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| Friday, June 30, 2000 |
 You Ask, Ken Answers - 7:40:35 PM - James |
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Ant wrote into to inform on Voodoo Extreme, which has up a column entitled Ask Ken Levine. There are three questions up at the moment. The most interesting response, edited down to its essentials, is:
"...there is an excellent chance of LG's titles continuing.... I wouldn't write off the Shock and Thief series just yet if I were you."
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| New FM: The Order Of The Vine - 3:12:34 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Conor Armstrong, known as SilentSleep on the forums, has released his Fan Mission, The Order Of The Vine. The mission comes in three segments: A Prologue mission, which acts as an intro, the main mission, and epilogue which replaces the normal cutscene. The mission is for T:DP/TG.
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| Thursday, June 29, 2000 |
| COT - Chapter Two: Rogues - 1:46:55 AM - Jyre/Dash |
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The second chapter of the novel Correspondance of Thieves hath arrived. It is called Rogues and features a dollop of Ghost, a layer of Nightfall and a sprinkling of Lytha.
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| Wednesday, June 28, 2000 |
| The Builder's Guide part II by Zantie - 7:14:46 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Zantie has released the second part of The Builder's Guide a story currently housed in the Short Story Library.
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| Sunday, June 25, 2000 |
| The Taffer's Post - I Leave Tonight - 9:12:39 PM - Dan |
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Welp, this is it - my six week trip to Washington State. I'm going to be doing a day by day travel log here on the chat forum. It's there so you can read and comment, so please do. You never know, I could be passing by your home town.
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| Demo Mission: Hit The Slopes - 5:05:46 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Z has released a fun mission, Hit the Slopes, which is made in the mold of Ski-Free, but is bigger and contains AI.
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| Friday, June 23, 2000 |
| The Final Crusade 1 Gold Reviewed - 2:14:53 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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The circle has just recieved its first joint review, written by VKGayleSaver and Andrew Dagilis. It looks at The Final Crusade 1 Gold by Brother McEla (Mäkelä), awarding the mission 2 silver hammers in all.
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| Update on PVP comic - 8:07:19 AM - Jyre/Dash |
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UKJEEPER sent the following additional information:
Man, that strip is funny as heck! If other taffers have trouble figuring out
how to view all the strips, Just change the date shown in the url. |
| Thursday, June 22, 2000 |
| Thief 2 Paintings - 11:24:01 AM - Jyre/Dash |
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I got a little note from Dan this morning saying he'd found two images in his inbox he hadn't yet added to the image gallery. There's the Eidos Website Image and the Thief 2 Copy Protection image.
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| Contest Ratings From Marecki - 10:25:46 AM - Jyre/Dash |
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Marecki has now judged all 4 of the contest submissions and handed in his ratings. The scores were:
He also left this message for the author of Grand Opening:
Are you reading this? You'd better be, 'cause if you waste such a great building and not finish that mission, I'm gonna find out where you live, hitch the first plane there and kick you ass!!! ;->>> The Overall Scores now stand at:
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| More CoSaS Fan-Art From Karras - 1:08:03 AM - Jyre/Dash |
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Karras has once again brought forth another peice of artwork, and once again it is dedicated to The Circle of Stone and Shadow. Behold: The Circle, Part 2. Thank you for the submission, Karras!
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| Wednesday, June 21, 2000 |
| The Skull of Herzeloyde: 3 Silver - 10:03:52 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Tore "twindreamer" Bekken' has been awarded 3 Silver Hammers by Andrew Dagilis. Congratulations Tore.
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| Fishmonger Updated - 8:56:14 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Keith Kelly (Zail) has released an updated version of his Fan Mission Fishmonger with changes based upon input from those who have played it previously.
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| Arkane Studios Presents ARX ....... An Unofficial Underworld 3? - 2:40:42 PM - Dan |
I have something very special to release today. TTLG has done an interview with Raphael Colantonio Arkane Studios. Arkane Studios is working on a game called ARX, which could very well be considered an Unofficial Underworld 3. Behold:
TTLG: Where does your main inspiration for Arx come?Excited yet? Go read the interview and get all the details straight from the lead designer. The interview also contains a set of screenshots from the game. Keep in mind that the game is still in early stages of development, and the screens reflect that. For more information on the game, as well as a set of older screenshots and gameplay movies, check out the Arkane official site at www.Arkane-Studios.com.
