"Damsel in Distress" by Dyald Oct. 5/04 - by metal dawn
metal dawn on 27/3/2005 at 01:39
Inline Image:
http://img93.exs.cx/img93/7094/purehellforhumor1wg.gif From creator of the award-winning (not-really) "(
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1229057#post1229057) Sunburst Stew" comes "Commandeering and Reemployent."
This production was made possibly by Nudging...oh yeah...and Viewers Like You.
Well, I spent about 3 hours of nudging just to accomplish this. Recognize this guy? He's the guard from the fountain. I've employed his services to watch the house. Hrrrr, It'll be a while before I try any nudging experiments again.
It was PURE HELL, but I feel so happy about it.
dlw6 on 1/4/2005 at 05:37
Cool mission! I have a question & some things to share. I'm playing Version 2 on Hare (expert).
Question: In the room with the cage, there appears to be a secret door in the [SPOILER]northwest[/SPOILER] corner. Even the automap shows it as a door, so I know it's there. How do I open it?
I saved the girl, but am very short on loot. The buttons on the console didn't seem to do anything. I had to gas arrow the girl to get her out of there. The platform above her never seemed to move either. I have not found an armory yet, but sure could use one. I have very few arrows or water arrows left, and still have half the city to explore.
The invisible beasts seem to take some damage from fire and I saw a guard put about 20 arrows into one to kill it. However, they fall like wheat with a [SPOILER]flash bomb[/SPOILER]
Someone asked about the alternate way to the 3d floor. To get there you have to [SPOILER]slash some banners[/SPOILER]
I also got onto the rooftops (and if I can do it, anyone can). There are lots of slippery tiles, and some streets I could jump across while others were a bit too far. Looking down on some of the tops of buildings causes everything to flicker, even on low resolution. That's probably my system: new processor & memory, old video card.
Don
dyald on 1/4/2005 at 19:05
Quote:
Question: In the room with the cage, there appears to be a secret door in the
1st Q
[SPOILER]That door only opens from the other side and you can't get there. someone else opens it[/SPOILER]
2ND Q
[SPOILER]when you get close to the front door of the cage, you will become traped. that is when the celind comes down and a new button appears on the console that stops it. Tip, search through the whole town and even the wall around the estate before you go into the mansion. the armory is right behind the chapel.[/SPOILER]
Quote:
The invisible beasts seem to take some damage from fire and I saw a guard put about 20 arrows into one to kill it. However, they fall like wheat with a
I was wondering if anyone found that out.
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I also got onto the rooftops (and if I can do it, anyone can).
There is only one place where you are supposed to be able to get on the roof. and you found a different place. could you please let me know exactly where and how you did it so i can fix it?
I've just recently learned that it was possible to finish the mission without setting off the trap and that the buttons are causing too much confusion, (none work until Talanvor activates it) this will be adressed in a future version
dlw6 on 5/4/2005 at 16:54
I found the secret door in the cage room after what's-his-name did his thing, I was going to follow him once I took care of more pressing matters. Oh well. I finished all objectives except I'm still short of loot. If by "armory" you mean the weapons shop, I did find that, but I ran out of weapons anyhow trying to splash all the invisible things.
How I got to the rooftops:
A few dozen meters down from the cottage on the right side going toward town, but before the path turns is a chimney-shaped rock, with a broader rock shaped like a buried sphere below it. The slope of the buried sphere is such that, by srafe-running, you can gradually get on top. My Garret avatar seems to be taller, fatter, and slower than some of those out in FM-land (I've never been able to strafe-mantle, nor fit through some openings others claim they can) :joke: but this isn't a tricky climb once you fight the right spot.
Once there, I could get to most rooftop areas around town. The view was nice, except the areas where the rooftop had some kind of dynamic clipping error. There wasn't really anything to do up there, except for sniping at AIs, and not many ways down, but it was fun to look around.
Don
dyald on 10/4/2005 at 16:45
Quote:
but I ran out of weapons anyhow trying to splash all the invisible things.
Those things have high hit points and you won't have enough stuff to take out more than one or two and still have enough to finish the mission [SPOILER]it is possible to avoid every one of them.[/SPOILER]
Thanks for alerting me on the rooftop problem, I guess I'll have to fix it now.
dlw6 on 11/4/2005 at 00:41
I suppose I could have avoided them. Scary as they were (high damage, odd immunities, and very fast moving), they weren't any harder to hide from than most AIs. I just don't like to leave something that dangerous around, because if half the town is dead I have no one to steal from.
Don
The Phantom on 15/9/2006 at 13:55
Because the sequel, The Skygem Connection, is nearing release I replayed this mission again to get back into the story.
For the author's first fanmission this is really a job well done. It has conversations, several maps, a new monster, nice looking environments and an excellent story.
