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BEHIND THE WALL OF SLEEP
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A Thief Gold Fan Mission
by Aemanyl

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Title                    : Behind the Wall of Sleep
Author                   : Aemanyl
Contact                  : PM on TTLG forums
Release                  : 28 October 2025 (Original release)
Version                  : 1.7 (13 December 2025 update)
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WARNING!

NewDark 1.28 or later is required. This mission CANNOT be
finished on NewDark 1.27 or earlier, so please update
your install with Roguepatcher.

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This fan mission is dedicated to Nameless Voice.

* STORY *

You suddenly wake up with a throbbing headache and no 
memory of how you got here. High hedge walls loom over you,
forming paths that twist and turn in every direction. It is
almost completely dark, with only faint light coming from
mushrooms growing along the ground and walls. You hear 
strange noises, but they seem unclear, as if they were 
distorted. You have no clear sense of what happened just 
before this. You remember surviving on small heists, taking
what you needed to eat, and spending nights without a roof
over your head. Alone and disoriented, you need to find a 
way out of this strange maze...

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* READ BEFORE PLAYING *

- Behind the Wall of Sleep is an experimental FM set in a
maze. It focuses more on atmosphere and exploration than
traditional Thief gameplay. My goal was to capture the
essence of autumn and combine it with horror elements to
create a dark, immersive experience.

- There are areas of total darkness (zero ambient light
featured in the level. Players are encouraged to use
scarce light sources as guides, sometimes looking back at
the glow behind them while moving towards the next faint
light ahead.

- For optimal experience, please adjust the gamma slider to
the left (but not extreme left) and possibly play the 
mission in a dark room. Play with fogging turned ON.

- This mission is intentionally challenging and not suitable
for beginners. However, if you still dare to play, you 
can pick between three difficulty levels: Easy, Expert, 
and Maestro. On Easy, there is no loot requirement, you 
have a sword, some doors and chests are unlocked, 
progression is facilitated, and there are fewer hostile 
AIs. Expert introduces the loot requirement. Maestro 
features a much higher loot requirement, additional 
puzzles or obstacles, and more hostile AIs. Choose Easy 
if you typically do not like mazes, Expert if you 
generally play on Expert, and Maestro for the fullest but
also very challenging experience. Be warned, Maestro can
get REALLY difficult at times!

- The level contains randomised events. Each event can have
between 2 and 8 possible outcomes. This means each 
playthrough will be different.

- This fan mission is NOT suitable for arachnophobes. You 
have been warned.

- The title of the FM was inspired by a Black Sabbath song
of the same name (RIP Ozzy) and it includes eight other
Easter eggs referencing their songs. Can you find them 
all?

- Information for streamers/let's players concerned about 
copyright strikes - as the mission includes three samples 
from Radiohead and Grimes, you may want to replace or 
remove the following files from snd directory: 
idioteque.wav, kida.wav, and metalp1.wav.


===================================================================
* Launch Information *

- NewDark 1.28 or later is required. This mission CANNOT be
finished on NewDark 1.27 or earlier, so please update 
your install with Roguepatcher.

- Do not play this FM with custom texture packs (such as HD
Mod or Thief Enhancement Pack), as it will likely create
compatibility issues.

- Launch it from either AngelLoader or FMSel.

- Please play with Fogging turned ON.

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* Play Information *

Game                   : Thief Gold
Level Name             : Behind the Wall of Sleep
File names             : miss20.mis
Difficulty Settings    : Easy/Expert/Maestro
Equipment store        : No
Map/Automap            : Yes
New graphics           : Yes
New sounds             : Yes
New models             : Yes
EAX Support            : No
Multi language support : No
Briefing Video         : No

===================================================================
* Construction *

Base                   : Maze brushwork from abandoned LGS
                         map "woodsie"
Build Time             : From August 6th (when I started
                         learning DromEd) to October 28th,
                         2025 (2 months, 22 days)

===================================================================
* Playtesters *

- Cardia
- DarkMax
- DirkBogan
- Dodylectable
- lordhern
- Lord Taffer
- Mat99
- Plibb
- RippedPhreak
- StandAndDeliver
- THE WANT
- WungusDasPungus

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* Dromed Help and Assistance *

List of all people who helped with answering my technical questions or troubleshooting.

- DirkBogan
- Froghemoth
- marsupial
- nicked
- RippedPhreak
- skacky
- Squadafroinx
- vfig
- Yandros

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* Custom Resource Credits *

- Special thanks to ashley_cygnus for voicing The Host,
Mat99 for significantly optimising the FM archive size, and
WungusDasPungus for adjusting and tweaking the map.

- Menu painting: Caspar David Friedrich - A Walk at Dusk.

- Meshes: Firemage, Nameless Voice, Team Calendra, Schwaa.

- Multibrushes: one room from Invitation to Castle Morgoth
meant as a tribute - adjusted, retextured, with a 
different ambience and purpose.

- Objects: Asgaroth, Christine, Dale, Eshaktaar, Firemage,
Flecha das Sombras, LarryG, Nameless Voice, Nicked (thank
you for the acorn especially!), raetsel, Schwaa, Team 
Calendra, Team T2X, Targa, Vigil, vfig (thank you for the
openable cage!), von.eins, Yandros, Zontik.

- Scripts: Nameless Voice, KDScript (Kevin Daughtridge).

- Sounds: Rune (2000), Hexen 2 (1996), Radiohead - 
Idioteque, Grimes - Shadeout Mapes, Grammatik - Placze 
Rymami, GORT, Jarek Matusiak, Alan Dalton.

Please contact me if you are name is not mentioned in the list above.

===================================================================
* FM Inspiration Credits *

- DrK: A Night in Rocksbourg.
- GORT: Rebellion of the Builder 1 and 2.
- Haplo: Darkness Walk With Us!
- KungFuGecko: Bloodstone Prison, Shunned.
- Lord Taffer: Mysteries of Tolham.
- Melan: Bad Debts, Disorientation.
- Nicked: Catacombs of Knoss, Behind Closed Doors.
- Purah: Autumn in Lampfire Hils, Calendra's Cistern, Calendra's Legacy.
- RippedPhreak: Cardinals' Sins, Venomous Ambition.
- Schlock and Squadafroinx: Into the Odd.
- Sperry: Shadow of Doubt, Brainchild, Awaken!
- Vlad Midnight: Invitation to Castle Morgoth.

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* Copyright Information *

This level is © 2025 by Aemanyl.

Distribution of this level is allowed as long as the archive 
and this file are kept intact.

This level was not made and is not supported by 
Looking Glass Studios or Eidos Interactive.

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