Castaway Level - Final Released (03/12/23)

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Castaway Level - Final Released (03/12/23)

Post by Rebel »

Final Release Link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/ro5qzl88 ... l.zip/file
Castaway_Final (optional update): https://www.mediafire.com/file/2bh23l30 ... e.zip/file

Just a small update to castaway's final release. Notably, added a 2nd tool which can be used to gain
entrance into the buried ship's private room, some crates around the hilltop building (tres' old stack
puzzling method in lieu of using the ladder), fixed several out of place sub-objects, added a chair in-
side of the private room, lowered time for ship passing if beacon is aligned correctly.

Small download (8mbs) as it's just the grf/scn files. Note the changes made are not critical to level
play, they're just tweaks and small changes that I made after releasing the final. Bottom line, it isn't
necessary to update, it's optional (although the pry bar is much easier to use than the wrench found
inside of the buried ship).


Final, updated walkthru under spoiler below:
Spoiler: show
WalkThru: (Covers puzzle aspects only, not island exploration or dinosaur encounters)

Anne begins here journey standing near the bow of a sinking boat, calling out to the captain that
is nowhere to be seen. She surmizes that the captain of the chartered boat has drowned. Moving
frontside she finds the radio broken and the only thing of value that can be salvaged is a Machete
found lying upon the decking. It is a formidable weapon if wielded properly (a stabbing motion is
more effective than slashing), it's best not to leave it behind.

Making your way ashore, head for the lighthouse. Nearing the shore, you may have heard a poof,
a muffled sound coming from behind. Water rushing inside of the boat has forced one of hatches
to blow, the ship is now sinking fast beneath the waves. There's nothing Anne can do about it -

On shore now, head up the stairs of the lighthouse. Note the textover 'maybe I should try knockin'
first'. Of course, Anne does, but with no answer coming, you enter uninvited. There's stairs lead-
ing up to the top of the lighthouse and a ladder which leads down into a room below. Most prefer
the easy route, so take the ladder (to slow your descent, simply hit the walk key to avoid any dam-
age).

Anne is greeted with an unpleasant sight. A decaying dead man lying face up on his bed, staring
at the black abyss of death. She assumes it's the lighthouse keeper, or he was. In one hand he is
holding a tape recorder, in the other, a pocket watch. Note the time, as time is not Anne's friend,
as she will soon discover.

Hitting the rewind button of the tape recorder first, Anne then hits the play button and listens to
what are the last words of the Keeper. (The rewind button is 4th from the left and the play button
is 2nd from the left (and yes, Anne is frozen in place as the Keeper speaks))

Listen; if you do not understand Spanish, read along with the companion captions, it is afterall,
Anne's only chance of Rescue. You find that the Keeper was attacked, though Anne is uncertain
at that moment by what, but more important to her at this moment is that there's a chance for her
to use the lighthouse to send out an SoS and be rescued. With the Keeper's dying words, he has
given Anne the chance to live -

So, now Anne knows what she must do and what little time she has to do it in. The Keeper said
a supply ship will pass by on the 28th (and that's today) and its passing time is around 1400 hrs,
Anne has maybe an hour to send out that signal. Looking at the Keeper's watch, take note that
5 minutes have already passed since you had first entered the room. Best we get moving -

Head through the passageway that leads into the utility section of the lighthouse. Take note of
the pistolbow lying upon the table; weapons are always important, but what takes precedent at
this moment is restoring power. Upon the shelving take note of the generator manual; bring it
up to Anne's head/camera so you can read the start up instructions. Don't worry, if your sight is
not quite up to par, the correct sequence is just below;


The controls of the generator are few, but need to be activated in order of;

1st button on 'top'
1st button 'bottom row'
last button 'top row'
middle button 'bottom row'

(you'll know if you are correct as any other sequence will trigger a shutdown (the manual on top
the shelving inside of the utility room has 'quick start instructions on its back cover, although to
read it you need to turn it into Anne's head/camera))

Pleased with herself, Anne says, 'Ha! It worked!'.

The above frees up the power breaker handle inside of the maintenance section of the lighthouse.
It'd be advantageous for the player if he (or she) actually opened the circuit box door earlier since
once the power is turned back on, but a few seconds later the short occurs in one of the breakers
and it trips (you can remove it afterwards).

Ok, so obviously our dear Anne needs a replacement breaker, so where to look? Well, with none
seen within the utility room, our heroine heads out to the only other place she noticed while firing
up the generator; to that building atop the hill.

Breaking in:

2 methods: My favorite is the American Express Card. The 2nd, would be to smash out a window
(the large ones are breakable). Of course, if you prefer classic Trespasser, then you will need the
ladder that is lying out behind the lighthouse in order to be able to climb up and thru the window
that you have smashed.

