Verak on 5/5/2006 at 22:19

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Great mission. Just finished playing it. Got any more coming out? :)

Gore_Torn on 5/5/2006 at 22:41

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DLing now! :thumb: Gunna check this out when i get back ^_^




ohhh ohhh shadowolf! i absolutly loved that FM :cheeky:

tdbonko on 6/5/2006 at 03:27

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Very nice FM!;) We are glad to have so young and talented new author!:thumb:
Best regards,
TDBonko & Naks

Henri The Hammer on 6/5/2006 at 08:49

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Yes I just started making a new fm... check it's slow progress in (http://koti.welho.com/khavulin/FM.html) here.

Actually, that's our president. :erg: Close enough.

taffedinthehead on 7/5/2006 at 18:57

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Henri - my impression:

Wow - great first mission! And for your age! The new generation is truly the computer generation!

Some areas to improve on: Thought you might want some constructive criticism - as an FM player, I can give you four categories I'd like to see you improve in.

1) Storytelling - the best FMs have a good reason for exisiting. Garrett isn't just "looking around and stealing stuff" - he has an agenda and the level has a beginning, middle, end - and hopefully a couple of changes of direction. A good FM doesn't always have to be an epic like Calendra or Keeper of the Prophecies - but a decent little story to explain why Garrett is there and what he hopes to accomplish - what's at stake - can go a long way in making the FM stand out! I'd work on your readables as far as how they fit into the story (and some spellchecking! ;) )

2) Atmosphere - this mission looked good for the standard set of tools - but recent FM editors have made TONS of new textures and objects available. Lighting, use of weather, and sound effects can go a long way in making the FM an object of legend! Think of recent FMs like Rodamill or Night in Roxburgh.

3) What makes sense - one of the first things I did was crawl in a window and pull out a key that was kept in an unlocked safe. Does that make sense for someone to keep a security key in such an easy to get to place? Think of things like that.

4) Finally, and this is to ALL FM editors - lockpicking officially got old before THIEF 2 ever even came out! A locked door here and there is cool, but when EVERY door requires 30 - 60 seconds of standing there and holding the mouse button down, it just becomes a distraction from the experience! I think especially of the door in the crypt right before the treebeast - that one took almost two minutes to unlock. Remember, you want to keep your player engaged, not irritated!

Now that the criticism is out of the way, I can tell you what worked. Basically, you have a SERIOUS knack for level design! Despite the average look of the level, it had the ONE thing that even some of the best looking levels lack - the FUN factor! It's really hard to put into words, but (aside from some of the lockpicking) I was NEVER bored or felt like I just wanted to get through the level already! Everytime I turned a corner there was a new area to explore, be it a tower, or a bedroom, or a secret cave hidden in an obscure corner, or a hidden room across a wide chasm . . . it's this "reward you for exploring" approach that places FMs like this above the average! You have a MAJOR strength in this area of what keeps a level interesting to a player, and for that I highly congratulate you.

Also, you doled out enough equipment to make the experience fun. You could go ghost if you wanted, or BJ everyone, or pull out the Fire and Gas arrows, mines, and even Spider Eggs and lay waste to the entire town! Nice variety of gameplay style!

Also, loot was scattered and plentiful, yet never out in the odd open place - so many FM first-timers will just throw some expensive crown out in the middle of the forest or something - I liked your dispersal and thoughtfulness in this area.

Finally, I liked the non-linear approach to the level (going back to the level design aspect, I guess) - that you could go deep down into a cave, or climb up over a rooftop to go around an obstacle, was all very nice.

I'm seriously looking forward to what you have coming next! I hope you will consider my opinions above and remember that they aren't gripes (after all, I've never made a level!) - but just things that I like to see as an FM player. Keep up the great work!