Watery Grave has been released? Go on and play it - it's real gud; a small but good-looking and well-designed climbing mission. Squadafroin's really going places.
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Thief fan missions and campaigns
- Thread starter SCO
- Start date
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- May 13, 2009
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>Installs mission
>Looks up
>Computer starts chugging
>"By the Builder..."
*a short while later*
You're right, it's gud. I only got around 2/3ds of the loot, and frankly I'm at a loss as to where I might find more. That small alcove in the priest's chamber screamed "I'M IMPORTANT!" at me, and yet I couldn't find anything relevant there.
The only point of criticism was that too often I was banging into invisible edges of things, most noticeably underwater.
Two points of notice:
# There's a vertical painting hanging horizontally on the lower floor of the guy that has the funeral mask.
# Standing outside the door where the artist lives, I turned right towards the roofs. Up above the rooftops I could catch a glimpse of the black outline of the backdrop so that it was in the shape of something dark and sinister, looking at me. However, as I moved slightly from my position, the black outline vanished abruptly. That scared me more than all the FMs of the last few years rolled together, and my sigh of relief when I moved again and it popped back into view was audible.
>Looks up
>Computer starts chugging
>"By the Builder..."
*a short while later*
You're right, it's gud. I only got around 2/3ds of the loot, and frankly I'm at a loss as to where I might find more. That small alcove in the priest's chamber screamed "I'M IMPORTANT!" at me, and yet I couldn't find anything relevant there.
The only point of criticism was that too often I was banging into invisible edges of things, most noticeably underwater.
Two points of notice:
# There's a vertical painting hanging horizontally on the lower floor of the guy that has the funeral mask.
# Standing outside the door where the artist lives, I turned right towards the roofs. Up above the rooftops I could catch a glimpse of the black outline of the backdrop so that it was in the shape of something dark and sinister, looking at me. However, as I moved slightly from my position, the black outline vanished abruptly. That scared me more than all the FMs of the last few years rolled together, and my sigh of relief when I moved again and it popped back into view was audible.
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Yeah I'm so totally doing a mission for this.
Posted this on TTLG this evening.
Small status update today: we're making good progress and two more expansive missions are now mostly finished. FireMage has also been working hard on the campaign's new tools and objects and they're all really good fun with lots of creative possibilities. He also made quite a lot of new AIs and revamped a few classic ones. We found an artist for the briefing art and we also finally found a voice actor for our (anti-) hero, Hume, who is none other than the very talented Goldwell!
Here are a few screenshots from these two missions. Still a bit empty for now but they won't be for very long.
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*reads text*
*looks at screenshots*
If this is you claiming "empty", I'm curious to see what you guys consider "full".
Whatever. Just. Don't. Stop.
*looks at screenshots*
skacky said:
If this is you claiming "empty", I'm curious to see what you guys consider "full".
Whatever. Just. Don't. Stop.
skacky why are you such a level design god
Shadowdancer over at TTLG decided to explore the heights of Fidgewick's Hollow despite my efforts at preventing access to Goldenbaum Castle's roof.
I wonder if it's possible to mess around in Endless Rain like this too.
What's with the low framerate in this video?
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There's a new T2 FM out. "Spear of Destiny" is a sequel to a FM called "The Librarian" (that I'm having a hard time tracking down) and has Garrett trying to beat the Nazis the Mechanists to the legendary spear...except he's too late. Now Garrett's trying to nab the spear from the Mechanists before they do something evil with it. Cue 7-story cube mansion with Mechbeasts, Mechanists singing about spillers of blood, security systems and lots of metal thresholds.
This one...is pretty good. In many ways it's just going through the motions, but sometimes it tries to strike out on its own...and has about a 50% success ratio, I'd reckon. The prisoner break-out puzzle is neat, as is the "upgrade your access card" one, but Audiolog Syndrome is a thing and it's pretty bad in this one. But with 6 large floors there's plenty to see and do, including a "Throw the switch, Igor!"-moment, an art exhibition with some very nice paintings ( JarlFrank ) and what amounted to the best moment of the (first) mission: Reading the plaque on the coffin. I likes me some good graveyard humour, but that came out of left field.
