🚀 go-pugleaf

I'm normally very hard to get moved to the point where I feel a need
to publically praise.  Maybe because I have such high standards or
just because I feel I can't say much that hasn't been said before.  I
mean i've done it for Manse, 7th Crystal, Frobber's Prophecies, but
most people already know about those.

However i'm now doing it for someone who doesn't seem to have been
properly recognized (in my book) and with alot of potential - William
The Taffer.  It's a review of all of his missions, and will contain
major spoilers.  If you want the spoiler free version:

Play Deceptive Perception (but not if you have heart conditions)

And Play A Nights Recourse if you want to laugh at something very
absurd yet fun.  ;)

And of course, what I thought were two really quick but good jokes in
Osama Bites The Dust (the barrel, you'll see) and Fight Pub.



***SPOILERZONE***  For if you otherwise aren't planning on playing the
missions and just wanted to know why I thought they were cool or why
he's worth keeping an eye on in the future, i'll spoil it for you.
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Deceptive Perception is what finally inspired me to have to write - I
wont give major spoilers, but it's truly been among the most
disturbingly wonderful missions i've ever played.  Inverted Manse took
a sense of what I would call creeping horror to a whole new level and
some genuine startles...  certain points in 7th Crystal disturbed me
and it also had the most shockingly unexpected jolt i've ever had in
any videogame.  But the very ending of Deceptive Perception ramped up
in such a way and caused such intense panic it was beyond any i'd
experienced in Thief before, even the more startling missions i've
played... all I can say is G*d D*mn.  :)  NOT a level for anyone with
a heart condition, and yes i'm being completely serious.

The whole mission can be played in 5-10 minutes, and I guarantee will
be the most intense 5-10 minutes you've ever played.  :P  It's
shortness makes it like a roller coaster ride - able to hold you at
that level of intensity.  By the way that this one endsIt rates a 10
on KOMAG's site and deserves every bit of it.  My biggest comment is
"wow, i'd love to see what he could do if he was serious."  Ie - a
full length, non demo-esque mission, and the story/writing/etc to
match.

Interestingly enough though, I was considering writing about him even
before seeing Deceptive Perception, because of potential talent I saw
on the underrated Eye of Rutherford, and even more because of his
wonderfully irreverant sense of humor.  Here are my mini reviews and
comments:

EYE OF RUTHERFORD - this is more a demo than a mission because there's
not alot to do, hence probably why it only got a 4 (or whatever it
was) but actually shows very nice level design in it.  Ie - most of
the missions ranked between 7-10 are no better - very nice look, feel,
attention to detail, quality of textures, and so forth.  Expanded to a
full size mission with proper story and what not, it would not be
lacking for level design at all.  The dialogue writing in the
beginning is funny too, as is stumbling in and surprising a guard
sitting on the toilet.  ; P

SPACE THIEF - not much in the way of a mission, but simply the idea. 
Thief... in space.  I look out the window and see the stars going by
and everything and it just confirms he has a unique sense of humor. 
;)

OSAMA BITES THE DUST - this is one of the few missions to emit
unexpected laughter primarily because of one innovative ***SPOILER***
joke - barrels full of hammerites where you toss out a barrel, it
breaks, and left is a hammerite with arms held straight out for a
moment (adding to the visual humor, like they came off an assembly
line or something) to go attack Osama.  Technically it also features
an enviromental change I didn't see anywhere else when a bomber flies
overhead and blows stuff up.  It's more of a demo  than a mission, but
I loved the humor.

FIVE MINUTE THIEVES GUILD - again not necessarily the best level in
existance but... you're trying to find something called The Crayman's
Liver??!?

FIGHT PUB - more absurd humor in a demo, brief parody of Fight Club
obviously.

SIR LECTOR COMES TO DINE - Hannibal Lector in Thief, more absurdity! 
But the design of the cabin itself is actually pretty good, most
notably the scene of the murder looking exactly like I would expect 5
minutes after someone went psychotic and ate one of the guests with
all the guests panicking - things knocked off the table, smears and
splatters of blood, and so forth.  It showed me he can create the
proper mood/scene.

NIGHTS RECOURSE - ***SPOILER*** ROFL!  This is one of the coolest
micro-missions i've played to date, recommended!  You're sitting in a
modern age house, at your computer, playing Thief, and a noise from
burglars alerts you.  So you sneak out of your computer room back to
your bedroom to grab a staff and are faced with a blaring stereo and
zombies to club the sh*t out of who are moving like they're in a bad
kung fu movie.. the absurdity of this made me laugh so hard I couldn't
fight them the first time, and afterwards had to replay the mission 3
more times for the sheer enjoyment value.

So in short, public thanks for the uniquely absurd enjoyment your FM's
have provided to me so far (the only other one I can think of in the
primarily-humor category is Gonchong's The Alarus Extension), for the
wonderful scare and cinematic staging in Deceptive Perception, and for
giving me something to hope for and look forward to - if you ever
choose to make a full length mission (or heavily participate in the
design of) i'm sure it will be a must download and go right into the
Best category.  And I hope you continue with the wonderful sense of
humor you bring to all the less serious missions.

Keep up the good work.  :)


Jason Steele