The feedback for my mission is pretty much what I expected, considering I threw it together in only five months but ran out of time to flesh it out like I really wanted to. Hopefully, I'll have an update ready later this year, though I can't promise that adding in everything I had to leave out will be enough to redeem this thing.
Anyway, the comments...
Quote:
Great bit of hunting around for stuff. Would never have found a particular house without clues though.
---
I liked the interiors of the museum, really good texture choices and brush work is pretty good. The biggest problem with this mission is the gameplay imo. Lots of AIs with tile floor everywhere. Lots of cameras combined with "dont set off the alarm" objective and cases being locked is a bit too much (that's why I finished it on normal). I really wish I knew about being able to disable the security earlier. Also the city section is big, but a bit empty.
---
Good mission! The museum itself is well designed and the combination of tile floors with patrolling guards and watchers provided an interesting challenge until I could get them turned off. I think if the mission had just focused on the museum it would have been a little better, as the expansive streets in the area are pretty empty but for a few guards.
---
A step up from The Hunt in some ways. The interiors are now afforded serious attention-to-detail, rather than given b07 monotexture all over. But the layout of the museum is very simple and grid-like, and the barren city gives me a sneaking suspicion that it was unfinished, just like the sewers in The Hunt. There are some cheeky secrets to find, which helps, but the ending feels seriously cheap rather than a satisfying reversal. It is also implemented poorly: the female thief can be flashbombed, stopping her scripted sequence. Instead of this being a way to stop her and get the crimson jewelry, it instead softlocks the game as she cannot be knocked out.
Cut down the city to its essential parts, double the museum size and make it much less symmetrical, and iron out the technical and narrative issues with the ending, this could be an OM-style 9/10. As it stands, what's here is solid and reasonably fun, but uninspiring.
---
Good museum, empty city though.
---
Nice, just nice (I wish more authors care about subtitles).
But:
The city part is too big and too empty and useless. It would be nice to have there a few "mini-quests".
An idea about not failing the mission: there is an invisibility potion already in this mission.
---
Simple museum heist with nice twist at the end.
---
"Run through a relatively large quarter and do nothing until you get to the museum. Plunder as much as you can, hopefully you notice some "secrets", visit two houses and then miss the main goal of the mission. Questions?"
---
Museums are always fun to raid and this time is no different, but this one's layout feels a bit oversimplified, leaving something to be desired. Once you figure out how to bypass the security measures, everything else is pretty straightforward, your biggest obstacle being the fact that there's no map so you're mostly moving around blindly. The cipher puzzle was interesting, but I doubt many people will find the cryptographer's house so I can't consider it a defining part of the mission. The city could be a bit more fleshed out considering its size. The writing is generally of high quality but the conclusion feels unsatisfying and a follow-up objective to retrieve the item would be more than welcome. Also, a basic map would be lovely to have.
---
Interesting story and good progression. Boxy level design and serviceable but not exceptional gameplay.
---
A nice museum heist mission, with lots of fun (like deciphering the jar codes and looking for the rings). The only downside is the city surrounding the museum is very large but pretty much nothing happens there, I would've added more action or objectives in that part or made more buildings open for the player.
---
I really enjoyed the mission. Plot twist at the end is pretty fun although kind of frustrating too. The map seems big at first but it's actually not that big, I'd liked a little more places to explore, especially in the city, where you can't really enter anywhere. I like the side objectives and I like the narrative of the mission, but there is no much of a story.
---
Streets a little empty but the Museum is very nice to visit.
---
The museum was excellent, but the huge and mostly empty city area around it was unnecessary and didn't make the mission better in any way.
---
If the city had been a little more interesting to explore, this could have been great.
---
A little more challenging than expected, and a big town around the museum, although it was mostly empty. It's not explained why another thief was able to steal the crimson shard items before you. (Maybe in the next mission in this series?)
---
my 2nd favourite. love the sewer spelunking
---
Nice mission where the museum was the real highlight. Museum was very nice looking and well built! City sreets were a bit empty but there was still quite nice atmosphere which reminded me of Ambush (OM). I was a bit disappointed because I couldn't enter most of the buildings in the
streets. I think that the author could build a very interesting city mission. There just should be more interesting buildings and areas in the city that would make the whole city more lively. The storyline was strong and interesting. I hope there will be a sequel to Show Off!
---
This was a pretty good small 'museum job' style mission. Some of the optional stuff like the rings were a bit too pixel-hunt-y, but most of it was fine.
An above-average, fun mission, though the only part that really stands out is the ending.
---
I would have given a greater score on this mission if instead of being overly ambitious by including a rather soulless city the author had pared the map down to just the museum, having said that if the author releases an update with a lot more action in the city he would transform this mission, something that I think would elevate this FM into a great FM
---
At first I felt the city part is maybe too big and too empty. This is before I discovered that it offers much more, especially the famous book with instructions (the goal which I will try to complete on my second playthrough). The story is very good, for me the fun began when I discovered the lowest part of the museum. Gameplay is very challenging.
---
I don't mind wide streets but I would have appreciated having a bit more to do in them. I realize it's all about the museum and that museum was a great adventure, but I wish there had been some explorable bits or optional objectives scattered around that rather large town.