There's a second mission in there that I haven't reached yet, but so far this FM pack comes recommended. The hefty download size makes me wonder what's taking up all that space...
This one...is pretty good. In many ways it's just going through the motions, but sometimes it tries to strike out on its own...and has about a 50% success ratio, I'd reckon. The prisoner break-out puzzle is neat, as is the "upgrade your access card" one, but Audiolog Syndrome is a thing and it's pretty bad in this one. But with 6 large floors there's plenty to see and do, including a "Throw the switch, Igor!"-moment, an art exhibition with some very nice paintings ( JarlFrank ) and what amounted to the best moment of the (first) mission: Reading the plaque on the coffin. I likes me some good graveyard humour, but that came out of left field.
There's a second mission in there that I haven't reached yet, but so far this FM pack comes recommended. The hefty download size makes me wonder what's taking up all that space...
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Thanks for tagging me, Unkillable Cat, it reminds me that I have to work on my own mission.
Which is for a contest.
Which has about a month of build time left.
I SHOULD HURRY UP
Which is for a contest.
Which has about a month of build time left.
I SHOULD HURRY UP
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Update: Finished the second mission, which is a catacomb romp with mostly Hammerite opponents. While this mission was enjoyable, there were times where I was thinking "this can be, and has been, done better".
One briiliant example of this is the lava chasm. It needs to be crossed to complete the mission, however the three platforms are out of alignment and that requires entering a 4-digit code into a big-ass machine hovering above. The thing is, the Mechanists complained that they couldn't figure out the code and had developed a workaround...while I took one look at the clue, tried a combination and got it right on the first try. But that's not the silly part. The silly part is that it's perfectly possible to jump between the out-of-alignment platforms to reach to the other side - which is why the FM author disabled jumping in that section of the FM!
Despite these shortcomings, this FM is fun and worth a playthrough. I also discovered why the FM is so big - it features lots of music in it, ranging from simple piano tunes to a Dewdrop song...which is found in the Dewdrop fan shrine.
One briiliant example of this is the lava chasm. It needs to be crossed to complete the mission, however the three platforms are out of alignment and that requires entering a 4-digit code into a big-ass machine hovering above. The thing is, the Mechanists complained that they couldn't figure out the code and had developed a workaround...while I took one look at the clue, tried a combination and got it right on the first try. But that's not the silly part. The silly part is that it's perfectly possible to jump between the out-of-alignment platforms to reach to the other side - which is why the FM author disabled jumping in that section of the FM!
Despite these shortcomings, this FM is fun and worth a playthrough. I also discovered why the FM is so big - it features lots of music in it, ranging from simple piano tunes to a Dewdrop song...which is found in the Dewdrop fan shrine.
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On a whim, I dug up the prequel, "The Librarian".
The moment the title screen loaded I remembered this one. It's a 2007 FM about Garrett breaking into a big library to score the Four Talismans so he can reach the vault containing the Spear of Destiny, though most taffers know this FM as "the one with Garrett singing during the title screen".
Even by 2007 standards, this mission feels a little primitive at times. Long, empty corridors leading to large, barren rooms. Everything is at right angles, only the underwater tunnels and the occasional octagonal room break that rule. And one bothersome plot hole: Even though the four talismans have been kept seperate specifically to prevent anyone getting their hands on the MacGuffin, all four Talismans are within reach from the library. One is on exhibit, one can be reached by diving into the water, and from there the other two are within walking distance. Not exactly what I'd call "seperate". At least the exhibition wing of the library holds a few...surprises for the unwary taffer.
But the most interesting thing about "The Librarian" is seeing how much of its ideas and architecture is used in "The Spear of Destiny". In short, the author recycled huge chunks of his 2007 mission for his 2016 mission. Fortunately the puzzles are not recycled, because as clever as some of them are, most of them are of the forgettable variety.
Just like with Star Wars Ep. 1, I recommend skipping it and jumping straight to the sequel. You're not missing out on much by doing so.
