Away 0: Stolen Heart by Geep & _Atti_ (2021/11/12)

[Geep]

Also, if you need a rope arrow -

Spoiler

Most are provided in the starting inventory or the lower town. Once you're on the Four Flags campus, there's only 1 more to be had, in a footlocker in the upper floor guards HQ.

 

[MirceaKitsune]

Finally got it, thanks! I think when I played it two years ago I must have given up halfway. Must say this was very fun overall: Mapping and a few other things could have used improvements, but the story and dynamic was very nice.

Spoiler

Fun fact: After the cutscene when Bleda comes barging in, I figured he deserves an arrow between the eyes right through his captain helmet. Initially I was expecting some secret for killing him but nothing happened other than Emily fleeing. Even more weird is the final cutscene at the end suggests he's come back after her: Funny, I was sure one arrow straight into his forehead with blood and everything would have been enough to keep him dead... at least he should have some serious brain damage in my version of reality in part two

I take it the cutscenes are pre-recorded video? Didn't realize you can play those mid-FM, interesting in case I ever need to! For some reason though the video lagged a lot... wonder if we should open an investigation in another thread for any such bug.

Edited July 20, 2023 by MirceaKitsune

[Geep]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. About the ending...

Spoiler

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Fun fact: After the cutscene when Bleda comes barging in, I figured he deserves an arrow between the eyes right through his captain helmet. Initially I was expecting some secret for killing him but nothing happened other than Emily fleeing. Even more weird is the final cutscene at the end suggests he's come back after her: Funny, I was sure one arrow straight into his forehead with blood and everything would have been enough to keep him dead... at least he should have some serious brain damage in my version of reality in part two

I tried to accommodate that scenario by saying it's actually "Bleda's men" that are after her, so you could imagine, in your case, that they were seeking revenge for the killing of their leader.

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I take it the cutscenes are pre-recorded video? Didn't realize you can play those mid-FM, interesting in case I ever need to! For some reason though the video lagged a lot... wonder if we should open an investigation in another thread for any such bug.

The cutscenes were pre-recorded. I guess I pioneered their appearance in mid-game. If by "lagged a lot" you mean choppy, that's because my rig was underpowered hardware-wise to do a good job of playing the scene while recording it. So lots of dropped frames. If I had it to do over again, I'd invest upfront in a better desktop and/or external video capture box. But too tedious to do over now. Cutscene prep in general takes a large time commitment.

[Rio_Walker]

Okay... I'll be honest...
I did not expect that cutscene.

I was slightly frustrated by this mission/map, due to skill issue =P but that touch of

Spoiler

smut

felt like a reward.

I do have a question - what are those golden things actually? Like the one near the clothes iron above girl's room looked like a press or a stamp. That's a big stamp =D

 

[Geep]

41 minutes ago, Rio_Walker said:

I do have a question - what are those golden things actually? Like the one near the clothes iron above girl's room looked like a press or a stamp. That's a big stamp =D

They are a riff on historic mushroom-style "linen smoothers", as this article sketches:

http://www.oldandinteresting.com/antique-irons-smoothers-mangles.aspx

The gold color hints at heavy brass.

Bonus in the NSFW difficulty setting: One is also seen outside a laundry setting, for its *snort* suggestive shape.

[Rio_Walker]

5 minutes ago, Geep said:

Bonus in the NSFW difficulty setting: One is also seen outside a laundry setting, for its *snort* suggestive shape.

Yeah... I've... seen it. XD Should've been laying in a... puddle or a stain. Nice touch with cuffs and rope.

Also... maybe (if you'll be updating it someday) you should add a plank leading from the roof to the attic during the escape sequence, because I saw Emily just hover into it but fell down and missed the moment Emily respawned with clothes on. =D

[Geep]

8 minutes ago, Rio_Walker said:

Also... maybe (if you'll be updating it someday) you should add a plank leading from the roof to the attic during the escape sequence, because I saw Emily just hover into it but fell down and missed the moment Emily respawned with clothes on. =D

That "fall" delay was by design. Because there is no animation available to show her actually re-dressing from the trunk of clothing, so instead I wanted you to have to imagine it. Rather than actually catching up with her and seeing the instant body swap.

