Ms.Croft

Although I so want this to be incorporated into the game, I see a problem with it. I assume if CD were going to add this to the game, they'd want to do it to add to the realism of it...therefore, making long jumps that require a run up wouldn't be possible if she needed to limp, so the player would need to have a healthpack handy to make it...if she could make these jumps limped it would take from the realism of it, so they kinda contradict each other. I so want them to add this feature to the game, but I don't know how it would work well in situations like that...unless of course they added a strategically placed health pack just before long jumps. MsC

Thanks Tom! It would have been more helpful if they had copied the angle of the first screenshot more, but I can see where he's coming from, there is a difference. The lighting in particular has made a major improvement to how realistic it's all looking...now I just wanna see this game in action with a trailer!! Thanks again, MsC

I'm rather tempted to get in the water with that Kraken! Thanks for the link, Shrensh! MsC

(N.B. Oh my God, it's been a year! I have written a lot more of this story and have just failed to update it due to time and lots of things happening! I will try my best to update it weekly if there's a lot of interest for it, but I will get this story finished regardless. Oh by the way, this next chapter is going to look like it was heavily influenced by the recent information released on Tomb Raider: Underworld, but I can hand on heart say I wrote almost a year ago, so...no lawsuits please CrystalD ) Chapter 6 The man of the lake Western Aegean Sea, Greece The blades of the plane wings whirled noisily overhead as Lara lent out of the doorway; a parachute attached to her back. She was dressed in a wetsuit with various buttons and tubes arranged perfectly around each other, and sporting goggles to protect her eyes. On either side of her parachute were two oxygen canisters. “Are you sure you no want to get closer to sea?” The Russian man behind Lara uttered staring at the thirteen foot drop into the waters below. “No, thank you. What’s life without some fun?” She smiled in response. She breathed inwards before giving the Russian man the three-finger salute. She looked back down, and jumped. At first, the feeling of falling was great as the plane got further and further away, however as the altimeter began to drop, Lara no longer felt like she was falling. To her, it felt like floating, softly, towards the Earth. An old friend of hers once told her that during freefall, she could do anything a bird could do except go back up. Intrigued, Lara tested this theory by keeping her arms close to her sides and tilting her body towards the cold waters below. She began to place pressure on her right arm and her body began spinning left. The feeling was intoxicating and all Lara could do was smile. No, she thought to herself, I must concentrate. In a rush of Adrenaline, Lara stared at her wrist altimeter. 4, 000 feet. Had she really been falling that long and fast? Looking towards the sea, she noticed the small islands neatly formed in a kind of spiral. Lara was aiming for the middle of these islands. 2, 000 feet. Bugger, her mind raced before she pulled the tag in front of her. The breath was knocked out of Lara’s body but she fought to breath as the parachute fought Earth’s gravity and the wind. Eventually Lara slowed with the parachuting and began breathing normally again. She watched her altimeter with great interest, waiting for it to reach 33 feet, which to Lara meant perfect diving height. 108…74…50…40…38…35…34…33. As soon as she could, Lara pressed a button on her wetsuit, moving the bag holding the parachute from her back and onto her chest removing the parachute entirely. As this happened, the canisters electronically moved closer to each other so that they were now in place of the parachute. She attached the oxygen nozzle to her mouth and breathed in deeply. Lara pointed her toes and formed her body to that of an arrow before she hit the water’s surface. Detecting the sudden drop in temperature, her suit warmed keeping Lara warm and comfortable. As she descended all Lara did was breath out, keeping the pressure of her body as low as possible. When she slowed to a complete stop, she turned on her PLS and fumbled with the bag that previously contained her parachute. Ripping it off her body, Lara greedily rummaged through the contents before finding her flippers. She attached these to her feet. They can provide me with a parachute/ Driver Propulsion Vehicle, but not shoes that turn to flippers… Smiling, she then placed both hands into her bag grabbing onto the metal circular object. She took this out and placed her body on top of it