Fan Mission: Cole Hurst 1: Eaton by bwyan (2021/12/02)

[bwyan]

4 hours ago, datiswous said:

I was flying a bit through the outside area (using noclip) and noticed there's a lot of detail outside of what is possible for the player to see. I wonder if that has an impact on performance. Maybe not because of visportals?

Yes and no. The two primary areas where this is true is Gatwick square and the garden. I have done as much as I could to limit performance-loss in both cases, like ensuring no overlapping lights and applying the 'noclipmodel' spawnarg to most if not all objects not reachable by the player. But yes, generally speaking those two "rooms" are larger than what is generally advised in the wiki and elsewhere, so some players may experience sub-optimal performance around there in particular.

This is something I will try to be more mindful of going forward and also something I could return to and improve in this mission in a future update if several players reports that those places in particular perform a lot worse than other missions generally.

Do let me know

[pwl]

Just finished this great mission and I enjoyed exploring.  When I went to pick up the instrument I was pleasantly surprised with the additional areas!!

Great job! I look forward to more missions!!

[joebarnin]

Excellent mission! Lot's of fun exploring the mansion and figuring things out. Good use of conversations. City area was good; yeah it was there to get you from A -> B, but felt right. Twist at the end was unexpected yet it fit right in.

Spoiler

(Like @Bienie, I had trouble finding the book switch. I mean, I checked the bookcases twice and didn't find it! And of course once I found it, it was obvious. Go figure)

Thank you for an enjoyable mission!

[bwyan]

@pwl, @joebarnin Thank you both. I'm really happy that several people like my mission

[datiswous]

What I had not figured out is

Spoiler

who murdered the owner of the mansion. Was it the (Pagan) musician?

Also, it's still not clear where this is coming from:

On 12/2/2021 at 1:46 AM, bwyan said:

@datiswous – destroyer of crates

Edited December 10, 2021 by datiswous

[bwyan]

21 minutes ago, datiswous said:

What I had not figured out is

This will be explored further in the next mission in the series

21 minutes ago, datiswous said:

Also, it's still not clear where this is coming from:

I believe you helped me find some crates that imploded when grabbing a bow leaning up against then. It's possible I've gotten your name mixed up though, so do let me know if this was not reported by you.

[datiswous]

4 minutes ago, bwyan said:

I believe you helped me find some crates that imploded when grabbing a bow leaning up against then.

No this is correct . I forgot about this.

[NeonsStyle]

I'm still playing this (Can't find the damn key to the vault room. lol

That said. This is a very good mission. A lot of fun to play.

Aesthetics: 
You made the usual first mistake by new mappers, of making every room/space too big. However you recovered from that
really well, and fleshed it out beautifully. All the spaces are really quite lovely, and well detailed. I really liked the mansion, and the way you handled the lighting. Very nicely done. You pulled off a very well lit place (as it should be in reality) yet still can remain invisible. The whole look of the entire map was really well done. 

Story:
Won't say much here as I've not finished it, yet I'm really enjoying it. Readables are all quite interesting, and the custom voicing
was very well done. I especially liked some of the new comments by guards. The interaction between the lady and the guard at the 
***** scene was very well done.

Gameplay: 
Few complaints here.  More than 3 lockpicks except for especially secret areas is too much. Loot is very scarce, and not in the usual types of places. That said though, the loot pile tends to sneak up to the objective unnoticed. 

For a first mapper, this is a very very good mission. I am really enjoying it. However I could do with a hint re the vault room and where to find the code. I've been all over the map n no luck. Congratulations. Job very well done.  Look forward to your next one.

[bwyan]

@NeonsStyle I'm glad you like the mission in general, and yes rooms are generally a bit larger than average, so lighting is not the most performance friendly - although I have tried to optimize it as much as I could.

Regarding the vault:

Spoiler

There are two "special" rooms in the level. Both are hinted at in the readables found in Braxton's office. One letter is named "Evidence locker" and hints at a fake diary with clues to the evidence locker code that Zelmer has hidden somewhere in his private quarters.

