Hidden Hands: Blood & Metal (Campaign) - 01.09.2024

[datiswous]

On 9/1/2024 at 1:58 PM, JackFarmer said:

 

I always think I'm looking at the back of The Black Mage, but no, it's just a black rock in a pool of water..

[Marbrien]

Thank you for this great and massive campaign, which I have just finished.

After my issue with the oddly behaving Sacred Crops scroll in mission 2 (see my posts on page 1), which I think is a bug of some sort, I wrongly thought there was also a bug with the shrine entrance receptacles because they weren't highlighting or responding when I put items in them.  Once I had re-read the poem all was good. 

I think I also only managed to find two secret areas in that mission,

Spoiler

one behind a wooden barred door where you enter over the top of the door, and another which can be reached once you have filled two large chambers with water.

Someone has mentioned that maps would be useful.  I agree.  If players want to explore without looking at them they can, but towards the end of a couple of the missions it was frustrating to needlessly revisit places because I didn't know how to get to the place I actually needed to reach.

Other than that, great work.  Thank you.

 

Edited September 10, 2024 by Marbrien

[chakkman]

2 hours ago, datiswous said:

I always think I'm looking at the back of The Black Mage, but no, it's just a black rock in a pool of water..

Hah, I thought so too, when I saw the screenshot in the original post.  

[Acolytesix]

14 hours ago, Acolytesix said:

So I ran into a problem in the water works. I have both the strange key and mysterious key. I opened the 1st gate with one of them, but neither key will work on the 2nd gate  . All my ojectives are complete except the head. Now what do I do? This didn't happen while beta testing...

Can I get some help with the command to skip ahead to the next mission please? Or better yet, can someone send me a saved file from right after that 2nd gate? (On Easy) I really would like to see all the new stuff added to that mission too. Mission 1 was awesome! All the added stuff. Very nice  Mission 2 is fun too. All the new switches & stuff. Good job guys!

[nbohr1more]

tdm_end_mission will finish your current mission and permit you to move to the next.

[chakkman]

1 hour ago, Acolytesix said:

Can I get some help with the command to skip ahead to the next mission please? Or better yet, can someone send me a saved file from right after that 2nd gate? (On Easy) I really would like to see all the new stuff added to that mission too. Mission 1 was awesome! All the added stuff. Very nice  Mission 2 is fun too. All the new switches & stuff. Good job guys!

Spoiler

If I recall correctly, the Mysterious key opens the first gate, and the Strange key opens the 2nd gate.

Why it wouldn't work in your case, I don't know.

 

[chakkman]

Spoiler

I'm close to finish the third mission, but, I missed one of the "special areas". Can anyone give me a slight pointer where all three of them are? I got the one in the machine room, and one which was earlier in the mission (which I can't remember now).

Edit: Ok, nevermind. Missed a secret area rather early in the game, there's a whole in the ceiling where you can get to a secret room with holy water and arrows in it.

 

 

Edited September 11, 2024 by chakkman

[Thief Joe]

Hello!  First, I must say this is a FANTASTIC mission!  I have been thoroughly enjoying my journey through the first three chapters, and I'm now into the fourth.  But now I'm stuck!  I have created the necessary conduits to get around the camera/cannon issue near the elevator so that I can approach the combination lock.  But I can't find any clue that might help me figure out said combination!  I can't find any readable that lends a clue to the 4 digits.  The book in the lobby describes the 43 windmills pumping water for 5 years creating 70 square miles of usable land, but I can't figure out any use of those numbers to come up with any 4-digit outcome that works.  Furthermore, I've tried shooting a broadhead arrow at the button on the wall behind the gate.  To my pleasant surprise, it works for opening the gate and activating the elevator, BUT I am then FROZEN in place!  All I can do is jump, stand, and squat, but I can't move anywhere!  I've tried shooting the arrow from various locations around the room and every time it's the same.  The gate opens, the elevator activates, but I am now frozen in place!  A little help, please?

[chakkman]

8 minutes ago, Thief Joe said:

Hello!  First, I must say this is a FANTASTIC mission!  I have been thoroughly enjoying my journey through the first three chapters, and I'm now into the fourth.  But now I'm stuck!  I have created the necessary conduits to get around the camera/cannon issue near the elevator so that I can approach the combination lock.  But I can't find any clue that might help me figure out said combination!  I can't find any readable that lends a clue to the 4 digits.  

Spoiler

Vague hint: Check Jonus' office.

 

[Underwood]

Hi,

I want to finish mission 3 and

Spoiler

I try to find the "upper crypt", but I cannot find it. Can you please give me a hint from the perspective standing in front of the "lower vault"?

 

[kin]

Fantastic mission. Congratulations to the author and anyone involved. I love the improved tree bark textures in the

Spoiler

cave area

and generally the vegetation placement and choice looks very well thought. If this vegetation could cast alpha shadows from the surrounding light sources it would bring visuals to a whole new level.

[chakkman]

1 hour ago, Underwood said:

Hi,

I want to finish mission 3 and

  Hide contents

I try to find the "upper crypt", but I cannot find it. Can you please give me a hint from the perspective standing in front of the "lower vault"?

 

Spoiler

Have you been to the place with the house facades, and two big spiders running around? The entrance is a gate, unlockable with the key to the upper crypts.

