The Black Mage (Grayman, JackFarmer & Friends), December, 24th, 2021

[High John]

Excellent mission.  Just the right level of difficulty and clues.

Having done everything, and got most of the loot, I still haven't found a use for my rope arrows . . .

[grodenglaive]

1 hour ago, madtaffer said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Volume 2 and 3: Search the attic with white sheets, there is a book somewhere. Search Davenport's room in his chest.

 

Many thanks! I was unable to frob

Spoiler

the book in Davenport's chest. never mind, I was thinking of a different chest

. Might be an issue with the VR game version then, I'll try again with regular desktop.

Edited January 1, 2022 by grodenglaive
mistake

[irg]

i had put this mission on pause for a week and it seems there may have been some important info in a conversation that i certainly would not remember now,

Spoiler

where's the key to the door in the kitchen?

 

[JackFarmer]

5 hours ago, irg said:

i had put this mission on pause for a week and it seems there may have been some important info in a conversation that i certainly would not remember now,

  Reveal hidden contents

where's the key to the door in the kitchen?

 

Spoiler

2nd floor -  vase beneath the wolf's head

[grodenglaive]

18 hours ago, High John said:

Excellent mission.  Just the right level of difficulty and clues.

Having done everything, and got most of the loot, I still haven't found a use for my rope arrows . . .

Spoiler

I found some loot that I couldn't reach without the rope arrow

 

[A_Big_Guy]

A short but enjoyable mission! Reconciled me with the mod after a few other missions than disappointed me somewhat.

Pros:

Loot distribution is mostly fair (not too hidden/on top of very high furniture, I hate that) and I didn't have to go back to complete the loot requirement.

Puzzles are straightforward without being too dumbed down either.

Plenty of moments where it's safe to sprint, but there's also places where a cocky player will be punished for it.

"Utility" moments that do not break immersion too much (e.g the game

Spoiler

reminding you of the code the cook gave you

, and the player character

Spoiler

taking a sketch of the painting that shows the 5 Ancient Items

.

Cons:

I felt like most important enemies are too easy to blackjack, as they're either not patrolling/moving, or patrol on sound-damping surfaces (carpets...).

Some alternate paths/secrets could have been welcome.

Spoiler

The "upper level" of the level with Wraiths seems... useless somewhat? All the useful rooms/items are on the lower level.

"My own" issues:

Spoiler

It took me forever to find Volume II, because the "chest" in the Lord's chamber looks way too much like a pillow! Clever man, I'd say...
When going to fetch the Cook's cake, the female servant wasn't patrolling anymore and instead was stuck in the larder where the cake is, blankly facing towards the door. It's not impossible to get through her, but it looked like a bug - unsure if it actually is.
The secret passage in the "crypt" (after the Wraiths, before the Elementals) eluded me for a while. I eventually concluded that SOMETHING had to be in  the crypt aside from 100 gold, since it took a puzzle to get through it - but that was kind of a "gamey" thought process.

 

 

All in all, thank you and well done - and R.I.P to Grayman, which I did not know before playing this.

[JBERT]

On 1/1/2022 at 6:16 PM, grodenglaive said:

Many thanks! I was unable to frob

  Hide contents

the book in Davenport's chest. never mind, I was thinking of a different chest

. Might be an issue with the VR game version then, I'll try again with regular desktop.

Same problem here. I'm unable to find volume 2.

Spoiler

Or maybe I cannot find Davenport's chest. I have found a lot of chests that contain a book, but I cannot frob these books...

 

[madtaffer]

Same problem here. I'm unable to find volume 2.

Thius is his room and you can see chest you need to unlock where is Vol II.

In this room there is a secret area.

Spoiler

Search the button on left side of bed, bottom wall.

 

Edited January 4, 2022 by madtaffer

[JBERT]

3 hours ago, madtaffer said:

Same problem here. I'm unable to find volume 2.

Thius is his room and you can see chest you need to unlock where is Vol II.

In this room there is a secret area.

  Hide contents

Search the button on left side of bed, bottom wall.

 

Found, thanks. I have opened secret area before my first post, but I haven't seen this chest.

JB

[NeonsStyle]

This was an excellent mission. Very fun to play. I think grayman would be very proud
of how this was completed. Well done everyone who helped finish his final work.

[AluminumHaste]

I guess I'm not supposed to get up here:

Great view though

[JackFarmer]

@AluminumHaste

Can you PM where you achieved this? Will then fix it for the 2.10 update release.

[AluminumHaste]

 

[datiswous]

You're jumping on his head right? I.m.o. something the game shouldn't allow.

[AluminumHaste]

lol wut? No I mantled on the torch.

[JackFarmer]

1 hour ago, AluminumHaste said:

 

Argh, I've added this bloody torch shortly before beta to make it more challenging...and forgot to set it to not frobable.

