MrMunkeepants on 20/8/2025 at 18:12
Quote Posted by Aged Raver
Thanks for saying it’s not possible to go back to the start. I suspected as much but retracing steps back from South Quarter I did find more loot and 2 secrets, so that was good.
Quote Posted by Plumph
Only found one secret and 2400 loot short so I need to have a replay.
I'm curious what secrets have been found; I only found one during my first playthrough (
museum lobby balcony) but I'm back in to find more.
Kubrick on 20/8/2025 at 18:26
Quote Posted by MrMunkeepants
I'm curious what secrets have been found; I only found one during my first playthrough (
museum lobby balcony) but I'm back in to find more.
Yes, people reporting such a low rate of secrets is making me doubt it. I'm gonna double check that it's not screwed up somehow.
Plumph on 20/8/2025 at 19:24
I've now found 2 as I'm playing through from the sewers before I do a complete replay.
downwinder on 20/8/2025 at 19:48
i am waiting for version 2 to come out before i try to find the 4 secrets i missed, i am hoping one of them is epic
Kubrick on 20/8/2025 at 19:48
Remember that around this weekend I'll be releasing the newer version!
Aged Raver on 20/8/2025 at 19:48
Many thanks for the link to
“The Caretaker - Everywhere At The End Of Time”. I’m still thinking that loop comes from (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S652aa_kXjY) here
more precisely Victrola plays a sample from
Everywhere which itself has samples of Al Bowlly.
“
The opening track of Everywhere, "It's Just a Burning Memory", introduces "Heartaches", one of the main samples that gradually degrade throughout the series. In Stage 1, it is a version by Al Bowlly ... “. I could still be wrong, HaHa.
I'll only hear the Victrola again when I replay (which I’ll definitely will) but the start of
Everywhere on (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJWksPWDKOc&list=RDwJWksPWDKOc&start_radio=1) Youtube is definitely the orchestral bit before the “vocal refrain”. Anyway that’s my bit for Al Bowlly
, killed by the Luftwaffe in London in 1941 - aged 42. I'll say no more. Just trying to stave off memory loss. :tsktsk:
Seriously I take on board your caution about
Everywhere and may spread listening to chunks over a period. Thanks again.
Regarding secrets I got two, found when retracing steps back from South Quarter when I was feeling more secure with weapons and there were less enemies about.
Kubrick on 20/8/2025 at 19:59
Yes Aged, Caretaker's song is very obviously sampling from the song you pointed out.
It would be cool if everyone could point out which specific secrets you got, under a spoiler tag.
Aged Raver on 20/8/2025 at 22:17
Quote Posted by Kubrick
... It would be cool if everyone could point out which specific secrets you got, under a spoiler tag.
My two secrets found so far are, without being too specific :
Near South Quarter in The Black Quill Bibliotheca
and
Down in the sewers starting from where that zombie above ground is behind a grill (Sickert Square) and then going along and looking up.Stefan B. on 20/8/2025 at 22:21
Thank you so much, Kubrick, a fantastic mission!
Hard to believe that this is your first mission, as many others have already noted. It feels like you have a lot of experience in level design in other games, maybe The Dark Mod? This is the first thought that I had when entering the streets - it feels like a TDM mission.
So many new ideas, such a fresh take, and great atmosphere.
There are a few points I want to report on, maybe some of it will be of help:
First, I view this mission as being cut in two parts, and they each left quite a different impression on me, with the cutting point being the event in the basement.
Part 1:
This is almost as good as it gets. 9/10
- Here I missed having 2-3 more indoor areas. A bit too many fake doors for my taste, exploration felt it could be rewarded a little more.
- The mage really should have a voice line, with the situation being the perfect opportunity to introduce the overarching story element, as I understand you plan to make a campaign out of it (which is fantastic!), and to bump up the atmosphere tenfold. Who is he? What is his motivation? Why does he want to trap and kill US? Are we maybe more than the "lowlife" that we think we are? A little hint or subtle foreshadowing would go a long way to immerse the player fully at this point.
Part 2:
This is where things get interesting, but at the same time quite frustrating at places. 7/10
- The level design gets very linear and stretched out in space. Often there is only one (very long) way to go from A to B, without any shortcuts. I have seen that some authors have introduced a more circular level design for that reason, and / or open up alternate routes later on, which feels very rewarding, makes for much less backtracking, and gives the opportunity to show the player a glimpse of what lies ahead.
- In my second playthrough, I got stuck without any way out in the corner where there is another plumsie in the plant, where the lamp is found. I jumped into the corner, thinking that's the way to reach the plumsie, but even when standing on the dropped lamp, I could not get out, no matter what.
- I got frustrated when missing the fourth lever (on the pipe behind the machinery) and had to look up a video walkthrough. It didn't seem obvious to me where and how to progress.
- A lot of wooden planks and doors can be broken, and at some places it seems necessary to do so. This is quite an underused mechanic in fan missions, so veteran players could miss out on it. I have seen that in a playthrough of another veteran player, too. To guide the player, there could be an obvious situation to introduce them to the mechanics early on, and then they will connect the dots for similar situations later on.
General points:
- Amazing cutscene! 10/10
- The many custom assets, both audible and visual, are a perfect fit to each other and bump the atmosphere up by a lot. Very much appreciated!
- This is the only non-Garrett character so far that I actually enjoy playing, and hearing.
- Very rarely have I found 0 secrets in a mission which features them. In itself a good thing, as they are not too obvious, but (subtle) hints would be much appreciated. Maybe I missed all of them.
- The Element Crystals and their different ways of use are brilliant! I wish to see them in EVERY fan mission from now on. Unfortunately, I have found out that they can be dropped only after reading the readme (and only doing so after having read this forum that there is essential info to be found there). Instead of the extension "(use)", it could be called "(use or drop)". That makes it clear immediately, without being verbose, and should be easy to implement.
- Rope arrows (or vines): it is a good thing not to be flooded with them, but we get them only (very) late into the mission. It is frustrating to see so many opportunities for vertical exploration, but having no tools to get there.
- The haystack being a way to mitigate fall damage is as simple as it is genius! I liked it a lot when having found out on accident. On the other hand, I have seen other players not knowing about that at all, which is unfortunate.
- Being able to burn down wood (and hay?) in so many occasions is a great feature, but another one that is not obvious for veteran players.
Your mission is almost too good in the game mechanics part that veteran Thief players are blind to them, while newer players could catch on more easily - because they actually make sense!
All in all, a most excellent mission, with even more potential!
The above points are mostly nitpicking that would uplift the mission, in my book, from 8/10 to a straight 10/10.
Thanks again, Kubrick! Looking forward to what we will see from you in the future and where this story will take us.
downwinder on 20/8/2025 at 22:25
maybe if we lucky he will do a 4th wall breaking and have a mini "hal9000" peaking out :P, and some shining power type things "doctor sleep" is a great book, and 2001/2010
we need more 4th wall breaking things like the backrooms
