glowing eyes in the moonlit doorway before moving on to purge the rest of the ship. There's not much light, but maybe still check your brightness settings?

 

 

 

Now, for the sequel in dreary Newfoundland, there's no more fumbling with dynamic team changes, unexplained mysteries and that kind of stuff. Simply sneaking and exploring. So far it counts 8000 brushes.

Edited April 25, 2015 by Dragofer

[DeusXIncognita]

[...]

I'm glad you had enjoyed it in spite of all though, and that you mentioned my book of eccentric travel accounts

Something original always has extra enjoyment for me, and with such things I also know that it isn't easy to get it completly right on first try.

That makes problems for me easier to bear.

And with there being story, exploring and athmosphere on the ship, you hit all my weakpoints, I can be quite critical, but with that its hard for me NOT to enjoy it

 

 

What happens is that the wraith of the book has animated the skeleton in the captain's cabin and causes the ship to run aground where it needs you by eliminating anyone who could interfere. You wake up uneasy at night just in time to see the skeleton standing with green-glowing eyes in the moonlit doorway before moving on to purge the rest of the ship. There's not much light, but maybe still check your brightness settings?

 

 

Thanks for telling, that clears up the points I still couldn't make out.

I might have issues with the brightness, I had another mission recently that was WAY to dark (but others reported it there too).

The brightness was adjusted with the way the tutorial map described though, and the mission itself was fine with it.

Now, for the sequel in dreary Newfoundland, there's no more fumbling with dynamic team changes, unexplained mysteries and that kind of stuff. Simply sneaking and exploring. So far it counts 8000 brushes.

Thats a nice word. Seeee Quel... Really good sound that word makes

[Sotha]

Somehow managed to miss this mission. Downloaded and played tonight.

 

 

 

Interesting mission! I liked how the plot flowed forward. I was really engaged by the storyline. Readables were nice and interesting. You really seem to have a knack in storytelling!

 

The ship was interesting and I liked it how it was cramped and full of containers. The again, the way how the readables built the story was very smart. You spoon fed me with information, keeping me interested at all times.

 

The idea of entering the house and searching it and then the bandits coming in was absolutely brilliant. I loved it. It was the highlight of the entire mission for me: the tension in the empty house was high as it was so unconventional. I didn't know what was going to happen. I was jumping at the creaks and the noises. The anticipation! The atmosphere. It was creepy and weird. And then the bad men came and I was freaking out, trying to rush into a hiding place, and you had even put the cabinet under the stairs. Awesome!

 

The mountain climbing was also unconventional, but that wasn't my favourite. It was a good idea, but everything looked maybe too washed out and barren. Just one weak shadow casting moonlight would have given the scene some depth. I also probably took the wrong way and the climbing felt somewhat bugged.

 

The AI struggled in some of the narrow points. Most of the sitting AI were sitting and standing in their chairs, getting stuck, which -I think- is a quirk of the current TDM build. I hope it gets fixed soon...

 

 

 

Anyways, thanks for the mission. I had 1h of interesting and fun story, like the readable promised: an adventure. Just what I needed for this evening. I really hope you complete this with the sequel the mission deserves!

[Dragofer]

Thanks for your comments Sotha. It seems you've had just the experience that I was thinking of when I made this mission, even down to the cabinet under the stairs, which I'm very glad to hear. I think that's one of the best things a FM author can hope for.

[V-Man339]

Loved the level, any sequels to be done?

Edit:

Since nobody seems to mind when I include the video in the thread, here it is.

Edited December 11, 2015 by V-Man339

[Dragofer]

Loved the level, any sequels to be done?

 

Thanks - yes there's a sequel underways. Like the first it has adventure and survival themes, and then more substantial gameplay. At the moment I'm getting more involved with Blender to make more sophisticated lamps, clocks, silverware and other objects that would fit into the scenery snugly. Fireplaces too - I can't imagine a mission of this sort without a warming fireplace as a centrepiece of almost every room, but the stock models aren't so great to work with and could really use an overhaul. I'd make a stately brass oil lamp in exchange for a comfortable fireplace.

 

Also, I appreciate your ghosting vid on Youtube, well done for such a thorough completion.

Edited October 12, 2015 by Dragofer

[V-Man339]

 

Thanks - yes there's a sequel underways. Like the first it has adventure and survival themes, and then more substantial gameplay. At the moment I'm getting more involved with Blender to make more sophisticated lamps, clocks, silverware and other objects that would fit into the scenery snugly. Fireplaces too - I can't imagine a mission of this sort without a warming fireplace as a centrepiece of almost every room, but the stock models aren't so great to work with and could really use an overhaul. I'd make a stately brass oil lamp in exchange for a comfortable fireplace.

 

Also, I appreciate your ghosting vid on Youtube, well done for such a thorough completion.

My work is merely the icing on your cake. The thanks is all yours.

