Chronicles of Skulduggery: Pearls and Swine

[Bienie]

 

Story:

 

 

Making a living in Brooksdale isn't easy... Between the swindlers, racketeers and two-bit thugs there's not much coin to be had for an honest thief... Luckily, I'm going on something of an excursion tonight. A reliable fence set me up with a well paying job for an anonymous benefactor who wants me to 'liberate' some trinket he has laid claim to.

The item in question is a pearl amulet, which is supposedly shrouded in mystery. It was recently acquired by one Cordelia Harrington in the neighboring borough Clifton Grove. Since being widowed a few years ago Lady Harrington has made a name for herself throwing lavish events entertaining the 'highborn elite' of Bridgeport.

A city wall with a hefty wooden gate makes sure the Brooksdale filth doesn't spill over to Clifton at night, but luckily some local 'entrepreneurs' have found another way in. For a small fee, a broken sewer pipe will take me to a tavern called 'The Smiling Boar', which is a favored watering hole for local individuals of ill-repute, where I'm sure I'll blend in.

From there I will need to navigate the streets to the south and find Manor Harrington. The night shift in Clifton is well armed, organized, and notorious for stabbing first and asking questions later, so I'll need to be careful.

Word has it Madame Harrington is something of a collector of interesting, and valuable, items so the place will no doubt be guarded. But, I'm not going to let that stop me from grabbing a few keepsakes. I have my target, a rough map of the area and my wits. It's time to head out...

 

 

 

Build Time:

 

 

Approximately 400 hours over 8 months, including the beta testing phase. Being my first mission a lot of the time went to learning some of the more advanced concepts of Dark Radiant.

 

 

 

Thanks:

 

 

Springheel - For creating the module set that comprises most of the hard scenery in the map, exterior walls and interiors.

Bikerdude - For his many hours thoroughly beta testing the map and building custom set pieces used in the map.

Amadeus - For his many hours thoroughly beta testing the map as well as proof reading.

Cambridge Spy - For lots of beta testing / bug hunting.

Judith - Beta testing and performance metrics.

Spooks - Beta testing.

Obsttorte - Coding/scripting help.

 

 

 

Download:

 

 

Available in the in-game downloader, or at Dropbox

 

 

 

 

Gallery:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hints, Tips, Walkthroughs, Spoilers(!):

 

 

I can't find the codes for the amulet and the crown!

Gentle nudge:

You have to find a secret room where Madame Harrington keeps her valuables that aren't on display. Hints are provided in her diary and her to-do list.

 

Just tell me!:

The painting next to the fireplace in the parlour (northeast corner of the mansion) is a hidden door. You open this by frobbing a wooden panel on the wall below it. In this room is a readable that mentions the codes.

 

 

I can't find the code for the golden plate of St. Roderick, and I really want it!

Gentle nudge:

Look in the maid's journal in the small cleaning supplies room on the second floor (across from the study).

 

Just tell me!:

The code is the same as the year mentioned on the paper underneath it on the pedestal, which talks about it's history; 599.

 

 

I can't figure out where the golden lion is hidden on Master difficulty!

Gentle nudge:

Take a look at the to-do list on Madame Harrington's desk in the study. She is purposely vague about something...

 

Just tell me!:

The light fixture in the main stairwell (between the main entrance and the foyer) is frobable, and that will open a door hidden behind the painting under these stairs.

 

 

I'm having trouble meeting my loot objective on difficulty X! What am I missing?

Gentle nudge:

There are a lot of valuables hidden in areas that require you to explore the streets section of the map. There are more explorable buildings in the streets than there are non-explorable ones!
Make sure to take an extra look at all the readables you can find, most of them hint to loot, or safe keys.

 

Just tell me!:

 

 

Cornwell's store (north east end of the map) has a safe hidden behind the painting in his office. The key is on his belt.

Check out William's apartment, accessible through the open window in the dead end alley at the top of the stone stairs. He has a hidden goblet in the hallway and two gold vases above his fireplace.

Anabelle's apartment is accessible from the awning at the top of the stone stairs. She has a ring, and right by the awning is Cornwell's protection money you can steal.

