Keeper of Metal and Gold on 14/10/2001 at 22:07
There were some flaws with it, and I thought some of what I had to do was too contrived (like forcing me to sneak so much - I ended up just luring guards away to a dark hall and then knocking then out, one by one), but those things didn't detract much from everything else that was good. Overall the mission is great and very well built to say the least! In some places the archetecture ROCKED! And nowhere was it lame. I also loved the little extras here and there that really added nice touches :) I was amazing sometimes as how much I could view and still have just fine framerates!
Good job Kung Fu Gecko! :D
Hit Deity on 15/10/2001 at 02:55
I thought kfgecko had some pretty unique ideas for the vines you could climb. I think I finished the mission, then realized how much easier it would have been to climb up those things. First time I remember seeing climbable vines, but I'm sure there are/were others. Very nice!
kfgecko on 15/10/2001 at 05:49
I'm really glad you liked it. I'm just curious, how come it took so long for you to try it out? :)
I feel like ETE has niche appeal only... as I chose to make it totally linear (to add cinematic story effect). It seems to have detracted from the traditional Thief missions (like Bloodstone). I sort of fell victim to "over grand ideas" and ended up having to implement just a subset of my original ideas. Finally, the middle of the mission was probably more climatic than the end. :( It seems that Bloodstone definitely has more widespread appeal.
Oh yeah... and I worked pretty hard to balance frame rates.... :) I'm glad you appreciated it.
Spitter on 15/10/2001 at 07:02
I personally liked the linearity of ETE. If one is to use linearic gameplay flow in a level, then there must be a good reason for it - ETE had a good story. The only gripe I have is with the final objective - as you said it yourself, kfgecko, it wasn't much of a climax once you get to where you needed to. But the climb sure was fun :D Anyway, ETE is a very fine level, and belongs to my T2 top 5 FMs.
Hats off to you, kfgecko!
Hit Deity on 16/10/2001 at 00:57
Quote:
Originally posted by kfgecko:
<STRONG>I'm really glad you liked it. I'm just curious, how come it took so long for you to try it out? :)</STRONG>
Some things take time....
Quote:
<STRONG>Oh yeah... and I worked pretty hard to balance frame rates.... :)</STRONG>
Excellent job!!! <IMG SRC="thumb.gif" border="0">
Quote:
<STRONG>"And dost the blackjack say to the knoggin, 'be still, for I shall bonk you?'
Nay! 'Tis the allies of darkness and surprise that belet club meet skull for glorious bonkitude."
- Tennents of the Master Bonker</STRONG>
<IMG SRC="laff.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="laff.gif" border="0"> LOL!! <IMG SRC="laff.gif" border="0"> <IMG SRC="laff.gif" border="0">
Keeper of Metal and Gold on 16/10/2001 at 06:34
There are a bunch of FM's I still need to play, especially some big ones like Willow Island, Benny's Dead, Inverted Manse, Raid on Washout Central, T2 Ranstall Keep, and more. There are also a TON of not so popular FM's that I've never played yet, but plan to still.
I actually didn't do ETE the "right" way, now that I look back on it. I always kept luring guards away to other areas, then knocking them out and then going back and finding the next guard. When I got to the guard with a helmet on the stairs past the ballroom, I lured him and had him chase me all the way back outside way way back around the winery, then I just ran back and had lots of time while he walked back, having lost me. So I never went to the library room until I came DOWN from the bedroom and was already in the secret passage behind the bookshelf and came out into the library that way.
Later, I never could find any way to go, so I managed to rope-arrow up from the bedroom out the broken window, and into the inner courtyard area. I climbed around and behind the roof over to where Alex was, so I didn't come in through the attic room at all. When I saw Alex, I figured it was him, though the speech que hadn't been tripped to tell me that yet. I gassed him and the objective checked off. Then I explored the office, and climbed up on the rafters, and when I got near the hole up there the sound que went off, but at that point it didn't make sense! And I could see into the attic room, but I couldn't actually get in there from the office, but I'm sure that's the way I was meant to come in the first place.
