Dia on 8/3/2006 at 15:06
I fainted five times before I could get the darn thing notched.:o
LOVED your play-by-play description MF! More please! :thumb: :cheeky:
Dussander on 8/3/2006 at 16:47
Playing the Cradle by ghosting is more fun, none of this techno fire arrow or flashbomb stuff! :sly:
jay pettitt on 8/3/2006 at 23:20
Dude, you're not the only one who couldn't cope with the Shalebridge Cradle in one sitting... Scared the bejeezers out o' me.
Oddly though, the Cradle played through using the editor version of Thief.exe makes use of a different sound schema. Hmmm, singing??? (and some other stuff)
Overdosed on 9/3/2006 at 00:50
Quote:
Motley Fool
Well, I can't put it off any longer. Sure, I could spend some more time grabbing 25 loot here, 50 loot there, and start funding Garrett's 401(k), but I have to face the facts... the Cradle has now been opened to me, and I'm gonna have to go in.
So this'll probably be my last sane post, unless I try liveblogging my process through it. (expected sample entry: GAAAAGGGHH!)
Without spoiling what I should expect inside, can I get some general recommendations of what to take with me? I've got several thousand dollars to spend on flash bombs, fire arrows, and life insurance. What would you recommend I throw into my backpack?
Gawsh, ya taffer, don't be afraid, actually I shouldn't say that because to this day I am still afraid to go into the Cradle, Considering that the first time I went in I nearly wet my self. I have about 6 or 7 different games going where I've saved right before the Cradle, and started a new game *gulp* Although I have already beaten the game, I still have to go back into the cradle *shivers* I'll do it, I'm just going to stock up on Holy water, fire arrows, and Flash Bombs, Good luck Brother, and don't die!
Motley Fool on 9/3/2006 at 19:02
Motley's liveblog of his descent into The Cradle, part 2
Your tax-deductible contributions to the Motley Fool Preservation Fund helped make this possible! Please consider donating to the Motley Fool Memorial Fund.
Oh, and more {SPOILERS} below for those of you who have yet to feel the Cradle's warm embrace.
First, a few self-diagnostics:
Sleep Quality: Getting better. Monday night's sleep (before I started the level) was pretty bad. Nothing but Cradle-induced nightmares all night long. :( My brain obviously filled in the worst possible scenarios of what I was about to face. Tueday night's sleep was actually a bit better - I had faced (hopefully) half of the Cradle and had survived! And no enemies anywhere in the Outer Cradle - woohoo! Yeah, I have that thing to deal with, but at least I'm still alive! Still a few hazy nightmares, but I survived.
State of Mind: Also considerably better. The Cradle is now the devil I know, and although I'm sure there are some nasty shocks ahead of me, it's better than the devil I don't know. I'm just relieved I've finally made it here and am actually working my way through it now.
Plot Clarity: Getting clearer. I remember reading a scroll in the Keeper Compound talking about how the use of glyphs and dead animals could keep a keeper alive, but that something more than just animals would be needed for long-term survival (like, hundreds of years). Combine that with the "Fiddle-dee-dee" song that keeps appearing on my load screen and gets sung by citizens in the street or (most hilariously) Benny, it seems pretty clear what's going on. The Grey Lady is probably a disgraced keeper from centuries earlier, who feeds on people to survive, and Lauryl was her victim decades earlier. Now she's using Lauryl's skin to become "Gamal" (sp?), the interpreter child. Which explains why First Keeper Orland kept getting notes from Caduca (sp?) even after she died.
Ok! Time for a QuickLoad! (make that a SlowLoad. Man, how many hours have I wasted watching these load screens? At least I get some genuinely useful tips now and then. (shoot moss patches w/water arrows to make them grow? Neat. Didn't know that...))
9:35 - Back on the east side of the Inner Cradle - as best I can tell from this crummy map, I must be near the "Nursery Tower". Yep... there it is, all blocked off. Guess I won't be going there.
9:37 - There's that thing again, way on the other side. Guess he must be one of the residents of the insane asylum. Looks like he's undergoing some never-ending shock therapy as he walks. Either that or he's been hitting Starbucks too much. Obviously its having some effect on the lights as well.
You know, I gave some real thought to trying to do what some folks suggested - basically ghosting the level and not trying to fight. The idea was presumably that it would be more immersive, more challenging, and just more FUN that way. So I decided that's exactly what I would do.
