If they don't start coming out with things soon...

[Katie_Fleming]

I've noticed in all TR forums the number of posts have dropped dramatically. If Eidos wants to keep our interest up I think they should start telling us more about the progress of the game. They can't expect us to wait for a year without anything -- they'll lose fans!

[marsoa]

I actually have noticed it, too. People don't come to the forums so often anymore. Is there anything new and original that Eidos can offer about Tomb Raider at all? I start to get bored with the game. Same puzzles, same features...same models hehehe :D
I crave for something fresh and new in Tomb Raider...although I have no idea what that could be. Maybe a new game with some options where u can create your own Lara (hmmm...I mentioned it in one of the threads somewhere already...), maybe select some skills she would have, or weapons, too. Make my own choice for the quest-where to go first and so. I know it was a bit like that in AOD, but...well...it was not how I imagined it at all. I liked that in TR3 a player could choose where to go, to which location.It was a good idea, in my opinion.
However, I think Tomb Raider needs some revival. But...I think I am not the onlyone :) ;)

[dhama]

The biggest attraction at the moment is the custom levels. Now you maybe think that custom levels that use the old engine, aren't up to much, but think again. There must be almost 1500 levels out there now.....Psiko's TR-A is one of the best and plays by just installing it - no editor required.
For a list of most of the custom levels - http://www.trle.net
There's a level out there for everyones tastes. :cool:

[Katie_Fleming]

Very true -- I have been busy playing a variety of fan levels. They're really great, especially if you haven't played them 5 times and know it by heart! :)

I will be adding an entire new section to my site shortly called "Fan Level Pics." Basically I'm playing some of the top levels and taking screenshots from them. I'll be updating it on a regular basis, so keep an eye out for the ad :)

[John Carter]

Agree with dhama, the funnest thing TRwise for the most fans would be the fantastic levels the TRLE folks spend so many loving hours on for our collective enjoyment.

Other things that we don't see as much here as we would like would be fanfic and fanart. Katie keeps the TR fanfic interest alive, but there are a few others out there who should post their stuff or links to it as well. Fan artists used to be common, any of you folks out there yet?

[jso2897]

I agree with all of the above. The Level editor has become a cult phenomenon. It's a genuine subculture, and the next thing is just around the corner. With or without the cooperation of EIDOS, the tools to update custom levels to higher graphics and performance standards will become available. The TR fan community includes a goodly number of certified (and certifiable) geniuses, like Psiko, and Paul Gardiner (of Glidos fame), and with these guys and their ilk in the lead, we're going to see a growing phenomenon - Lara will become the property of her fans, a kind of open- source cult heroine. There are already more incredible custom games and levels out there than I will EVER have the time to play, and it is only going to grow. And as the tools get better, they will bring game building within the reach of more and more technically challenged people - soon the only barrier will be the fan's imagination and creativity. So - forget EIDOS, CORE, and Crystal Dynamics. They may never even make another game, and with the bean-counting suits of EIDOS in charge, it may be a dud if they do. Doesn't matter anymore - just as an example, the latest tools, those used in TRAOD, are being junked. Nobody is going to protect them with any great effort, and they will soon be open source - with or without EIDOS' cooperation. Lara belongs to us now, and there aren't enough lawyers in this year's entire graduating class to stop it. And that's the REAL future of Tombraider.

[jso2897]

And, John - in answer to your post: there is a lot of fanfic and fanart out there, but most of it has gravitated to places where it's actively encouraged, like V.O.T. What you need to do here is to merge the TRAOD and Legacy forums into a single gameplay forum, and use the empty slot for a forum dedicated to fanfic/fanart. But it's probably a lost cause. I think EIDOS is probably going to let this forum die on the vine - in their highly pecuniary minds, I suspect they have concluded that this here cash cow has done been milked. But, as I stated above, it doesn't really matter. Lara's future is no longer in their hands.

[WesternWhiteWolf]

How do I get the level editor? And where are Psiko's levels that you can download without it?

[jso2897]

Get Psiko's TR-A here:http://www.aspidetr.com/TR-A/TR-A-Thecompletegame.htm

The Level Editor tools come bundled with TR5 - Tombraider Chronicles.

[Deekman]

The Custom Levels Community sure is enjoying an explosion of
popularity these days it seems.
I can attest to the fact that its keeping me busy.

Since this is more of a dialogue forum, you don't tend to see a whole
bunch of fan fic and fan art here, but its never been discouraged.
It happens now and then in spurts.
Maybe I'll have to try to get things going again with a little something new.
I just haven't had the time to do stuff like that in a while.

I'll go out on a limb here and predict a slight increase of curiosity
seekers here over the coming weeks...US cable TV station Tech TV
is broadcasting Lethal and Loaded (not a highly
regarded documentary 'round these parts) on Monday night
on their Nerd Nation program.
They'll probably repeat it a couple times, too.

[Trinity34]

Yeah you guys are right now that I think about it. When there is no news to be found about TR7 its the fan media that keeps TR alive. I used to make wallpapers all the time... hmmm. :)

[dhama]

Originally posted by jso2897
So - forget EIDOS, CORE, and Crystal Dynamics. They may never even make another game, and with the bean-counting suits of EIDOS in charge, it may be a dud if they do. ...............and they will soon be open source - with or without EIDOS' cooperation.

Originally posted by jso2897
I think EIDOS is probably going to let this forum die on the vine - in their highly pecuniary minds, I suspect they have concluded that this here cash cow has done been milked.

Let's not get too negative about Eidos, as a TR4 source code campaigner, i'd like to believe they are on our side and will eventually grant us the opportunity to take it under our wings and nurture it into something more spectacular, with the help of our talented programmers within the TR community.

Also remember that Eidos are a business, and are there to make money, but that's no reason to slam them.

As far as i'm concerned, and i'm sure others agree, Eidos have been excellent hosts over the past few years, and if it all ends tomorrow; well, there's always the real world to get involved in. ;)

[jso2897]

I don't intend to slam EIDOS for being business oriented. But TRAOD's permature release was unquestionably a case of commerce triumphing over art. And video games, at their best are art. What made the best of the TR series so great is that those games were created by artists who were in love with what they were doing. I know that EIDOS aren't the only ones to blame for the deterioration of the series, and that deterioration has been much overstated. For me, TR4 was the low point - TR5 and TRAOD were both steps back in the right direction. But a fine balance has to be maintained, and when commercial cosiderations are given too much weight, the product suffers. It would be nice if EIDOS made the full TR4 toolset available to the fans, but it will BECOME available whether they do or not - and the same is true of the TRAOD tools. Not any time soon, but in time. This is simply a critique, not a "slam" on anybody.

[thanhkim]

Maybe Eidos don't want to say too much like they did with aod and then end up with another flop. If you hang around Lara always floats back eventually.

[dhama]

Originally posted by thanhkim
............ If you hang around Lara always floats back eventually.


...would that be face down? :eek:

[Sang]

Talk about fan art, I admire Kowalski's works from The Croft Times, which is dead now, and haven't seen Kowalski paintings anymore! Here's a little reminder:

http://webhome.idirect.com/~nguyent/Lara10.jpg