Renault on 10/5/2017 at 02:32
Hidden Agenda
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Mechanist
June 27th, 2006 by Morrgan
The Mechanists have built a new seminary in New Market. Before the seminary was built, the Hammerite temple that used to stand in the same location mysteriously fell into the ground. Garrett suspects that the Mechanists had something to do with this. They have been causing him a lot of hassle lately and he thinks that if he can prove his suspicions to be true, they will get into too much trouble to be able to concentrate on him anymore. Tonight he will infiltrate the seminary and try to dig up some dirt on the Mechanists.
Hidden Agenda by AsyluM starts out in the seminarys inner yard, near the tiniest graveyard I have ever seen. From here the player can choose between several directions to proceed in, though on Expert the choices are more limited. Visually, the first impression is very good. The architecture is enjoyable to look at and fits in with the Mechanist theme. The same quality is upheld throughout the seminary. The areas never have too little detailing and what is there is always appropriate for the location. On higher difficulties the player is allowed to venture underground, and here the quality suffers somewhat. Spatially the construction is excellent, but the lesser amount of detailing stands out compared to what has been seen so far and the texturing could use more diversity. The areas still seem realistic and fit in with the story.
I finished the mission on Expert the first time and was quite impressed with the overall design, but it wasnt until I replayed it on the other difficulties that I understood just how meticulously it is planned. The choice of difficulty has a significant impact on how much you will see of the level. Only Expert gives the player access to every area and the full story; on Easy about half is available and the storyline is incomplete. On Hard the granted access is intermediate, both in terms of gaming area and story. For those who start on Easy this means a great replay value, as they have missed out on much the first time. There is also a real difference in difficulty; Easy lives up to its name, Hard is tougher and Expert is very challenging.
Hidden Agenda contains some noteworthy additions, such as a Mechanist invention, new types of AI and custom textures. These seem neither implausible nor out of place, and are seamlessly combined with elements from both of the original games. Several new conversations are also present. At least one of them is easy to miss, since it is triggered in an unusual way. It wasnt until the third time through that I refrained from using the blackjack and was able to hear all the conversations. It is almost a shame that these new features may pass unnoticed. The invention mentioned earlier can only be found on Expert, and if you are careful you might not meet one of the new AIs (an AI that is quite startling and creepy, and therefore worth seeing, I might add).
The only reservations I have are about the story. On the positive side it is imaginative and many of the details fit in with the original games. The story is also skilfully incorporated into the mission and is advanced by both texts and conversations. The deeper into the level the player progresses, the more they learn of the plot. Still, the premise has a few weak points, leading to some inconsistencies with information found in the mission. Also, it is unclear how the evidence Garrett wants to find will help his situation. Who will he present it to? The Hammerites? What will they do about it?
All things considered, Hidden Agenda is one of the most enjoyable FMs I have played. It is a pleasure to look at, polished and planned in detail. All aspects of the mission are well thought-out, creating immersive surroundings that I gladly explored for a few hours.
Pros: Great architecture; balanced use of AI; well-designed flow of gameplay; the seminary feels like a Mechanist facility in every detail.
Cons: The story has some inconsistencies due to weaknesses in the premise.
Bottom Line: This polished and well-designed mission is among the finest FMs out there and can be recommended to every Thief player.
Renault on 10/5/2017 at 02:34
Karras Apartments
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Mechanist
June 25th, 2006 by Renault
Very simple and small FM that can be completed in about 10 minutes. Simple loot and escape objectives and a small handful of AI in a Mechanist setting. No real plot to speak of, and no custom material. This is the third FM released by Bronze Griffin.
Renault on 10/5/2017 at 02:35
Ashcourt
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Mansion, City, Warehouse, Mechanist, Guards
June 25th, 2006 by Renault
Brought to us by Ravenhook, this FM is a little hard to define. Ashcourt appears to be some kind of an underground town or small city, and while the setting doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, this is a very large level with lots of areas to explore. You can count on at least two hours of gameplay here if its your first time through. That said, the mission seems a bit long and since there is a good story contained within, I think the level would have benefited from having several more objectives to guide the player along and create a more adequate sense of accomplishment. As it is, we only get four objectives, two of which are of the standard loot and exit variety.