before placing her left arm on one of the handles. Her other hand found the bottom of the Driver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) where a handy Russian APS Underwater Assault Rifle was placed. She took this from its holder and placed it on top of the other handle. Now ready, Lara aimed the nose of the vehicle downwards and descended. Croft Manor, England “Where is she?” Alister said concerned, “She should have called in an hour ago!” “Chill dude, she’s fine. It’s Lara after all; she’d have to dive off a wall head first into concrete to die.” Alister glared back at Zip. “And what is that supposed to mean?” “That she’s effectively invincible, only her own stupidity could kill her…and Lara’s not stupid!” “Ah,” Alister sighed, “You’re right, she’ll be fine.” Western Aegean Sea, 40 Fathoms Lara breathed in and out slowly as she looked around seeing only figures and shadows of fish and rocks illuminated by her PLS. She could feel her heart beating in her chest as her eyes darted around at the scenery. It was around here somewhere…someplace. Rotating her DPV, Lara looked for any sign of old marble, stone, or any kind of rubble as a clue. As she rotated once more, Lara let out a deep breath and looked upwards ready to give up. As she ascended something reflected upon the surface in the distance. Lara’s heart pumped hard and she guided the vehicle towards the site in a rush of adrenaline. As the figure came into view, Lara outstretched her arm to grab it. It turned out to be a platinum coloured chain, and as her curiosity peaked, Lara couldn’t help but tug on it. The sand around the chain became disturbed as she pulled, as if it were moving something around it. In response to this, Lara pulled on the chain harder until the chain flew upwards and sand was spread in front of her. Before she could react Lara was sucked into the hole she had created and hit the floor with a thud that knocked the air out of her. Lara tried to gain her bearings as the room quickly filled with water, and before she knew it, her body was submerged once more. Lara’s eyes attempted to adjust to the darkness to no avail. Frustrated, she kicked her DPV to the floor and aimed her light in front of her. The room was made of metal. New Metal, Lara thought to herself. This submarine has not been here long; she processed with uneasiness in her stomach. As she looked down, there was a textured floor in the style of bumps, Probably for Grip. Looking up, all Lara could see was dark through the square hole. To the left, there was a small rectangular crawlspace the right size for someone a bit bigger than Lara. With excitement growing in her muscles, she swam towards the crawlspace. As she emerged from the other side of the crawlspace, Lara noticed the surface of the water about 10 feet above her. Eager to get out of her suit, she swam upwards. Lara climbed out of the water exhausted and rolled onto the bank to the sound of running water. She threw off her goggles and tore the almost gagging oxygen pipe from her mouth to the side. Breathing heavily, she pressed her finger against her ear, “Zip? Alister?” “LARA!” Alister screamed as he heard her voice. “Beautiful Zip, you fixed that reception issue we had back in England a year ago, and hello Alister, nice to hear you too.” “So…where are ya Lara?” Zip chimed in. “I’m not sure exactly. I should be in the Tomb of Achelous; the River God---one of the lead River Gods, might I add. Some believe he was the son of Gaia; The Goddess of the Earth. Homer, however, believed out of all three thousand River Gods, Achelous was placed above all as the source of all the World’s fresh water.” “Then what would a River God be doing in the ocean then, Lara?” “I’ll answer this one, Lara,” Alister interrupted. Lara saw this as the perfect opportunity to begin getting out of her wetsuit. “In ancient times, The Aegean Sea gave birth to two civilizations--the Minoans of Crete, and the Mycenean Civilization of the Peloponnese. Later, the cities of Sparta and Athens arose among others in the Athenian Empire and Hellenic Civilization. Plato described the Greeks living around the Aegean ‘Like Frogs around a Pond’, pond being the prominent word. With the ancient Greeks, the difference between a pond and a lake or river was subjective; therefore the Aegean Sea was not always known as such a sea, rather a river as it connected to other rivers. Having Achelous known as the lead River God, and having the Aegean Sea much larger and influential than the other rivers, it was thought that his Tomb was here, rather than the Acheloos River for which he was named after, which coincidentally is also the largest river in Greece.” “Quite right, Alister.” Lara replied, kicking her foot to dislodge her flip flop. “But the reason