klatremus on 17/12/2008 at 19:58
Quote Posted by Unkillable Cat
The only objective I didn't get was the optional one - very few of my flying knockouts were counted as such, which was a shame.
A mission with an optional flying knockout objective?! :eek: Man do I have to try that!
SneakyJack on 18/12/2008 at 19:41
Quote Posted by Unkillable Cat
Well, as I noticed a long 2-year old thread about a fan mission being resurrected, I decided to see what all the hubbub was about.
The Folly Of Youth is one of those missions that does not impress at first. Huge, empty areas, hunting for keys that aren't always there (I had to restart once due to the second key not being where it should be), but once I got into the church...man, does the mission take off in style. It's funny, deep, plenty of stuff to do and well-hidden keys and secrets.
By the time I finally finished it I had been playing for 3 hours in game-time, found 15 of the 17 secrets and clocked over 1800 loot. The only objective I didn't get was the optional one - very few of my flying knockouts were counted as such, which was a shame.
After reading your recommendation and mini-review I went back and played
The Folly Of Youth - and like you said it was one of those missions that I probably quit a few minutes into due to the sheer wasted space at the beginning and all the running around you need to do in wide open spaces just to get to the
ladder objective to get into the grounds. Once inside I had a great time with this mission - all the hidden areas and great readables made it a really good mission that will have replay value in the future for me.
The only thing that confused me is that
some of the hammers seemingly appear out of thin air or spawn out of nowhere when I think I've already cleared an area. :confused: That just added to the surprise of the mission for me, however.
Thanks for the recommendation! I managed 7 total flying knockouts - the game seems to be very picky on how it awards them like you mentioned. Talk about a mission that keeps expanding as you play!
Unkillable Cat on 19/12/2008 at 17:52
Yeah, I also noticed the "appearing out of nowhere" guards. At least here it's done with a little bit of sense - all the guards appear in the main corridors. That single fact gives a sense of reality, like how they may have been returning to the church after a good hammertime down at the pub or somesuch. One of these guards gave me a scare though, as he appeared almost right outside the room I was in and then entered the room. I had to hide in the closet to avoid being spotted.
But on to the next FM I decided to try. While Rebellion Of The Builder is hard because of pure cheese, Ruins Of Originia is hard because...well, it's a tough nut to crack. You will need the walkthrough, I can almost guarantee it. You get 4 missions, of which the first one is a huge mines/catacombs thing. I spent almost 4 hours on that one alone...and enjoyed every minute of it!
RoO has issues, like spelling & grammar, illogical puzzles/situations and crashes in the 2nd mission, but RoO did something for me that no other Thief mission (fan-made or otherwise) has accomplished...it made me feel like I was playing Ultima Underworld again. Underworld I and II are two of my favourite games, and RoO somehow manages to tap into that atmosphere...mostly by being 95% underground, I'd guess.
If you have plenty of Thief-related time on your hands, play RoO.
SneakyJack on 20/12/2008 at 15:59
Quote Posted by Unkillable Cat
Yeah, I also noticed the "appearing out of nowhere" guards. At least here it's done with a little bit of sense - all the guards appear in the main corridors. That single fact gives a sense of reality, like how they may have been returning to the church after a good hammertime down at the pub or somesuch. One of these guards gave me a scare though, as he appeared almost right outside the room I was in and then entered the room. I had to hide in the closet to avoid being spotted.
I had that happen once as well, almost the same situation. I like the way that it was handled, and like you said - it just seemed like more hammers were coming in from town or in from patrol. It actually kept me on my toes for the entire mission, unlike most where you know everyone in the entire place is snoozing via blackjack nightcap and there is no threat at all.
The next mission I decided to replay was
Mysterious Invitation (MH. Freak's 2007 rework version). This mission is a huge mansion crawl - which I always love, and I had a blast with it.
