Thief fan missions and campaigns

[H3H3]

It looks like no one is able to run this mission. That's probably cause of all the custom resources that were used.

This is pure NOPE.AVI material.

If you think the lag is bad enough, look at some of the static character models in the first mission. They're truly terrifying.

 

[marbleman]

My verdict: not worth playing even for the lulz. Some texts are pretty funny (if not disturbing); there are immobile AIs that are creepy as hell; other AIs apparently swear in Portugese; some textures and objects are amusing. However, the gameplay is so dull (and the game also lags like hell) that I quit after 15 minutes.

 

[H3H3]

My verdict: not worth playing even for the lulz. Some texts are pretty funny (if not disturbing); there are immobile AIs that are creepy as hell; other AIs apparently swear in Portugese; some textures and objects are amusing. However, the gameplay is so dull (and the game also lags like hell) that I quit after 15 minutes.

Pretty much what marble said.

Protip: look through the 'books' folder of FtM Life and give the .str files a read instead of actually playing the mission. It's effortless and you might even find it funny. Saves you from having to play a walking-sim, as well.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

No. No. NO.

I'm in the camp that believes that 'gender dysphoria' is a made-up bullshit thing to cover up the fact that people not sure of their gender are INSANE. This is not a diagnosable disease that can be treated with hormone therapy and 'corrective surgery', it's mental sickness. There's more than 40 years of research to back this up, but sadly Disciples of the Current Year are trying to make us think that it's perfectly OK. (They're also pushing for pedophilia and incest BTW.)

These people don't need mutilating surgery, they need a good shrink. And anyone supporting them is doing them more harm than good.

I've had reason to be wary of cardia FM's in the past, but this is well beyond ridiculous.

has come to Thief FM's.

 

[Melan]

It is a Brave Statement, you cisgendered oppressor.

Spoiler

 

[Jazz_]

Is Cardia renowed for being a bad mapper in the Thief community? I remember playing a bit of ''Melancholy in Porto'' (I still have it in my FM folder actually) and I didn't find it bad, it had nice atmosphere and music actually.

 

[DrKubiac]

I wouldn't say bad, he's rather wide of the mark I'd say.

Even though he's made dozens of fms, he still doesn't grasp simple dromed tricks sometimes. Most of the questions he asks in the Editor's Guild over at TTLG are about basic stuff, things a newcomer would ask.
He's not really tactful at moments, especially with women (poor Lady Rowena).
He doesn't care about authors of 3D models he uploads at the object repository, he even uploaded objects which weren't free of use in the first place.
He can overreact over trivial stuff, like calling him dude and whatnot.

Just read a few readables from FtM life and look at the names inside the zip file, and you'd see he's a bit off...

 

[Baron Dupek]

 

[JarlFrank]

I played 20 minutes of Tranny Simulator 2017, and apart from the bizarre subject matter, the FM just does a lot of things fundamentally wrong that just turn it into a tedious experience.

It's a massive FM, distance-wise. There's a lot of ground to cover. And there are no hostile AIs that you have to dodge, so it's a walking simulator where you pick up loot - kinda like playing a normal Thief FM where all AIs already start out as KO and you just have to go from house to house and steal everything you can.

That would be okay if the visuals were in any way consistent, but they're not. Sometimes a vase is loot, sometimes it's not. How do you notice? By walking up to it and seeing if it's frobbable. Frobbable object doors often look exactly the same as unfrobbable texture doors. This is terrible. You might walk along a road with several houses, and only one of them is actually enterable. In most Thief FMs, you'd see at a glance which one it is: the door looks slightly different, or if not, it at least has a doorhandle to show you that it's a physically interactable door. Not so in this FM. All the doors look the same, but one of them is actually an object while all the others are just textures...

So the main gameplay element of this FM is walking around and checking every single door for frobbability because the doors that can be opened look exactly the same as those that can't.

 

[Max_b5]

Pretty much all that JarlFrank said, except there are hostile AIs and, guess what, they swear in Portuguese and are voice acted by Cardia himself. This FM is just a walking simulator where you have to guess by pure trial which things are frobable and which are not, and the loot requirement is absurd even for veterans. Not all of his FMs are "bad", but they all consist of the same crap: Get X and put it in Y. Repeat this 20 times until the mission is over. The only thing that changes in his FMs is the setting, but the gameplay remains as boring and soulless as always. Same thing applies to the atmosphere (that music )

He also had the audacity to ask Clearing and Athalle to upload screenshots of the second mission to their websites, implying people would play that thing to the end before quitting out of pure cringe. No thanks, I played through the first mission two times before uninstalling and deleting this 402 mb monster.

 

[nodar]

Going by how much work went into his campaign (going by the screenshots on darkfate alone, visuals are remarkable feat by themselves), least that his colleagues could to is to show some modicum of respect. Instead, you are shitting on him, behind his back at that.
I wasn't a fan of how certain noir themed mini campaign played either, yet I never attacked it or its authors. Amount of work that went into it was obvious, and I wouldn't dream od demanding how a mod for some game should or shouldn't play.

 

[H3H3]

Going by how much work went into his campaign (going by the screenshots on darkfate alone, visuals are remarkable feat by themselves), least that his colleagues could to is to show some modicum of respect. Instead, you are shitting on him, behind his back at that.
I wasn't a fan of how certain noir themed mini campaign played either, yet I never attacked it or its authors. Amount of work that went into it was obvious, and I wouldn't dream od demanding how a mod for some game should or shouldn't play.

I get what you mean, but here's the thing. FtM Life isn't all that good, technically or objectively. Sure, Cardia might have 'worked' on the mission for a long time, but you can say that for any shitty FM or mod, in general. Just because you worked hard on something doesn't mean you're completely immune to all criticism. Anyway, there are several gameplay aspects that are wrong and make FtM a total drag, the reasons of which everyone above already mentioned. Plus, he managed to get the message and subject matter of the mission across to the Thief community so badly that it almost comes off as a joke.

 

[Max_b5]

behind his back at that.

Well I don't want to earn myself a ban from TTLG for doing my remarks on a shitty FM in a community where "AlL fMs ArE gOoD bEcAuSe ThEy ExIsT" From a guy who has made over 20 fan missions, you'd expect that his latest will be at least good, but it's like playing a Thief level with all the enemies already KO'ed.

I give FtM life a /

 

[Squadafroinx]

Going by how much work went into his campaign (going by the screenshots on darkfate alone, visuals are remarkable feat by themselves), least that his colleagues could to is to show some modicum of respect. Instead, you are shitting on him, behind his back at that.
I wasn't a fan of how certain noir themed mini campaign played either, yet I never attacked it or its authors. Amount of work that went into it was obvious, and I wouldn't dream od demanding how a mod for some game should or shouldn't play.

But that's exactly why it need to be criticized! Two years just to unmould this reeking piece of shit and call it a day? What a waste of time! Especially for some "dromed veteran" with a +20 missions on his counter. And about the "behind his back" passage, here's what happen when you tell him up front what's wrong with his maps : http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148420&page=5&p=2376618&viewfull=1#post2376618
Just some weird whinny ramblings from a retard who can't discern criticism from personal attacks. But boy he sure showed us why nobody can't review his fan-mission (unless it's to tell good things) because how gracious he is by doing all this work for free on his free time! (like everyone else lol )

(Oh and by the way there's some rumors that Cardia purposely delayed the release of FtM life because of DCE; he feared people would forget his fan-mission. Cardia's pettiness is certainly without bottom )

 

[nicked]

Especially for some "dromed veteran" with a +20 missions on his counter.

This is the absolutely tragic part. When you completely refuse to acknowledge any constructive criticism, you never get any better.

Admittedly it's hard to understand what genuinely worked or didn't work in a mission when all you're going off is the always-positive comments on TTLG, but if you're not even trying to seek out constructive feedback for your work, why even bother?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

nicked is such a damned fine name for the discerning taffer.

