T3 FM: Shadows of Death (07.01.2021) v1.0

[Cardia]

I had given up this mission, but now that some walktroughts were made i will be able to finish this one. Thank you both for the walktroughts

[Cardia]

Finished mission, took me hours , without the walktrough i would never be able to finish this one. I played on the easiest difficult mode, and yet found it very hard, considering the number of secrets and well hidden things you have to find in order to progress in the game, and some objects only highlight when you have you nose touching them , that's how i got stuck, one of the banner is only accessible when you get to close to it. Despite that i found the map construction very beautiful , visual one of the most impressive T3 missions i ever saw, the ambient as well the music chosen are very good, the story line as well , and the gameplay is fun if we exclude the difficulty of the goals. This mission should be played by everyone it offers a high quality experience.

Thank you Savar , hope you will bring more of the same genre.

[onetruekeeper]

Could not find Enforcer Krellek or this bedroom.

[onetruekeeper]

Okay I found the room but Krellek was not there ! Tried it again with an earlier save and he was there this time and gave a message.

[Savar]

Okay I found the room but Krellek was not there ! Tried it again with an earlier save and he was there this time and gave a message.

Apparently this task has already been completed

[Savar]

Finished mission, took me hours , without the walktrough i would never be able to finish this one. I played on the easiest difficult mode, and yet found it very hard, considering the number of secrets and well hidden things you have to find in order to progress in the game, and some objects only highlight when you have you nose touching them , that's how i got stuck, one of the banner is only accessible when you get to close to it. Despite that i found the map construction very beautiful , visual one of the most impressive T3 missions i ever saw, the ambient as well the music chosen are very good, the story line as well , and the gameplay is fun if we exclude the difficulty of the goals. This mission should be played by everyone it offers a high quality experience.

Thank you Savar , hope you will bring more of the same genre.

I am glad that you liked the mission. Thank you

[pwyll]

Thanks for the mission! You are keeping TDS alive.

[mcmike1489]

Can't wait for the next TDS fan mission to come out.

[green stone]

I apologise for inconvenience, both links are death. Any mirrors? Thanks in advance.

[fortuni]

Both links are good.

Click on link at bottom of OP ShadowsDeath_1.0.zip, which takes you to the Darkfate page, follow Shadow of Death link to Darkfate d/l and Googledrive d/l link.

If either of those links die on you, copy and paste either d/l link and place in your browser directly.

[green stone]

Fortuni, thaks you so much. The copy/paste works.

[Savar]

Thanks for the mission! You are keeping TDS alive.

Your activity makes the game alive. Thanks.

[Palomar9]

Much thanks to Savar, Adsk1 and all of the recent FM authors for keeping Thief alive! I've been having a lot of fun assisting my grandson who is often so spooked that he insists I pick up playing the game while he hides behind me groaning with fear. He's very young but he occasionally surprises me by finding something I've missed. I think the games are genuinely stimulating him to think logically which helps with his school work, especially math.

[Savar]

Palomar9
Thank you bro

[<Username>]

Shadows of Death is a showcase of the very best the T3 engine has to offer. The environments in the City and in the Keeper Compound are amazing, with an impressive level detail in the interiors and exteriors. The large halls, darkened corridors, and spiral staircases to forgotten places look even better because of the excellent lighting throughout.

On the other hand, the gameplay of the mission revolves too much around finding secret objects and areas, frequently even secret areas within secret areas. Miss a frobbable book in one of the many bookshelves in this large map and you will be stuck, with no idea where to go next. Very few people will be able to finish this mission without the help of a walkthrough. Furthermore, the story is incomprehensible. I have an idea what the plot is, but it is poorly told.

Stats:

• Expert difficulty
• 267 minutes
• 90% loot
• 9 hints needed

Elements I liked:

• The interiors and exteriors look amazing. The build quality, texturing, and lighting throughout the mission are superb.
• It doesn't take too long until you get back your basic equipment.
• I liked the changes of the soundscape in the crawlspace of the Keeper Compound and in the Underground Libraries.
• You can smash some windows and bookshelves in this mission.
• I appreciate Savar did not put any of the permanently invisible enemies into Shadows of Death that were prevalent in some of his previous missions. Those were frustrating to navigate around.
• I got one of the worst scares of my life when I walked into the seemingly empty hidden library in First Keeper Merlin's Inner Sanctum, started picking the lock of a wooden chest at the west wall, then suddenly heard the loud hiss of one of the Chosen Keepers directly behind me.
• Garrett quips from original missions are reused at (mostly) fitting places.
• Garrett eats food when the player makes him interact with it.
• The mission exits to the main menu after it ends.

