T2FM: Saturnine's Rose Cottage (10-31-09)

maxigaz on 1/2/2022 at 15:38

Thank you, fortuni and Glypher, for the fix!

Do I need to restart the mission for the patch to be loaded? I've tried saving the snippet as MODS\rosdml\ros_miss22.dml, appending "+mods\rosdml" to mod_path in cam_mod.ini and then loading a quicksave, but that doesn't seem to be enough.

fortuni on 1/2/2022 at 16:41

Yes you need to restart from the beginning I'm afraid, but you also appear to be unclear as to how to install dml's.

Paste the dml in notepad and save as

File Name: miss22.mis.dml
Save as Type: All Files

Then simply pop the dml in your FM/RoseCottage folder

See (https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149679&p=2418088&viewfull=1#post2418088) here for a pictorial guide.

PS. I assume your using one of the FMsel based mission loaders, it's not a good idea to use dml's with Darkloader.

PPS. Have just updated the dml.

maxigaz on 1/2/2022 at 18:54

Quote Posted by fortuni

Actually, I'm using AngelLoader (on Wine for Linux).

I hope I'm not hijacking the thread with this question, but when you checked if the bug existed, did you use an older save, a cheat, or some kind of tool for testing?

I'm not sure I'd like to go through the mission all over again right now, but I saved the .dml file in the right location based on your instructions and took notes for future reference. Thank you!

baeuchlein on 1/2/2022 at 20:53

I have to add here that the mission did end for me on easiest difficulty level with NewDark and without a DML fix. I am lousy at finding the tarot cards and never obtained many (let alone all) of them. I played two or three of the once available versions of "Rose Cottage" with NewDark. Apparently, the "tarot bug" may spontaneously go on vacation sometimes.:cheeky:

fortuni on 1/2/2022 at 21:06

Angelloader is good, it's one of the FMsel based mission loaders, along with FMsel itself and NewDarkLoader.

I loaded my last save and went straight to the finish before grabbing the last tarot card.

Saturnine hadn't set the tarot card goal to be optional, so was acting as a mandatory objective.

Darkloader was a strange beast and it's possible that somehow how it overlooked this oversight by Saturnine.

Checking the forum someone reported this bug all the way back in 2014, so from then on at least Newdark has been strictly following the instructions.

PS. If you uninstall the mission from your Mission loader you'll have to remake the dml as it won't be saved, unless to start the mission and do a quick save, then unload the FM from your loader. When you install the mission again and load the save that will then include the dml, or you could pop the dml in your Rose Cottage zip, but would need to first unpack it then zip it up again.

baeuchlein on 3/2/2022 at 15:55

Quote Posted by fortuni

I loaded my last save and went straight to the finish before grabbing the last tarot card.

Saturnine hadn’t set the tarot card goal to be optional, so was acting as a mandatory objective.

Darkloader was a strange beast and it’s possible that somehow how it overlooked this oversight by Saturnine.

I'd rather place my bet on the explanation that the tarot card goal is only implemented on one or both of the higher difficulty levels, but currently don't have the time to check it out. It's on my to do list, though. Furthermore, there are at least three different versions of "Rose Cottage" that were once circulating, so that may be another explanation for this discrepancy.

Quote Posted by fortuni

you could pop the dml in your Rose Cottage zip, but would need to first unpack it then zip it up again.

That usually is my preferred route. I also put "markings" on these zips (or rather 7z's nowadays) because usually, the DML fixes make their way into the T2FMDML repository after a while, after which the altered missions are of no particular use anymore.

EDIT: Now that's embarrassing. I have saved games from New Year 2021, showing that I not only had this bug, but throroughly investigated what could be its cause - and yet I have no memory of that.:weird:

<Username> on 25/12/2024 at 10:46

Playing on Normal difficulty, I also ran into the bug where the mission does not end when you return to the starting area. Rather than restarting the mission, I used fortuni's loot list to find the remaining tarot cards. The mission did end after I collected them all.

Stats:
* Normal difficulty
* 2 hours and 20 minutes
* 21 of 21 tarot cards (4 of 21 without hints)
* 1 hint needed
Elements I liked:
* Incredible atmosphere. At the beginning, the mission felt so scary I slooowly peaked around corners and only moved forward as silently as I could.
* You are unarmed, which makes you feel vulnerable, increasing the dread.
* One of the best soundscapes in the history of Thief fan missions.
* Every single room of the mansion looks great from any angle. The other areas of the mission also look quite good.
* The puzzles with the Ouija board and the black light were great.
* The mystery of the haunting is gradually revealed.
* When the curse is finally lifted, all the lights in the mansion turn on and you get to reflect on your ghost adventure while some nice music plays.
Could be improved:
* On subsequent walkthroughs, the scripted scares don't work anymore because you know they are coming.
* If you collect all the tarot cards, the hint you get for the final location could be clearer. Luckily, I guessed correctly what I had to do.
Bugs:
* The mission does not end unless you have the optional objective of finding all tarot cards completed. The objective is apparently set to mandatory, not optional. This issue can be fixed with a DML.
Hints needed:
* Used fortuni's loot list to find the remaining tarot cards.
Other observations:
* Lampfire Hills from the fan mission Autumn in Lampfire Hills is mentioned as a location in a journal and you get to read pages of the Lampfire Hills Chronicle.

baeuchlein on 25/12/2024 at 14:11

The DML is already in the github repository for DMLs, meaning there's a good chance that the next version of T2Fix has it built-in. One day, the Curse of the Tarot Cards will finally be lifted for all players.:cheeky:

<Username> on 28/12/2024 at 21:49

Completed a quick replay on Expert. Not exactly a speedrun, but this is the time it takes me to complete the mission if I already know where all the keys and other quest items are.

During this second playthrough, I noticed the code for the safe is not randomized, but if you enter it before initiating the Ouija sequence, it won't work.

Also, I ignored the telephone this time, but this did not affect anything in the mission.

Stats:
* Expert difficulty
* 43 minutes
* 21 of 21 tarot cards
* 0 hints needed