As the interview states, ARX currently has no publisher or funding.
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| Fanfic: The Builder's Guide - 12:32:50 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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The Builder's Guide, by Zantie is a short story about Dirk and his encounter with those loveable undead. Part I is up now, with part II set to arrive in a few weeks.
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| CoSaS Trailer Re-Release, and BackStory Info - 12:02:45 PM - Dan |
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By popular demand, I present our improved CoSaS teaser trailer. [CYA]WoLf, now the project's casting coordinator, has totally re-done the voice over, with coaching by none other then Mike Chrzanowski of Looking Glass fame. We are also pleased to release an mp3 of the trailer's music score, created by our brilliant musician and general sound taffer, CRC. Enjoy!
And now, as promised, a look at the CoSaS plot. Keep in mind that even though the campaign is set before Thief 2, it is not meant to be a prequel. CoSaS is, however, meant to be a continuation of the story begun by Correspondence of Thieves. It has been 8 months since the death of The Trickster. The Baron is once again at war in a faraway land. Karras, formerly a priest in the Hammerite Order, has initiated a schism within the church and formed the Mechanists. The Hammerites are intent on smashing this heretic before he gains power, but the favor of the nobles lay with the belligerent Karras, and he grows in power by the day. A privately owned police force has managed to gain enough funds to purchase itself, and deemed themselves The City Watch; an independent entity which has resolved to maintain peace and justice within The City. They are now holding a public election to determine who should be the sheriff of this police force. The favor of the people lay with Lt. Mosley, but the nobles, as well as the mechanists, have sided with Lt. Truart.
I'd also like to take this time to introduce our newest team member, Michael John G Peers. Mike shall be working with us as a Mission Designer, specializing in architecture and layout.
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| Correspondance of Thieves (COT) is up! - 11:52:33 AM - Jyre/Dash |
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The much talked about Thief novel Correspondance of Thieves' final draft is now going live. One chapter will be published per week, on a Wednesday, until the complete novel is up. The accompanying artwork, being done by Marianna Todd, will be available in aproximately seven weeks, as she is unable to work on it whilst on her family trip.
Both the introduction and first chapter are now ready for you to read and enjoy. Here's a little snippet to get you interested: I stared up at the tower, which was nestled halfway up the steep hillside. It was a hauntingly eerie image in the fading light. I could have gone up the stairs, I suppose, but then I would have had to face ridicule from the servants and guards, if there were any. So I chose, instead, to take the back route. I had traversed this way once before but that had been in daylight. The area I had chosen to climb, sheltered by plant growth from any view from the tower, looked a lot steeper in the dark. The initial stages were easy enough. The ground was rocky with tufts of grass sprouting here and there. They gave enough purchase for me with which to haul myself up. I was past the halfway point when I came across the real problem. An overhang, like a miniature cliff, towered at least twelve feet above my head. The rock-face in front of me looked like a bowl standing on edge. The rock itself was as smooth as glass. I would have turned back, had I not seen this place before. Skirting my way around the lip of rock that made the bottom edge of the bowl, I eventually came to the thin crack that ran from the bowl's base to its top. With a little effort, I managed to squeeze into the fissure. It widened slightly just above my head and I was able to grab on to the rough rock and pull myself up, bracing my feet against the rock to stop myself falling. Had I been any bigger I would not have been able to do this; there are times when being a titch has its advantages. By repeating the process of reaching, bracing and pulling until my arms felt as though they were about to fall off, I eventually managed to drag myself out of the bowl and onto the overhang above. Once there I just fell on my back and stared up at the darkening sky, panting. |
| Garrett's Eye, by Karras - 11:32:23 AM - Jyre/Dash |
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Karras has been kind enough to grace us with more of his artwork. The new piece is of Garrett's Eye, that being the mechanical one, not the flesh and blood one. Most definatley worth a look.
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| Tuesday, June 20, 2000 |
| Metal Twilight Updated - 9:12:39 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Ross "Keeper Garrett" McLennan sent us this message:
Sorry this has been so long, I've been tied up lately. I've finshed chapter three which is more of an interlude than a chapter. It's in very sketchy draft stages but I thought I'd send it up for any errors that anyone might find.