 

[Renault]

I think the deal with FTM Life and Cardia in general is that he really just makes the missions he wants to make. He's not that concerned with what other people think he should make. You have to respect that to a degree. I think it's been obvious since the beginning that he's not striving to make the perfect Thief mission that everyone expects. That's creative and daring, and not a bad thing. It's like when Digi/Sliptip made Fables of the Penitent Thief or even Yandros & Co making Waterfront Racket. A little variety is nice. We have plenty of the more standard stuff.

But of course, that said, once people like Squada and FireMage start tearing into him, he's going to get defensive and fire back. I think anybody would. But at least the criticism there was based on the actual content of the mission.

TBH, I think making fun of the guy for having mental issues and using terms like "Tranny Simulator" just isn't cool. Even for this place. If the guy has serious problems, why criticize him? This is kind of like going to school and beating up the special ed kids.

 

[JarlFrank]

Yeah FireMage's criticism over on the TTLG thread was totally fair and objective, and how does Cardia reply? By personal insults and claiming all of FireMage's missions are shit.

Like... whoa. DUDE.

 

[Squadafroinx]

(...)
TBH, I think making fun of the guy for having mental issues and using terms like "Tranny Simulator" just isn't cool. Even for this place. If the guy has serious problems, why criticize him? This is kind of like going to school and beating up the special ed kids.

Yeah "special ed kid" LOL I couldn't say that better myself. Let us not forget that Cardia actually threatened Random_taffer with violence because he called him "dude" just before mods had enough of his tard-tantrums and forced to him to take a break along deleting several messages

And I thought TTLG was free of E-drama

 

[Renault]

I think you missed my point.

 

[fortuni]

I would like to bring to everybody's attention, for those who did not already know, that Pedro is a post-op FTM man himself, and for the last few years most of his missions (Anna's Secret, Umbellina, FTM life etc) have been semi-autobiographical stories about his life long struggle to be accepted in a hostile, even alien world.

I personnally can't comment on FTM Life as I have yet to play it, but I have read all the books, and yes there is a huge amount of anger and angst in those books, but this is a reflection of the anger, even rage most FTM people experience in a hostile world where few people understand them and even fewer accept them.

Although I'm not a psychologist, I think it fair to suggest that Pedro has, rightly or wrongly, seen all negative comments on FTM Life as personnal attacks on him and his personnal struggle in life. Seen from his world view, an attack on his mission is an attack on his life struggle, something he has taken years to try to come to terms with himself. His life's mission has been the struggle and desire to be accepted, even loved, as he is. Any criticism on his mission he takes as a personnel rejection of who he is, on a level that few of us could possibly understand, unless of course any of you have gone through the same life struggle.

I fear that a ban from TTLG could adversely compound Pedro's emotional state of affairs that clearly have been aroused by some of the comments posted on the forum in the last couple of days, I have thus petitioned the moderators at TTLG to reverse their decision to ban Pedro due to his unique situation as explained above and would ask all of you to show Pedro a degree of compassion and understanding when the ban is lifted.

He a genuinely lovely individual but is also someone who is highly sensitive towards criticism, an understandable sensitivity due to his unique position. It was a brave thing to make such a mission, which I have a lot of respect for, so as a friend of Pedro I ask everyone on this forum (and to ask their friends over at TTLG) to refrain from further negative comments, intentional or not, when Pedro returns to TTLG.

 

[Infinitron]

Things you learn from the moderation queue - the Thief 2 fan missions thread on the Codex is just like all other threads on the Codex.

 

[Max_b5]

that Pedro is a post-op FTM man himself

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH YOU BELIEVED THAT? OH BOY. That is as much of a lie as his "I accept any kind of criticism" BS on the release of his first mission. Come on.

 

[Random_Taffer]

I don't know where you learned this, fortuni, but you've been lied to.
Pedro is not a FTM. He is a straight man who has even talked in public on TTLG how he fucks his girlfriend and she uses a bidet to clean out her ass and vagina.

My personal theory is that his mission Ana's secret is about his breakup with his girlfriend who turned out to be lesbian and then later FTM and this is him trying to cope with it.

 

[Renault]

Do we know for certain that he isn't an FTM? I've seen him make comments on TTLG and I just assumed they were true, because I really didn't have a reason not to. If he's lying about that, his issues go way deeper than I thought. That's not exactly a little white lie.