i am sad to say i didn't get on particularly well with stealth mode. i loved the tutorial, but failed three times to axe the second dog in map one without waking it or the surrounding knights up. this got a bit frustrating and i decided not to continue. to be honest, i'm not not much of a stealth games person!

however upon reading some of this thread i realised it could also be played conventionally, so did just that. i chose easy skill for some reason, so while it wasn't hugely challenging it was a sheer joy to behold and explore. i don't normally have the patience to hunt around for secrets in q1sp but felt compelled to here given the relatively compact layouts and the way some of them are presented to the player using the 'show and tell' method described above. it helped that it looked so great too (beautiful details & tinted lighting) - i didn't want to leave :) and managed to find all of them in map one, eight in map two. only three in the start map... will have to give it another whirl next time! 

@Any func moderator, please could you change the title of this thread to read 'New Q1SP In The Shadows'. I get the impression that a lot of people are missing the fact that this is a Q1SP episode to play with.

@stevenaaus, if you don't like stealth, play the maps as per normal quake. All maps are balanced and setup to support 3 skill levels and should be fun without any of the stealth mechanics. I know not everyone likes stealth which is why I created and tested all maps with both game play modes.

@rj, I am glad you liked it, was there any favourite secrets you liked? Did you try all of the doors in S1M2? Was there anything you did not like? Would you play the maps again on a higher skill level?

@Preach, you are the last person I would have thought to do a 'nokill' stealth run! :) Was it fun to play? Did it take a while to find out where the best route was? 

@Preach, yeah the HUD is certainly a mess, I saw the axe and crossbow as two weapons which is why they are 1,2 on weapon selection and the different bolts as just different ammo for the crossbow and thought people would like to cycle the weapon key (like rogue did) for the crossbow. I will have to look at what they did with the HUD, it is frustrating not being able to display Poison instead of shells.

@Fern, yeah the Axe is really a bad choice for stealth because it is not really a stealth weapon. I never expected the MOD to get this far and tried to not keep creating new assets. It certainly would be cool to replace but that means new player animations as well. I am not sure I could convince necros to help me with the animations! 

Well here is it, I like to call it 'The Cosmetic Upgrade' because it is mainly visual additions. New particles, new models, new skins, new textures, new tutorial, more main story, new stealth books, new menu/help system and a few changes to the layout of some maps.

V1.1 Download Link
V1.1 Readme file

Please could any admins update the top links with the new links here?

If anyone has been waiting to try this MOD, then this version is the one to try because it is fine tuned to offer the most feedback and support to anyone trying to play stealth for the first time. (tutorial / on screen message / f1 menu) I still would love to hear from czg, vondur, metlslime, nitin, scampie and Tronyn at some point. All feedback is welcome.

I would also like to state one more time, this MOD can be played in either vanilla or stealth mode, both modes are equally supported and play perfectly well! and all skill levels! :) 

yeah i'll pick a higher skill next time. i think the only reason i played easy was because i initially picked it when trying out stealth mode, as it was a new form of gameplay i wasn't used to. so i selected it without thinking the second time round

i'll have to get back to you on specific secrets (i've played a lot of q1sp this weekend!) but yes, i did get all the doors and loved the choice of sound effect, as well as the little messages that followed :) - the messages in general (including the books) did a lot to add to the vibe and immersion. really makes a difference when you feel part of an actual place where stuff happens (for lack of better wording) 

I am not sure I could convince necros to help me with the animations!

I don't mind, just send me requirements and your base model. :) 

Where do I put Impulse 247 to get to be executed automatically? 

I have updated the links, the news post and made a few wording changes to make it obvious you can play in standard Quake mode.

I wont get a chance to play for a few days though but will post when I do. 

Here's no-kills, no-alerts, no-poison for the other map:

http://www.quaketastic.com/upload/files/demos/s1m2-boss-run.zip

So quick replies on run 1. It was fun to try and find a possible route - I quickly decided there was no way I could get in through the front door without getting spotted, so the first challenge was finding a way to get the water-gate down. Finding a way from the nailgun room to the bridge took a little while, then everything was pretty easy until leaving the cave. Once I decided both knights needed to be shot it worked quite reliably. Spawning the shambler without being seen by it was tough, especially since it could ruin the whole run at the last moment.

I have to say that being stealthy in S1M2 is much easier than S1M1, the demo only took 3 tried once I had the route figured. It's a more forgiving map if you make mistakes, and it's far more open so you've got more options. I'd really recommend anyone who didn't get on with the stealth make sure they try S1M2 before they give up on it. If you get spotted by any of the first few enemies on S1M1 you're stuck in a dead end with nowhere to run. The courtyard in S1M2 is much safer for a new player.

Quick note: the demo was recorded on the first release and won't play in the second. I've now downloaded the 2nd and snuck a peak at the models. That flail knight is AWESOME... 

I can't believe you actually put that in the readme! 

