The Dark One on 24/12/2017 at 20:18
I seem to have issues with any mission involving rifts or ravines, considering how this is the second mission with that theme that I got frustrated with.
The Ravine (by Spoonman) is a very...atypical mission. This time, Not-Garratt is being sent down into the titular ravine on a round of treasure hunting. Many years back, Bluemoon Prison had a mining facility where prisoners were put to work mining. All well and good, until a revolt forced the place to be sealed up, with the survivors inside. One of the acolytes from that time left a trophy down there, and now that there’s been a new entrance to the ravine discovered, our hero is expected to go down there at get it.
The first thing that will strike you is that this mission is dark. Very dark. This intentional. The next thing that will strike you is that this place is tall and confusing. The Ravine will probably remind old-school Thief players of The Sword, with it’s odd and confusing layout. It isn’t all that big, really, but constantly overlaps and there are very few landmarks to help you get your bearings. It’s suitably creepy, mainly thanks to the well done sound. There are also a few interior locations which jack up the maze aspects and gives you more enemies to deal with.
This is a harder mission than normal. The loot isn’t exactly hidden but the nature of the level makes it a pain to find at times, though thankfully there is a margin of error allowed. I do feel that the later portions of the mission throw a few too many enemies your way, and the layout and sound make it very hard to pinpoint where they are and how many you have left. It’s a clever use of layout and sound and is part of the point, but my first playthrough drove me to the brink of frustration.
All in all, this is an unusual outing. Fans of the classic mansion heist may not enjoy it, but those who like a touch of the bizarre in their mission will greatly enjoy it. Recommended.
The Dark One on 28/12/2017 at 19:52
Lockdown : Part 1: The Key Out of Here (by GameDevGoro with help from Bikerdude) is part one of a series that never happened, as far I know. The premise is simple: Not-Garrett needs some cash to pay for some new equipment, but there’s a lockdown in progress due to bandit attacks. Thankfully, our hero might have a tip about the hideout of a bandit leader….
When I saw this mission on the download screen it said it was 3 MB, so I thought it would be a quick and small mission. Turns out it was a bit bigger, but it’s still a small city mission, though more complex than I thought. My second playthrough showed that the mission was a little straightforward than I thought, but there’s still a fair bit of ducking through houses and windows, scooping loot as you go. The main gripe I have is an area of the city that, as far as I know, can only be accessed by a window, and if you happen to end up there without rope arrows/didn’t set things up properly, you’re stuck.
Lootwise, it’s pretty simple. On Expert, at least, just completing the objectives will get you most of the loot goal, and the rest is easy to find. There aren’t many diabolical hiding places, but a fair bit of exploration is needed to find it. There’s a basic enough story connecting everything, telling the tale of a hidden stash of loot which has a surprise or two for those who will look for it. The higher difficulties restrain your knockouts, but it’s mostly easy enough to evade the guards. The only bit that annoys me is a building near the beginning that is near impossible to get into without alerting someone, and there’s a fair bit of loot in there.
All in all, a fun little mission. Recommended.
nickie on 29/12/2017 at 16:41
All outstanding reviews have now been added. Thank you very much indeed, guys.
The Dark One on 3/1/2018 at 20:43
For the record, this was also made by Jesps.
Pandora’s Box is another short mission, but with added difficulty and an interesting local: an airship, which our brave hero has infiltrated to find the titular box and swap it with a fake. The airship idea is interesting, and Jesps incorporates some interesting uses of technology, such as makeshift “spotlights” on the deck of the ship. The layout is linear, but that’s the only real gripe.
Difficulty-wise, it’s tricky. The highest difficulties forbid you from even been seen, much less killing or knocking out. The guards don’t choke you, but moving around the well-lit and exposed deck is tricky, especially because while you get the wind howling in your ears, the guards can hear you perfectly well. But that’s a minor hurdle. The loot is sparse and slightly tricky to find, not helped by the guards, but careful searching will turn it up.
On the whole, this is a fun, slightly challenging mission. Recommended, especially if you want something short.
The Dark One on 9/1/2018 at 21:04
Of note: This is a mission translated from Polish, I beleive! Which is neat.
Crystal Grave (by ERH+ with help from Bikerdude, in translation, optimization, bug fixes, and decoration detail) is a mission that sets itself in a partially flooded fort. Not-Garrett has set out there to get his hands on some pure crystal, but gets shipwrecked nearby. Now he has to slip inside the fort, find the crystals, get some food and water for the long trek home, and open the gates to get out.
This mission has a well-executed horror atmosphere, carried through the decrepit layout of the fort and interesting bits of atmosphere, such as quiet voices in certain locations, or the sound of Not-Garrett choking on the air in a room of bodies. Special note goes to the pseudo-lab in the depths of the fort, well-hidden and creepy. It’s well-done, but some sound effects for opening doors and windows are different than they are in ordinary missions, which could throw some people off. As expected, the fort is filled with haunts, leaving the player ducking through halls trying to stay a step ahead, though there is a pretty good balance: you can run into haunts in almost any room, but not in every room.
Difficulty-wise, the main issue is finding the needed objects and trying to find your way around the place. The needed food isn’t obvious, and not easy to find. The thread had people asking for help, and while I found the food quickly, I admit there was a fair bit of luck involved. The fort also has a semi-confusing layout and in spite of the claim of the title screen the map is dang near useless. Keys are plentiful, but there are no real hints about what key goes to what door or chest. On a more technical complaint, there’s one door in a main room that seems to cause every haunt that gets close to have a small mental breakdown.
All in all, this is a fun, but flawed mission, with most of the entertainment coming from the creativity, but the elements of hunting for small non-obvious objects might annoy players. Recommended, with caveats.
Nightwalker on 10/1/2018 at 17:01
These have been added. :)
The Dark One on 15/1/2018 at 21:07
Quote Posted by Nightwalker
These have been added. :)
Yay~ Now let me give you more work to do. :P
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So, now it's time for more Jesps
From what I understand, The Crown of Penitence was one of the first missions made for The Dark Mod. It's interesting as a historical curiosity, but as a mission it's somewhat lacking. The premise is simple, as Not-Garrett bravely infiltrates the home of a declining noble to snatch his new crown. The mansion layout is simple enough and easy to navigate, which is good because the map you get is a tad useless. The mission does do a good job at giving the impression that the house is one in financial straits and falling apart, but a few more visual cues would have been appreciated.
Difficulty-wise, it's fairly easy, especially if you're willing to inflict head trauma on the guards, since the early rooms are a convenient body disposal area. Most of the loot is in the open, and hitting the goal isn't hard. All in all it's a simple, to-the-point mission. First-time players will like it, but more experienced ones might find it too simple.
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And now, a bonus!
For an Unusual Gameplay contest Jesps made The Builder's Blocks, which I can confirm is unusual gameplay.
Because it's literally Tetris. In The Dark Mod.
Sadly, I was never a big fan of Tetris, and the controls; clicking on arrows to move your pieces, is a bit too clunky for me. But it's certainly unusual, and I expect that some more technically minded person might be interested in seeing how it works. But it's not my thing.
Also added and thank you for your reviews!
Midgard on 6/2/2018 at 03:22
Was lamenting recently over the fact that a major image hosting service changed their policies and disabled all older hot links for non-premium customers. All those beautiful screenshots... gone. I weep for thee, taffers :(
uncadonego on 6/2/2018 at 07:46
Yeah, Photobucket can suck it.....
fortuni on 6/2/2018 at 11:59
It is possible for individuals to go to their photobucket account, download all their screenshots and then repost them on another photo hosting site. A pain to do, but do-able.