The Inn safe in the office above the bar is lootable, if you manage to nab the key that the inkeeper hid in the flower pot.

The lord occupying room 3 has a gold bar hidden in his footlocker.

There are a few valuables hidden in Paul's apartment in the south east corner of Maple court. You can get up here by going on the small steps by the door to the building across from it, and jumping onto the light post. From there you can jump onto his balcony.

Piers Greene has a pile of coins hidden in a fake book in his bookshelf (he lives across from paul, grab the windowsill from jumping from the small steps that you access the lightpost from.

Paul's market stand has a shady side business. Look for a readable by the wine bottles. Careful though! A guard goes in here and admires the pipes sometimes.

The lost and found Collection in the safe in the foyer has a nice stash of loot. The key is found in the steward's room on his bedside table.

The key to the trophy display in the sitting room is in the bookshelf, partly hidden by some books.

Lady Harrington's journal mentions a switch above her bed. That opens a hidden compartment in the wall of the bathroom.

There are both valuables and equipment in the garden, look in the greenhouse and shed for the loot!

 

 

 

I'm having trouble navigating the streets with all the lights and guard patrols...

Gentle nudge:

You have other alternate routes available to you that are more subtle. Make sure to climb off the street level!

 

Just tell me!:

There are several explorable apartments you can access in this mission. The one that will help you the most in avoiding street guards is the one on the southwest corner of Maple Ct. which leads you out to the north end of Fletcher street. For even more help you can jump on to the balcony on the building across to gain access to the tops of the market stalls on Penrose court. Alternatively you can skip this area entirely and access the mansion from the window up high on the south end of Fletcher street.

 

 

I got an optional objective to switch two journals? What is that about?

 

You need to put William's journal on Anabelle's desk and vice versa to tick the objective completed.

 

 

I found a few secrets but am struggling with the others, and I simply must catch them all!

[in this mission, a secret is defined as a hidden piece of loot that does not have any in-game hints referring to it.]
Gentle nudges (in order of when you would encounter them):

1. Cornwell has a fine vintage wine stashed away in a place only accessible from his rooftops.
2. A patron of the Inn has dropped a ring in their room.
3. There is a hard to spot goblet in William's apartment.
4. A couple of thieves have made themselves a stash on the top off the Inn.
5. Somebody carelessly left a ring in a bookcase around Fletcher street.
6. There is an easy to miss sewer grate close to Penrose court.
7. There's an odd fellow living on the top floor of a building overlooking Fletcher street. I wonder if everything is right in his attic?
-in mansion-
8. Did somebody hide a golden builder symbol in the Harringtons' library to ward off their heretical thoughts?
9. There seems to be yet another hidden room behind a painting that even Lady Harrington doesn't know about.
10. Maybe the late Lord Harrington had more valuables than just the golden lion in the sanctuary...
11. It seems one of the regular theatre actors sometimes needs a drink of the good stuff while changing outfits.

 

Just tell me! (in order of when you would encounter them):

1. Cornwell's wine bottle is in his attic, which you access by jumping on the awning at the top of the stone stairs and take a right. The window is right above his back alley entrance.
2. In room 1 under the round table is a ring that somebody dropped.
3. In William's apartment (enter through the window in the dead end alley at the top of the stone stairs), when you leave his study there is a big green plant straight ahead, behind this is a hidden goblet.
4. There is a jewelrybox between the two rooftops above room 1 and room 2 of the inn. You can access this area by jumping on to the awnings (watch out for guards), or from Paul's balcony and mantling the beam on the left then walking along the edge of the roof over.
5. In the L-shaped corridor connecting Fletcher street and Penrose court (above the lit brazier) there is a bookshelf to the left that has a ring under a leaning book.
6. If you enter the sewer grate next to Harold's Herbals on Penrose court and take a right you get to a hole in the wall that leads to a basement, there is a fine bottle of wine in the wine rack.
7. If you jump to the right from Piers' windowsill overlooking Penrose court onto the awning you can access Oliver's apartment (or by doing some parkour from where secret #4 is, the window on the NW corner of the court is openable. You can access his attic above the stove, at the very back is a painting.
-in mansion-
8. In the north east corner of the library (2nd floor) is a small nook where the bookshelves meet, there is a hidden builder symbol.
9. The painting of Winifred Harrington next to Lady Harrington's bedroom opens the same way as the portrait of Douglas. In the box is a golden creamer.
10. Under the wooden stairs leading down to Douglas Harrington's secret desk and taffer's ordinance there is a hidden valuable.
11. There is a golden wine bottle hidden above the dresser in the changing room of the theatre (in the ballroom, northwest corner 1st floor).

