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Thief fan missions and campaigns

Icewater

Artisanal Shitposting™
Patron
Joined
Jun 12, 2011
Messages
1,952
Location
Freedomland
Project: Eternity Wasteland 2
1. The Order of the Vine
2. Calendra's Cistern
3. Bloodstone Prison
4. Lorgan's Web
5. Sepulchre of the Sinistral
6. Events in Highrock
7. Shunned
8. The Mystery Man
9. Autumn in Lampfire Hills
10. whatever the highest-rated few missions of the recent 20th anniversary contest are
 

trefoilknot

Barely Literate
Joined
May 13, 2020
Messages
4
As a newcomer to the Thief scene, you are in for a treat! I would recommend playing some old classics before you spoil yourself with the newer missions. (Once you play the newer missions, it might be hard to appreciate the greatness of the older FMs, though they are brilliant!)

To name a few:
The Vigil/Lord Edmund Entertains are great old-school TDP/TG FMs.
Turning the Tables
Order of the Vine
Bloodstone Prison
Ranstall Keep
Calendra's Cistern
Sepulchre of the Sinistral/Mystery Man
Autumn in Lampfire Hills
Etc...

Once you've gotten your fill of the old school TG FMs, I'd actually recommend switching over to T2 and old-school T2 FMs:
Benny's Dead
Raid on Washout Central
Calendra's Cistern
Heist Society
Temple of the Tides
Seven Sisters
Rowena's Curse
Ominous Bequest/Broken Triad
ANIR series
Seventh Crystal
etc...

Only then would I recommend tackling post-NewDark masterpieces:

Between These Dark Walls/Endless Rain/Shadow Politics/Chalice of Souls/Sound of a Burrick/Lost Among the Forsaken/Scarlet Cascabel etc...

Of course, if you're impatient, you can skip right to the later stuff. But I really think your cumulative enjoyment will be greater if you start early and work your way toward the later missions. Many friends I've introduced to Thief have found it hard to go the other way around.
 

Curratum

Guest
Frankly, I've been playing Thief since release and I can't really stand the very low-detail old fan missions. :(
 

Ghulgothas

Arcane
Joined
Feb 22, 2020
Messages
1,598
Location
So Below
1. The Order of the Vine
2. Calendra's Cistern
3. Bloodstone Prison
4. Lorgan's Web
5. Sepulchre of the Sinistral
6. Events in Highrock
7. Shunned
8. The Mystery Man
9. Autumn in Lampfire Hills
10. whatever the highest-rated few missions of the recent 20th anniversary contest are
To name a few:
The Vigil/Lord Edmund Entertains are great old-school TDP/TG FMs.
Turning the Tables
Order of the Vine
Bloodstone Prison
Ranstall Keep
Calendra's Cistern
Sepulchre of the Sinistral/Mystery Man
Autumn in Lampfire Hills
Etc...
Noted, noted, noted and noted.
Once you've gotten your fill of the old school TG FMs, I'd actually recommend switching over to T2 and old-school T2 FMs:
Benny's Dead
Raid on Washout Central
Calendra's Cistern
Heist Society
Temple of the Tides
Seven Sisters
Rowena's Curse
Ominous Bequest/Broken Triad
ANIR series
Seventh Crystal
etc...

Only then would I recommend tackling post-NewDark masterpieces:

Between These Dark Walls/Endless Rain/Shadow Politics/Chalice of Souls/Sound of a Burrick/Lost Among the Forsaken/Scarlet Cascabel etc...
Gotta earn my right to experience the best, eh? Fine with me. Those Gothic-Punk Citadels and Baroque Mansions can wait a bit longer. Scarlet Cascabel looks great, too.
Thief Newfag here, TDP finally clicked with me a few days ago and I've been stuck to it since.

JOINUS
JOINUSNOW
YOURSOULCANNOTBESAVED
INDREAMSWESUFFERTHEPAINOFCENTURIES

(But yeah, what the above posters said.)
Joined and loving it. Does this mean I can make fun of Thi4f without being called a pretentious pseudogamer now?
 

Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
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Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy
Shlock is right, the third mission of "Gems of Provenance" is brilliant, but the other three are no slouches either.

In other news there have been some new releases that we've missed. Venerable bbb returns with "The Hammer Skull", which was supposed to be his entry for the T1 Anniversary Contest. (Better late than never.) It's suffering from a few glitches at the moment, so I advise holding off for a few days until it's fixed. I played it briefly, and it's oozing with Thief 1/G-goodnees.

Then trefoilknot has the gall to sign up here and act all casual (Welcome :salute: ) while simultaneously releasing a new T2 FM, "Heist at Hilbert's Highrise Hotel". I'll give that a go and report back on my taffings.
 

trefoilknot

Barely Literate
Joined
May 13, 2020
Messages
4
Then trefoilknot has the gall to sign up here and act all casual (Welcome :salute: ) while simultaneously releasing a new T2 FM, "Heist at Hilbert's Highrise Hotel". I'll give that a go and report back on my taffings.

Thanks for the welcome! I don't like to be a nudge- I just signed up so that I could see what [if anything] people say about my missions. You don't always get the most honest feedback on TTLG...

Happy taffings!
 

Psych0sis

Educated
Joined
Dec 21, 2018
Messages
54
I'd also lap on:

The Saint of Redmound
Returning a Favor (after redmound)
Geller's Pride
Hand of Glory
Secret Way
Trial By Night
Augustine's Revenge
Turning the Tables (this one's ok)
Prowler of the Dark
Circle of Strain (don't play the AM16 version imo)
Shadow of Doubt (Be warned that Nightcrawler is possibly the worst fucking mission ever to have disgraced this plane, but I think Tears of Blood and Broadsword of Sheol make up for it)
 

Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
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Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy
"Heist at Hilbert's Highrise Hotel" is somewhat of a departure from regular Thief-fare, to the point that I felt weird playing it after playing some recent FMs and the Anniversary Contest-entries. Garrett is tasked by a fellow Keeper to retrieve an odd stone that's currently on exhibit at Hilbert's Highrise Hotel, a swanky hotel with more security than you swing a Mechanist at, so it's close to being a manor heist. That doesn't describe accurately how it plays, though.

The primary aspect of this FM is the architecture and level design, with the puzzles and story coming in second and seemingly everything else being an afterthought. What that really boils down to is that this is the Mother of all Key Hunts, with lots of Running Back and Forth involved. There are some token guards around the place, but with the exception of Benny they're not even trying to be efficient or a serious hindrance. So most of the time playing this will involve Figuring Out Things. Like how to get anywhere, for starters. Here's a pro-tip: You get a note addressed to Kevel at the start, read it carefully. The start of the FM is needlessly restrictive in where one can travel, but once you get past the penthouse-gate things improve as the place opens up. I spent way too much time just looking at the scenery and trying to plot routes to hard-to-reach places, something that is a consistent throughout. Seeing a bunch of windows and finding that one of them is accessible became too common an occurance.

The two main themes of this FM are mathematicians and the concept of infinity, tied together in a neat story that entertains and kept me going, at least. Both get referenced throughout, either via clever name-droppings and motifs, or by flat-out trolling of the player.

The architecture is both the greatest feature and the greatest point of critique. Hilbert's Hotel is beautiful and fun to explore (the spiral staircase knocked me for a loop) but it's also full of twisty passages and barren sections. Combine that with all the Running Around needed for the puzzles and keeping an eye out for those bottlenecks that stop further progress, and I can understand some players getting overly frustrated playing this. There's a key ring included to make the Key Hunt-aspect a little less painful, but it also messes up because it doesn't inform what key was just picked up. So instead of having an inventory full of keys and having to test every locked door with each one, players will end up testing every locked door with one key. Not much of a difference sadly. As for the puzzles they're generally very clever and thought-out, either employing established mechanics or using the level design, but the color-coded combination safe was Too Much. The safe is found somewhat early, but the solution comes much later, to the point that people may have forgotten about the safe due to all the other stuff going on. It's also possible to screw this one up, as part of the solution (though not an essential part?) are a couple of loot items. I had to consult the TTLG-forums to find the answer to this one, and I was not impressed.

Technically HHHH is also a little rough on some edges. The soundscapes in the mission are not well done (I could hear a guard snoring through two walls in one place, while in another I couldn't hear a guard patrolling in a room through an open doorway) and the music used for the exterior and the penthouse-part of the museum are playing too loudly, I had trouble hearing the game itself over them, and they also feel out of place. I would go into the files and manually edit them myself (Are they part of the Star Wars-soundtrack?) but the thing is... overall I don't think I'll be playing this one again. Maybe it's because I somehow found all but 50 of the loot and all the secrets, but maybe because HHHH just burned me out. Lots of little things working together to annoy me. It was fun while it lasted and I'm glad that I saw it through, but the novelty is sadly only good for one playthrough.

