Hidden Hands: The Anomaly

[hanmin]

A small confusion, I came across (that may be even intended) was this:

Spoiler

 

When heading back through the room with the excavation elevator, I get the message

Quote

If you go now, certain parts of the cave will become inaccessible probably preventing the completion of certain optional objectives.

 

However, all objectives down there seemed to be met. I could complete the mission with all objectives.

[Bluehawk]

On 5/3/2021 at 12:53 PM, JackFarmer said:

 

Guys, I am sorry that it does not work on your end. 

The opening scene outside the hatch is barely 800 DCs, below in the first room it is around 2,000 DCs and not really getting much higher in other places. Therefore, this should not put too heavy load on your hardware (my last mission was way more demanding in that regard).

I am afraid I am at a loss when it comes to performance optimization. Maybe @nbohr1morecould help here if he has the time?

@STRUNKOn a different note: have you finished your prefab for your bats? I would like to have these flying beasts for my next mission!

 

I think the particle-based fog from the skybox (?) is being rendered accidentally everywhere and possibly duplicated. This is what I see in the opening exterior, looking up at the sky with r_showTris 1 and 2 respectively.

Spoiler

https://i.imgur.com/TN6m2iy.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/n7OboVS.jpg

And just down the shaft with the broken ladder, if I crawl into the corner of the little maintenance tunnel/platform and stare at a corner where there should be relatively little going on, this is the result I get with showTris. Notice that the particles are being occluded but still rendered.

Spoiler

https://i.imgur.com/U2XYf7m.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/iYVFmZO.jpg

One last example: shortly after passing the first set of cameras, the entrance hallway with the bulletin board on the left and water tank on the right.  In this case, there seems to be a lot of overdraw for level geometry, as well as the flurry of particles.

Spoiler

https://i.imgur.com/Ywhskmz.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/pnEq4zT.jpg

 

Edited May 5, 2021 by Bluehawk

[Acolytesix]

11 hours ago, Zerg Rush said:

  Hide contents

Yes, not verry difficult with the sword from behind on the neck or head, same with firearrows. Robot guards are not as skilled with the sword as human guards in other missions. . With the mines anyway. Once the robot guards are eliminated, the security cameras, although they give an alarm, are irrelevant in this room, they will only subtract points in stealth, but these can also be deactivated with the switches that are there or shoot a firearrow at them.

 

Umm Fire arrows? Thought of those, so where do I find those? By the time I get an answer to that they'll probably all be dead anyhow (now that I know the secret to those lol) Gonna try to close & reopen everything again...

[stgatilov]

On 5/5/2021 at 1:01 AM, vozka said:

Would a savefile help? This is a save just in front of the decontamination chamber, when I go inside and pull the lever the game crashes right after the decontamination mist sprays me: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2zd6371szm82rdy/hhta_crash_save.zip?dl=0

It definitely would

I have looked at what happens. Indeed, it is due to frobbing something while having item selected.
The problem was already reported as 5542 and fixed in the latest dev builds.
For now, TDM 2.09 needs a manual workaround (deselect items in inventory).

Are there any other crashes here?

[irisx]

Thank you for another original and engaging mission! I was able to complete it in highest difficulty although

Spoiler

the robot guards made it quite straining in places due to their tight patrol patterns.

A couple of problems that other users have already reported: I did also suffer from very low FPS (3-10) in the outdoors area as well as on the 1st level. I have a rather old GPU but I cannot remember any other TDM mission that strained my PC to almost a crawl. I resorted to reducing the render scale to ~0.6.

Also

Spoiler

The key in the second-of-four lockers was unfrobbable for me as well. Despite the robot guard breathing (or fuming?) down my neck, I managed to close and re-open the locker without getting killed, but the key remained unfrobbable.

I also ran into the crash in the airlock area but I soon realized I could avoid it by not having any key-like item selected.

Other nice touches were

Spoiler

1. the heartbeat sound when approaching the missing fuses, I don't remember such an effect in any other TDM mission

2. the pagan dialect. I was wondering, is it "canon" with rules/examples written somewhere?

 

[Zerg Rush]

15 hours ago, Acolytesix said:

Umm Fire arrows? Thought of those, so where do I find those? By the time I get an answer to that they'll probably all be dead anyhow (now that I know the secret to those lol) Gonna try to close & reopen everything again...

Spoiler

You will find 2 firearrows in the Weapon chamber and some mines and other goodies in several places in the map. Enough for eliminate the robot Guards in the game, As I say, it isn't also difficult to kill them with the sword. all security cams have switches nearby. More dificult are the zombies, there are only few holy water pocions and counted waterarrows for them, they are more difficult to kill with the sword I think than the bots.

Bots are scary, but zombies can be more dangerous

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by Zerg Rush

[JackFarmer]

7 hours ago, irisx said:

  Hide contents

 

2. the pagan dialect. I was wondering, is it "canon" with rules/examples written somewhere?

 

Well, to my knowledge, there is no such thing available, we (Amadeus and me) just tried to mimic the pagan's "talks" from the Thief games.

[JackFarmer]

20 hours ago, Bluehawk said:

I think the particle-based fog from the skybox (?) is being rendered accidentally everywhere and possibly duplicated.

 

Yes, you are right, there should be no effect down there, because the fog particle effect entity is placed only on top of the map.

[JackFarmer]

16 hours ago, Acolytesix said:

Umm Fire arrows? Thought of those, so where do I find those? By the time I get an answer to that they'll probably all be dead anyhow (now that I know the secret to those lol) Gonna try to close & reopen everything again...

