------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jan 22, 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Retrieval of the Soul (version 1.1) Author: Istvan Varga Contact info: istvan_v@mailbox.hu Date of release: Jan 22, 2004 Description: My first attempt at level editing, a simple mansion mission where you need to steal 'The Mystic's Soul', which - after taking from the 'Bonehoard' and selling it - is now in a nobleman's collection of valuable antiquities. The story takes place between the events of Thief 1 and Thief 2; at this time the Mechanists were not widely known yet, although some of their earlier inventions - such as simple security devices - were already in use by a few nobles who could afford buying them. This job should be an useful training for a similar quest later in time, stealing the Lost City treasures from Bram Gervaisius' larger and well guarded mansion. Well, as you can see, the 'story' is quite simple, and you should not expect really fancy architecture (this is a newbie mission after all), however, the gameplay is reasonably challenging and fun (at least I find so, your mileage may vary), so it might be worth giving a try ... Briefing: no ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Play Information * Game: Thief 2: The Metal Age version 1.18 Mission Title: Retrieval of the Soul File name: miss23.mis Difficulty Settings: yes Equipment store: yes Map / automap: yes / no New graphics: yes (mostly from Thief 1) New sounds: yes (from Thief 1) EAX support: yes Multi language support: no Briefing: no Difficulty level info: Normal, Hard, Expert Notes: The "no (or max. 5) knockout" objectives on Hard and Expert limit the use of the blackjack only. Gas arrows and mines do not count as knockouts, and will not fail the mission. Blackjacking was made more difficult; you need to hit the head of an enemy for a successful knockout. Also, blackjacking guards from the front with the 'lean forward' trick is now very difficult, if possible at all. Finally, it is not possible to blackjack sleepers. * Construction * Base: From scratch. Build Time: A few hundred hours, or so. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Loading information * This mission can be played with DarkLoader. * Changes in version 1.1 * * turrets in attic should now open correctly even if player enters the room by sneaking very slowly and sticking to the left wall; still not sure if there are more ways of exploiting the engine to bypass the trigger mechanism Note: there may be a similar problem in the kitchen: when the player enters the room, a dinner bell should sound, and one of the servants should start patrolling, pick up the tray, and leave the kitchen; if that does not happen, try leaving and entering the kitchen again (moving faster may help, particularly on fast machines). * another change to attic turrets: vision cones have been adjusted to reduce the risk of shooting at player even with the visibility gem being completely dark; they still shoot at very close range, but this 'night vision' is now limited to a slightly shorter distance * tweaked the vision and hearing of some guards for improved and more challenging gameplay * the guard in the NE corner of the game room has his purse on the right side so that it is easier to notice now * the goblets in dining room are now loot instead of junk; also changed the value of some loot items in various places. The total amount of loot is still 1400, but it is distributed differently. * extended crypt areas in basement - more places to explore, and more game play * on Expert difficulty one of the wooden boards barring the entrance to spider room is removed, so it is now possible to enter - by crouching - without breaking boards. This improves support for 'ghost' playing style. * in basement room under kitchen the material type of noisy junk items (canister and pan) placed in footlockers has been changed from metal to ceramic. Not as realistic, but makes it possible to throw the items away without alerting the guard more than level 1, and improves support for 'ghost' playing style. * improved the hearing and vision of zombie in secret crypt - should be more challenging to avoid now. * tweaked patrol routes to reduce problems related to pathfinding and AIs getting stuck on the top of objects. There are still a few places where the AI can get confused, such as the double doors on the first and second floor, where guards tend to unexpectedly turn back for a moment - following them in bright light can be dangerous. * made it possible to climb back to the courtyard from outside the outer walls * gamesys fixes: skulls and ribcages no longer need to be 'used' twice in order to throw them * minor changes to voice schemas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Copyright * This level is (c) by Istvan Varga , 2003, 2004 Distribution of this level is allowed as long as it is free and the package is kept intact. You may not include this level to any map pack without my permission. No one may edit and re-distribute this mission without my express permission. This level was not made and is not supported by Looking Glass Studios or Eidos Interactive.