Could be improved:

• In typical Savar fashion, there are mandatory secrets and easy to miss quest items. As usual with Savar missions, I needed the help of a walkthrough to finish the mission.
• The mission briefing is super confusing due to poor grammar. Like in previous Savar missions, the story is incomprehensible.
• One of the mission objectives is "Get some information about the Witch". What witch? The briefing does not mention a witch.
• The player is told in the objectives to retrieve a "Book of Shadows". Of course, the briefing does not mention this item either.
• Garrett's plan to get closer to a well-guarded area in the City is to let himself be captured and imprisoned by City Watch. He does not have a plan how he will escape. This sounds like a terrible idea.
• Getting imprisoned by City Watch appears to not accomplish anything. After breaking out of prison, you still have to get from the prison to the mansion Garrett originally wanted break into. This is so odd.
• In the second floor area of the prison where the "This guy needs to lose some weight" guard patrols, you can see outside the level boundary through a window. That window should not be there.
• In the north of the City area, there is a hidden attic that can be reached by climbing a ladder on the outside of a building. Inside, there is a window through which you can see outside the level boundary. That window should not be there.
• If you climb down the ladder from the hidden attic in the City, Garrett will continue to climb down after the visible part of the ladder ends. He will hold on to invisible railings in the air.
• I was never a fan of the teleporters in Savar missions. You frob a door and suddenly you are in a different part of the map. It always feels like it was not possible to connect two areas, with the teleporter used as a quick fix. Luckily, there are only two or three of these in the mission.
• There are too many locked doors you have to pick.
• All health potions in this mission cannot be picked up. I had to write down their location and return to them later when I needed them. I don't know why this gameplay mechanic was changed. It would be more player friendly if Garrett could carry health potions with him like in the original campaign.
• The two great looking Keeper statues holding keys in the room with the round table near the entrance of the Keeper Compound are not solid objects. I could walk through them.
• When the female Keeper in the dining hall of the Keeper Compound heard a noise and got up from her chair, she teleported to a few steps east. I reloaded and could reproduce the behavior. An odd glitch.
• In First Keeper Merlin's diary, there is a "< / p>" in the last entry.
• The sequence necessary to kill First Keeper Merlin is so obtuse I am convinced the majority of players will not figure it out on their own.
• It is possible Merlin does not die when you throw him into the lava pit. The first time I threw his body down there, he landed on the metal grille above the lava and did not die. I had to reload.
• When you knock out the woman that spawns in at the entrance of the Underground Citadel after you killed First Keeper Merlin, she does not drop the lit candle.
• If you pick up the fire arrow from the stove in the prison, Garrett takes damage. Garrett also took damage when picking up fire arrows at other places in the mission. Maybe intended, but I don't think the player should get punished for picking up fire arrows.

Hints needed:

spoiler:

1. Missed the safe hidden behind a painting in First Keeper Merlin's room.
2. Missed the book that opens the secret passage to the Underground Libraries, even though I had found two books mentioning the secret passage and searching the room for a button. It is high up and I must have missed it when I jumped to check the upper parts of the bookshelves in the room.
3. How was I supposed to find that purple Hammer symbol teleporter button in the corridor with the two statues? Mantling up there works only every couple of tries. I wouldn't have guessed you can mantle up there.
4. Missed the breakable window next to the high beam above the library in the Underground Libraries.
5. Did not see the key on the belt of one of the living statues in Merlin's Inner Sanctum. I was trying to stay away from them because I had no effective weapon against them by that point. How was I supposed to know the key would spawn in on the belt of one of them?
6. Did not figure out how to kill First Keeper Merlin.
7. Did not find the Forbidden Library.
8. Did not find the book with information about the witch in the Forbidden Library.
9. Found only 89% loot and used fortuni's walkthrough to get a velvet tapestry in the Forbidden Library, which brought me to 90%.

[Savar]

Username
Давно заметил ваше особое внимание миссиям TDS. Спасибо за столь подробный разбор моих (и не только) миссий и этой. Очень рад что вам понравилась эта миссия. Надеюсь вы увидите ещё что-то от меня...спустя определённое время

[<Username>]

Woah, if we actually get another T3 mission from you sometime in the future, Savar, I will be absolutely delighted.

[fortuni]

+1