And yes: the seargeant and archer models are really cool. Can't wait to see them ingame. No neat animation groups for QME, though. 

@Yhe1, no impulse commands cannot be executed outside of the game (shortcut,config file). Once you type this command and save it will be part of the save file and then when you start the MOD and load a file it will still be set, right?

@nitin, thanks for the updates. Looking forward to your demo or feedback. :) Just remember stealth does not start until you find the amulet. I did put this in the all the readme/help systems but it needs to be more obvious, my fault on that one.

@preach, I saw your nokill demo and you did something I was not expecting, a cool way to get to the upper balcony. Have you tried the nokill runs on the hard skill level? Things are much more difficult? I will have to try and get through the front door on s1m1 but I think it will be crazy to move all the mobs.

Sadly the extra models is a mistake, I was so tired yesterday I forgot to double check the pak file for files that are not needed. They will appear in the 'Aramis Keep' map which is the home of the Blue Flail Knights.

@negke, oops sorry, I thought that is what you wanted put in the readme file (credit and stuff). On a serious note your feedback has been priceless for this MOD and this is the reason why you and necros are included in the all of the help files. 

It was meant as a joke. It does fit the story though. 

That is why I included it, I thought it was funny and not out of place with the story. If it bothered you I can removed it for the next release. 

For anyone who has tried this MOD already and is wondering what the new version is about, check the readme file (separate link at the top) it contains a list of new features. This version is mostly about the help and information on the stealth system. I wanted to make sure the first play through was not so frustrating and easier to understand.

Extra console commands of interest:

training - teleport to training area
pixels - no more pixel vision!
feet - foot step sounds

If anyone has more feedback or suggestions please let me know. 

http://www.quaddicted.com/tronyn-reviews/in_the_shadows_by_sock 

@onetruepurple, Wow thank you, I was not expecting this :D

I have fixed most of your problems with the latest version. You can keep global fog turned off for all maps (console command) and the vault button is really easy to find. (my mistake) 

I wrote a couple of articles for my ModDB page about some of the features for the MOD In the Shadows, links below.

Discussing the new AI systems:
http://www.moddb.com...s/looking-smart

Talking about exploration and how it can integrate with storyline:
http://www.moddb.com...tion-is-the-key 

http://www.moddb.com/mods/its/features/looking-smart

http://www.moddb.com/mods/its/features/exploration-is-the-key 

Clearly a typo in the review score. Should read 21/20. 

Yeah - i knew you could play it normally, but after accepting the necklace/cloak? at e1m2 start, i was stuck with it till i figured to reloaded the start map.

Played e1m2 first, but enjoyed e1m1 more. Thats a nice rework. 

@ijed, thanks I was not really paying attention and just copy and paste the links which was a bad idea in retrospect.

@negke, I don't think the Tronyn reviews go higher than 18/20! :P I am just glad it was reviewed because I got the impression that Tronyn was not interested in the MOD. It might have got a higher mark if the reviewer was more into stealth because the MOD really shines when sneaking around the new maps.

What has surprised me the most about func is the lack of people who actually like stealth mechanics, I assumed it would be more. It does raise an interesting point, 'how much change to a game can you introduce before it alienates the original players of the game!'

@stevenaaus, what skill level did you play? find many secrets? any demo's? Did you replay with different skill levels? 

I think this is caused by lots of games with shitty, shitty stealth mechanics.

Definitely not the case with ITS.

I played Thief recently - a game I missed when it came out. It was good but lacked the rounding off of the corners that modern game design has introduced.

The main thing it had was even when I failed I knew why. Might be surprising since it doesn't have any stupid popup tutorials or glowing icons telling exactly what to do, but it is intuitive, which ITS also has.

I spose the point I'm trying to make is that heavy handed icons and tutorial dialogs that lead the player by the hand aren't liked by anyone, and are only necessary when a game or mod is designed by committee (like most AAA games) and the focus is diffused.

Which is also what creates bad stealth game mechanics, and therefore the stigma.

IMO of course :) 

I have spoken to a lot of people so far about ITS and the conversation usually goes this way, "I did the tutorial, started the next map, died a lot and decided stealth was not for me"

I think this can mean several things; the map is too hard, the skill level is wrong, the player is dying and not knowing why, the player cannot understand how to improve the situation or just got fed up with the learning curve.

I am always amazed by people and feedback, I posted a stealth run video of me doing a nokill run and I got comments saying it looks too easy and the AI are dumb because they don't notice me. In retrospect it was probably a bad choice of things to post but I assumed people would enjoy it because it is fast, executed quickly and without any mistakes! Maybe people need to see how difficult it is? 

@ijed, I am confused because when I read your first comments about ITS you were having a hard time, died a lot and found it frustrating. You say ITS has good mechanics but was that after playing it for a while or initially? Was there a learning curve or a moment when it got better?

In the latest version I have added a ton of extra onscreen hints, shadow hint books, F1 screens and extra tutorials, doesn't that make it too much hand holding?