Fan Mission: The Night of Reluctant Benefaction

[Bienie]

 

Story:

 

 

 

This evening I found an unsettling letter on my windowsill. It was addressed to me from someone calling himself 'Nick'. Apparently he has dirt on me, but he's willing to cut a deal. Sounds like blackmail to me, but it seems like he's got me by the ornaments.

 

 

I'm supposed to meet his contact over on the other side of the district to get further instructions. The night is growing colder by the minute, and it's snowing heavily. I had better get going so I can get back and crawl under the sheets to bundle up tonight...

 

 

Build Time:

 

 

About 50-70 hours, including everything, from pre-planning to beta testing.

 

 

Thanks:

 

 

 

Thanks to Springheel for the creation of the handy and pretty module sets, and to Bikerdude for several prefabs repurposed from other missions.
Thanks to my beta testers; Cambridge Spy, joebarnin, duzenko and s.urfer!

Additional thanks to the Freesound users justkiddink, Zbylut, bilwiss and mhtaylor67 for the holiday themed sounds and music found throughout the mission.

 

 

Download:

 

Available in the in-game downloader, or at any of these below locations:

 

 

Dropbox

Taaki.za.net

Fidcal.com

Southquarter.com

 

 

Gallery:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hints, Tips, Walkthroughs, Spoilers(!):

 

 

Aren't you being a bit stingy with equipment in this mission!? I feel like I need more to work effectively...

Gentle nudge:

 

 

The player hasn't gathered all of his thieving tools yet when we are dropped into the mission!

 

 

Just tell me!

 

 

When you spawn in to the map you start in your study. You've left a cheerful Christmas note on your desk that hints to a hidden compartment that

is just to the left of the front door. There are two coat hangers, if you frob the left one a panel opens revealing a hidey-hole under the stairs. Crouch in here and you'll find water arrows, a moss arrow, a noisemaker, two flashbombs, a flash mine and a health potion. There are two more water arrows in the openable wardrobe in the bedroom, and a final one at the concierge desk in the pub area.

 

 

 

 

 

I can't find the residences Nick was speaking of!

Gentle nudge:

The map has their locations marked, and indicate that you may have to climb to reach them.

 

Just tell me!:

In the small dead end alley is the Gibbs' residence, the front door is locked, but don't fear. Gibbs has the key and he is sitting and drinking wine in the pub with his friends.

In the little nook where you meet Nick's contact is an openable window that you can access from the awnings over the shop stalls, in here is the leBonne residence.

In the narrow street with the lightpost is a window to enter the Galey residence. There is another awning here you can mantle, to access the window. Alternatively you can enter by jumping from the window sill by the player's bedroom onto the window sill across to the left.

 

 

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

Gentle nudge:

Nick's contact mentioned that the Big Man won't mind if you line your pockets at the Inn or the stores. These are good places to search indeed.

 

Just tell me!:

 

 

Inside Wade's Pawn and Brawn you will find a few valuables on his shelves, especially in the corner behind the counter. His office also has a secret safe behind the painting. You can access this by flicking the switch under the desk right of the chair.

In the pub area is an assortment of loot, look close to the top of the large fireplace, on the back of a patron, behind the counter and on the winerack at the back of the kitchen.

Upstairs there are three inn rooms, two of which you will have to pick your way into. Both of these patrons have left some valuables in their footlockers, as well as room 2 having scattered loot. Additionally management has not cleaned room 3, and there is a left behind wineglass on the table by the window.

 

 

 

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

Gentle nudge:

There is a way to turn off the electric lights in the tunnel. But if you don't want to you can navigate the mission without stepping foot in the tunnel, if you think vertically! You can also avoid the brightly lit crossroads this way.

 

Just tell me!:

The generator to the left outside your apartment has an emergency shutdown switch on hidden on the left side. I tried to implement the guard turning this back on when he noticed, but he doesn't seem to, so take advantage of that! If you instead want to avoid the tunnel you can look at the above text on how to enter the Galey residence. In order to avoid the the crossroads you can enter the leBonne residence by instead mantling the barrel on the right as you enter the large square with the city gate, jump-mantle to the wooden support with icicles hanging from it. From here you can exit to the small square where your contact awaits you. You can also get to the Gibbs residence by climbing up the chimney in room 3 of the inn and then jumping down on the awnings into the dead end alley below.

 

 

What is this about 3 good deeds that popped up while I was playing?

 

 

This is a hidden objective you can complete, in order to go above and beyond with Nick, and get back on his "good list". You can complete all three good deeds by finding certain items and placing them in the correct place.

1st good deed

Gentle nudge:

 

 

You might want to look for any special items in the pub kitchen, and who might benefit from receiving them.