[Springheel]

I haven't finished this yet (just in the caves now), but I have to say that my favourite part by far was getting caught inside

 

 

the hunter's hut. Realizing they were coming back, and then trying to find somewhere to hide as they started lighting all the torches was great--I felt tense and fully immersed in what was going on. I think it was a combination of how believable the scenario was, and that there was an immediate threat. I started wondering how I was going to get out of this, and if there was a way I could take out a few guards without anyone noticing to improve my chances. As it turns out, I managed to KO one up in the attic, but his body tumbled down the stairs right into the middle of his friends and suddenly the hunt was on. And just when I thought I was safe, in came the hunter with the torch, and I was spotted. I managed to get out, but the entire sequence was great (other than the trap door in the roof which seemed to be a tease, since I couldn't frob it...?)

 

 

[Springheel]

Completed it.

 

 

 

 

I agree with what a lot of others have said...the ending was extremely anti-climactic. What was I climbing up that mountain for? What was in the cave? I didn't understand any of that sequence, and it seemed like a lot of fairly dull walking and climbing for nothing.

 

The ship part looked good and sounded great. I did have some problems with the gameplay though. I wasted a bunch of time hiding from people I didn't have to hide from at first. And then when I found the two important rooms, they were so tight (particularly the first mate's room) that I was regularly busted and had to reload constantly.

 

I found the wardrobe in the Captain's room, but didn't notice that the back wall highlighted, so I had no idea what to do with the concealed key. Had to look on the forum for help. Still never found out what the key I got from the Cook or First Mate did....I couldn't fully explore either of their rooms so maybe there was something else in there.

 

I have to admit I didn't understand the story at all. There was something about a priest getting on board, but I never found out what the significance of that was. Was he related to the skeleton? I didn't understand why the compass didn't work or where the ship was actually going. I didn't understand who the skeleton was, or how it was magic, or what cryptic treasure the book was talking about. Did the Captain know it was there? Did the Captain have an ulterior motive for hiring me? I feel like I must have missed some readables somewhere, because I really had no sense at all about what was going on.

 

Anyway, I don't want to sound too harsh...the cabin sequence ranks up there in my top ten favourite TDM moments. I look forward to seeing your next one.

 

 

 

[llanita]

Where is the

key to chest up

in the attic in the hut?

where the dead guy

is?

 

Edit: What a strange mission. I was flummoxed when it ended. I just started it. Was there supposed to be more and you decided to quit the mission half way? If so it's a shame because it was quite good.

 

How sad.

Edited December 23, 2015 by llanita

[Dragofer]

I've been playing with the thought of finally providing a much needed sequel for this mission and realised that this mission, being my first and released 7 years ago, can be rough around the edges. So I've now brought this mission into a more sequel-worthy state with these changes:

• enhancements to visuals to make the mission look better all around
• new readables to build out the storytelling, both on the ship and the landing area
• some voiced lines have been contributed by Narrator and Goldwell to help set the mood
• collision has been overhauled throughout the ship, so that it's much less likely to get stuck
• more space in the captain's area for AIs and stealth, as well as a generally cleaner pathing implementation
• the main cutscene has been shortened and better lit, while all other fades to black have been cut
• a new loading screen by the painter Ivan Aivazovsky, to replace the slightly bland TDM-made arctic scene
• the option to set LOD Detail in the graphics settings if maximum performance is needed when outdoors
• myriad other tweaks, such as smooth fading out for triggered ambient sounds and some gimmicks around clocks and compasses aboard the ship

Quite a bit has been touched, so it'd be appreciated if one or two people could give this a try on the betatesting forums and post back if there's something that seemed odd, before I upload the new version to the official mirrors.

The mission's length is still the same, since these changes already took longer than expected. My plan is to focus fully on my two WIP missions from here onwards, then ideally return to One Step Too Far with a small sequel (as suggested by Amadeus it could be called Two Steps Too Far).

[Dragofer]

After a brief delay version 2 of the mission is now up for grabs from the downloader and from Google Drive. The above post does still hold true for the most part, all-round polishing what was already there of this first mission of mine. Retaken screenshots can be obtained here: Google Drive. Thanks go out to the betatesters of round 2: JackFarmer, joebarnin, The Black Arrow, datiswous, Acolytesix

[datiswous]

Awsome

[Amadeus]

Still eagerly awaiting "2 Steps 2 Far" but this update will tide me over until then

[Melchior]

Cramped, damp, claustrophobic, creaky, and a heaving sea awaits you above deck! Look alive seaman!

(That's YOU Taffer!)

My Grievances:

1. Open-Flames inside the ship. Normally this would NEVER happen - basically a quasi-Sea Law; it would be Candle-Lanterns, or enclosed Oil-Lamps. Men actually got punished for having open-flame(s); as its a crazy fire-hazard...
2. Wheres the HEAD? Inquiring Deckhands would _really_ like to know - and soon!
3. Its not really clear who is considered 'hostile'...(more a TDM limitation?)

My Approvals;

1. Its good, but a little short - BADLY needs that follow on mission...
2. Spoiler

   Somebody knows their Mythos...

3. Spoiler

   Would have been hilarious to have some ship-task assigned to the Taffer, so you can actually earn your pay...