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimers, Player Information.

This mission is free of spiders, undead or other outright horror elements.

There is no sexual content or connotations that I am aware of, aside from the statue above and some angry guards' standard voice lines.

There is mention of drug use in certain out of the way readables.

 

Thank you for playing! What did you think of the mission? I look forward to your honest feedback!

Edited April 9, 2019 by Bienie

[nbohr1more]

Congrats!

[grayman]

Congrats! Looks gorgeous!

[Kerry000]

Hi Bienie,

 

Congratulations on completing your first mission! Thank you very much for all of the effort it would have taken to create and share it with us. It looks fantastic and I can't wait to go home and play it

 

Discovering that a new mission has been released at TDM is one of my favorite things these days.

 

Thanks again.

[lowenz]

400h for the first mission!

 

What a dedication!

Edited May 26, 2018 by lowenz

[Obsttorte]

Congrats.

[Amadeus]

Congratulations!!! I'm looking forward to playing the final final final version

[Goldwell]

Congratulations on releasing your first mission!

[Oktokolo]

Tried it on hardest first but quickly switched to medium difficulty because i really wanted to blackjack all the people in the tavern. From there on i really enjoyed it despite constantly wondering what i might have missed by not chosing the highest difficulty mode.

 

 

 

How do i drop some loot to fullfill my part of the contract after taking the note and tooth of that kid?

After opening the window you reach by climbing up the rafters at the top of the stairs and following the thief's highway to the end, you can climb it and reach the ridge. You can see the end of the world from there. Instead of climbing to the ridge you can also jump-mantle ontop of the city wall for an even better view at the void.

I found no reliable way to tell openable and non-openable windows appart from a distance if they where not already open. A solution like on the doors, where the permanently sealed ones look more flat (because they are just textured planes lacking any geometry) than the usable ones, would be nice.

 

 

[SuaveSteve]

Awesome mission and a great first impression!

 

I only found 8 secrets and 2947 loot.

 

Two points of feedback:

 

 

 

 

Consider a secret objective for dropping Percival's secret journal in the Cordelia's room. Secret objectives reward players for going out of their way.

 

The secret cash box up high among the roofs seems to be clipping in to the wood, I couldn't see it's contents when opened.

 

 

 

[Kerry000]

I really enjoyed this mission. Thank you, Bienie!

 

The textures, lighting and models were all great. I also like the underlying story and the hints as to where the "Chronicles of Skulduggery" is headed as a series.

 

I found 3275 loot, and 8 out of 11 secrets.

 

I also really enjoyed...

 

 

 

 

1) Helping Annabelle and William find each other (while robbing the both of them blind!) It was a nice touch.

 

2) "Cockwit" (and the notice about the honorable sport of cockery with the "prefix of d", lol)

 

3) The actual wind chimes. You often hear the Pagan-esque wind chimes in these missions, but it was nice to actually see the source of the sound for once, blowing in the wind up on high.

 

4) The distant city, when you see it from the rooftops. In some missions it looks terrible, but you made it look believable.

 

5) The little scene with the drunk who was lying to his mother in his letters (after throwing her portrait in the trash), as well as the other NPC who was fearful of "The Raven" - They both did a good job of adding to the immersion.

 

 

 

 

One thing I did not like...

 

 

 

 

Stealing the little boy's money from the tooth fairy. That was fucked up

 

 

 

 

With regards to anything I might have missed...

 

 

 

 

What was the deal with the guard's riddle referring to the place where "the lady leaves her dirt and a bugger looks up her skirt", about payment for a bet? Because that sounds to me like it has to be a bathtub, basin, or toilet, but none of those things contained any treasure in Cordelia's bathroom. I did find the switch above her bed and the secret area within the bathroom, but I wasn't sure if that was related to the riddle or not?

