the_grip on 10/5/2001 at 12:39
Cheers to the designer and all involved... what a great mission! Ranks up there with Bloodstone and Autumn in Lampfire Hills (at least in my book).
Sledge on 11/5/2001 at 05:44
Thanks!
Sceptre on 6/10/2001 at 23:33
I am about to become very unpopular here but, I have tried to play Inverted Manse several times and find it exceedingly frustrating. It is very well done, what I have seen of it, and is quite probably one of the best constructed fan missions to date but the playability is somewhat lacking. I usually don't have too much trouble with missions but this one is exacerbating. The haunts and zombies are alerted every time I draw that damn glowing sword, give me back the sword from Mystery Man one whack and they were dust. Also what is with Garret when the sword is drawn, all of a sudden it's like I'm walking through syrup I can hardly catch up to a zombie. I also am very disappointed with the puzzle to obtain the weapon in the vault. The puzzles have to be solvable or whats the point? even Sledge admits in a post on these boards that if you don't play all three levels you probably won't solve this puzzle. I have not made it all too far into this mission because of becoming frustrated to often with doors that won't open and can't be picked among other things, but it is nice looking. Maybe I just can't get a grip on this one but it seems that while it is a pretty good mission I don't think it was a gold hammer mission. But that's just my opinion and I will keep trying to finish it. Maybe I'll change my opinion after I make it through.
Silver Sorrow on 7/10/2001 at 00:13
Hmmm...Garrett always moves slowly when the sword is drawn, holy or not...
Wynne on 7/10/2001 at 01:45
A lot of people hated some really good missions the first time they played them. It's because you're up against some new and unfamiliar challenges.
The sword really IS useful. You just have to learn how to use it... highlight this text if you want it spoiled. <SPAN STYLE="background-color:#000080; color:#000080">Stand a good bit behind the AI in a place where no other AI are around. The light is what seems to alert them. Raise your sword, then chase after them and let the sword fall on them as soon as possible. It takes some practice and good timing, but once you get the hang of it, 'tis very workable. </SPAN>
Sceptre on 7/10/2001 at 03:12
Yes Garrett does move slower with his sword drawn but it seems very slow here. And yes I know you come up from behind with an overhead swing and take out the zombies but I can't hardly catch them with my sword drawn and the light does spoil your attempts to sneak up on a lot of the AI in this mission, the other swordlike apparatus helps but I don't know why the glow of the holy sword was added, it doesn't seem to increase the power of the sword just makes it harder to use. I have played it some more and am making headway but I still have the same few complaints so far and I have noticed a conspicuous lack of some extra arrows (razorhead) and such. Oh and poor little Timmy, at least he wasn't in the well.
zacharias on 7/10/2001 at 04:02
I agree with some of your points, but moreover I wouldn't worry about becoming unpopular by posting stuff like this. These boards would become pretty sad if people felt that they couldn't give their honest opinion. It's not as if you've just said 'it's crap' and then not given any reasons for your dislike.
Nightwalker on 7/10/2001 at 04:25
I don't agree with your view of the mission. I found the sword very easy to use, once I figured out how to manage the light from it. I just did my creeping with the sword undrawn, then drew it after I was in position behind the AI. For me, this mission was fun, challenging and original. That is my opinion and you certainly don't need to be afraid to state yours, even if it differs from the majority. You didn't just rant and rave, you stated your views of the mission and why you felt that way, and, in my experience, most FM authors are very open to comments from people who both liked and disliked their missions as long as it is stated clearly, politely and in a constructive manner, which yours was. There have been missions that a lot of people really liked that I wasn't keen on at all. Not everyone likes the same thing and it should be okay to say what you think. <IMG SRC="thumb.gif" border="0">
Muzman on 7/10/2001 at 14:42
The usefulness of the sword ought to be demonstrated by the fact that it can kill zombies. I thought the glow was a clever way to balance such a weapon (but I don't think it goes far enough, the ability to kill zombies at all softens a mission like this)
It's pretty bizarre to dislike a mission because it's very powerful weapons are difficult to use or in short supply. That's generally the idea.
Sceptre on 7/10/2001 at 21:25
Dislike may be a bit strong an interpretation of what I said. I have problems with the playability. I agree that weapons should be rationed out, but even on the simplest level, cutpurse in this case, there are very few additional weapons or reloads to be found. This just makes the level, in my opinion, frustrating. If the levels are too difficult to play or the puzzles are too hard to solve players tend to become uninterested because they have to keep trying things over and over and over again and most simply quit and move on to another game. Thats what I am trying to get across here. I have played all the TTDP and TTMA levels and they illustrate to me very good playability, balancing difficulty and acheivability pretty well. I have also played a good deal of fan missions and while some are very good a lot of them simply throw in more guards or more zombies or whatever to make the level harder to play. Or throw in cryptic puzzles that are near impossible to solve. I know that these are not professionals, though some come close like Calendras Cistern and yes Inverted Manse, but the balance is important, to me anyway. In the end though I have to hand it to all the people that have created missions for the Thief games. Where would we be without you, I know I wish I could take the time to learn to make one but I doubt that I will ever get a chance to and I doubt that I could approach the creativity and talents displayed here.
