Wink Junior on 16/6/2006 at 02:43
Thanks, that was that. I kept wondering why that area was there but I didn't know you could [SPOILER]mantle on to a tombstone.[/SPOILER] Really didn't make sense nor go with the flow of the game, overall I thought it was a 6/10 because there wasn't a lot of logic nor flow around the puzzles/objectives, it was just hard to find stuff. Too bad, because the storyline on Expert is just great! Cheers, Wink
StanMarsh511 on 10/5/2007 at 04:18
if anyone has beat this level and remembers it, I could surely use some help....
I went to Layne's lab, but I don't see him (I saw some guy disappear on the top floor and the dead guy on the bottom floor). Under the stairs I see an outline for what looks like a secret passage. How would I open that to complete the first objective (to find Layne)?
thanks
StanMarsh511 on 10/5/2007 at 16:43
thanks, but I don't think those are helping me....
[SPOILER]
I've been in Layne's workshop, and I see the dead body (which I'll presume is Layne), but I have no idea where to go to in order to complete the objective (of finding Layne). I see an outline for what looks like a secret door under the stairs, but I do not know how to access it. I read on the other threads you have to go to his bed and look beside it or something, and I'm guessing the bed is on the other side of that secret door.[/SPOILER]
any help would be appreciated
SinisterShadow on 10/5/2007 at 17:22
IIRC on the upper floor, there is a wall of crates and behind those crates there is a torch lever.
StanMarsh511 on 10/5/2007 at 19:52
Quote Posted by SinisterShadow
IIRC
on the upper floor, there is a wall of crates and behind those crates there is a torch lever.
ah I see....I was under the assumption that since they weren't highlighed, I couldn't move them
thanks a lot
Stingm on 10/5/2007 at 22:05
Still search around the bed to complete another objective.
Sting
StanMarsh511 on 11/5/2007 at 04:18
Quote Posted by Stingm
Still search around the bed to complete another objective.
Sting
I tried jumping on the bed and searching all around it but I couldn't find anything
you could just tell me what's there if you'd like and save me the trouble if I can't find it
Nightwalker on 11/5/2007 at 04:20
Look for a scroll tucked down behind the bed.
The Phantom on 28/8/2011 at 19:14
Lovely mission :D! Can't believe I've never played it until now.
First thing caughting my attention is the Sea Defence System, that could've been an episode in John D's Deep Trouble saga. It's convincingly executed, with the outer wall, the outlook at the higher water level outside, and the city that lies significantly lower then the water level. It reminds me how I live here in Holland :). Finding my way into the city (on Expert) was tough and took me a while to figure out, but the idea is inventive.
The Karrassinian Threat does very well in building up tension throughout the game, and realizing the threat it speaks off. You witness city guards getting slaughtered in dark alleys, mysterious attackers running away from a crime scene, all creating a pretty sinister atmosphere. The contents of the scroll, near the remains of the stranded mechanist in a cave, is a clear harbinger of things to come.
Storywise it doesn't dissapoint either. An associate of Garrett, Layne, asks him to travel to the city of Karrassinia in order to shed a light on the dissapearances of fellow inventors. During the playthrough, there are several plot turns, enough writings to shed a light on the strange happenings, and there's a spectacular ending. Neverthesless, some questions remain. Who killed the keeper in the hotel room, and what did Layne intended to use the cultivator for?
The use of original T2 conversations, is an indication that the mission is quite old, most likely explained by the lack of custom voice actors at the time and the eagerness of the authors to use original content in their FM. It's rather charming, and even hilarious on occasion, when the player notices that some conversations have a different conclusion then we're used to :cheeky:.
Overall, there are little negative remarks to bring forward. The city is well constructed (with the wards, moats and texturing), there are several well-hidden localities to discover (with the submerged building sheltering a pagan family as my favorite), and the AI is remarkably intelligent and diverse in behaviour: guards turn against the player not until he draws a weapon, and a guard loses the ability to (un)lock a door once the player nicks his key ;). In addition there's also the broad variety of ambient tracks, that change every time the player enters another part of the city, the diversity in difficulty settings, and the crude AI battles near the end.
If there should be some criticism it's for the fact that the city factions won't leave you unharmed when battling the intruders, and that some equipment is scarce. But these are only small nitpicks for a FM that, in my opinion, scores good on virtually all gameplay elements. Entertaining from start to finish and an oldie that shouldn't be missed by anyone :thumb: Damn fine work, pbucko!
Sadly another example of a talented author who retired too early from dromEd.
Statistics
Difficulty: Expert
Time: 2 hrs, 9 min and 16 sec
Loot: 1672 out of 1692.