Psych0sis on 13/11/2019 at 20:37
This mission is definitely worth playing for those curious about it, as it does what an FM needs to do and is certainly enjoyable from start to finish.
Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it wasn't a little underwhelming for what I had hoped for with your third trip around the DROMED block. Basically, both of Dirk's issues were things I noticed throughout my playthrough but I'll go into detail for my view points on them.
Honestly, the flat and rather dull streets took away much of the wow factor from the mission and was a definite lowpoint. I'd also add that the lighting of the mission seemed too extreme and very blanketing, especially for the wide and empty streets. Even interiors had very few if any shadows, and many of them were pretty hard to distinguish and notice at first glance. It made some areas pretty unfun to work my way through, and also gave some areas a dull look.
The interiors of some of the areas are hit and miss. The Fitzgerald Mansion is giant but dull and very symmetrical, whereas Bronson's or Randolph's estates were impressive and neat (that attic area in Ronald is probably my favorite room in the mission). Some side areas suffered from "enter in room, loot item, leave same way", but it was few and far between. But yes, a lot of fake doors made them feel not as big as they should have been and ultimately left a sour taste once I reached the "end" of some of them. Even the BANK, the main area of the mission, suffers from this, albeit not as much as the other areas. I mean, even the rooms that are blocked off are listed on the darn map :( ! Also, what's the deal with super steep stairsets? Was a little annoying if I went too fast and fell down some height, making some noise.
But now I'll list off some good things so it's not all mean and negative, after all I did say the mission is a must play and worth everyone's time. Like Dirk said, this mission definitely has that vintage Thief Gold aesthetic oozing from it. It honestly felt like an OM style mission just buffed up and refined a little, which is always welcome. The brushwork, texturing, and just the overall attention to the little things gave me a smile whenever I noticed them. Some of the exploration above ground was fantastic, and really showed off what great movement the Dark Engine is capable of, and it seems you have a great knack for understanding and implementing that. The mission didn't try to play any tricks and was rather straightforward, and avoided many annoying FM tropes like key hunting (the key ring was an AMAZING idea btw god damn), cryptic puzzles (though I wish the "solution" to the timed alarm wasn't just given to the player right away), or overall dickish patrol routes and enemy placement.
I just think, overall, the mission is just barely missing that extra layer of polish to make it a truly remarkable and amazing experience. But what is present is still very solid and definitely worth playing.
Thank you for the release, and I hope to keep seeing you release more and more missions and get better with each and everyone one!
itllrun10s on 13/11/2019 at 22:22
Woot!
pwl on 14/11/2019 at 01:44
Great mission!!!! I kept asking myself why are there were so many health potions and then I found out why!!
Thanks for this Gem :cool::D
pwl
john9818a on 14/11/2019 at 02:11
Congrats on the release Vegetables!
Azaran on 14/11/2019 at 07:04
Been playing for 5 minutes and loving it so far (this is one of those Skacky/Melan-style city ones that I adore :D).
I was wondering what does the Keeper glyph on the statue open?
fortuni on 14/11/2019 at 08:35
Congratulation on the release vegetables, it was a pleasure to beta test this mission. :thumb:
Azaran you need to find a Keeper key, it's not far from where you are.
zappenduster on 14/11/2019 at 09:27
I can't subscribe to the criticism mentioned above. IMHO there are enough shadows to hide in. :cool:
I also like the humor in some scenes as to mention the
stealable gold fish or the
three harps with different sounds when the 3rd one makes two as it turned out to be lootable. :D
For me the FM is definitely outstanding because of some features I never saw before in other missions:
The
efficient system of adding all keys to a key ring and the
dynamic entries in the book of objectives. I have to admit that I'm far away of having played all FMs but for me it was pretty new. :)
Vegetables, thank you for creating such a masterpiece!
Inline Image:
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Marbrien on 14/11/2019 at 10:26
I'm enjoying this very much. On Expert, I've done pretty much everything I need to do, including some golden apple horticulture! The one safe deposit key that has eluded me so far is the one for box 1E. Any clues please?
OK, found it. In the secret room above the rafters of the apartment with the lockable shutters.
SuaveSteve on 14/11/2019 at 14:18
I can't wait to play this this evening!:D:D:D:D:D
Bosh on 14/11/2019 at 14:58
Ooo thanks vegetables and many congrats - looking forward to taffing about in your FM this evening :angel: