Here are the anonymous reviews for the mission from the voting page, hope everyone had fun!
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-Nice compact little mission. Plenty of interest.
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-Great mission, feels totally like Thief 2. Loved the level design and overall gameplay. Very impressive for 3 weeks mission!
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-This mission is simple and straightforward, but that's the way a lot of Thief 2's original missions are. There's not much to be said, but it was good fun.
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-A very good, medium-sized mission. Airs of Shipping and Receiving, with a dash of Thieves' Guild and even hints of manor missions like Bafford or Ramirez.
Atmosphere was very good. Almost like a T2 OM, just missing unique convos (admittedly, with FM VAs it can be hard to put in these without weakening the OM feel). Rain was a good touch, sneaking around the warehouses, sewers and manors all felt very real.
Gameplay was quite a challenge. I've been trying to savescum less, and the guard patrols on expert were quite thorough - even entering bedrooms and such, which I'm not used to. Thankfully the guards are all relatively straightforward normal types. Loot was straightforward, enough out in the open to meet the objective with some fun hidden stuff too.
Story is mostly background in this one, but it's solid and present. Not sure if I missed some things - a corpse I didn't understand for instance, but the readables very much felt like classic thief - intruding on someone else's story rather than having much of one yourself.
Overall a great entry into the contest!
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-Just a simple mission. No puzzles, no drama, nothing...
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-Does very little wrong. Great brushwork, great textures, great layout, great patrols. The story initially appears to be solid but unexceptional, but the Keeper secret really elevates the 'central' character to a more nuanced level with a characteristic bit of Thief mystery.
The concept of mixing warehouse with domestic scene is novel, and deserves credit. Otherwise, it's a solid OM type mission, which avoids all the compromises and dated features of the originals.
If I hadn't experienced the high peaks of some other submissions, the consistent greatness of this FM would give it a great chance at winning. But, it doesn't stand out as an exceptional work, merely a fantastic example of the formula that's made Thief such a longstanding title.
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-Good warehouse mission.
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-Loved the start and how we get to the main playarea.
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-This is what relaxing T2 gameplay should be. A nice little mission without saving the world or over the top efforts, just enjoying the T2 vibe as it is. A replay anyday! :)
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-Very expansive for a mansion mission and, even though it's missing any sort of supernatural element, it still manages to surprise. It's non-linear and allows for multiple ways of approach which is a huge bonus, but I feel like there's way too many guards, which makes playstyles that try to avoid conflict very tedious. A map would be a welcome addition, too.
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-I think this was a beautifully laid out and executed map, amazingly well done for a 3-week build time. It was a thoroughly enjoyable mission, and very satisfying at the end. Some nice twisty areas, a bit of humor thrown into the readables, and some character to the story. I hope to see a lot more from this author in the future.
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-An excellent throwback to "Shipping...and Receiving" and other warehouse missions, with just the right amount of challenge provided by the guards as well as a few story threads to keep things interesting.
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-Underground missions are always appreciated but this one could have been better. As it is it's solid, generally nicely built, but in parts pretty generic. Also: The main "secret" felt out of character, probably added later on (don't want to spoil anything here).
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-challenging gameplay (if you aim the 0 Knockouts)
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-Perfect heist mission, traditional Thief gameplay with nice architecture and atmosphere..
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-A nice warehouse map, reminded me of the second mission of the original Thief2 game. I made me laugh when Garrett picked up the wine and didn't finish the favorite year comment :D ... guess, would've made the title redundant, eh? I'd have rated the gameplay a bit higher if there was a map. This mission really could use one when it's your time playing it through first.
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-Doesn't do anything particularly special, but does what it does really well. A very well put together bit of classic Thief gameplay.
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-It's not a bad mission at all but I didn't have a lot of fun playing it. I got a little disoriented in the house and I would have appreciated a map, and there is no interesting or beatiful landmarks, so the place isn't especially nice to explore (although I liked the rain detail). It doesn't really have a story nor many interesting thigs to read, although the twist in the end is not bad. Gameplay is OK, but it doesn't shine.
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-Standard thieves mission, from the cycle "one night from Garrett's weekdays" Very authentic, but without surprises.
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-Warehouse is very well builded with great design, nice work !
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-It was a nice mission overall.
What I really did miss is the complete lacking of playing with crates. A few openable crates would make experience much better in my opinion, while if I remember well (and didn't miss anything) all the crates were served only as decoration and maybe hiding spots at most.
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-A little too easy for my tastes.
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-A straightforward but fun "rob the warehouse" mission.
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-well made fanmission. Nothing fancy, but I can't complain from technical level. I must admit is boring.
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-A thoroughly fantastic level. Beautiful. Great use of ambient sounds. Loved the writing and how well it fitted into the lore. The guards' patrol routes were nicely done and avoiding them was a pleasure. One of very few instances in any Thief level ever when I had to throw a box as a distraction!
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-This mission was enjoyable and it had quite good atmosphere - the rain fitted in nicely. Warehouses were done well and the thugs' nest was interesting, but I think it should have been harder to advance in there.
Overall the mission was enjoyable, but I would say that there should have been more challenge to complete the objectives. Also there might have been surprises for the player - maybe plot changes or something unexpexted could have happen in the warehouses.
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-The weather was a good touch. Architecture looks good, but the actual layout of the...mansion? Warehouse? ...location, anyway, was quite odd, with lots of small rooms and doors for no discernable reason.
Story was basically just a bunch of standard tropes, and the gameplay kinda hit the same level. Totally competent, certainly not bad, but also didn't really stand out in any way.