There is a bit too much marble for my tastes (which you'll see led to an unfortunate situation for two guards that you'll see in my upcoming screenshots) but a good story and a large mansion will always help me overlook little complaints like that.
I recommend this mission to anyone who enjoys mansion missions - you cant really go wrong with the gameplay in this one - but be prepared to be found at least once unless you are an excellent ghoster on mostly marble floors. (which I am not)
And now some screens:
Inline Image:
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n25/motherfuckingjack/mys1.jpgThe view from the get-go and a friendly guard for once. I enjoy the immersion it creates when folks put non-hostile guards into the mission along with the hostile ones.
Inline Image:
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n25/motherfuckingjack/mys2.jpgOh this cant be good..
Inline Image:
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n25/motherfuckingjack/mys3.jpgAny FM maker that includes these is pure evil. Seriously.
Inline Image:
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n25/motherfuckingjack/mys4.jpgHaving a delightful conversation, im sure.
Inline Image:
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n25/motherfuckingjack/mys5.jpgOi! The incompetence around here knows no bounds! Even these blasted machines are sleeping on the job.
Inline Image:
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n25/motherfuckingjack/mys6.jpgI did not want it to come to this but your persistence in stabbing me with sharp objects left me no choice.
Inline Image:
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n25/motherfuckingjack/mys7.jpgI guess I should redecorate a bit - these might just do the trick.
Inline Image:
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n25/motherfuckingjack/mys8.jpgI spy out of the corner of my eye.. that this will not end well for him.
SneakyJack on 21/12/2008 at 21:17
Apologies for double or triple posting - hopefully its alright with the mods since I'm adding new FM's that I've played since the last time I posted - I don't want any one post to get too screenshot heavy.
That being said - the next FM I finished was
"Damsel in distress" by Dyald.
You can find my full review of it (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1841303#post1841303) here.
clearing on 22/12/2008 at 04:24
Quote Posted by SneakyJack
The next mission I decided to replay was
Mysterious Invitation (MH. Freak's 2007 rework version). This mission is a huge mansion crawl - which I always love, and I had a blast with it.
There is a bit too much marble for my tastes (which you'll see led to an unfortunate situation for two guards that you'll see in my upcoming screenshots) but a good story and a large mansion will always help me overlook little complaints like that.
I recommend this mission to anyone who enjoys mansion missions - you cant really go wrong with the gameplay in this one - but be prepared to be found at least once unless you are an excellent ghoster on mostly marble floors. (which I am not)
Don't forget (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=115679) Ultima Ratio - the sequel Mysterious Invitation ;)
Beautiful screenshots, SneakyJack.
SneakyJack on 22/12/2008 at 19:40
Thanks and thanks! I'll check out that mission next for a play (or replay if I've played it before)
I didn't know if anyone even enjoyed the screens I've been posting, but I like showing off the amazing hard work of FM makers in the spots that I enjoy from the missions, so I'll probably continue as long as no one hates them. :laff:
Printer's Devil on 23/12/2008 at 05:22
The recent Memoirs Of A Dead God by Nicked seems to thread the needle as far as light switches go. The mission objectives demand ghosting AND exploring 90% of the map, so having a bit of help with the "hot" zones reduces the frustration (I'm not too proud to blackjack). Overlapping guard patrols do a good job of keeping things tense, despite their inability to notice your shenanigans.
SneakyJack on 23/12/2008 at 13:15
Quote Posted by Printer's Devil
The recent
Memoirs Of A Dead God by Nicked seems to thread the needle as far as light switches go. The mission objectives demand ghosting AND exploring 90% of the map, so having a bit of help with the "hot" zones reduces the frustration (I'm not too proud to blackjack). Overlapping guard patrols do a good job of keeping things tense, despite their inability to notice your shenanigans.
If the objectives forced ghosting, thats probably a mission I skipped. Does it force ghosting at all difficulty levels? If not, I may need to check that one out again.
Any level with well placed light switches is one I'll give a second chance if need be.