 

 

Just tell me!

 

 

This is completed by putting the fresh loaf of bread from the pub kitchen next to Filthy Fred who sleeps out by a lit brazier by the city gate.

 

 

 

2nd good deed

Gentle nudge:

 

 

The constable staying in room 1 at the inn could use your help, finding some clues to where his daughter is and placing it next to his journal would be the right thing to do.

 

 

Just tell me!

 

 

This is completed by grabbing the note called "Thieves' correspondence" found on the roof of the inn (mantle the awnings in the dead end alley or climb up the chimney in room 3) and placing it on the desk in room 1 of the inn.

 

 

 

3rd good deed

 

 

This Wade fella is a real prick it seems. Stick it to him by undoing certain fortuitous recent business transactions.

 

 

Just tell me!

 

 

This is completed by returning the bust of William Gibbs to it's proper place on the mantle above the fireplace in the Gibbs' residence. The statue is on the shelf to the right of the painting on the floor in Wade's shop.

 

 

 

 

 

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 (roughly in order of when you would encounter them):

1. It seems your neighbor to the north has thrown out more than just trash into the street.

2. Emily the barmaid has misplaced her ring somewhere on her shift.

3. It seems a patron of room 2 has also misplaced a ring.

4. It is well known that coal can make diamonds under certain conditions.

5. One of the street merchants close to the gate to West Farley Acres has something to hide.

6. Somebody has dropped a small silver bowl on the square with the city gate.

7. Wade should really work on the presentation of his merchandise, as it is a bit cluttered at the moment.

 

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

1. Head to the corner with junk and a door to the right as you leave your apartment. In a broken wooden box in the very corner is a golden wineglass.

2. Emily dropped her ring under the square table in the kitchen. You'll see it if you crouch close to the wall and look at the floor around the leg of the table.

3. In room 2 there is a ring on the floor between the bed and the bedside table.

4. In the dead end alley next to Gibbs' door is a market stand where you can mantle on to the Inn roof. If you look at the coal bed and lean forward you'll see a small diamond (in the lower left corner).

5. In the square where you meet your contact there is one large stand and a small one. If you crouch by the small one you can barely make out a purse with silver coins hidden underneath a white package.

6. Just to the left of the door to Wade's Pawn and Brawn is a turned over wheelbarrow. If you go on the left side of the wheelbarrow and crouch you can see a small silver bowl hidden behind it.

7. Inside Wade's shop there is a painting on the floor resting against the wall. On the bottom shelf to the left of it are a movable box and deep pan. If you shift these around you'll find a golden candlestick behind them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 light hints in one readable and some angry guards' standard voice lines.

There is no mention of drug use.

 

Thank you for playing, and a Merry Christmas to all! What did you think of the mission? I look forward to your honest feedback!

Edited December 24, 2018 by Bienie

[grayman]

Congratulations!

[Springheel]

Congrats, but something is definitely off with that snow particle...is that a core asset?

[Bienie]

Congrats, but something is definitely off with that snow particle...is that a core asset?

 

Thanks. Yeah the snow particles in TDM aren't the most beautiful but they do the job. It's the standard one you find under darkmod/weather/snow. Honestly it looks a lot worse in still frames than it does moving, but it always has that slightly weird square edge around it.

[Springheel]

It looks like it isn't pure black around the edges like it should be. I'll take a look.

[Thiefette]

Congrats and look forward to playing! MUST wrap gifts first!

[Cambridge Spy]

Okay, good mission, glad you added some new things, however I now cannot cover this Fan Mission - why did you change the font of the thief's correspondence to the very font which oversaturates causing the note to be a bit illegible? I'm sorry, but as much as I'd have loved to cover this today, I just simply can't, I have standards to abide by.

 

 

Also I had no idea you could turn off the generator to disable the alleyway lights. Makes things so much easier.

 

[peispud]

It's great to see another mission. Thank you and Merry Christmas. :-)

[JackFarmer]

Helllo Bienie,

 

Thank you for this Christman mission. Downloaded and started playing it last night.

 

JF

 

P.S. Ah, that's how you create blank lines in button-animated briefing. I was already about to ask in the Newbie thread how to do that.

.

Edited December 25, 2018 by JackFarmer

[Bienie]

Okay, good mission, glad you added some new things, however I now cannot cover this Fan Mission - why did you change the font of the thief's correspondence to the very font which oversaturates causing the note to be a bit illegible? I'm sorry, but as much as I'd have loved to cover this today, I just simply can't, I have standards to abide by.

 

 

Also I had no idea you could turn off the generator to disable the alleyway lights. Makes things so much easier.