Architecturally, the mission has its ups and downs. While there are some interesting settings such as the theater and a large ship, there are also many long, uninspiring hallways with room after room that all look and feel the same. Also, we get overly long corridors and hallways between the major activity areas, which ends up feeling more like traveling than it does exploring. Some new and updated texturing would have been helpful in all of these areas, but there are none to be found. Sound is adequate, with the usual assortment of standard thief ambients. One thing that bothered me was the large loot requirement. I had already covered the entire mission at one point, but had to backtrack and search every little corner to find several hundred gold to reach my limit on expert. Normally I wouldn't mind, but given the large size of this mission, it was frustrating. In this scenario, some shortcuts near the end of the mission to reach the previous areas would have been appreciated.
I don't want it to appear as if I didn't enjoy this FM, I did. The AI here are placed well and provide a good challenge, in addition to having many good readables and multiple areas to navigate. But there were also enough noticeable faults to make me notice and kill a bit of the overall immersion.
Renault on 10/5/2017 at 02:36
Dracula - Part 1: The Love Thief
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Series, Outdoors, Undead, Underground
July 4th, 2006 by Renault
I admit that at first I thought the Dracula theme would be an odd setting for a Thief mission, but in the end, this level by Sensut actually turned out to be quite fun. Right from the start, you get some cool custom material in the form of a werewolf AI (which actually should have been used more) and some very dramatic music (I'm guessing its from the most recent Dracula movie soundtrack). You're immediately placed into a spooky environment up in the mountains, and the overall mood is quite tense and dark. However, while the dark setting fits the theme, most areas of the level end up being too dark, making evading AI far too easy. In most places, you can just run by all the bad guys without anyone even noticing you. This is especially amusing in one area where Garrett remarks how “difficult it will be to get through here undetected.“ In any case, your main goal is to rescue Mina from the clutches of Dracula, and escape with your life. I originally thought the subtitle of this level was rather lame, but in the context of the plot it ends up making perfect sense. There is a decent story here, and many readables to browse and enhance it. However, any native English speakers will probably cringe and frown a bit as the translation is sloppy in quite a few areas, embarrassingly so in some parts.
The layout of the mission is inviting, with both outdoor and underground areas to explore. Design is very good for the most part, with a small fort to infiltrate and an subterranean lair, but there are a few places that could have used some additional detail – specifically a long hallway near the end that is just completely straight (strangely followed by a pretty spiral staircase). Outdoor areas are tough to do with the dark engine, and these look very good considering. I noticed a couple of technical glitches throughout the level (including a well you can jump into but cant get out of), but most are fairly harmless. Back to the sound, we get music throughout most of the mission, but at times I found it a bit too loud and I couldn't hear the AI around me. The original Thief relies more on subtle ambient noise for this very reason. I think the music would have been OK however if the volume had been lowered and if some of the transitions had been less harsh (maybe a fade-in/out?). In any case, its not a major deal, and you get used to it after a while.
This FM starts with such an epic feeling that I thought I was in for the long haul, but the level finishes surprisingly quick, in just under one hour for me. The author has stated that a sequel will be released soon, and hopefully it will improve on some of the weaknesses stated above. But overall, this mission proved to be an intriguing episode that's got far more pluses than minuses, and I look forward to continuing the experience in Part II.
Renault on 10/5/2017 at 02:37
Orthodox Wedding
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Mansion, Outdoors, Undead, Guards
June 25th, 2006 by Renault
This interesting FM by TDBonko has a unique outdoor environment, although the structures and buildings within tended to lean towards the boring side, being very square and blocky. Some of the colors were a bit drab as well, but given the setting it’s not that unreasonable. The whole wedding scenario did not make logical sense to me, and I thought it was a weak premise for an FM, but it was able to rebound with some cool supernatural twists near the end of the story. The most noticeable feature of this FM was some of the outstanding technical effects and custom AI. They provided more than an occasional scare or two.
On the downside, the beginning of the FM, in which you are a spectator to a cutscene via the camvator method, proves to be tedious and could have been half as long. I noticed several sound brush issues as well, where sound did not travel fluidly. Finally, there is a particular spot in the mission that will make many PCs slow to a crawl, and this could have been avoided. Overall however, this is an entertaining FM, and will keep most players busy for around an hour. Both the AI configuration and a couple of intriguing puzzles make the level a solid challenge that make completion quite satisfying.
Renault on 10/5/2017 at 02:38
Darkness Falls: The Royal Garmyth
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Series, City, Warehouse, Guards
June 28th, 2006 by Morrgan |
A ship that recently arrived in town carried a gem called the Royal Garmyth. The ship has already sailed, but the gem was unloaded and moved into a nearby warehouse. This mysterious gem is rumoured to be so valuable that men would kill to have it, so naturally Garrett aims to get a hold of it before the new owner figures out its real worth.
The Royal Garmyth by Hidden In Shadows is set in a district of warehouses, and it both looks and feels the part. There are other buildings to explore on the way, which add more variety to the surroundings. The architecture is appealing throughout the mission, especially at the start where the warehouses have a strong resemblance to the ones in Shipping… and Receiving. The outside areas are detailed, even the tops of buildings; an attractive feature of the cityscape is the use of various arches to connect buildings. The textures are generally appropriate, although they could use more variation.
For some unexplained reason Garrett starts out with nothing but his blackjack and lockpicks; it seems strange that a master thief would set out on a job without proper tools. A sword can be found in the level, but its hidden in an odd place and reaching it requires some exploration. Little other additional equipment is found, of which few items are of the damaging kind. On the other hand, hardly any equipment is needed to complete the mission comfortably: even with these limitations the objectives are met without much effort. The challenges mainly consist of getting past guards and there arent that many of them around. Speaking of guards, this mission doesnt have a no-kill objective on any difficulty, giving more options for style of play than most FMs. Dont expect to be able to kill everyone though (unless you find the sword); because of the limited equipment, its easier to just sneak past or blackjack the guards than trying to kill them all.
The mission has a somewhat creepy feel, even though the surroundings are innocuous. This is thanks to some well-chosen ambient sounds, which give the subtle impression that somethings wrong underneath the surface; an effect that can be tricky to accomplish. The transitions between ambient sounds are sometimes quite abrupt however, and some sounds are more annoying than atmospheric.
Something I particularly appreciate about the design of the level is that there are several ways of reaching the Royal Garmyth. However, the overall layout could have been better planned, for on Easy and Medium the mission can be completed without visiting a large part of the mission that is accessible only by secret passage. This area makes no difference for the objectives, but it does provide a small subplot and quite a bit of loot. If you miss it the mission feels too short, whereas visiting the area makes you wonder why its there in the first place.
The lighting suffers from a problem that is very common among FMs: most light sources have no radius set on them, which means that the light gem is affected even beyond their visible light. This in turn means that its difficult to judge shadows from a distance, which can often lead to needless confrontations and which irritated me to no end. In addition, small invisible light sources occasionally cause this problem as well. There is also a minor issue with buggy sound propagation in a few places.
As a whole though, this mission has no significant problems. Its bug-free, visually pleasing and has a decent atmosphere. Unfortunately theres just nothing that special about it. Nevertheless, this FM offers a good half-hour of entertaining thieving on its own.
If you enjoy this mission, dont miss the sequel called A Dire Venture.
Pros: Pleasant architecture, effective use of ambient sounds, good writing.
Cons: There is no sense of closure at the end of the mission; its possible to miss about half of the level on Easy and Medium, which makes the level feel too short.
Bottom Line: This FM may not be very memorable, but it has good looks and provides a good half-hour of thiefy enjoyment.
Renault on 10/5/2017 at 02:39
Darkness Falls: A Dire Venture
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Series, Warehouse, Guards
June 26th, 2006 by Spitter
The story of A Dire Venture picks up from where The Royal Garmyth, the previous mission by Hidden in shadows, left off. Garrett has stolen a gemstone with some certainly unusual properties and is a bit at loss at what to do with it. So he decides to pay the keepers a small visit and find out more about the garmyth.
