Garretts Shadow on 10/5/2010 at 22:34

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any word yet as to part 3 going to happen?? hope so, the first 2 were awesome :D

The Phantom on 27/6/2012 at 22:18

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The contrast between The Greyfeather Gems Part 1 (The Shipment) and Part 2 (Rodamill), in terms of the city element, can't be larger. Where the former displays nicely kept up houses, working streetlights and plenty of activity, the latter is a total reversal; collapsed buildings, power outage, rusty metal and the sad remains of a perished population. In Part 1 we followed Garrett through a mansion, city and seminary, which ended when he hid in a Mechanist crate that would take him towards his destination, the place where his contractor (Lord Greyfeather) asked him to retrieve some valuable family gems. At the start of Rodamill we've reached this destination, the abandoned city carrying the same subtitle.

Never have I seen such an amazingly atmospheric and hauting city FM :wot:. In my honest opinion not a single other FM I've played manages to capture the feel and detail of an ruined and abandoned city as Rodamill does. It's way better and more enjoyable then I remember from my previous playthrough, back in 2005. Thanks Morrgan for creating this gem. TERRIFIC! :D

Upon starting the mission, Garrett leaves his hideout, the large crate he entered at the end of part 1. Immediately striking (save for the drill bits from part 1 that are no longer in the crate at the start of part 2) is the feel and beauty of the city the author managed to create. Walls covered in moss, the layer of the water in the canal, lightning beams shining through the water, air bubbles, everything is visually attractive. The various and proper use of custom stone and wall textures, in combination with the fog, adds a lot to the beauty and mystery of the place :thumb:. Beside this the incredible pieces of detail are impossible to ignore. Never have I witnessed an author doing such a tremendous job in bringing to life the abandoned and decayed feel of a city in his/her mission. We see luminous mushrooms in various colours, cobwebs on the walls, and the bones of residents who died in the earthquake. The player wanders through collapsed homes, explores submerged areas, comes across ghosts and burricks, and has to avoid the patrol routes of the Mechanists who occupied the ghost town. While the player is free to knock out every Mechanist, even on Expert difficulty, it's recommended to leave as many unharmed as possible. I found it quite a thrill to be constantly on my guard, make good use of the equipment I came across and move as stealthy as possible (ghosting seems to be very well possible).
The different parts of the city are divided in valleys, each separated from the other in various ways; once a lowered gate is used as an obstacle, a next time a passage through the rocks or a higher level, adding to the non-linearity of the city. As opposed to part 1, no maps are at your disposal at the start but need to be located instead, which really contributes the element of surprise of what the city has to offer. The maps, by the way, are once again beautifully sketched, have an automap function (making it easy to see what you've explored so far) and makes the name of a building appear once you've entered it. Really amazing work, every FM should have these :D! In Rodamill, the maps aren't an extra bonus though; they really come in handy to navigate your way through. Especially at the transition zones (not meaning the ones as in Rocksbourg 3) between the border between one map and the other, it can be hard at first to see where you're heading an what path to take.

On the story, the main objective line is pretty straightforward: Garrett has to find a way through the city and beyond the mines into Grefeather Hall. But along the way there a numerous writings of days past scattered around, that give an insight into the daily life of the residents and describing the strange occurrences that took place, before disaster struck. Vividly told, we can read about things like Electrics trying to fix power outages and a man who lost his daughter. Notice the difference between the writings written by the original inhabitants and the recent ones by the Mechanists (the former being weather-worn once in read mode and the latter displaying the standard papyrus template we all know). A nice touch.
Not seldom the writings also contain valuable hints/leads about where a certain secret or a piece of loot can be found, like one scroll by a mechanist revealing the presence of diamond drill bits stored somewhere. Worth to investigate. And while reading through them, it becomes clear that the earthquake is not the only cause of the tragedy that befell the town of Rodamill. The residents cite strange events that took place before the catastrophe (like the disappearance of several persons) and talk about leaving the city. And Years later, during their excavations and patrols, the Mechanists write about visions and nightmares among the workers and buildings full of bones. All vividly written and a welcome enrichment. It's also the visible events that deliver some unnerving and frightening moments: the sound of running footsteps, the appearance of an apparition, and probably most memorable the event (deliberately spoiled here) when the player explores a house, hears the cries of an infant coming from the upper floor, only to find the bones of the child lying in a cradle :(. A classic scene that sticks in your mind !

Putting the pieces of writings together, it seems that the town's Physic is involved in the whole matter (with only one woman suspecting her but wasn't believed when she reported her findings to the city watch). Inside her shop a scroll is found, mentioning "the Creature and the Lady" struggling for control. While the create is probably the entity in the mine, the role of the Lady (the Physic?) remains unclear. Is that her giggle we hear once entering the Hall at the end? And how will the predictions of the Physic unfold once Garrett takes the gems supposedly guarded by the Creature :confused: Will this disrupt the balance and is Garrett supposed to dispose of the Lady in the final part? Plenty of loose threads with questions remain and we can only speculate about how the author envisoned the (undoubtedly epic) conclusion in the never released part 3.

In additional to the writings several bonus and optional objectives can be accomplished. I loved uncovering the two bonus quests and watching the jaw-dropping effects that took place, about the pagan who can no longer enter his house and the deceased wife who morns her lover. Dramatic and very gripping :eek:. I didn't got the Pagan's clue about him wanting to return to his bed though, and had to peek in this thread for a spoiler. Further exploration is encouraged by the varied and clever secrets implemented throughout the level, for which the player needs to search every nook and cranny to uncover those. It kept me exploring the city for hours in search for locations that might be accessible and managed to get them all in the end. I was also pleasantly surprised having found all the loot (2320 in total). Good thing there aren't many small valuable trinkets around that are easy to overlook. Very useful in that aspect is an objective complete message appearing once you've located half of the loot.

The Greyfeather Gems Part 2 is without a doubt the author's most stunning and extraordinary achievement, and one of my all-time favorites. Because of it's atmosphere, through the detailed creation of an abandoned town and lovely visuals, and a nice variety of secrets open for exploration, the inclusion of bonus and optional objectives, plenty of writings and some memorable events, it makes up for an unforgettable gameplay experience. A must play :thumb::thumb:

The only things I missed are a quality briefing movie as an introduction and a sequel to see how this adventure ends :erg:. Maybe someday, we can hope.

Stats
Difficulty: Expert (No Kills / 1 Ko)
Time: 5 hours 43 minutes 48 seconds
Loot: all 2320
Secrets: all 9
Bonus objectives completed: 2
Optional objectives completed: 2

The Phantom on 28/6/2012 at 13:01

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Thanks The Mike.

You're right, I guess I'll post my review in the Review and Discussion Megathread, as I've inclined to do with those for other FMs. I noticed Thor already posted (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124349&p=1932207&viewfull=1#post1932207) a review, with screens embedded, so I'll follow his example in that regard :)

jiansonz on 16/2/2014 at 21:13

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@TaffinOut: here is a post from Vigil earlier in the thread:

the generator you're looking for to open the mine gate is in the southeast valley - which is just south of the mine gate itself, very close by. You'll spot the ghost girl if you head directly south from the mine gate, and she'll point the way to get to the southeast valley from there.

TaffinOut on 15/4/2014 at 05:00

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Hey I'm just revisiting this forum for the first time in a little while. I noticed you left a response to my question hardly 20 mins after I posted that, Thanks! But how did you know I posted it? And am I supposed to get e-mail notice or anything like that about replies to comments I post?:weird: