I'm sure you'll eventually feel like making another Acid Trip.
Could someone recommend me some Lost City type FMs? I was planning on having a theme-oriented gameplay weekend
Haplo, I understand that stopping FM-making is your choice, but I hope you continue making them. I personally didn't get very far with Acid Trip, but your special brand of originality should not become a lost art.
If you've not played Broken Triad, then you'll want to do so immediately and soak in the amazing second mission.
I'll add my voice to the others, Haplo. Take as long a break as you need but I hope you return to dromeding. You have a definite gift for mission making.
Summer - take a pick of From Beneath The Sands missions. Both the original and remake are lost city-ish, tho the 1st one has a gloomier atmosphere than the latter. Probably other nicked missions have that theme, tho I'm not that sure. Probably also Sperry's stuff like Tuttocomb's Tomb or Broadsword of Sheol, but you'll have to have some nerves in order to get through those bugs, plus it has a whole different theme. For me, however, Broadsword of Sheol was an amazing adventure.
The TTGM series has a whole lot of Lost City-type missions, starting with the third mission I believe.
Ok, Lost City type missions dug up so far:
- The Temple of the Tides (don't know how in the world I've missed this one! I'm so gonna get kicked out this community...)
- Broken Triad (in the middle of the first miss atm, so this works out well, I think)
- Brawl in the Tombs (is this a sequel/prequel to something...?)
-TTGM: Up Shit Creek (3rd miss of TTGM, just finishing Shore Leave coincidentally
- Your Last Breath (4th mission in the Blackbrook series, I think, though could be wrong...)
Anything else? Hmm... Whispers in the Desert? Just how scary is it...?
Edit: Huge thanks to everyone for their recommendations!
Last edited by Summer; 8th Jun 2010 at 06:59. Reason: Forgot to be polite - won't happen again.
The correct order to play all of John D.'s missions is:Originally Posted by Summer
- Burglary in Blackbrook
- Shadows of the Past
- Quick Cash (Those three missions are united in the mission pack Dark Beginnings.)
- Your Last Breath
- A Brawl in the Tombs
- Island of Iron pt 1: Fortress of Steel
- Island of Iron pt 2: Confrontation
- Deep Trouble: City Under the Sea
Didn't consider it really scare, I thought From Beneath the Sands was scarier. Both are a lot of fun to play anyway.Anything else? Hmm... Whispers in the Desert? Just how scary is it...?
Terrific and entertaining reveiw, The Mike.
Haplo, PLEASE don't give up building FMs! I have had SO much fun testing and playing UVI and IC! It would be a shame to let so much talent go to waste.
Again, thanks for all your encouraging words. To be honest I already miss the creative moments of DromeEd...maybe a small and simple mission...a bit later...
(what am I getting myself into again...)
I knew that with enough prodding we could push the DromEd drug back on you.
That's some solid 'peer pressure' work people, mission accomplished!
You taffers.
Is Together in Shadows still going on? Haven't seen much acitivity there lately.
Haplo, glad that you're rethinking about letting go of creating more weird thiefy bliss
I hope people aren't going to stop making FMs for at least a couple more years - or, dare I say it, decades. I'd hate to see this community wind down
One can always replay the ones that already existbut still, new ones are always an anticipated event for everyone here, I'm sure.
I'm playing Broken Triad for the first time. How did I let this slip me by?
I don't know about games as art, but Thief has definitely nailed games as culture.
There's a Lost City-related section in my TAC entry, The Affairs of Wizards. The horror contest entry Island of Madness also felt a bit Lost City-like to me.Could someone recommend me some Lost City type FMs? I was planning on having a theme-oriented gameplay weekend
When Still... By Eternauta
Released: June 2010
Once in a while a mission or campaign comes along that touches all the right spots for you personally and becomes a nearly perfect example of what you look for in a mission. Every player is different and tastes always vary, so for some of us this kind of mission may be few and far between. Having followed Eternauta's When Still... campaign for news after the preview thread was posted - I had been really looking forward to this one and was definitely not disappointed. For my style of play this campaign definitely touched all the right places (provocative!) and left me satisfied (alright now you're just being dirty) in a way that few missions ever do.