The mission consists of a small warehouse area and another small structure later on. Lack of any sort of a map makes the start rather confusing, but the mission area is very simple. Architecture is decent throughout. Nothing fancy, but not basic either. The warehouses are rather dull for the most part but the rooftops in the background provide suitably ominous ambience. My main gripe with the mission is texturing, however. I realize that the author has decided to pick a style and stick with it, but some variety wouldn't hurt. Apart from the late mission area, almost everything is built from the same red brick, with some random blue brick buildings thrown in between. Some wooden beams could also have used texture alignment.
The readables provide suitable backstory and details and aren't too terse nor too verbose. The story itself is nothing phenomenal and didn't exactly grip me into the game, but it was an excuse enough to rob some warehouses.
The mission also has some custom ambient music, but I wasn't too taken by them. They provide some thrill into the mission but I didn't find them particularly thiefy.
Something to note is that the level was quite easy - and short. Which I appreciated. A Dire Venture is a quick, painless and streamlined Thief romp which kept me well entertained for thirty minutes. Weighing slightly less than 3 Mb in size, its definitely worth the download.
Renault on 10/5/2017 at 02:41
Transitions In Chaos, Part I: Conspiracies In The Dark
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Mansion, City, Sewer
June 28th, 2006 by Curunir
To put it simply - a glorious level by Ramirez’s Old Fat Burrick with a lot of fun things to do, plagued by several ridiculous switch placements and a silly obligatory secrets objective.
First things first, the visuals are astonishing. I have never seen Thief 2 look that good, and with Saints and Thieves and Rocksbourg out, that's quite an accomplishment. The texturing is beautiful and rich without being tasteless or garish. The lighting is also surprisingly good, with sharp, precise shadows near bright sources and soft darkness in ambient-lit areas. The new textures also spruce things up and the higher poly models are a nice touch. The only possible minor gripe with visuals that I have is the intensity of the raylight shafts, those could have been a little less intense in color and more transparent.
Nothing but praise for the architecture either. I suppose some people are going to complain about yet another mansion etc, but the display of connectivity, use of space and pure eye-candy detail are enviable.
Objectives and story pacing were also quite good, I enjoyed snatching letters and leafing through diaries, the story integration of it all was good. I don't mind objectives that make you backtrack a lot, but the enforced find x secrets thing was a bit too much. I actually had to read the FM forum thread to get the final fifth secret to finish the level. Another major complaint would be the lack of clues as to how on earth you're supposed to complete the penultimate objective. I already had one of the needed items but there was no hint as to how I should go on from there, and I excluded the actual solution as an option because the item used had previously been unusable. Its not that the idea isn't well implemented, I actually liked the sequence, the problem is, there are no actual clues about how its done and that is a problem in a level that big.
In conclusion, Conspiracies is an outstanding level that boasts gorgeous visuals, lots of detail in architecture, texturing and lighting, a relatively spacious map, an interesting and well-scripted storyline and a few problematic and sometimes plainly irritating moments where the player is forced to play guessing games.
The good far outweighs the bad though and for all the momentary frustration, I can wholeheartedly recommend this mission to everyone.
Renault on 10/5/2017 at 02:41
Treason & Plot
Posted in Reviews, Thief 2, Thieves, Underground
July 21st, 2006 by Renault
The Baron just doesn't get enough attention in the world of Thief. He gets a nod here in the first FM by nicked, a quick but satisfying trek through an basement level base of a group of vigilantes. Most of the architecture if somewhat basic (although not overly so), and there aren't too many surprises or twists. There is some odd texturing in a few places, and some of the loot (at least on expert) is very difficult to find. But the story is actually quite good considering the size of the level, and the content and placement of the readables is excellent in that only hints of the overall plot are revealed early on. The AI placement is just about right, and will provide a solid challenge. A good first outing from this author, and definitely worth playing if you have the time, which should be less than an hour.
