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	Tempus Irae Volunteers - Like a Well-Filled Day
	Posted By: Steve Levinson	Date: 11/25/03 9:20 a.m.
	First of all, some basic bookeeping. I am not the TI Volunteers Series leader, but I seem to have gotten in front of it at the beginning much as Mark Levin did with the original Volunteers Series. I don't intend to monopolize things and am really enjoying everyone else's posts. Please feel free to start a post on any next level that is ready to be discussed. As with the original effort, we should try to maintain a rate of one level per day, although with holidays coming up, it would be understandable if we get a little bit behind. Let's agree not to go faster than one level a day as the whole intent is to allow people the chance to play each level as if anew. One other suggestion - there certainly is no point in discussing the Repository levels, as they are really only information levels and nothing really happens there. There are often significant insights, however, to be gained from these. What I would suggest is that each repository level be treated as an introduction to the subsequent level (which in effect they are) and discussed as such. Also, I personally would like to discuss the secret levels as we come to them, even though they hold little of relavence to the story. OK, now for Repository 1: We're going to see this room a lot in the future. It is the final room from Ain't My Bitch. We again note the earth out the window. Now, hoever, there is an active "repository" - a chip slot - that is lit and ready to receive the mysterious manuscript that we picked up in Gates of Delerium. Insert the manuscript and you're ready to read the terminal and go to the next level. This is a typical S'Pht terminal. Nothing really interesting here - just an explanation of how the S'Pht are trying to give us the tools we need - pattern buffers and weapons - while erasing all traces of the technology when we leave the area. Now why can't they also give us shield regenerators while they're at it? What they don't explain is how they're going to clean up after the Pfhor, who will be leaving all sorts of non-native remains and weapons scattered about. Like a Well-Filled Day: As per the spoiler guide, this is the largest level by volume in the entire series, although most of it is inaccessible. Just think about that for a minute. The area that the player can physical explore is rather limited, but it's the largest level. Let that thought sink in. They created a HUGE level with vast outdoor areas with sweeping vistas and populated with juggers, other bad guys and lots of buildings and scenery objects that you can never reach. I feel fairly comfortable in saying that this is truly a first. Yes, we have seen inaccessible areas before, particularly in Infinity, but never before so detailed. This is in many ways what makes this series seem so real. This is eye candy at its finest - so much so that you can't help by stare - until a jugger launches rockets at you. This level, like so many in TI, is layed out in a very regular pattern with hallways and stairways that lead off of a centeral area and that inevitably lead back to the central area. This I suppose reflects architectural themes of the time, but it can get a bit monotonous after a while. My one gripe, I suppose, is that the level is too linear. There is only one way to go - go forward, activate a switch, come back to the beginning and find that a new passage has oppened up. This level could easily have been made more nonlinear with all passages open, but with switches that still need to be activated to get to the manuscript. On the other hand, there are examples of this on other levels and one of the big difficulties there is that the switches can be hard to find when there is no single pathway leading to them. I guess it's hard to find the right balance. The one terminal on this level is again a personal notebook from Davinci himself. In it he tells of his continuing to be haunted by the dark, shadowy figure, who often comes to him in his dreams. His scientific understand of the nature of things also seems to grow as a result of these visits. For example, he makes what at the time would have been an astounding leap of understanding when he realizes that water flow and air flow are both types of fluid flow that obey the same natural laws - that an irregularity in a channel that disturbs water flow is no different than a damaged feather on a bird that disturbs flight (the principle of turbulence). Davanci also has a vision of something sinister - of his water works rising up and flooding all he could see. This is likely S'bhuth's way of conveying to Davinci the terrible forces at work that must be stopped. But is S'bhuth talking about the Pfhor, or the W'rkncacnter? This level rolls out the new "non-secret" pattern buffers. They look like a metalic bas relief of Davinci with some associated text. The level ends in a chase scene in an outdoor area in which we must dodge numerous enemies while searching for the exit. I believe that this is also the first time that we encounter trees, tree stumps and the like that are impassible objects, making movement even more difficult. Monsters are more numerous on this level and ammo is not as generous, but the level is still easy enough to vid on TC, as I just did when I realized that I forgot to explore the secret areas.

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Replies:

	Tempus Irae Volunteers - Like a Well-Filled Day	Steve Levinson	11/25/03 9:20 a.m.
	Re: Tempus Irae Volunteers - Like a Well-Filled Da	Mark Levin	11/25/03 11:53 a.m.
	Re: Tempus Irae Volunteers - Like a Well-Filled Da	Gholsbane	11/28/03 1:00 a.m.
	Re: Tempus Irae Volunteers - Like a Well-Filled Da	Mark Levin	11/28/03 7:02 a.m.

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