One final note: The mission ends on a massive cliffhanger and I for one would love to see a sequel to this, despite everything.

Rating: 7-7.5/10
 

trefoilknot

Barely Literate
Joined
May 13, 2020
Messages
4
A fair review on all most counts, I'd say. The only factual point of disagreement regards the access code for the color-coded safe. The intended solution involves going into the Gallery and reading the plaques on the empty pedestals. Recalling what the loot object in the storage room looked like is not the intended approach (clever one, though), so I reject any criticism related to that solution approach :)

Otherwise, I'm glad you found it overall enjoyable despite whatever criticisms you may have. Other than the technical issues of sound propagation, it seems they predominately come down to matters of taste; and I'll fully admit that I'm the oddball out here, with tastes which diverge significantly from the modal Thief fan. The guard patrols are left intentionally simple so as not to overly complicate the puzzle gameplay. The ambient music is on the louder side because, well, I like it that way! But I gladly accept the rebukes- I think you're right that these will be viewed as 'flaws' by many players.

Thanks for your thoughts! I always appreciate getting others' opinions on my work. And that next mission will be coming some day! (Probably after I go up for tenure.) But I can't promise it will be any more to your liking- it will retain the focus on puzzle and story at the expense of most other aspects of gameplay.

Btw, the music you're referring to is from Stravinsky's Rite of Spring (which heavily influenced almost all orchestral film scoring, especially John Williams').
 

Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
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Messages
27,089
Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy
Good news? "The Hammer Skull" is fixed now... or at least I think it is. There's something off about it still.

The bad news? I find myself in an embarrassing situation: I'm stuck. I've raided the armory and broken into the Hammerite compound, but despite knocking out everyone I can get my taffin' mitts on (including the guard on the ledge high above the factory) I can't progress or get more than 70% of the required loot amount. I need keys. I only have Mr. Robert's Room-key, but not one for the double doored-house by the grocer's, or the gate in the basement of the Hammerite compound. I'm also uncertain whether I can get into the tower in the compound courtyard, it looks doable but might take too much effort.

Can anyone help?
 

Psych0sis

Educated
Joined
Dec 21, 2018
Messages
54
Search the room with the fireplace in the hammerite compound a bit more thoroughly (it's the room right by the front entrance that had 2 archer hammerites guarding it)
 

Krilmar

Educated
Joined
Feb 23, 2020
Messages
27
Kinda new myself to the Thief FM scene (started playing after the 20th Anniversary contest) and now I am continuing with some of the older missions recommended in this thread. Started with Sepulchre of the Sinistral, I liked the first part and the maze but not the level design of the main catacomb crypt (the same with Down in the Bonehoard, like the first part, didn't like the second) plus those math puzzles for the bonus loot (the cultists had a lot of time on their hands to create those puzzles). The mission was competent just not my cup of tea even though I like undead missions.

Then I played the Gems of Provenance campaign and the 3 missions I did so far blew my mind. The first one was my favorite by far, followed by 3rd and then the 2nd. Will see about the last one.

Afterwards I'll try Autumn in Lampfire Hills and Order of the Vine. Excited!
 

Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
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Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy
Search the room with the fireplace in the hammerite compound a bit more thoroughly (it's the room right by the front entrance that had 2 archer hammerites guarding it)

Thanks, that did the trick.

I'll say this of "The Hammer Skull": It most certainly captures the T1/TG-style perfectly. The problem is, it does so at a price. From the first seconds of playing this FM I had the feeling that it was an unfinished product, and that opinion hasn't changed now that I've completed it. Too many 90° angles, the provided map is wrong, too many misleading items, too much emphasis on secret levers, etc. If the in-game briefing had mentioned that the Hammerite compound was still under construction I wouldn't have batted an eye.

It's still good fun, though. Psych0sis reviewed it on the TTLG-forums and his phrase "It teleports you back to 1999" nails this FM perfectly. Enjoy it, but be prepared. :)
 

Psych0sis

Educated
Joined
Dec 21, 2018
Messages
54
I find BBB's missions super overrated by those who look to far into things instead of just looking at what's right before them. His architecture is extremely basic, and though I don't personally have an issue with this as it can be very nostalgic and cute, sometimes it goes way too far into the "this is amateur and embarrassing" realm. He has very mundane (and sometimes nonexistent) use of ambients and a flow of gameplay that is, well, questionable at best. A majority of the mission features empty and dull rooms that don't connect at all, very "go in here real quick, get items, get out same way you came in and go back to the line I want you to follow". The Hotel in this mission (which, btw, is not anywhere near where it's labeled on the map) is the most useless and boring side adventure and is a great example of this faulty gameplay design.

