Anarchic Fox on 12/6/2020 at 22:18

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I've secured the necessary permissions, so here we go. At the bottom of the post are links to two files.

One is the 9YS (Nine Year Sleep) design document; or rather, the last 9YS design document I was involved with. I've edited it and added new material, visible as underlined text.

The other is the SR (Switching Rails) prototype. After GatI, Team CoSaS split its efforts. Digi got to work on MX, while I worked on SR, as it seemed easiest to finish. Later, it became clear that we had to focus on one mission, so we all switched to MX. The file below represents the latest version of SR. It's very crude, but I was fond of it. In particular, there's something in the yard I'm very proud of. However, it might not display properly in NewDark, since it relies heavily on the fact that the Dark Engine is a raycasting engine.

My burnout is the stuff of legends. The last time I played Thief was to beta test MX. Even the thought of playing is painful. As a result, if anyone can record their playthrough of SR, I would appreciate it. I would very much like to see those streets again, a decade and a half later.

This is a joyful moment, but also a stressful one, so I will not reply in this thread until a week has passed.

(http://barknet.org/anarchicfox/9YS_Design_Doc.rtf) http://barknet.org/anarchicfox/9YS_Design_Doc.rtf

(http://barknet.org/anarchicfox/SRFox-8-17-03.zip) http://barknet.org/anarchicfox/SRFox-8-17-03.zip

Previous CoSaS threads:

(https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64716) CoSaS - Gathering at the Inn Released - 11.2.2003
(https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=122490) COSAS 2 Mission X - Available Now ... 8-15-08
(https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123244) Updated FM: Mission X version 1.13 - Walkthrough, Lootlist, Lexicon, Trivia, Album
(https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149211) Updated FM: Mission X v1.14 (NewDark update) Released!
(https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143539) CoSaS 3 - The Nine Year Sleep - Content Release (3-14-2014)

There's no thread for it, but (http://thief-thecircle.com/download.asp?fid=1) Gathering at the Bar, CoSaS' predecessor, was the first FM ever made (though not quite the first released). Trimfect contacted LGS; then he, Digi and others made the FM to prove to Looking Glass Studios that Dromed could be used by a general audience, leading to LGS' public release of their editing tools.

DrK on 12/6/2020 at 22:56

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Many thanks for releasing this content to the public! :D

Anarchic Fox on 14/6/2020 at 00:06

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Okay, I'm less stressed than I thought I would be, so let's get to replying. Thanks Kerrle and DrK for the kind remarks, and thanks very much Vfig for the playthrough! I missed that neighborhood. I think the final mission objectives were bugged in the latest build. All you were supposed to do was switch the rails in the control section, then throw a lever on the train. Also, the bow was a Rube Goldberg machine that easily broke, but it did work! I think you either had to find one of the bows just laying around (there's an area of the police station you skipped), or steal one from a non-alert guard. I think losing everything when stealing a bow from an alert guard was a known bug. Indeed I'm glad to see the spotlights working correctly, though looking back on it I'm not sure why it felt like such an accomplishment. Maybe it was the hard-edged region of light?

Finally, I was amused to see that the CoSaS curse continues: you selected the "No Hints" difficulty, and were then bewildered by the lack of hints. :laff:

vfig on 14/6/2020 at 02:10

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:angel:


I think you need to go read up on burnout and ptsd before you put your other foot in your mouth too.

Galaer on 14/6/2020 at 17:00

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So I tried Switching Rails. I played on Tafferpatcher 1.25. Both playthrough done on Normal difficulty (All Hints). First playthrough was without using newest scripts and second when I put newest scripts into FM folder. In both playthroughs I ended on train and couldn't make it work, which is really unfortunate.

First Playthrough

I have encountered a lot of problems. First conversation restart after every reload. That's really annoying. I really hoped to have blackjack to KO these guards from start and stop conversation. Guards are hyper sensitive for some reason. It's visible especially in outside Shalebridge area with moving lights. Whenever guards step on light, they go into search mode. In city patrollers can spot me from very far away if I step on light. Also items randomly drop from my inventory including loot from Shalebridge, compass, keys or even arrows.

Speaking about equipment - grabbing bow change all water crystals into water arrows, so I can shoot water arrows. But it doesn't happen with moss crystals, fire crystal or rope arrow. They stay in inventory. I can steal more bows from guards and it looks like bug. I know our protagonist is really good thief, but stealing bows from archers hands is a bit too much. Bows go into inventory and if I have more than one, I start seeing second bow while walking.

About objectives. In Shalebridge I get new objective slightly before reading book. Also book mention policeman taking my equipment home, but objective says that thief from Circle stole my equipment (?). I guess this readable is unfinished.

Second Playthrough

This time I put newest scripts into FM folder, which fixed most of bugs. I could finally obtain map, my items don't drop on floor. First conversation also restarts less frequently. In my 1st playthrough I encountered it 50-60 times, in 2nd plathrough - only 4-5 times. Also speaking about first conversation, you block every movement buttons except leaning left, which has funny effect when you get "released".

Big change - alarm got launched in Shalebridge. This explains why guards randomly go into search mode in outside area with moving lights. Also I learned in this playthrough why guards randomly go into search mode. It's not because they see me or hear me. It's because when patroller enter certain point, invisible switch get pressed and guards go into search mode. That's such a cheap move.

I somehow failed optional no kill objective very early in the mission. No idea how, because I had no weapons. Also being unseen objective never fails, which is weird, because with these hyper sensitive guards and guards forced to go into search mode by the switch, it's impossible to ghost this mission and complete this objective.

Equipment. It works differently. Most of water crystals go into inventory, but some go into weapon slot. In the end I had 6 water arrows and 5 water crystals. Of course rest of arrows is in the inventory. Grabbing bow is also different. No matter what bow I picked (from archers or this one lying near front entrance) all my water crystals and items vanish. But that's not entirely true. Later I discovered that grabbing bow allows me to shoot rope arrow and nothing else.

Overall

I don't like it. There are 3 reasons for that:

1. Custom bow. What's the point to change something that works perfectly fine in original game. You grab water crystal, so you can shoot water arrow. You don't need any special bow that may not work in future patches. You say it's realistic, I say it's just a game.

2. Hyper sensitive guards with no blackjack. This was really annoying. It's not the first time it happens, but it's the first time when you are forced to ghost crazy sensitive guards. It really felt like you are forcing me to play Ultimate Difficulty Mod.

3. These dick move traps that force guards to go into search mode. I like hard difficulty, but I don't like when it's increased in unfair way. These invisible switches are really cheap moves. I would prefer them to patrol city while they look like in search mode. This has been done in Thief 1 in Assassins mission and it was fair.

Overall I feel like this mission is just overcomplicated. Make it more simply or just divided into few missions. Make guards less sensitive and delete these invisible switch triggers forcing guards into 2nd alert. And revert bow back to it's form from original game. I managed to get to train, but it wasn't all that fun. Though some ideas are interesting (like these moving lights or train station.