Renault on 10/5/2017 at 02:43
Bloodstone Prison
Posted in Reviews, Thief 1/Gold, Undead
July 3rd, 2006 by Morrgan
A man called Bando has asked Garrett to venture inside Bloodstone Prison and retrieve his wife's brooch, which was confiscated from Bando when he spent some time in the prison years back. So whats the catch? Well, the prison has been overrun by the undead and dealing with them will hardly be an easy task.
One of the most difficult tasks of making a haunted mission is creating the horror-filled atmosphere. It may seem like an easy solution to cram the mission full of undead hordes, in the hope that this will paralyze the player with fear. Well, most of the time this just doesnt work, and with a little bad luck gameplay turns into a boring and often frustrating zombie-chopping routine. Fortunately, Bloodstone Prison doesn't make this mistake. The mission was clearly designed with sneaking in mind, with just enough enemies to make things interesting. Shadows are found in the right spots and the patrol routes are well timed to create the small windows of opportunity a skilled thief needs. If the player so desires, there is the possibility of embarking upon a holy quest to rid the prison of foul undead creatures, but for this mission I found the stealthy approach to be much more rewarding.
KFGeckos thoughtful use of lighting and ambient sound is the basis for Bloodstone Prisons intense atmosphere. The balance between light and shadow is very good, both in terms of visuals and gameplay. The lights and torches have custom special effects, creating an eerie and unreal look. Ambient sounds are appropriately used, their creepy effect enhanced by the whispers of haunts. One of few problems with the level is sound propagation, so the often-heard sounds from the undead are most likely accidental, but the result is usually an even more intense experience since they fit in so well with the setting.
Another great influence on atmosphere is the commendable attention to detail. Piles of bones lay here and there, their positions and locations hinting at what has happened. For example, there are bones at the bottom of a canal behind a locked underwater gate; the remains of a prisoner who drowned while trying to escape. A man who was trapped inside the prison after it was abandoned has left behind a letter to his family, telling them what had happened to him, apparently hoping the letter would one day reach them. These details do much to immerse the player and create the illusion that this was once a real place. Compared to this, the current state of the prison seems even more distressing.
Some of these small, personal stories are associated with interesting puzzles that are fairly challenging to solve, often requiring unique solutions. The puzzles are not put in just for the sake of having puzzles; they fit in perfectly as part of the story. Not all of them are much fun though: the one involving a swarm of exploding frogs annoyed me greatly. Of course, theres always the possibility of turning it into messy entertainment to be watched from afar, but for the sake of a spoiler-free review Ill let you discover the joys of this on your own.
The decay and ruin of the prison allows for surprising ways of getting from one location to another. The mission proceeds smoothly with little need for backtracking, letting the player explore the prison bit by bit. The mission is non-linear in the sense that the objectives dont have to be completed in a certain order, but theres one major path you need to take in order to reach all areas of the prison. Still, there are many smaller parts you can explore in whatever order you wish, so this linearity isnt too bothersome or even very noticeable.
The architecture ranges from ok to very nice. The prison is in various stages of ruin, just as one would expect. I especially like the tree roots that have pushed through walls here and there. Parts of the prison have collapsed, a consequence of the earthquake Bando mentions in his note to Garrett at the start of the mission. Layout is very good, with all the rooms and corridors having sensible sizes. One weakness is the fact that its easily possible to climb up and touch the sky in several places or go beyond what was supposed to be the limits, which naturally detracts from immersion. Be careful as you explore, as its also possible to get permanently stuck in at least one of these places.
Bloodstone Prison is one of the earlier missions, released at the end of 1999. I rarely replay any FM just for fun, but Ive returned to this one about half a dozen times. It contains all the aspects I enjoy in the original levels from the first Thief. Despite its age, I still consider it one of the best.
Pros: Enjoyable and eerie atmosphere, fitting architecture and terrain, excellent use of lighting, great gameplay.
Cons: Its possible to get stuck in some of the more random terrain.
Bottom Line: A terrific mission. I recommend it to all players who express even the slightest interest in undead FMs.