I'm sorry to say that resolution lasted for about 10 seconds after re-encountering the creature. Nope, my heart's not going to stand up to ghosting. I love sneaking and creeping in every other Thief mission, but on this one, I'm gonna be chucking bombs left and right. I'll still play it carefully, but if I get close to that thing, and assuming I brought the right equipment, it's going DOWN!
9:40 - I just realized I read my objectives wrong. I thought Lauryl's vial o' blood was over here somewhere, but I think it must be back in the Outer Cradle after all. Good - I can get my nerves settled by going back over there for a while.
9:50 - So, I toss your blood down the drain, and now you want me to go get your nightgown? Well, sure, little ghosty girl, I don't mind at ALL traipsing around this haunted building collecting all your junk so we can burn it - no sir! :mad: First "Return to the Cathedral" and now this... what is it with these ghosts? If they're not trying to kill me, they're having me do their grocery shopping for them. :grr:
9:55 - I wanded back to the cellar door where I entered the Cradle, just to go out an get a breath of fresh air...
...a metal grate? When did THIS get here?
...oh man. I can't tell you how much my heart sank to hear Garrett say "It won't open. This is a baaaaad sign."
(and as an aside, Stephen Russell, my hat's off to you just for those two sentences alone. The utter despair and faint, faint trace of panic in your voice as you read those 8 words mirror my emotions right now perfectly.)
Why doesn't Thief-Mart sell bolt-cutters?
9:58 - You know, re-reading this note at the bottom of the stairs makes me realize just how terribly wrong Garrett was at the start of this mission. If I remember right, he said the Cradle was an insane asylum, but before that, an orphanage. I'm now realizing that it was both at the same time! That's... that's just horrible!
And another aside, I was thinking about LittleTaffer's question (in another thread) about whether this was a novel, or even terrifying plot point at all. As I start to absorb the fact that both the asylum and orphanage co-existed in the same building.... I think it's a great plot element. The letter I just read indicates that things might have been pretty good for the orphans in the beginning. But when the Cradle (such a happy name for an orphanage!) became the Shalebridge Insane Asylum, things got a lot worse for the children. "Don't touch that. Don't go there. Don't talk to the patients. The doctors are almost worse than the patients."
That's terrible! Suddenly the only home you've ever known is invaded by emotionless, cold doctors and a large number of terrifying, insane residents (many of whom must have been criminally insane, to judge from the registrar book.) Plus, according to the note outside the nursery, you can't even really live in your own building anymore - you have to be moved up into the Nursery area. If you DO venture downstairs, you're treated to the site of people with bizarre cages on their heads and hands. And I imagine the screams and moans never stopped....
Yeah, that's terrible. Although Garrett might not have known the full extent of it, I think he summed it up well - if there's a way to have more misery in a single building, I can't think how. I feel really bad for the children. The idea of an orphange/insane asylum combination doesn't necessarily make the place spookier for me... but it gives it a whole lot more character, and makes the story line much, much better, IMHO.
Back to work!
10:10 - Back in the Inner Cradle. I think I've figured out why certain things are glowing green, like this fireplace in the lounge. The patient registrar lists details about 8 of the 9 patients, including what rooms they did their activities. This fireplace probably corresponds with patient #9, who had a tinderbox. Something tells me that I'm probably going to have to find each of those 8 items and return them to their respective rooms. :tsktsk: It's gonna be a long night...
(I'm determined to finish this tonight, BTW - better to just get it over with, even if I'm a zombie myself at work tomorrow).
10:15 - Up to the observatory. Yep, the light crackling definitely follows him as he makes his way around the room.
10:17 - Ok, time for some experimenting. QuickSave, gather my courage, and see what kind of attacks will work here.
10:18 - Blackjack does NOT work. And WOW, did I ever die fast! :wot: QuickLoad!
10:20 - Garrett's fruit knife works! Now, is this guy really dead, or is he undead and just lying there? Guess I'll walk over him to find out.
10:21 - :tsktsk: Well, I had to check, didn't I? And man, does he ever move fast! QuickLoad!
10:25 - Success! 3 flash bombs and/or two fire arrows seem to have taken him down for good. I'm not sure he won't pop back up in a minute or two, but for now I can dance on his head and he doesn't get up. I'm feeling much more empowered now. :D
10:28 - back down to the Hall of Records. Not feeling quite so chipper down here... there's a whole lot of light zapping going on, but I don't see anythi...
Gaaaaah!
Oh man... It was just my own shadow. But let me tell you, seeing a black image of what appears to be a man standing behind you with a dagger in his hand is NOT COOL. :erm:
10:34 - back to the Hall of Records again and Gaaaah - there's a creature coming at me from the other side! 3 FBs and he's down, but MAN, those guys have some pretty long walking routes. I'm not used to AIs traversing the entire level in their walking path. The Cradle is definitely keeping me on my toes.