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-Possibly the nearest contest mission to the OM style of gameplay, this mission felt like Shipping and Receiving, it had a well built and reasonably confusing map as I never really knew where I was, but always found what I was looking for in the end.
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-Tight, well-built, perfect 'typical' thieving mission. Nothing special or extraordinary, but that is not a detriment to enjoyment, which I had a lot of! Though I'm left with questions: Who was that lady with the jeweled dagger in her back? What made Serendeli's wine special? And how did a Keeper wind up in that kind of position?!
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-I enjoyed exploring the nooks and crannies and was pleased to discover there was more to it than what the beginning of the mission indicated.
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-Review: (
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124349&page=60&p=2449688&viewfull=1#post2449688)
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-I really enjoyed this simple mission, really captured the atmosphere of Thief 2
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-This is one of my favorite entries because it's one of those "simple job plan" type missions. Simple story, high fidelity to the original look and feel of Thief, and the gameplay was very satisfying. Overall, definitely in my top 5.
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-A classic Thief FM with some rough edges, but great fun to play. The warehouse itself is the highlight, lots to explore and lots to discover.
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-This one's a very solid mission but it didn't have any impact or rememorable Features...it's just good, nothing special
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-A really pleasant and finely-crafted little mission. Both inside and outside areas looked very appealing and authentic, but what really made this mission atmospheric were little things like the mesmerizing, gentle sound of rain near the windows or some cool special effects with the water. I also felt the choice of ambient sounds was especially appropriate.
The mission played smoothly and without a stall. Though it did not pose much challenge, I think the number of guards in some places was really over-the-top. The mansion itself was one of the most confusing to navigate I've ever seen in Thief. That's more of just an observation rather than criticism, though you are bound to miss some interesting places with such layout. Other than that, a classic, enjoyable, uninterrupted Thief gameplay.
In terms of story I don't think the mission holds a candle to some other entries. The primary objective seems quite silly itself and there isn't much else to applaud here. You can't say there isn't anything going on, but all the narratives are rather shallow and bland. Fortunately, the readables creditably represent what is going on and thus, work for better immersion.
Overall, a very good pick for some straightforward, classic thieving with sublime ambience.
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-A fan mission integrating a warehouse complex, the owners' rich yet obviously bad-taste residence, and a connecting cellar/tunnel system. This is a smooth, entertaining fan mission whose gameplay mostly relies on exploration - sneaking challenges are fairly modest outside a few trickier ghost spots, and the puzzle element is on the easy side. It shines in its look - a dark, smoky kind of appearance, lit minimally to make for plenty of shadows and exciting contrasts. The use of stock and stock-derived resources is done with skill and taste. The plotlines you can follow are decent as well. Something does not click among the three different environments, and this slight dissonance remains the mission's weakness - it somehow falls short of the plainer, but more exciting Shipping and Receiving. Overall, though, it is enjoyable and quite replayable.
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-It's classic, it's balanced, and well told.
The atmosphere, the level design, the gameplay and the plot... everything work, and everything goes well. This entry is a prove that being classic without any supernatural events implemented work!
And cherry on the top : the title of the FM and the fact Garrett don't tell it are nice additions as those match perfectly with the theme of this contest.
Great job!
27/30
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-I was very impressed by My Favorite Year, doubly so when I read it was made in under three weeks. I've seen many people say it's a run of the mill mission but I disagree, in my opinion My Favorite Year is one of the best missions in the contest and where a mission like Fierce Competition is fairly mundane, My Favorite Year shines.
The premise is quite simple and will have Garrett infiltrate a warehouse that also serves as a housing area, which combines the classic Thief 2 Shipping & Receiving aesthetic with more Thief 1-like interiors. The architecture is relatively simple but some areas really look very nice. In addition, the mission is rainy and the author went the extra mile and added muffled rain sounds against the windows, which is always appreciated. Every area has appropriate sound and textures are well chosen.
Playing this mission on Expert is where it really excels, as the patrol routes are devilish and guards watch each others' backs, which makes sneaking around tense. Most of their patrols are very long which makes them a bit unpredictable, keeping you on your toes. All interiors have an approriate amount of entry points and you can infiltrate the warehouse through several different points. The mission's story is, as said previously, quite simple but it has one or two little subplots that can be discovered if you look carefully, including one that is foreshadowed very subtly throughout the mission.
My Favorite Year is in my opinion the quintessential Thief 2 experience. It isn't a masterpiece but it is one of the best in the contest hands down.
Rating: 26/30
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-One of the most "Thief 2" missions in this Thief 2 contest. The warehouse setting is clearly inspired by Shipping and Receiving, but it is superior for a few reasons: the layout is more irregular and labyrinthine than S&R's boxy footprint, the interiors are more varied by meshing together mansion and warehouse themes, and there is no repetitive jogging back-and-forth between number pads and storage bay doors.
The stealth gameplay is classic and well-balanced, and the ordinary Thief 2 atmosphere is enhanced by rainy weather (the muffled sound of raindrops hitting windows is a particularly nice detail). The story is simple, with Garrett targeting a sample of the warehouse owner's wine, but it is elevated by a mysterious undercurrent involving details that many players will likely overlook.
According to the readme, this mission was constructed from scratch in three weeks. I have not consciously factored this into my scoring, but if this is true then the mission is very impressive for being so fully-formed and detailed despite the short build time. I get the impression that My Favorite Year will not come out near the top of the contest scores, which is a shame because it was one of my favorite entries.