Spoiler

The mission includes at least five or six fire arrows and the same amount of highly explosive mines.

I have to admit, some of them are a little bit hidden.

For example, the first arrow can already be found in the first room where you have the two cameras guarding the vertical double door. After you have deactivated both cameras, just go back on the grating in the middle  and examine the bottom of the iron cage that blocks the way...

 

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by JackFarmer

[JackFarmer]

One a different note:

21 hours ago, hanmin said:

A small confusion, I came across (that may be even intended) was this:

  Hide contents

 

When heading back through the room with the excavation elevator, I get the message

 

 

 

 

However, all objectives down there seemed to be met. I could complete the mission with all objectives.

No worries, that was just a note for those, who did not explore the area as thoroughly as you did.

I just wanted to make sure, that no one would complain afterwards because he could not meet all objectives.

[STRUNK]

4 minutes ago, JackFarmer said:

One a different note:

No worries, that was just a note for those, who did not explore the area as thoroughly as you did.

I just wanted to make sure, that no one would complain afterwards because he could not meet all objectives.

Spoiler

Jack, I went back after the explosives went off, and I could just walk through the brush that is supposed to block the mine ^^

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by STRUNK

[JackFarmer]

1 minute ago, STRUNK said:

  Hide contents

Jack, I went back after the explosives went off, and I could just walk through the brush that is supposed to block off the mine ^^

 

Spoiler

oh, shit

 

[JackFarmer]

On a different note:

The first underground level (even the very first game scene!) and some of the characters are based on a famous American TV show.

@all: What is the name of the show?

Hint

Spoiler

4 8 15 16 23 42

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by JackFarmer

[STRUNK]

2 minutes ago, JackFarmer said:

On a different note:

The first underground level (even the very first game scene!) and some of the characters are based on an famous American TV show.

@all: What is the name of the show?

Hint

  Hide contents

4 8 15 16 23 42

 

The voice on the tapes reminded me of monty python : D Very good voice and funny text.

 

[JackFarmer]

8 minutes ago, STRUNK said:

The voice on the tapes reminded me of monty python : D Very good voice and funny text.

 

Hm...no, not MP....come on, STRUNK, you really do not know the reference show?

[STRUNK]

2 minutes ago, JackFarmer said:

Hm...no, not MP....come on, STRUNK, you really do not know the reference show?

I know very little shows or movies : (

 

[JackFarmer]

1 minute ago, STRUNK said:

I know very little shows or movies : (

 

Then,. my friend, as soon as the Corona thing has vanished, I invite you to my little Bavarian village and I will introduce to you lots of great movies and tv shows...with beer, barbecue and original Bavarian witch hunting! You will like it!

[STRUNK]

1 minute ago, JackFarmer said:

Then,. my friend, as soon as the Corona thing has vanished, I invite you to my little Bavarian village and I will introduce to you lots of great movies and tv shows...with beer, barbecue and original Bavarian witch hunting! You will like it!

Lol, sounds super geil : D

[JackFarmer]

23 hours ago, Bluehawk said:

I think the particle-based fog from the skybox (?) is being rendered accidentally everywhere and possibly duplicated. This is what I see in the opening exterior, looking up at the sky with r_showTris 1 and 2 respectively.

  Reveal hidden contents

https://i.imgur.com/TN6m2iy.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/n7OboVS.jpg

And just down the shaft with the broken ladder, if I crawl into the corner of the little maintenance tunnel/platform and stare at a corner where there should be relatively little going on, this is the result I get with showTris. Notice that the particles are being occluded but still rendered.

  Reveal hidden contents

https://i.imgur.com/U2XYf7m.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/iYVFmZO.jpg

One last example: shortly after passing the first set of cameras, the entrance hallway with the bulletin board on the left and water tank on the right.  In this case, there seems to be a lot of overdraw for level geometry, as well as the flurry of particles.

  Reveal hidden contents

https://i.imgur.com/Ywhskmz.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/pnEq4zT.jpg

 

You are right, I scanned the map for particle effects that do not show up. I have found one and removed it. I also removed the other particle effect above the trees for additional improvement.

Version 2 will include the changes. Thank you.

[datiswous]

On 5/5/2021 at 2:56 PM, Acolytesix said:

Took forever to get that unlocked with the robot guard & once inside that key too is unfrobbable. Those keys are important right?

I also had this one time, but when played later (a new run), I could frob it.

Spoiler

This specific key is not vital. It opens one of two routes, so you can still take the other route.

 

Edited May 6, 2021 by datiswous

[Heuli]

Great mission, I've done it no stress thank you Jack

[hanmin]

13 hours ago, datiswous said:

I also had this one time, but when played later (a new run), I could frob it.

Same for me.

[Acolytesix]

On 5/6/2021 at 7:10 PM, JackFarmer said:

  Hide contents

The mission includes at least five or six fire arrows and the same amount of highly explosive mines.

I have to admit, some of them are a little bit hidden.

For example, the first arrow can already be found in the first room where you have the two cameras guarding the vertical double door. After you have deactivated both cameras, just go back on the grating in the middle  and examine the bottom of the iron cage that blocks the way...

 

 

Yeah, I found those when back tracking

[Acolytesix]

Can I get a hint (what area) on where Fuse 1 may be?  Found 2 & 3 and started the 2 of 3 rings in the generator room. Nice to look at  

[Spyrano]

Wow, what a mission. The design, story, and humor really make this one memorable.

I say memorable, but now I can't remember where I found fuse 1. I do remember it took me much longer to find compared to 2 & 3. Hopefully someone else chimes in with a hint.