(If missed, the American Express card is on top of the Keeper's end table).
With the AMEX, lining up Anne's hand and the card straight, you're aiming for the slit between the
doors and slightly above the double (or deadbolt) lock. If you come at it half-cocked (ie., from the
side and misaligned) the only thing you'll manage to do is to drop the card. The perfect location is
just slightly to the left of the door slit (It normally takes me between 10 to 20 seconds to break - in).

Continuing:

Hah. Seems our dear Anne might have caught a cold, or perhaps it just all that dust floating thru
the air! Surveying her surroundings, the building appears quite new, yet not quite complete. Be-
yond some furnishings there seems little in the way of anything of use. But, considering that the
steel cabinet is locked, well of course we'll need something inside there, a key! Now since there
is no key lying around for the cabinet's lock you'll need to break into that and that's a gun and the
only gun in level is inside of a locked room labeled 'private' inside of the buried ship. To the right
of that door is another for the supply room. On the floor you'll find a rather large wrench used by
the crew to snug the beer tap to the barrels. Use that wrench on the private room's door handle
to break in. A bit clunky to weld as a club; I find it easier to simply bump into the handle. It needs
to be struck several times before the handle will break off (giving you room access). Taking both
the gun and the ammo box, head back to the hilltop building.

NOTE: Do Not use the ammo box until the is emptied, else all you will get is an empty box and no
reload will occur! *This applies to both ammo boxes found in level.

Once you have returned from the buried ship and got yourself a gun, go back inside the building
atop the hill and shoot out the lock of the storage cabinet. Inside, lying on top of another note is
the key; use that key to gain access to the building's power shed. Inside you'll find another gen-
erator, though again, with more unfinished electrical work. But as luck would have it the circuit
box has already been installed, complete with circuit breakers in place. Grab the double break-
er, removing it (note: you may need to grab it a few times before it releases).
building. Retrieve that key? Using that key to gain entrance, again you'll find another generator,

Returning to the lighthouse's utility room, replace the breaker (note: if the magnet of the circuit
breaker you carried went haywire, just drop it and pick it back up for to correct its alignment). If
you thought, haha!, I'm done, well you're not. The breaker is in the 'off' position; once the break-
er clicks in place, hit it once more with your hand to move its position to 'on' (you'll hear another
click once done).

Check the Keeper's watch, how are you doing on time? Do you need to hurry or do you have the
time for a smoke break? Well, I do (need a smoke break that is). Ok, I'm back -

Head back up the ladder:

Open the beacon's control panel box. Again, the button's labels are in Spanish, but regardless,
they're not entirely difficult to understand. Remembering what the Keeper said, the beacon will
need to be turned on, set to distress mode, and positioned in such a way that it would be easily
seen by a passing ship.

So;

1st, hit the 'power' button (top button, left, top button right is 'power off')
2nd, hit the 'manual' button (auto button rotates beacon and will not secure you a rescue)
last, hit the 'distress' button

Afterwards, head up the stairs:

Once at the top, note the small control box to the right of the door. A one time textover explains
where that beacon light flashing the SoS signal needs to be go. These 2 buttons are the manual
positional controls (top, clockwise, bottom button, counter-clockwise). Note the buttons cannot
be hit repeatedly as they're timed to work again only when the beacon is nearly a complete stop.
It may sound a little inconvenient, but it helps to not continually overshoot correct alignment. If
you happen to slide past the center of your target window, Anne will vocalize her annoyance of
it, but only once. To be certain that you have the beacon in the correct position its best to take a
walk outside and look up to check. Note it is possible, keeping with Trespasser's physical inter-
action, to climb up and move the beacon manually, but it is not an easy thing to do. You wonder,
have I, Rebel, done this? Well, yes. That's how I know that it isn't easy!

To conclude, after you are convinced rescue is coming, feel free to explor the rest of the level
as it is not included within this walk-thru. And there's no need to be concerned about your loca-
tion as to when the ship's passing will occur. Thanks to play animations, you won't miss out on
the ending, you'll be there and see it all. ;)

Hope you had even a little bit of fun playing and this walk-thru was helpful.

EasterEggs:
Calendar on the Keeper room wall is October 28, 1998. (Trespasser's original release date.)
Along the shoreline, there's a Wilson Volleyball modeled after Tom Hank's inanimate, yet oh
so famous friend from the Castaway movie.

The Keeper's watch is modeled after Captain America's compass that he carried. The photo
inside of the watch is that of Captain America's long lost love, Peggy Carter.

