Thief 2 fan missions and campaigns

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Behind where the game starts? I don't know... how do you notice that it's behind where the game starts?
And nope to all the others. Apparently the mission is even crazier in its loot huntery than I thought, I was already surprised when I jumped to a ledge on a tower and there were some coins at that tower's window. Took me a couple of tries to get down again without taking damage. This mission really excels at having loot or even whole rooms at places you wouldn't expect.
I also had one of these "how did I not spot this earlier" moments when desperately trying to find a way up near the jeweller's place, then finally spotting a wooden beam in rope arrow range at the end of the street. Got up there and found at least 5 new places that I hadn't been able to reach before... and then, while I was up there finding new places, I also found two other routes that would have led me up there...

 

Just the opening shot has me drooling...




Looking forward to dive in it tomorrow. Thanks skacky!

 

Despite skacky's warnings I've been playing his new mission with the Thief Gold HD mod and ho lee fuck does it look awesome.

 

Kirkpatrick the WHOLE mission is like that. Get a bib for your drooling. ;-)

Icewater I haven't dared even TRYING the HD mod, but if there's one FM that should benefit from it, this is it.

JarlFrank A few hints:

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I could tell that I was behind where the game started because I was so high up. I strongly doubt that any other point in the FM is as high up as this.
To get to the bathroom with the fancy painting, you need to jump on to a slanted roof and try to reach a safe landing. But if I'm reading your post correctly, you have already reached the same place... from da othaside. [/King Willy]
For the lone goblet, check the jeweller's again.
For the missing signet ring, check all readables in Monsegnur's (sp?) estate for a big clue.
For the loot on the beam, listen to the moans and continue from there... ;-)
And if you've really explored every possible avenue, you should have two (2) Cloister keys.

skacky I've been thinking more about this mission, and despite a handful of readables having that whiff of [audiolog], most of them are right on the nose with telling just enough to let the imagination fill in the rest and establish a story and narrative. This gives Endless Rain a depth that most modern games can only dream of.

 

I was about to start the mission, then I saw in the read me that it's a sequel for Between These Dark Walls... So I rolled back and started playing it.

 

Just completed it with 3702.

Its a bloody marvelous FM Skacky.

 

Almost done with Endless Rain on Expert, all objectives complete just need to return to the start. Out of curiosity, how do I get into the crypt area?

 

Take a look at the first post in this page.

 

skacky Well, I "finished" between these dark walls and I'm almost ready to start Endless Rain... But... I'm missing 150 loot in BTDW, And I've looked everywhere... And it keeps me from moving on... What is it that has that value, and where would that be?

BTW, amizing mission, and for what I read... Endless rain is even greater.

 

I have no idea, that 150 could be several pieces of loot.
There's a lootlist for Between These Dark Walls here, but it doesn't give the values: http://thiefmissions.com/lootlists/BetweenTheseDarkWalls.txt

 

I believe it may be a set of stacks of coins in one place, or a vase. i'll check again...

 

After getting all loot in BTDW, I finally finished endless rain with 4069 loot.

Amazing mission: It gathers almost every kind of mission style in one: You have sewers, roofs, rope-arrow and mantle fest, house breaking, undead, paganism, keeper hidden areas. I couldn't break any of the hammer facilities though. The rain and fog are great, and little details like the water dripping from roofs...

It looks like a Thief 2 mission, but the lack of "colored lighting" actually improves the mood a lot here. Does "newdark" makes thief 1 and 2 identical engine-wise?

Reminded me a lot of disorientation, having the tallest buildings and the deepest underground areas.

Oh, found the "taffer" note with the gas mine.

 

I actually didn't find the "taffer" note with the gas mine, it's one of a few things I've yet to discover... along with the missing 250 loot or thereabouts.

 

I can see why you actually didn't like, because lighting in this level is very reminiscent of pirates ahoy and sturmdrang peak... these FMs had outdoor daylight maps that remind me of the outdoor areas in DTV.

Playing it now... the problem for me was that it was lagging and crashing a lot. I discoverd it was because I had the new Hi-res texture patch installed. Everything is fine now after I removed the high res textures.

The level is actually beatiful, and a showcase of high resolution graphics in thief FMs... Lighting is great, shadows are very sharp (as I've never seen/notice before in a thief mission). But yes... It doesn't feel like thief at all. Mostly because of so many new assets.

I haven't reach the point which everybody ressurrects, but I have a complaint about the entrance to the crime-scene room, that is very hidden as if it was a secret, and with no hints in game that I recall. I don't like when FMs put secret areas style switches in situations where it's a requirement for the plot to progress, and there's no logic or in game hint that there's a secret entrance. It's like pixel hunting for the sake of it...

The dark areas are pitch black, at least indoors. So more FMs could use that... The bloom is evident, but it didn't bother me too much. And the new assets are incredible... And though it makes it less thief like, I like how modders are constantly pushing the boundaries of the engine, and it could bring some FMs set in other settings, leaving garrett/city/night aside.

 

There IS a readable somewhere that mentions that there's another way into the guest room, and IIRC it evens points to the room that houses the secret entrance. It's probably in the pantry or the kitchen, or that room with the damn piano.

That's another thing I've grown to hate about puzzles in games: Meta-puzzles. Puzzles that require out-of-game knowledge or devices in order to be solved. Not everyone has a musical education (Fuck you Myst) and not everyone has a smartphone that can read QR codes (Fuck you FEZ). And yet people seem to think it's perfectly fine to include these kinds of puzzles in their games.

 

I usually dislike puzzles so you'll probably never see stuff like that in my missions.

 

I'm still laughing at that lever puzzle Melan put into "Disorientation". IIRC, someone figured out a sequence of lever pulls that makes it run endlessly.

 

Well, the piano puzzle was easy, but thats because I studied music theory recently for a while.I got it on the first try. But as I solved it even before trying, I aways doubt it will work... Another one I got in the first try was that pandora device box with the mayan calendar... I got it right even doubting it. Normally i suck in these things.

The paintings were though.

Well, I will read carefully next time.

Edit:

It was in a readable in the basement, where a maid was sleeping. Got to the vault. Shit. So dark and so scary. I'll pause for now... I can't see a thing, and using that lamp makes me feel too vulnerable...

 

Don't forget that there are TWO piano sequences to play. You can find clues for the other one up in the attic with the detective.

Pandoran box... Mayan calendar? I'm guessing you're referring to another mod than this one.

Your ears are your best ally here.

 

Sorry, it's the tex murphy game... I was rewriting the post and actully forgot to identify the game: pandora directive. Now I see that it looked like I was talking about the same fan mission.

What? I only found this clue you mentioned, the one in the attic. where/what's the other one?

edit:

Reloaded a previous save and found Cecil's note. I'll try after finishing the vault.

 

So... if I'm reading the TLLG forums correctly, there's another Thief Gold FM due out soon. "A Thieves Pawn" was originally intended for release a year ago, but clearly that didn't work out.

I'll actually believe it when I see it, but it's nice to know TG is still loved.

 

I hope that guy who made A Widow's Ire, I think stinkykitty was his name, works on another FM. That was one of the most excellent FM experiences ever.

 

Widow's Ire was spectacular for a first outing, but it's not without flaws, almost all of which were in the second mission, which felt strangely empty and unfocused.

 

The second part of the second mission was pretty empty, yes, but it was quite fascinating in a surreal way to suddenly reach that huge daylight castle area. The author has some definite talent and his style reminds me of Bonehoard and The Sword, the weird part of the Thief setting. I always love missions in that style.

 

It is a woefully underutilised premise. I have plans for a mission along those lines, but haven't been able to build it yet.