But that aside, I like the mission :)
kfgecko on 16/10/2001 at 18:04
Damn!! I tried (but apparently failed) to prevent people from going the wrong way... I should have made it IMPOSSIBLE to go the wrong way (like make those stupid windows unbreakable).
I also purposely made it impossible to sneak that guard at the top of the stairs.... to force the player to think of a different strategy... ie Alex's strategy via the bookshelf.
Grrrr.... I think I'm gonna have to release an update, aren't I? :mad:
Well, I hope you enjoyed the intent of the mission. ETE is a "first timer" experience, where it's never the same if you don't get it right the first time. Was sneaking too difficult in this mission?
Here's the original order of events I wanted:
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, sans-serif">Spoiler:</font><DIV STYLE="background-color:#000080"><FONT color="#000080">
- climb vine near wheel barrel onto roof of winery, drop down chimney
- rope up to the grape conveyor belt and slip into one of the vats for grape crushing.
- rope up to the ceiling beams totally undetected by the AI
- moss to jump off the beams and get to the office (pull switch to open gate)
- sneak behind fermentation vats, go past the gate into the "cave" and into the basement (ignore the wine storage area for now)
- see squeak (ignore him for now) and pick open the servants quarters gate (see Alex #1)
- sneak up stairs near kitchen, eavesdrop conversation (learn whereabouts of Montague and hints about squeak)
- can't go the back stairs (with security cam) so go other hall with open panel and fraying electric
- chop the wire to cut the lights, sneak into the hall
- optionally go up to the dining room for loot
- enter gallery for loot, learn how to turn off lamps
- can't go up west hall cuz of guard, go up east hall instead (hide behind mask stands if necessary)
- enter east corner hall, shut down lamp
- douse gas lamps in foyer, run to switch off lamp when guard and cam aren't looking
- enter west corner hall, shut down lamp
- enter waiting room to ballroom, enter ball room (hide behind planter)
- moss floor, sneak behind orchestra box
- rope up to ledge and sneak to dark corner
- sneak behind rose box, next corner, next rose box, jump on to stairs
- go up stairs to guest rooms for loot
- douse gas lamp to avoid being seen
- follow cam wire to guard room and shut down cam (read book)
- continue down hall and see Alex #2 run and disappear somewhere
- continue to library and note: Alex has disappeared (where'd he go?), Alex dropped coins, coin path leads to secret book button
- enter secret book shelf door
- climb ladder to Montague's bedroom, steal stuff
- douse hanging lamp in round room and moss
- douse lamps in hall with guards
- sneak up shadow of moonlight up to waiting room
- open ceiling door of green waiting room, get into attick
- slash banner and subdue Alex! (Montague runs, sets off alarm, learn of the treachery)
- exit balcony, climb Alex's rope
- traverse walls to look out tower, KO the sleeping guard
- lean out window and rope the beam, slide down rope to other top of wall
- follow wall to ledge (windows to Montague's bedroom)
- continue west, jump on wall ledge, follow to tower and onto roof of shed
- go around lower ledge of tower to climbable vine
- climb vine to upper ledge of tower and go around corner to climb another vine up to open window
- enter through window, sneak downstairs and kill Montague
- continue downstairs and flip switch to open the man hole door, sneak back to library
- go up to Montague's bedroom, out to his balcony
- rope the beam outside, and slide down
- make way back to vineyard
</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
How many of you basically followed this? :)
Keeper of Metal and Gold on 16/10/2001 at 18:48
Hmm, I never knew about chopping the wire or turning off the lamps!
tafferette on 16/10/2001 at 18:56
Wait, you can actually blackjack the guards?! I tried to blackjack one of the keepers, and he didn't go down. So I tried a bit of sneaking, but the continual footsteps freaked me out, so I never finished it...
Are keepers guards, btw?
Keeper of Metal and Gold on 16/10/2001 at 23:48
"Embracing the Enemy" is not "Equilibrium", which is the one you're talking about with the keepers.
