A Gormenghast fan mission could be full of strange eerie things, though, and have variety going for it. Basically, a dungeon crawl masquerading as a mansion.
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Thief fan missions and campaigns
- Thread starter SCO
- Start date
Just wait until I get to my planned "Ultramansion" mission, guys.
(but before I attempt that I still have three other FMs I'm working on)
(but before I attempt that I still have three other FMs I'm working on)
nicked
Educated
This was a major focus of the beta test - originally there was a lot more in the way of obvious non-frobbables with all the quests, to ensure progression couldn't be broken by things being done too far outside the expected order. Most of these were replaced with more elegant solutions. The complexity of the various conversations with the innkeeper led me to leave the bottles as is however. My in-universe justification is that Garrett doesn't know they're worth anything until he gets the note from the innkeeper.
A Gormenghast/ultra-mansion mission would need a lot of careful design I think, but if done well, it could be incredibly atmospheric - it would have to *feel* mazelike, without actually being mazelike.
nicked
Educated
Go for it! There is a badger too. I was going to make a hare, but I forgot in the end.
So I just finished Behind Closed Doors. Took me about 3 hours to finish the mission, which is more than Godbreaker mission 4 even though it overall felt a little smaller than that one.
My final impressions:
- It starts out linear-ish with the gating and lack of ropes, but that changes quickly. Once you're in the main area of the mission, it opens up and you're free to explore however you want. Some rope-arrowing and a LOT of jumping and climbing, good verticality and some really impressive views await!
- The visuals are beautiful. I just love the look of daylight missions, and this one is top tier quality.
- Once the mission opens up after the linear first areas, there's some good non-linearity, although it never reaches the godlike levels of skacky missions. Walking along ledges, climbing up drainpipes, jumping from roof to roof. Some nice hidden things too, found a chest hidden on top of rafters in one building. My "wow!" moment came when I jumped to a ledge from atop the church, walked all the way around, found a window, got in, found equipment chests, got out the other side, thought "oh wow, another area!" and then realized, as I started exploring that area, that I had already been there. There's nothing quite like that "hey... I've been to this place before!" feeling during exploration, when you realize there are multiple ways to get around.
- The optional objectives were cool. Finding all the masks wasn't too hard because they're either gotten by sidequests or their location is mentioned in readables, and you can easily figure out what they're used for. Nice secret that isn't totally obscure but requires some exploration by the player.
- I liked the electric fence on top of the bank building. A barrier that kills you but can be switched off is really cool, this should be done more often.
- THAT FOX WAS SO CUTE
- THOSE RATS WERE SO NASTY. Used up all of my broadheads. Yes, all of them. More than 30.
- The mage place was kinda annoying. Do a task. After that, previously unfrobbable items are made frobbable, and you need them for the next task! Most of them are small and their location not 100% obvious so you end up running through the building looking for the next item. Good thing the area to be searched is rather small.
Overall, a very beautiful and enjoyable mission. Rated it 8.5/10. Good stuff!
My final impressions:
- It starts out linear-ish with the gating and lack of ropes, but that changes quickly. Once you're in the main area of the mission, it opens up and you're free to explore however you want. Some rope-arrowing and a LOT of jumping and climbing, good verticality and some really impressive views await!
- The visuals are beautiful. I just love the look of daylight missions, and this one is top tier quality.
- Once the mission opens up after the linear first areas, there's some good non-linearity, although it never reaches the godlike levels of skacky missions. Walking along ledges, climbing up drainpipes, jumping from roof to roof. Some nice hidden things too, found a chest hidden on top of rafters in one building. My "wow!" moment came when I jumped to a ledge from atop the church, walked all the way around, found a window, got in, found equipment chests, got out the other side, thought "oh wow, another area!" and then realized, as I started exploring that area, that I had already been there. There's nothing quite like that "hey... I've been to this place before!" feeling during exploration, when you realize there are multiple ways to get around.
- The optional objectives were cool. Finding all the masks wasn't too hard because they're either gotten by sidequests or their location is mentioned in readables, and you can easily figure out what they're used for. Nice secret that isn't totally obscure but requires some exploration by the player.
- I liked the electric fence on top of the bank building. A barrier that kills you but can be switched off is really cool, this should be done more often.
- THAT FOX WAS SO CUTE
- THOSE RATS WERE SO NASTY. Used up all of my broadheads. Yes, all of them. More than 30.
- The mage place was kinda annoying. Do a task. After that, previously unfrobbable items are made frobbable, and you need them for the next task! Most of them are small and their location not 100% obvious so you end up running through the building looking for the next item. Good thing the area to be searched is rather small.
Overall, a very beautiful and enjoyable mission. Rated it 8.5/10. Good stuff!
nicked
Educated
Glad you enjoyed it!
Fair point about the mage's tasks. I wanted the player to have to jump through a few hoops, to be realistic, but not go overboard with frustrating busywork. Figured I could get away with it more if the player is locked into that one building until they've done it.
I'm currently on the second Godbreaker mission - not had much time to play it this week. So much stuff to find, and places to explore! It's almost, but not quite, overwhelming - I am making noticeable progress even if I am a bit lost. I would have liked a more detailed map, especially after the ultra-clear map from mission one - maybe an automap that starts blank and fills up as you explore could have worked well with this one. As it is, I don't understand what the pictures on the map represent, so it's not much better than having no map. It sure is pretty though - the mission and the map!
