Ellatan on 11/1/2014 at 13:15
Hello! :joke:
So I've decided to dive into Thief world again and need your advice. Originally I've played the games closer to their actual release and absolutely loved them. Each game has left a lot of positive memories, even DS after the initial rejection has grown on me. However a lot of time has passed since then, I have a modern computer now and looking to set the games up properly for a refreshed experience. I've bought the GoG versions of the game. Since I haven't played them in a long time, the story feels fresh to me.
I'm showing the Thief series to my better half, who grew up as a console player, and so far she loved it. We already went through Thief Gold, the only modification used was Tfix. The game played great, and I was mostly satisfied. Song of the Caverns has made the best impression on both of us.
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Now we are moving on to Thief 2. I'm looking to get an enhanced Vanilla experience, so I have a few questions about things I did:
1) I've downloaded and installed the latest Tafferpatcher. That seems to be the general thing. However is that patch alone enough?
2) I also installed NewDark 1.19 and Dromed sunlight fix. Was that necessary or are they a part of Tafferpatcher?
3) I've enabled OpenAL EAX with 48 Channels to enhance sound. Is this advisable? The more channels the better? I'm using a soundbar with a woofer as my sound reproduction.
4) I've downloaded T2X, which seems to be a pretty elaborate fan made campaign. Would you recommend it after the main game even if it's not cannon?
5) I've edited several things in cam_ext.cfg. I've added multisampling, bilinear filtering, floating point render, postprocessing, alpha to coverage, and a few other perks.
I'm confused about several options though. New Mantle code - should I use it, or is it "cheating"? force_underwater_reverb option - is that adviseable with OpenAL reproduction? I don't have an actual creative labs sounds card.
6) What other mods should I try to retain Vanilla feel and original intended design? I've downloaded EP2 texture enhancement. It looks amazing on the first Thief 2 level after a short test. However the author says it's not complete, so my question is whether will it detract from experience when I run into higher textures meshed with lower ones?
Thank you for your time!
skacky on 11/1/2014 at 13:45
Tafferpatcher is enough, yes. It has a couple of optional tweaks and fixes you can disable if I remember right. Installing NewDark 1.19 after you've installed Tafferpatcher is not a good idea, since Tafferpatcher already has the latest version (1.21) of NewDark. New Mantling can "break" some maps since it makes mantling significantly easier. Your choice, but you can always enable or disable it at any time.
You should absolutely play T2X after you're done with the campaign, and play other fan missions as well. Concerning mods, I play without them.
voodoo47 on 11/1/2014 at 14:19
careful with the graphics options in cam_ext.cfg, they can affect how the game looks and plays significantly (stay away from the vsync settings unless you know exactly what you are doing). I would recommend enabling new mantle - while it indeed does make some places easier than they were meant to be, id prevents many "come on, I should have made that jump" situations.
also, check the (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134733) TFix topic for a similar fix for T2x.
Ellatan on 11/1/2014 at 15:04
Quote Posted by voodoo47
careful with the graphics options in cam_ext.cfg, they can affect how the game looks and plays significantly (stay away from the vsync settings unless you know exactly what you are doing). I would recommend enabling new mantle - while it indeed does make some places easier than they were meant to be, id prevents many "come on, I should have made that jump" situations.
also, check the (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134733) TFix topic for a similar fix for T2x.
Voodoo, I'm a bit confused by that topic. I thought that T2X is a mod for Thief 2, so why is it in Thief 1/Gold thread? So what would be the recommended order to install things for Thief2 in your opinion?
T2 Vanilla + Tafferpatcher + T2X V1.1 + T2X Fix. Then Sound enhancement and EP2?
I've installed T2X Fix, but what does it do exactly? What does it add on top of 1.1 version? It broke the launcher that had shortcuts for Thief2/T2X, however it's probably cause I haven't installed it in FM folder and just used default T2X folder within Thief 2 directory.
Can I copy settings from Thief 2 cam_ext.cfg to T2X? I've only changed a few things from default, didn't mess with vsync, it caps at 60 fps as it should.
I know that's not Vanilla, but what do people think about Ultimate Difficulty mod? Does it add anything to the experience or just makes it more annoying? Will it work with Tafferpatcher?
voodoo47 on 11/1/2014 at 15:15
the T2x stuff is at the bottom part of the first post.
Quote:
-install T2
-patch up with latest TafferPatcher, let it create the T2 FM shortcut
-install T2x
-run the T2 FM shortcut, and let it create it the FMs folder, exit
-move the T2x folder to the FMs folder
-extract T2xfix to the T2x folder, overwrite
-run the T2 FM shortcut, double click T2x
I would recommend you running T2x this way (as an FM). if you need to tweak any settings, use the cam_ext.cfg in the T2x folder (or copy it from your T2 folder). don't use the old shortcut.
Red_Breast on 11/1/2014 at 16:11
I might be getting the wrong impression Ellatan so let me ask - Do you think you need T2X to play Thief 2?
If so let me say that is not the case.
Ellatan on 11/1/2014 at 16:42
Quote Posted by Red_Breast
I might be getting the wrong impression Ellatan so let me ask - Do you think you need T2X to play Thief 2?
If so let me say that is not the case.
Nah, I don't. I just am trying to figure out what other enhancement should I use on top of just Tafferpatcher and what settings to tweak. So I'm looking for input about Sound Enhancement, EP2, Ultimate difficulty mods in regards to Thief 2. From what I understood Taffer already has NewDark.
I know there are a lot of fan missions out there, but it seems that T2X is one of the most complete and prominent. I still don't quite understand what T2X Fix does, because it seemed to me it looked good by default, I guess I'm not looking at smaller details.
I know there are a lot of clueless people like me asking the same questions over and over here, so apologies.
voodoo47 on 11/1/2014 at 17:05
a bunch of fixes, improved lighting, and hires skies and objects. there is a youtube video in that post.
ValmontPhl on 11/1/2014 at 19:35
Two things:
1. All this talk of enhancements, add-ons, mods, tweaks, etc is definitely NOT "Close to Vanilla Experience". Hell, original T1 wouldn't even install on today's systems let alone play the intro
and
B. Regarding sound enhancements, I found a T2 sound enhancement out there in the ether and things got... hinky after that.
strange, it was with a T1 sound enhancement but that was no problem
voodoo47 on 11/1/2014 at 19:45
while some hardcore purists may disagree, I would say that bugfixed maps and resources will not break the vanilla experience in any way. even hires textures will not break it, as long as they stay true to the original look.
general rule when fixing/improving/overhauling stuff is, you can't make everyone happy. even the worst bugs and exploits have fans - and they will be pissed when you squash their favorite bug. for example, I've had a complaint that after using TFix, zombies can't be made to fly anymore.