The other letter titled "Hidden vault" talks about a secret room that can be found and opened somewhere inside Zelmer's office (adjacent to his private quarters).

If you would like me to be more specific as to exactly how to open each of these hidden/locked rooms, do let me know

[madtaffer]

How did you come with the idea of fake diary? I would like to write myself sometihng similar.

In what way you get the code from the diary? I got 3 codes depending how I understood it after consequent read.

 

[NeonsStyle]

I found performance fine with a solid 132 to 150 fps throughout. However I have a pretty good PC. 

[NeonsStyle]

Excellent mission. Loved the inventive story, and some of the mechanics you employed. Especially
**** diary. I especially loved the unexpected ending which I thought was really an inventive twist.

Very clever map. Can't wait for your next one. 

One issue. If you noclip into the secret room before opening it, you can't get out without noclipping. Not an issue
since I shouldn't have been there in the first place lol.  Congratulations, very well done mission.

[Azaran]

I'm trying to find the key

Spoiler

to the evidence safe. I found the code to the cage, but can't pick the safe

Spoiler

 

 

[Azaran]

Never mind,

Spoiler

forgot to check Braxton's body

 

[Bluehawk]

On the hardest difficulty there's an objective forbidding knockouts and kills, but it doesn't seem to register for all NPCs. For example, the civilian in red on fleet st. or the cook and servants on the ground floor of the mansion can all be knocked out or killed without triggering the fail-state, but killing most/all guards works correctly.

[bwyan]

@Bluehawk Thanks for pointing it out, I will make sure to correct this in version 1.1.

[bwyan]

@NeonsStyle Thanks very much for your nice words and I'm really happy you like it. More will definitely follow.

Regarding

9 hours ago, NeonsStyle said:

One issue. If you noclip into the secret room before opening it, you can't get out without noclipping.

I think the census is:

Spoiler

Finding that book switch was a bit too hard

 

[bwyan]

11 hours ago, madtaffer said:

In what way you get the code from the diary? I got 3 codes depending how I understood it after consequent read.

Here's a hint

Spoiler

The first digit is a time of day. The second digit is counting something somewhere in the map. The last two digits are a story about zelmer when sick and he is also counting something.

I hope this is helpful

[NeonsStyle]

At one point I accidently found that switch and was surprised to see that door open. Then I died. Next save
I couldn't find it, and didn't know where I'd triggered it. 

If you're going to do something like that, then it's good to give a visual clue. Game devs often use
green light but I think in TDM that's just too easy. I knew which room the door was in, but didn't know
where the switch was. 

Damn I can't get spoilers working on this new editor style. 

[bwyan]

@NeonsStyle I think I will alter the objective description (or the note so that it specifically mentions a switch) in version 1.1. Hopefully this will make it somewhat easier. I will also see what else I can come up with to make it more obvious.

[NeonsStyle]

I think a better way would be have a readable where a servant mentions it's but we still need to find it. Just mention the room is all you need.

In my level people complained about the switch being hard to find, but they knew what room it was in. I like the idea of since it's a secret room, the switch should be discreetly hidden. 

Edited December 13, 2021 by NeonsStyle

[bwyan]

4 minutes ago, NeonsStyle said:

Just mention the room is all you need

Thanks, but the room is already mentioned in the mission objective and the readable found in Braxton's office in version 1.0, so I think something else is needed as well.

Edited December 13, 2021 by bwyan

[mango777]

Just wanted to say thanks for a great mission. It was really well crafted. I really enjoyed the kick in the gut with regards the musical instrument  

All in all, it really hit the spot. Great gfx, great layout, great story.. you get the idea! 

 

Thank you for all your time an effort.

[bwyan]

@mango777 Thank you very much. I'm glad you liked it. Hopefully more will follow in the not-too-distant future

[gokudo]

Another quality mission. Loved the mansion. Eagerly anticipating further instalments.