Renault on 9/5/2017 at 14:23
Secret Breaking Of A Pyramid
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Crypt, Undead, Creatures, Underground
March 3rd, 2007 by Renault
This Indiana Jones/Tomb Raider style FM created by Zmey gets off to a very bad start - a long, narrow corridor full of dozens of spiders. You have to wonder what the author was thinking, as you certainly won't endear many die hard Thief fans this way. Once this portion of the level is over, things get a little better, but not significantly. Garrett must maneuver within an ancient pyramid, seeking treasure and searching out the original roll (a ancient text). While the premise sounds good, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. First off, that's about the extent of the plot - no new objectives are revealed and despite some cryptic scrolls left behind, we never get much of a backstory on the pyramid or why Garrett is here. That aside, the most obvious criticism from the get go is the design of the pyramid, which contains way too many excruciatingly long hallways devoid of detail or any kind of decoration or adornment. Most of the adjoining rooms are not much better, simple cubes with minimal objects and uncreative texturing. At least a lot of the textures are new and unique to this type of setting, or the player might fall asleep altogether.
On a positive note, there is a significantly gratifying feel of discovery and exploration within the pyramid, as many areas are accessible by rope, key and secret buttons. That said, many of the puzzles are just too illogical, with (for example) one button opening a door way over on the opposite side of the level (and no indication that it is doing so), or a sapphire key opening a door that has nothing to do with its title. There's a lot of guesswork here as to what needs to be accomplished, and that coupled with the long corridors that take time to navigate can really frustrate the player. Loot is another topic worth discussing. The loot count on expert was extremely high (40,000 gold), and the majority of the loot are found in rooms where it is stockpiled, meaning the player may spend a full minute or two just frobbing loot items. This isn't necessarily fun for most people, and I think the loot should have been spread throughout the level a bit more evenly. Lastly, combat is inevitable in some sections of the map (AI often appear out of nowhere in brightly-lit areas), and many fans will not look upon that favorably when they prefer to sneak around (or even ghost). Its hard to criticize this mission too much as a first-outing, but when considering the overall design one has to wonder how in touch the author is with the Thief community.
Renault on 9/5/2017 at 14:29
Freedo Finds One
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Crypt, Outdoors, Bank, Guards
March 2nd, 2007 by Renault
OK, yes, this is a first-time mission by Cloaked In Darkness, and it shows in several areas. There certainly wont be any architectural awards handed out today, and everything is shaped rather square and fundamental. The sound propagation is questionable in many areas, and there isn't anything fresh or original here that we haven't seen before. But still, there's fun to be had within, and this is a very good rookie effort that makes it apparent the author put some solid time and effort into their release. There's a fairly straightforward plot, but some creative objective choices were made to carry it out. The loot objective in particular created an nice challenge, and that aspect in particular extended my playing experience to over an hour. We witness an ample variety of settings, everything from a bank to a crypt to an underground warehouse area. AI placement and lighting was certainly carried out competently. Overall, this mission feels very complete and well-rounded for a freshman entry and it seems obvious that an intentional effort was exerted to make it this way. Hopefully the author can build on this success and reach even higher for their next mission release.
Renault on 9/5/2017 at 14:30
The Skygem Connection
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Crypt, Outdoors, Undead, Keepers, Mechanist, Creatures,Underground
March 1st, 2007 by Renault
This slightly different and intriguing endeavor by Dyald will provide the player with quite a variety of settings and enemies, all packed into one single mission. You'll see Mechanists, Keepers, a few undead, and, err, well, something else (trust me when I say its just one of the cooler enemy AI seen in any Thief FM). A clever initial camvator sequence sets the stage and puts the story in motion, and Garrett is off to a hidden Keeper temple to locate a secret book. The plot is interesting and definitely gets your attention, but I found it hard to follow in a few spots (I'm sure part of this is from missing Damsel in Distress, the previous mission by the same author). The design and architecture of this level is also very good, especially when you consider all of the different motifs that the author chooses to integrate together. In regards to length, even though it feels like you've traveled a long distance from start to finish, the opposition is minimal (more on this in a second), so overall this mission shouldn't take too long to finish, say just over an hour. Judging from the ending, its safe to say that more content is forthcoming in a future installment.