And this is fine, despite me coming off very nitpicky about it all. I'm mainly being like this because some people seriously think all of his missions are 9/10 masterpieces which is a serious slap in the face to those with amazing talents making well crafted missions. His missions will always be enjoyable to an extent but never come far enough to be something truly memorable, besides Augustine's Revenge and arguably A Short Night's Work, though the later I am iffy on. For the most part, you're always going to get something that is a nice mission to sit down and play but probably won't leave much of an impression on you after you're done and moved on.
 
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Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
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Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy
Also, that conversation in "Hammer Skull" between the maid and the servant. Where the hell did that SJW-laden crap come from? I muttered to myself "And then everyone clapped" after it ended, only to chuckle slightly when I heard the servant's death sound once he was out of sight.
 

Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
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Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy
I'm not sure how much of the "Current Year" political and cultural tripe that's being flung about in real life is fitting to bring into this thread, so I'll try to be brief.

It boils down to two points:

# No servant in a setting even similar to Thief's would act and speak as uppity as she does, especially to another servant.

# No woman would ever speak like that in a Thief 1-setting. Thief 2 makes a very distinct point that the Mechanists are progressives who single-handedly bring about better rights for women (see Lt. Mosely).

Even if the conversation was taking place in a Thief 2 FM, there's a very high chance that the Lord will guarantee her silence by simply having her killed. Life is cheap in The City, servants are a dime a dozen, and they'll rat on each other in a heartbeat if it means another tuppence in their pocket.

In short, that conversation has no reason to be there.
 

Krilmar

Educated
Joined
Feb 23, 2020
Messages
27
Finished both Gems of Provenance and Autumn in Lampfire Hills. Liked both, final mission for the Gems campaign felt like the Mage's Tower done right. Open at the beginning and some platforming as well. Died more than I would like to admit to those spring boards tho hah. It's been a while since I played the original Thief campaigns but I'm pretty sure the dialogue in the Gems of Provenance campaign was made for the specifically for the FM and not taken from the main games, right? I was really surprised by how close in tone the voice actors were to the original games. Were they the same voice actors perchance?
Something unrelated to FMs but didn't want to necro any threads so I'm gonna ask here: Is there any way to get down a rope arrow without being flung to the other side of the room? Some weird physics there..
 

Unkillable Cat

LEST WE FORGET
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Codex 2014 Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy
Something unrelated to FMs but didn't want to necro any threads so I'm gonna ask here: Is there any way to get down a rope arrow without being flung to the other side of the room? Some weird physics there..

Weird rope physics in T1/G were essentially eliminated with the introduction of the NewDark-patch in 2012. If you're still encountering this it's highly likely you haven't installed it yet. (You do this with the TFix-installer for Thief 1.)
 

nicked

Educated
Joined
Feb 7, 2017
Messages
81
Location
Lincoln, UK
You can still be violently killed by rope arrows in T1, even with New Dark, as I found to my annoyance while Iron Man-ing Thief Gold. It tends to happen if you hit the top of the rope rather than the side, and I think being crouched makes it more likely too.
 

Psych0sis

Educated
Joined
Dec 21, 2018
Messages
54
I believe NewDark added the ability to drop down on ropes and ladders immediately by hitting the crouch button. But yes, ropes are still pretty shit even in the update.
 

octavius

Arcane
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Bjørgvin
Completed Bloodsport for Thief 2. Found 8/10 Secrets.

Rather ambivalent about this mission. Technically it's good and has some innovations, like the new monsters. And it has some memorable moments, like the guards vs Zombies fights, and blowing up the crates in the store room (but you have to blow them all up for the store room to be considered looted).
But the architecture is crude, with some exceptions, and the lighting is far too bright.

And there's a bit too much frustration. Like who is the Grand Liege? And not being allowed to kill what turns out to be his bodyguard, some android type that you can't blackjack. The start of the mission is lame; there's a bloody tunnel leading from the cell, a cell full of prisoners. I didn't even explore the cell properly, and I ended up taking the longest route to find the blackjack. So the early game is frustrating, but it picks up after that.
 
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