10:36 - You know what's terrifying? Using fire arrows to take down an enemy in front of you whose safely out of range.... then having all the lights around you start buzzing and flickering. RUUUUN!
10:45 - Lobotomy chamber - dispatched another guy. Call me a coward, but I'm chunking FBs and fire arrows when I get within about 40 feet of them now. Whole lot less scary now.
10:48 - Reading the various notes from the doctors... I really feel sorry for these patients. Sure, they're trying to kill me and all, but man... they suffered some serious mistreatment at the hands of these quacks. Misguided medicine, or just heartless doctors? I can't tell...
11:05 - Everything's cleared out in the corridors White Hall - I'm ready to start checking out cells 1-9! Might as well start with #1... except I can't find it! The first door is labeled #2...
11:08 - Oh, here it is. Seclusion ward. High tower. Scary looking elevator. "Dangerous, intelligent inmate"...
I think maybe I'll start with #2 after all.
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Hey, did you know that the TTLG forums only allow up to 8 emoticons in a single message? Me neither. But I've hit the max, so that's the end of this thread. Tune in to Part Three of this fantastic adventure, now appearing on a screen near you! About 80 pixels below this line, or on the next page!
Motley Fool on 9/3/2006 at 19:03
Motley's liveblog of his descent into The Cradle, part 3
When NC Governor Mike Easley campaigned on a platform to save money by combining our state's orphanages and criminal insane asylums, and staff them with graduates of the North Carolina State College of Unethical and Dehumanizing Medical Procedures, I'm sorry to say that I cheered him on. Having played this level, I wish I could change my vote now. :(
More {SPOILERS} below! But hey, if you haven't played the level but have still read this far, why stop now?
11:12 - What's the deal here??!? I found a set of cutlery here on his table, a green glowy area in the Meal Hall, and the registrar clearly says that patient #2 used to take his utensils to the Meal Hall. But I can't pick them up!! Come on, game, it's clear as day that I'm supposed to take them into the Meal Hall - why can't I pick them up?
11:14 - Grrrrr! They're GLOWING, even, to tell me that I'm SUPPOSED to pick them up, but no matter what angle I position Garrett, he WON'T DO IT!
11:17 - I give up. :( I'll come back later.
11:21 - Ok, the same thing is happening with inmate #3's unlit candle, so maybe it's not a bug after all. Maybe it's like that stupid museum tunnel I found in Audale which apparently I'm not supposed to use yet, so it just has an invisible wall in front of it. (Terrible level design there. :mad: ) Maybe I just can't frob these items yet.
11:24 - Got the nightgown! It was cleverly concealed behind a secret wall in cell #5, but thanks to my clever puzzle-solving skills, I was able to figure it out! That, and that fact that 1) the wall glowed at me to tell me that it was frobbable, 2) a note appeared in my journal TELLING me it was a fake wall, and 3) Garrett TOLD me it was a fake wall as I walked into the room. After carefully deciphering the mystery of those three clues, it dawned on me that the wall in cell #5 must be a false wall! I am sooooo smrt!
Down to the morgue to burn it up. I was feeling rather nervous about going down to the morgue, when it occurred to me how laughable that was. What am I afraid of meeting down there... THE UNDEAD?
Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where Homer runs screaming from the zombies chasing him, and jumps into a hearse to escape. Then, turning around and spotting a casket in the back, he says "Eeeek! A coffin!" :)
11:28 - WHAT?!? You want me to go into the PAST to find your diary? As in, go through this entire level again, except this time doing it in the PAST? Lauryl, you little sweetie... I'm starting to hate you.
11:30 - Ok, so NOW I should be able to frob all those things I found earlier, and (as expected) take them where they're supposed to go. I'm 3 steps ahead of ya, game.
11:35 - Into the past! Sounds like Garrett's letting out a big, reverbey-filled yawn.
11:37 - Oh lovely... the soundtrack has changed to the sound of inmates screaming as they get shock therapy. And backwards voices too! Remind me to load those into CoolEdit later to reverse them and see what they were saying.
11:42 - MAN, I think these staff members are creepier than the inmates! They're nothing but blackened, featureless shadow people - they don't moan, groan, or talk. They just RUN AT ME! <shudder>
I'll spare you the details of getting caught a few times, and the QuickLoad fun that followed.
11:58 - Got the diary! Can't read it, apparently. But here's a note on the nursery tower podium...
Ok, waitaminute,waitaminute, wait a minute!
Reading the note on the podium gave me the details of Lauryl's death. And immediately after I did that, the ONE main objective I had when I entered the Cradle was fulfilled: "Find out more information about the 'Hag'"
But that note didn't tell me anything I didn't already know! I already got all the details of Lauryl's death just by talking to Inspector Drept!! Why did I bother coming to this stupid haunted asylum anyway?!?
Ok, granted, I guess I've reasoned out that "Gamal" is really the Hag, thanks to my discovery in the Attic. But that was hours ago, back when there were NO ENEMIES. Garrett, buddy - why didn't you just LEAVE back then? You had everything you needed!
Grrrrrrrrrr. :mad:
The level isn't over, so I may yet find out more, but I was thinking I was going to learn a LOT more about the Grey Lady than just a recap of what I was already TOLD.
Well, let's soldier on. This level has to be getting somewhere near completed, unless Lauryl has more to go on her stuff-to-incinerate grocery list.
12:05 - If I'm in the body of an inmate, how come I still look like Garrett? Oh well - I'm just being picky now.
I like the way the clouds move at high speed past the windows, though.
12:09 - Get some "dissolution serum" and clean up the attic? What's wrong with my water arrows? They're filled with 409! Why can't I clean up the blood with them?
FINE <sigh> we'll do it your way.
12:25 - Woohoo! Lauryl is finally done burning her junk, and is ready to leave!
12:27 - Hey, wait a minute - I'm in the past now. The Staff Tower was inaccessible in the "present" - I wonder if I can get to it now?
12:35 - Well, it's not in ruins, but the doors are locked. Weird. Maybe there's nothing here after all, though it's weird that they included it, along with Lauryl's little narration ("No-one is allowed up there") if they're not going to use it.
12:40 - Ok, little ghosty blob, let's get out of here! Man, you're one noisy ghost. No wonder Garrett can't be silent while walking on metal surfaces - in this world, even non-corporeal ghosts clomp around on the floors.
12:42 -
Lauryl: "Oh no! You can't leave the Cradle, can you?"
Me: I HATE YOU! ARRRGH! HATEHATE-DEATH-MURDER-KILL-GRRRRAAAAARRRGH! HATE HATE HATE!
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Ok, breathe deeply. Find your happy place.... deep breaths.
Ok, so we're not done yet. I gotta go lock myself in a cage (??) to travel back into the past again. Maybe it's some kind of primative TARDIS. Well, at least I'm back in good ol' unoccupied Outer Cradle. I'm positively bouncing through this part of the level. CLANG CLANG CLANG - ha ha, look at me! Whee!
12:50 - Back to the past - a more different past, apparently. Now I have to go... jump out a window? So the Cradle will forget about me? Couldn't I have done that a long, long time ago?
I KNEW the Staff Tower had to be there for a reason. Still way ahead of ya, game.
12:55 - Hey, cool! The staff tower is on fire! I'd forgotten that the Cradle apparently burned up in a demonic fire, long before Garrett's "present". Funny how that fire didn't appear to have actually DAMAGED anything in the "present" Cradle, including all those notes lying around. Demonic fire is funny that way, I suppose.
12:58 - I'm bracing myself for one last big scare. Surely this MUST be the end of the level coming up. And surely they're going to give me one last thing to make me jump, right?
1:00 - Man, that is one HUGE tower! It must be at least 15 stories high! Forget the Clocktower - I'm guessing the Cradle Staff Tower was the main landmark in the City.
1:05 - The staff is strangely calm while their tower burns down around them. This guy's just lounging in his chair - hasn't he noticed the burning desk next to him?
1:10 - Oops! Death by staff! I tried to run from one, accidentally triggered another one, then triggered a whole group sitting at the table! My fumbling with the keys produced the rather comic-tragic image of Garrett groaning and falling over dead as a small water arrow splashes to the ground next to him.
1:15 - You know what? I'm tired of these guys. Eat hot flashbomb, docs! With one motion, they all rise from their chairs and start groping around. Another bomb, and they all fall over into dust. Poof! Take that, suckas!
1:17 - Man, this window is really high. When Lauryl told me to jump and said "The Cradle will think you're dead, but you won't be - you'll just be outside!", did she stop to consider the possibility that I might end up both outside and dead? Why is Garrett trusting a 7-year-old anyway for advice on how to escape?? I mean, look how well it worked out for her!
1:19 - Well, out we go!
1:20 - Freeeeeeeeedooooooooommm!
