Mission 7: The Haunted Cathedral

Post your thoughts on Mission 7 here.

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Michael Abbott
The Brainy Gamer blog and podcast

Registered: 10/23/09
Posts: 41

11/04/09 at 01:30 PM

This level went by more quickly than the last couple - it only took me 1:20 to complete. Mind you, I did remember the layout pretty well (thanks to having a lot of trouble finding my way when I first played this level), so it might be much longer for a new player. I missed ~350 loot, but given how randomly loot is placed in this level, I consider that a pretty good take.

It's nice to see more undead. I love the sounds that they make, particularly the Hammer Haunts with their rattling chains and unearthly voices. They're beautiful and scary. Come to think of it, the architecture is a lot like that, too - the crazed brokenness everywhere adds a lot to the level's atmosphere. Even though I remembered most of it, and had enough ammo to kill everything along the way, it was still a little unnerving to play through.

The light boxes seemed pretty pointless. Maybe you're supposed to play with the gamma turned down far enough that you can't reasonably see without turning them on, but with the settings I have there aren't any real drawbacks to keeping them off, and having plenty of darkness to hide in is a considerable advantage.

Kloreep

Registered: 08/04/08
Posts: 252

11/08/09 at 04:09 PM

Anyone else experience a bit of a separation from the character of Garrett at the end of the level? After the artifact you're supposed to pick up starts talking, and then the messages left in the Keeper's area, I would be thinking twice about this job. I suppose it's in keeping with Garrett's character that he disdains a Keeper trying to tell him to do anything, and that he's drawn to money above all else, but still... it seems fairly clear that this Eye thing is not good news.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fae
The light boxes seemed pretty pointless. Maybe you're supposed to play with the gamma turned down far enough that you can't reasonably see without turning them on, but with the settings I have there aren't any real drawbacks to keeping them off, and having plenty of darkness to hide in is a considerable advantage.

I did find them useful - not because I couldn't see the terrain without them, but because it was harder to search for loot without them. So I generally turned them on.

Which, with hiding being harder, is partly why I took an all-out assault approach to this level, which went pretty well. I used Constantine's sword quite a bit (backstabbing is a lot easier now that you can have your sword out all the time!), and also flash bombs. It turns out flash bombs hurt and even explode zombies! I knew they hurt ghosts, didn't realize the zombie part though. That really helped me clear out Market Street, which would have otherwise been a tough battle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fae
It's nice to see more undead. I love the sounds that they make, particularly the Hammer Haunts with their rattling chains and unearthly voices.

Yeah, I think I prefer the ghosts and skeleton-whatsits (Haunts?) to the zombies. Or maybe I'm just getting tired of how the zombies can't seem to breath through their noses...

Registered: 10/23/09
Posts: 41

11/08/09 at 05:26 PM

Come now, Constantine is obviously a fine, upstanding gentleman. I'm sure he wouldn't have sent us to retrieve this gemstone if it weren't safe. It seems like a very nice gemstone; no doubt it's depressed after being stuck in a room full of undead for ages, yet it's still kind enough to give directions to anyone who passes by. There's no chance it's mixed up with whatever the Keepers were warning about - it was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

jordan_magnuson

Registered: 09/16/09
Posts: 27

11/11/09 at 08:53 PM

I enjoyed playing this level, though the experience was a bit fractured for me, as I played the first 2/3 of it last Wednesday in Slovenia, and then finished the last 1/3 yesterday, in Korea. Playing on Normal for the sake of time, I didn't find anything in this level to be frustrated about, though perhaps I'm becoming more patient. If I had played on a harder difficulty I think collecting more loot might have become a bit tedious, but I'm not sure, as I actually enjoyed finding the loot hide-and-seek style to finish the mission (though I can't say it made for a particularly immersive experience--the odd locations really made finding the loot seem more like a mini-game than part of Garett's Real Life).

Though it seems like an obvious enough thing to do, I enjoyed the ole switcheroo regarding directives. I also like how the story is progressing, and coming together more at this point, though I appreciate that it is not "thrust" upon us at the beginning of the game. I think having to play through some initial missions before getting to the "meat" of the story makes it feel more natural, and less contrived, at least to me. I feel like I'm kind of just living me life as a thief here, but then this thing (the main story) starts to pull me in... almost feels kind of emergent, like the gameplay, which is nice.

As far as the undead went, I pretty much ignored/ran away from them. The Buricks gave me some trouble on this level, as they kept hanging around the grotto bridge area, and pestering me when I went back to light the statue on fire. It was a nice interaction in all; I continue to like the bestial nature and dumb animal instincts of the things--in some ways they seem like the most believable npc's in the game.

Oh, and regarding the light boxes, I actually found them quite helpful: I could make out the terrain without the lights, but not very well; they definitely helped my navigation, as well as finding loot.

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Jordan Magnuson
NecessaryGames.com

Registered: 01/20/09
Posts: 197

11/16/09 at 02:03 PM

I'm so confused...

I couldn't get into the cathedral, obviously, but I noticed the symbols by the door that seemed to be some sort of puzzle. This was backed up by a line in the game about how only the bad guys knew how to get in. So I understood that if I follow the instructions, I'll get the solution to the puzzle.

Following instructions led me to a room with a map showing four "talismans". Clearly the talismans would give me the answer to the puzzle. But the map was indecipherable. So I searched every nook and cranny of the level (which wasn't such a bad time, I'll admit), because eventually I'd run into the talisman that would let me into the cathedral, where I'd finally steal whatever I needed to steal.