You can find the latest chapter here
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| Official DromEd Documentation Available - 7:38:21 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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The documention for DromEd has been made public. It comes in two zip files. The larger zip (1634KB:
This directory contains materials which may be good for training new designers or as references for experienced designers.
There is also a smaller version (946KB), that does not contain the optimizing tutorial.
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| Events in Highrock: 3.5 Silver - 6:28:38 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Andrew Dagilis has been hard at work again, this time reviewing Events at Highrock. He awarded the mission 3.5 silver hammers. A big congratulations to the author, Pershin Sergey V. "mad god"!
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| Dromed Guides - 2:52:22 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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g e n o c i d e has provided us with the dromed tutorials from his site. They have been housed in two volumes:
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| A Modified Custom Dromed Menu by Gamophyte - 2:20:47 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Gamophyte has provided a modified version of Gonchong's custom menu. This one provides links to all Thief 1's texture families.
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| Thief honored in online comic - 2:05:56 PM - Jyre/Dash |
- Qintanyon |
| Falen2 Credits - 1:46:34 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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A Quicktime movie entitled FALEN THE FALLEN PROJECT (falen2.mov) was recently posted, along with a request for its maker's identity. Elan Ruskin, writer and director of the movie, has stepped forward with a full list of credits. They are:
Starring
Crew
Music
Also, there is a MPEG version of this movie available here (18 meg)
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| Credit for Zom-B-Chips - 1:40:09 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Avalon has informed us that the author of the recently posted Zom-B-Chips is one SycoCid. Thanks to Avalon for the info and SycoCid for the amusing mock advert.
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| Thief 2 Movie - 1:35:48 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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B Elisabeth Parker has been kind enough to provide us with a movie she has put together. It is a short movie using music from Theif, and clips from Thief cutscenes, as well as some new artwork. It can be found here
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| The Taffer's Post - Going on a Journey - 1:31:34 PM - Dan |
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Stating today, I am going off-duty as webmaster of this site, effective until the first week of August. I am going to be going on a cross-country trip to Washington state, near Seattle, where I shall be spending about a month with family. While I am gone, Alexandria (Jyre/Dash) & James will be running the show at The Circle. If you have any content to contribute to the site, Alex is the one to talk to. If you have any news you wish posted on the site, James is the one to talk to. And, as always, please do not send either of them questions about tech help or hints - The Forums are for that.
I will still be here - because of the family laptop I am not loosing Internet access - but this is going to be a vacation (my first in about 5 years) and I intent to make it one. I'll most likely still pop in on the forums and the chatrooms from time to time, and I will still be checking my email; though anything site-related will be forwarded to either Alex or James. I will most likely pop in to do a Taffer's Post every now and then. As for the trip, we'll be zig-zagging our way from Florida to Washington State, spending a day at various places. Out first stop will be Mammoth Cave, and then to Rocky Mountains National Park. Next will be to Salt Lake City, and then to San Francisco. The last stop will be Washington, where I we (my family) be staying for the majority of the trip. I don't have an exact dates, except that we are leaving on the 26th.
Hopefully, if something requires my attention, I will still be able to give it. It's going to be a long six weeks, If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me.
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| Thief 2 Intro Music - 1:26:08 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Martin Lach has provided us with an mp3 of the Thief 2 intro music. It has been housed Here. Thanks Martin!
