Help on Thief II, please.

Zkribbler · May 22, 2002, 14:31

I was trying to hold out until this game dropped below $20, but the store was down to their last one, so I bought it yesterday.

Okay, I know darkness is my friend, but this is ridiculous.

The game starts out in a courtyard with a side room. But there is just one pool of light in each and, other than that, all is blackness. I've figure out I'm not supposed to blackjack the guy in the room, 'cause he's on my side. And I think I've found some stairs or something behind him, but they don't lead anywhere.

The map is no help. I just appear as a smear along the bottom, and I have to get inside.

Just where am I supposed to go??

General Ludd · May 22, 2002, 14:41

Try turning up the brightness. (the brightness controls can actually be mapped to keyboard - they come in really handy)

Zkribbler · May 22, 2002, 15:10

Osweld, you are a friggin' genius!! You must have I.Q. of about 200,000!!!

Skanky Burns · May 23, 2002, 01:55

It helps playing in a dark room too.

I played through Thief I and II and only figured out near the end why sometimes it was easy to see, and other times why it was difficult.
So turn your light off, shut the door, and prepare to be immersed in one of the best games ever!

Sarxis · May 23, 2002, 03:20

Hell yeah!

I hope III is better than I!!

I will probably load both up again soon.

Zkribbler · May 24, 2002, 13:48

Thanks for the tips.

I liked Episodes 1 & 2 a lot.

But now I'm playing Episode 3, which begins with one of those blasted doggie-through-a-hoop barriers. That is, if I don't guess exactly what I have to do & do it in the right order, I can't go on with the game.

BTW, I hate these things.

I'm trying to break into the police station. I've found the switch in the control room & thown it. Then I've gone into the water pipes, have found the drain and opened the cover.

But how do I get the water to drain?

Marid Audran · May 24, 2002, 17:11

Dive in and hold your breath!

If you recall from Shipping...and Receiving (the previous mission) you could swim to Captain Davidson's cargo ship and climb up the ladder at the Port side. Just swim through the pipes (taking gasps of air as you go) 'til you reach the basement of the station. There are several ways to infiltrate it from there.

Good luck, taffer!

Zkribbler · May 24, 2002, 18:43

Thanks Marid! I got faked out 'cause the diving in Thief II is much more sluggish than in Jedi Knight. I didn't think I could dive.

I've now busted into Lt. Hagen's office & the one across the hall. I guess my next move is to head for the vault. If you guys don't hear from me in the next day or so, send a cake with a file in it.

Zkribbler · May 24, 2002, 22:09

No need for that cake with a file in it. I've completed my tasks and, with the aid of an invisibility potion, I'm safely out of the police station.

But now I'm in Episode 4 with all the bluecoats in the city after me.

I've made it home, but the place is surrounded!

Zkribbler · May 25, 2002, 01:55

Quote:

Originally posted by Skanky Burns

So turn your light off, shut the door, and prepare to be immersed in one of the best games ever!

Man, is it ever! I'm now on the 5th of 15 episodes. I've already framed someone for a crime he did not commit

and according to the box, I still have before me: breaking into a bank after hours, travelling an entire city district via the rooftops, and kidnapping someone from a well guarded installation.

My favorite moment so far occurred when I was preparing to shoot a fire arrow to distract a nearby guard. He spotted me and charged. The only thing I had time to do was to shoot the arrow into his face. Ooooooh. Send flowers to the widow.

Marid Audran · May 25, 2002, 02:35

The story really begins during the fifth mission; lots of information gleaned, conspiraces revealed, things really pick up from here.

I envy thee, sneaking and taffing your way through Thief II for the first time.

Hope you're having fun with those crazed steampunk fanatics, the Mechanists.

Skanky Burns · May 25, 2002, 03:29

Karras is really a nice, misunderstood guy.

"It is the Builders will"

Sarxis · May 25, 2002, 04:11

Quote:

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
Karras is really a nice, misunderstood guy.

