Lane Powell created a new topic about A Night in Rocksbourg 1 - A New Beginning,
A Dark Beginning:
DrK is one of the Thief scene's heavy hitters, responsible for "Lost Among the Forsaken" which is one of my all-time favorite FMs and one of the most popular of recent years. But long before that his first series of maps, A Night in Rocksbourg, was already accorded classic status, and they were in fact among the first FMs I played back when I was first getting into Thief just six years ago. Replaying them has confirmed my original impression: it is a masterpiece of a horror campaign, with exc..., Sept. 19, 2020, 3:10 a.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about A Night in Old Quarter,
Nice Night:
"A Night in Old Quarter" is a solid and enjoyable city FM, if not a particularly original one. The story is pretty thin but basically has Garrett venturing into the Old Quarter to steal a few pieces of merchandise, one of which is buried in the haunted Sealed Section, but you'll need to head to the other objectives first.

Korthak's Old Quarter is done in a classic Dark Project style, with all stock textures and effective design throughout. The streets have ample deep shadows to make sneaki..., Sept. 19, 2020, 12:54 a.m.

Lane Powell commented a topic about Bones: Episode 1: the Old Quarter,
Only 1 Bone here:
Man I really need to play the Calendra missions, it's a big gap in my Thief experience. As I recall I got stuck somewhere in Calendra's Cistern but I'll have to return to it..., Sept. 18, 2020, 7:51 p.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Bones: Episode 1: the Old Quarter,
Only 1 Bone here:
Episode 1 of Bones sends Garrett to pull off a heist in a dockyard, which just happens to be located in a snowed-in section of the Old Quarter that was recently cleared of undead and reoccupied by the living. Much of the place is still abandoned though, and part of town is still in the undead's clutches.

This mission is the first level of a campaign that apparently never got more than off the ground. There was no Episode 2 or as far as I know any other missions by the authors. And Episode ..., Sept. 18, 2020, 4:05 a.m.

Lane Powell commented a topic about Rodamill,
...and a great middle, but no end. :(:
Yeah, I didn't really talk about the mines in my review, but that section is short but sweet, and contains one of the mission's very cool scripted events., Sept. 16, 2020, 6:03 a.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about Rodamill,
...and a great middle, but no end. :(:
"Rodamill" picks up (almost) right where "The Shipment" left off. Having shut yourself up in a box inside of a Mechanist warehouse, you eventually come to... in the ruins of Rodamill.

This mission and its predecessor are structurally pretty similar, in that they both involve a journey from point A to point B across a city landscape... but the contrast is striking. As you begin to explore Rodamill, which has the haunted look and atmosphere of the Old Quarter, you quickly realize that someth..., Sept. 15, 2020, 11:40 p.m.

Lane Powell created a new topic about The Shipment,
A good beginning...:
Having enjoyed a couple of Morrgan's T1 missions previously, I decided to give her (sadly unfinished) Greyfeather Gems mini-campaign a shot.

Garrett is hired to recover the titular gems by the Lord Greyfeather himself; the catch is that the town of Rodamill, where the estate is located, was depopulated and partly destroyed by an earthquake. The only way to get there is by stowing away in a Mechanist transport on the way to excavate the town. "The Shipment" is Garrett's attempt to break in..., Sept. 15, 2020, 11:10 p.m.

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.

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Crom's Blade, submitted by Lane Powell, Sept. 25, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of Rodamill, submitted by Lane Powell, Sept. 18, 2020

We accepted the suggestion to change the categories of The Shipment, submitted by Lane Powell, Sept. 18, 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 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