Most first time authors work weeks, months or even years on their debut release - and the mission never sees the light of day. As unfortunate as that is - Eternauta decided to say "Screw that!" and go balls out with an expansive and epic-in-scope 4 mission campaign right out of the gate. You'll travel far and wide discovering mansions, sewers, caves, crypts, ruins, castles, warehouses, docks, small towns and more. Nearly every type of location from the Thief universe is represented here - and all of them are absolutely huge.
Nearly every area is incredibly well textured, decorated and detailed - this campaign is definitely easy on the eyes. Little touches like brilliant use of ominous blue lighting give some rooms a supernatural creepiness that can only be described as "Oh hell did something move over there?!?" Estates are packed with loot and decor, caves are twisty and turny with brilliant use of architecture to make them feel alive, sewers have pipes twisting every witch way and rubble everywhere as if to say "something bad happened here." Warehouses are stocked from floor to ceiling with boxes - most of which have their own custom texture. Ruins twist and turn with overarching pathways and rope arrow shenanigans. Crypts flicker with torches and glowing lights that test your sneaking skill as well as your nerve (due to the always frightening haunts) - and a few surprises here and there could have you pants-shittingly fleeing in another direction. There are so many visual storytelling and atmospheric details going on in these missions that they really do need to be experienced. Screenshots do not do them justice.
One thing Eternauta does strikingly well is setting up brilliant atmosphere. The sense of tension and gloom run steady through the campaign, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Colored lighting, creepy sound cues, multiple pathways and the feeling that anything could be lurking just around the corner really gives you an edge-of-your-seat style feeling throughout. I loved the little touches (a servant standing in the window of a darkened room lit only by the blue light cascading from the window, for example) that added so much with so little.
Audibly the missions are very strong and for the most part use sound to great effect to create an even stronger atmosphere that compliments the visual setup of each area. Creaking boards, far off hisses and sounds of skittering about are only a few of the surprises sound-wise that are in store for players here. I can't count the amount of times on two hands that I heard a noise only to swing around and find nothing behind me. After a fresh pair of underwear I was once again on my way.
The story is pretty strong - and over the course of the four missions you'll find a few twists and turns, lots of answers and a few filled blanks that still need filled in. Again, for a first time effort there really is a good deal of detail that went into fleshing it out. Could there have been a deeper and more involved story? Of course - there always can be. But this campaign will keep you interested in seeing what happens next. Some of the locations you'll visit will have you witnessing events that are.. different.. to say the least.
Saving the best for last we come to the gameplay portion of the campaign - far and away my favorite part of it. Nearly every light in the campaign can be put out in one way or another. Lamps can be frobbed, tourches doused, lights switched off - this campaign allows you to tailor it to your own gameplay experience.
Are you a roughneck Thief hardass that enjoys nothing but ghosting? Leave all the lights shining bright and punish yourself until your S&M'ish heart is content. Are you the type that loves leaving the entire area snoozing with some forcefully inflicted knockout naptime? Switch all those suckers off and have a field day. Be it small patches of darkness, the entire area pitch black or somewhere in between - you are responsible for the amount of challenge you give yourself during play.
Keep ahold of every rope arrow you can get your hands on - you'll definitely be needing them during the course of play. You'll hunt for secrets in the rafters, you'll discover clever ins-and-outs to each area and you'll be kicking yourself for leaving any behind. Nearly every type of great-fun gameplay is represented over the course of the campaign and most of the types that suck out the fun (ridiculous forced diagonal jumping, over-complicated puzzles etc) are left out. You'll jump, swim, climb, sneak, search and steal for hours on end.
One of the biggest positives of the missions themselves can also become somewhat of a negative if you are not the type with a good internal compass. The size.
Taking the first mission into account for example - the mansion area is huge and filled to the brim with secret passages in walls and overhead to help you get around. The map is, well.. roughly a representation of the real floor plan at best - so use it as more of an outline than a room-for-room guide. I found myself wandering around looking for locations on the map that were nowhere near where they seemed they should have been - but once I weened myself from relying on a map learning the surroundings was much easier.