Motley Fool on 9/3/2006 at 19:04
Motley's liveblog of his descent into The Cradle, part 4: Aftermath
Wow - I made it. I flashbombed everything in site, and maybe that's the coward's way out, but I don't care. I made it!
A few retrospective thoughts on the level:
* Wow! The design and backstory put into this level rises far, far above any other level in T3. It almost feels like an entirely different game. If only the other levels could have been this great.
* Incredibly enough, I wasn't as scared as I thought I'd be. I think once I realized that I could handle any of the enemies that were coming at me, I got a lot more confident. And really... there didn't seem to be a huge number of them.
* The level that best mirrors this one from the old series isn't "Return to the Cathedral", I don't think. Rather, it's the fan mission "Lady Rowena's Curse". The designers of both levels realized that in many cases, it's the things you don't see that are far, far more terrifying than the things you see. Having the Outer Cradle entirely devoid of enemies in a way made it even scarier. It was almost a relief to start fighting, because it was the anticipation that was really killing me.
* I'm still not totally clear on the storyline, though. What really happened to Lauryl? Why was so much attention focused on her portrait - just because, or was that part of some sinister plot? How did the Hag get into the Cradle? Did she just sneak in, or does she have some deeper connection to the institution? And do we assume that everyone just died (or became undead) in the demonic fire? Doctors, patients, and children?
* And one last minor plotpoint - what was the deal with the intelligent, dangerous criminal in cell #1? I went back and rode up to his cell, but apart from a creepy haunted laugh floating down towards me, and a dummy suspended from the ceiling, there didn't seem to be anything to differentiate him from the other 8 residents. Was there nothing more to this plot point?
Anyway, thanks to everyone for their support and advice. I'm glad I gave this level a try. I think for me, it hit just the perfect mixture of creepiness and greatness that others have said it would.
I hope you've been entertained by vicariously walking through Shalebridge Cradle for the first time with me. :)
And Mr. Jordan "null" Thomas... well-done, sir! if I ever meet you, I'm going to shake your hand. Or punch you in the face.
SlyFoxx on 9/3/2006 at 19:28
Glad you made it out!:D
Quote:
I HATE YOU! ARRRGH! HATEHATE-DEATH-MURDER-KILL-GRRRRAAAAARRRGH! HATE HATE HATE!
Even though I knew that comment was coming I still laughed out loud!
T-Smith on 9/3/2006 at 19:35
You'll learn a little more about the the Cradle as you continue, and a LOT more about the Hag. However, in order to really understand what happened in that horrible place, you have to go through it, read all the books, and do some good old detective work.
If you're really dying to know though, here's the gist of what happened in the final times of the Shalebridge Cradle -
[SPOILER]The inmate in cell #5 was accused (wrongly) of Lauryl's death. #5 was a popular individual among the inmates of White Hall. King No One (the inmate from Cell #1, the Seclusion Chamber) used this event to rally the support of the other White Hall inmates and overtook the staff. A note about King No One - he was a killer, and a very smart one. He created wax masks to wear ove rhis real face. This way, The City Watch had a hard time catching him. He was finally caught when a building he was in was set on fire, and the wax on his mask burned into his skin. During his time as the Cradle, he assaulted various staff and nurses. as far as I recall, he cut up the face of one of the nurses he considered 'vain'. Anyways, he rallied the White Hall inmates, and had the resident of cell #9 (a pyro-maniac girl) set fire to the staff tower. Ever notice the chair sitting right in front of the staff tower? She set fire to the tower and then sat there, watching it and the people inside it burn. However, the fire spread quickly, and for some reason (automatic proticullis perhaps) the Cradle was locked down, and very few managed to escape as it burned. With no where left to go, the White Hall 9 roamed the halls, slaughtering everyone they came across who was still alive, until eventually they themselves succumbed to the fire. Exactly what caused the Cradle to become evil and the White Hall 9 to become undead like that is unknown - probably the work of the Hag.[/SPOILER]
By the way, running around blasting everything in sight is weak :P. Next time you go through, crank it up to Expert and ghost the mission. That's when the real fun begins :ebil:
Dia on 9/3/2006 at 20:12
Thief: Deadly Shadows = $40.00
Motley Fool's Cradle Liveblog = PRICELESS!
Kudos, MF!! You did it!!
Thanks, MF. Not just for keeping me thoroughly entertained on a cold, wet, and dreary day of office boredom, but also, since I've just relived the Cradle vicariously through your exploits, I won't have to go back there myself for quite awhile.
