BlunterII

While collecting and organizing all the screenshots I remembered the Loot screen problem many testers pointed out. Well, I wrote a short script for 'Wansdorf', hopefully it will address that issue. I'll report the results after testing it in-game. _______________________________________ Moving along. The mines: It looks a bit stretched and pixelated on my 24"... will probably change it to something else later. ___________________________________________________ After loading the sub-zone we find ourselves at the mine entrance. A short cut-scene (not really a scene) delivers a cacophony of yelling and growling sounds, interspersed with random gun shots coming from the mine. After a few seconds we hear a horrifying scream, more shots, something that sounds like a male dying and soon after that a zombie dying sound, followed by a: "This is your last day on earth" ack from a German elite soldier acknowledgment arsenal (hand-picked for this very occasion)...yup, yup! The Big Brother recognizes our successful descent with a timely Objective Update. _____________________________________________________________ The mines are patrolled by the looters. There aren't very many of them, but they are not push overs either. They all get the "Grunt" perk tree. The perks are distributed at the start, immediately after the cut-scene is over. While testing, I had a funny moment when all my units fired at the same time at the sentry and missed. Naturally, the enemy interrupted, turned around and threw a m-24 grenade at my party. Toby was the first to visit Valhalla. __________________________________________________________ Those who love using engineers, please raise your hand... err... how about your foot, in case your hands are not available, ...your ears, no? Eyebrows?... Well, the point is they were completely underutilized in the original and while S^3 did attempt to find something for them to do (A.B.R.S. and the London bombing mission) they were always overshadowed by the snipers, the scouts and the soldiers (in their usefulness to the party). I try to rectify that by creating all these extra tasks and activities. When pressing that button we get alerted to the sad state of affairs the mine is in: _______________________________________________________ ...coincidentally, a new optional objective pops up: _______________________________________________________________ And when Toby tries to fix it a sad and whiny sound informs her of the futility of her efforts. The message on the screen only confirms Toby's fears. _______________________________________________________ She quickly regroups and delegates... Holly is in charge of the mine renovation now: That shaft leads to the "-2" floor where a tough indestructible industrial door will block our way. Better have those lock picks ready. (a.k.a. "picklocks" - the way they were called in the editor). _________________________________________________________________ Let's take a ride: We hear elevator sounds and find ourselves at the bottom floor. Poor soul. I always found it disturbing when someone got stuck somewhere without any hope of getting out (especially knowing that the exit wasn't that far away). But in this case, we can be pretty darn certain that Trapped Looter got what he deserved. Hmm... Just realized something. He's supposed to be dead, yet he's got 174/174 HPs. Gotta correct that. I'll make him player 2, so that the health distribution for the rest of the PlayerGetUnits(1) doesn't affect him. Silly Willy... ________________________________________________ As long as we have Holly and our trusted lock picks we should be OK. __________________________________________________ Aha! Bingo! A bunch of gold nuggets, engineering parts and materials, Splittermuster camos. Nice! __________________________________________________ The ever-watchful eye of the Objectives Deity bestows its benevolence upon us. ___________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ ...exploring the rest of the mine - leads us to the "-1" floor area, connected to the Lab Guard Station. There we'll find the one who was causing all the ruckus earlier. Tsk, tsk... You no gut. Bad zombie! _________________________________________________ ...that's not the way to get to the lab. But interesting... nonetheless. _________________________________________________ There were a few sneaky Looters hiding behind a locked door. ...we took good care of them. ____________________________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

All right, I'm almost done with the Wansdorf encounter. Most of the screens below are from the actual game. I couldn't do the cut-scene and dialog screenshots - so those were taken when running "Manor", "Mines" and "Lab" in the editor... After struggling with preventing the player from leaving before all the objectives were completed I decided to go in a different direction and utilize the hard coded conditions that the objectives system brings to the table... Yes, I ended up implementing the objectives in Wansdorf from start to finish. They hold your hand when you are lost, they cheer for you when feel sad and most importantly they stop you from leaving before you did your chores err... finished the main objective(s)... SetLeaveZoneMode(true/false) didn't seem to do it for me in a multi sub-zone environment. The objectives system, on the other hand, did exactly what I wanted. I remember being afraid of touching those, primarily because I thought they were intimately connected to the original scenario. I guess I was wrong... and that, ladies and gentlemen, turned out to be a good thing. __________________________________________________________ The Chapter Map view: Another tourist attraction in Brandenburg. Let's go and check it out. _______________________________________________________________ I had a darker version, but this one seemed to fit the foggy night lighting better. ____________________________________________________________ The driver is busy doing something with the canisters while the under-boss looter is... checking on the progress of their operation. _________________________________________________ Time is money. Everyone knows that! Except for the driver, of course. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ready for editing: WansdorfManor_Dlg1 (this is the dialogue's xls. code, it doesn't need editing). Looter: Why's it taking you so long? When're you gonna finish loading?.. C'mon! They're almost done in there. Driver: I'm nearly out of gas, need to fill up first. Looter: Fine, but you'll have to do one more run after that. Schnell! ___________________________________________________ Ja! Schnell! You lazy bum! _________________________________________________________ And now the tone is different. These two are obviously buddies. The fancy shmancy one is definitely the boss (methinks). -------------------------------------------------------- Ready for editing: WansdorfManor_Dlg2 Boss: Have you seen her yet? It's been over an hour… Looter: The nurse? Nah, after I caught her sneaking into the mines, I don't think she's gonna show up. Boss: You're probably right. Dammit! I can't believe I fell for her little story… and now this business with the owners. What a mess! Looter: (Thinking) Boss, you don't think the nurse was working for Kruger, do you? I mean, he was the one who 'hired' us to take care of the Frau and her husband. Boss: I doubt it. But if he finds out what we're up to...(Shrugging) I just don't want any surprises. Looter: We'll deal with him and his guards. I already sent a few men in to secure the mines. Boss: Good, just finish cleaning it up over here and we'll be ready to join them. I'll go and get the rest of the stuff we found upstairs. Looter: You got it, boss. _______________________________________________________________ Think of these as your guide, perhaps a parent or better as government. It cares about you, it tells you what to think, it watches your every step, it punishes you if you stray away and it pats you on your back when you did good. It's perfect! What's there not to like? (I know, I know, don't start...) _________________________________________________________ Toby and the gang are ready for action. ___________________________________________________________ That's right. You can run, but you can't hide from us... Did he really hide in the office? Unthinkable! Generally, I try to lock as many doors and objects as I can. Aside from benefiting our engineers and their skills, it also helps create some interesting twists in the story... ______________________________________________________________ I had an idea about making the owner and the striped dude - friends or military buddies or something, but...ah! Enough distractions... ___________________________________________________ Hmm... Shady deals, infidelity, backstabbing and... death, of course. ---------------------------------------------------- Ready for editing: Scribbles. The note you found on one of the looters in Wansdorf. Most of the writing is illegible or smudged except for a few lines you manage to discern: "She pays me to guard...(smudged) pays to kill her. ...be easy choice to...(smudged)" "(ripped) the floor collapsed I wonder what's in there (smudged) ...screw Kruger, we're going in." ___________________________________________________________ That's what I am wondering: "What the hell happened here?" _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ Ready for editing: ------------------------------------------- Owner's Journal The journal is relatively new and covers only several months of the manor's mistress' life. While being full of trivial observations, unremarkable social events and usual lamentations one would expect from a surviving member of Brandenburg upper class, some more pertinent information towards the end catches your attention. Apparently, three weeks ago the owners had been contacted by a botanist, Herr Kruger, who offered them quite a bit of money to allow him access to their land. He would come and go as he pleased, bringing other researchers along. But something didn't sit right with the mistress and she gradually became suspicious of Kruger's activities. A few days ago the owners revoked Kruger's access to their lands and even hired someone to look after the property. The last entry is unfinished: "...if he leaves that fancy striped suit of his in my bedroom again... my husband is going to kill us..." __________________________________________________________ I thought about naming it an "Army Pistol" or "Collector's Edition" but... hey. If you guys can come up with something better. Shoot! __________________________________________________________ I couldn't stand the green (or the brown, or whatever other textures they had for the small chests) - not for urban, affluent, residential areas. Here is the result... a new 'treasure chest' was born. __________________________________________________ Shrek would approve, don't you think? ______________________________________________________ The vent is scripted to give us different answers. But it won't let us go anywhere until we get to the lab level to "clear" whatever it is that prevents us from using it. Well, the trick was to use two vents: the "usable" on top and the "passage" one underneath it. Once we come back the "usable" gets removed permanently and the "passage" object becomes available for moving between the manor and the lab sub-zones (instead of going all the way through the mines again). _____________________________________________________ It's time to proceed... _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Tsy, Thank you for editing. That was some great work. Mucho appreciado! I have more stuff for you to tear apart, when you have time. _______________________________________________________ VB, The problem with criticals disappearing/not working after reloading has been brought up before. I don't know its origins or inner mechanisms. I know it doesn't happen when playing the original without any mods activated. You might want to try and experiment with SetMaxCriticalSeverity(nSeverity) or I'll look into that later when I have time. About hiding - I am working on creating a balanced hiding system: - ability to hide anytime - depending on the enemy type (experience and profession, I guess) staying hidden should differ. Boss and under-boss types will spot us much quicker. I always give them boosts to everything. - enemy alertness should affect our ability to stay undetected as well, etc. - insane stealth values for scouts and Shade have been cut. I am still working on it... I thought about making all the mercenaries the same level as well. Hmm... Interesting. _______________________________________________ orc, I appreciate your compliments and enthusiasm about my work. Thank you. _______________________________________________ hippo, Thanks. Installation: - download the rar. archive - extract it in your sentinels main directory (C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\????....) so that you have a BlunterMod_v2.4 folder in there with all the necessary files in it. No need to overwrite anything. All of the files and folders in the BlunterMod_v2.4 folder are essential. - activate the mod in "Custom" - start a new campaign. ___________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Lab continued... Mostly images. (I'll add more commentary later, if needed) ------------------------ Fireman, it's not exactly what you proposed but...I tried. Actually, when I get to building Egyptian mastabas or small pyramids I'll try to build a real lever-based puzzle... Indiana Jones style. Mummified remains, green gaseous atmosphere (similar to "Titan Quest" but the Silent Storm way), wall art, caskets, and... a bunch of deadly traps. __________________________________________ There is quite a number of containers in this room. Loot ideas, anyone? What would you expect to find here? _______________________________________________ We already established you are not a hacker, Fritz. Stop living in the past. Move on, man. _______________________________________________ Another shield? What? This party segregation is anti-constitutional. To arms! _____________________________________________ ...and here is our destination. The torture room is just for show, unless... nah... __________________________________________________ I think this 'laborjournal' covers it nicely. But the following hint does it even better: ________________________________________________ That's right, you can feel the noose tightening on the Professor's neck... not much yet... just a little bit... ...a tiny, little bit? No? _________________________________________________ Ready for editing: -------------------------------- KRUGER LAB NOTES The lab notes you found in a secret bio-laboratory in Wansdorf occupied by a rogue scientist Dr. Kruger and his associates. In several passages Kruger refers to someone called the Professor, who evidently hired Kruger to retrieve a sample of a strong mutagen from the lab. This Professor provided Kruger with an exact location of the facility, building schematics, and a rather generous financial support. Kruger wrote: "Tuesday. Found the vent mentioned in the schematic the Professor gave me. Hopefully, that's the right place... Paid the owners to look the other way. While the husband is fine with the deal, his Frau doesn't seem to be." "Thursday. Yes, this place is amazing... The technology is way advanced... Just need to restore the power and start looking around." "Monday. A good day overall. Contacted some of my associates, found the missing key to the mutagen room and a passcode to the storage. The pipe looks sturdy but the switch is somewhat flimsy." "Saturday. The growling is getting louder. What could that be? (handwriting changes) I can't believe it. She revoked my access to the property and hired some guards, for God's sake. Stupid woman! She'll pay for this, mark my words!" A number of documents stamped "ZMX Projekt" describe its history, goals and chemistry. Apparently, the research was conducted by a group of German scientists and after a series of tests and revisions its final and the most potent version was named "ZMX-8". According to the notes, ZMX chemical structure is nearly identical to one of the alkaloids from Vinca plants, native to Italy, Germany and France, widely used in cancer treatments. When metabolically altered, however, it turns into a mild neurotoxin with strong mutagenic properties. Kruger's comments about the Professor suggest that his employer's interest in the substance goes beyond mere acquisition and studying. Although contagiosity and replication are frequently referenced in the text it is unclear as to the Professor's exact goals. A number of lab sheets indicate that Kruger discovered some unusual effects ZMX had. He scribbled: "My initial hypothesis was incorrect. As a result of that miscalculation I almost ran out of rats! I should have foreseen that repeated exposure to the electric current would only increase the mixture's mutagenic properties and...(Smudged) That's right! One single charge, transforms it into a very powerful restorative solution. It appears to copy any given cell's information and completely restores it to its pre-damaged state... This is truly sensational, I could make a fortune on this. I'll need to patent it as soon as I get back to... (Smudged)" _________________________________________________ That's when the zombified friends of ours are going to be let out. _____________________________________________ _________________________________________________ It's done to keep the player on their toes. ...I know, I know...it's somewhat cliche, frequently overused, and totally expected. _____________________________________________ It said one single charge... Let's see. ________________________________________________ Oops! _______________________________________ That glass cabinet breaks easily - be careful not to destroy it before getting the "Regenerative Agent". ______________________________________________________ Congratulations! ______________________________________________ Fritz wants to see what's behind that locked door. Who can blame him? ___________________________________________________ The note disappears from out inventory as soon as we pick it up. No worries, it's not essential. ____________________________________________ I tried to show all the new posters I introduced in this encounter but my PSP 8 crashed and took all that hard work with it... (yes, I was a bit... ah! really mad!) It's a great program but it does have an odd occasional memory leak problem... whatever... __________________________________________________ Ja! We'll be able to upgrade this puppy later at the American HQ in West Berlin (Lt. McCormick is going to be our repair-and-upgrade man). _____________________________________________ There you have it. _______________________________________________________ Time for a break. Have fun! ____________________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Yup, moving along... (I'll address VB's and Revenger's posts at the end, if you don't mind) _______________________________________________________________________________ The lab Run Through (RT) continues: (yeah, sounds like regional transit... nothing in common, except for speed, maybe) Anyway, if you remember where it all started (the "Clinic") we picked up an empty vial, read a "Nurse Diary" and fought some strange "Reanimated Patients". The diary was what brought us here as it mentioned this lab as the source of the chemical the nurse was experimenting with (unsuccessfully). Now we are standing in front of that very room where the nurse must have stolen that stuff from (*drum roll*) Pretty neat, huh... ________________________________________________________ In order not to fail the quest completely I thought of a 'consolation prize'. It won't be as good as the large one but hey... better something than nothing, right? ___________________________________________________ ...as instructive as possible... ______________________________________________ Breaking the switch or the sparkler in the Med Storage room will make it impossible to complete the "Vial" quest. In other words: watch your fire! _____________________________________________________ Damn! Can I get some more, I missed the...uh... _________________________________________________ At first the message was "What's happening here? This place is falling apart..." and then one of my in-house "editors" decided to scrupulously examine the map concluding that it really wasn't and that I was being overly dramatic (yada- yada), so a new version of that message was born, again... ______________________________________________ How spiked exactly? Reminded me of the game "Curse of Monkey Island" (by Lukas arts), where the main character, Guybrush Treepwood, was continuously "dying" by repeatedly ordering and drinking a "spiked" drink in order to get into some family crypt. Oh.., the memories... ___________________________________________________ I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for Rocco. I have a feeling he might need it. _______________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ Now thinking about it, hmm... those devices do look like hard drives. Amazing... ________________________________________________ Rocco's is trying his best. Alas, ...that was not the right button. Cheer up, all is not lost. There is always the "next time", well almost always.., isn't there? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wansdorf Lab will continue... See next post. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Thank you for your feedback, folks. ------------------------------------------------- VB, Thanks. I share your sentiment about adding more ammo types into the game. However, there are a few things to seriously consider first (at least from my view point): 1. Aside from .303 British, 9mm Mauser Export and a few others that are used only by a handful of weapons - introducing new ammo types requires a lot of work: - new clips' textures, - additional ammo boxes' textures, - clip and box corresponding RPG items for all weapons of that caliber, with appropriate descriptions - inventory look adjustments (so that don't all look the same and positioned differently) - database entries (ammo specific characteristics, clips to ammo assignments, etc.) - "realistic" (for the game play purposes) damage, penetration values, and additional effects like light, grenade explosion, smoke, electrical, plasma, green ray, etc. - new ammo efficiency testing, - some historical reference... would be preferable (not necessary, though) 2. There has to be a niche for that ammo to exist in the game world, dictated by some specific need or purpose (I realize that some of them might be just for the heck of it, but still...). Examples: - Surplus - crap ammo, Stats: lower damage, Availability: found in relative abundance Use: general purpose, when better alternatives are not available How to: Achieved by decreasing damage min value in the RPG ammos db table. - AP rounds Stats: high penetration, lower damage, Availability: found in limited amounts, Use: Panzerkleins and punching through a wall or an obstacle. How to: Achieved by increasing the bullet weight and decreasing damage min value in the RPG ammos database table. - APHE rounds Stats: high penetration, lower bullet damage, small to medium 3-8 area splash effect with the radius of 1-2 max, Availability: rare Use: same use as AP + vs. groups of clustered enemies. How to: Achieved by increasing the bullet weight, decreasing damage min value and attaching a small grenade effect in the RPG ammos db table. - HE rounds Stats: varied penetration, low bullet damage, med to high 10-20 area effect with the radius of 2-4, Availability: rare Use: depending on the penetration values - from PKs to building demolition to anti-personnel. How to: Varied bullet weight + decreasing damage min value + medium grenade effect in the RPG ammos db table. - I rounds - Incendiary Stats: low penetration, low bullet damage, high 15-30 area effect with the radius of 2-5, Availability: rare Use: anti-personnel. How to: Low bullet weight + decreasing damage min value + strong HE grenade effect in the RPG ammos db table ? - HP/ JHP - Stats: mediocre penetration, very high bullet damage x2, x3 times of a regular round, Availability: relatively common Use: single, high hit-point targets, like zombified units, unarmored boss units, drug addicts, units using hit-point boosters, etc. How to: Extremely low bullet weight + significantly increasing damage min value (x 1.5 - 3) in the RPG ammos db table - Ray (high everything) - kind of an overkill. Already in the game - Electricity based rounds Stats: high penetration, low to med damage and small 1-5% probability of making enemies "unconscious" (+ arching - area effect) Availability: extremely rare, could be crafted at the workshop Use: ?? from PKs to anti-personnel, perhaps... How to: decrease/ same min Damage + unconscious probability value + silvery effects and sparks and weapon sounds (maybe burn effects if possible) + grenade (1-3 radius) for arching ?? This one could benefit from several types: 1) more powerful - single target - (no/ tiny AE) - higher unconscious prob, and 2) less powerful - large® AE - tiny unconscious prob. - Plasma or radioactive material based rounds - ??? ------------------------------ So, for example, if I used mostly Enfield line of rifles and ended up at the lab, the crazies from those "Testpersonen" sites would eat me alive. But if I had a few clips of the outlawed Mk III hollow points (or something similar), at least I would stand a chance against them. (We don't have any HP rifle rounds, except for the "Sea Devil" rifle and some intermediate rounds like 7.62x39 and Kurz.) ----------------------------- Unique (experimental) ammo types could be found in tiny amounts here and there and/ or built from some rare materials at the base workshop by a highly skilled engineer. They can be made quite powerful given their limited availability. (sky is the limit here, well within limits, o course...) ----------------------------- Diversifying the enemy and NPC character pools is on my to do list. What types are you suggesting? What I am asking for is something like this: - Type: Regular soldier - Perk panel: "Grunt" - Hit-points: Hero Hps +/- 40 OR hero lvl x 20 - Main weapon(s): Smg, rifle - Sidearm (if any): Pistol - Potential inventory variations: 0-1 light grenade, 3-5 surplus ammo clips, 0-1 AP clip, 0-1 JHP clip, 0-1 local currency - Tactical purpose: All-purpose (similar to some types of flour) ...and so on and so forth. Enemy Recruit, Veteran trooper, Officer, MG Gunner, Sniper, Patrolman, Enemy Grenadier, Assassin, Explosives Specialist, PK Operator, Deranged/ Zombified/ Drug Addict, Infantry Boss, Sniper Boss, Hitman, Female Fatale, Semi-Transparent Experiment Victim, Robot Elite, Intelligence Agent, Spy, Civilian Male, Civilian Female, Scientist. Preferably with desired perk combinations... ---------------------------- Inability to hide? Personally, I didn't like that feature in H&S. Actually, I found it extremely annoying. Adding to enemy "Spot" skill through a script during day-time, on the other hand, would make more sense to me. Depriving the player from using one of the most crucial abilities (especially to scouts) for some arbitrary reason - nope... I don't think I'll be interested in implementing that at all. --------------------------- Some Bosses, Linz included, got soldier perk panels. If during their random perk allocation they got "Run For Your Life" - they'd be very hard to hit when on the run, obviously. When you hid, he probably changed his stance and went into a search mode, negating the penalty your units would incur otherwise. it sounds like it worked as intended, VB. Edit: (Evasion and cover efficiency modifying perks might also contribute to that, although their exact mechanisms are still unclear to me) --------------------------- HE rounds were replaced by surplus ammo. Currently, they are completely gone from the game. ___________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ Revenger, Thank you. The lab is almost ready. Most likely I'll hold off on changing AP costs for pistols or anything else for that matter at the present time. The primary reason for that is that compared to S^2 and vanilla S^3 in BlunterMod our characters will advance to much higher levels with increased skill values. If I remember correctly, "Shooting skill" reduces AP costs significantly (don't remember about familiarity) which might land us in a situation when a lvl. 25 character with 85 APs needs 1 or 2 APs to use their sidearms. I'd rather avoid that. Besides, there are different weapons available, Fritz at lvl 14 uses only 4 APs to use Sauer 38, for instance. That's not bad. But what if Fritz were level 30 Just ran some tests and, apparently, I didn't remember correctly. At least in my tests it didn't work the way I thought it would. Toby lvl 1(Shooting Skill of 30 ) and Toby lvl 40 (Shooting Skill of 324) had the same AP reqs for shooting a Sauer (5 APs), regardless of adaptation (familiarity) values. Sorry about the misinformation. The much bulkier, hard to use Mausers cost a lot more APs, but that's the cost we pay for longer range and higher damage, right? "Pistol Specialization" could certainly be added to the medic/ engineer perk trees (Snipers and scouts already have it). ... then again, it appears we are talking about making a sidearm - into a primary weapon, essentially changing its role entirely. It is my understanding that in Silent Storm a pistol is something one uses when they ran out of APs to shoot their primary weapon or their primary weapon ran out of ammo and the character doesn't have enough AP to reload - so they switch to their side arm, shoot once/ twice. Next turn they reload and continue using their primary firearm. This might not be true for scouts though. Gotta look into them... I hardly ever use that class. _______________________________________________________ I am not sure what armor you guys are talking about. Body Armor? For the bad guys? If that's the case - there is no way to put that on them, or to know if they are wearing it (the same story with the uniforms). I would import some of the useful (to me) functions/ commands from H&S into S^3 but I have no idea how to do it. ____________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

OK folks, I have another small update for you but first, I'd like to address some of your posts. ------------------------------------------------------------------ PP007, I'm glad it worked for you. I checked the Nedlitz house, even rebuild some of the roof - nada. Can't find the reason why you wouldn't be able to get through that door upstairs. There are no objects, no invisible walls.., nothing, not a single thing that would impede movement. The script does lock that door at the beginning and subsequently unlocks it once all the bad guys are dead, but that is unlikely to cause what you described. I use ObjectLockDoor() extensively and never experienced problems with that... at a loss here... ------------------------------------------------------------------ VB, I agree with you about pistols not being very useful as primary weapons. I am not even sure if they (Nival) meant them to be anything other than a sidearm. I haven't looked into critical chance modding yet (I don't know if it's possible though)... I am interested in special ammo ideas. If you have any specific ones - shoot. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Fireman, I see. Thank you for clarifying. You know, when I was creating remote explosives they were designed to work outside. Enemy patrol is coming (Or a PK) >> set the charges >> wait for them to approach >> equip the remote detonator >> Boom! Underground though, hmm... it's a totally different thing. A lot of things are indestructible (or undestructible - UD, as Nival called them) by default: walls, doors, floors, passage objects, etc. with black unforgiving void surrounding them. So, even though the idea of a vault that can only be reached through the use of special charges is interesting, I am wondering how we would justify our inability to blow everything up that way underground (game-play wise)... and if we do (somehow) - which charges are you talking about? Hand-thrown ones or the remote satchels or both? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Zlatan, Thank you. I am afraid the problem might be on your end. Here are the possible reasons (that I can think of): - you accidentally deleted some of the textures from the BlunterMod folder. - your game installation became corrupted somehow. - the mod files got corrupted somehow - you might be using another mod overriding mine - you cfg\s3config settings are preventing some textures from being displayed. EDIT: Another possible reason is using AddMod (...just guessing here). ... the amount of changes, texture swapping and occasional deletions I introduce with each new version could result in some of the textures missing (if indeed you used that utility, of course). ---------------------------------------------------------------- Kataklismik, The solution I posted in my reply earlier might not work for you (in the long run as you might end up with mismatched global variables). What clues did you find in "Counterfeit"? Currently there are 6 sets of them, each leading to different outcomes. ---------------------------------------------------------------- And now back to our lab. Here is a screenshot of it after finishing the objectives: ___________________________________________________ ...and the annotated version : It's a 48x80 template sitting on a 64x96 template. __________________________________________________ I didn't put any enemies or any secondary loot yet. It's just bare bones right now so that I can iron out the bugs and glitches related to the structure and its pass-ability, scripts controlling the plot, objectives, effects and various remotely operated gates and lights. Let's do a quick run through...and see what this is all about. I took a number of screenshots while working on this encounter. Note: this is just the lab. The "mines" and the "manor" will be discussed a bit later. ____________________________________________________ Ready for editing. The dialogue is between two lab guards, a male and a female. WansdorfLab_Dlg1: Guard (F): (Scared) Did you hear that? I swear I heard something! Guard (M): Oh, not again! First, you get us locked out of the hall, then you break the generator switch, and now you complain about someone trying to get you, huh? Guard (F): Say what you like, I know I heard something. Y'know, like a door opening? Besides, it wasn't my fault the generator stopped working. Guard (M): Like hell it wasn't! If you didn't pull that shiny piece out of the switch we wouldn't be stuck in the dark, cut off from the rest of the team. Guard (F): You're such an ass! Why do I ever agree to go with you? Guard (M): Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just stop whining and help me look for spare parts. There's got to be something around here that'll start the generator back up again. Guard (F): Fine! *Pauses* But what about that regenerative sample Kruger needed? He's going to be pissed off if we don't have it. Guard (M): (Angrily) Sure, what about it? The ZMX room is locked, the storage room is barred, and the lab is on the other side of this god-damned crypt! Guard (F): (Thinking) Well, you know I can lock-pick the door, and you can grab the sample-- Guard (M): And then what? Carry it around? Are you out of your mind? Besides, it needs the 'sparkler' from the storage room to be of any use. Guard (F): Dammit, I forgot about that! (Demoralized) Why do I always screw up? Guard (M): Hey, hey! Keep your chin up, we've been through worse. As long as we keep those "Testpersonen" doors locked, we can figure something out. Guard (F): *Nods* You're right. Let's get on with it. ______________________________________________ Yeah, I know... too long, and possibly cheesy... but gets the major points (I had in mind) across, hopefully. ______________________________________________ _________________________________________________ I used the pipe releasing steam animation as the source for this. I think it worked... _________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ...yes, the barracks, the entrance, the collapsed mine and the generator doors are unlocked. __________________________________________________ This lab must have been here a while! ___________________________________________________ The code panels (Z1 and R1) operate using an alternate source of power as we'll find out later. They are generator-independent. _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ I timed and scripted the sounds and the effects to match each other and work together... __________________________________________________ Now think of how much darker it was before this ^^^ happened? (It is still rather dark and gloomy, and cold looking) ___________________________________________________ This is currently not accessible. ______________________________________________________ All right, this is getting too long. See next post, please. (possibly tomorrow... tired...) ________________________ ~ Blunter ~

VB, Thank you. I'll see what can be done about the weapon sounds. I am familiar with Okim's work. It would certainly be great to have some new models to play around with but, unfortunately, it's impossible to import any new models into the game without an older version of Maya (4.5 - 6.0) on that same PC... or so I've been told. ---------------------------------------------- Tsylie, Hey, wait, how did you know about... oh, that's right we talked about it on the phone. Well, I guess I'll be playing dress up again with those models. I'll see what I can cook up. In the meantime, some hors-d'oeuvre(s): Yep! That's him, the sociopath! ____________________________________ ...and some more hazmat suits (different hair model) and lighter (allied medic based) versions for the lab personnel. ________________________________________________ While I was creating "Murdered Owner" I decided to expand her wardrobe a tiny, little bit. Same prices. They feature: Helena's hair, Satin Blonde wig and that Marvel's heroine... err... do-not-remember-auburn-wig. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PP007, Thank you for pointing this out. I suspect you destroyed the report (my fault). Just a couple of days ago I discovered, by accident, that for some strange reason I assigned 'Wood' to some RPG items as their RPGArmorIDs instead of 'item'. My apologies... Workaround - type this in your console window and press enter: CounterfeitReport=true OR ...better - give yourself one of these 4 items instead to update (only one): 1700138 1700141 1700155 1700156 Do it before leaving "Counterfeit" to keep all the Globals intact... Thank you for the kind words and good luck! ____________ P.S.: Now I know why it was "Wood". Some of the original Silent Storm clues (I copied from) had those in their RPGArmorID fields. Tsk, tsk... P.S.2: (Forgot to mention) You don't need to keep other (evidence) items in your inventory. They'll be auto-removed right after you press leave and the next encounter ("Debrief") starts loading. ____________ ~ Blunter ~

Thanks, mammoth. Which branch did you get? (Any ideas on how to 'fix' the scout?) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi VodkaBear, Thank you for the feedback. 1. Yes, it was a lot of fun. I am planning to bring those back in three major ways: - The player will be able to obtain them in Zones and one-time randoms in very small amounts (to prevent 'farming') - Making your own at the base workshop (weaker or unique ammos) - Limited quest rewards 2. Lower accuracy, lower damage and higher ROF? hmm... Do you (anyone) know of good places to get short burst sounds for various weapons. If we change the rate of fire we'll need a corresponding sound. I think novik and Co. changed the ROF of the LMGs in H&S from 5 to 7 (?). I thought it made sense. 3. I am not sure about Criticals and their probabilities. I might look into that later though. Gotta finish the Wansdorf encounter first. 4. I don't mind changing the canons and, actually, any emplaced, stationary weapons including heavy MGs and making them more dangerous, deadly, etc. 5. The shells designated 'Red' in S^3 already have smaller (2) radius, lower damage and very high penetration values. 6. I'd need new models for those, unless you think some of the existing models would qualify to become shotguns (after re-texturing, of course) 7. Good for you, VB! It appears you managed to reach Zepernick. I try to create encounters that require a team to survive and achieve the objectives. Soloing is... err... not openly promoted. You know, if you have some specific ammos in mind, with pictures, general characteristics and current availability (1950 +/- 3 years), I am certainly interested. Even if somewhat fictional... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are you sure you are not using any mods or custom scripts? There were some problems but I didn't find anything that would make the script hang and freeze your PC. Hmm... Anyway, I redid the RRDepot script and hopefully it will be fine (or better) now. The Nurse quests, base lab and workshop were not available in v 2.4 (if I remember correctly) Which branch did you get? (Paretz >> Blumberg or Falkensee >> Bredow) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yes, the remote explosives are ready and scripted, the lab and the workshop are fully scripted, I haven't added any activation functions to the encounters yet, you know, for the remote Expl script to actually run in game in any given encounter. But it's a matter of time now... well and creating sources of materials (hospitals, electrical substations, chemical plants, automobile factories, military depots, secret caches and stashes, etc.) to replenish/ build those explosive pairs after use... Fireman, about those 'special areas' - I am not sure I follow you, could you expand on that? Thank you for your participation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am still working on the manor-mines-lab 3 sub-zone encounter: - Developed a mini-plot (tied to the Professor and Die Wolfe) - Created units ("Looters", "Owners", "Lab Guards") - Scripted some secret areas with rare goodies (require an Engineer/Saboteur in your party to pass the 'repair checks'). - Created more civilian female outfits + a couple of new wigs - Created a unique FG-42 Type 2 without a scope (re-textured it completely as well) and with scope (for McCormick to mount later) - Created new RPG items (Looter Boss' note, manor's mistress' journal, etc.) - Created a new Gangster suit (with red stripes and a handkerchief sticking out of its pocket, very stylish ) - Wrote some dialogues (looter foreman with looter driver, looter boss with looter foreman, lab guards female and male talking.) So, if I posted some of the dialogues and document texts for editing, would there be any takers? (I don' know if Ecthel is still around, he did an outstanding job with most of the mod's dialogues and texts in the past) ___________________________ ~ Blunter ~

Ok, moving along. ----------------------- Actually when I said I re-wrote the script I meant restructuring it into tiny functions. They generally work better and have smaller chances of hanging, looping and..., basically crashing. ---------------------- Another thing: Please - Do Not Use Other Mods! Even the most benign, tiny, insignificant, no-one-would-notice modification can cause problems. ---------------------- The "incorrect" and "don't know" versions are similar so I'll post a few screenies of the latter as its the most 'punishing'... (the enemies are also a little tougher and of the same level as our hero, instead of +1 for the "correct" one). Hmm.., they did talk about it back in Potsdam, didn't they? ____________________________________ Tulin, what are you looking at? ____________________________________________ Nival had an interesting animation in the editor, I dubbed it "looking around, spooked". I think they created it for this very situation. ___________________________________________ Oh well. We had our chance and blew it. It makes it harder since every bad guy on the map is going to be shooting at us... with no-one to distract them. __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Some of my in-house testers expressed surprise and confusion over the "armed civilian" tags... I kind of agree, it does sound strange, somewhere along the lines of 'military intelligence'... Any better terms come to mind? ______________________________________________ Yes, that guy was standing right there and tossing grenades at us before we asked him to stop. ________________________________________________ Abala had the "Know Enemy Health" perk - so "negative 17" is simply from fear and desperation, that's the only logical explanation I can come up with. _________________________________________ ____________________________________________ So, it does provide some sort of 'variety' (correct, incorrect, don't know), even though they are (essentially) the same thing. ______________ ~ Blunter ~

