Snatcher's Workshop - Mods for The Dark Mod

[snatcher]

TDM Modpack v4.0

This new version of the Modpack is intended to be a long-term release. The Modpack is mature and stable enough to stay for some time how it is today, right where I want it to be: the foundation on which you build your favorite set of Mods for The Dark Mod.

Good care was put to make sure the mods included in the Modpack stay true to TDM and neither the missions nor the gameplay are altered in any relevant way. Yes, we have more tools and skills at our disposal but it is up to you, the player, to make use of them or not. Play The Dark Mod your way.

Compatible with 2.12 ONLY

If you have previous versions of the Modpack I suggest you start fresh: disable and delete old mods. Use the mods included in version 4.0 from now on.

TDM 2.12 introduces a great new feature and we can now have different mods from different sources running in parallel. Thanks @MirceaKitsune for pushing! Thanks @Dragofer for opening this door!

What's more for 2.12 internal resources for mods have doubled and we can now load more mods than ever before and we are grateful for this! Thank you, @stgatilov!

 

What's new in version 4.0?

Starting with this release I am getting rid of the individual versioning and all mods are now at the same version (4.0 in this case). "TDM Modpack" is now the name of the project and the previous main "pack" has been split into two standalone mods: "Core Essentials" and the "Skill Upgrade".

(The Skills are further split into their own packages and if you don't want a particular skill just look for the relevant pk4 and remove it).

 

SHOULDERING BOOST - Decommissioned

In TDM 2.12 we can now mantle while carrying bodies and the "Shouldering Boost" mod is no longer relevant and it has been decommissioned. In this new release of TDM we can also mantle while carrying objects therefore double thanks to @Daft Mugi for these quality of life improvements. Truly appreciated, thanks!

 

SIMPLE SUBTITLES - New!

Work on the subtitles is in progress and for the next version of TDM it is expected that players will be able to customize how subs are displayed on screen but until then, this new standalone mod offers an alternative for players looking for a rather simplistic presentation.

Enable "Simple Subtitles", go to the audio settings and set the scope you prefer:

• Story [default]: Story only
• On: Story and general speech (Give it a try!)
• Off: Disable subtitles

You can find more details of the mod in the opening post or in the readme included in the download.

We must thank @Geep, @datiswous and @stgatilov (among other contributors) for the good work on the subtitles so far! Well done, guys!

 

SMART OBJECTS - Present and Future

Sometimes it is difficult to tell if an object is being held or not and the "Smart Objects" mod (now part of "Core Essentials") gets a little update and whenever you manipulate an object three dots [...] are displayed on screen:

These three dots are a placeholder for real names, something I plan on addressing as a separate mod in the coming weeks...

Here is the relevant topic: Nameless objects... a missed opportunity

Stay tuned.

 

INVENTORY MENU - Reworked

The TDM user interface suffers from gigantism in some areas and the inventory menu has been re-worked and it is now delivered in a more compact format:

The menu is 15% smaller and while the text has the same size as before item names are sometimes cut and I added a tip at the bottom to make sure the full name is always available.

The updated menu is part of the "Core Essentials" mod.

 

MINOR TWEAKS

In each release of the Modpack I always tweak something and in for 4.0 I changed many things internally. You shouldn't notice any of the changes but it is worth giving the improved Whistle Skill a try...

Here is the full changelog:

• v4.0 New release
- Major reorganization and global revision: Compatible with TDM 2.12.
- All mods now share the same version (4.0 in this case).
- Previous "Modpack" split into "Core Essentials" and the "Skill Upgrade".
- Skill mods presented in their own, standalone pk4.
- CORE ESSENTIALS: New, re-worked inventory menu.
- CORE ESSENTIALS: New high mantle sound for our protagonist.
- CORE ESSENTIALS - LOOT ANIMATIONS: Added scroll animation for paintings.
- CORE ESSENTIALS - SMART OBJECTS: Display onscreen a subtle signal (...) when holding an item.
- CORE ESSENTIALS - SHOULDERING BOOST: Mod decommissioned (alternative included in TDM 2.12)
- SKILL UPGRADE - MANIPULATION: Improved script, smaller footprint.
- SKILL UPGRADE - DISTRACTION: New approach (again).
- HUNTER BOW: Increased radius of gas arrow effect.
- BASIC SUBTITLES: Initial release.

 

That's pretty much it for now. Thanks site admins, developers, mappers, modders and members of the community but more importantly, thank you taffer, for playing and supporting The Dark Mod.

The download can be found in the opening post.

Cheers!

[uyvie]

Wouldn’t it be arrogant of me to ask you to name the skills and packs the same? I don’t like some mods, and I have to manually remove them and check the site to make sure that alteration=penumbra ?)

[snatcher]

9 hours ago, uyvie said:

Wouldn’t it be arrogant of me to ask you to name the skills and packs the same?

