Lost Places Contest: Bertrand's Forgotten Tomb (September 15, 2017) - by trefoilknot
trefoilknot on 15/9/2017 at 19:49
Very excited about the release of my very first fan mission, Bertrand's Forgotten Tomb, available here: (
http://www.southquarter.com/downloads/2017/BertrandsForgottenTomb.zip).
If anyone struggles to download through Southquarter, here's a direct link to the Dropbox file: (
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oyfrkhuyqbqx44h/BertrandsForgottenTomb.zip?dl=0)
Hope you enjoy!
I figured I'd start a thread for anyone who has any issues with my mission :) It was such a treat to put this together for all of you; hope you all enjoy it! I also welcome any constructive feedback. I'm new at this (and, I gather, somewhat outclassed by my competitors :)), but I really want to improve my skills for my next go around.
Big thanks to Brethren for hosting the competition (and motivating me to actually finish a mission for once!) as well as my wonderful beta testers, without whom this would not have been possible: Gloria Creep, marbleman, john9818a, nightshifter and Cardia.
Here's what you might want to know, from the readme file, before starting the mission:
This mission is intended to be played with HDMOD. It's not required, but highly recommended.
STORY: In the years following the collapse of the Precursors, a young lad named Bertrand, of unsurpassed wit, quickly ascended the ranks of the newly founded Hammerite Order. In his youth, Bertrand used his keen intellect to create great inventions, propelling a new age of scientific enlightenment. It was Bertrand who discovered the means of creating hammers out of metal, rather than stone. And it was Bertrand's innovations in architecture and design that allowed the Hammerites to build towering cathedrals, the likes of which the world had never seen. It wasn't long before Bertrand amassed a great deal of power and wealth.
But Bertrand became bored. As with most great minds, he yearned for stimulation. For inspiration. For challenge. Over the years, he withdrew from his practical endeavors, stopped inventing, and began to pursue increasingly abstract ideas. He became obsessed with the concept of self-reference. Quite by accident, his study of self-reference led him to a startling discovery: the inconsistency of logic itself.
Of all the qualities Hammerites hold dear, logic, order and consistency top the list. But Bertrand, scoundrel as he was, decided to thumb his nose at Hammerite sensibilities and publish his work. His findings provoked immediate ire from the Hammerite Order, who took Bertrand's demonstration of logical inconsistency as heresy of the highest degree.
Sensing his fate, Bertrand fled with all his most prized possessions, and sequestered himself inside a nearby tomb. To ensure his safety, he barricaded himself inside the High Priest's mausoleum, using a cleverly devised system of locked gates to prevent access to any but the most keen of mind. It is said that that he designed the gates to open only to those who truly understood-- and appreciated-- his life's work. Despite numerous attempts, no one has ever made it past even a single gate. As he neared the end of his life, the story goes, Bertrand transferred his very essence into a large codex, where he awaits a worthy adventurer with whom to share his wisdom.
Generations passed, and the tomb was lost to time. As The City developed, the Tomb was buried deep underground and forgotten, hidden under centuries of urbanization. It has been over 500 years since anyone has had any contact with the tomb at all---that is, until a pair of careless workmen blew a hole in the sewers, exposing-- and flooding-- the tomb's lowest level. Taffers! If this is indeed Bertrand's legendary tomb, it's bound to be full of some valuable trinkets. Bertrand's fabled Ouroboros of Self-Reference would be sure to fetch a hefty price tag. And I wouldn't mind taking a peek inside that Codex, myself... The entrance to the tomb has been cordoned off by City officials, but that won't be a problem for someone with my... skills... I better get in there and claim what's mine, before my competition catches wind...
RECURRING THEMES:-Self-reference/general "meta-ness"
-"Seussian" rhyme and cadence
-Juxtaposition of Hammerite and pagan symbolism (Bertrand's apostasy)
NOTES: -The mission is primarily puzzle based, with a bit of sneaking and some optional acrobatics.
-Higher difficulty levels have a greater loot requirement, more enemies, more light sources, less starting gear and, importantly: FEWER HINTS. Play on expert if you don't want any extra help, and don't mind a bit more challenge! If you get frustrated playing on expert, trying a lower difficulty level may help.
-The puzzles in this mission are somewhat different from standard Thief puzzles. You'll need to think outside the box. If you can't figure out some of the puzzles, in-game assistance is available---but it doesn't come free ;) YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE THE HINTS TO BEAT THIS LEVEL, but they can help.
KNOWN ISSUES: -It is possible to render the mission unbeatable, but it would take some doing. Unless you have (a) exhausted all of your rope arrows; or (b) closed a gate and slipped through while it was closing (c'mon, really?), you should be fine.
EDIT: Preview video, courtesy of cvl00101: (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O10Wakt9no4)
Cardia on 15/9/2017 at 20:21
congratulations on the release ! :thumb:
downwinder on 15/9/2017 at 22:48
can i get some help on gate 1/3 where is focal point in projection room? ,and have no idea how to get into room with crack in floor,i got rope arrows but cant see what i am suppost to hit
trefoilknot on 15/9/2017 at 23:06
Sure, downwinder, happy to help!
Get right up close to the gate, into the room with the cracked floor. Shoot through the gate into the middle beam, so that the rope extends down through the cracked floor.
There's a scroll in there to help with the projection room.
Unkillable Cat on 15/9/2017 at 23:34
I enjoyed this mission immensely. It doesn't try to do many things, but what it does try, it does well.
I appreciated the fact that there's in-built help in-game, but I quickly found a work-around to abuse it... but considering the meta-ness of the work-around, I guess it's "fair play" as far as this FM is considered?
The last puzzle did stump me, I just brute-forced my way through it. Looking back though, I wonder... is it asking about the number of lights in the number itself?
Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what you release next. Keep up the good work!
trefoilknot on 15/9/2017 at 23:41
So happy you enjoyed it! I think your second sentence summarizes exactly what I was going for :)
Yes, the in-game help is easily abused----I actually almost nerfed the abusive tactic by accident, by making the optional objective unachievable, if the player loaded a saved game ((
http://ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148227)). I debated whether to turn the bug into a feature-- specifically to deal with this exploit-- but ultimately decided I'd rather not annoy players excessively with my first release :) So I found a workaround instead haha.
And RE: the last puzzle, that's exactly right.
"How many lights are lit" and "what fraction of the lights are lit" do indeed refer to the numbers themselves. Was trying to make it as 'meta' as possible. Does it make sense in retrospect?
downwinder on 16/9/2017 at 01:45
i got lucky with projection room,it just hit me where to stand now i see code,now to figure out lever puzzle for gate 3?
Unkillable Cat on 16/9/2017 at 01:53
trefoilknot: Yes it does. Thank you.
downwinder: Look at the layout of the levers. Have you seen that exact layout elsewhere?
downwinder on 16/9/2017 at 02:41
i must have missed it :(,going back to see
trefoilknot on 16/9/2017 at 03:04
The in-game assistance will help quite a bit with the 3rd gate ;)
But first, did you walk through gates 1 and 2? There's a floor plaque just past the 3rd gate you should read if you haven't already.