All right. A small update: 1. Tiepilot: So, if I understood you correctly you managed to get through most of the additional campaign all the way up to the 'Central RR Depot' where you got stuck right after the cutscene (with one or two of the Soviet Intel officers getting killed)? Btw, which branch did you get: "Bodies Found" >> "Counterfeit" >> "Debrief" >> "Seefeld" >> ("Falkensee" >> "Bredow"/ or "Paretz" >> "Blumberg"/or "Falkensee" dead end/ or "Paretz" dead end) >> "Central RR Depot"? I checked the script, found a few problems and decided to rewrite the whole thing ( it was a relatively short one ~ 1000 lines only). I am pretty sure I didn't post any detailed walkthroughs for it so here are the ways that encounter might play out: Note: Examining the fingerprint file given to you by Mikhalev and comparing it to the print on the note you found in "Seefeld" is essential to figuring out who the mole is. In addition: one needs to pay attention to the interaction between Mikhalev and Tulin during the "Debrief" cutscene. They are not just for show - they relay important info. 1. Determine who the mole is correctly - - Results in an unconscious mole (extra XP from Mikhalev at the end), Player gets to go first after the cut-scene ends. The other Soviet Intel officers (aside from Tulin and Ostrovsky) are still alive and serve as a distraction for some time against numerous attackers (16 in this case) 2. ... guessing incorrectly - - leads to having to kill the mole, enemies going first in turn-based, the officer you falsely accuse getting killed before the cut-scene ends. 3. Don't know - is the worst. It also forces you to kill the mole, enemies go first and all the Soviet officers get slaughtered before the end of the cut-scene. ------------------------------- Now, your previous actions and randomly generated events are also taken into account here. Whether you killed the double in "Counterfeit" or let him go/ let real Danilov go or killed him - determines if "Bernau" zone opens up (plus bonus XP from Mikhalev) and whether you encounter "Zepernick" (Kommandant) or "Potsdam Outskirts" when going to Soviet HQ. ------------------------------- Anyways, here are a few screen shots with some commentary: (This time Sovkov was the mole and we guessed him correctly) A bird's eye view of the zone. ___________________________________________ When we arrive we are greeted by Major Tulin and Lt. Ostrovsky. _______________________________________________ All they need is a name. Let's give them something... _____________________________________________ How about Master Sergeant Sovkov, his fingerprint from the file was almost identical to the one we found in "Seefeld"... And he was suspicioiusly missing from his usual residence... ___________________________________________________ Yup. Lead the way Major. ___________________________________________ I spaced their movement a little better. (Previously they used to bunch up at the door sometimes. While hilarious and all, it had to be addressed... and so it was...) ________________________________________________ Oh, dear. Here we go... ___________________________________________________ Whoa! This mo's got cajones. _________________________________________ ...but when faced with Tulin's fist he chooses to zen in reflective silence... _______________________________________________ The interesting thing about UnitSetDirection() is that it doesn't always work, regardless of WaitForUnit() and the rest. Occasionally, it leads to very silly situations. ____________________________________________ Yeah, there are 14 more. Nothing big, right? ______________________________________________ In some of my tests I managed to save them both... Most of the time they died valiantly (primarily from enemy grenades). ________________________________________________ Right, they are everywhere: 1st, 2nd, 3rd floor. But with a good party, a couple of MGs and some weapons of mass destruction (grenades, explosives) it's not so bad. _______________________________________________ Hmm... _____________________________________________ ...Ja! This is our ticket to Bernau. I've heard they brew some decent beer there. ______________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Well, there are several variants of that hint: - Tulin & Ostrovsky survived/ one survived/ died - Danilov Good Alive, Good Dead, Bad Alive, Bad Dead (12 all-together, I think) _________________________________________________ The worst case scenario. _______________________________________________ All the Soviet personnel (dead and alive) are removed and some important Global variables are updated. I changed the structure of the scenario progression so that instead of "Bredow"/"Blumberg" leading to "Zepernick" the two branches now reference each other. If we finished "Bredow" or "Blumberg" then "Zepernick" is made available here at "Central RR Depot"(or at the end of "Bredow" or "Blumberg" if we go there after neutralizing the mole at "Central RR Depot"). "BadFalkensee"/"BadParetz" have the same approach but instead of "Zepernick" we are told to go to "Soviet HQ" and get ambushed in "Potsdam Outskirts" ____________________________________________ It's time for our usual scavenger hunt. There are some bits and pieces to be found here, so who goes first...? ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ It's getting too long. See next post, please. P.S.: I'll address some of the other posts in a bit. _______________ ~ Blunter ~

Hi Tiepilot, Can you elaborate a bit more on the encounters you've gone through so far, the ones that don't seem to activate and what exactly happened at the RR Depot for you to get stuck like that. (Unless you tried to 'Esc' the initial dialog - that's still bugged, it freezes. I know how to fix it, I just didn't get to it yet You'd need to restart that zone.) ----------------------------------- Still working on the lab, guys. The stuff finished so far: - Added armory, lab proper, testpersonen halls, guard station... - Created key cards... - Added multiple lighting effects and a system of illuminated underground plasma pipes visible through the semi-transparent iron floor panels covering some of the passages. - Created ZMX-8 pipe and a switch controlling it. - Imported zombie 'hit'/ 'death' sounds (18 all together), - Also imported and scripted various ominous, spooky music pieces here and there (screechy violin sounds, horror-like echoing, military drum-rolls, sci-fi whines, etc.) - Scripted the 'disinfecting' procedure and the Regenerative Agent preparation out of ZMX-8 mutagen: empty vial >> to ZMX pipe >> press the button >> pouring sound >> filled vial >> to the humming Glass cabinet >> electrical discharge >> Regen Agent (400 VP restore, 0 med reqs). - Added a bunch of various electrical zapping, humming and crackling sound effects to correspond to different stages of destruction of a whole myriad of objects. _____________________ ~ Blunter ~

I hear you, Duchess. Win 7 might be your best solution at this point... it's $100 at Newegg now. Just saying ________________ ~ Blunter ~

Duchess, You might want to check out this Steam forums' page. It helped me salvage my mod after my old WinXP machine suddenly died. BTW, I am running Win 7 64 bit. Don't know about Win 10 though... Good luck! __________________ ~ Blunter ~

Thank you for your help, folks. It's greatly appreciated! Since I don't speak German, googling doesn't help that much. (But now with all the proper translations I've been able to find what I was looking for.) Here is what I got so far: (some are redrawn 'originals' and the rest are made by me). I'll be posting more about the lab when I have more to show. _________________________ Lt., I watched the "Old Blood" videos yesterday. Wow! You are right, it looks really good. Don't know if I find any time to play it, but it definitely gave me some ideas. (Bethesda did it again ) ----------------------------------------------- Fireman, Good questions. Well, here is what I think might happen (rip it apart if something feels wrong): ----------------------------------------------- 1) The Manor - Our party shows up at the manor. Crouching, hidden for the time being. - One of the goons is yelling at the truck driver for being late. Conversation clue: Some excavation is going on. Apparently they are trying to reach something underneath the manor. The original owners are dead (killed by the bad guys now occupying the residence). The goons are trying to keep it all a secret and not to attract any attention. - The one in charge (boss) shows up and starts talking to the yelling dude. Conversation clue: They are almost done, they reached the mines and a small team was sent there to investigate and find an entrance to the/ some lab. The truck needs to do one more round. The boss wonders where the nurse is. He suspects her of stealing something from the site/ or him. The boss mentions someone else (possibly a competitor or a client) who could/ will show up soon and potentially cause a problem. - We kill them. The boss drops a letter/ note from someone (a client describing the job, a rival threatening to expose or attack, the nurse from the "Clinic" confessing love, blackmailing, describing the incredible value of...)??? use the passage >>> to the mines ----------------------------------------------- 2) The Mines - Another conversation between two goons. Conversation clue: There is something weird going on. The bad guys had already lost a few buddies to some unknown force/ opposition. They are scared and paranoid. - There is a a note on the table. It has a few words and numbers scribbled on it. - Kill the goons. Recover a key to ??? - There is a strange key-card in one of the lockers. It'll open ????? go down the stairs >>> to the lab ----------------------------------------------- 3) The Lab - Once we arrive we see only the initial large room. I am thinking about imitating some kind of "airlock"/ disinfecting procedure once we step inside and press the broken switch (will need to be repaired or the found key-card could be used, I guess). After we are steamed/ chlorinated/ etc. clean, free of any infection - some of the doors and the force fields deactivate and we'll be able to examine some parts of the lab (the living quarters, waste collection point, the generator room and the medical supply room). - ... still thinking about the rest. - I think I already mentioned the possible loot a few posts back... Feel free to brain storm ----------------------------------------------- 4) To leave we'll need to get back to the surface. The newly arrived client, the rival or the forces of Die Wolfe will be there blocking our escape. ----------------------------------------------- Revenger, The plot discussion starts somewhere around page 3. Lt.'s plot outline is attached to post #78. Ecthel provided a lot of great ideas as well. _______________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Thanks, guys! --------------------------------- Nice to see you too, Lt. I thought about trying out The New Order myself. Is it any good? The "Wolfenstein" was kind of disappointing, I don't think I ever finished it. --------------------------------- Yes, the hi-techy thingie continues. I am glad you liked it, dimovsky. ________________________________ All right, I am still working on the Wansdorf Lab layout and all the related stuff. So, here is another update (mostly pictures): Yup, staying with the blue. Some of the inner guards might be 'convinced' to wear those. Give me a sec I'll talk to them ________________________________________________ I am still thinking about the possible uses for this new technological wonder (with OnOpenObject (), onclickUsable(), etc.). A retina scanner to gain access somewhere, a circuit board controlling or opening something, a source of rare electronics for various projects and builds at the base, quest items...??? __________________________________________________ I am trying to create and/ or maintain a certain atmosphere here. __________________________________________________ Sticking with the theme here...hopefully. Now, if there is any waste - we've got it covered. Could do the radioactive ones as well, I suppose. But whether they spill anything, when destroyed, and how it affects the game environment - that would be an interesting question... hmm... ___________________________________________________ Okay, I have a few questions regarding different posters and labels in German (basically translations, preferably from native speakers): 1. A poster/ sign - "Bio-Hazard" 2. Poster/ label - "Bio-Waste" 3. Sign - "Danger! High Voltage! Risk of Shock." 