 

 

 

 

Thank you again for this wonderful mission. It was really detailed and a lot of fun to play!

[Bienie]

Tried it on hardest first but quickly switched to medium difficulty because i really wanted to blackjack all the people in the tavern. From there on i really enjoyed it despite constantly wondering what i might have missed by not chosing the highest difficulty mode.

 

 

 

How do i drop some loot to fullfill my part of the contract after taking the note and tooth of that kid?

After opening the window you reach by climbing up the rafters at the top of the stairs and following the thief's highway to the end, you can climb it and reach the ridge. You can see the end of the world from there. Instead of climbing to the ridge you can also jump-mantle ontop of the city wall for an even better view at the void.

I found no reliable way to tell openable and non-openable windows appart from a distance if they where not already open. A solution like on the doors, where the permanently sealed ones look more flat (because they are just textured planes lacking any geometry) than the usable ones, would be nice.

 

 

 

Well let me put your fears to rest in that you are not missing out on any content by choosing a lower difficulty, aside from being able to miss the entire area where the golden lion is if you don't need to go there. The differences summed up amount to, on hardest difficulty, harsher lighting, more guard NPCs and harder objectives.

 

 

 

That thing you picked up was the coin and not the tooth, so you stole the kid's money. The point of the note to the tooth fairy is that you should feel some moral qualms when reading it, seeing that golden coin that the tooth fairy (or more likely a parent) left for the kid and debating with yourself whether to steal it or not. Or, if you pick the coin up before reading the note, that you should kick yourself for stealing before thinking or something.

 

Interesting that you were able to parkour up on to the city wall. I tried doing that to see if it was possible but was never able to find any place where I could mantle. I guess it is true to the old Thief games where you would often get a face full of void when you tried climbing in unintended places!

 

It's true that the openable and non-openable windows look the same, they are part of the same module set. I feel like I got most of the visual hints in though, by either leaving them open or providing a balcony or similar underneath the openable ones that weren't already ajar. There are maybe a couple that aren't obvious though.

 

 

 

Awesome mission and a great first impression!

 

I only found 8 secrets and 2947 loot.

 

Two points of feedback:

 

 

 

 

Consider a secret objective for dropping Percival's secret journal in the Cordelia's room. Secret objectives reward players for going out of their way.

 

The secret cash box up high among the roofs seems to be clipping in to the wood, I couldn't see it's contents when opened.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ooh that would have been a nice one. Should have thought of that. I did have another secret objective though, that was related to readables, so I'm fully on board with rewarding players who go out of their way exploring!

 

You found a bug it sounds like with the jewelry box... that was careless of me, were you still able to pick up the loot anyway? I actually changed that wooden beam because it was sticking through the roof into the Inn below, but I didn't check the jewelry box afterward. The beam must have been taller after the change was implemented. Ugh... that's what happens with last minute changes.

 

 

 

I really enjoyed this mission. Thank you, Bienie!

 

The textures, lighting and models were all great. I also like the underlying story and the hints as to where the "Chronicles of Skulduggery" is headed as a series.

 

I found 3275 loot, and 8 out of 11 secrets.

 

I also really enjoyed...

 

 

 

 

1) Helping Annabelle and William find each other (while robbing the both of them blind!) It was a nice touch.

 

2) "Cockwit" (and the notice about the honorable sport of cockery with the "prefix of d", lol)

 

3) The actual wind chimes. You often hear the Pagan-esque wind chimes in these missions, but it was nice to actually see the source of the sound for once, blowing in the wind up on high.

 

4) The distant city, when you see it from the rooftops. In some missions it looks terrible, but you made it look believable.

 

5) The little scene with the drunk who was lying to his mother in his letters (after throwing her portrait in the trash), as well as the other NPC who was fearful of "The Raven" - They both did a good job of adding to the immersion.

 

 

 

 

One thing I did not like...

 

 

 

 

Stealing the little boy's money from the tooth fairy. That was fucked up

 

 

 

 

With regards to anything I might have missed...