One of the things that bothered me about this mission was sound, or rather lack of it. Almost no ambient sounds were used, and they could have had a great effect here in conjuncture with some of the dark and spooky areas the player moves through. In addition, using what are typically guards voices for the Keepers seemed extremely out of place and ruined a bit of the mystery of the Keepers for me. On the plus side, the new voice acting is top notch, carried out by a few of the talented folks at TTLG. Moving on, this FM has an element that is occasionally seen but has always perplexed me - loot scattered throughout the level with absolutely no loot requirement or objective to satisfy. But the most glaring weakness of this FM to me was the non-existent challenge. Simply put, it was just too damn easy. Should you really be able to walk right through the front door (unlocked no less) of any Keeper compound with only one novice guarding it? In most areas, at least at the beginning, the AI are sparse, and not difficult to defeat. To make matters worse, the author loads the player up with an abundance of weapons and tools, making the trek even easier - I had 25 water arrows still in my inventory when I was done. Better balance in the setup of resources and AI would have made this FM substantially better, and it could have provided the player with a greater sense of accomplishment in the end. I cant completely dismiss this type of shortcoming, mainly because it does detract quite a bit from the overall gameplay experience for me, but at the same time, I dont think it should stop anyone from checking out what is principally a solid and well-designed adventure.
Renault on 9/5/2017 at 14:34
Chain of Events
Posted in Reviews, City, Guards
May 26th, 2007 by Melan
Chain of Events by Uncandonego
There is a common perception in the Thief community that excellence in fan missions is best achieved through technical innovation, attractive environments created with a judicious use of custom content, and finally a well-realised story. A lot of progress has been made in all three fields, and the results are nothing but impressive. With years of experience, fans have taken the editing tools far beyond their intended use, used new textures and objects in ways that almost cover up the fact that the technology is close to seven years old; moreover, they developed entire campaigns coming close to or surpassing the original missions in scope and complexity.
Even so, some concepts seem to remain unexplored, and lessons from OMs unlearned. Thief and Thief 2 weren't just revolutionary games for adding a stealth element to first person shooters and providing a game engine to support this mode of play. They were also notable for their open-ended approach to solving problems in complex environments. Alternate paths to fulfill objectives, sizable hidden areas, and innovative level building making good use of the 3rd dimension were also factors making the Thief games different from the competition. It is unfortunate that relatively little of the practice has leaked into modern games. It is doubly unfortunate that even Thief FMs tend to neglect this aspect of the LGS legacy. Most are either excessively linear, or provide only a small measure of non-linearity, usually through a few “built-in” sidetracks. It has been my suspicion for a while that thinking of level design in the terms of stories may be one of the main culprits: stories are the easiest to construct when they are sequential, or reasonably close to it (e.g. they give you an open space, but then still force you to go through points A, B and C in that space in a given order to “unlock” D, E and F, etc.). Level design under a different paradigm is a concept that is hard to learn and even harder to master.
Uncadonego's FMs are notable because, while they are extremely stingy with resources (indeed, these are mostly restricted to original Thief 2 stock), they succeed at learning from and improving on original levels like Assassins and especially Life of the Party. Chain of Events is only one example, but probably the finest to date. The level's premise is basically an excuse to go on exploring - the recovery of a letter that shouldn't fall into the wrong hands, and collecting the usual big heap of loot. The FM takes place in a small city district consisting of one larger block surrounded by a circular (okay, rectangular) channel and a number of smaller areas connected to the main area with bridges. Here, Uncadonego employs a device also seen in Purah's Midnight in Murkbell: waterways serve as an obstacle to reaching parts of the level, as a conveniently available escape route, and finally as a method of making the player “pay” for using it too often: while there are several ways in, there are only a few out. Good AI placement maintains a constant threat level, but doesn't become overbearing, especially since you usually don't need to pay a high price for failure. Where I usually find myself knocking out the majority of foes and (if allowed) mercilessly butchering those who are placed in annoying locations or otherwise anger me, here, it was enough to thin them out a little.
Although Chain of Events looks very small on first sight, this is far from reality. All buildings can be entered (there were only two places I couldn't find a way into, but this is likely just a failure on my part), there are opportunities for getting on the rooftops, opening up hidden passages, exploring a small sewer system and so on. There is something very thiefish about encouraging breaking into someone's house or shop from above, below, through a balcony, with rope arrows, by climbing up on a ledge, or jumping from one rooftop to another. Well, taffers, here is your big opportunity!
If there is an aspect of Chain of Events I had a problem with, it was probably the strict loot goal. You have to find quite a lot to finish the level, and almost all of it is hidden, sometimes in secret places located inside secret areas found beyond yet more secret things. This can either make exploration very rewarding, or extremely frustrating. Fortunately, the FM is just doable on Hard difficulty, and is much more forgiving than other Uncadonego missions.