4. Sign - "Do Not Enter" 5. Sign - "Lab" or "Laboratory" 6. Sign - "Equipment Storage" 7. Document Title - "Research Manifest" 8. Document Title - "Memo"/ (memorandum) 9. Sign - "Research Subjects" 10. Sign - "Keep Quiet" and "Keep Away" 11. Sign - "Restricted Area" and "Authorized Personnel Only" ...or their closest equivalents, please. Thank you in advance. ___________________________________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Hi everyone. Thank you for the nice words, fancy pictures and the encouragement. Much appreciated! ------------------------------------------ Okay. Here is a small update (nothing big). Take a look at the "Wansdorf Lab" encounter: This is going to be the place where our heroes will find one of the access cards for the ATP (Accelerated Training Protocol) - blue in this case, and, perhaps, discover some other secrets (or curious facts, or useful/ rare items). The new textures are taking a bit long and I want to get the lighting right... so slowly but steadily I am getting there. There'll be advanced (server-like) electronics, blue wall screens, blue 'plasma' pipes (see screenshot), electrical disturbances, possibly one or two puzzles (scripted), etc... Planned loot: - Blue perforated tape (for ATP) - Vial picked up at the "Clinic" (not sure what to do with it yet) - Research docs (still not certain about the exact contents). Need to tie it to the "Sphere" at the base somehow. - Letter & address leading to the Green perforated tape encounter. - An electricity based weapon (something like a Tesla gun, maybe) and ammo (charges/batteries) --------------------------------- The next few days I'll be busy (some of my kids are starting school on the 3rd)...so it's going to be pretty hectic here. _____________________ Thank you for offering to help, Revenger. I don't have anything specific in mind yet (still working on the layout), but if you have any ideas - shoot! _____________________ Fireman, you are right. The thread view-count is picking up. I wonder if Lt. and Ecthel are still around. Hmm... ____________________ ~ Blunter ~

Thank you for the feedback, guys. ------------------------------------------ Well, I am not very much into undead myself... as in 'supernatural', horror type of thing. Nah! Not my cup of tea. I am leaning more towards something like 'zombified humans', perhaps (S.T.A.L.K.E.R. style). Rather sci-fi (not fully explained) than supernatural... I thought their mental (and physical) faculties, depending on the type and the amount of exposure, could have been altered in different ways, including various degrees of cognitive deficiencies... ranging from being complete semi-docile 'vegetables' to almost fully functioning individuals suffering from a significant handicap (extremely low mobility, or mental retardation) but also benefiting from a bonus of sorts (i.e. Fallout ghouls, not the feral ones). We could even make one of them a potential party member, well, with their own special quirks, of course. Experiments-gone-wrong is probably the way I'd be going... the effects could also be directly tied to what exactly those afflicted were exposed to (nerve gas, mutagens, psychotropic agents, electricity, heat, various types of implants, etc.) I wasn't planning to include a boss battle in Summoning Ritual (more along the lines of extreme fanaticism), but now that you mentioned it... hmm... Maybe the leader will be empowered by his followers (+ a drug or two) to become a really nasty dude/ lady to deal with (similar to Pacino's Scarface)... Very high HPs, various auras, etc. Interesting! We'll see what we can do... ____________________________________ In the meantime I was resurrecting the encounter in Bernau (the "Weapons Cache") I made for my unfinished Hammer and Sickle mod. Well, here is a little snapshot of it (nothing special really). __________________________________________ P.S.: Don't worry, Revenger. The 'clear and present danger' will be coming from humans as they are the only ones capable of 'malice of forethought', That's what will drive the plot. No gods, no demon spawn, I promise. ------------------------------------------------ Question: a few pages back, someone said they were a writer willing to contribute, who was that?... ______________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Thank you, folks. _______________________ All right, I couldn't find the screenshots I took a few months ago, so just ran the encounter in the editor again and, well, see for yourselves. It's small, I know. I might make it larger later, we'll see. _____________________________________________________ After our heroes discovered the tunnel inside the manor and followed the trail - they end up in the mines. I was thinking about introducing some unusual opposition (mutated miners or lab personnel, perhaps)... ________________________________________________ Yes, that was one of those things that intrigued me the most in various games (including Silent Storm). A place or a room I could see but couldn't get to. _____________________________________________ There'll be some bad guys... possibly the members of the search party sent here from the manor. ___________________________________________________________ Now I need to finish the lab itself... Hmm... ___________________________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Moving along... The 'Clinic' map (with reanimated patients) was just an introduction to the dark secrets of the 'Vial'. It opened 'Wansdorf' where a strange lab (mentioned in the Nurse's diary) was supposed to be found. Remember?.. Here is the template of that encounter (it'll have 3 sub zones in total, this one being just one of them). So, I am going to show only the ground (top) level of it here. (Hmm... I wonder where the intermediate level is, I thought I had a few screenshots of it somewhere.) Well, I haven't decided on the lighting yet, although I do tend to settle for something dark and foggy... _____________________________________________________ ...the sunset. ___________________________________________________ ...clear night... ________________________________________________ ...night low fog... ____________________________________________________ I tried to make it look sort of homie. A place I wouldn't mind calling home. You know, a place to have some tea and pot roast, ...raise kids, play chess... Of course, those three stooges usually show up and destroy everything, but... that's an entirely different matter, isn't it? ___________________________________________________ ...exquisite interiors... _____________________________________________________ ...wood paneling and leather. ____________________________________________________ Aha! The 'bad guys' were digging something. Well, actually there is going to be a dialog explaining what it was they were looking for and the connection our Nurse had to all of this. ____________________________________________________ I thought of making the chess board an RPG item, but... those items have some funky way of positioning themselves in Silent Storm environment. Remember those ever rotating rifles? Well, imagine a chess board that would never settle down or end up on its side in the middle of the table... ...but it's a nice past-time nonetheless...wouldn't you agree? ________________________________________________________ Building a tunnel is hard work. Especially if you want to keep it quiet... and tidy...when the original owners are somewhat...err... dead. _____________________________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Hi back. I apologize for the long absence. I am still around. I've just been extremely busy with a bunch of things (personal stuff primarily). Without going in too much detail - it concerns one of my relatives who is going through a very messy divorce (my extended family). It's a domestic violence situation, with us (my immediate family) providing support to the victim (who is in her late sixties). Threats, financial fraud, mail fraud and theft, extortion, harassment - you name it... So, as you can imagine - I haven't had a chance to do a lot of modding. Although, I do have some screenies of a few encounters I was working on before all that crazy stuff started happening. And... I think I'll be able to slowly get back to working on this mod... again (keeping my fingers crossed). ---------------------------------------------------- I remember working on a cult... Here is the template of that encounter: It's a monastery/ temple type of setting, populated with a horde of fanatics. ___________________________________________________________________ Our favorite trio (Fritz, Rocco an Klaus) are exploring the new location. I already worked out the height map, the lighting, the clues, the loot and the overall strategy... just haven't added the opposition yet. ___________________________________________________________ Unless we blow a hole in that fence... but why? ____________________________________________________ It's supposed to be kind of foggy, spooky and gloomy.... Well, that was the idea... __________________________________________________________ Yes, Celtic knots, hidden swastikas and mystery... The bad guys will be chanting some... stuff (I haven't thought about the details yet, obviously)... attempting to summon a guardian of sorts. _______________________________________________________ Inside the temple she's got a shrine dedicated to her... Ha! (surprise, surprise) ____________________________________________________ ...and after we clear the place we might find some documents that will help us piece all these together, hopefully _____________________________________________________ Right, and "Skyrim belongs to the Nords!" is something that comes to mind as well. _______________________________________________________ I redid the whole 'ancient sword' loot into something actually usable (a new melee weapon). Now the statue you might have encountered in your travels shares the same item in her hand. ______________________________________________________ Now, I'll need to put together an encounter where we can find/ discover the pommel, insert it and voila! (something to think about, I guess) ______________________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Thank you for editing, Ecthel. I entered all the suggested corrections. I agree. It does sound sad... I see your point, although with the skill overhaul we introduced - high level engineers (14+) can do all the fixing themselves. The banknotes (USD, rubles, Pounds, DM, etc.) and the bank system reduce/ eliminate the need to haul all the junk we found back to the base in order to make money. The only thing that's left to cover is the arbitrary tier system of unlocking 'new' weapons, most of which should really be available from the start... as they are far from being "new". In other words, we already have some parts of the new economy system in place. Then maybe we need to add some description of what he really is... to the armory hint perhaps. Hmm... that's interesting. Wouldn't the credit system make us abandon the shopping screen anyway? I mean I could do it all via the DialogMode system... just like the crafting system (possibly with multiple vendors). It would allow us to control the item availability and prices if necessary. Done! ____________________________________________ I understand your concern (unless it is the pop-up message that you didn't find very convincing...). There are, basically, two reasons why I introduced that limitation: 1. I don't know how to make a working script that accounts for indefinite number of remotely-controlled explosives. Initially I was going with just 2 pairs (4 satchels). Well, after 7 revisions I managed to accommodate 3 pairs (6 satchels). 