Along the shoreline, a life ring labeled 'SS BOTANY BAY'. It's both the name of Khan's ship
from Star Trek and of a nortorious penal colony of old Australia.

The shipwreck labeled 'MPBUIJS' is a play on both MadPpiper and Remdul's names.
The Telegraph (or speed control) of the above ship is textured with an actual picture of the
Titanic's Telegraph.

The cannon perched atop of the remaining roof section of the old Spanish fort is an easter-
egg, but it's a secret 'ala tomb raider' as to how to reach it. I'm not spilling the beans, other
than saying mentioning tomb raider is a hint in and of itself. The last hint I'll give is to give a
look around near to where the sword is found. Therein lies the secret. ;)

The name on the american express card is; 'Juan de Cavallon'. He was a Spanard credited
with creating the 1st successful colonization of Costa Rica. Though Christoper Columbus
was first to discover and name the land, the initial colonization had failed.

Other:
There is but one gun in level; a 1911 colt 45. Reloading is possible by way of the ammo box
found on the desk in the sunken ship's private room. Please note, the gun must be emptied
of all ammo, then stored before a reload can occur; simply 'use' the ammo box. The second
ammo box can only be found/retrieved after you have emptied the gun a 2nd time. That can
be found inside of the bridge of the sunken ship, inside of a cabinet. Again, do not open the
box for reload until your 1st reload is emptied and the colt is holstered. Otherwise, all you'll
get is an empty box of ammo and no reload -

Inside of the hilltop building, take notice of the trash can near one corner of what appears to be
work benches. Someone has been burning something, hiding their dirty little secrets perhaps?
Reach in to find out. ;)

Spanish Sword (compliments of MikeThe Raptor (along with the helmets): It's a rather deadly
weapon, but it's of little use against the Stryac. Besides, he isn't bothering anyone, so please
don't harrass him (I know I don't like to be disturbed while eating).

The pistolbow is an effective weapon, but waiting for the weapon to reload (pullback) and al-
lowing the arrow previously shot to hit its mark is best. For one, to not waste shots, and two,
for asthetic purposes it allows an accurate count of remaining arrows in the quiver while not
screwing up the bow's drawback action or function.


Beyond added detail to the level, all puzzling is now linked together. For further info, please refer to walkthru
included within the above package. *The spoiler walkthru further down the page has also been updated to re-
flect said changes. This level is now complete and in my rear view mirror.

To insure proper level play, please play this level within its stand_alone package. Below, are all
the changes and/or additions made since the alpha update (consider them spoilers). Save game
options have been restored, though please note;

. . . once power has been restored to the lighthouse, save_games should not be created beyond
this point (as these will break the remaining puzzling associated with the beacon's controls). To
be clear, once you retuirn to the main floor and begin operating the beacon control panel, "NO
SAVE GAME" should be created (or used). No saved_game will work properly after this point. I
also advise not to 'restart level' after this point either.

Synopsis:

With its Captain apparently washed overboard during a storm, Anne finds herself alone on a
sinking boat. As luck would have it there is a small island just a short swim away, yet her only
hope rests with her signaling a passing ship that she is in desperate need of rescue. It is up to
you to see that she is.

Teaser Shots below. With input, contributions and collaboration with other tresops members, the level is slowly
progressing. It'll be months before an alpha is ready, but I figured now is as good a time as any to post a few
screenies of the level. Without giving too much of the storyline away, our dear Anne once again finds herself
in peril, shipwrecked on a small isle, in need of rescue, and with some dangerous dinosaurs getting in the way
of her doing so.
Attachments
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Last edited by Rebel on Wed Feb 08, 2023 8:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Castaway Level (in the works)

Post by tatu »

The 3rd pic with the building reminds me a lot of the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" game, or similar to the Age Of Pirates/Sea Dogs. Love it!
Active project: Trespasser: Isla Sorna
Status:
BE-PH1: Released
PH2-IT: Pre-released
PL-SUM: In production

"...there used to be more benches, but InGen's workers removed them during the evacuation in the name of framerate."
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Re: Castaway Level (in the works)

Post by Nick3069 »

So the rescue from TC-Rescue didn't go so well then? Poor Anne. I look forward to playing it.
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Re: Castaway Level (in the works)

Post by Rebel »

Nick3069 wrote:So the rescue from TC-Rescue didn't go so well then? Poor Anne. I look forward to playing it.
Nah, the anthology is over and done, Nick. This is a separate adventure for Poor Anne.
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Re: Castaway Level (in the works)

Post by Hilwo »

Looks beautiful :D Looking forward to it!
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Re: Castaway Level (in the works)

Post by Rebel »

Credits: (not a spoiler, just trying to condense the post)
Spoiler: show
Contributions: This time around, I had a little help from my friends. Whether that help was in
the form of simple consultations or suggestions, models or textures or simple encouragment,
it was immensely helpful to get this level into its current Alpha stage. That includes, TheIdiot,
machf, MikeThe Raptor, tatu, Draconisarurus and Hilwo.

I would add, It'd be terrible of me not to give singular shout-outs to machf, who performed so
brillantly as the voice of the Lighthouse Keeper,TheIdiot for his very cool enhanced sky, dino
skins and feedback, and MikeTheRaptor for his historically specific models. The Keeper, was
obviously borrowed from TrespasserGuy's 'InGenCompound', which by itself is a great level.
As far as where the corpse originated or who modelled it I am unsure of, but I knew its future
destination. So thanks, to that mystery modeller.

TresOps Members List (past and present): Andres, Asjad, Big Red, Christopher, Chronzerg,
Dapper Dan, Draconisarurus, EggHead, Hppav, Hilwo, John Parker Hammond, Kovu, machf,
MadPpiper, Mickey, MikeTheRaptor, Nem, Rebel, Remdul, RexHunter99, Rexy40, Scallenger,
Second Illiteration, Sk8er, Sky, SlashMaster, Slugger, Spino2aurus, tatu, TheGuy, TheIdiot,
TptDac,Troodon, Wajas.

No doubt, Lee Arbuco (though I don't believe that's his real name) deserves all credit due to
him for Trespasser C.E., and of course Andres for TresEd and GeomAdd, Remdul for TPDC
which without there'd be no new dinosaurs. If I missed (or slighted anyone), I assure you it
was unintentional (and if i did, I offer my sincere apologies).
WalkThru: (Covers puzzle aspects only, not island exploration or dinosaur encounters)
Spoiler: show
Anne begins here journey standing near the bow of a sinking boat, calling out to the captain that
is nowhere to be seen. She surmizes that the captain of the chartered boat has drowned. Moving
frontside she finds the radio broken and the only thing of value that can be salvaged is a Machete
found lying upon the decking. It is a formidable weapon if wielded properly (a stabbing motion is
more effective than slashing), it's best not to leave it behind.

Making your way ashore, head for the lighthouse. Nearing the shore, you may have heard a poof,
a muffled sound coming from behind. Water rushing inside of the boat has forced one of hatches
to blow, the ship is now sinking fast beneath the waves. There's nothing Anne can do about it -

On shore now, head up the stairs of the lighthouse. Note the textover 'maybe I should try knockin'
first'. Of course, Anne does, but with no answer coming, you enter uninvited. There's stairs lead-
ing up to the top of the lighthouse and a ladder which leads down into a room below. Most prefer
the easy route, so take the ladder (to slow your descent, simply hit the walk key to avoid any dam-
age).

Anne is greeted with an unpleasant sight. A decaying dead man lying face up on his bed, staring
at the black abyss of death. She assumes it's the lighthouse keeper, or he was. In one hand he is
holding a tape recorder, in the other, a pocket watch. Note the time, as time is not Anne's friend,
as she will soon discover.

Hitting the rewind button of the tape recorder first, Anne then hits the play button and listens to
what are the last words of the Keeper. (The rewind button is 4th from the left and the play button
is 2nd from the left (and yes, Anne is frozen in place as the Keeper speaks))

Listen; if you do not understand Spanish, read along with the companion captions, it is afterall,
Anne's only chance of Rescue. You find that the Keeper was attacked, though Anne is uncertain
at that moment by what, but more important to her at this moment is that there's a chance for her
to use the lighthouse to send out an SoS and be rescued. With the Keeper's dying words, he has
given Anne the chance to live -

So, now Anne knows what she must do and what little time she has to do it in. The Keeper said
a supply ship will pass by on the 28th (and that's today) and its passing time is around 1400 hrs,
Anne has maybe an hour to send out that signal. Looking at the Keeper's watch, take note that
5 minutes have already passed since you had first entered the room. Best we get moving -

Head through the passageway that leads into the utility section of the lighthouse. Take note of
the pistolbow lying upon the table; weapons are always important, but what takes precedent at
this moment is restoring power. Head out, and to the backside of the lighthouse. The controls
of the generator are few, but need to be activated in the correct sequence;

1st button on 'top'
1st button 'bottom row'
last button 'top row'
middle button 'bottom row'

(you'll know if you are correct as any other sequence will trigger a shutdown)

Pleased with herself, Anne says, 'Ha! It worked!'.