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| Archery Challenge by Zail - 1:21:37 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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For all you taffers who often find yourself wanting a little more thiefy archery practice, this demo mission is for you:
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| Monday, June 19, 2000 |
| Dues Ex Demo - A 2nd Look - 7:48:00 PM - Dan |
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Wow, what a great game. :)
I just got done with my 2nd playthrough. This time I played on realistic, with intent to go in using stealth and sharpshooting. My enjoyment this time around was much higher then before. I've gotten used to the engine, and it doesn't bother me at all anymore. The stealth aspects of this game have been getting a bad rap, but I beg to differ. If you try to play the game like Thief, then you will be frustrated. Once I figured it out I found the stealth system to be very useful and appropriate. It's hard to describe the difference in philosophy in the two games. Basically, when using stealth in Deus Ex, it is to get passed the enemies without them knowing you were there, rather then using stealth to gain the element of surprise in an assault. There were some situations where I was able to get through without making any contact with the enemies, and sometimes I could not. When I could not, I made a calculated assault, using the environment to my advantage (using crates for cover, leading them into an ambush, etc). The result was some very interesting and thrilling scenarios. Really, you cannot go through the entire map using one style of play. The crossbow has become my weapon of choice. You can hit them anywhere on their body, at any awareness level, and within several seconds they will be unconscious. They will still be able to hurt you during those few seconds... but that's what dodging is for! I liked the interface before, and I like it even better now. Truly, Deus Ex's interface, roleplaying system, weapons systems, medical systems, hacking systems, etc, are all head and shoulders above what we had in System Shock 2. I should also point out that the map design, when playing with this new style, is much better. If you play it like a shooter, you will be running around in big empty spaces getting bored rather quickly. If you play it like a stealthy sniper, then the wide open spaces become areas of tactics and strategy, with many options open regarding your approach of the situation.
Thus stated, I now happy change my score of Deus Ex to a 5. I'm thoroughly impressed with the demo, and can't wait to play the entire game. Bravo to the Deus Ex team! You've truly lived up to the Looking Glass Legacy
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| Sunday, June 18, 2000 |
| The Taffer's Post - Impressions of Deus Ex Demo - 12:03:00 AM - Dan |
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First off, a little introduction: Why should taffers care about Deus Ex? Quite simply put, the project leader behind the game is a man named Warren Spector, who was the Origin-side Producer on both Underworlds and the original System Shock. Harvey Smith, who also contributed to System Shock 1, was also one of the project leads behind Deus Ex. That's why you should care about Deus Ex.
So what did I think of the demo?
Score Bonus Points Final Score: 3.5 (of 5)
To restate the bottom line: "It has loads of promise. Check it out and decide for yourself."
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| Thursday, June 15, 2000 |
| Ranstall Keep For Thief 2, By Alex Thomson - Updaed - 5:34:09 PM - Dan |
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I am very pleased to announce the release of Ranstall Keep Version 2, by Alex "Jyre" Thomson. This re-make of the classic black-&-white fan mission is for Thief 2, and features not only fine tuned gameplay and design, but additional architecture and media.
Update (6-16 5:45pm): The zip file was corrupted. It should be fixed now.
I played a late beta of this mission and must say that it's a definate improvement over the original. If you've played Ranstall before, you definetly need to play it in its fully realized form. If you've never played it, now is the time.
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| Server Upgrade Time! - 5:28:38 PM - Saam |
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Well, I have received all the new goodies that we ordered for the upgrade of our server. This is both good news and bad news. The bad news is that the network will probably be down much of tomorrow and saturday, if everything goes as planned. That means that nothing will be accessible until I install the hardware, do a fresh install of Windows 2000, and copy everything to the new hard drive. The good news is that the server will be state-of-the-art. A fast processor, plenty of RAM, full SCSI-setup, the works.
So, this is just a little warning note, in case you can't access the site(s) tomorrow or the day after, and plan on writing angry email to us. :)
Thanks for your patience.
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| Wednesday, June 14, 2000 |
| Falen2.mov is ready to download - 8:42:03 AM - Dan |
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Falen 2, the short live-action movie set to the music and theme of the Thief 1 intro, is ready to download. If you know who the author is, please let me know. It's just shy of 30 megs.
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| Tuesday, June 13, 2000 |
| Unrated Missions: Garrett's House - 7:34:21 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Eben Lassen has sent in his first mission, Garrett's House, to be placed in the unrated section. This mission must be played via dromed 1 with the ai_aware_of_player command at 0.
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| Burping Burricks for Thief 2 - 6:32:17 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Belboz has supplied us with a demo mission that puts working Burricks into Thief 2:
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| Stowaway Ratings: 45.63 Average - 5:39:56 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Both Andrew Dagilis and MicahGee have judged the contest mission Stowaway and between them they gave the mission a rating of 45.63 out of 60.