 

 

 

 

What was the deal with the guard's riddle referring to the place where "the lady leaves her dirt and a bugger looks up her skirt", about payment for a bet? Because that sounds to me like it has to be a bathtub, basin, or toilet, but none of those things contained any treasure in Cordelia's bathroom. I did find the switch above her bed and the secret area within the bathroom, but I wasn't sure if that was related to the riddle or not?

 

 

 

 

Thank you again for this wonderful mission. It was really detailed and a lot of fun to play!

 

Thank you for that shining review! I did try to flesh out the backstory as best I could and I now have a monumental task if I want to tie up all the loose ends in the sequels!!

 

 

 

I see you did a fair bit of exploring through the city streets, and I'm glad you spotted many of the little touches I added in the nooks and crannies of the map. Some characters, like Paul, and "Jackablade Jones" have almost as much backstory as the Lady Harrington herself, despite not even being in the mission! I wonder if you were able to follow their story arcs to find the loot (Pauls drugs and Jones' payoff money). I'm glad you enjoyed the Raven part. I originally meant to have the raven character eyeing the player from the top of the inn, but couldn't get it working correctly. I made him though and thought he looked pretty bad ass, so maybe he will cameo in an upcoming sequel!

 

I'm fully aware that the coin on the windowsill of the boy's room was the very definition of a "dick move", but I couldn't resist when the idea popped into my head!

 

Ah yes, the guard's riddle. I was afraid it would be a bit too simple, but I didn't expect the player to focus on the Lady's bedchambers, though that makes sense. Aside from the fact that the guards don't patrol in there, in fact they are not allowed in. If you're intending on replaying the mission I can give you this extra hint: A dark, forgotten corner hints at somewhere in the mansion where people don't regularly go, or give a second thought even though they pass over often. The Madame hides her dirt, meaning junk is stored there, and finally looking up a Lady's skirt is quite literal, except that neither the Madame nor the cook patrol here. If you just want to know where it is:

 

 

It's on top of a crate with junk on it that is stored underneath the stairs connecting the sitting room with the library. Basically next to the hidden room where you find the codes.

 

 

 

 

[Bienie]

400h for the first mission!

 

What a dedication!

 

Just in response to this, yes it was dedication but I enjoyed almost every minute I spent working on it! I think 400 hours is probably a conservative estimate, and that's not counting the first draft of the mission which I probably spent another 150 hours on back in 2015. But it's a learning process and I now feel like I could make a similar mission in more like 100 hours with this experience under my belt. That's what I'm hoping for anyway with the sequel, which I started blocking out a bit this evening

[gnartsch]

Very nice and impressive mission !
I had lots of fun making my way

to the rooftops and actually expecting to find a rope-arrow somewhere to get to a few places I couldn't find a way to in the first place. But finally figured out no rope-arrow is required at all.

 

The riddle

kept me busy as well for a while. I suspected a secret entrance to the sewers under the restroom for the audience visiting the ballroom.

What a gruelling red-herring ! No way to get down there... or is there ?

 

[hanmin]

Awesome mission so far, congrats and thank you.

 

I am in the

exhibition room

but stuck in

operating the combination locks

.

No matter what I set in controls/weapons for next/prev weapon, I am cycling weapons mostly. After the message to use the mouse wheel triggers, I can set one

digit

and then I am damned to cycle weapons again.

 

Ubuntu 14.04; TDM 2.05; Thinkpad X230

[hanmin]

Awesome mission so far, congrats and thank you.

 

I am in the

exhibition room

but stuck in

operating the combination locks

.

No matter what I set in controls/weapons for next/prev weapon, I am cycling weapons mostly. After the message to use the mouse wheel triggers, I can set one

digit

and then I am damned to cycle weapons again.

 

Ubuntu 14.04; TDM 2.05; Thinkpad X230

I found the solution. Each wheel needs to be frobbed before operation.

[NeonsStyle]

Congratulations on your release. I'll go play it now. Can't wait.

[Kerry000]

Thank you for that shining review! I did try to flesh out the backstory as best I could and I now have a monumental task if I want to tie up all the loose ends in the sequels!!

