Q: What is The Dark Mod?

A: The Dark Mod is a free game that recreates the moody stealth experience of the ‘Thief’ games by Looking Glass Studios. Originally created as a mod for Doom3, it is now a completely open-source, standalone game

Q: So is it a game or a toolkit?

A: It’s both. On the one hand, it’s a toolkit, with our own Dark Radiant editor and all the models, textures and other assets you need to create your own stealth missions in a gothic steampunk environment. On the other hand, there are already eighty missions available for download, including some small campaigns, so it’s also a game. The only difference between TDM and other stealth games is that you get to choose which missions to install and play.

Q: What do I need in order to play?

A: All you need is to download TDM. The Dark Mod runs on both Windows and Linux. A Training Mission and introductory mission are downloaded automatically, and after that you use the built-in mission downloader to install and play other maps.

Q: Is this the same thing as Thief?

A: The gameplay is very similar, yes. However, The Dark Mod takes place in a different setting. We make no references to any Thief trademarks or Eidos’ intellectual property–there is no Garrett, no Keepers, no Mechanists, etc. However, since both Thief and The Dark Mod are based on a gothic steampunk version of our own history, there are plenty of similarities.

Q: Does TDM have its own setting?

A: Yes, and you can read about it on the Universe page on our wiki. The Dark Mod setting is based on a mythical version of our own history, where steam technology was developed long before the industrial revolution, with a dash of fantasy thrown in. Not all TDM Fan Missions take place in this setting, however.

Q: Is there an instruction manual?

A: We have an extensive Gameplay Guide on our wiki. The Mod also comes with a built-in Training Mission that guides you through many of the skills you need to play the game.

Q: How long did it take to make?

A: The idea of making something Thief-like out of Doom 3 got tossed around in the fall of 2004, and by October we had a team of interested people. The original thread is still on the TTLG forums…it’s amusing now to read some of our early ideas. It took five years of work to finally get the mod (with two demos along the way) ready for release. The Dark Mod 1.00 was officially released in October 2009, but is still being updated regularly. The Dark Mod 2.0, the first version to be playable without Doom3, was released in October 2013.

Q: What if I want to make a mission?

A: Our team has also created a specialized editor–Dark Radiant–to make creating fan missions much, much easier. Visit the main Dark Radiant page here: http://darkradiant.sourceforge.net/

Q: Can I put Thief vocals in my mission??

Q: If I make a fan mission, can I use Garrett, Hammerites, etc?

A: We can’t exactly stop you from using Thief files or Eidos’ intellectual property, but it’s copyright infringement. We would obviously prefer that those using our work do not break any copyright laws. We certainly will not host or support any missions that use Thief files or make references to Edios’ IP.

Q: Ok, so I made a mission. Now what??

A: If you have completed a TDM Fan Mission, please start a thread in our TDM Fan Mission forum and let us know. We can help you host the mission for download.

Q: What if I have something to contribute?

A: We welcome contributions of models, textures, sound effects, and other assets, and would be happy to add any quality donations to our regular TDM updates. Please visit our “I Want to Help” forum. We’re especially interested in hearing from people who can do quality vocal recordings, and from animators with Maya experience.

Q: Why don’t you fix problem X or make Y easier or add feature Z?

The TDM developers are a small group of people working in their spare time. You’re always welcome to report bugs and make feature requests on our forums, but there are lots of reasons why they might not be implemented. It might be that it goes against the design philosophy of the game, or it might be more difficult to accomplish than you think. Or it might be something we fully intend to do but just haven’t had time yet (that’s a long list).