Noted.

I initially had an idea for a skill-set but when I started working on some of them I wasn't sure what the final form or name would be. I opted for generic names and these generic names are now all over the code. I guess I got used to them.

9 hours ago, uyvie said:

[...] I have to manually remove them and check the site to make sure that alteration=penumbra ?

Well, Mission Complete!

9 hours ago, uyvie said:

I don’t like some mods [...]

It is good that people like stuff but I don't get to hear what people don't like. By all means, let us know what you dislike or disagree with and why!

[uyvie]

10 hours ago, snatcher said:

It is good that people like stuff but I don't get to hear what people don't like. By all means, let us know what you dislike or disagree with and why!

Overall, your pack seems almost perfect to me!)

Maybe it would be possible to add a frob outline like in the unofficial patch. I only play with the Steam Deck, and using the console on it is very difficult. After all, each button on it needs to be configured separately. Maybe if someone suggests what I can directly configure in the config, it will completely solve my problem.

I haven't played many missions yet, and the ones I remember are the two standard ones and "No Honor Among Thieves." There are a lot of items in these missions. Adding new skills has become frustrating for me because it takes a long time to find the right item in my inventory, and this happens every time.

I also wanted to say that I haven't found a proper use for the OBSERVATION, COMBINATION, DISTRACTION, and ALTERATION skills. I play on the highest difficulty and don't feel like it's too hard for me, and all these skills, in my understanding, are designed to simplify the gameplay. In theory, MANIPULATION should also be on this list, but I found a use for it.) But no matter where or how I use OBSERVATION, I always see blackness. Maybe it depends on the map?

The main problem is still the inventory. I would like it to have fewer unused items.) I even throw away picked up books and scrolls after reading them to keep them from cluttering up my inventory. I also installed the original Thief games, and it feels like they have a lot fewer items. That's how it is.

[snatcher]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me/us, @uyvie !

I am not familiar with the Steam Deck but it is good to know TDM works on portable devices. The TDM's autocommands.cfg file allows you to set hotkeys automatically (among other things) and you probably want to check how it works and see if you can set your preferred key bindings there. The Modpack includes an autocommands.cfg file with some examples.

13 hours ago, uyvie said:

[...] But no matter where or how I use OBSERVATION, I always see blackness. Maybe it depends on the map?

You definitely should see something and if you don't it is safe to say the peek does not work on the Steam Deck. The non-modded peek apparently does not work on Linux either so something is amiss somewhere

[uyvie]

7 hours ago, snatcher said:

The TDM's autocommands.cfg file allows you to set hotkeys automatically (among other things) and you probably want to check how it works and see if you can set your preferred key bindings there. The Modpack includes an autocommands.cfg file with some examples.

Oh no, that's not how the Steam Deck works. On a computer, each key is programmed to do only one thing.In any game, when you press "F", the system will understand that the "F" key was pressed.

But on the Steam Deck, I have to assign functions to each key myself. For example, I can make the "A" button act as "space" and the left trigger as "right-click".

That's why I'm saying that opening the console on the Steam Deck is difficult. Even though it has a lot of buttons, I have to temporarily program three keys for functions that are not really used.

[snatcher]

On 3/14/2024 at 8:42 AM, uyvie said:

[...] But no matter where or how I use OBSERVATION, I always see blackness. Maybe it depends on the map?

Let's run a test.

Peeking through keyholes is a core functionality. For it to work mappers must manually setup target doors accordingly. A few maps make use of this functionality. The mod expands the functionality (in a different way) to any door.

Download the mission Seeking Lady Leicester and load it. Approach the one door, crouch and lean forward on the keyhole. You should see the street outside.

Does it work?

[uyvie]

22 hours ago, snatcher said:

Download the mission Seeking Lady Leicester and load it. Approach the one door, crouch and lean forward on the keyhole. You should see the street outside.

Does it work?

No

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15gDMNTG1cvQynMesIoGzgk3nDmrqRsC4/view?usp=drive_link

here a video how it goes

[wesp5]

Shouldn't it already work in the training mission?

[snatcher]

@uyvie

The file is behind a login wall. Can you make it public?

[boissiere]

@uyvie are you using Linux? If so, there's a known problem with the peek function. See bug 6477.

[uyvie]

2 hours ago, snatcher said:

@uyvie

The file is behind a login wall. Can you make it public?

Edited

 

1 hour ago, boissiere said:

@uyvie are you using Linux? If so, there's a known problem with the peek function. See bug 6477.

Yes, I play Linux version on steamdeck(

[snatcher]

On 3/16/2024 at 2:10 PM, uyvie said:

Edited

I see. Thanks!

On 3/16/2024 at 2:10 PM, uyvie said:

Yes, I play Linux version on steamdeck(

Unfortunately the peek isn't available for you in any of its forms

It may get fixed for the next release...