 

 

 

I see you did a fair bit of exploring through the city streets, and I'm glad you spotted many of the little touches I added in the nooks and crannies of the map. Some characters, like Paul, and "Jackablade Jones" have almost as much backstory as the Lady Harrington herself, despite not even being in the mission! I wonder if you were able to follow their story arcs to find the loot (Pauls drugs and Jones' payoff money). I'm glad you enjoyed the Raven part. I originally meant to have the raven character eyeing the player from the top of the inn, but couldn't get it working correctly. I made him though and thought he looked pretty bad ass, so maybe he will cameo in an upcoming sequel!

 

I'm fully aware that the coin on the windowsill of the boy's room was the very definition of a "dick move", but I couldn't resist when the idea popped into my head!

 

Ah yes, the guard's riddle. I was afraid it would be a bit too simple, but I didn't expect the player to focus on the Lady's bedchambers, though that makes sense. Aside from the fact that the guards don't patrol in there, in fact they are not allowed in. If you're intending on replaying the mission I can give you this extra hint: A dark, forgotten corner hints at somewhere in the mansion where people don't regularly go, or give a second thought even though they pass over often. The Madame hides her dirt, meaning junk is stored there, and finally looking up a Lady's skirt is quite literal, except that neither the Madame nor the cook patrol here. If you just want to know where it is:

 

It's on top of a crate with junk on it that is stored underneath the stairs connecting the sitting room with the library. Basically next to the hidden room where you find the codes.

 

 

 

You did a great job of it all. This is one of the first missions where I've stopped to admire the embossed/plush wallpapers and parquet ceilings (especially in Sir William's flat). The AO seemed to have a lot more contrast in this mission than any others I've played (or maybe it's just the first time I've paid attention to it) and, even if it's baked and not real-time, it still added a little something extra to the look and feel of the level.

 

I only ever play these missions on the hardest difficulty for the added realism, and this one was certainly a challenge. I was only forced to use one of the allowed knockouts, on Karl in the inn, because I wanted to save my water arrows for later.

 

 

 

 

I did indeed find Jones' payoff money and I might have found Paul's drugs (but I'm not sure). It was nice that trying to get to the open window high above the door with "cockwit" scratched on it led me not only to the stash of payoff money, but also to the wind chimes and then Annabelle's house. I like discovering surprises like that.

 

Speaking of Annabelle, the beams in her flat really look like a place the player should explore, but then they turn out to be empty. I could only get up there by waking Annabelle, then jumping on her head in order to vault onto the beam (just to see what's up there). Maybe you should make it possible for players to get up there stealthily, just to confirm in their minds that they aren't missing anything on top of the beams? That's just a very minor nitpick though. Hardly worth mentioning.

 

That's great that you made the Raven character! I hope we do indeed see a cameo of him in the future.

 

Regarding the guard's riddle, I did find that payment beneath the stairs below the library (without realizing it was part of the riddle) because that was the first place I hid after coming in from the garden. It's also, incidentally, a good place to hide the lamp from the nearby table in order to stop the guards from re-lighting it.

 

This was a really well designed mission with lots to discover and multiple paths (like the inventor's flat, although I also felt bad robbing his stash from the book) and multiple entryways to the mansion. I went in via the sewage pipe that leads to the guardhouse toilet, which allowed me to discover Percival's diary on my own without any clues. That was also a fun discovery - "I guess I better check if there's anything under the desk, even though I know there wo... holy shit!"

 

 

 

 

I know these fan missions take up a lot of time and effort to create, but please don't stop. The Chronicles of Skulduggery looks to be an awesome little series and I can't wait to visit the...

 

 

 

 

Mage academy that locked itself away from the world, as well as the tomb where Duncan got up to all of his "skulduggery".

 

 

 

 

These fan missions always remind me of a time when gaming was pure, without all the political grandstanding and money-grabbing involved in today's mass produced "epics" that rehash the same old nonsense again and again. I remember when games were about escapism and immersing yourself in a fantasy world where you could just forget about everything else for a few hours, and that's exactly how missions like "Pearls and Swine" make me feel again.

 

Thank you very much for that experience, and please keep it up!

