And the Winner Is...
The Thief Tenth Anniversary Contest Results including scores and
mission authors have been announced! You can congratulate the winners at the Contest Results Discussion Thread. A big thanks to all the authors who
made FMs for this contest. I'd also like to thank Shadak, Brethren and Redface for their hard work in making the contest a success.
Congratulations to all the authors for making some very fun and exciting missions.
Now, without further ado, here are the final results:
FIRST PLACE:
The Tower by Lady Rowena, score 9.03; Discussion & Help Thread
This mission rated the top overall score of 10 from me. It is so amazing. If you like scaling the rooftops and climbing everywhere,
you will love this mission. Maximum use was made of the small size allotted for the contest with hidden passages and climbing
puzzles. The Tower had plenty of classic Thief gameplay to distract from the small size. It's no surprise that Lady Rowena created
the winning entry for this contest. Her most recent release, The Seven
Sisters was equally amazing. Congratulations to Lady Rowena!!
SECOND PLACE:
Ashes and Dust by Random_Taffer, score 8.24; Discussion & Help Thread
As my number 3 pick with an overall score
of 8.75, this is a wonderful classic Thief styled mission. The story was compelling and raised my overall enjoyment of playing the
mission. I was challenged but not frustrated. The mansion was very pretty as well. This is a very balanced mission.
THIRD PLACE:
A Weekend Getaway by Ottoj55, score 8.01; Discussion & Help Thread
This was my number two overall pick with an
overall rating of 9.75. It is a spooky little mansion with a lot of puzzles. As always, Ottoj55 has created a gorgeous mission. I
thought that using the three difficulty levels for successive parts of the mission was an ingenious way to expand the mission
within the restrictions of the contest. I really enjoyed playing this mission. There were many undead, but the fun new weapons made
short work of them. I always enjoy playing with Otto's new toys.
FOURTH PLACE:
The Affairs of Wizards by Nameless Voice, score 7.73; Discussion & Help Thread
Number four for me as well with 8.5 is this
exciting mission. It starts off as a standard mansion mission but becomes so much more. You get to explore in various mages'
demesnes which make this mission feel much larger. It is a challenging mission which is a lot of fun. The one issue which hurt the
score for this otherwise excellent mission was difficulty in completing the ending sequence. I had to replay the entire mission to
get the ending to work properly.
FIFTH PLACE:
Weak Links by ghost_in_the_shell, score 6.91; Discussion & Help Thread
This mission tied for 6th place in my
ratings with 7.5 overall. This is a nicely put together mansion mission with some troublesome AI patrols for the mandatory ghosting
in Hard or Expert level. The mission is mostly standard but the game play never bored me and included lots of loot. This mission
was updated on Jan. 09, 2009 to Version 1.0.1
SIXTH PLACE:
The Kindred Vault by eepcat, score 6.72; Discussion & Help Thread
This mission achieved an overall score of
7.75 for 5th place in my voting. I liked the Egyptian styling and puzzle solving. The return trip presents new obstacles which
makes the mission feel bigger. The mission was not particularly difficult on Normal which is good for those who aren't fans of the
undead and all their charms.
SEVENTH PLACE:
An Old Friend by Lost Soul, score 6.41; Discussion & Help Thread
Tied for 6th place with 7.5 overall
points, this mission had inventive architecture which was very impressive for a new author. The mission had some obvious flaws
which disrupted the flow of the mission, but nonetheless, I am anxious to see what Lost Soul can do without a deadline or space
constraint.
EIGHTH PLACE:
Falling Down by TF, score 6.37; Discussion & Help Thread
Coming in at 8th in my ratings with an
overall score of 6.0, this mission has some interesting moments while exploring a cave system including sliding rocks, dust, a
drunk guard and craymen. The mission is pretty basic, but the ambiance of the caves is well done. With some loot to find and some
creative puzzles to solve, I did enjoy playing this one.
NINTH PLACE:
Flowers for a Friend by P Forth, score 5.72; Discussion & Help Thread
I scored this mission 9th at 5.75. A
simple trip to honor a deceased Keeper friend turns into a raid on a Theives' hideout. Though the gameplay and constructions are
very basic, there are some areas that stand out. The autumn graveyard is very nice, and blowing up things is always a fun thing to
do! The ending is pretty scary as well. Overall this is a competent mission.
TENTH PLACE:
Bad Intentions by Mirko, score 5.34; Discussion & Help Thread
I scored this one tied for 12th at 4.5.
Nothing particularly stands out in my mind about this mission. It is a very standard mission with the addition of the ghosting
requirement. Mirko released an updated version on Jan. 08, 2009 with German language support added.
ELEVENTH PLACE:
Yume no Rozen by Sxerks, score 5.0; Discussion & Help Thread
My overall score was 5.25 for 10th. This
was a total "What just happened?" mission. The music was interesting, but I did not care for the forced ghosting. And the ending
twist was just a bit to out there for me. I appreciate the creativity in making something very different from the average mission
with an interesting story, but this one wasn't to my taste. Sxerks released an updated version on Jan. 07.
TWELFTH PLACE:
Vampire Skull by nicked, score 4.59; Discussion & Help Thread
I scored this mission a 4.75, 11th
overall. The only real stand out in this mission is the Vampire Skull which is pretty cool. This mission was very basic with little
to excite me beyond the skull itself.
THIRTEENTH PLACE:
The Homeless Dude by John The Beggar, score 4.3; Discussion & Help Thread
This mission tied for 12th at 4.5 in my
scores. Probably the least complete of the entries, this mission was disappointing because it wasn't possible to complete due to
bugs with the objectives. Otherwise, it is a basic mission with a basic story and basic gameplay.