 

[Underwood]

1 hour ago, chakkman said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Have you been to the place with the house facades, and two big spiders running around? The entrance is a gate, unlockable with the key to the upper crypts.

 

Thank you.

Spoiler

I wanted to avoid this long, dangerous way back....

 

[huntaffer]

On 9/9/2024 at 3:15 AM, joebarnin said:

  Hide contents

It's on one of the guys having the convo near the door to that room

 

Spoiler

Can you please give me a clear hint , where the paddle is ?

I cant find it. Searched the whole building for it. Last souvenir to collect.

 

[joebarnin]

15 minutes ago, huntaffer said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Can you please give me a clear hint , where the paddle is ?

I cant find it. Searched the whole building for it. Last souvenir to collect.

 

Spoiler

The paddle is in the basement. Head south (in general). Look for an area with stacked wood (logs). You want to go into the nearby room. Inside that room is a locked metal door - the paddle is inside. The key to unlock the door is on one of the guys who had a conversation just outside the room. Not sure where he heads to after the convo.

 

[chakkman]

Just saying, but, these missions would have benefitted largely from ingame maps. Some of them are pretty big, and confusing to navigate (like the first one, especially).

[huntaffer]

3 minutes ago, joebarnin said:

  Reveal hidden contents

The paddle is in the basement. Head south (in general). Look for an area with stacked wood (logs). You want to go into the nearby room. Inside that room is a locked metal door - the paddle is inside. The key to unlock the door is on one of the guys who had a conversation just outside the room. Not sure where he heads to after the convo.

 

Spoiler

Many thanks, somehow I overlooked it in the beginning and searched the upper floors only. 

 

[JackFarmer]

19 hours ago, Thief Joe said:

  To my pleasant surprise, it works for opening the gate and activating the elevator, BUT I am then FROZEN in place!  All I can do is jump, stand, and squat, but I can't move anywhere!  I've tried shooting the arrow from various locations around the room and every time it's the same.  The gate opens, the elevator activates, but I am now frozen in place!  A little help, please?

Spoiler

I am afraid this is a game bug. You should not be able to do that by firing an arrow, thus the game breaks.

 

[datiswous]

I just found a (not so important) bug, but it's probably a tdm campaign bug, not a mission bug. I just note it here.

If I end the first mission, go to the mission success screen and go forward. Then the intro video start and after that you get the objective and difficulty selection screen. If there you click on the back button and then start the mission again, you first get the video from mission 2, but after that you get the objective/difficulty screen from the first mission, after that it will start the first mission.

Edited September 13, 2024 by datiswous

[datiswous]

Btw. is it intended that when "The Builder's Bell" starts playing, the player can hear it throughout the whole map? I noticed at the start, when the first section starts playing in the basement, when you move up the stairs, the volume stays the same, even when closing doors behind you.

[Bergante]

2 hours ago, datiswous said:

Btw. is it intended that when "The Builder's Bell" starts playing, the player can hear it throughout the whole map? I noticed at the start, when the first section starts playing in the basement, when you move up the stairs, the volume stays the same, even when closing doors behind you.

I´m sure that it´s intended to be heard by the Player the hole BuildersBell
in Beta there has been some strage sound in Chapter4 (Warehouse Nathan´s-Office-Record) - 
there it sounds like being heard all inside the House ! and attracted some guard !
I´m not so far into it - to know if Jack did a rework on this ?!

[Bergante]

Mission2
At first a Tip if players meet frozen characters (like monkeys Skeletons Pagans.....) 
if you touch them softly with something you carry - you can make them move on again 
it may need several trys to get no Suspicious by doing so
(but at some places you need to do so if you want to proceed unseen )

 

second : inside the first tunnel - there is a mysterious Barrière -
which doesn´t allow you to carry things with you

third :

Spoiler

before ending the mission i tried if i can go everywhere -especially the second tunnel 
I managed to get in the back of the Pagan and into the tunnel . 
But that´s not of use - one can´t proceed any further (unseen) - 
and to my big Surprise non of the Keys opened the Gate !?

Spoiler

 

Edited September 13, 2024 by Bergante
spoilered

[Bergante]

Mission 2

Genesis - Your Own Special Way (Official Audio) (youtube.com)

You, you have your own special way
Of turning the world so it's facing
The way that I'm going, don't ever
Don't ever stop

or this one :    Genesis - One For The Vine (Official Audio) (youtube.com)
Follow me!
I'll play the game you want me,
Until I find a way back home.

Follow me!
I give you strength inside you,
Courage to win your battles -

 

 

For players who like to test if something is possible 
I know Jack doesn't like it when it's done that way 
So I won't reveal the secret of this picture (nor how to make it!)
just to let interested players know: Yes, you can!

Edited September 13, 2024 by Bergante

[JackFarmer]

@Bergante

1. You cannot move the crates through there by design.

2. You try the wrong keys with that one.

3. Please put your content in spoilers.

 

[JackFarmer]

6 hours ago, datiswous said:

Btw. is it intended that when "The Builder's Bell" starts playing, the player can hear it throughout the whole map? I noticed at the start, when the first section starts playing in the basement, when you move up the stairs, the volume stays the same, even when closing doors behind you.

Yes, that is by design. Same was done in HHTA with the Jonus's recordings.