Thanks, will fix it for the 2.10 update.

[thebigh]

Really cool mission! I thought the castle was exactly the right size: big enough to be convincing as a mage's keep but not so sprawling that I couldn't find my way around. Which was good, because some of the collectables I needed were hard to find.

Parts of the mission reminded me of maps from the original two Thief games, namely Mage Towers, and Maw of Chaos. It was good stuff.

I did run into a bug right near the end though: I found Lord Devonport walking endlessly into a wall in the final chamber, just below a lit torch.

And was there any point to the dead end balcony outside the scribe's room?

[MrMunkeepants]

This was quite enjoyable, I'm so glad it got finished and released! I liked the addition of 

Spoiler

special loot items and hiding combinations in poetry.

I did get a prolonged "boooooooop" sound in the

Spoiler

lava cave

area, probably from a missing sound file looping. I believe I also got one opening/closing a stove grate.

[NeonsStyle]

I love that we can do this sideways jump and still catch a ledge. I did try to get up there, but didn't know you could
do this type of jump. lol Clever!

[JackFarmer]

15 hours ago, NeonsStyle said:

I love that we can do this sideways jump and still catch a ledge. I did try to get up there, but didn't know you could
do this type of jump. lol Clever!

Sure thing, @AluminumHasteis the man to ask if you want to have a proper check of your player clipping  because he thinks at least in five dimensions, maybe more. I consider him a super brain!

On 1/25/2022 at 8:20 AM, thebigh said:

And was there any point to the dead end balcony outside the scribe's room?

Spoiler

Well, no. Grayman's WIP allowed for access through this balcony into the mansion from below. I removed that possibility, so the balcony remains just a piece of architecture with not further meaning.

 

[gluon1]

I'd like to add my praise to all the others. This is one of my favorite FM I have played. It is a beautiful map to wander through; large enough but logical, even where there were, apparent or actual, dead ends like the 

Spoiler

balcony outside the financial dealer's room, the passage into a solid wall outside the scribe's room, and the seeming door next to the actual secret door into Davenport's room that, I think, can't be opened.

I thought the narration was excellent, both the cut-scenes, which I don't usually like, and in-game for hints and other purposes including humor. The vagaries of the guards' patrols was especially good, too. And I echo the praise for the in-game hints like the textual reminder of a code we were told. I always get lost and love a map, especially one that shows me where I am, but IDK how hard that is to do and it's certainly not necessary. I definitely struggled to find the site of the second volume of poetry and needed to be spoiled here but I don't think it should be changed. I also had trouble with the massive drop in FPS in the

Spoiler

lava room and found the mine for use at the end looked like a prison cell, so I wonder if that could or should be changed,

and it took me forever to figure out what to do to release the guest, so I wonder if there could be some in-game hint like a message, written or spoken thief, when

Spoiler

you try to move the switch and it won't move. I spent too long thinking it was simply unfrobbable and trying to see if I had to blow the boxes up with mines or something. I also found it odd that the book atop the machine next to the elemental was unfrobbable; that could be a great place to put instructions like, "To ensure our friend stayeth enclosed, ensure that the light remaineth red and turneth not green and that there be adequate pressure to keep the wheels turning." (I'm not a good writer.)

AFAIK, I have been wholly unable to find the 

Spoiler

cash box, for which I early found the key,

and I'd welcome spoilers on that or on the other loot I couldn't find, including what people used the rope arrows to reach. But my lengthy post is mostly to offer my praise and thoughts.

[thebigh]

Spoiler

34 minutes ago, gluon1 said:

he seeming door next to the actual secret door into Davenport's room that, I think, can't be opened.

It can be opened. There's a hidden button somewhere nearby. The contents of the room behind are... about what you'd expect from someone like Lord Davenport.

 

[gluon1]

Spoiler

  

5 hours ago, thebigh said:

  Hide contents

It can be opened. There's a hidden button somewhere nearby. The contents of the room behind are... about what you'd expect from someone like Lord Davenport.

 

Thanks @thebigh but even going over the whole room again, I still can't see it.

ETA: OMG! I finally found it. (I don't know how to put things "in the console" but thanks, @AluminumHaste.) Mad frustrating but totally a good solution in a sensible place.

Edited February 2, 2022 by gluon1

[AluminumHaste]

@gluon1

 

Try putting g_showTargets 1 in the console

 

[AluminumHaste]

Are you guys still looking for things to fix?
 

Spoiler

The wooden frame of the door right above here protrudes through the floor.
This is the room with the conversation with Jailor and Chronicler

Chest in barracks is frobbable but has no lid:

Adjust the textures on the bars so they don't look duplicated.

This cloth is completely black

I can't mantle this small fence from this side, I can only jump on top of it. I can mantle from the other direction though.