Edited May 28, 2018 by Kerry000

[Bienie]

 

You did a great job of it all. This is one of the first missions where I've stopped to admire the embossed/plush wallpapers and parquet ceilings (especially in Sir William's flat). The AO seemed to have a lot more contrast in this mission than any others I've played (or maybe it's just the first time I've paid attention to it) and, even if it's baked and not real-time, it still added a little something extra to the look and feel of the level.

 

I only ever play these missions on the hardest difficulty for the added realism, and this one was certainly a challenge. I was only forced to use one of the allowed knockouts, on Karl in the inn, because I wanted to save my water arrows for later.

 

 

 

 

I did indeed find Jones' payoff money and I might have found Paul's drugs (but I'm not sure). It was nice that trying to get to the open window high above the door with "cockwit" scratched on it led me not only to the stash of payoff money, but also to the wind chimes and then Annabelle's house. I like discovering surprises like that.

 

Speaking of Annabelle, the beams in her flat really look like a place the player should explore, but then they turn out to be empty. I could only get up there by waking Annabelle, then jumping on her head in order to vault onto the beam (just to see what's up there). Maybe you should make it possible for players to get up there stealthily, just to confirm in their minds that they aren't missing anything on top of the beams? That's just a very minor nitpick though. Hardly worth mentioning.

 

That's great that you made the Raven character! I hope we do indeed see a cameo of him in the future.

 

Regarding the guard's riddle, I did find that payment beneath the stairs below the library (without realizing it was part of the riddle) because that was the first place I hid after coming in from the garden. It's also, incidentally, a good place to hide the lamp from the nearby table in order to stop the guards from re-lighting it.

 

This was a really well designed mission with lots to discover and multiple paths (like the inventor's flat, although I also felt bad robbing his stash from the book) and multiple entryways to the mansion. I went in via the sewage pipe that leads to the guardhouse toilet, which allowed me to discover Percival's diary on my own without any clues. That was also a fun discovery - "I guess I better check if there's anything under the desk, even though I know there wo... holy shit!"

 

 

 

 

I know these fan missions take up a lot of time and effort to create, but please don't stop. The Chronicles of Skulduggery looks to be an awesome little series and I can't wait to visit the...

 

 

 

 

Mage academy that locked itself away from the world, as well as the tomb where Duncan got up to all of his "skulduggery".

 

 

 

 

These fan missions always remind me of a time when gaming was pure, without all the political grandstanding and money-grabbing involved in today's mass produced "epics" that rehash the same old nonsense again and again. I remember when games were about escapism and immersing yourself in a fantasy world where you could just forget about everything else for a few hours, and that's exactly how missions like "Pearls and Swine" make me feel again.

 

Thank you very much for that experience, and please keep it up!

 

Well this is exactly what I was hoping to provide to the community, a mission that is engrossing and allows you to escape from reality for a little while, and hopefully leave an impression on the player. So I'm very happy that this is what happened in your case! This mission is built for those players who, like myself, have an unwavering curiosity and want to explore every nook and cranny of the map. The "purity" of gaming experience is exactly what drew me to TDM in the first place as well, aside from my belief that it is the true successor to the Thief legacy. And I definitely want to further that in any way I can.

 

More to the specifics of the map;

 

 

 

Paul's drugs are hidden in the marketplace at his stand (the one with the hookah pipes), on the ground next to a gray package is a small purse with Mandrasola in it. A paper to his inept helper Peter was carelessly forgotten on the shelf above it. The Inventor's journal hints to the player that there's something fishy about Paul, and his own notes mention him having to refill his stash, because his customers are addicted.

 

You have a very keen eye to search on top of the rafters in Anabelle's flat. It is possible to mantle up by going on top of her dresser, but it is finnicky. I originally had a golden statuette up there, as a secret. But I thought it too devious, to have a "secretception", a secret in a hard to find spot that is already within a secret-ish room. haha. In fact, in the very beginning I had set the map up to have regular secrets, and a set of super-secrets that were separate. They were a set of small brooches that were magically interlinked, kind of sentient, called the Seven Sisters, and one of them was on the rafters there, another in a jar at Harold's Herbals, one hiding under a movable kettle in Oliver's attic, etc... but I never could figure out how to present it to the player in a believable way so I cut it out early on in the building process. But it's quite fun to hear that you would have found one of them

 

That is a good point about the riddle, it's quite likely the player will use that little nook for their own purposes before finding or realizing it's part of the riddle... It's a complex thing getting storytelling and pacing correct, especially in such a non-linear location. I guess Percival's secret journal is another example of this, though that one I would like to think is rare to discover without first reading the cleaning lady's journal!