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| Strange Animated Gif from an Unknown Author - 3:18:08 PM - Dan |
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At one point someone (I have no idea who) uploaded a rather funny animated gif to TTLG's ftp site. Would the author please step forward? Check it out, you'll probably like it. :)
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| Loot in the Shadows - by Dr.KillRoy - 3:08:35 PM - Dan |
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Continuing our day of artwork is a sketch by Mikko "Dr.KillRoy" Kankaanpaa. Again, thank you for the submission!
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| Karras is Back With More Artwork - 2:57:48 PM - Dan |
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Continuing our day of art, Karras is back with more amazing renderings. These two are continuations of his current series of images:
And finally, he's done an absolutely breathtaking bit of Circle of Stone and Shadow fan art! Thank you, Karras! Its brilliant!
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| Garrett and Garrette, by Gill - 2:33:45 PM - Dan |
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Gill has done some remarkable sketches, and I'm happy to display them here in The Circle as well. Gill is the wife of [CYA]wolf, who did the voice-over for the CoSaS trailer. Thanks, Gill! I love 'em. :)
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| Lady Taffers, by Kim Lee (Little Taffer) - 1:14:07 PM - Dan |
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Many of our regular forum-goers most likely remember when Little Taffer drew a sketch of a group of our lady thieves who frequent our forums. That image, as well as the two colored versions (by Tzar Sectus and V. Equinox), have been placed in The Circle's fan art gallery. Thanks for doing such a beautiful sketch, Kim
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| Thiefish Music Video, Unknown Author - Updated - 12:30:38 PM - Dan |
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This is something I had sitting, lost, on my harddrive for a long, long time. Back when I got it, TTLG was still a guest on someone else's server, and we had very limited space. Now, of course, things are different, and I can post it online. I don't remember who did it, and the email address that it came with is dead. It's a very cool video set to the music of the Thief 1 intro. It's no small download, so I can't recommend it to impatient modem users, but if you have a fast connection you definitely need to check it out. Would the maker of this movie please step forward?
Check it out: Falen 2 - quicktime movie, 29.8 Megs.
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| Demo Mission: Locational Damage - 12:27:46 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Avalon has made a demo mission to accompany his earlier tutorial on Locational Damage for Thief 1 and 2.
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| Monday, June 12, 2000 |
| The Taffer's Post - 3:29:36 AM - Dan |
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First of all: If I have not replied to your email, don't worry. I most likely have it, but have just not replied yet. I have a stack of 50 items in my in-box waiting to be dealt with.
So what have I been up to over these past three days while I should be replying to and dealing with your very important correspondence? Take a wild guess. :) About the current poll: I think I should clarify why we chose the games we chose for the poll:
And you can bet that the moment another Planescape game is announced in the works at Black Isle, TTLG will be on it like a hawk. Did you guess what I've been up to yet? I've been working on CoSaS of course! Things go well. Things go very well. The feedback from the trailer really inspired me. If people bug me enough I may spill a little more about what's going on in my next taffer's post. Consider these my .plan files. :) In about two weeks, my family and I shall be embarking on a cross-country journey to visit the other half of the family (my mother's two brother's and their kids) up in Washington State. We'll be driving from Florida (where I live) and zig-zagging across the country all the way up and then back again. The trip will take, overall, about 6 weeks. Due to our trusty family lap-top, I won't loose email access for a day, and may even be able to get on the web while on the road (if we get a dial tone generator for the cellphone). Also due to the laptop, we'll have over 4 gigs of mp3s piped into the van stereo (eat your heart out, rio!) and a GPS tracking system. Though The Circle will be pretty much in Jyre's and James' hands during the trip, I'll still be able to get onto the forum and make Taffer's Posts. (Expect fun tales of adventure on the road!) What I will not be able to do, though, is any type of Dromed work during those whole 6 weeks. I may go into withdrawl. At least I'll be able to get alot done on COT (the thief novel) and work on non-dromed aspects of CoSaS during those long hours on the road.