The above frees up the power breaker handle inside of the maintenance section of the lighthouse.
It'd be advantageous for the player if he (or she) actually opened the circuit box door earlier since
once the power is turned back on, but a few seconds later the short occurs in one of the breakers
and it trips (you can remove it afterwards).

Ok, so obviously our dear Anne needs a replacement breaker, so where to look? Well, with none
seen within the utility room, our heroine heads out to the only other place she noticed while firing
up the generator; to that building atop the hill.

Breaking in:

2 methods: My favorite is the American Express Card. The 2nd, would be to smash out a window
(the large ones are breakable). Of course, if you prefer classic Trespasser, then you will need the
ladder that is lying out behind the lighthouse in order to be able to climb up and thru the window
that you have smashed.

(If missed, the American Express card is on top of the Keeper's end table).
With the AMEX, lining up Anne's hand and the card straight, you're aiming for the slit between the
doors and slightly above the double (or deadbolt) lock. If you come at it half-cocked (ie., from the
side and misaligned) the only thing you'll manage to do is to drop the card. The perfect location is
just slightly to the left of the door slit (It normally takes me between 10 to 20 seconds to break - in).

Continuing:

Hah. Seems our dear Anne might have caught a cold, or perhaps it just all that dust floating thru
the air! Surveying her surroundings, the building appears quite new, yet not quite complete. Be-
yond some furnishings there seems little in the way of anything of use. But, considering that the
steel cabinet is locked, well of course we'll need something inside there, a key! Now since there
is no key lying around for the cabinet's lock you'll need to break into that and that's a gun and the
only gun in level is inside of a locked room labeled 'private' inside of the buried ship. To the right
of that door is another for the supply room. On the floor you'll find a rather large wrench used by
the crew to snug the beer tap to the barrels. Use that wrench on the private room's door handle
to break in. A bit clunky to weld as a club; I find it easier to simply bump into the handle. It needs
to be struck several times before the handle will break off (giving you room access).

While doing a little exploring, take notice of the trash can near one corner of what appears to be
work benches. Someone has been burning something, hiding their dirty little secrets perhaps?
Reach in to find out. ;)

Outside again, circling around to the other end of the building, you'll find the power shed of the
building. Still got that key? Using that key to gain entrance, again you'll find another generator,
though again, more unfinished electrical work. But as luck would have it, the circuit box has al-
ready been installed, complete with its circuit breakers in place. Open the circuit box to retrieve
the double breaker that you need (note: you may have to grab at it a few times before it releases).

Returning to the lighthouse's utility room, replace the breaker (note: if the magnet of the circuit
breaker you carried went haywire, just drop it and pick it back up for to correct its alignment). If
you thought, haha!, I'm done, well you're not. The breaker is in the 'off' position; once the break-
er clicks in place, hit it once more with your hand to move its position to 'on' (you'll hear another
click once done).

Check the Keeper's watch, how are you doing on time? Do you need to hurry or do you have the
time for a smoke break? Well, I do (need a smoke break that is). Ok, I'm back -

Head back up the ladder:

Open the beacon's control panel box. Again, the button's labels are in Spanish, but regardless,
they're not entirely difficult to understand. Remembering what the Keeper said, the beacon will
need to be turned on, set to distress mode, and positioned in such a way that it would be easily
seen by a passing ship.

So;

1st, hit the 'power' button (top button, left, top button right is 'power off')
2nd, hit the 'manual' button (auto button rotates beacon and will not secure you a rescue)
last, hit the 'distress' button

Afterwards, head up the stairs:

Once at the top, note the small control box to the right of the door. A one time textover explains
where that beacon light flashing the SoS signal needs to be go. These 2 buttons are the manual
positional controls (top, clockwise, bottom button, counter-clockwise). Note the buttons cannot
be hit repeatedly as they're timed to work again only when the beacon is nearly a complete stop.
It may sound a little inconvenient, but it helps to not continually overshoot correct alignment. If
you happen to slide past the center of your target window, Anne will vocalize her annoyance of
it, but only once. To be certain that you have the beacon in the correct position its best to take a
walk outside and look up to check. Note it is possible, keeping with Trespasser's physical inter-
action, to climb up and move the beacon manually, but it is not an easy thing to do. You wonder,
have I, Rebel, done this? Well, yes. That's how I know that it isn't easy!

To conclude, after you are convinced rescue is coming, feel free to explor the rest of the level
as it is not included within this walk-thru. And there's no need to be concerned about your loca-
tion as to when the ship's passing will occur. Thanks to play animations, you won't miss out on
the ending, you'll be there and see it all. ;)

Hope you had even a little bit of fun playing and this walk-thru was helpful.

