T2 FM - Stronghold (June 2001)

[mfeuti]

Sorry for asking a question that I know has been answered. Unfortunately, I can't find that post using the Forum Search.

Anyhoo, I'd prefer not to cheat and vine arrow across to where I iced the monkey beasts or Slow Fall down, avoid the Tree Beast and so on.

Might I get a spoiler please?

Oh, and what about the door in the Stronghold that says, "Ask the [somebody] about entry." I can't frob the door, so is it released from another location?

Thanks in advance.

[NoCokePepsi]

I've just finished Stronghold v.3, a T2 FM by JohnEric, and I was very impressed by its use of snow and fog. In this one, Garrett has a winter retreat in the mountains. The atmosphere in and around his retreat is superb, and unlike any other Thief mission I've played, original or fan-designed.

Now, the mission was good overall but a little uneven. But this mission, along with belboz' Raid on Washout Central, left me wishing that FM designers would use weather and fog more. Aside from Stronghold and Washout, are there any other FM's that use weather in an interesting way? (I'm assuming they would have to be T2 missions.)

[NoCokePepsi]

Ugh. You mean nobody knows of an FM that uses weather aside from Stronghold and Raid on Washout Central?

[schwaa]

I have beentrying to use weather but it's really touchy. you almost have to design a mission around it. And every time I try to get custom sky effects Dromed 2 crashes on me.

[Chade]

Ok, maybe somebody can clear something up for me. I hated stronghold. I doubt I would have given it 2 or 3 out of 10. I found it unrealistic, simplistic, way too easy, way to large a map, lots of meaningless walking, crappy graphics. The outside area was alright, but was the only decent part of the mission.

Yet many people seem to like it??? I can't help shaking the feeling that I'm missing out on something here. That I did something wrong, maybe. Because the stronghold I remember, no-one would be praising it.

[NoCokePepsi]

Well, I try to be positive, especially when I'm evaluating fan missions. After all, I haven't made one myself, and I don't want to discourage anyone if their mission has some good points. My 'good' is probably equal to most people's 'fair' or even 'barely adequate'.

My post was mainly to praise the use of weather in FM's, and not so much to praise Stronghold as a mission. I thought that the promise of the outside area (Garrett's retreat) was not realized in the rest of the level. The area just inside the stronghold, with the tree branches(?) and the rope arrows was bizarre and exasperating to me, and other areas in the mission just didn't make much sense. But it was fun to get my hands on the sword upgrade!

But anyway, I gather that implementing weather in a fan mission is somewhat tricky, and so most T2 FM designers avoid it.

[ August 04, 2001: Message edited by: NoCokePepsi ]

[demonreaver]

Stronghold would be extremely easy if one wanted to use all of the equipment. There were so many tulz at Garrett's use it was impossible to use. Ton's of gas arrows, mines, arrows, everything! Weather was good though. Map was also good if slightly linear and at times unrealistic. (Apebeasts in the Mechanist area that 'required the particly bridge' and had all of the branches, the art gallery before entrance into the Stronghold, [it seems to me the art gallery was the prized jewel of stronghold so why should it be in front of all of the protection?], and the stores and stores of equipment)

[Norman Druart]

Sometimes it's the most obvious that gives me the most trouble...

None of the other posts for this FM have asked the question but I'm stuck. I've dealt with the ape men and opened all the doors and windows in Garrett's cabin but I haven't been able to figure out how to progress to the next area in Stronghold. I've walked all around the perimeter and explored all the floors of the cabin but no go. Something in the basement perhaps?

Thanks.

[Nightwalker]

Go out the front door, turn left and walk down along the side of Garrett's cottage. You'll see a patch of green in the cave wall back there. It has a cave entrance in it, but it's really hard to see until you're almost on top of it.

[Norman Druart]

And, after an initial hiccup, the rest of the mission resolves itself without a hitch.

As always, you're a wonder Nightwalker. Some FM author should put you in a mission as a tribute to your services on the forums. Perhaps as an oracle of all Thiefly knowledge...

Does anyone know what was meant by the references in the mission to the magic sword finding a "familiar" which I should take care not to kill? Is that why that darn golden child(ren) keep appearing? It's not like I could kill it if I wanted to (and boy did I want to )

[Nightwalker]

I always made the assumption that it was the "golden child" but there's nothing else that mentions it, so I don't know for sure.

[glennicus]

This is kind of a ridiculous question: How do I open the doors in the basement, the windows , and the front door in Garrett's house?

[Nightwalker]

There's a hidden entrance to the basement of Garrett's house. Is that how you got in?? Just after you pass through the red curtains, there is a secret compartment to the left. There is a basement key in there. Once you're upstairs, there's a floor mat you can frob and under it you'll find the "windows, attic and front door" key.

[glennicus]

Well, now I'm in the Stronghold, but stuck again. I'm past all the tree stuff, and have gotten past the bridge over the lava area with the golden child. I've explored everywhere in the building beyond the bridge, but cannot find a way to open up the gate at the end of the long hallway. I went up into the low-ceilinged dark area with the spiders, but did not find anything. Please help.

[Nightwalker]

You can't open the gate, I don't think. Go into the sitting area and check out the fireplace.

[glennicus]

Thanks, Nightwalker. Just about finished now.

[NightDreamer]

Hi all.
Here it is:Ive opened all the windows etc in the house.Ive also been in the caves and done the combination with statues.Now what?

[Nightwalker]

Once you've done the combination with the statues, go back to the other building, up the stairs and slash the banner on the wall on the top floor.

[NightDreamer]

Thank you.
Anyway,i took the sword,i passed all the beasts etc...walked up a big circular ladder and im in a big room with a ghost in the middle.Now what?

[Nightwalker]

Starting slashing banners with your sword. You'll find the way out.

[diamondz]

I have reached the hollow tree that seems to just drop about 500 ft. lol , and there seems to be this little red button of some sort that i thought i could activate but doesnt do anything for me and tried to keep gulping slowfall potion all the way down but none of this works. Can someone please tell me what i need to do here? Its the tree right after getting the stronghold key and passing the first of the robot and camera then fighting a tree monster on the ground.



Thanks

[jiansonz]

I made it down there with the help of about 4 slow-fall potions, and took no damage. If you have any frogbeast eggs, you can try them (look down, fall and use one just before you land). This is sort of a back door, the "regular" path is through where the apebeasts are/were standing.

[BadArm]

It's really not necessary to go down there. Later on you'll find an elevator at the bottom on that tree. It's a bad idea to try and use it because you can get stuck inside the tree trunk and have to restart from a previously saved game. You shouldn't have went down there onto the ground. You have to make your way across two spans of trees.

spoiler:

After you make it all the way across you'll see another way to go down. There will be a tree beast waiting for you down there, but if you go down slow you can take him out with a fire arrow before he can even see you.

You then proceed from there.

[diamondz]

Thanks to both Badarm and Jiansonz, I didnt expect an answer that soon I allready did a quicksave on the ground but i suppose i could try using vine arrows to get back up to where the apebeasts were. Either way i have an answer to my prob.

Thanks guys,

[BadArm]

diamondz,

It's unfortunate that you didn't save from before you fell down there. I did, so I didn't have to try and climb back up. It's probably going to be a difficult climb. You can try and do what jiansonz said. It is kind of like a back door to where you're going if you can make it down to the bottom of that tree trunk. I didn't even find that spot until I played the mission the 2nd time (so far this is the only mission I liked enough to play more than once. I love the shieldbreaker sword you're going to retrieve.) Anyway, I just wanted you to know that if you can't climb back up, if you can make it down through the tree you can proceed that way too.