After six hours of playing this level, I still had found none of the four talismans. So I headed back toward the cathedral, to see if maybe there was some new instruction I was supposed to get there. (If not, I figured I'd have to start drawing maps.) Along the way, I came across a chest that couldn't be lock-picked. So I tried the two normal keys -they didn't work either. I tried the third key I'd picked up, that was a semi-circle (and therefore seemed somewhat useless) but entitled "key" nonetheless. The chest opened, and suddenly a video started. I started to panic- was I not supposed to use that key there? Was it going to tell me to start over?

But no, it was congratulating me on completing the mission. Apparently that little bit of loot was all I still needed to win. Never in all my years of game-playing have I been so bewildered at having won a level.

Would someone please explain to me what this level was supposed to be like?

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Registered: 10/23/09
Posts: 41

11/16/09 at 02:23 PM

That map is giving you the locations of the next four levels - the Talismans aren't on this level. All you need to do in order to satisfy the main objective is to pick up the semicircular stone key (which will be used in a later level), and maybe look at the map and some other stuff from the Keeper's sanctuary (I'm not sure exactly what's needed, but looking at/picking up everything obvious once you're inside will satisfy the objective).

Did you check your objectives? If all you were lacking was loot, then the others should have all been checked off at that point. As for opening the chest, I'm guessing that it was already unlocked (in which case trying to use a lockpick or a key wouldn't work), and you were able to open it with the stone key selected because it wasn't an actual key on that level, just something you needed to pick up.

Registered: 01/20/09
Posts: 197

11/16/09 at 02:28 PM

Was there a point where they said the stone key was relevant? Sorry, I must have missed that. I thought the point of the level was to get into the cathedral and steal some "eye" from there.

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Posts: 41

11/16/09 at 02:35 PM

Yeah, it's in one of the books in the Keeper's sanctuary. It'll be needed to get into the Lost City.

And yes, the initial objective of this level was to steal the Eye, but things don't always work out that simply. If you check your objectives after talking to the Eye (or after reading the stuff in the Keeper's sanctuary, don't remember which) the "obtain the Eye" objective will be crossed off as cancelled.

Registered: 01/20/09
Posts: 197

11/16/09 at 03:13 PM

#10

It's not like they ever said that's what the symbol meant. I thought it was just postponed for now, and when I got the tools to get in the no-entry sign would go away.

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Posts: 41

11/16/09 at 03:42 PM

#11

That symbol has appeared before (Cragscleft, Assassins), and it's never meant that an objective was postponed then. You can't complete those levels without having cancelled objectives in the final objectives screen. Did you miss seeing it?

jordan_magnuson

Registered: 09/16/09
Posts: 27

11/16/09 at 11:00 PM

#12

I thought there was a bit of opportunity for confusion here, and I guess I was right. They must have beta tested this (and obviously plenty of people get through the level without spending the six hours), but I don't think they make it clear enough when you find that map that it's NOT a map to be used in this level, and that your main objective for this level has been CANCELED due to new information.

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Kloreep

Registered: 08/04/08
Posts: 252

11/17/09 at 12:44 AM

#13

Myself, I thought the additions to the Objectives screen were pretty clear. But I could see how you would otherwise be confused if you simply stuck to the in-level cues rather than reading the objectives screen.

Registered: 01/20/09
Posts: 197

11/17/09 at 04:43 AM

#14

Okay, I didn't pay enough attention to a little red circle, mea culpa. But does it actually make sense that he's giving up the mission? I was under the impression that the point of going off on that whole tangent was to find a way in. Otherwise, why are we listening to the strange voice coming from the cathedral? As soon as we see we can't get in, we should be allowed to just leave the place!

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11/17/09 at 12:19 PM

#15

He's not giving up, he just can't get in until he gets the talismans, which require traveling to other levels - thus removing "obtain the Eye" from this level's objectives. The point of the whole tangent is to find a way in; it just happens to be a tangent that spans the next few levels.

oozo
Registered: 03/04/09
Posts: 25

11/19/09 at 11:21 AM

#16

I'll stop pestering you about not me finding my way, but...
Well, it took me long enough to look up a guide. God knows why I never made it past that big pile of leaves (which I already came by before) and onto the bridge, but I didn't.

From there on, things where pretty clear.
Overall, I found not more than one light-box, so I pretty much could do without them. And I still got my problems with zombies, even though since I know you can back-stab them know, it's gotten a lot easier.
Still am not very convinced of the fact that you can back-stab pretty much everything, especially the living flames - but I'll do it for the sake of progression.

By the way, what are the advantages of Constantine's sword? That it can't be seen? Or couldn't you kill the haunts with your normal one?

I overall liked a lot of aspects of the level-design. It has the best use for the rope-arrows so far, I guess, and that's always a good thing - makes the whole level more interactive. I like how you got to the Watcher's grave and from there to the opposite building, p.ex., or how you could cut your way by climbing up the hole.

Other than that, I think the architecture of the buildings doesn't make much sense. I mean, why would somebody connect two houses by a fireplace? And so on - couldn't really imagine somebody ever living there, but I guess that also has to do with what was possible with the engine back in the day.

The end of the level was pretty neat, though - the cathedral and it's surroundings are pretty convincing, the parading haunts, the one standing guard etc. Fae's right, great sound.
And then the cathedral itself, a nice building in that sort of grotto, with all the bones around and the look on the eye and the undead guarding it (or keeping it company).

And the plot-twist, which I didn't found to be all that confusing. But I had all the loot I needed, so it was less of a problem, actually.

So, now it is the Mage's tower. I know that I wanted to short-cut the none-Gold-levels, don't know if I'm really going to do so...
We'll see.

Registered: 10/23/09
Posts: 41

11/19/09 at 02:02 PM