- Joined
- May 13, 2009
- Messages
- 28,570
And finished "Raven Creek" v2. Three years ago I played v1 and found Mission 1 to be pointless (it could easily be replaced by a short intro cinematic and an in-game map!), Mission 2 to be a little below average and Mission 3 to be a snorefest. Now Raven Creek v2 is out, and the first three missions are identical and not improved in the slightest. But now there are two more missions. Mission 4 is another snorefest, but Mission 5 fortunately manages to be something better... though it still felt like it could do more.
The upside is that all five Raven Creek-missions are beautiful to look at, I was actually surprised to find a stock object in the first mission, instead of a hi-res replacement. Each location is also well decorated, giving homes that 'lived-in' feeling, and there are plenty of light switches to turn off the lights with. The final mission also has a large museum with plenty of hi-res paintings and statues to gawk at. Finally there are some good attempts at humor, the best one being 'King TP' in the final mission, but Lady Lotti at the bar (good voice acting there) and the 'observer' in Lord Wilson's office are also worth a laugh.
The downsides? To start with the 'theme' of the FMs are ravens, as in the bird. We all know them, but it seems that Christine doesn't. Every birdcall I heard in the FM comes from crows, and every stationary model I saw was of blackbirds. The flying models seemed to be of swallows or something, but it sure was no raven. The only raven I ever saw was the rock-like statue that makes a couple of appearances throughout the campaign. I'm not that much of an ornithologist, but to me this is an Epic Fail.
The single biggest problem with "Raven Creek" though is the (lack of) gameplay, and in-game consistency. Missions 1-4 all take place on the same night (the last mission either does the same, or takes place the night after), yet no loot or gear is ever carried over between missions, with no explanation as to why. 85% of the campaign involves walking around, finding the loot and knocking out all the guards that are in your way. The last mission even mandates this, you must knock out almost all the guards. There's nearly nothing else going on. Mission 3 has a small crypt with a small Undead-problem that's dealt with quicker than it is found, Mission 4 has some wildlife that might prove hazardous to your health if you mess with it, and Mission 5 has the vault puzzle. Despite the fact that it looks extremely convoluted, the solution is actually rather simple, which was a bit of a disappointment for me.
As a result playing "Raven Creek" is one of the blandest gaming experiences I've had in recent times. There's no point in doing more than just meeting the mandated loot requirement, as the money isn't put to any use. And grabbing gear leads to the same thing, and this combined will make many taffers stop and ask "What's the point of playing this then?" Well, that's where we get to a point I'm not sure what to make of. Christine is one of the most prolific FM authors out there, and has made several campaigns pitting Garrett against several noble families. "Lord Ashton" deals with the Ashtons (and the Hrothgars to a lesser extent), "Lady Lotti" deals with the Lottis, "Night of the Falcon" had their nobles, and so on. "Raven Creek" brings all of them together, so concerned parties can catch up with these characters and see how they're doing. On one hand it's admirable that Christine has kept them alive for so long, but on the other hand I can't shake the feeling of this being like those weekly soap operas on TV - you know, the ones where you can skip watching them for weeks, and still catch up to the lost story in moments once you catch the next show. But for the people who long and clamor for these characters and setting, there's an extra bonus just for you - one of the secrets in Mission 2 is a homage-shrine to the many missions Christine has made through the years, and even I felt a little in awe for finding it.
Final score? If you like mansion heists more for the scenery and architecture rather than the thrill of the hunt and expecting the unexpected, then RC is absolutely for you. If you want something meatier from a Thief FM (especially on the gameplay front) then you might as well pass on this one.
The upside is that all five Raven Creek-missions are beautiful to look at, I was actually surprised to find a stock object in the first mission, instead of a hi-res replacement. Each location is also well decorated, giving homes that 'lived-in' feeling, and there are plenty of light switches to turn off the lights with. The final mission also has a large museum with plenty of hi-res paintings and statues to gawk at. Finally there are some good attempts at humor, the best one being 'King TP' in the final mission, but Lady Lotti at the bar (good voice acting there) and the 'observer' in Lord Wilson's office are also worth a laugh.
The downsides? To start with the 'theme' of the FMs are ravens, as in the bird. We all know them, but it seems that Christine doesn't. Every birdcall I heard in the FM comes from crows, and every stationary model I saw was of blackbirds. The flying models seemed to be of swallows or something, but it sure was no raven. The only raven I ever saw was the rock-like statue that makes a couple of appearances throughout the campaign. I'm not that much of an ornithologist, but to me this is an Epic Fail.
The single biggest problem with "Raven Creek" though is the (lack of) gameplay, and in-game consistency. Missions 1-4 all take place on the same night (the last mission either does the same, or takes place the night after), yet no loot or gear is ever carried over between missions, with no explanation as to why. 85% of the campaign involves walking around, finding the loot and knocking out all the guards that are in your way. The last mission even mandates this, you must knock out almost all the guards. There's nearly nothing else going on. Mission 3 has a small crypt with a small Undead-problem that's dealt with quicker than it is found, Mission 4 has some wildlife that might prove hazardous to your health if you mess with it, and Mission 5 has the vault puzzle. Despite the fact that it looks extremely convoluted, the solution is actually rather simple, which was a bit of a disappointment for me.
As a result playing "Raven Creek" is one of the blandest gaming experiences I've had in recent times. There's no point in doing more than just meeting the mandated loot requirement, as the money isn't put to any use. And grabbing gear leads to the same thing, and this combined will make many taffers stop and ask "What's the point of playing this then?" Well, that's where we get to a point I'm not sure what to make of. Christine is one of the most prolific FM authors out there, and has made several campaigns pitting Garrett against several noble families. "Lord Ashton" deals with the Ashtons (and the Hrothgars to a lesser extent), "Lady Lotti" deals with the Lottis, "Night of the Falcon" had their nobles, and so on. "Raven Creek" brings all of them together, so concerned parties can catch up with these characters and see how they're doing. On one hand it's admirable that Christine has kept them alive for so long, but on the other hand I can't shake the feeling of this being like those weekly soap operas on TV - you know, the ones where you can skip watching them for weeks, and still catch up to the lost story in moments once you catch the next show. But for the people who long and clamor for these characters and setting, there's an extra bonus just for you - one of the secrets in Mission 2 is a homage-shrine to the many missions Christine has made through the years, and even I felt a little in awe for finding it.
Final score? If you like mansion heists more for the scenery and architecture rather than the thrill of the hunt and expecting the unexpected, then RC is absolutely for you. If you want something meatier from a Thief FM (especially on the gameplay front) then you might as well pass on this one.
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