Technical execution is solid. This is a very low tech mission; no camvators, conversations, scripted sequences or extra tools are to be found, and as already written, the author hewed very close to TMA's baseline in the resources department. There is, however, no overwhelming need to do it any other way (I personally greatly prefer environments with a distinct Thief 1 look, but can also accept that T2 is okay with others), plus what the level lacks in looks, it more than makes up in gameplay. The architecture is clean, without excessive eye candy but far from feeling empty. It would probably have been a good idea to place a few more ambient sounds around the level. Still, this is just a minor complaint, and doesn't detract much from my positive impressions.
To sum up: Uncadonego's Chain of Events doesn't break any new ground, but does things we have seen before so well that it is highly recommended to play - and maybe equally importantly, for Dromeders to learn from.
Renault on 9/5/2017 at 14:36
Rowenas Curse
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Mansion, Undead, Guards, Creatures
August 23rd, 2007 by nicked
At first glance this mission appears to be just another mansion mission, the house in this case belonging to the Bafford family. It seems there have been some strange disappearances, and Garrett has been hired to investigate. So far, so typical
However, this mission goes above and beyond the call of duty and this is what raises it above the level of just another mansion mission.
The storyline is long and involving and there are many twists and new developments to keep you hooked. However, the story never loses sight of its goal, and you are rarely faced with a situation where you cant figure out what to do next. Puzzles are challenging, but logical, and my only complaint with the gameplay is there are an awful lot of keys to find! There are many useful text hints for most of the games puzzles which stops the mission grinding to a halt.
The challenge mainly comes from a large number of well-positioned guards, some with heightened alertness. Fans of ghosting may find they have to give up during the slightly more action-oriented later stages, although for the most part there are multiple ways of traversing the large and well-designed house.
Graphically the mission is impressive; although not quite as breathtaking as more recent missions such as Conspiracies in the Dark or Ashen Age pt1, the architecture is well-thought out and flows nicely, and judicious use of select custom textures adds that little something extra.
The sound effects that permeate the mission add huge depth to an already weighty story. They appear to be mostly original Thief sounds and music cues, but somewhat remixed in inventive and original ways. The sound really complements the gameplay well and is never obtrusive.
Ultimately though, the most impressive thing about the mission is the little details. There are lots of nice touches that show that real thought has gone into the story and setting. For example, all the guards and servants in the house are labelled by name which helps you to really identify with some of the books and scrolls you read. Theres even a painting which is completely unimportant to the gameplay, which subtly changes partway through the mission after a significant event, for no better reason than to add atmosphere.
Overall this mission does what has been done before, but does it much better and with an extra garnish of well-thought-out details that will make you want to play through again to try and find all that you may have not noticed the first time round! This is one that no Thief fan should miss!
Renault on 9/5/2017 at 14:38
Bestest FM 3: In a Link of an Eye
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Series, Outdoors, Mechanist
August 16th, 2007 by Ganac
Number three by guess who. Released on July 30, 2007.
If you are dim, then you wouldnt have known by the first two reviews that this is novelty only.
For number three, you are in a dream world, full of swirling things, Mechanists, and floating eyeballs. Depending on the difficulty, you have different weapons to kill these mechanists, ranging from hundreds of fire arrows to just your blackjack. The only secret is a dewdrop under one of the links. The only way to get out of crate stacking.
While playing this FM, the amount of stuff flying around can bog down even powerful machines.
Enjoy! If you can/care/want
Renault on 9/5/2017 at 14:39
Bestest FM 2: Fairground Attraction
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Series, Outdoors, Undead, Sewer, Guards, Underground
August 16th, 2007 by Ganac
Part two of Sluggs epic saga(June 14, 2007). If you read the review for the first one, you would know that this is novelty only.
The fairground attraction is built off of the same model as the first, but of couse, with fairground attractions. Such attractions include:
-A merry-go-round with a sitting zombie
-A gigaintic ferris wheel
-A very high obervation tower
-Two cars with passengers in them
-A fairly decent haunted train
-And other weird crap
The point is to search the grounds and the sewers for some hammer haunts. Thats it. The briefing also contains info about some loot at the bottom of a lake. And guess what? There is. Thats why the guards stayed.
There is also a huge ladder and some guy on top the hotel.
So I guess I should tell you to have fun with this.
Renault on 9/5/2017 at 14:39
SSDD: Tipping the Scales
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, City, Mechanist, Bank, Guards
September 21st, 2007 by theImmortalThief
This mission is the long awaited first part to the SSDD project, by Apache and garretwannabe.
Playing it I could kind of feel the difference between old style FMs and new ones. Where in new ones a lot of the focus seems to be on custom content and detail, the old style goes for gameplay, as could be seen in the carefully set patrol routs and the way the design was done with thieving in mind and not necessarily realism. It was a refreshing and fun experience.
