Making a Profit (2018; Thief Gold)

Manor house interior

Created to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Thief: The Dark Project

My debut Thief mission, Making a Profit is a microcosm of Thief gameplay and storytelling: “a simple job” that goes wrong, enmeshing the player-character Garrett in events larger than himself, forcing him to take action to put things right again. The mission features: - A developing plot with changing objectives. - City streets that are open for free exploration, while gently guiding the player into the plot. - Rich gameplay variety: plundering a rich noble’s mansion; kidnapping a Hammerite religious official from a cathedral; exploring dark, haunted catacombs; solving an ancient puzzle tomb. - A seamless, dynamic musicscape that changes in response to geography and plot. - A highly polished experience: robust custom scripting; animated briefing video; hand-drawn maps; voice acted player character and npcs. (briefing artworks and voice acting by contributors)

Download / Dropbox / Github (requires Thief Gold; Install instructions)

Video playthrough by FenPhoenix

Wireframe and map: Wireframe top view Hand-drawn map

Plot diagram (click for full size): The mission gently guides the player into the story

Additional screenshots (click for full size): Noclip aerial view of the city The marketplace A rich noble's manor Winding streets A haunted mausoleum

Reviews:

skacky: As good as it is ambitious! … The sheer amount of locations you’ll visit is also staggering: a cathedral, a manor, a cemetery … This mission is overall packed with stuff to do and the scripting is absolutely stellar. … Overall I think Making a Profit is a stellar debut and definitely an incredible mission that everyone needs to play.

Melan: Where this mission shines, however, is the combination of gameplay and story. Multiple styles of stealth objectives found in Thief are integrated into a seamless whole … it feels like a ride of a story from the first twist to the finale. It is technically accomplished and just a lot of fun. This is a FM by a builder who has an understanding of what makes Thief tick – and the skills to recapture its peculiar magic.

Door Challenge II (2018; Half-Life 2)

The bunker's closed door

“Build a puzzle and craft a story to creatively open ‘The Door’”

Created for the mapcore.org “Door Challenge II” with the brief above. You need to open the door to a bomb shelter to survive an approaching missile. Talk to the NPCs standing around, each of whom knows only a glimpse of the answer, and communicates it obliquely; when you solve their riddle, you will understand how to survive.

  • A short exercise in scripting and creatively working with constraints.
  • Custom (clunky) system for conversing with NPCs.
  • Environment and sounds sourced from Half-Life 2, in order to establish the desired mood.

Download (requires Half-Life 2; Install instructions)

Teaser:

Walkthrough:

Additional screenshots (click for full size): A conversation

Escherisch (2011; Half-Life 2 Episode 2)

Build an entire level contained within a 1024x1024x1024 cube

Created for the mapcore.org “Cube Challenge” with the brief above. I approached this as a building challenge, trying to make the very small space allowed seem much larger than it is. The level contains no other gameplay.

  • A short exercise in architecture and creatively working within the very tight space constraints.
  • Seamless teleports and self-skybox tricks expand the walkable space in unexpected ways.
  • An unconventional art style, with architecture inspired by M. C. Escher’s illustrations.

Download (requires Half-Life 2 Episode 2; Install instructions)

Editor view and wireframe (click for full size): Editor view Wireframe

Additional screenshots (click for full size): Looking up The infinite colonnade

KotH: Skylab (2012; Team Fortress 2)

The central capture point

King of the Hill multiplayer combat, in space

This is a King of the Hill map, with action tightly focused around a central capture point. With numerous approaches to the point, the action tends to be fast and furious. I designed this central room for a tf2maps.net contest, then subsequently expanded the concept into a small but complete map.

Download (requires Team Fortress 2; Install instructions)

Ongoing Projects

Elegy Variation (ongoing, 2017-; Quadrilateral Cowboy)

A luxury airliner

A Retro-Cyber-Stratopunk Heist Thriller

A frenetic tale of espionage, love, danger, joy, and betrayal. A mod for the Quadrilateral Cowboy game (idTech 4 engine), this mission expands upon the game with several new levels and all-new gameplay mechanics and puzzles.

  • Merges the storytelling style of Thirty Flights of Loving with the hacking/puzzle gameplay of Quadrilateral Cowboy.
  • New locations: a luxury airliner; a prison; a corporate office, and more.
  • Custom scripting for new first-person control of the Weevil robot.
  • Custom scripting and modelling for a new object scanning and cloning mechanic.

New cloning mechanic demo:

Additional screenshots (click for full size): Enjoy the sumptuous bar & lounge on the airliner A daring corporate office break-in Spoilers: the break-in didn't go so well

Furis! O Anima (ongoing, 2021-; Thief II)

The mansion

A heist—and a meditation on death and identity

Break into a mansion on a remote island of tombs, and discover a ritual that allows you to cross into the land of the dead at will. This will be a standalone adventure with parallel worlds, and a rich storyline that challenges the player-character Garrett’s understanding of himself.

  • Custom code for parallel-worlds rendering and switching.
  • All new creatures, behaviours, and mechanics.
  • Capabilities never seen before in the Dark Engine, enabled by custom script modules and custom Blender addons.

Additional screenshots (click for full size): An island of tombs A rickety bridge