2. The way the RC-explosives system is currently set up (no APs required on setting the charges and their detonation, completely undetectable by the enemies, very powerful) - is a guarantee it's going to be abused and exploited (especially if the number of satchels the player can have at any given time is unlimited). We could use the Soviet sub-plot as an introduction to 'Die Wolfe' and the virus. The "Lab Assault" mission you proposed earlier in the thread can be one of the several war time missions (3-4) used to introduce the hero at the beginning. As for Mikhalev, ... I thought his unwillingness to be antagonistic towards the Americans (helping with the spill) could have angered some MGB leaders in Moscow, triggering an open or a covert attempt to remove him from his position... ??? _________________________________________________ All right, I am done with the next stage in "Clinic Needs Supplies" mini-quest: It's not going to be morphine, but opium. _____________________________________________ ready for editing: Opium Delivery, The nurse from the Sentinel clinic is asking for your help again. The clinic is in dire need of opiates. Painkillers, spasmolytics and cough suppressants are made out of Opium on site in the lab downstairs. The last two opium shipments didn't make it to the base. The nurse suspects the worst. Benefit: If you can procure some opium for the clinic, they will further reduce the fees assessed for any of your medical expenses at the base. Task: Bring 3 opium packs to the nurse to receive a 75% discount. _________________________________________________ The reason for using Opium is simple - UnitRemoveInventoryItem( unit, itemID ) removes items from the backpack as well as the the one equipped in the slot instead of removing only one at a time. Opium is a money only item (i.e. unusable), it can't be equipped and therefore it doesn't interfere with the Opium delivery counter... (there is probably a workaround, but I haven't figured it out yet) ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________ ...I also redid the Splittermuster 45 uniform (changed to a larger pattern): I remember Lt. pointing out that the print was too small... All of these uniforms (5) are available for purchase now... as well as some other items. ______________________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Thank you for posting those. I am not working on any new uniforms at the moment, ...but if we decide to expand the uniform selection I'll use the images you provided as references... ...can't do kilts. There are no models supporting that look, unfortunately. ________________________________________________________ I am still undecided on what to do with the dealer. I've no idea how to change the price modifier via scripts (it is a constant set in the database that stays the same throughout the campaign) and replacing him with someone else, who is very similar in what they can do for us (except for their looks and name), might not be worth the effort... _______________________________________________________ I am actually questioning that after reading Ecthel's thoughts on this. Perhaps there is another way... hmm... ...not my 'department'... What do you mean? That's a nice introduction into his character and motivations. Now, how does this person fit in the story line? Or is it about possible Acks? Or something else? Thank you. The crafting system will need to be tested first, before I start adjusting all those numbers... ______________________________________________________ You are being very kind, thank you. There is still a lot of work to do... and so little time... _____________________________________________________ We already have an ancient sword in the game. It's an RPG 'money item' not a melee one. I could probably try and make it a melee weapon. Here it is: BTW, I read about Jack and his 'adventures'. Wow! ____________________________________________________ What encounter are you thinking about? Keep in mind, I am not very sympathetic towards those groups... ___________________________________________________ Did he reshuffle the perks for those professions (with their own perk trees and specific skill values)? Was there a plot twist involving Cossacks or ninjas in 'Kazaki' mod? We could make unique starting weapons for every mercenary... Any suggestions? Rocco already has "Vendetta" (a unique Chattel MG)... __________________________________________________ I don't know what you are referring to, MacNille... There are several ways to create one's main character: 1. Custom process 2. Choose one of the 4 premade ones 3. Be forced to play a character via script... when the original character is removed and another one takes his/her place...Will need to override the 'lose' function here (at least once) Did I mention any other ones? ____________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Yes, the things we do for the family... We'll figure something out. The random check runs every time we attempt to create something at the lathe or the med cabinet. If you think the %s are too high or the benefits come too early - I could reduce the %s and raise the number of required tries before the achievements are awarded... hmm... perhaps, I didn't really understand what you were getting at... I am glad you liked the comics. It was fun creating them. IIRC, ethanol and some of the ammonia derivatives were indeed used for fuel... in Belgium and a few other countries. So they might still have some depots and warehouses storing those... ( for us to 'borrow' from) You are welcome! Enjoy! ____________________________________________ Right,.. remember I mentioned the clinic nurse as a potential quest giver? Well, guess what... She is now. Yeah, what's going on!? _____________________________________________________ ...wow, ...do for me? (grinning), where do I start?.. Do you need any help? ___________________________________________________ The 'rotten' socialist system of free medicine and caring medical personnel is gone... Now we have to work to get coverage... _____________________________________________________________ Ready for editing: -------------------------------------------------------------- Medicine Delivery, The nurse from the Sentinel clinic is concerned with their dwindling medical supplies and irregular deliveries. The reasons for these shortages are still unclear. She is asking you for help. Benefit: If you obtain some burn and heart medication for the clinic, you will receive a 50% discount on medical services at the base. Task: Bring 3 picric acid ointments and 3 heart medication packs to the nurse to seal the deal. --------------------------------------------------------------- ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ...the prices are adjusted to hero's level (14 in this case). That's the default system, not my invention. _______________________________________________________ ... yet another job to put on his resume' ______________________________________________________ I might need to make those usable medical items to avoid the 'crisis of overproduction'... ______________________________________________________ The doctor has some valid concerns now... ______________________________________________________ Did I ever mention I wasn't a programmer?.. ______________________________________________________ Nice! ______________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ She is very kind, isn't she? BTW, the doctor will do the same. ________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ This mini-quest doesn't have to end here. We could add another little errand (2 morphine delivery, for example) further reducing the fees to 25%, followed by a request to investigate the reasons/ causes behind the shortages... That could eventually lead to exposing the Arms Dealer as the culprit... He could simply be corrupt or even be a 'Die Wolfe'/ 'Hammer' agent... and/ or the guy responsible for the kidnapping of the real Major... Thoughts? ________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

All right, onto the specific items and their descriptions: Ready to be edited: (if necessary) _______________________________________________________ Ammonia Hydroxide Container Ammonia Hydroxide Container Ammonia hydroxide is a colorless liquid with a strong pungent smell. It's a precursor to a wide variety of chemicals, from nitric acid and fertilizer to pharmaceuticals and explosives. It is also used as an anti-septic in hospitals and households. Combining ammonia with nitric acid yields an explosive compound - ammonium nitrate, used in the production of industrial dynamite and Amatol explosives. Adding picric acid forms another explosive substance - ammonium picrate, also known as 'Explosive D' or Dunnite. 1:1 mixes with TNT yield powerful Pictratol explosives. ________________________________________________________________ Nitric Acid A vial of nitric acid One of the strongest and most corrosive mineral acids. Handle with care! ______________________________________________________________ Furtilizer Bag Furtilizer Bag The bag is filled with ammonium nitrate (25%), a nitrogen rich chemical, primarily used as plant furtilizer. Ammonium nitrate is also one of the reagents needed to produce industrial dynamite and Amatol explosives. _____________________________________________________________ Ammonium Nitrate Flask Ammonium Nitrate Flask RE Factor: 0.85 The flask is filled with concentrated ammonium nitrate powder, a nitrogen rich chemical, primarily used as plant furtilizer. Ammonium nitrate is also one of the reagents needed to produce industrial dynamite and Amatol explosives. ______________________________________________________________ Ammonium Picrate Flask Powdered Ammonium Picrate RE Factor: 1.22 The powder of ammonium picrate is ready. It is also known as 'Explosive D' or Dunnite. Due to various stability issues it's rarely used by itself. Depending on your engineering expertise, you can combine it with TNT (1:1) to create Picratol remote explosives. _____________________________________________________________ Canister of Toluol Toluol Canister Water-insoluble liquid commonly used as an industrial feedstock, solvent or fuel. When combined with nitric acid, toluol forms a powerful explosive - TNT. _____________________________________________________________ Trinitrotoluol (TNT) Granules Granulated Trinitrotoluol (TNT) RE Factor: 1.0 The granules are ready. Depending on your engineering expertise, you can create TNT charges with it or combine it with other explosives to develop more sophisticated devices. _____________________________________________________________ Phenol Container Phenol Container Normally a crystalline solid, this phenol is in liquid form. It's commonly used as an anti-septic and is a precursor for a myriad of medications. When combined with nitric acid, phenol forms a powerful explosive - Picric