EasterEggs:
Calendar on the Keeper room wall is October 28, 1998. (Trespasser's original release date.)
Along the shoreline, there's a Wilson Volleyball modeled after Tom Hank's inanimate, yet oh
so famous friend from the Castaway movie.

The Keeper's watch is modeled after Captain America's compass that he carried. The photo
inside of the watch is that of Captain America's long lost love, Peggy Carter.

Along the shoreline, a life ring labeled 'SS BOTANY BAY'. It's both the name of Khan's ship
from Star Trek and of a nortorious penal colony of old Australia.

The shipwreck labeled 'MPBUIJS' is a play on both MadPpiper and Remdul's names.
The Telegraph (or speed control) of the above ship is textured with an actual picture of the
Titanic's Telegraph.

The cannon perched atop of the remaining roof section of the old Spanish fort is an easter-
egg, but it's a secret 'ala tomb raider' as to how to reach it. I'm not spilling the beans, other
than saying mentioning tomb raider is a hint in and of itself. The last hint I'll give is to give a
look around near to where the sword is found. Therein lies the secret. ;)

The name on the american express card is; 'Juan de Cavallon'. He was a Spanard credited
with creating the 1st successful colonization of Costa Rica. Though Christoper Columbus
was first to discover and name the land, the initial colonization had failed.

Other:
There is but one gun in level; a 1911 colt 45. Reloading is possible by way of the ammo box
found on the desk in the sunken ship's private room. Please note, the gun must be emptied
of all ammo, then stored before a reload can occur; simply 'use' the ammo box. The second
ammo box can only be found/retrieved after you have emptied the gun a 2nd time. That can
be found inside of the bridge of the sunken ship, inside of a cabinet. Again, do not open the
box for reload until your 1st reload is emptied and the colt is holstered. Otherwise, all you'll
get is an empty box of ammo and no reload -

Spanish Sword (compliments of MikeThe Raptor (along with the helmets): It's a rather deadly
weapon, but it's of little use against the Stryac. Besides, he isn't bothering anyone, so please
don't harrass him (I know I don't like to be disturbed while eating).

The pistolbow is an effective weapon, but waiting for the weapon to reload (pullback) and al-
lowing the arrow previously shot to hit its mark is best. For one, to not waste shots, and two,
for asthetic purposes it allows an accurate count of remaining arrows in the quiver while not
screwing up the bow's drawback action or function.
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Re: Castaway Level - Alpha Released

Post by TheIdiot »

Fantastic work, Rebel. Congratulations on getting it out! I'm sure you know already how much I love the direction you're going for with this level. I will give this a go later this week and let you know how it goes (without the walkthrough, of course. Or maybe tonight. I'm pretty excited to try it out and see where you've taken it since I last looked at it. :D

I appreciate the shout out in the credits as well. Will be sure you remember to give you one once Cloning Facility is done. :)
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Re: Castaway Level - Alpha Released

Post by Nick3069 »

I played around in the level and I like it so far, I'm getting TC Isle vibes. There is a strong nautical theme again with several shipwrecks. The island is a fun sandbox, it is mostly flat, but it is filled with vegetation and interesting landmarks. One thing I didn't like was freezing the player to play voiceovers, especially during the lighthouse keeper's lengthy monolog, it kills the flow of the game. The subtitles are also not properly spaced out.
I'm looking forward to the next version of the level.
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Re: Castaway Level - Alpha Released

Post by TheIdiot »

Just managed to complete the level, as per the walkthrough (which I checked after finishing it to ensure I missed nothing), though I didn't actually get rescued as I managed to fall to my death trying to climb
Spoiler: show
the fort.
But I got all the puzzles solved properly and would have escaped. :P I really liked the one method to get into the hilltop building involving that one item and the door, felt very realistic and intuitive. The overall level design is beautiful and nicely spaced-out with a ton of unique and interesting locations to see,
Spoiler: show
although I do wish there was more reason to explore some of the hidden locations, such as items that are key to puzzles and such
. And I thoroughly enjoyed getting
Spoiler: show
the lighthouse running
, felt a good sense of accomplishment, though perhaps a few additional cues here and there might have helped - particularily some indicator of whether Anne
Spoiler: show
has the light at the top properly aligned or not
. I also felt like the Raptors weren't aggressive enough as I killed most of them just by running up and slashing them with the machete - which is indeed a very deadly weapon - while they were drinking. Would have also liked to have perhaps seen a Raptor
Spoiler: show
come down into the hull of the buried ship
as it looks open enough that the AI might be able to navigate it.
My only gripe is that I couldn't figure out how to get the
Spoiler: show
generator behind the lighthouse to work. I actually thought I was doing something wrong as it wasn't working every time I hit a button and it sounded like it started up. Rather than trial-and-error, might I suggest some sort of instruction manual (in English) hidden somewhere that better explains how to start it? Maybe a Spanish-English dictionary even that explains the words on the boxes. The box that operates the lighthouse light was rather obvious after looking at it for a bit, but a manual for that somewhere might also be handy.
I also wouldn't mind if the level ended right after you manage to get all the puzzles solved, or if there were some option or function that would allow you to end the level once the puzzles are completed if you're ahead of time as it only took me about half an hour to get everything solved, after which I had not much else to do. Maybe after getting everything set-up, you can sit down in a chair somewhere and "wait" (aka, skip time to the end)
Spoiler: show
by the helipad
until you get picked up or something?

