Lane Powell commented a topic about Feast of Pilgrims,
Boring and empty:
Well, I don't think there's any way of knowing UdoKrawallo's true intentions. I find it doubtful they're a troll, as they've posted positive reviews as well. Sure, this particular review is very harsh, and I don't understand the rating, but the nature of open forums like this is that people can review however they want, UNLESS they violate the rules, which this person hasn't done. As for UdoKrawallo's credibility as a reviewer, that's for people who read UdoKrawallo's reviews to decide on the..., May 28, 2020, 1:31 a.m.

Lane Powell commented a topic about Feast of Pilgrims,
Boring and empty:
Ok, I gave this mission what was pretty much a rave review, so obviously I strongly disagree with UdoKrawallo here, but I don't think it serves anyone to attack the reviewer in this manner when the review is not outright offensive and clearly doesn't violate any rules. It's one thing to challenge a reviewer on their opinions but another to say they can't express them, however harsh they are. As someone who has published levels (for a different game) and other things as well, I think creators ..., May 27, 2020, 11:53 p.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Nigel's Hidden Treasure,
A bit of a mashup, this one:
Bryan Gleason's follow-up to "Augustine's Revenge" shares a few key characteristics with that mission, but expands on it with what is ultimately a mishmash of different elements.

Like "Augustine's Revenge," "Nigel's Hidden Treasure" is a fairly linear mission for most of its length. There is some looping and backtracking, but for the most part you'll be proceeding from one area to the next as you complete your quest, pausing for keyhunts at periodic intervals

What is that quest? Well, h..., May 25, 2020, 10:09 p.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Disorientation,
More Must-Play from Melan:
The sequel to "Bad Debts" is everything that mission was and more.

The City in this mission is even more dark and grungy, and the extra gothic touches increase the atmosphere. It is more immersive, haunted, creepy.

The layout, pathing, and map are much improved. The twisting, interconnected streets feel very natural, like the way loosely-planned city streets feel in real life, yet the fact that the city is situated on gradually sloping terrain provides a natural orientation. Indeed, th..., May 24, 2020, 9:09 p.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Autumn in Lampfire Hills (v2),
Out of Retirement:
Garrett, older and finally out of debt, has decided to settle down in a newly-purchased cottage. Then he finds a mysterious locked switch on one of his home's outer walls. Between that and rumors about the mysterious alchemist who used to live there, he has no choice but to get back into his old habits....

"Autumn in Lampfire Hills" is a very early mission, the first work of Purah, who would later go on to work on the well-known "Calendra" missions. Despite its age, "Autumn" is not to be o..., May 16, 2020, 4:19 a.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Returning a Favor,
Thieving Detective:
An odd bedfellow brings you an odd job: a Hammerite aqcuaintance tasks Garrett with clearing his name of a recent murder. The victim, another Hammerite, was a widely disliked man, but an unfortunate circumstance put immediate suspicion on Garrett's new client. Even worse, giving a verifiable alibi would send him to the gallows anyway, for on the night of the murder he was in the arms of a lover, something the Hammers apparently look rather dimly upon.

To solve this mystery you'll have to s..., May 16, 2020, 3:40 a.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Bad Debts,
A Fine Start to a Fine FM Career:
"Bad Debts" is the first mission of Melan, one of the current reigning masters of Thief citycraft.

As with any open, vertical city mission there are many paths to take: streets, ledges, windows, sewers. While you'll likely spend a lot of time running and sneaking through the streets between your objectives, you'll find access to many if not most of your rewards above and below them. It is especially worth exploring the mazelike sewer system, which is probably too confusing to use to naviga..., May 15, 2020, 8:56 p.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Watery Grave,
Small, But Dense and Tall:
Watery Grave is a short mission that can be completed in under an hour, but is packed with detail and a worthy amount of extra content.

Your main goal is to rob the Mechanists of a certain rumored artifact, with additional goals on higher difficulties. Without much of a story other than some background on what you're stealing, the main appeal of this mission lies elsewhere. It is packed with detail in every corner, with interesting geometry, well-used mainly stock textures, and solid ambie..., May 15, 2020, 8:31 a.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about The Saint of Redmound,
Chilling With the Hammers:
"The Saint of Redmound" is an old and pretty solid Hammerite heist mission for The Dark Project.

Garrett is tasked with stealing a holy relic from a Hammerite monastery: the skull of a saint. To do so you'll have to sneak through a warehouse into the monastery's basement, and go on a brief excursion into a crypt.

While there are several steps to the mission, making it not entirely straightforward, it is overall rather easy (at least on Hard difficulty, my preferred difficulty for first ..., May 15, 2020, 8:12 a.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Valley of The Burned / The Widow's Ire,
Another Dark Project:
"The Widow's Ire" is everything that was great about The Dark Project.

Ironically, it is those things that are so often criticized about the game. While The Metal Age polished out Thief's weird bits (resulting in an excellent game in its own right, don't get me wrong), for many of us it is precisely those "weird bits" that stick in the mind and prompt us to revisit the OMs: from the mazelike, forbidding ruin of "Down in the Bonehoard" to the devious, crooked mansion of "The Sword," The Dar..., May 13, 2020, 11:43 p.m.