---
Review: (
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124349&page=60&p=2450337&viewfull=1#post2450337)
---
Nice mission where the museum was the real highlight. Museum was very nice looking and well built! City sreets were a bit empty but there was still quite nice atmosphere which reminded me of Ambush (OM). I was a bit disappointed because I couldn't enter most of the buildings in the streets. I think that the author could build a very interesting city mission. There just should be more interesting buildings and areas in the city that would make the whole city more lively. The storyline was strong and interesting. I hope there will be a sequel to Show Off!
---
I’m not really a fan of museum missions because they tend to follow the same scenario, and minus the little twist, it was true for this one. I didn’t find the mission quite as atmospheric as “The Hunt”. The city part was okay, but that’s about it. Some fine facades mixed with empty streets and locations that proved to be unrewarding or inaccessible. Nothing to commemorate with a coin here.
Interiors were somewhat better, especially the very neat curator’s house. The museum itself was fine and orderly, but lacked that bit of grandiosity and majesty to make it feel really convincing. Probably the surrounding city parts were a limitation in terms of building’s size and such – the focus could have been shifted to make the museum more dominant.
The use of sounds and graphics was rather standard – nothing to pick on here, but I didn’t feel they contributed enough to the mission’s atmosphere.
For the majority of time, the story of “Show off” is very basic and straightforward. The objectives are clear and simple, and there are few (if any) side stories. It picks on a little towards the end, but you’d really like to see something bring this museum to life. Be it some unique features of one of the exhibits, or a story of a crazy patron. As it stands, the mission has little depth and feels flat in terms of storytelling, which is rather surprising seeing how strong “The Hunt” was in this department.
In the end, Thief is about thieving, and that’s were “Show off” appears best. The mission remains fair towards the player when it comes to difficulty level, completing the objectives and general gameplay. Despite some drawbacks, it plays quite good after all.
---
Atmosphere close to the original series missions.
---
A museum heist with a surrounding town. Unlike the author’s mission from last year’s TDP contest, this is missing the creative touches and complex gameplay potential which had characterised The Hunt. There is a city section around the museum, but it serves little role in the mission (and the few places you can break into are largely devoid of interest). The main target is a simple, well-constructed heist, although one with some questionable decisions regarding puzzle design, and gameplay that often felt more like checking objective boxes than embarking on a thieving adventure. Despite some of the creativity on display, it looks and sounds awfully flat, too. At no time did the complex really come alive, despite featuring the City’s best topiary burrick, and some psychedelic carpet work from the finest textile artists.
---
A museum mission is cool. Having some elements to play with which works fine is also cool!
But when there are many guards... a bit too much marble... and a side quest almost impossible to fulfill without doing a blackdance all over the place... it's a big down which could ruin the experience.
The city also could have been used in a better way like hidding secret untold plots, tools or even easter eggs. The plot-twist was good tho, I wasn't expecting it! And the scripting hides good ideas!
The atmosphere could have been a little better with a few more details and cues to insist on the vibes of the mission, that some dangers await us with security team and machines, etc.
When a mission is not easy, the ambiant should warn us about it!
But no worries, the mission is still enjoyable!
20/30
---
Show Off is a definite step up from the author's previous mission from the Thief 1 contest, but it still isn't quite there yet. The main attraction of the mission is a vast museum in the middle of town where you must steal a few trinkets while avoiding triggering the security systems.
The player starts in the city and it is quite clearly the weakest part of the mission: the streets are too wide, too blocky and just very empty. The mission would've worked better if they were greatly reduced, since the museum itself, while a bit bare, is far more interesting, with better level design all around, good patrols and good camera positioning. It suffers from the same problem as First City Bank & Trust, i.e. the basement feels tacked on and is at odds with the rest.
In terms of atmosphere, the mission is slightly above average: the museum is tense and there is an appropriate selection of sounds throughout the mission, but it lacks some spice. Story is also average, but I did enjoy one bit at the end that caught me off guard. There is also a very cryptic puzzle for you to solve but I couldn't be bothered to solve it, not because it's bad but because I just don't like puzzles.
All in all, Show Off is an average mission that is still quite nice and shows promise. Hopefully Grandmauden carries on and releases more missions!
Rating: 20/30
---
Good, nicely enjoyable museum heist challenge and not super difficult. Got the 8 moonstone rings and - with help from the forum - the cipher code and secret. Loved the burrick garden topiary. City a bit bland - been nice to have more accessible places.
---
Show Off has all the trappings of a classic infiltration mission, but it feels undercooked.
We start out in the city, before making our way to a museum to steal some crystals. The city area feels big, but also empty. There are few interiors, the streets are wide and mostly flat, and there isn't much unique decoration on any of the buildings. The museum looks better (it has that bright, sterile look like First City Bank and Trust, and there are some cool details like the hedge burrick and the multicolored floor tiles), but here the gameplay is sort of weak. Most of the areas are well lit and tiled, with few carpets or wooden floors or shadows to break things up. Rather than making the mission challenging in a fun way, this led me to simply lure guards to far away spots of shadow where they could be knocked out, which isn't the most fun way to play. Fortunately, there are still some areas which have enough cover to play out like classic Thief.
The story is standard, with the exception of a surprise that genuinely got me. Unfortunately this surprise is not followed up on, and the mission ends on an anticlimax.
One gets the impression that there was meant to be more to this FM. I'd be very interested in a v2.0 which adds some needed polish and expands on the more interesting story moments. As it is, the mission is fun but not remarkable.