Apologies for the mass of spoilers, I don't want to ruin the level for anyone who hasn't played it yet. It's really good, the puzzle design is fantastic and original, and it just "feels" right. Can't describe what that means but just give it a go - I was reminded strongly of some of the TC Isle stuff at times which is always a good sign. Highly recommended, it's sure to be another classic from you, Rebel. :)

...and I will also admit that I played the level without the standalone .exe. I ran it like any other mod. Didn't experience any problems whatsoever, all the puzzles ran totally smoothly, and I didn't reload any saves as per your advice (which caused me to take a bit more time than I'd expected).
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Re: Castaway Level - Alpha Released

Post by machf »

I hadn't realized there was already a public release of this little level... I'll give it a try during the day.
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Re: Castaway Level - Alpha Released

Post by tatu »

Nice! Will check it out soon enough. I already made it a news post and added it to the site this morning, before work 8-)
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Re: Castaway Level - Alpha Released

Post by Rebel »

Hi Gents, thanks for the feedback. I take any compliment, suggestion, or critizism under advisement to
guide future changes and/or improvements. Since this is an alpha, there will definitely be changes, but
I won't be visiting the level again until construction season winds down again (we started early this year
and I'm not happy about it). I decided to release the level in Alpha form since I have very little free time
for the next several months. I thought the decision was better than putting it aside for multiple months.

@Nick: It's very difficult to time the keeper's sentences with captions. I spent hours on this, and pretty
much, it is the best I can do. Spanish is a more heavily multi-syllable language than is English, and add
to that, pauses, coughing, etc., I'm amazed I got it that close. Regarding the freezing of the Anne while
the Keeper speaks, I went back and forth on that. On one hand, I wanted to be certain that you listened
and read all the captions as they give you information that is rather useful, and on the other hand, I had
my doubts on whether or not the freeze should stay or be removed. I'm still undecided. Thanks for the
input (and your opinion on the latter).

@T.I.: As always, an indepth review, thanks. I agree, the raptors need to be more dangerous but I had
little time to tweak their behaviours (though I assure you I'll address it). Most likely, I'll also be lowering
the damage done with the machete a bit to make combat with it a little more challenging. With respect
to when the ship passes by, I originally had it set up the way you suggested, but after repeating the puz-
zles so many times in testing, I was uncertain just how long a time someone needed to figure out all the
puzzle pieces. I may go back to my original scripting; if the beacon setup is correct, the ship can arrive
early and if not, when you run out of time, the ship sets sail anyways. I'll consider the hint you suggest-
ed for the generator, but I'm rather hesitant to making things too easy to solve. And sorry you got your-
self killed trying to climb the fort walls, but you're not going to get to that cannon that way. ;)

Lastly, I omitted one easter egg from the list purposely; I wondered if anyone might have noticed. Since
not, I'll add it to the posted list.

@Tatu: Thanks, bud. ;)
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Re: Castaway Level - Alpha Released

Post by Nick3069 »

Rebel wrote: Mon Feb 06, 2023 7:21 pmIt's very difficult to time the keeper's sentences with captions. I spent hours on this, and pretty much, it is the best I can do. Spanish is a more heavily multi-syllable language than is English, and add to that, pauses, coughing, etc., I'm amazed I got it that close.
Ah, I see. It's not too bad, but there was one long line in particular I was not able to read before it disappeared. I'll have to replay the level to tell you which one.
Rebel wrote: Mon Feb 06, 2023 7:21 pmRegarding the freezing of the Anne while the Keeper speaks, I went back and forth on that. On one hand, I wanted to be certain that you listened and read all the captions as they give you information that is rather useful, and on the other hand, I had my doubts on whether or not the freeze should stay or be removed. I'm still undecided. Thanks for the input (and your opinion on the latter).
Seeing as the lighthouse keeper monolog plays in a small room, instead of freezing the player, maybe you could trap the player. Maybe one of the ladder step falls off and the piece to fix it is in the next room and the door is locked until the voiceover is done. This way you can at least play around with the objects in the room while listening to the monolog.
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Re: Castaway Level - Alpha Released

