skacky commented a topic about Thief: The Black Parade,
Better Textures:
We use a combination of stock textures and some custom ones that still mesh well together, so this may be why some textures may appear lower res.
The Black Parade isn't compatible with graphics mods. The campaign was not designed with any of them in mind. You can still use them if you want but you'd have to do it manually., Aug. 30, 2021, 12:56 p.m.

skacky commented a topic about Bones: Episode 1: the Old Quarter,
Only 1 Bone here:
It's a very interesting mission because it really, really looks like a lost mission from Calendra's Legacy, using mostly the same texture selection, similar sounds and built very similarly to both A Meeting With Basso and Midnight in Murkbell. I think it's a fantastic mission and it's crazy the author tried to make it under Olddark when you consider the sheer scope of it., Sept. 18, 2020, 2:22 p.m.

skacky commented a topic about Rodamill,
...and a great middle, but no end. :(:
The fact that there is no followup to this insanely good mission is one of the biggest tragedies in FM history to be honest. I haven't played this mission in a while but I remember the mines in particular being spectacularly creepy., Sept. 16, 2020, 3:16 a.m.

skacky commented a topic in English Forum,
August 2020 Update: No FMs this month:
Thanks for the shout out, and thanks to everyone contributing!, Sept. 11, 2020, 12:25 a.m.

skacky created a new topic about The Painter's Wife,
Highly impressive but definitely rough around the edges:
If you're looking for a really really large city exploration mission with many areas to explore and things to do then The Painter's Wife is exactly what you want to play, and it is in my opinion one of the very best at what it does. What we have here is an entire quarter more or less neatly divided into two halves, the north and south districts, with many rooftops, houses and streets in between. It's a mission that is fairly reminiscent of others such as Behind Closed Doors (TDM) and Penny Dr..., July 27, 2020, 1:55 p.m.

skacky commented a topic about Show Off,
Decent museum heist:
I think the mission would've worked much better had the city bits been removed altogether except the immediate surroundings of the museum. A sewer access could've been neato also. The gold standard of museum missions (Heart of Bohn) does that pretty much to perfection., July 11, 2020, 4:51 p.m.

skacky created a new topic about Show Off,
Decent museum heist:
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..., July 11, 2020, 2:45 p.m.

skacky created a new topic about Feast of Pilgrims,
Rooftop extravaganza:
DISCLAIMER: one of the authors is working on The Black Parade and is one of my close friends. I tried to review the mission with an objective mind.

Feast of Pilgrims is one of the best Life of the Party-like rooftop missions (where you can't get off the streets). In that sense it pulls off several thieves' highway trails quite masterfully, with a great mix of locations to visit: several posh mansions — including one styled after Rumford's with opulent marble and yellow wood paneling and an..., July 10, 2020, 7:59 p.m.

skacky created a new topic about My Favorite Year,
Criminally and incomprehensibly underrated:
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 & Receiv..., July 10, 2020, 5:01 p.m.

skacky created a new topic about Time For Change,
Lord Taffer enters the fray!:
There isn't much to talk about Time for Change considering it is a newbie mission, but it's not too terrible and I would love to see more missions from this author. Kudos for participating with their first ever mission.

The main issues with the mission are that it's insanely linear and lighting is very so-so. There is no real atmosphere to speak of and the story is nonexistent. Architecture is very blocky and the interiors are too narrow with rooms that usually are either too tall or too ..., July 10, 2020, 4:59 p.m.

skacky created a new topic about The Builder's Paradise,
A world of rust and ruin:
DISCLAIMER: All four authors on this mission are working on The Black Parade and are close friends of mine. I tried to review the mission with an objective mind.

The Builder's Paradise is one of the most impressive missions I've ever played, in addition to being one of the best Mechanist missions ever. It's interesting how Thief 2 doesn't have that many purely Mechanist fan missions, actually, so The Builder's Paradise fills that niche quite well.