I am here is not to find Achelous, but rather Acheron. His river was believed to be a branch of the underworld river Styx as it translates to ‘The River of Woe’.” “So, why are you here in Achawotsits Tomb then?” Lara sighed. “I’m in Achelous’ Tomb because being the source of all fresh water, or rivers, he should lead me to Acheron, who should lead me to Styx…and then…well, you’ll just have to wait and see.” She said flipping her camera on so the boys could see what she could. What Lara could see was rather boring, at least to her. The room---like most entrances to Tombs---was circular, like a dome. However, because of the rocks that formed it, it was more like a badly cut out dome by a 5 year old child. The rocks looked damp, and reflected Lara’s PLS as if the sun were shining. The running water she heard earlier was a waterfall. “Now that’s interesting!” “What?” Alister asked. “A waterfall coming as if from nowhere, that’s what!” Lara responded walking up to it. Attempting to discover the source of the mysterious waterfall, Lara aimed her PLS upwards but only saw rocks with gallons of water pouring from it. Arching her left eyebrow, Lara knelt to the floor, picking up a rock the size of her palm. She threw it at the waterfall. “Interesting...” She noticed the rock disintegrate into thin air and leave behind a hole in the waterfall. “What? The hole! It’s...moving!” “What hole? Lara? Lara!?” Ignoring Alister’s squeaking voice on the other end, Lara watched as the hole in the waterfall fell into the floor and then appeared once more in the ceiling. “LARA!” Lara clutched her ear in frustration, “Yes, Alister, what is it?” “What hole?” “Well, I threw a rock at the waterfall and it created a hole in it. The only problem is, the hole is moving like it’s on a conveyer belt at a supermarket. Another problem is that the water appears to be made as if it were some form of acid...hold on a minute.” Lara squinted at the small circle passing her eyes. Behind it she could see complete darkness. Her interest peaked, Lara moved around the waterfall to the other side. There was no light behind the waterfall. “It also appears to be a portal to another realm.” “What?” Lara turned off her head set and looked around more carefully. She positioned herself once more in front of the waterfall and looked up at the rocks. As if a light bulb had turned on in her head, Lara withdrew her left pistol and fired at the rocks above her. They fell as she expected. “Now for something bigger!” Lara looked at the largest rock behind the waterfall. Beneath it was a slope perfect enough for the rock to fall through the waterfall. Withdrawing her other pistol, Lara took aim and fired. Where am I? Lara thought surrounded by complete darkness. Her plan had been a success. The giant rock had fallen and created a hole large enough for Lara to jump through. The room she found herself in now, however, was dark. Lara thought she heard an echo when she had landed and what sounded like a splash. Ok Lara, mental picture. You’re in a large room, hence the echo, and you’re obviously standing in shallow water. As the thoughts of the room raced through her mind, Lara caressed her right pistol and withdrew it slowly. She pointed her favourite weapon in front of her, sliding her fingers across the barrel with her other hand and pulled. The bullet, free from the chamber, hit the water with a satisfying splash. Lara pulled the trigger slightly, loading her next bullet and stepped forward confident there was still floor beneath her. Breathing slowly, she pulled the chamber again. Lara finally heard the sound of metal hitting metal after having wasted 18 bullets. She smiled to herself, holstering her weapon and walked forward confident that she wasn’t going to end up in any trap. Click. “Oh bugger.” The familiar sound of rotating cogs hit Lara’s ears and sent her heart pumping. What felt like dirt hit her head and sent her gaze upwards. There was light, and like the moon hidden by the eclipse it revealed itself slowly. The room had suddenly lit up. The beam of light had reflected off of strategically placed mirror’s dotted around the giant semi-circular dome. Lara looked around in astonishment at the size of it. Before she could take it all in, a sinking feeling hit her heart as she looked upon the path she had taken. The shallow water Lara thought she had been standing on had been a river; the deepest she’d ever seen. As she looked over the edge of the circular platform she was standing on, Lara could see tropical wildlife happily swimming beneath its surface for what looked like miles. “I was standing on a bottomless pit of water?” Lara shook her head in amazement and noticed the bullets that were meant to be there, had gone. Like a curious monkey testing an