The mission starts in the streets of the city. The city area is rather small and most doors can not be opened. Compared with the later parts of the mission, this section seems a bit unpolished. The layout of the city doesnt seem very logical. For example, the casino grounds and the whole second half of the city can only be accessed by walking through the watch station. The second half of the city consists of a few areas, each pretty well designed but not very logically connected.
The mission starts with only two objectives. As you advance in the mission, more objectives are added. The plot is not very complex; its a classic break in mission. The readables in this mission are very short and simply state a Hint and do not have much personality. While this is a plus for non English speakers who might get frustrated reading long texts to find a tiny clue, it makes the story lose its depth and harder for the player to get immersed in.
There are two main locations that have to be hit; the first is the casino, followed by a visit to the bank. The casino is well designed as far as architecture and has multiple entry points. The actual game room in the casino is very small and overall the building gives more of a Hotel impression. The rooms are great. Each has a story to tell, especially room eight which is the site of a terrible murder.
The bank, in my opinion is the high point of the mission. The layout is well thought out and the architecture is very good. This building too has multiple entraces. Scouting the area before entering can lead to an easier break in. The rooms all have windows and the main hall is marble and the place is equipped with a few cameras that all add to the challenge.
One of the interesting points of this mission was the attention that had been given to patrol routs, especially in the bank. The pouses and the rotating enhanced the challenge of passing unobserved.
Overall this mission was very entertaining. The architecture was mostly well done with the only main problem possibly being the overall layout. I recommend it to any one looking for a couple of hours of relaxation and good old thiefy fun.
Renault on 9/5/2017 at 14:40
The Hidden Stone
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Church
July 2nd, 2006 by Renault
This is an short but mildly entertaining romp from Drysils Chosen that will provide most players with a good 30-45 minutes of simple fun. Most of the architecture and layout is fair to average (there are actually two spots where the stairs are too tall for Garrett to smoothly travel over – Im not sure how that got past the best testing phase), and the plot is a bit cliched (the old seven deadly sins routine), but the author seems to be leaning more on their abilities in the tech area anyway. The techinal effects are not overwhelming, but they do make the level somewhat unique and interesting (especially during the ending). On the other hand, the level is far too combat intensive for a typical thief level, requiring you to kill multiple times with no alternate “sneaky” way of accomplishing your goals. The story actually had some potential to be solid, if the author had expanded and put a bit more thought into it. As it turns out however, this FM falls a bit into the novelty category. Hopefully this author can focus on some of the additional areas mentioned above the next time around to provide a more complete experience.
Renault on 9/5/2017 at 14:41
A Living Nightmare
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Crypt, Guards
July 2nd, 2006 by Renault
This mission by John Denison was frustrating and a mixed bag for me; I found parts of it amazing and worthy of classic status, and other parts nonsensical, confusing, and downright absurd. But first the good stuff – this mission looks great. Although there are some very good custom textures and objects used here, the main strength of this FM lies in the construction and design of the main building - a hospital. At times it seems more like a church or cathedral, and I found myself often just looking around at the makeup of the structure, which is always a sign of good architecture. The building is just about the right size for this setting, not huge and overwhelming as seen in many FMs that try to be too ambitious. This feels like a building that could actually exist. In addition, ignoring the actual plot (Ill get to that in a second), there are plenty of objectives to accomplish here, and some good tech to back them up. There's one “room” in particular that most players will replay several times just for the novelty factor. There's a good sense of achievement here as well, while the objectives keep the player active and convince them they are actually doing something. All told, youll probably spend about 60-90 minutes on this FM, and you wont be just collecting loot (although there is some of that).
Right from the start, however, the player will likely be confused as to what exactly is going on. I often skip a missions readme file, wanting to jump right into the action. In this instance, there's almost no way you can. A few of the plot points are strange and convoluted, and frankly don't make a lot of sense. Furthermore, there is some “adult content” here (and to be fair, the player is warned in the readme), and in my opinion, this type of material doesn't have a place in the world of Thief. There are many readables here to give clues for completing the mission, but I thought they could have done a better job of pushing the player in the right direction. None of them were renamed (i.e. Freds letter to Bob), so going back and rereading them for information later proved to be a tedious exercise. This mission just didn't flow right for me, and I found many times when I needed to consult the forums to finish it. It wasn't that it was unusually difficult - it was more a case of that I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to be doing. Also, there were several attempts made at humor, which I thought for the most part fell flat.
Reviewing a level like this is always very difficult, primarily because you can visualize how the mission could have turned out. In the end though, this one is definitely worth playing, despite its glaring flaws. Other players may not even see this these weaknesses in the same light as i do, as I tend to lean towards FMs with a good plot. No matter where you fall in this spectrum however, you should at least give this mission a try and decide for yourself.
