klatremus on 12/2/2017 at 07:21
My hat comes off for your mission, pukey brunster! Truly a crowning achievement! This is probably in my all time top 10, and that says a lot. I clocked in at over 7 hours on my first playthrough. :wot:
Needed hints regarding the underground crypt entrance, the secret (which didn't count as one) in the gallery curator's office, and the secret (which did count as one) in the hammerite guards bedroom. Finished with 6/6 secrets and 165 loot short.
Already thinking of trouble spots in terms of ghosting. I'm seeing a successful plain ghost on the horizon (skipping some loot for sure). The biggest problem will be getting into the gallery via the back door. I fear breaking one of the boards is necessary, but I'll do some more experimenting. Tried to push through without property damage, but didn't manage to yet.
Thank you again for this gem! :thumb:
Tannar on 12/2/2017 at 19:23
When I posted my initial comments I was in a bit of a rush and didn't have time to go into any detail, which I'll do a bit now. We've already spoken of these things, so I won't go into great detail, but I thought I should make record of it in the thread as well. As I mentioned, I found a few minor issues that I put down to it being your first mission. The biggest one was that I thought there wasn't enough indication of how to get out of that first city section. I realized later that at least part of the problem was that I had missed the path in the sewer while dodging spiders, and so thought that wasn't the way to go. So partly my fault, but it also could have benefited from a little reinforcing of the intended path, I think.
The only other issues were minor by comparison: some surfaces which had the wrong sounds when walked upon; a few oddities in room brushing, especially between city sections; ambient music that was too loud in a few spots; and some items with too short a frob distance which wasn't necessary in context. That's not bad for any first mission, but especially for one this ambitious.
Other than those issues, I loved everything about this mission. The layout of the town is inspired. It feels real and natural and has lovely twisting, sloping streets, quaint shops and inns, and brims with interesting characters and locations. The 3D use of the map was very well executed. Not only was it essential that you go down to the sewers or up a rope arrow in order to progress in several places, but the need to do so - and the means of doing so - were both well thought out and completely natural and in context.
The museum is a work of genius! It was a joy to see the attention to detail you gave it, and the clever ideas you implemented. It felt real, and so cheesily accurate for what it was. The gift shop, the Sky Pavillion, the stupid reward for getting all the statues, the plaques relating Grimaldi's story, the concepts of the different spheres on the tour and how they were realized in terms of textures, layout, AI, etc. The blessing of the rattle was clever and just the kind of puzzle you'd see in the OMs. All of it was just brilliant. And as if that wasn't enough, you threw in star-crossed lovers, a possessed doll, and an invisible monster that seriously kicks ass. Mine, most often.
Let me just say that Morbid Curiosity is one of those missions that comes along once in a great while that does just about everything right in terms of ambience and gameplay. It reminds me all over again why I fell in love with Thief. The textures and objects are better looking, modern versions of course, but the gameplay, the locations, the puzzles, the enemy AI choices, all are reminiscent of the original missions, especially in terms of how I felt while playing. It also reminded me of missions such as Broken Triad and The Seven Sisters, etc. And while it's smaller, and not quite as encompassing, for me, Morbid Curiosity can proudly take it's place among those classics.
pukey brunster on 12/2/2017 at 19:32
Thank you Klatremus! Sorry about breaking the ghost ;-) but really glad you enjoyed it as a whole. I'm a big fan of your vids, although I admit that I myself don't have the patience to ghost most of the time, so I wind up breaking out the trusty ol' blackjack. To quote Fen "I'm not a grown-up Thief".
And Tannar.. thank you again. It is so valuable as an FM maker to have such great feedback. This community is amazing :)
pukey brunster on 13/2/2017 at 00:45
WOW! That is a cool coincidence.. but a coincidence, nonetheless ;) I feel like a dunderhead in that I attributed this prose to the work of "anon" and should have dug a little deeper to find the original writer. Thanks for you insightfulness though, and love your posts!
EnYB0La on 13/2/2017 at 01:03
Haha.
I though this poem inspired you when you made this fantastic FM. Furthermore, did you know it is used in funeral events nowadays? So it's really a surprising coincidence with those so many dead people in the Gallery's rooms, and the story of the author of the Anna Liese painting in his closed room. His ghost made me jump off my chair haha. Loved this screamer.
Maybe you should create a sequel with that story :)
pukey brunster on 13/2/2017 at 02:01
I'll just make this one last post, as I feel I've been lurking around forums too much and I should probably finish something not Thief-related before the weekend is over ;) As for sequels.. I'm a bit of a purist, so no imminent plans to revive MC for now. I'm am working on another one, but it's a new story.
As for the missing object.. that is odd indeed. I can't remember placing anything there (that was meant to be) but then again, I worked on this mission for a long time and could be I forgot something. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the heads up!
Random_Taffer on 13/2/2017 at 03:24
Quote Posted by pukey brunster
I'm am working on another one, but it's a new story.
::leans forward with interest::marbleman on 13/2/2017 at 13:02
Quote Posted by klatremus
I'm seeing a successful plain ghost on the horizon
I'd really like to read a ghost report if you write one. I thought the mission was not possible to ghost at all.