electric fence, Lara dipped her boot onto the water’s surface and applied pressure. Her boot submerged. Along with my bullets, she thought. Curious as to what had happened; Lara looked around the room in more detail. The source of the rotating cogs was 8 doors, all with rocks etched Greek written above them: Αχέλους, Αχέρων, Ακις, Αλφειός, Ασωπός, Κλάδεος, Ευρώτας, Πηνειός. They were the 8 River Gods in Greek mythology minus Styx. The doors were arranged like that of clock digits around the circular room, evenly spaced. The water Lara had previously been able to stand on was rushing through each of the doors now opened by the pressure pad she had stepped on earlier. “A is A in English, χ is C and H, έ is E, the lambda symbol is L, ο is O, υ is U and finally, ς is S. So that’s A, C, H, E, L, O, U, S, Achelous.” Feeling somewhat proud of herself, Lara walked towards the door labeled Αχέλους and stopped before hitting the water. Grabbing her grapple, she pressed a switch on its underside transforming it from magnetic, to claw and aimed for the letter ς. The grapple connected. Lara pulled to make sure it was secure and jumped in. The current was strong and was pulling her away from where she wanted to go. The thought of reeling the grapple in crossed Lara’s mind, but she decided against it for fear of losing the grip. I’ll just have to do it the hard way, she decided, pulling herself towards the door. Lara was under the doorway. She gripped the entrance with her left arm and pressed the reel button of her grapple. It zipped towards her body, cutting her leg open before resting on her buckle. Lara winced and gritted her teeth before remembering the tropical creatures below her. Without looking down, she pulled herself into the entrance with all her strength before plummeting down a waterslide into the unknown below. Lara opened her eyes abruptly and stood up succumbing to head rush. She could hear the faint sound of someone speaking. Lara closed her eyes and breathed slowly, composing herself before opening her eyes again. “Oh my...what...who are you?” Lara’s first thought was Grim Reaper, but he had no scythe. The man in front of her was pure skeleton, no meat or muscle covering him. The bones were the brightest white, as if he had been preserved in a museum or embalmed. He was covered in a cowl, showing his ribcage, head, hands, pelvis and feet and was speaking ancient Greek. Lara translated as he spoke. “You are not a soul. You do not belong here.” Lara wondered where ‘here’ was and looked around spotting the waterslide she had just fallen down. The water flew from under her feet, and fell into a river of fire. The surroundings were mainly comprised of rock, with bits of onyx protruding messily from the floor. “Get out of here, mortal.” “I’m sorry...Charon, is it?” “How do you know of me?” “I’ve done my research, and I know you are not a murderer. You are simply a guide for lost souls trying to find their way to Hades.” “And you are one of those souls?” Lara now noticed the flaw in displaying her knowledge. “No. I am simply here for information.” “Information comes at a price, mortal, as do all of my services.” “I know,” Lara reached inside her backpack and withdrew a leather pouch. She untied the strings carefully with her delicate fingers and withdrew a silver coin, beautifully detailed and very old. “An obolus!” Lara could sense how much he wanted to reach for the coin in her hands. An obolus was a Greek silver coin and also a measurement of weight. In ancient Greek, the deceased were buried with an obolus placed under the tongue or on the eyes of the dead. This was for the soul of the deceased to be able to pay for passage across the river Styx or Acheron (depending on who told the story) to pass on. Those who were not wealthy enough to pay passage across the river were to wander the banks of Acheron or Styx for a hundred years. “One is not enough, mortal, it will only gain you passage to Hades.” “Then how about 20.” Lara threw the bag towards Charon so that it landed in front of him. “What do you wish to know?” “Where’s the sword, Charon? You know the one to gain access to the heavens?” Charon’s skeletal gaze looked at Lara for a long time. “That sword disappeared long ago. The titans destroyed it.” “Along with the dais?” Charon appeared to not understand this word. “The entrance to the heavens.” “That is where it has always been, my lady, in the tomb of a God who would protect it best. That is all I know, now leave this place.” “You’re very unsociable, Charon, especially for a ferryman. Fine, I’ll leave, but I need your help to leave this place.” “No. You will leave this place without my help; I will not aid a soul in escaping the grip of Hades.” “Not even for 100 Obolus?” Lara said, curling her lip.