In other news, the cover painting for COT is looking good, and is about a third done. The junk we ordered for the upgrade is getting here now, so I think Saam's going to set it all up pretty soon. If you are as sick of waiting for the TTLG T-shirts as I am, please email Elite01 and nag him to please give me a price estimate. Congratulations to CRC on his 2nd child! I don't know if the little taffer's been born yet, but he was due at any hour last I checked. And hey! My little sister received the sacrament of confirmation today! I was her sponsor. :)
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| Sunday, June 11, 2000 |
| Contest Entry: Stowaway - 9:08:05 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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I know the question that will be on most people's lips. How can there be a new contest entry when the contest is closed. The Answer: On the last day of the contest the author e-mailed me saying his mission was ready. However e-mail difficulties since then have meant I have been unable to post this mission until now. And now for the details:
Accompanying this mission were a set of screenshots. They have been housed in the P-T sections of the archive.
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| Saturday, June 10, 2000 |
| Vote for Viktoria - 10:08:02 AM - James |
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GameSpot has up an article on top female character in games, and SHODAN gets her due. But they forgot Viktoria? Only sort of. You can vote here and get Viktoria into the Readher's Choice section. Hey - we got the Haunt in, Viktoria should be too!
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| Friday, June 09, 2000 |
| Contest Ratings - 2:21:14 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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I have recieved four ratings for contest missions so far. The first, from MicahGee, was recieved a short while ago, but held back until the contest was closed. The mission he looked at was Waterlogged. He awarded Gameplay and Immersion most, giving both 7 out of a possible 10. Overall he rewared the missions a score of 32. Full ratings can be found here.
The other three ratings come from Andrew Dagilis. Of Waterlogged he says:
The first mission submitted, it's also the most well-balanced of the three entries, combining solid interior architecture, good enemy placement, smart gameplay and even a plot twist and three secrets. And gives the mission a total score of 41 He then reviewed The Bathhouse, remarking of this mission:
This mission is a somewhat unhappy mix of architectural styles (a bandit-infested ramshackle pier right next to a supposedly luxurious bathhouse that adjoins a run-down low-rent area) and fairly mismatched styles of play (heavy sneaking to steal the statue and get your loot requirement, cat-and-mouse with guards and daredevil stunts to get into the near-vacant armory to meet a groundless objective). And awarding it a mark of 30.5 Lastly he looked at A Grand Opening:
The only unfinished map submitted, and the one with the most potential. Very lavish setting, very well decorated. No changing rooms. Too unfinished to be judged.
All scores are out of 60.
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| Contest Update - 9:30:07 AM - Jyre/Dash |
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I ran down the stairs in eager anticipation. Today was the day everything was to be completed. Bursting through the doors I ound everyone hard at work. But it was not the minature maps that they scriblled on, as I had hoped, but rather some very strage sheets of paper filled with questions that held no meaning in this place. Looking around I found but two minature maps to be complete whilst a third lay waiting for the introduction of its diddy people but the maker was distracted by many unknown things. These maps I took to the gallery for showing. Upon my way there I found another maker stood in a doorway, trying too squeeze in a box that was too large. I spoke to him briefly and discovered the box held his map. I left help with him and asked him to bring his map as soon as he could. The three maps I had I placed on display, leaving them in the care of several people with giant magnifying glasses. The too big map never turned up. There was nothing to do but start building the frames for the new maps whilst the people with the magnfying glasses did their work.
OOC: The contest is closed. Due mainly to exams most people were unable to submit their work. Because of the low number of entries all the judges will be rating each mission. The main contest will be going ahead and a further announcment will be made shortly. Sorry this post is a little late.
