Thief fan missions and campaigns

[Darth Slaughter]

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.

 

[Tzaero]

Just completed it with 3702.

Its a bloody marvelous FM Skacky.

 

[Icewater]

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?

 

[skacky]

Take a look at the first post in this page.

 

[Darth Slaughter]

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.

 

[skacky]

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

 

[Darth Slaughter]

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...

 

[Darth Slaughter]

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.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

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.

 

[Darth Slaughter]

Had another go at nicked's latest (Death's Turbid Veil)... and just gave up.

On one hand this is a very solid mansion mission with supernatural elements thrown in. On the other hand it's missing almost all of the "Thief charm".

It's not just the enhanced graphics, it's the lighting as well. That lantern you start with? BLOOM. Almost every other lightsource? BLOOMbloomeybloom.

But the kicker was this: I blackjacked my way through the mission, sparing no one. I hid all the bodies away in remote and dark corners where they wouldn't be discovered... and then there comes an event in the FM where EVERYONE springs back to life and I have to deal with a whole mansion full of invincible enemies, and still without a clue what I'm really supposed to do.

The sad truth is, this doesn't feel like Thief at all. And the sluggish performance of the mission in the early stages doesn't exactly help.

It seems that bigger isn't always better, and this goes double for the Thief games.

Others may enjoy this one, but I'm just gonna leave it alone.

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.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

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.

 

[skacky]

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

 

[Unkillable Cat]

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.

 

[Darth Slaughter]

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...

 

[Unkillable Cat]

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.

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.

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...

Your ears are your best ally here.

 

[Darth Slaughter]

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

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.

 

[JarlFrank]

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.

 

[Unkillable Cat]

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.

 

[JarlFrank]

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.

 

[Melan]

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

 

[Unkillable Cat]

A mission called "Cataclysmic Revelations" is basically a re-hash of the T1 OM "Return To The Cathredal", and let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing new or interesting being added. Even the storyline, although promising, devolves into piss and delivers an anti-climatic ending. One to avoid unless you're bored as fuck.

2 years ago darthslair made the aforementioned FM. Now he releases a updated (and bloated, it's 0.5 gigs) version with 2 extra missions added.

I don't feel like having a go at it, how about you people?

 

[Darth Slaughter]

I'm now finishing some FM campaingns I left in the middle. I'm playing the last mission of "The Black Frog". After that I intend to finally finish my playthrough of KOTP. Maybe later...

 

[Baron Dupek]

After briefly watching Being Thief (by FenPhoenix) and playing it I found that there is sequel. Some similar elements, but need play more to tell.
Lot of searching, secrets...that's what I like in the FM yet found more common in TheDarkMod.
Some cheesy elements like BCoK Blessed Children of Kairas, that are big mechanical spiders, plus contest to find secret stashes in the city, made it overall pretty entertaining.

Now he releases a updated (and bloated, it's 0.5 gigs)

Wow, compared to some TDM missions where they weight few megabytes....

EDIT can't find how to enable "new mantle" in patch 1.21.

 

[Melan]

I'm now finishing some FM campaingns I left in the middle. I'm playing the last mission of "The Black Frog". After that I intend to finally finish my playthrough of KOTP. Maybe later...

How is The Black Frog? It is one of the larger campaigns I haven't played yet.