Thief fan missions and campaigns

[Jazz_]

So I've been taffering around with FMs again, finally finished ''Between These Dark Walls'' by Skacky, I think it's the Skackyan map I liked the least so far but it's still a very solid fm, his style is unmistakable but I think it reached the zenit in other maps. Now the only map I have yet to play by Skacky is ''Shadow Politics'' I believe.

Finished night 1 of ''The Seventh Sisters'' by Lady Rowena, damn this was a LONG affair. I'm digging it although I think I liked other Rowena's maps more than this one, but still 2 nights to go, so I'll reserve judgement when I'm done.

I'm also playing ''Cracks in the Glass'' by Marbleman and boy did it get me hooked, I just love stuff with a dreamy and weird vibe like that. I have yet to finish it but it's easily one of the most imaginative and refreshing FMs I have ever played so far. Fantastic job Marbleman, I guess it took a long time to build a fm like that?

 

[cowking]

I bet you still haven't played Full Moon Fever. You still should.

 

[hackncrazy]

Hi mates.

I started playing Thief just recently and I'm having a blast with it. That being said, what is a good way to go through FM?

I'm planning on trying them after I finish vanilla T1 and T2 (are T3 and T4 worth playing?)

Are there some recommendations of missions for beginners?

What about The Dark Mod? Should I try it after I play everything else?

 

[DrKubiac]

T3 is a bit different, nothing like the first two games but still a good thief game with great atmosphere. The Dark Mod is definitely worth a try. T4 doesn't exist

Regarding fan-missions, I'd suggest you start with some classic or small missions like Hidden Agenda, Equilibrium or Benny is dead. Then you could tackle some of the biggest ones out there. There are many recommendations over at TTLG, or even in this very thread.

 

[hackncrazy]

T3 is a bit different, nothing like the first two games but still a good thief game with great atmosphere. The Dark Mod is definitely worth a try. T4 doesn't exist

Regarding fan-missions, I'd suggest you start with some classic or small missions like Hidden Agenda, Equilibrium or Benny is dead. Then you could tackle some of the biggest ones out there. There are many recommendations over at TTLG, or even in this very thread.

Thank you!

 

[marbleman]

I'd say start with Thief 2X It's pretty much another Thief game.

Jazz_ , the mission took about a year to build

 

[unfairlight]

What about The Dark Mod? Should I try it after I play everything else?

Play it, there's no reason not to try it. Visit the The Dark Mod thread for updates on FMs. I made a post in there of suggested missions a while ago.

Crucible of Omens: Behind Closed Doors
William Steele series
Penny Dreadful series
Thomas Porter series
Ulysses series
The Accountant series
Volta 1 and 2
Briarwood Manor
Down by the Riverside

 

[Max_b5]

Be careful with Thief. Legends say that if you play the game for too long you will become an evil alt-righter.

 

[octavius]

Hey taffers, do you recommend Nameless Voice's Thief Enhancement Pack 2, and Gecko's HDMod for Thief 2? Or are there better alternatives?

 

[Max_b5]

The best alternative is to play it fully vanilla. Enhancement pack's object clash with the blocky architecture of the game. Same with the HDMod, which isn't actually and HD mod but a replacement of textures with """""better""""" ones (not even faithful to the originals).

 

[DrKubiac]

Avoid HD mods like the plague, they aren't faithful to the original game design and are just there for the sake of being high res.
NV's enhancement pack is halfway there, some objects and textures are very faithful and others not so much. It can be interesting for FM authors.

A very interesting alternative is the NecroAge pack, which tries to make the game look a bit darker/grittier. I personally love it, some great work with textures, but it's not that faithful either.

 

[Max_b5]

The main problem with HD textures mods is that they FUCK UP with the looks of fan missions as they were only made for the original game. So yeah, they look good in the originals but uninstall it for FMs if you're gonna use them.

 

[DrKubiac]

The HD mod doesn't even fit the original game.
And I agree, uninstall packs when you play fms. Most fms from the last 10 years already use custom contents anyway.

 

[marbleman]

...or don't disable them and enjoy the consequences

Vanilla:


Glorious HD Mod:

 

[Wunderbar]

Benny Swolo?

 

[JarlFrank]

HD texture mods are terrible for late 90s games like Thief because the architecture is low-fi and blocky, and the HD textures will clash terribly with the architecture and everything will look fake and artificial because of it.

HD texture mods don't make any sense unless you make a total overhaul and re-build the architecture too, to add more detail into the geometry so the textures won't clash with it.

If you want Thief to actually look good, stay the fuck away from texture replacers. They just make it look awkward and bad.

 

[octavius]

So only NewDark to get higher resolutions?

After all, we used to play Thief on 14-15 inch monitores, while nowadays they are 20+ inches.

 

[cowking]

Anyone recommend me an FM that (is good) has lots of yellow brick or red interiors?

 

[JarlFrank]

So only NewDark to get higher resolutions?

After all, we used to play Thief on 14-15 inch monitores, while nowadays they are 20+ inches.

Yes. NewDark for general engine improvements and higher resolutions. I play on 1920x1080 and vanilla textures, and it looks great.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Interesting. "CoSaS: Mission X" just got a NewDark update, mostly to address scripting issues on modern systems/patched Thief installations.

 

[Max_b5]

Here's a funny story: I never played Mission X.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

Ooh, Max_b5 has been up to something naughty.

I wonder what it could be...?

 

[Max_b5]

Only one way to find out

 

[Melan]

It is an excellent take on the underrated Strange Bedfellows and a superior take on Trail of Blood. Win!

 

[Unkillable Cat]

For those wondering, Max_b5 released a T2 FM called "Point of Entry" and is an entry in the Darkstone Gem campaign.

And I agree with Melan 100%, this is a good one. Doesn't try to be overambitious, just takes a premise and runs well with it. I was missing 150 loot and actually managed to find both bonus objectives.

One note though - you might want to clean up the FM zipfile. I deleted 6.5 Mb of temporary files from it.