The moment the title screen loaded I remembered this one. It's a 2007 FM about Garrett breaking into a big library to score the Four Talismans so he can reach the vault containing the Spear of Destiny, though most taffers know this FM as "the one with Garrett singing during the title screen".
Even by 2007 standards, this mission feels a little primitive at times. Long, empty corridors leading to large, barren rooms. Everything is at right angles, only the underwater tunnels and the occasional octagonal room break that rule. And one bothersome plot hole: Even though the four talismans have been kept seperate specifically to prevent anyone getting their hands on the MacGuffin, all four Talismans are within reach from the library. One is on exhibit, one can be reached by diving into the water, and from there the other two are within walking distance. Not exactly what I'd call "seperate". At least the exhibition wing of the library holds a few...surprises for the unwary taffer.
But the most interesting thing about "The Librarian" is seeing how much of its ideas and architecture is used in "The Spear of Destiny". In short, the author recycled huge chunks of his 2007 mission for his 2016 mission. Fortunately the puzzles are not recycled, because as clever as some of them are, most of them are of the forgettable variety.
Just like with Star Wars Ep. 1, I recommend skipping it and jumping straight to the sequel. You're not missing out on much by doing so.
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Another new Thief 2 FM was released recently.
"Dreamlord Mission 1: Time is Gold" is a typical mansion heist: Break into large mansion, find the MacGuffin, get out. Expert level forces ghosting the mission, so keep that in mind.
While the mansion looks good and the mission doesn't do anything really wrong, it just felt off to me somehow. The mansion is a little too big and barren on the inside, and I got tired of seeing the same painting hanging around a dozen different places. Guards are few and far between, and with the exception of the fountain guard their patrol routes are predictable straight lines along long passages. Areas are either brightly lit or ultra-dark, there's very little middle ground. There are rooms that look important but serve no purpose (alchemist's lab) and the most heavily guarded rooms are unimportant. To get to the MacGuffin in the basement, you must first reach the entrance to the basement at the top of the mansion, but make sure you've found the four gems needed for theQuadruple Lock vault. There's a secret door visible a mile away, and contains an easter egg only known to hardcore DromED'ers, it seems.
Overall I think this mission is a decent mixture of average and "meh". The house has a lot of potential, but none of it is realized. About the only cool things the mission pulls is placing those creepy-looking statues all over the mansion, leading players to think that they'll serve a purpose later on (they won't) and then the room where the tarot cards are located. In there an ambient sound is playing that sounds like it's coming from within the room, but from different locations. It really sets a tense mood for a brief moment in what is otherwise a humdrum FM.
One final note is the briefing video...it's bad. The readme has the text version of it, and it just made me cringe. The writing is terribly horribly bad. This is not how you write a scene in the Thief style, this is how you try to make yourself look like a good writer without success. As the title of the FM suggests this is but the first part, and hopefully things will improve from here on.
"Dreamlord Mission 1: Time is Gold" is a typical mansion heist: Break into large mansion, find the MacGuffin, get out. Expert level forces ghosting the mission, so keep that in mind.
While the mansion looks good and the mission doesn't do anything really wrong, it just felt off to me somehow. The mansion is a little too big and barren on the inside, and I got tired of seeing the same painting hanging around a dozen different places. Guards are few and far between, and with the exception of the fountain guard their patrol routes are predictable straight lines along long passages. Areas are either brightly lit or ultra-dark, there's very little middle ground. There are rooms that look important but serve no purpose (alchemist's lab) and the most heavily guarded rooms are unimportant. To get to the MacGuffin in the basement, you must first reach the entrance to the basement at the top of the mansion, but make sure you've found the four gems needed for the
Overall I think this mission is a decent mixture of average and "meh". The house has a lot of potential, but none of it is realized. About the only cool things the mission pulls is placing those creepy-looking statues all over the mansion, leading players to think that they'll serve a purpose later on (they won't) and then the room where the tarot cards are located. In there an ambient sound is playing that sounds like it's coming from within the room, but from different locations. It really sets a tense mood for a brief moment in what is otherwise a humdrum FM.
