Thief FM Contest #1 Review - Bathhouse / Stowaway / Waterlogged / Grand Opening - by padrapocalypse
padrapocalypse on 22/9/2014 at 17:31
The original forum post no longer exists, but I just recently played the very first Contest Missions, and since I can’t contribute to the old posts, will make this new one. I am not sure how much time was given in the contest or what this was based on looking at old forum posts, as one mission feels like a contest entry, but the other 2 seem fully completed and realized missions. I will most likely be going through all of the contests in the near future to see what I missed so long ago.
This is a mini-review. I played it first on Hard in a murderous rampage, then on Expert with 100% knockouts / no kills.
[CENTER]WARNING - SPOILERS[/CENTER]
Bathhouse - This was a fun, simple mission. There were problems trying to kill the people at the entrance, with one being unknockable if any noise is made throughout the mission, but that's also because I was an idiot and went directly at them. However, I could not figure out how to get into the weapons storage without simply falling into the chimney and taking damage. The lockers in the bathhouse were a good idea and the design of the actual bathhouse building interior was very good, but I needed the forums to figure out that the prize/objective was hidden behind a banner that was really a door. With only 10 guards and a machine, it was still really challenging.
Knocking everyone unconscious was possible, and I had to wait until I got the secret room before going back and knocking out the thieves at the beginning. Also, you have use a lot of arrows in the beginning to trick guards to turn somewhere so you can then go whack them. You do not appear to be able to make it through this mission unseen.
Stowaway – I liked this mission for it's different architecture outside; it felt like a Mexican village. I liked the very big house, and it felt designed realistically. Also, there was enough empty rooms that when you finally found gold it was rewarding. There were many guards to kill/knock out (25), and it was fun playing hide and seek with them when I was in kill mode. Later, knocking them all unconscious was really fun because the level was of an easy difficulty and only an hour long. This was the only mission where I got everything without help from the forums.
Waterlogged - This one was my favorite, and the one that I’d have voted for in the contest. It had a fun design sense, and felt really cramped in a way that made you act more carefully. My only suggestion is that I wish that the robot at the beginning was on a platform instead of an enclosed space, so that if it saw you it could start firing cannons at you from above . I liked the simple story in this one, too, and the revelation about the prizes made it last a little bit longer. However, I only found 1 out of 3 secrets on my own, and I wonder why one of the bathrooms had an open door for their mailboxes / areas where safes should be (?) but the woman’s restroom did not connect like the men's room and you had to jump through the windowpane. There were also a good variety of ways to enter the place. This mission was the most fun to stealth (whereas Stowaway was the most fun to go around killing people). I couldn’t knock out that one guy with the helmet, so my OCD for 100% knockouts could not be satiated this time (31 out of 32).
Grand Opening Demo: Now, I only found this mission while searching for help in the forums for the other missions. It's not included anywhere else but this one forum post (it’s not in Upcoming & Abandoned, or on the Master List By Type). I figure it was originally supposed to be part of the contest (because the text is exactly the same as the other three) and was given to the group for others to work on if they desired. The hot tub room was probably my favorite visual, with about 8 different hot tubs placed on different elevations in a tranquil greenery setting. I can’t even imagine stealthing through that room. This would have made an interesting mission.
Nightwalker on 22/9/2014 at 21:02
It's nice to see reviews of these old, old missions! :) I've never heard of that last one which surprises me.
There is a thread currently active that keeps FM reviews all together and is indexed at the beginning to make it easy to find each particular one. I didn't move these over as I wanted to ask if there is a reason you wanted these in their own thread. If there isn't, you can add them to the main thread which you'll find (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124349) here and we can delete this thread or I can merge them in.
Ricebug on 22/9/2014 at 23:24
Oh, no! He's revealing spoilers in 13-year-old missions! Despicable. :p
demagogue on 23/9/2014 at 09:11
I remember Bathhouse has the distinction of having the oldest date on Thiefmissions, which makes it sound like it was the first released FM ever ... although that distinction should really go to Trimfect's Gathering at the Bar, and all of these contest FMs should get equal credit for being the first thing our community did to get FMs out by normal fans.
Maxrebo6 on 26/9/2014 at 20:03
I have a question about the mission Bathhouse,how am I supposed to get anywhere after exiting through the window past the water tunnel.There is a mechbot at the entrance which is made of marble.I can't sneak behind since there is a watcher in the room beyond the door way.Then there is a guard looking straight across the street and if I take the alley to the left there is a guard looks straight at the corner.What am I supposed to do?
Edit:How did I miss that bit where you mentioned using arrows to distract the guard. Though I will ask does anyone know a way of konking them or bypassing them with out having to 2nd alert them.
Ricebug on 26/9/2014 at 21:33
I assume you're looking down the street and the combat is to your right. Run straight ahead, keeping as close to the left wall. Then dive through the basement door on the right at the end.
Maxrebo6 on 28/9/2014 at 03:56
Thanks for the help with that part,now I am gonna look around inside hopefully I can finds some rope arrows or someway to deal with the guard blocking access to the side street with the secret weapons room needed for the objective without having to second alert both the guard on the street and the guard in side the weapons room.