 

 

Oversaturate? Do you mean that the font doesn't transfer well to video? I could change that font and send you a separate .pk4 if you wish. Would be nice to see you cover this mission I changed it because it was the very same font as Nick is using and I don't want to give the impression that he's the author

[Kerry000]

Hi Bienie,

 

Thank you for this awesome little Christmas-themed mission.

 

"...got me by the ornaments" & "Flying Taffer Spotted!" LOL

 

I found 1179 loot and 2 out of 3 good deeds.

 

Two things you should be aware of...

 

 

 

 

1) The door of the safe in Wade's office will open and clip through the painting if you click on the painting itself before lowering it with the desk button. Just a heads up.

 

2) The thieves' letter to Adrian has a grammar error at the start (repeats the words "take it" twice), though that's not really much of an issue.

 

 

 

 

I liked the snow effect and the Christmas lights, music boxes etc.

 

Nice job

[Cambridge Spy]

 

Oversaturate? Do you mean that the font doesn't transfer well to video? I could change that font and send you a separate .pk4 if you wish. Would be nice to see you cover this mission I changed it because it was the very same font as Nick is using and I don't want to give the impression that he's the author

I think I should wait until 2.07 is released in its final form and see if that issue is fixed. Although it really is a nitpick, like I said I have standards to abide by. Besides, I ended up being really busy this Christmas, having officially received Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the Switch version of Starlink: Battle for Atlas.

[Heuli]

Hi Bienie Thanks for the christmas themed mission

a verry nice Mission for christmas

[Oktokolo]

Enjoyed the mission on 2.07 beta and would santa again.

The snow is pretty on the current beta and i like the interactive machinery.
Had to turn off EFX effects though because they cause way too much echo on player and AI footsteps.

I can confirm, that Wade's safe can be opened by frobbing through the painting without using the button under the desktop first.

 

 

Edited December 26, 2018 by Abusimplea

[VanishedOne]

Thanks for the festive mission. I found a possible source of the chimney visportal weirdness: brush 36 isn't fully aligned with brush 177. If you find them using Map -> Find brush... and look from inside the chimney, you can find a thin caulk line, and it's possible to see through into another (lit) room when playing.

[manzanita-crow]

Thank you for the lovely Christmas present. I enjoyed the story as well as the mission

[Thiefette]

Thank you for the lovely Christmas mission, I enjoyed it

 

 

I liked the hidden objectives as well as the secret loot. Was pleasantly surprised that no one attacked me in the pub, especially when I'd just been slashed by the guard out front. lol I found all the loot, all secrets as well as completed the hidden objectives. I did have trouble figuring out one and had to come here for a hint.

 

I tried to give the homeless man the journal, since it went into inventory- so he would know about the help available to him. When that didn't work, I had to come here. I saw the bread highlight, however ignored it as that often happens in missions.

 

I also didn't go to the meeting right away, so I thought I'd fail the mission when he said don't rob anyone that you're leaving the gifts for as I'd already made my way through the town and the residents were now having a long winters nap. lol Fortunately the written instructions for delivering said gifts didn't say that and I continued on my appointed rounds.

 

I liked your theme, Christmas trees and the music boxes. Put me in the spirit for sure.

 

 

Thank you for all your hard work and look forward to more missions from you.

[Bienie]

Sorry for the delayed replies.

 

Hi Bienie,

 

Thank you for this awesome little Christmas-themed mission.

 

"...got me by the ornaments" & "Flying Taffer Spotted!" LOL

 

I found 1179 loot and 2 out of 3 good deeds.

 

Two things you should be aware of...

 

 

 

 

1) The door of the safe in Wade's office will open and clip through the painting if you click on the painting itself before lowering it with the desk button. Just a heads up.

 

2) The thieves' letter to Adrian has a grammar error at the start (repeats the words "take it" twice), though that's not really much of an issue.

 

 

 

 

I liked the snow effect and the Christmas lights, music boxes etc.

 

Nice job

 

I see you caught on to my attempts at holiday themed humor ^^. May I ask which good deeds you did find? Any of the secrets? Glad you enjoyed the mission and Christmas theme!

 

That's a good point about the safe... an oversight on my part. The painting is meant to slide down upon frobbing, but since I changed it to a button operated door it needed to have a frob control setup for the safe behind it. That'll be high on my list if I make a bugfix release. I do remember rephrasing that thief letter, must have missed it when I was shuffling words around, thanks for the heads up!

 

 

Enjoyed the mission on 2.07 beta and would santa again.

The snow is pretty on the current beta and i like the interactive machinery.
Had to turn off EFX effects though because they cause way too much echo on player and AI footsteps.

I can confirm, that Wade's safe can be opened by frobbing through the painting without using the button under the desktop first.

 

 

 

Glad you enjoyed my little electronic thingamabob! That's odd about the EFX. Has it been like that on other missions for you as well? Wondering if it might be a 2.07 thing, because there is only supposed to be a lot of echo in the tunnel area.

 

Thanks for the festive mission. I found a possible source of the chimney visportal weirdness: brush 36 isn't fully aligned with brush 177. If you find them using Map -> Find brush... and look from inside the chimney, you can find a thin caulk line, and it's possible to see through into another (lit) room when playing.

 

Thanks for playing! I did actually find that little misalignment during playtesting but completely forgot to fix it Was a bit rushed trying to get the mission released before Christmas day. Mental note to self; any seasonally-sensitive missions need to be given more time than you could imagine them needing before release! Luckily I think the visportal issues were solved by changing the mission ceiling to portal_sky which I had somehow completely overlooked.

 

Thank you for the lovely Christmas mission, I enjoyed it

 

 

I liked the hidden objectives as well as the secret loot. Was pleasantly surprised that no one attacked me in the pub, especially when I'd just been slashed by the guard out front. lol I found all the loot, all secrets as well as completed the hidden objectives. I did have trouble figuring out one and had to come here for a hint.

 

I tried to give the homeless man the journal, since it went into inventory- so he would know about the help available to him. When that didn't work, I had to come here. I saw the bread highlight, however ignored it as that often happens in missions.

 

I also didn't go to the meeting right away, so I thought I'd fail the mission when he said don't rob anyone that you're leaving the gifts for as I'd already made my way through the town and the residents were now having a long winters nap. lol Fortunately the written instructions for delivering said gifts didn't say that and I continued on my appointed rounds.

 

I liked your theme, Christmas trees and the music boxes. Put me in the spirit for sure.

 

 

Thank you for all your hard work and look forward to more missions from you.

 

Thank you for the in depth review, and I'm glad you got into the Christmas spirit!

 

 

That's a very good point about the journal. That would probably be something the beggar could like to have, it didn't even occur to me. I meant to change that so it wouldn't go in the inventory, eliminating any confusion. I'll make sure to do that if I release an update.

It is pretty interesting that Santa doesn't mind if you knock out all the people on his good list... I guess it's a good thing I didn't add any loot to the apartments or those who like to explore before doing objectives might fail the mission and not know why.

 

 

[Sneaker]

Very much enjoyed this Christmas themed mission. Thanks!

 

 

Would've been nice to be able to add one more good deed for atwell and find a place for the homeless.

 

[Amadeus]

Absolutely loved this mission! Fantastic work!

Edited January 3, 2019 by Amadeus

[Dyger]

Very much enjoyed this Christmas themed mission. Thanks!

 

 

Would've been nice to be able to add one more good deed for atwell and find a place for the homeless.

 

 

This is why I needed much time to find out

 

the homeless man needs the bread instead the key for room 3 (the empty room)

[NeonsStyle]

Congratulations on your release. Will play it in a bit

 

[Edit]

 

Nice mission. I just finished it, and it was a lot of fun. Nicely detailed, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I did find

a couple of problems. The first time I found Farley, he wouldn't talk to me, and I never got the instructions.

In that same load, picking the guy with the safes door, I was interupted by a guard, and the door couldn't

be picked again after that, so I had to reload. That fixed both problems.

 

Nice small, mission. Thanks heaps.

Edited January 7, 2019 by NeonsStyle

[Bienie]

Congratulations on your release. Will play it in a bit

 

[Edit]

 

Nice mission. I just finished it, and it was a lot of fun. Nicely detailed, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I did find

a couple of problems. The first time I found Farley, he wouldn't talk to me, and I never got the instructions.

In that same load, picking the guy with the safes door, I was interupted by a guard, and the door couldn't

be picked again after that, so I had to reload. That fixed both problems.

 

Nice small, mission. Thanks heaps.

 

Glad you enjoyed!

That's an odd bug with the door to Wade's place, and the conversation not triggering is kind of weird as well. I would think that you triggered it but didn't hear it, but in that case you would have had the objective pop up at random after he finished talking.

[NeonsStyle]

 

Glad you enjoyed!

That's an odd bug with the door to Wade's place, and the conversation not triggering is kind of weird as well. I would think that you triggered it but didn't hear it, but in that case you would have had the objective pop up at random after he finished talking.

 

The objective popped up, but since I didn't have the readable, I had no idea how to do it, or what had to be done. Reload fixed it. I might've jumped off

the awning into the conversation trigger, that might've done it. The lock though was wierd. Not seen that before. Either way, nice mission.

[SuaveSteve]

Thank you very much for actually writing a comprehension hint guide.

I dragged the hobo to the free room at the inn first though