Fair point about the mage's tasks. I wanted the player to have to jump through a few hoops, to be realistic, but not go overboard with frustrating busywork. Figured I could get away with it more if the player is locked into that one building until they've done it.
I'm currently on the second Godbreaker mission - not had much time to play it this week. So much stuff to find, and places to explore! It's almost, but not quite, overwhelming - I am making noticeable progress even if I am a bit lost. I would have liked a more detailed map, especially after the ultra-clear map from mission one - maybe an automap that starts blank and fills up as you explore could have worked well with this one. As it is, I don't understand what the pictures on the map represent, so it's not much better than having no map. It sure is pretty though - the mission and the map!
The map on Godbreaker's mission 2 is surprisingly accurate, and you will know which pictures on the map correspond to which places in the level once you explored your way around a bit. Protip: use your compass and your map in order to find your way. I needed to use compass and map to find the crypt housing the sword.
- Joined
- May 13, 2009
- Messages
- 28,585
Random_Taffer
Educated
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2015
- Messages
- 88
Squadafroinx
Novice
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2017
- Messages
- 35
Same goes for downwinder actually, at first I thought maybe he's just a 'little special' but now almost every messages he post is more or less related to his strange fascination for barking dogs (???), Viktorian and Dewdrop, like he's pushing an incredible show of self-mocking sense of humor
His latest gold
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147516
Yandros
Savant
"the creator of dewdrop is a mystery but if i had to guess it would be one of the mages who was once a hammerite and got mad when karras left the hammers and made dewdrop out of spite"
nicked
Educated
I am really loving Godbreaker mission 2 - just even after some exploration I wasn't seeing the connection between the pictures on the map and anywhere in the level. However it's not hindering me especially; I'm just using my own sense of direction and the compass. Even when I'm lost, I don't care because the atmosphere is so superb. I see my Death's Turbid Veil moths have gone to good use amongst other things!
And the way he shoots his videos... vertical smartphone... pointing to his laptop...
H3H3
Novice
And what about the way he drops his phone in every video? It's so stupid
I just saw once, because i have no patience to see it all. So it always happens!
H3H3
Novice
Well... almost every video. It's hilarious
H3H3
Novice
Are you talking about that 'depression' post he made? If so, then I agree
cowking
Scholar
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2016
- Messages
- 115
Is that black parade or an upcoming fm?
Yeah. Depression and Anxiety made their way from Tumblr to TTLG somehow.
HOLY SH*T this made me laugh hard.
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147516&p=2346621&viewfull=1#post2346621
Last edited:
Random_Taffer
Educated
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2015
- Messages
- 88
Is there a Tumblrism for manic depressed Islamists who want to rape women?
Maybe his fursona is a rapey jackal, but he has an otherheart of gold.
Maybe his fursona is a rapey jackal, but he has an otherheart of gold.
So, Behind Closed Doors: My initial impressions of this mission were mostly negative. Increased vulnerability in the dusky setting, ledges you can easily slide off, frustrating falls that make it easy to alert nearby AI, linear design with your prospective routes forward blocked off, a counter-intuitive way to proceed (there is a way that seems logical but isn't, and a way that doesn't seem logical but is). Not a good introduction.
I was almost ready to put it away, but fortunately, I persevered and the mission got much better as it opened up. There is a lot of clever puzzle design in the central city area, and the mini-missions are just the right length/complexity. It also feels great traipsing around on the rooftops and finding new places to break into, or figuring out puzzle solutions using environmental cues. It is not always standard Thief gameplay, and the ledges are a bit convenient, but it is very entertaining. I loved the bank missions, the electric fence, and the little touches like the back garden and window-crashing a prostitute's room.
After the middle part, the problems start cropping up again, as the mage's house and the sewers are less interesting than the urbancrawl elements, but the mission remains decent and ends on a good note. There is also the mood, a lazy, late-afternoon-in-a-Spanish-city feel, which is nicely helped by the music. Just like the enormous spaces and dizzying heights, BCD's style reminds me of Being Thief 2, although this is a better mission, where the scale is mostly right (it could be built a little tighter, but that's just me - NewDark certainly makes this style of building possible), and the objectives are less artificial. Less, but they still feel forced, and can result in a large amount of backtracking. I understand the reasoning, just don't agree with it.
All in all, this is uneven, but the good parts are really good.
I was almost ready to put it away, but fortunately, I persevered and the mission got much better as it opened up. There is a lot of clever puzzle design in the central city area, and the mini-missions are just the right length/complexity. It also feels great traipsing around on the rooftops and finding new places to break into, or figuring out puzzle solutions using environmental cues. It is not always standard Thief gameplay, and the ledges are a bit convenient, but it is very entertaining. I loved the bank missions, the electric fence, and the little touches like the back garden and window-crashing a prostitute's room.
After the middle part, the problems start cropping up again, as the mage's house and the sewers are less interesting than the urbancrawl elements, but the mission remains decent and ends on a good note. There is also the mood, a lazy, late-afternoon-in-a-Spanish-city feel, which is nicely helped by the music. Just like the enormous spaces and dizzying heights, BCD's style reminds me of Being Thief 2, although this is a better mission, where the scale is mostly right (it could be built a little tighter, but that's just me - NewDark certainly makes this style of building possible), and the objectives are less artificial. Less, but they still feel forced, and can result in a large amount of backtracking. I understand the reasoning, just don't agree with it.
All in all, this is uneven, but the good parts are really good.
The former.
- Joined
- May 13, 2009
- Messages
- 28,585
Is TTLG coming apart at the seams, or is this a seasonal thing?
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