One final note is the briefing video...it's bad. The readme has the text version of it, and it just made me cringe. The writing is terribly horribly bad. This is not how you write a scene in the Thief style, this is how you try to make yourself look like a good writer without success. As the title of the FM suggests this is but the first part, and hopefully things will improve from here on.
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tormund
Arcane
I just saw this on one fiction sub-reddit, I wonder what local Thief experts think about it:
"Speaking of weird fiction and video games in general, I always thought that Thief series (which was a predecessor of Dishonored) was heavily influenced by the works of Arthur Machen, in its portrayal of supernatural and pagan otherworld, in how The City from those games was reminiscent of Machen's strange and mysterious vision of London... Third and final game also had something that I am sure was a direct reference to one Machen's work. There was one mission where main character was breaking into the camp of pagan rebels, and in one abandoned building you can find a hidden diary written by a young girl where she wrote how she saw small white figures dancing outside of her window. Sadly, I don't think that Machen influence was ever officially confirmed. In part, game journalists aren't the most erudite sort, so I doubt that literary influences of that sort would ever surface in their interviews with Thief devs."
I never thought about it but it almost makes sense, together with Trickster = Pan thing. You could even extend it to Thief 2, with mechanists being that game's take on protestants, and with Machen's hatred of protestants, industrialization, and modernization in general...
So, do you think it likely? Has anyone from LGS ever mentioned Machen?
"Speaking of weird fiction and video games in general, I always thought that Thief series (which was a predecessor of Dishonored) was heavily influenced by the works of Arthur Machen, in its portrayal of supernatural and pagan otherworld, in how The City from those games was reminiscent of Machen's strange and mysterious vision of London... Third and final game also had something that I am sure was a direct reference to one Machen's work. There was one mission where main character was breaking into the camp of pagan rebels, and in one abandoned building you can find a hidden diary written by a young girl where she wrote how she saw small white figures dancing outside of her window. Sadly, I don't think that Machen influence was ever officially confirmed. In part, game journalists aren't the most erudite sort, so I doubt that literary influences of that sort would ever surface in their interviews with Thief devs."
I never thought about it but it almost makes sense, together with Trickster = Pan thing. You could even extend it to Thief 2, with mechanists being that game's take on protestants, and with Machen's hatred of protestants, industrialization, and modernization in general...
So, do you think it likely? Has anyone from LGS ever mentioned Machen?
No idea becaue I never read Machen. Got any book recommendations of his?
So I got a PM by someone on TTLG, telling me:
"i'm writing you because me and our friend translated your beautiful mission in italian language."
So I guess Shoes and Dresses will become multilanguage. Hah.
Never would've expected this. Pretty cool :D
"i'm writing you because me and our friend translated your beautiful mission in italian language."
So I guess Shoes and Dresses will become multilanguage. Hah.
Never would've expected this. Pretty cool :D
Mechs Delight
Educated
Couldn't agree more; I just read the transcript myself, and it's incredibly clunky, cliched and repetitive. I rolled my eyes many times while reading it.
(There was one interesting part, and one interesting part only: the Sunnyport Opera Theatre. I'd like to visit there someday.)
- MechsDelight
Kea
Novice
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2016
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- 27
Played it, it is indeed great, I really like this type of map too. Thanks for the rec!
There is a new T2 mission called Morbid Curiosity by a new author that has been released recently. Anyone played it? It looks phenomenal from the screenshots, but it is a huge download.
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Infinite bandwitch taffer checking in, will case the joint. 
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OK, first impressions are VERY favourable. Big and detailed cityscape mission, high-res artwork (including maps!) and no technical problems to speak of.
The download is close to 500 MB and the contents themselves about 625 MB, but watch this space in case something nasty pops up.
EDIT: 30 minutes in. Calling it now, strong contender for Thief 1/2 FM of 2016. Biggest fault is a highly contagious epidemic of Audiolog Syndrome and a somewhat railroaded start, but beyond that this is a blast to play through. The audio is amazing, I've never heard people be drunk in so many languages.
This is the work of someone inspired by skacky and Melan, and yet adds a personal touch to things. I've yet to see vertical exploration be rewarded with hidden goodies, but it has the potential to do so.
