Quick update: Status of planned missions

Niborius on 25/3/2022 at 12:05

Hi Taffers!

Hope everyone is doing well.

Just wanted to post this quick update to share with you what I've been doing the last couple years since some people have asked me what the status is of the third mission in the Mystery of the Upper Quarter series.

So that mission is still on hold (definitely not cancelled) - I've roughly planned how I want it to be but I have not started to work on it yet in Dromed. I should also note that it will probably be the smallest mission of the three.

However, I have been working on a mission since a little more than 2 years ago now, that is entirely unrelated to my previous FM's, or the Thief universe in general.
I've already put a lot of work in it and I'm happy with how it's turning out. There's still a lot of work to do however, so I can't make an estimation of when it will be released.

Until then, here's a sneak peek :)

(https://imgur.com/a/MkFiWkw)

ticky on 25/3/2022 at 16:05

Hi Niborius!

It's nice to see that there will be a sequel to Mystery of the Upper Quarter series. The second part, Secrets of the Old City was so well done and unique, that it made it difficult for me to pick my absolute favorite mission from 2020 (the other two competitors were the similarly dream-like Into the Odd and Malazar's Inscrutable Tower). I am among those who are really looking forward to that sequel.

Thank you for the promising screenshot as well. Is that new mission very far away from the Thief Universe - I mean is it modern, or you don't need to/can't be stleathy, or what is it like?

Keep up the great work!

downwinder on 25/3/2022 at 20:01

pic looks great cant wait to play your next mission

Niborius on 26/3/2022 at 14:20

Thanks downwinder! Always appreciate your support and enthusiasm.

Quote Posted by ticky

Hey Ticky!

Thank you so much for the nice words, that only motivates me more :) Secrets of the Old City was a mission that some really liked and others not so much.

So the new mission will be the same in terms of Thief gameplay that we are all familiar with and love. I don't want to give away too much but it will also take place in a medieval-like setting.
So in that regard, it's not far away from the Thief universe, but there is no Garrett in this one, so to say ;)

Bosh on 26/3/2022 at 15:05

Good luck Niborius - always good to read new FMs are in the pipeline. Enjoyed your other FMs so look forward to playing these too :)

RippedPhreak on 26/3/2022 at 15:05

Please take this as a constructive criticism, but it looks like many of the buildings have the same texture, which can get boring. Plus consider having a different texture for the foundation as seen here: (https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?pg=4060587&id=0F6E3A28-155D-451F-67FFAB73CF2ACF6F) https://www.nps.gov/media/photo/gallery.htm?pg=4060587&id=0F6E3A28-155D-451F-67FFAB73CF2ACF6F
Is there a fog-shrouded building in the background? That part looks interesting. I like the cool door and the subtle touch of having the windowsill tilted out at an angle (although if you do that on open windows it could make them tough for the player to climb into).

Having the ground/cobblestones an uneven surface is excellent.

Better picture of the building foundation: (https://www.nps.gov/npgallery/GetAsset/0F6E3A28-155D-451F-67FFAB73CF2ACF6F/proxy/hires) https://www.nps.gov/npgallery/GetAsset/0F6E3A28-155D-451F-67FFAB73CF2ACF6F/proxy/hires

One last thing - it looks like there would be nowhere to hide on that street. I assume you'll be putting in something to create shadows? =)

Niborius on 29/3/2022 at 12:02

Quote Posted by RippedPhreak

Appreciate it RippedPhreak, this street is actually something I still need to work on, as most other streets do in fact use different textures. I do find it a bit hard sometimes though to give buildings different textures and still make them look good, especially if they are against each other. Any tips on this?

Good comment about the foundation, that's something I hadn't thought of yet and can definitely add here and there.

Some distant buildings are indeed shrouded by fog to add some atmosphere, and I think it looks interesting.

I have not yet decided if this particular street will get hiding spots, as it is a short one and can be easily avoided by taking a different street next to it. It's more of a shortcut really.

RippedPhreak on 2/4/2022 at 01:43

Quote Posted by Niborius

I do find it a bit hard sometimes though to give buildings different textures and still make them look good, especially if they are against each other. Any tips on this?

You don't really need to think about making them look good "against each other" if you know what I mean. Consider that in a real town, people would build additions or improvements to their houses with no regard to the nearby buildings. For instance someone might buy a house and remodel it with a new front, but the next-door house might still look old.

I would concentrate on making sure each building has something distinctive and interesting about it so the players remember where they are. Also make sure there are paths to travel on street level and the upper floors too (balconies, ledges, bridges, cornices, pipes to walk on...)

Edit: For some ideas, look at skacky or Melan missions like Endless Rain, Sound of a Burrick in a Room, Disorientation, Bad Debts, Rose Garden. Some other good city missions are Behind Closed Doors, Godbreaker (mission 4), Saints and Thieves, Feast of Pilgrims. In these you will see many different buildings with various textures shoved up against each other but it looks good.

Niborius on 4/4/2022 at 18:10

What you said makes sense. Thank you for listing some missions, I will take a look how they did it.

Btw the building foundation (I never that that's what it's called!) definitely improves the look of the houses/buildings in my level. I've been wondering what my houses were missing and never actually noticed that this is on all older buildings. I mean I knew it, but it never crossed my mind that my houses are lacking them.