She's looking good! That's a beautifully detailed wallpaper. Thanks for the link, Tom! MsC

You're very welcome, and you're not a moron, it's easily done. Glad you can continue to play this awesome game! MsC

Does sound like a bug to me, unless you have manual grab on, in which case you need to press the button that makes Lara grab ledges. If that still doesn't work, try seeing if you've accidentely turned it on in the options. So go to menu, settings, general, and I think it's there somewhere under 'Manual Grab'. Hope that helps! MsC

Though I can't say my levels of perception are fantastic, to me that giant spiky chandelier doesn't look like it's directly over its head anyhow, it looks like it's more in the centre of the room over the water, and though that's probably the most obvious way to kill it....it doesn't mean it's gonna be easy, so don't be too disappointed yet...we may have to do a lot more than just get it to drop. MsC

If you go here: www.tombraider.com Either continent is fine. I don't know if it's just me being picky, but I've realised that none of the concept arts of Lara's face that I've seen in Underworld are consistent, which has got me thinking. Firstly, check out her face in the 'Podcast' section of the main page--it looks really young. Then click on news and she looks quite...I dunno, older. Finally, if you click on media you'll see she looks like normal Lara. So, I'm beginning to wonder if we're gonna play flashbacks or see flashbacks/flashforwards of Lara's previous/future adventures or whatever like we did in Tomb Raider: Legend, as they've already stated that some missing links will be answered. Or am I just being too picky? Dunno, her face seems different in each one in my opinion. MsC

Thanks for the information, Laraman! So excited about this now...and the game is becoming a lot more varied than I thought it was going to...now we have Thor's artefact...this is all very exciting news! Can't wait for November, baby! MsC

Finished both TLJ and Dreamfall--I loved 'em both. Found the fighting sections in Dreamfall a bit random and unnecessary, but still an enjoyable game none-the-less, plus the twist at the end was rather unexpected...hope the next game comes out soon. MsC

I finished it 2 days ago, and have been playing MGO since. I'm extremely glad Kojima kept this game under-wraps as much as possible. I wasn't totally shocked by the ending, it was something I expected to happen...well, not one part, but I won't be posting even any spoilers here, regardless of tags, this is a game every single person should experience first hand without knowing what's going to happen. I'm still not completely sure what Kojima was trying to communicate to us, therefore I've gotten out my dusty old discs of MGS1, 2 and 3 and will be playing them chronologically over the coming weeks to get a refresh onto what's happening...plus I'll turn on the subtitles to make it clearer MGO is awesome btw, I'm addicted to it, especially playing Snake during the missions whilst all the other carnage is going on with real human players. I noticed that with the bosses, Jedicri, though I think you're meant to assume they're dead, especially since Snake touched Laughing Octopus's neck after I tranqualized her as if her pulse had stopped in the cutscene... Anyhow, final impression, 10/10, and I really hope there's another Metal Gear after this one, even if it's not part of the Solid series. MsC

Yeah, I'm on Act 3 now, and it's good, I've noticed that each act kind of subtlely makes you change the way you play the game. Also the fight with Laughing Octopus was awesome, though I was expecting a bit more strategy as to how you kill her, rather than the simple way they made you do it, it was just avoiding the damage and other little things that made the battle rather than causing her actual damage, so I hope the other women present a bit more of a problem...particularly looking forward to facing Psycho... MsC P.S Yes that cutscene was awesome!!

Well...so far, just finished Act 1 I assume... And....I love it beyond belief! The cutscenes are lengthy, but they're addictive to watch, plus I haven't been bored at all yet. I like that you can take the route you want to take--stealth or action. I also love the graphics. Only gripe with it so far is the Mk 2, I haven't really found any use for it yet, it all seems a bit random for me at the moment. The only thing I've done with it is buy ammo, but not used it in the field, so I hope that changes. Also, you have to install each new act, and that can be a bit annoying, I don't know whether it would have been better just to install it all in one go at the beginning but the second installation only took about 5 minutes so I can't complain, plus it gives your eyes a break and a chance to make a cup of tea! Yeah, so love it, love it, love it, and love it some more--10 out of 10 atm! MsC

Thanks for the article Shrensh!! I don't really like the design of her wetsuit this time around. It's not terribly bad or anything, I just think I'd be wearing a bit more protection if I were facing blood thirsty animals and jagged rocks...then again she does wear short shorts out of water Really looking forward to seeing some videos of this game in action!!! MsC

Lol, care to tell us your opinion of it so far? I'm currently installing it, and I think I know why Snake looks so old in this one....he's smoked like 8 cigarettes during the installation so far! (Obviously that's not the reason) I've heard mixed things about it such as it can be very boring until about 3 hours into the game, which must be a bit off putting, but I haven't even started it yet, so I can't really make a full judgement call on it, though I've heard Hideo Kojima has made the cutscenes a lot more interactive so it's less of wathing a movie for half the game. I love the MGS series, and this one has only gotten good reviews so far, so I'm eager to play it now...oooh, the installation is finished! I'll post again and give my thoughts. MsC

When it comes to using it in games and films, I really only see it necessary to fit the genre of the game, and add to it somehow. In a game like Tomb Raider, I don't think it's really gonna add to it in anyway, as people are more interested in the tombs, solving puzzles and the action (Therefore blood would perhaps be more appropriate if added). Whereas, in a genre like Horror, Action, etc, or creating diverse and different characters, the swearing is more appropriate to the feel of the game, and adds to it. MsC

So far--I love it! I've just finished the chapter 'Monsters'. That was one interesting chapter, especially with the lovely old poor woman. This is all becoming very interesting now, and I find myself sucked into the story....can't wait to find out what happens next!! MsC

Everything on IMDB can be edited by anyone, even you and me, so don't ever take it as fact unless it's stated by Eidos/CrystalD. Take it as speculation only. I personally hope he doesn't return, I want to play Lara and only Lara, but that's my opinion. MsC Edit: If you look at the list again, you'll find he's no longer there.

That was the original ship date for TR:U before they made it compatible with PS2 as well. After making it last-gen they had to delay it to Winter 2008. So expect it around the December area. MsC

The only other thing that I can see that'd be of any help would be to try and search for the name of the document. Start > Search > (Name of Document) Also, C drive should be fine. Make sure you check 'all files' and if there's a selection make sure 'hidden, system, and indexed files' are searched too. In Vista these options would come under 'Advanced Search'. If the old file is in her laptop, it should be listed there. Though, do tell your Mom to get a Pen Drive, also known as a USB drive I think. They're super useful, you can transfer files from computer to computer easily and you've got a back-up in case anything goes missing. Good luck! MsC

Sorry to revive a thread this old! (Can't believe it's been a year!) Just downloaded both TLJ and Dreamfall from Steam. Played the introduction of TLJ and so far.....love it! I know other people were giving you advice on what other games to play, and now that a year has gone and I assume you've had your mix of Adventure games, AJ, there's a game that actually got me into point and click adventures. The Broken Sword series. They're awesome, granted I didn't like the latest one "The Angel of Death" the first 3 are awesome, especially the first. It's mostly narrative, but the puzzles are head scratchers, when I played it for the first time when I was like....14 I think, it took me 2 and a half months to get past a puzzle. Play the first one, as it really gets you into the adventure, and you'll grow an attachment to George straight away. Anyhow, I'm going back to TLJ, it's awesome!! MsC

The way I interpreted the end of TR: Chronicles in my view was that Von Croy was merely searching for Lara to get the Amulet of Horus from her. When he got her backpack realising she no longer had it, he left her there for other people to save her, like that tribe or whatever. They should give us the full story really, and I hope they do in TR:U. As for the information you've provided, Tom, that's very, very interesting. The only thing I can think of is that perhaps she wants to talk to the Dead to see if her mother's there, seeing if Amanda's story is legit. Though I do like her perhaps trying to talk to her father, as she did say she pitied his thinking of Amelia being alive, so she may have just passed off any interesting information he ever said as false and forgotten about it. Oh, really, really excited about TR:U now! MsC

Yeah, that's not a glitch, it's part of the game design. If you try to go under, you'll notice Lara will cough and splutter, which suggests the water is too digusting to see through, and not very ideal for swimming under. It's probably sewage water or something Only thing I've noticed is being able to see through Lara's head, I've not experienced any other glitches that I can remember. MsC

It's probably that your card isn't new enough to support some of the features of the Next-Gen content, such as high shaders, dynamic lighting, etc. You may have to update your Graphics Card drivers, however if the graphics are fine in last-gen mode, then I doubt that's the problem. But there's no harm in trying so.... Go to your video drivers website normally: www.nvidia.com www.ati.com Then look for the drivers section, possibly under 'Downloads'. Look for your card product. If you do not know this and are using XP, then go to Start > Run > Dxdiag. The information and name of your card will be in the 'Display' tab. If you are using Vista, then unfortunately I don't know where Run is so sorry about that, but hopefully someone else will be able to help you. Good luck! MsC