The download is close to 500 MB and the contents themselves about 625 MB, but watch this space in case something nasty pops up.
EDIT: 30 minutes in. Calling it now, strong contender for Thief 1/2 FM of 2016. Biggest fault is a highly contagious epidemic of Audiolog Syndrome and a somewhat railroaded start, but beyond that this is a blast to play through. The audio is amazing, I've never heard people be drunk in so many languages.
This is the work of someone inspired by skacky and Melan, and yet adds a personal touch to things. I've yet to see vertical exploration be rewarded with hidden goodies, but it has the potential to do so.
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Mechs Delight
Educated
I didn't care much for this mission the first time through. The first part, frankly, felt to me just one step above Soul Tear's Keeper of Infinity missions; no equipment, confusing sewer maze and a lot of unforgiving guards. It gets somewhat better once Garrett reaches the attic hotel room and gets his equipment, but I still heard a few too many familiar tunes from other fan missions and I just wanted to knock out some of the street revelers just so they could SHUT UP already.
However, I REALLY liked the music in the startup screen, the church graveyard, the colorful signs around town and the idea of a Thief-styled Renaissance Faire. It's a shame I didn't like the mission more than I did (I'll probably try it again, though; the premise is fascinating). It's just that I feel skacky and Melan did this kind of thing better.
However, I REALLY liked the music in the startup screen, the church graveyard, the colorful signs around town and the idea of a Thief-styled Renaissance Faire. It's a shame I didn't like the mission more than I did (I'll probably try it again, though; the premise is fascinating). It's just that I feel skacky and Melan did this kind of thing better.
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I've given "Mordbid Curiosity" more time now (I'd guess I'm about 2/3ds done with it) and the experience is souring a little. As I mentioned (and Mechs Delight brings up) the start is a little railroaded, needing to traverse a certain section of the map without any gear, dodging critters and finding your way around (don't even try ghosting this mission) but once the Inn is reached things pick up. Then the FM shifts into a large cityscape mission that doesn't have much rooftop action, focusing more on sewers and ducts instead. However, these become little more than corridors full of false doorways, eventually doing nothing but providing access from Point A to Point B. This is also where the author's inexperience starts to show (it's her first mission) as bugs and inconsistencies start to appear (scenery that can be picked up and thrown away, drunks completely ignorant of what's happening around them) and the audio goes out of control, with the whole smuggler section ending up being annoying due to excessive noise.
There was also a part of the mission where I felt that more objectives were just being piled on, with the "Garrett The Postman" one making me groan loudly. Right now I'm looking for ways to get into the Gallery, and it looks like more objectives have yet to be added from what little I've heard of that section.
All of this does not mean that this is a bad FM. Far from it. For someone's first release this is phenomenal, and there's plenty to see and do. I still think it's a contender for T1/T2 FM of the Year and worth the hefty download, though taffers with limited bandwith may want to wait a little and see if the author doesn't bugfix the mission a bit first.
There was also a part of the mission where I felt that more objectives were just being piled on, with the "Garrett The Postman" one making me groan loudly. Right now I'm looking for ways to get into the Gallery, and it looks like more objectives have yet to be added from what little I've heard of that section.
All of this does not mean that this is a bad FM. Far from it. For someone's first release this is phenomenal, and there's plenty to see and do. I still think it's a contender for T1/T2 FM of the Year and worth the hefty download, though taffers with limited bandwith may want to wait a little and see if the author doesn't bugfix the mission a bit first.
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Update: Finally finished this behemoth of a mission, and I see reason to add more info. The Gallery section of the FM is the true heart of it. The closest comparison I can make is to the final mission of Ruins of Originia - the one with the interdimensional museum. The Gallery has content enough to stand alone as a seperate FM, but instead it's sort of tucked away at the end of this one like a very belated surprise party. Any accusations of the mission being bland and dull go right out the window once the Gallery tour begins.
And I finished with more than 1000 gold left to be found overall - considering how sparse the loot is, that's a lot.
And I finished with more than 1000 gold left to be found overall - considering how sparse the loot is, that's a lot.
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