It's nowhere spectacular in case of level design or detail, but the area's in the mission (city, underground tunnels, mansion) look good, and some locations are pretty to look at (like the waterbassin in the tunnels and the fountain hall in the mansion).
Also I enjoyed swimming in the swimming pool with the good old basket ball ;)
The new monster, an invisible tree-beast, is really spectacular, and was frightening the first time around. I can't remember seeing anything before in another FM.
I was surprised to see them turn up later in and around the mansion and in the city after I rescued Elayne. They were helpful in dealing with the patrolling guards and mechanist servants (they didn't knew what hit them :laff:
I liked the conversations too, but sadly they were too soft to actually hear what was said :(
In my opinion the best, and most convincing, aspect of Damsel in distress is the story.
Beside the main goal in the mission (rescueing Elayne) there are two side-stories as well:
The search for the Sky Gem and the story aroundThe Brotherhood andTalanvor, the assistant of high priest Asmodean.
I think I have most parts of the story figured out, and now understand the background of some events in the mission. Please correct me if I'm wrong about this:
Talanvor has moved into Lord Von Blaque's Mansion and continued his experiments on the fourth floor. He turned all guards and the lord himself (although he wasn't finished with him yet) into mechanist servants. That explains all the blood found in the bedrooms. They lord's servants were useless to him because they are not suited to fight and guard the mansion, so he killed them and dumped their bodies into a room on the ground floor.
What I don't understand is why Talanvor did all of this. Was he addicted to his servant experiments and wanted to continue at all cost? Has Asmodean's decision to stop his experiments turned him into a psycho, and does he plan to use the army he created as revenge? Or does he have other plans? Perhaps his speech, in the room where Elayne was captured, clarifies this but it was so soft and noisy that I couldn't hear what he was saying.
The Sky Gem was found by the Bortherhood, in the tunnel complex under their chapel. They gave this gem to Lord Von Blaque to pay him for holding some of their prisoners, including Elayne.
But the dissapearance of the gem from it's origin in the tunnels has unleashed something. An invisible enemy that slaughtered the Brotherhood members who were building sleeping quarters in the tunnels, and everyone else who went down.
About the invasion of the Mansion by an unknown enemy.
I think it was one of the invisible monsters that found a way into the mansion. They are supposed to guard the Sky Gem and bring it back to where it belongs.
That explains why they are located in the city, after Garrett took the sky gem with him. They sensed it and started to roam the city.
I think Talanvor returns in the sequel to take revenge on Garrett for spoiling his plans.
And because the sequel is called The Skygem Connection, and finding the Sky Gem doesn't trigger a BONUS objective, I'm sure we will see the gem back.
I enjoyed this mission even more the second time. Nice job dyald :thumb:
A question: Is it possible to deactivate the mansion alarm once triggered?
Statistics:
Difficulty played: Hare (expert)
Time taken: 3 hours 34 minutes 55 seconds
Loot found: 3057 out of 3117
Secrets found: 2 out of 2
metal dawn on 18/9/2006 at 00:04
I can help. I was one of the beta-testers and a spent more than fair amount of time in the mission.
The monsters:
They're called Lightbeasts by the way. Talanvor summoned them completely by accident through some sequence he described as comparable to lock-and-key. The devices he used we're destroyed in the accident (apparently Asmodean is unaware of any of this). He is likely still holding onto Elayne and the Gem to buy time to escape.
I think you right about the Lightbeasts being guardians.
Asmodean:
He is not insane. He actually seems to be the first chance the Mechanists have at being stable and credible, he isn't using them for his own needs.
(Look in his journal.)
He completely misinterprets Garrett's prescence as a crusade against the new order. He goes to the prison, knocks out Pedron Nail (who had tried to rob Garrett's cabin previously) and leaves the threat for Garrett. Meanwhile, Talanvor's forces capture Elayne.
Talanvor:
On the other hand, Talanvor is in fact using the order for his own needs, as well as all available resources around him. He was one of Karras' high counselors and apparently helped spearhead the Servant Conversion Project. He is dangerous and highly fanatical. As you can see, he converted a large number of unwitting soldiers into Servants as well as all of Von Blaque's staff; he has even performed the process on himself, though probably only for symbolic purposes. He maintains his individuality and may control the Servants with devices in his own mask.
Elayne's capture:
It's used a ploy by Asmodean to make Garrett stay clear of the Convergence/Brotherhood.
Talanvor takes advantage of this by using her as a way to buy time for his escape.
dyald on 18/9/2006 at 18:01
I don't want to give much away, but both of you have a very good grasp of the story I had in mind. The next fm's name is a clue and much more is explained in it. I have still left out more of the details in it in case I make a third.
Oh, look for an important update to D.I.D. in the future.
