Azal on 14/6/2004 at 11:46
I too must add my voice to the chorus here.
The Cradle is simply one of the greatest missions I have ever played in a game.
I could rave on and on, but everything I could say has already been said. Though I must add this - the first section of the mission was simply sublime.
DarthEnder on 14/6/2004 at 13:01
First, I want to start out by saying that this level is, artistically, fantastic.
That said, I will say I HATED this level. While I can appreciate it for what it was, survival horror, I must say that it was simply NOT what I signed up for when I get into Thief.
This level had me sound wound up I was physically queezy, and I hate it when games do that. I know its pretty much just me, but I don't play horror games because when I go to play a game, I want to do something that makes me feel good, not scared shitless.
Which is why I hope I never see a level like this in a Thief game again. Although, I would love to see an entire game made up like this, because I have plenty of friends that are into games like Silent Hill that I know would just love it.
Anyway, I can't agree more about the lights thing. Scary as the first half of the level was, I eventually started to calm down about it because, "Hey, everything is pitch dark, I'll probably see it before it sees me...whatever it is". And then I got to that point where, "You want me to turn the lights ON??"
Best moment of the mission for me though was the first time a patient appeared, it was like my first encounter was how a designers would WANT it to happen.
I'm up there, and I come to a locked door. Unfortunately, the door is right under a bright light. But I start picking the lock, and as I near completion of the lock the light starts flickering. I'm thinking, 'Cool ambience that'. Then as the lock unlock and Garret stands up, I see "it" through the bars of the window in the door, coming right down the hall towards me. I swear I almost died in my chair right then.
So in summery, fantastic work on the mission...don't ever do it again in my Thief games.
dvrabel on 14/6/2004 at 13:37
Quote Posted by DarthEnder
...don't ever do it again in my Thief games.
Didn't play Thief: The Dark Project then? Or Thief 2: The Metal Age? Though in TMA the creepiness was toned down a lot.
DarthEnder on 14/6/2004 at 14:01
None of the levels in Thief 1 or 2 were scary for me to the point of making me queezy. There were some startling moments, but even the Cathedral didn't freak me out really.
The Cradle is obviously meant to horrify, and it does, and I wish it didn't.
Valkyre on 14/6/2004 at 16:22
You know, I just realized something. When I was playing through the cradle for the first time, it was about 11pm at night, and it was perfectly quiet, and dark. When I walked up the stars towards the door in the tower, I didn't even flinch when I heard the knocking. I guess I thought I was hearing my own footsteps or something.
How silly. :cheeky:
Kalaroth on 17/6/2004 at 20:24
I've never used these forums, until today, but I registered just for the purpose of saying that this level freaking RULES. It's complete genius, I don't know if I've ever been so into a level in any game before. You did one Hell of a good job, and have definitely earned my respect. You're a damn good level designer, and I hope to see more levels by you some time after the editor is released.. Maybe before then if we are really lucky. :thumb:
Like a lot of people here, I started the mission during the early hours of the morning, in the dark. Big mistake. Even though I was extremely curious to move foreward, the sounds of that place were just giving me the creeps way too badly to continue moving forward. So I waited until around noon when I wasn't the only one up, and there was some light, then I played through the mission.. 3 hours later, I still find myself sitting here thinking about it. I'm gonna make my sister and her husband play it when they come over here tomorrow. :ebil: Lucky for me I made a seperate save in the Cradle, so that I can go back and play it any time I want.
[SPOILER]Funny thing is, I didn't even realize you could kill the zombies with flashbombs. Hell I didn't even try to put them down, I just avoided them through the whole level. Very nerve wracking to say the least, especially the one walking around outside the cells. Picking locks when you know he'll be coming through very soon makes you extremely tense, lol. [/SPOILER]
Again, I feel that I must say, amazing level. Please, for the love of God, give us more.
DarthEnder on 18/6/2004 at 01:18
See, I assumed right away that SOMETHING in my inventory would take them down. So when I encounter something new, I take the time to cycle through my inventory and try everything to find the effect of each. This is a lesson I first learned when I found out that flashbombs killed undead in thief 2 about 2 years after finishing playing it. Thats the great thing about thief, is there always seems to be some kind of item in your repetoir that will take someone out, be he robot, zombie, pissed off tree etc. Unless your the games boss...or a robot baby...
Dafydd on 20/6/2004 at 22:53
Directions, please!
I'm on the quest for the diary; I passed the Nursery Tower once when I was in the present... now that I'm in the past, I can't remember where I saw it!
I'm currently standing in the meal hall. Can somebody direct me from there?
Edit: Ah, found it: from the meal hall, exit east; continue east into the White Hall entrance; continue east to the east door (do you detect a pattern here? :cool:); go through the east door and turn east, and you're there.
Null, are you still here? Very nice atmospherics, and what I've seen of the story so far is superior to all the other levels. So far.
Thanks,
Dafydd
Pugilist on 21/6/2004 at 03:01
This mission has me crapping a pickle. Once I first got in the building I was instantly creeped out. Once I got to the knocking door sound part, I literally hit escape and left the game. I TRULY did not want to do the mission it spooked me so bad.
I play with the lights mostly off and the TV muted in my next room. I turned on all the lights and had the sound on my TV and was still spooked!
Really creepy because we have an old Asylum here in NJ that is supposedly haunted, etc. I went there in high school with some friends and we broke in to explore. We got about 100feet down the hall in the rear of the building and literally almost wet ourselves running out we were so scared. My girlfriend at the time was hysterical crying she was so spooked. This level fully made me remember that..... Hope I can finish it!
BRAVO to the designer. True talent! :wot:
Sluggonics on 21/6/2004 at 15:06
A great thread... lots of good stuff here.
I'm actually referencing the first post, because I think it's the only place I saw the movie Session 9 mentioned in regard to Shalebridge Cradle. That's literally the first thing that occurred to me, before even entering the building. Once inside, I felt even more like I was wandering through the Danvers State Mental Hospital.
Even the bag of gold teeth in the morgue reminded me of one of the characters in the film and his searching through the morgue for personal valuables of the deceased to loot.
Certainly one of the creepiest locations ever for a horror film-- and it's a real place! A massive, gothic-style building built in the 1870's and abandoned in 1985-- a real lunatic asylum, full of disturbing memories.