It is a massive compound where Karras r..., July 10, 2020, 4:56 p.m.

skacky created a new topic about Fierce Competition,
Good slice of Thief 2:
Fierce Competition is a very small mission that shouldn't take you very long to complete. Garrett is hired by a third party to disrupt one of his rivals' affairs, and also rob him otherwise that wouldn't be fun. There isn't much to talk about Fierce Competition: the mission is divided into two parts, the streets and the mansion, and the story is as simple as it can get.

The streets are more reminiscent of Thief 1 than Thief 2, with more medieval-looking buildings with tall peaked roofs and..., July 10, 2020, 4:53 p.m.

skacky created a new topic about Into The Odd,
The crown jewel of the TMA 20 AC:
DISCLAIMER: Both authors are working on The Black Parade and are close friends of mine. I tried to review this mission with an objective mind.

Into the Odd is the least Thief 2 out of all the missions for the contest, in fact it feels more like something out of Purah or Sperry's minds, and while it feels very removed from Thief 2's aesthetic and design principles, this mission wins the contest in my eyes due to the sheer audacity and the solid strength of its design.

You are thrown righ..., July 10, 2020, 4:51 p.m.

skacky created a new topic about Deadly Cure,
Cute little Hammerite mission with a mystery:
Korthak's first mission Deadly Cure is a really good first effort that hits all the right notes. While it uses Thief 2, the mission is clearly taking after Thief 1 style-wise. Garrett got himself thrown in jail by the Hammerites and must find a way to escape and take revenge on them. As you can imagine, the mission is a bit more involved than this, but a vast majority of the action takes place inside a Hammerite church. The church itself is quite nice, with a wide variety of rooms ranging fro..., Nov. 5, 2019, 3:04 a.m.

skacky created a new topic about The Unsung Villain,
Great classic throwback:
If it weren't for Melan's Unbidden Guest I think The Unsung Villain would've won the Classic Thief Experience contest back in 2008. This little gem of a mission is basically Assassins and it's just as fun as the original mission. After an assassination attempt, you follow your would-be murderer back to whoever hired him and from there you have to find a way in. The story is pretty thin but it's not that important. The Unsung Villain shines because it pushes all the right buttons. The cityscap..., Nov. 5, 2019, 1:26 a.m.

skacky created a new topic about The Darkness Falls: A Dire Venture,
Recommended if you like warehouses:
A Dire Venture is the second part in the Darkness Falls series, which sadly never saw a conclusion. After having stolen the cursed Royal Garmyth in the previous mission, Garrett is in search of answers and raids another warehouse complex to find them. If you like Shipping & Receiving then you'll feel right at home here. Hidden in the Shadows already had a good grasp of architecture and style with their previous effort, but they refined it quite a lot for this one. The night is dark and cloudy..., Nov. 4, 2019, 4:28 a.m.

skacky created a new topic about An Enigmatic Treasure with a Recondite Discovery,
Very nice, but also REALLY hard:
This is a highly atmospheric mission that mixes things up quite a bit. You have a city, an opera house, warehouses and a mages' guild. The first thing that's really striking with that one is the shadows, which look very sharp and dark, unlike anything else you've seen so far in Thief, I think. This makes it so that the very dark shadows and dramatic lighting give this mission a highly oppressive atmosphere that is reminiscent of Sperry's Shadow of Doubt, especially Walking the Edge. Overall, ..., Nov. 4, 2019, 4:13 a.m.

skacky created a new topic about Mother Redcaps' Last Request,
A beginner effort:
This is a simple beginner mission that does nothing really wrong overall. Classic manor with a surrounding garden and some guards to keep watch over the Lord's property. I liked the fact that there is a short sewer with thieves under the house. Roombrushing is quite sloppy but this is arguably one of the hardest aspects of DromEd.

The mission flows pretty well and offers a few different ways to get to your objective, which is how it should be done. The story itself was also quite nice if c..., Nov. 4, 2019, 4:10 a.m.