Lane Powell commented a topic about Compulsory Egress,
An instant classic!:
Glad to hear you have some things in the works! I've been looking forward forward to The Black Parade for a while. Keep at it!, May 10, 2020, 9:22 p.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Compulsory Egress,
An instant classic!:
"Compulsory Egress" is a brilliant and creepy mission, stunning for a first release from its author.

I was initially skeptical: it opens in a big, open area, seemingly barren of almost anything. On second thought, this desolation sets the scene perfectly.

Garrett has arrived in a town that is nearly deserted, its inhabitants having been forced to flee by the authorities in the face of an undefined "crisis." Part of your mission is find out what that crisis is. The other part, of course,..., May 8, 2020, 4:44 a.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Augustine's Revenge,
A Classic:
Augustine's Revenge is a very nice city mission with several distinct sections and generally a keen sense of location, atmosphere, and a ton of loot.

You begin within sight of your goal, the mansion of a noble lord whom you have been hired to rob and humiliate by another noble for his revenge, but getting there is no straightforward task. To do so you have to take a long trek through the city, and the sense of progression and exploration is this part of the map is its highlight. You begin ..., May 4, 2020, 4:27 a.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about The Hand of Glory,
Enjoyably Old School:
"The Hand of Glory" is a nice, solid Dark Project-style experience that is neither large, nor too small.

Much of the action takes place in a Hammerite complex, with your main goal being to find a secret underground passage that connects to a mansion from which you must pilfer a certain relic. Additionally, on harder difficulties you must obtain one or two additional artifacts from the Hammer temple itself. The mission is perhaps on the easy side: after exploring around, readables tell you ..., April 17, 2020, 10:24 p.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Amida,
Uh...:
Good for about a half hour or so of goofing off, which is more than I can say for certain more "serious" missions of the time.

- Set off an alarm, disturbing a guard and his lady, the latter of whom seemed to ignore me. :(
- Traversed a twisting path of floating metal pipes to find an upside-down room with nothing in it except pain.
- Freed three bugbeasts from their prisons and thereby obtained a "house of key." Could not find a use for the house of key.
- Inescapable haunt pit.

420..., April 17, 2020, 6:29 a.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Into The Odd,
Utterly Deranged:
"Into the Odd" is a devious and at times challenging mission that continually subverts expectations and throws multiple narrative and gameplay-related curveballs at the player.

The opening section is perhaps the most challenging: the player, unarmed and caught in broad daylight, must escape a group of thugs out for Garrett's blood. This is a potentially frustrating situation for many players, though for me a welcome challenge that doesn't last long, given that the initial area is relativel..., April 16, 2020, 11:14 p.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Feast of Pilgrims,
Pilgrim's Pilfering:
Another addition to the "Thieves Highway" genre, probably my favorite type of FM, and this one quickly shot to the top of my list of favorites. The sense of vertigo is really tremendous, with the buildings often jammed close together over a long drop, and in fact aside from an optional trip into a graveyard you don't even touch the ground on this mission. The city is vibrant with life and detail: the exteriors will have you searching for ways to progress, and the interiors are sometimes quite..., April 14, 2020, 9:57 p.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Cracks in the Glass,
A promising start to a new campaign:
"Cracks in the Glass" is in essence a Thieves Highway-type missing with a surreal twist: parts of the city have been turned topsy-turvy, Escher-style. This FM was therefore an extra treat for me because while vertical city maps are my favorite Thief theme, I especially enjoy any map with that Constantine's Mansion vibe. A surreal vertical city map with "impossible" geometry/layout is sort of my holy grail FM, as it were.

The map does lack the complexity of some of the popular Thieves Highw..., April 12, 2020, 4 a.m.

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Nigel's Hidden Treasure, submitted by Lane Powell, May 25, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Nigel's Hidden Treasure, submitted by Lane Powell, May 25, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Returning a Favor, submitted by Lane Powell, May 16, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Autumn in Lampfire Hills (v2), submitted by Lane Powell, May 16, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of The Saint of Redmound, submitted by Lane Powell, May 15, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of The Saint of Redmound, submitted by Lane Powell, May 15, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Watery Grave, submitted by Lane Powell, May 14, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Valley of The Burned / The Widow's Ire, submitted by Lane Powell, May 13, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Trial by Night, submitted by Lane Powell, May 13, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Augustine's Revenge, submitted by Lane Powell, April 30, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Bloodstone Prison, submitted by Lane Powell, April 30, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Hidden Agenda, submitted by Lane Powell, April 27, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Third Time's The Charm, submitted by Lane Powell, April 18, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of The Hand of Glory, submitted by Lane Powell, April 17, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Amida, submitted by Lane Powell, April 17, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of The Inverted Manse, submitted by Lane Powell, April 16, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Dark Messiah, submitted by Lane Powell, April 16, 2020