An excellent mission though one does begin to wonder what the thing is lately with the fad of many better works using seemingly as primitive T1 graphics and assets as possible in stark contrast to let's say the late 2000s to mid 2010s - I like my FMs visually as good as it gets and preferably in T2, no nostalgia - everything T1 can do visually can T2 emulate and do better at that, it used to be progress as opposed to retro/devolution. But other than that can this FM serve as a textbook example of prime quality level design by a resourceful and versatile author that is complex and memorable but not labyrinthine, with all parts interconnected by myriads of routes you can all enjoy discovering and use to your advantage and overall even makes sense storywise. Which, including the overall style, to me seemed mostly to emulate the very early LG concepts (including some of the very early FMs like The Shadow of Lord Rothchest) as to what the TDP world would be - gritty & medieval in both the best and worst of ways, occasionally even verging in its brutishness into the territory of a certain TV series (you know, the one with flying reptiles) - also it's hard to recall a Thief FM storyline that lends itself so much to a revenge-style campaign (or let's say that of a self-appointed administrator of justice), and the custom assets you can get seem to confirm that.

One slightly weird aspect about this mission is the author's apparent unwillingness to accord some status to the many hidden areas and tasks you can discover at least by way of complementary/optional objectives in a sort of creative waiver and the objectives screen remains at all times strangely empty in contrast to the wealth of ideas included. And, finally, rock crusher no crush zombie - what?

Interesting points. I agree there's a little trend between T2 FMs "improving" or evolving gameplay and level design, while T1's lean on the retro style. Examples of each: What Feast of Pilgrims is to Life of the Party, and what Intertheft/this FM/Lost Among the Forsaken are to the original T1 design...

Or is it?

Are we attribuing too much to single, standalone FMs in both cases? I'm not sure where the line is. I'm more doubtful in T2's case, not so much on T1.

Ultimately the answer as to why this is, if it is happening, is probably the same old question on why some people prefer each of the originals: the difference in gameplay and design. T1's getting lost on tombs vs victorian, early-electricity thiefing. T1's FMs obviously appeal more towards that, except for some like Scarlet Cascabel. So it's no surprise that T1's best regarded FMs feel like almost a retro-remake of the first.

What I don't agree with is that this means that T1's FMs that follow this trend make level design worse. Just compare the mine section of this FM with the mine section of the Cragsleft Prision OM.

Finally, I believe there is no "found secret" mechanic in T1, it's an engine improvement that only T2 has. Authors clearly place what would be secrets most of the time, it's just an engine limitation.

For what it's worth, I don't think nanao. is talking about level design (obviously the level design here, as in many other TG fms of recent times, is more "advanced" in some ways than actual T1 levels) so much as the more advanced engine specs and features that T2 offers over T1.

And, sure, there are levels with TG-ish themes for T2: Rodamill or Dark Messiah, to name a couple personal favorites. But the assets of T1 have held up just fine, stylistically speaking, and lend themselves well to what modern level designers are doing in terms of geometry. And if some of those designers prefer to do as much as they can with a relatively limited toolset, there's something to be said for that.

Just to clarify (or repeat myself):

"...that follow this trend make level design worse."

I actually didn't mean level design at all but all the possibilities in terms of assets, textures, colour depth, various effects, custom assets etc. that I believe T2 has against the original - the "full set" so to speak while T1 (again I may be wrong and very resourceful authors may prove otherwise if against the odds) only allows some (so why limit yourself).

As for the additional objectives, I didn't necessarily mean for them to be as secrets but rather in a bog standard way, just for player's information and reference ("...help NPC x to y...", (or maybe, help NPC z to counter the aims of NPC x=> choice/dichotomy etc.) "...gather quantity a of items b to be used for c...", "investigate the ancient secrets of the facility (implicitly by exploring hidden areas)" etc., triggered by the respective event/first find or similar, optional and/or non-optional) and sense of achievement (and maybe a little storytelling/worldbuilding along the way).

PS All by Schattengilde (sadly not many works in total) is worth exploring (if one is over 18 and tolerates metal music) but Dark Messiah specifically for how the same (T1) theme can be actually implemented to better impact with T2 assets than some notoriously overpopular more current realizations of the same in TGold.