 

As far as being able to explore the mages' guild and the tombs of Neferamen, I would like to make these missions for sure, but it will have to be later when I have much more mapping experience under my belt since they will require a lot more technical know-how and custom assets. As far as story is concerned they may become part of a trilogy about the "taffin' days" of Douglas Harrington, but will likely be separate from the CoS series of which there are at least two more in the pipeline. But I'm hoping it will become a long series á la Thomas Porter / Thieves' Den / Penny Dreadful.

 

 

[Bienie]

Very nice and impressive mission !

I had lots of fun making my way

to the rooftops and actually expecting to find a rope-arrow somewhere to get to a few places I couldn't find a way to in the first place. But finally figured out no rope-arrow is required at all.

 

The riddle

kept me busy as well for a while. I suspected a secret entrance to the sewers under the restroom for the audience visiting the ballroom.

What a gruelling red-herring ! No way to get down there... or is there ?

 

 

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Exploration is the name of the game (or at least the mission ^^)

 

 

It seems a lot of people are getting stumped at the riddle, due to it having many ways of being interpreted. That's my bad.

The restroom next to the ballroom is actually kind of an architectural red herring, as the pipe would actually come out of the wall in the tunnel between Maple Ct. and Fletcher St... That would be a sight... haha. Hence the lid is non-openable and I didn't put anything in there. I tried to avoid making areas like that though, and most areas are correctly aligned and if not explorable, they at least could have been.

 

 

[NeonsStyle]

Really enjoyed this mission. The design, gameplay and aesthetics were perfect. Thanks. Really good mission.

[Kerry000]

Hi Bienie,

 

I just enjoyed a second playthrough. Found all loot and secrets! That's the first time I've managed to find everything in a TDM mission. There was one coin that I intentionally left behind and just counted as "found". You know which one.

 

I really struggled to find the last secret...

 

 

 

 

The ring beneath the table in Room 1 of the inn. I'm glad I double-checked on my way back from the mansion!

 

 

 

 

Here's a list of all 11 secrets, just in case anyone gets stuck:

 

 

 

 

1. Room 1 of the inn. There's a ring under the table.

2. The attic above Jones' shop (near Annabelle's window). There's a bottle of expensive wine on the floor.

3. In the passageway of Sir William's flat. There's a chalice behind the pot plant.

4. On the roof above the inn. There's a box containing a thief's note and some jewels.

5. A ladder leads to the attic of the "The Raven's" next victim. There's a painting beside some boxes.

6. In the second-floor passageway near the market area. There's a ring on the bookshelf.

7. Down the sewer grate beside the road near the market. There's a bottle of expensive wine in a hidden cellar.

8. In the manor library. There's a Builder statuette between the corner bookshelves.

9. Atop the closet in the backstage area of the manor ballroom. Another expensive wine.

10. Beneath the stairs in Duncan's secret study. There's a vase on the floor.

11. In the secret area behind the portrait of Winifred Harrington, on the second floor of the manor. A chalice.

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2018 by Kerry000

[V-Man339]

I loved it, and will be doing a perfect run video/walkthrough of it later.

Could I get a list of items to pick up and readable objects for later?

[esme]

Great mission, very impressive for your first, I needed help on one secret

I was fixated on secret panels & missed the frobable lamp

I spent ages trying to figure out how to get to certain rooms and finally worked out

I can jump a lot further than I thought I could

 

 

I feel a bit weird saying this but I love those sewers

 

Also had the issue with the thieves stash box

sinking into the woodwork

The contents were still frobable though it just looked empty

 

Could be my imagination but there might be a problem with

the switches behind the secret panels, I had to close & reopen them before I could frob the switch sometimes

Could have been my aim though

[kingsal]

Congratulations on the release. Gonna make some time this weekend to play it!