The missions were definitely built for exploration - so those of you who are more hard coded to rely on one main route through a mission may find yourself wandering around hopelessly for a bit. Again, the incredible size and scope of the missions can sometimes work against them if you don't enjoy backtracking or visiting an area multiple times. Clues are rather light as to where to go first and what to do next - though not ball-bustingly frustrating as in missions like King's Story. As a player that is constantly on the move I don't recommend the usual tripe that folks usually post when someone is lost (Slow down and take your time! This will magically solve all of your issues!) and I instead recommend you keep moving and exploring. Alot of areas you'll find yourself stuck in can actually be solved by looking upwards or thinking outside the box. In most cases - if you can see it, you can reach it.
You may laugh, you may cry, you may shit your pants (Just wait for a few of the moments, you'll see) - but you'll definitely have a great time. Fantastic stuff, and highly recommended. I'm pretty sure that regardless of what kinds of missions you like there will be something perfect for everyone.
Screens!
May contain slight visual spoilers for minor twists and turns - play the missions first before scrolling down if you are the type that gets your panties in a wad about those. I tried to leave everything major out.
Mission 1:
After switching the lights off it was time for a nap near the fire.
Loved the signs hanging near the bar area. Such a little thing ads alot of production value and immersion.
After my drink I decided to eat something to soak up all that mead.
I loved the use of great looking round rugs and colored windows in some of the areas.
Just look at the details. Beautiful stuff.
Great use of textures to add extra detail without extra objects.
Alot of the rooms told great visual stories on their own.
How can you not want to rob this place? Fancy!
Mission 2:
The detailed vines on the wall textures were a great touch.
One of the best looking (and certainly most detailed) sewers you'll ever see in a mission. Pipes everywhere!
I loved the attention to detail in with the boxes in the warehouse. You actually feel as if someone uses it for storage.
Lighting is used sparingly and to great effect for atmosphere.
Gonna sneak right by.
Treasures everywhere! Where to I start?
I loved this room.
Run, its the fuzz!
Mission 3:
Well this certainly looks like an interesting place, and I'm guessing that lamp isn't to make sure I don't trip on the way in.
Great detail all around.
I'm gonna pocket some of this reading material.
Wonder when they had the hardwood floors installed?
I'm a big fan of the lens flare effect on all the lights in the mission. I've always enjoyed those.
Atmospheric!
And spooky!
Say goodbye to blockyness - we're all about roundness in 2010!
Mission 4:
It's a great night for looting.
This fella did not find my blackjacking of his comrade humorous in the least.
I'm zee king of zee castle!
I enjoyed the little towns in the mission.
Campfire stories I'm sure.
I wonder what's behind door number 1...
Something is definitely going on here.
Again, great use of lighting for atmosphere.
And because I enjoyed this campaign so much and it all looks so brilliant - a few bonus shots from each mission:
I loved this room and I love this picture. For some reason it really struck me visually.
Again here. Great stuff.
The sheer amount of detail put into making this look like a room full of rubble was amazing.
Again with the detail - pipes everywhere in the sewers. It made a sewer area feel different and new.
This can only lead to one thing...
Very detailed crypts!
Care for a swim?
Not as complicated as it looks but definitely a long way up.
Great review dude- I love it when reviewers mention their favorite "moments" or level design bits that really stood out to them, it's so much more interesting than just a dry technical rundown. Also- beautiful screenshots! Seriously dude, you know how to work that 'Print screen' key like no one else I know.
I can't wait to finish up this one, I'm on mission 4 right now and I absolutely agree with everything you said.
Woah. I was vacillating on jumping into a huge four-mission pack right now, but your review and pictures convinced me to take a break from my TDP iron man run and go play it.
Thanks for the feedback guys - And Melan judging by your missions you enjoy expansive exploration style gameplay so I definitely don't think you'll be disappointed.
It took me a few minutes to realize that it was actually the screenshots from a Thief 2 mission.
Astonishing design work.
I interview Irrational
Ah, Jack is back! Great work with your new reviews
Those missions look fantastic and very promising, I hope I'll find some time to play them during the weekend.
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