[Developer Commentary Added] T2 FM - Lingering Whispers - (8 Sept 2011) - by scarykitties
Haplo on 16/10/2011 at 12:24
Quote Posted by Ricebug
I'm currently working on a walkthrough for this thing, and I must say, it's right up there in the top 5 as far as difficulty goes. I'm doing a first run using the "infinite invisibility" potions, just so the AI quit bothering me while I try and figure things out. This thing is like a juicy steak with a good wine...you have to savor every bite.
Terry, why don't you start the mission in Thief, quicksave, quit, then open dromed, do "aiawareofplayer", quickload and play as per normal? If you follow these steps then saving and loading work in dromed too.
Ricebug on 17/10/2011 at 10:12
Quote Posted by Haplo
Terry, why don't you start the mission in Thief, quicksave, quit, then open dromed, do "aiawareofplayer", quickload and play as per normal? If you follow these steps then saving and loading work in dromed too.
Wouldn't this be the same as using
AI Aware under the
Game menu (NV's menu bindings)? Also, does this affect conversation triggers?
Not sure I understand. What do I modify? The missi20 file?
Haplo on 17/10/2011 at 10:19
Quote Posted by Ricebug
Wouldn't this be the same as using
AI Aware under the
Game menu (NV's menu bindings)? Also, does this affect conversation triggers?
Not sure I understand. What do I modify? The missi20 file?
What I meant was that instead of using the infinite invisibility potions you could just play the mission in DromEd and take advantage of the available commands such as AI Aware.
darthsLair on 17/10/2011 at 11:54
AIAware is for observing without the Ai being aware of your presence. Conversations can be observed. The unseen player still triggers roombrushes. I use it constantly to observe the ai in conversations. It is the handiest tool in the menu for ingame use.
scarykitties on 17/10/2011 at 12:34
There ARE some events that are triggered by AIWatchObj links on the player, though. AIAware may cause those not to fire unless you toggle it on and off at those points.
Renault on 17/10/2011 at 14:26
Was finally able to play this mission over the weekend - just wanted to say "awesome job" to scarykitties, what a fun ride that was. You gave the player so many things to do, and so many cool and interesting areas to explore. My final time was a little over 6 hours, but I imagine it was quite a bit more than that with reloads and such. Being that I was sick this weekend, it was the perfect thing to keep me occupied.
I admit, I was really frustrated at the beginning, and not really sure what to do at some points, but I stuck with it, started taking notes (you should see my scribbled map of the mines!), and pushed through and had a blast with it. Well done, I really hope to see more missions from you.
Constructive criticism - can't think of much, only minor stuff. The "alternating sides" bit for the bay door controls got annoying (it didn't occur to me to break the glass), and the pathways through the mines seemed overly and unnecessary complex. The objectives were a bit vague (find some jewelry?), and some of the story didn't make sense, but overall, fantastic, great fun. :cool:
scarykitties on 17/10/2011 at 14:45
I appreciate the input of the response! Thank you much and I'm glad that you enjoyed it in the end.
Hopefully my future missions will be a bit less convoluted. I like to think that any story confusion came either from just certain vagueness resulting in me not wanting to blabber on too long in explanations or due to the entire mission being made as I went along rather than planned from the start.
Those gameplay issues that you mentioned were a difficulty gamble. That is, I gambled that the player would find it more challenging than frustrating. It kind of goes both ways, in hindsight: it's frustrating when you're doing it, but it can be seen as satisfyingly challenging once it's over.
Here's to the future!
Renault on 17/10/2011 at 15:08
Quote Posted by scarykitties
I gambled that the player would find it more challenging than frustrating.
I'm sure it's often difficult to find the right balance. I definitely wouldn't just make your missions easier though, I for one loved the challenge on this one (I was playing on expert, btw). Any FM that has me taking notes and scribbling maps, I consider that a lot of fun, and it means the gears upstairs are turning (no pun intended). But it's the mechanical and repetitive tasks that players get frustrated by (such as going back and forth between the two sides of the controls multiple times), things that make you roll your eyes and hesitate continuing.
scarykitties on 25/10/2011 at 13:29
Thanks so much for the time an effort put into this walkthrough, Ricebug! It's fantastic!