Acid, also known as Lyddite. _______________________________________________________________ Picric Acid Flask Powdered Picric Acid (Lyddite) RE Factor: 1.2 The flask is filled with picric acid. In medicine it is used in burn treatment as well as an antiseptic. Depending on your engineering expertise, you can create Picric Acid (Lyddite) charges with it or combine it with other explosives to develop more sophisticated devices. __________________________________________________________ Glycerin Container Glycerin Container A colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is widely used in medicine, food production and pharmaceutical industry. It is found in bakeries (sweetener), hospitals (lubricant), botanical gardens (preservative) and various chemical plants (solvent and feedstock). In laboratories, under controlled conditions can be combined with nitric acid to produce a powerful explosive - Nitroglycerin. CAUTION: Glycerin is a strong laxative. _____________________________________________________________ Nitroglycerin Flask Nitroglycerin Flask RE Factor: 1.25 The liquid is ready. If your engineering expertise is high enough you can prepare Nobel's Dynamite charges with it. ______________________________________________________________ Hexamine Powder Hexamine Powder The flask is filled with hexamine. Civilians as well as the military use its tablet form to heat rations and to maintain fire. In laboratories, under controlled conditions the powder can be combined with nitric acid to produce a powerful explosive - RDX. NOT FOR INTERNAL USE: hexamine releases toxic formaldehyde when ingested. ________________________________________________________ Hexamine Fuel Tablets Hexamine Fuel Tablets A form of solid fuel that burns smokelessly and has high energy density. Used by campers and the military to heat rations and to maintain fire. In laboratories, under controlled conditions can be combined with nitric acid to produce a powerful explosive - RDX. NOT FOR INTERNAL USE: the tablets release toxic formaldehyde when ingested. _____________________________________________________________ Powdered RDX (Hexogen) Powdered RDX (Hexogen) RE Factor: 1.6 The powder is ready. Depending on your engineering expertise, you can create RDX charges with it or combine it with other explosives to develop more sophisticated devices. ______________________________________________________________ Powdered HMX Powdered HMX RE Factor: 1.7 HMX is a very powerful high explosive. It's a by-product of hexamine nitration in RDX manufacturing (10-20%). Depending on your engineering expertise, you can create HMX charges with it. ______________________________________________________________ Pentek Package Pentek Package Pentek (pentaerythritol) is a crystalline solid. When combined with nitric acid, pentaerythritol forms a powerful explosive - PETN, also known as penthrite. ______________________________________________________________ Pentek Powder Pentek Powder The flask is filled with crystalline pentek (pentaerythritol). When combined with nitric acid, pentaerythritol forms a powerful explosive - PETN, also known as penthrite. ______________________________________________________________ PETN Crystals Crystallized PETN (penthrite) RE Factor: 1.66 The crystals are ready. Depending on your engineering expertise, you can create PETN charges with it. ______________________________________________________________ Battery Battery A standard 6 volt battery. Used to power small devices and flashlights. _____________________________________________________________ Formaldehyde Bottle Formaldehyde The bottle contains formaldehyde, a well-known desinfectant and tissue fixative. It is also used in production of adhesives, paints and image stabilizers. In military industry, formaldehyde is a precursor to some of the explosive compounds such as pentaerythritol (pentek) and hexamine. WARNING: Highly toxic! Avoid skin contact! Do not ingest! _______________________________________________________________ Fuse Fuse Any hand thrown explosive benefits from a properly attached fuse. ______________________________________________________________ Vinegar Bottle Vinegar The bottle contains a diluted solution of vinegar (acetic acid). Aside from its traditional use in cooking and cleaning, vinegar can be used in various industrial processes as a mild acid. Produced by the fermentation of ethanol (alcohol). _____________________________________________________________ Detonator BX-7 (weapon) _______________________________________________________________ Amatol Satchel Charge* Amatol Satchel Charge** Picratol Satchel Charge* Picratol Satchel Charge** C-3 Satchel Charge* C-3 Satchel Charge** (weapons) (Satchel Charge Weapon Type Description): Satchel Charge Description: Remotely activated explosives, equipped with a low frequency receiver. Part of a pair. Color-marked. Stable and insensitive to regular damage. Instructions: To set the charge - equip in active slot . Warning: Unequip the detonator before setting the charge. _____________________________________________________________ Industrial Dynamite Charge (ANFO) TNT Charge Lyddite Charge Nobel's Extradynamit Charge Military Dynamite M1 Charge RDX Charge PETN Charge HMX Charge (Changed the confusing description to this): While the charge can be used by any qualified character as a grenade, its effectiveness will be significantly modified by the engineering skill of the user. _______________________________________________________________ Nitroglycerin Pills Nitroglycerin Tablets This strong vasodilator medication is usually used in patients with angina to increase the blood flow to the heart muscle. Found in hospitals and pharmaceutical institutions. WARNING: Overdose may cause severe headaches. _________________________________________________________________ Picric Acid Ointment Picric Acid Ointment The mixture has strong antiseptic and astringent properties. Found: in hospitals and pharmaceutical institutions. Primary use: burns treatment. WARNING: DO NOT INGEST! External use only. _______________________________________________________________ If you have any suggestions, corrections or additions - please, provide your feedback. _________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Hello Woozle, Questions for you: - Are you playing Silent Storm Sentinels? (I can't help with S^2 or H&S) - Are you using my mod? (hopefully ) - What type of explosive are you using? (the more powerful the better) - What's the profession of the person tossing the dynamite? (should be engineer only) - If the person is an engineer - what is their (level) engineering skill? (at levels 16-18, eng = 200 a simple dynamite charge is devastating, I won't even mention RDX - hexogen, etc.) At levels 20 -25 your engineers might be able to disable a PK with one charge... and literally demolish the whole place... - Did you select the "Demolition" perk for your engineer? It increases the damage your eng. does to buildings by 100%. Engineering grenades' default effect is not very impressive. You might want to give them to your engineer and you should see the difference. If you are using my mod where mercs' professions and their corresponding skills are emphasized the difference will be tremendous. In short: if you are using your scout or soldier to toss those things around - don't expect very much. They simply "don't know" how to use the explosives effectively... (an RPG element introduced by Nival)... Note: There are indestructible structures in the game (some floors, underground walls, etc.) You will not be able to destroy or damage them under any circumstances. ___________________________________________________ Back to the Workshop: How about C-3 charges, Rocco? If we managed to get a hold of some RDX - we are in luck. These things are PK killers (very high penetration values). _______________________________________________ Has anyone been to "Blumberg" yet? ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Next: Workshop Achievements ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ The percentages are noticeably lower than those at the lab. Well, here we deal with the end product, not some feed-stock. Naturally I reduced them... Note: these benefits have no effect on remotely activated explosive charges produced at the workshop. ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Here are skill requirement reference tables for the LAB and the workshop: ---------- L A B ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The things not mentioned in this table can be produced by anyone with either Med = 70 or Int = 8 1 HMX is produced every 3 times you create RDX powder... _____________________________________________ ---------- W O R K S H O P ---------------------------------------------- the same here... Eng = 70 or Int = 8 for anything else at the workshop. _____________________________________________________________ All the numbers (including percentages, actual damage, radius and penetration values, etc.) as well as any naming conventions are subject to change based on my own observations and your feedback. _____________________________________________________________ All the essential explosives' precursors are now available at the Arm's Dealer. Prices have been adjusted based on the projected availability in the game world and the expected rarity of the potential product. Take a look: ______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Let me know what you think, folks. _________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~

Yes, sir. Just not at the moment. If you have something in mind - please, share your ideas. ( front and back flat pictures/ textures are the best references...for me) ______________________________________________ All right, back to the workshop where Rocco is struggling to maintain his composure: ...that's true... and as you know... the truth is universal... ( well, on the second thought - it probably isn't... ) ______________________________________________________ Klaus never changes... never... ___________________________________________ If we could have a steady supply of toluol and ammonia..., well, you probably know the rest... ________________________________________________ hmm... ______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________ I introduced quite a few of those helpful notifications... It might be frustrating but at least you'd know what went wrong. _____________________________________________________ Nope...won't even try it. As Rocco would say: "Forrrget about it!" _________________________________________________ Oh yeah, the guy who "infected" me with this idea. Fireman! _________________________________________________________ Remotely activated explosives will utilize external scripts. ________________________________________________________ Those satchels are...err... OK. Not very powerful, but they'll get the job done. A small, limited type of job... ____________________________________________________ ...no dancing around this one... One has to use them before building new ones. Period! No substitutions or refunds. _____________________________________________________ ...disgusting... ______________________________________________________ My attempt to justify the limitation... What do you think? _______________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ What a difference! Go Rocco! ______________________________________ (See next post) ______________________________________ (to be continued) ~ Blunter ~