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| Thursday, June 08, 2000 |
| Get the CoSaS Trailer & Screenshots at the New Website! - 7:24:36 PM - Dan |
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THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS ANNOUNCES THE CIRCLE OF STONE AND SHADOW: THIEF 2 UNOFFICIAL EXPANSION
Through the Looking Glass (TTLG) helps the Thief Series live on in an unofficial add-on to Thief 2. www.TTLG.com, June 8th, 2000 - Looking Glass Studios (LGS) may be no more, but the legacy shall live on. For the past half a year, TTLG has had in the works a massive fan-mission campaign for Thief 2: The Metal Age. Entitled 'The Circle of Stone and Shadow' (CoSaS), this campaign, set during the months before the events in Thief 2, introduces players to a new plotline and main character. In light of the recent folding of LGS, TTLG has elevated this project to the status of Unofficial Expansion Pack - and TTLG's official contribution to the legacy of Looking Glass Studios. CoSaS is currently halfway into production. A possible winter completion date is projected. "Though we cannot hope to fill the void which the cancellation of Thief 2 Gold and Thief 3 has left, we're going to try our best to make this project be as professional as possible," says Daniel "Digital Nightfall" Todd, co-founder of TTLG and Director of the CoSaS project. "We are not only doing this for the community, but for LGS as well." CoSaS will feature seven closely knit missions, plus playable tutorial. It will include everything fans should expect from a retail expansion pack (gobs of new material), and, when completed, shall be available for free Internet download. The story is based on the characters and events of Correspondence of Thieves, a Thief novel co-written by the campaign's project director (which shall begin online publication in the coming weeks). Players will step into the shoes of Keith, the young burglar on a quest for answers and survival. This campaign will feature a high emphasis on non-player character observation and interaction. The plot drives the gameplay - not vice versa. "From technical point of view, CoSaS is exploring many aspects of the Dark Engine that were not used in the Thief series to their fullest pontential," explains Toni "Trimfect" Hollming, producer of CoSaS. "Changing 1st person sneaker into a 1st person adventure game has been a challenge, but I think that we have succeeded in not only doing that, but making it fun." To celebrate the unveiling of this project, the team has put together a cinematic teaser-trailer, a collection of desktop backgrounds, and a set of screenshots. All of these are avaliable for download at the project's official website: http://www.TTLG.com/CoSaS
Behind the CoSaS project is a team made up of some of the Thief editing community's finest, including: Mokkis, author of the highly rated 'Circle of Strain' series; Totality, author of the technical tour-de-force 'Rogue's Honor'; CRC, our musician; Trimfect, author of 'Gathering at the Bar' and the man who kick-started the Thief Editor petition; and Digital Nightfall, co-founder of TTLG and master of Thief-TheCircle.com.
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| Countdown to the CoSaS Unveiling - 6:46:34 PM - Dan |
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Everything is now and place, and we're ready to go. Expect the unveiling of the Unofficial Thief 2 Expansion Pack before the night is out!
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| Wednesday, June 07, 2000 |
| Who Will Buy the Right to Make Thief 3? - 8:14:35 PM - Dan |
I was sent a bit of interesting news by Tahnit, as seen on AVault.
Last on the to-do list for this update is news for Thief fans. Although the series was thought snuffed out when LGS was forced to shut down due to financial problems, the Adrenaline Vault has learned a number of high-profile publishers have expressed an interest in obtaining the rights to Thief 3, which was targeting an unspecified next-generation console. Could it be that Garrett will see further stealth-based adventures? The one thing as certain than death and taxes...Please discuss your thoughts on this bit of news here. |
| Contest Entry: Grand Opening - 5:32:19 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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The details are below. I refuse to say more because I keep wanting to tell you who made it, which I'm not meant to do just yet.
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| Thief 1/Gold Fan Mission - The Skull of Herzeloyde - 3:30:36 PM - Dan |
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Tore "twindreamer" Bekken has come forth and brought with him a new Thief 1/Gold fan mission, called The Skull of Herzeloyde. After a brief run-through of the mission, I can tell you that this one is worth your time. Take it, and enjoy!
Thank you for your submission, Tore.
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| Thief 2 Anti-Cheats, From a Glasser - 12:50:01 PM - Dan |
Alex Duran, a programmer for Thief 2, called my attention to this post of his. Seeing as TTLG never endorses the use of cheats, we should be extra happy to endorse anti-cheats, right? Absolutely! Check this out:
I was intending to thoroughly test these before releasing them (since they were written in about an hour in the middle of crunch near the end of Thief 2), but given what is happening at LGS, now seems like a good time.Thanks, Alex! |
| Locational Damage Guide - Update - 11:35:26 AM - Jyre/Dash |
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Avalon has supplied us with a guide to giving AI locational damage It works for DromEd 1 and 2.