Post by Rebel »

Seeing as the lighthouse keeper monolog plays in a small room, instead of freezing the player, maybe you could trap the player. Maybe one of the ladder step falls off and the piece to fix it is in the next room and the door is locked until the voiceover is done. This way you can at least play around with the objects in the room while listening to the monolog.
I just removed it, Nick. If a player decides to wander about and misses important info that the captions give, well that'll be on them. ;)
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Re: Castaway Level - Beta Released (02/19/23)

Post by Rebel »

Beta Release Link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/fc6vq8mc ... a.zip/file

Replacement CawStream.tpa file: https://www.mediafire.com/file/9q8xtp4v ... e.zip/file
The above tpa file replaces the one included within the beta. There was a duplicated line by the keeper, which
of course, shouldn't have been. What can I say? The older I get, the more senile I become.


To insure proper level play, please play this level within its stand_alone package. Below, are all
the changes and/or additions made since the alpha update (consider them spoilers). Save game
options have been restored, though please note;

. . . once power has been restored to the lighthouse, save_games should not be created beyond
this point (as these will break the remaining puzzling associated with the beacon's controls). To
be clear, once you retuirn to the main floor and begin operating the beacon control panel, "NO
SAVE GAME" should be created (or used). No saved_game will work properly after this point. I
also advise not to 'restart level' after this point either.

*Beyond some additional detail models that may or may not be added in the future I consider this
level completed. An audio issue machf pointed out with the keeper I'll be addressing, but that'll
only involve a replacement of the CaWStream.tpa file, though I'm not certain when I'll get around
to it. Of course, if you don't speak Spanish, you'll never notice.


Beta changes below (spoiler alert):
Spoiler: show

blended ground textures (new palette) to support blood splats 02/05/23
repacked swap file to implement above (imported blood splat) 02/05/23
unfroze player while listening to the keeper's recorded words 02/06/23
created quick start guide for generator (back cover of book on utility room shelf) 02/07/23
added the isle's dummy books and the generator guide to above shelving 02/07/23
recreated trigger to call in ship early if beacon's position and sos signal triggers fire 02/07/23
modeled simple shirt model(s) to fill in the keeper's nightstand desk 02/07/23
tweaked raptor t-scripts to make them more aggressive, less likely to flee 02/07/23
lowered damage on boat's machete (from ten to seven) 02/07/23
added sound for night-stand's drawer opening (TCR - DRAWER OPEN) 02/07/23
added survival type knife in keeper's drawer for additional weapontry 02/08/23
rerouted radio's plug wire below table line (to avoid crossing over shelving) 02/08/23
lowered early ship call (if beacon's position and sos signal triggers fire) to 5 minutes 02/08/23
repacked swap file (rockface texture was not changed to updated palette colours) 02/08/23
added 2nd crested_raptor outside of the fort walls 02/09/23
added Coelophysis corpse (giving the above raptor something to munch on) 02/09/23
added Death trigger for 2nd crested_raptor (for closed eyes upon death) 02/09/23
halved pistolbow's reload time (drawback), increased arrow's speed. 02/09/23
increased size of AIBox's around the hilltop building's stairs 02/09/23
froze 'QuiverPacked-00" until pistolbow is actually picked up 02/09/23
increased size of AIBox around lighthouse's generator 02/09/23
added cannon_ram model to inside of fort (broken (two pieces) 02/10/23
added several missing sub_objects to interior of fort 02/10/23
added additional voiceover for private door entry on buried ship 02/10/23
added steamer trunk for the keeper's sleeping quarters 02/17/23
moved bowie knife to interior of steamer trunk 02/17/23
moved american express card to drawer of nightstand 02/17/23
added manual fuel siphoning_pump (placed behind diesel tank) 02/18/23
removed fuel barrel top from outside of lighthouse (near tank) 02/18/23
added threaded fuel barrel top to fuel barrel buried in sand 02/18/23
added CoeloD (mesh model to be used for a loner coelophysis) 02/18/23
added teleport cube for loner coelophysis on right side of fort 02/18/23
added trigger to teleport loner coelophysis for simple ambush 02/18/23
added 'death trigger' (for closed eyes) for loner coelophysis 02/18/23
added level alert (for last time a saved_game can be successfully used) 02/18/23
tweaked several asa (play animation files) 02/19/23
restored save_game and level restart options 02/19/23
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