SneakyJack on 13/2/2009 at 21:50

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Pirates Ahoy! Mission 1: Cast Off! By Christine And Greenhorn (Part 2)
Released: August 2008
Development Time: 5 Months (for the entire campaign?!?)

How's it look?: Simply stunning. As you can see from the screenshots in part 1 - this mission pushes to the limit what thief 2 missions should and can look like. The texture work is top notch, alot of thought went into the design and the architecture is a pleasure to look at. All the areas are lit well and seem to be lit in a way that best showcases the strongest textures and elements of each area. This mission is rivaled in looks only by Sliptip's "The Ashen Age".

One thing I need to go in depth about is just how much attention to detail there is in this mission. It really is quite incredible. I'm not certain how many textures and objects have been seen in previous fan missions and how many were created just for this mission - but it truly shows that love went into this one. Each book on the bookshelves is an individual book that has its own sharp design. Some bottles of rum have their tops taken off and sitting next to the bottle as if someone had just taken a drink. The coat rack in the pub has a pirate hat hanging from it. Attics are adorned in cobwebs. Certain gaves have roses laid onto them by visiting loved ones. Someone selling vegetables has a greenhouse outside their shop. Boxes of veggies and fish look like they are truly full of the objects instead of being flat textures. Even the textures used on guard bunk beds looks fantastic. There are fish in the waterways under the city. Kitchens are full of food, the book shop has piles of books in nearly every room and so on. There is so much detail to immerse you in this mission that its really staggering. I don't know if I mentioned it quite yet - but having wanted posters with Garrett's face on them added even more to the mission for me - it makes sense that everyone not only knows what he looks like - but gives a reason for everyone to be hostile.

If Christine truly built this mission along with Greenhorn in only five months (Not to mention possibly the entire campaign!?!) I am frankly amazed. I've seen folks spend years on missions that did not look as good or were smaller. This million looks like it plays - nearly perfect.

How does it sound?: The ambiance in this mission is also really well done. I noticed during my latest playthrough that certain buildings and shops have an ominous volume hike in the ambiance that really makes your heart begin to speed up as you play. I also enjoyed that alot of surfaces that people normally give louder footstep sounds in various missions were given more realistic "foot on pavement" sounds making the mission more enjoyable to travel through as well. I didn't notice any areas without sounds or anything that didn't sound exactly like it should. Well done here too.

Any rough spots?: I know my impressions so far have come across as "this mission is completely perfect!" but no mission is completely perfect - and im afraid this one has a few tiny bits here and there as well, but nothing that subtracts from the mission at all, really. I did get stuck on an invisible object near a tree, which is always something that should be avoided - but it only happened at one point in the entire mission. I also noticed that the bookstore owner once alerted will run continuously against his front doors while crying for help (never opening the door) but I consider that more of a second chance to dispatch him than a negative! Those few small things aside - I've played through the mission nearly a half dozen times thus far and have never noticed an objective breaking, an item you need missing or a problem with guard AI - so I'd say you really have to look to find something wrong. A scripted sequence here or there would have been nice - but now I'm just asking for more icing on the cake.

Whats the verdict?: Not that you really have to ask - this mission as of the time of me writing this is my favorite fan mission that I've ever had the pleasure of playing through. Christine has always been one of my favorite fan mission creators - but with this release in my mind she was catapulted above and beyond (Not taking anything away from other authors, of course! Everyone has their favorite play styles and missions.) and released the best mission of the year and possibly my vote for best mission up to this point in Thief 2 history. It has everything that makes a thief mission fun for me personally, and involves pirates AND a city mission - throw in a bank and a mansion somewhere in there and I'd be in thief heaven!

Play this mission - play it twice. Recommend it to your friends that play thief - hell, recommend it to friends who don't play thief, your family members and loved ones.. even your dog or cat. Tape the mouse to your pet's paw and explain the objectives to them if you have to - everyone should play this.



Thanks to anyone that actually read all my rambling, and thanks to Christine and Greenhorn for the wonderful mission.

SneakyJack on 13/2/2009 at 22:50

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I'm really looking forward to the entries of the pirate contest as well.

If any folks running contests or any mission authors in general would like me to screenshot missions and send them via PM to post in the announcement or release threads - all you have to do is shoot me a PM at least 1 day before the missions are thrown into the wild and I can have them processed and sent back to you before the deadline - this may generate more interest in missions and get more playthroughs if people can see what they are getting into before they download. Its always nice to be able to show off the work that goes into these missions any chance we get! I know I've made the offer before, but it still stands! :D

SneakyJack on 14/2/2009 at 00:16

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I'm not looking to step on anyones toes - just sharing my unique brand of fan mission madness. I'd happily help Pavlovscat with any projects she could use my help on but I think she's got all her projects under control :D

I'm working on another project I'm about to bring forward too - I'll have three projects going for the community at once and i'm still willing to help others with anything they need.

Sticky Fingers on 15/2/2009 at 05:20

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Lady Taffer - (http://www.southquarter.com/fms/data/Lambert.zip) Southquarter

SneakyJack on 15/2/2009 at 10:49

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One thing I've been meaning to ask that I've seen folks talking about here and there - how often do fan mission authors hide loot and items inside crates or barrels that have to be broken to find them?

I usually always leave crates and barrels untouched in missions but noticed a few people in different threads mention breaking every crate and barrel they see looking for goodies.

Is this a common thing for fan mission authors to include or a rare thing? Furthermore, anyone have any examples of missions that do this?