Dan writes: I just read this thing, and am very amused. It's not what I expect and, heh, it's so crazy it just might work. It's very hackery - I like it. If anyone wants to send a demo mission demonstrating that this does indeed work, please do so. :)
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| Turning the Tables is Awarded Four Silver Hammers - 3:04:58 AM - Dan |
Daniel Corder should be very happy to know that his fan mission has been reviewed, a review which carries quite a bit of high praise; and we all know that Andrew only gives praise when it's very appropriate. Here's the brief:
In the end, the mission was awarded the high honor of 4 silver hammers. Congratulations, Daniel! The full review text may, and should be, read here. |
| Tuesday, June 06, 2000 |
| More Custom Textures Plus Gamesys - 11:51:11 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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Balatro has been doing more work on the custom texture packs he submitted previously. The First pack has been updated to remove transparent areas in the textures. A third pack has been made available and Balatro has also provided a custom gamesys which has the custom textures from the packs added to it.
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| The Final Crusade I Gold - 9:00:26 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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The Final Crusade I Gold, upgrade to The Final Crusade, has been added to The Circle's store of Fan Missions
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| Combination Doors Multibrush by dOom - 8:33:28 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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dOom has sent in a Combo Doors multibrush that has all the properties needed for a succesful combination door in place.
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| Thief 2 Review - 8:12:44 PM - Jyre/Dash |
Cruci has just sent us word of his review of Thief 2. He says:
Good Morning Folks |
| A Keeper's Clock - 7:49:56 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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An e-mail popped into my inbox a short while ago from one Clay Bratt. Contained within was this link. The link points to a Keepers' Clock, an item which got a big nod of approval from us here at The Circle. It is well worth a nose. The link, for those who missed it the first time, is here.
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| Contest FM: The Bath House - 1:30:56 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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The second of the contest entries has arrived. This one is called The Bath House and is based on the first of the two scenarios. The file is 1.8 meg and the mission has been made for Thief 2: The Metal Age.
To those of you who have entered and have yet to contact me, I'd just like to remind you that entries must be submitted or E-mails of completion sent by midnight tonight (EST).
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| Thursday, June 01, 2000 |
| A Collection of new Artwork by Shrubbery - 10:15:27 PM - Dan |
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Myoldnamebroke (Shrubbery) was kind enough to send in a collection of Thief images he composed. Check 'em out, they're quite nice!
here they are:
Thanks, Shrubbery!
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| Eye of the Shadow - Tale by Darren aka [CYA]WoLf - 10:12:11 PM - Jyre/Dash |
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I'll let the author make the introduction:
This story is dedicated to Looking Glass who may be no more but have given us a wonderful world and colourful Characters. So in my opinion it's a long time coming. If you like it, email me and I'll end up continuing it. Thanks.
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| Balatro's Custom Texture Packs - 7:33:06 PM - Dan |
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Balatro was good enough to send a pair of custom texture packs which he made for use in anyone's fan mission. Here they are:
Thanks, Balatro!
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| New Fan Missions - 'Events at Highrock' and 'Fishmonger' - 6:13:52 PM - Dan |
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We have two new fan missions for release today. Though I only looked at it rather breifly, I can say that the first of the two looks quite good. Here they are:
Thank you for your submissions, Keith and Pershin!
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| A List of Garrett's Comments in Thief 2 - 3:17:05 PM - Dan |
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SilentButDeadly has written a list of Garrett's comments in Thief 2. If you want to insert some garrett comments into your map, but don't want to have to fish through the entire collection to find the right one, this list is for you. It's fun to just read for the heck of it, too.
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| Review of Docklands - 2.5 Silver - 2:12:17 PM - Dan |
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2nd opinions are usually a good thing. At The Circle, I encourage 2nd reviews of fan missions. Usually the two reviews are within one or a half a hammer in agreement. Usually.
In Shrubbery/Myoldnamebroke's review of Docklands, he awards the mission 2.5 Silver Hammers - a sharp contrast from the 2 bronze of the other review. Here's the short of it: The Review (bottom half of the page) explains more. Thanks, Shrubbery! |
| The Thief's Apprenticeship - a Short Novel by Aaron Graham - 12:48:35 PM - Dan |
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Aaron Graham, better known as Sneaksie Thefsie, has sent in a short novel, A Thief's Apprenticeship. Aaron is the author of the Keeper Thesis collection of items featured in this site's Guides and Lore archive.
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