[Rio_Walker]

4 minutes ago, Geep said:

That "fall" delay was by design. Because there is no animation available to show her actually re-dressing from the trunk of clothing, so instead I wanted you to have to imagine it. Rather than actually catching up with her and seeing the instant body swap.

You cheeky nandos. XD

Have you not considered using the screen? She walks behind it, there is a shadow of her lifting her arms, the light flickers - POOF - model swap, she steps out clothed.  Although, there had to be something preventing the player from walking behind the screen.

I liked how you handled her undressing to begin with.

What startled me earlier tho, along with creepy music while the Builder's priest sings in the background, is the dress mannequin... with human hands.

[Geep]

7 minutes ago, Rio_Walker said:

Have you not considered using the screen? She walks behind it, there is a shadow of her lifting her arms, the light flickers - POOF - model swap, she steps out clothed.  Although, there had to be something preventing the player from walking behind the screen.

That would be another good method. The one I used was easier for me, given that I was also supporting a SFW difficulty level where she is already dressed before reaching the attic.

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I liked how you handled her undressing to begin with.

Thanks. No animation available for that either, so all done with cut-scene fakery and video editing.

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What startled me earlier tho, along with creepy music while the Builder's priest sings in the background, is the dress mannequin... with human hands.

Glad you enjoyed a bit of sparks with those. Although I can't take any credit for the idea of dress mannequins with human hands... you'll see them IRL at any mall. But the implementation in TDM... therein the magic:

Spoiler

It's a regular AI, but largely immobilized in an invisible box. It stops squirming and freezes about 1/2 minute after the game starts. So its exact posture is slightly different each time. The head is given a custom offset, to bury it into the floor beneath the dress.

It's 11pm here, and I'm off. Thanks for chatting.

[Rio_Walker]

1 minute ago, Geep said:

Although I can't take any credit for the idea of dress mannequins with human hands... you'll see them IRL at any mall.

Not with "real human hands" I don't. This isn't Condemned or Bioshock =D

I figured it was a model, but not "magic". I wonder if there is a mission with living statues?

2 minutes ago, Geep said:

It's 11pm here, and I'm off. Thanks for chatting.

Thank you for the mission... I'll start the next episode

[covert_caedes]

This was a fun mission!

Except..

Spoiler

that vault access code, I couldn't make any sense out of it. That hint in this thread

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To do so, you need a 2 digit code (from Bleda's attic safe or more obscurely from Zelda). There's also an indirect hint about the third digit from one of Emily's notes... then, in the vault, you have to play around with changing various puzzle digits and seeing what effect that has on the moving red light on the safe deposit boxes. The final digit is by exhaustive search - be sure to pull the handle on each try. There's only a desired response on 1 out of 10 possibilities.

didn't help either - I found no hint about the third digit.

Furthermore, the code from the attic safe (nice...) was did not contain the first two digits but the last ones?!

I was only able to solve this by watching a youtube video of someone who has somehow figured it out..

Spoiler

The actual code was 9669, the attic safe said "69". I don't see how any of Emily's notes suggest either 6 or 9, or that it's just the same number mirrored.

Last complaint: Exhaustive search is just not fun, especially if you need to pull and wait for that lever each time.
Of course even less if you're not sure about any of the digits (the safe note didn't say if 69 would be first or last digits)

[covert_caedes]

Hrm I wasn't able to type on *after* the spoiler and accidentally already submitted the reply..

(Does this forum somewhere have a raw mode where you type text with tags around them or something instead of this broken WYSIWYG editor?)

 

Anyway, what I was gonna add: This was a great mission and I already played Away1 - I'm really looking forward to Away2, want to see how the story goes on