"It is the Builders will"

Gawd I hate his voice!

Skanky Burns · May 26, 2002, 02:31

Same.

I'm playing my way through 1 again. The woodsie quotes are excellent.

Sarxis · May 26, 2002, 03:13

I really love the way they did the cutscenes for the Thief games; a mixture of psuedo-animation and real time action.

Zkribbler · May 26, 2002, 12:48

For us uninitiated, how conceptually does 1 differ from 2? I assume none of these metal beasties running around.

--I'll check back later. I busy burglaring a bank right now.

Marid Audran · May 26, 2002, 14:24

Karras was that dweeb that was picked on in Gym class back in high school who grew up to form his own cult and take over the world in revenge.

"Sings we a dance of wolves,
who smells fear and slays the coward
Sings us a dance of man,
who smells gold and slays his brother"

Yes, those cutscenes are the greatest.

Anyway, to answer your question Zkribbler, Thief I is more fantasy orientated, less steampunk influenced like in Thief II, with its robots, security cameras, and such. There's more undead, monsters, and less human infiltrations missions. It thematically deals more with the clash of magic and the old world on industry and modernity, Pagans vs. Hammers (the precursors of the Mechanists). In my opinion I prefer Thief II because it's more Thief-orientated, more break-ins and other such taffing about.

Thief I is still very much worth playing, since the gameplay is identical, it'll fill you in on the backstory, and there are some fun missions to be had (try to get Thief: Gold if you can). The engine is showing its age a bit, but still highly recommended. There's a huge community based around the games at the Through the Looking Glass Forums (named in honor of the deceased company who designed Thief).

http://www.ttlg.com

General Ludd · May 26, 2002, 15:20

Anywhere you can download the original? Even if it is still be sold, it seems pointless to buy it now that looking glass is long gone.

Zkribbler · May 26, 2002, 17:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Marid Audran
Karras was that dweeb that was picked on in Gym class back in high school who grew up to form his own cult and take over the world in revenge.

(Note to self: (1) form a cult; (2) take over world.)

If anyone gives a flying fig, I'm still trying to burglarize this #@%! bank. I'm stuck at one point

, but I'm not asking for help yet 'cause still have a few ideas.

General Ludd · May 26, 2002, 17:56

Yeah, I remember the bank as being a tricky one.

All this talk about the game got me to reinstall thief 2... good game, but for some reason I stoped playing at the last mission and have never finished it, maybe I will this time.

Zkribbler · May 26, 2002, 21:06

It is tricky.

There's necessary clues concealed all over the bank.

I've gotten to the vault, but the time lock has me baffled. I saw the memo saying the time lock can be fooled into thinking it morning, and my best guess is that the clock located in the room just to the east of the vault has something to do with it, but it doesn't light up when I focus on it.

I've yet to go behind the main counter. Trouble is, there's a metal guy back there and I'm out of fire arrows and mines.

Marid Audran · May 26, 2002, 23:00

I'll give you some help to ease the experience for you. If you're absolutely committed to figuring things out on your own, don't read on.
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Still here?

Good. The Bank is one big taffer trap, but then that's part of its appeal. To unlock the bank vault you have to go into the basement, and eventually it'll steer you into the control room that operates the electronic locking mechanism. Fiddle with it to open the vault door on the ground floor.

There are a few different ways to reach the basement.

Also, the robots, the Children of Karras, can be disabled with water arrows aimed at the back of their engines (the red area). One for small, two for large.

Zkribbler · May 27, 2002, 01:32

The basement?!? D'oh! That's the one place I didn't check!

& thanks for the tips about the water arrows.

Sarxis · May 27, 2002, 05:01

If you do decide to buy Thief 1, get the Gold edition: extra levels and slightly better graphics.

Zkribbler · May 27, 2002, 13:37

Thanks, you bouncin' bunny you!

I might make a run to the store today.

Zkribbler · May 30, 2002, 11:11

No Thief 1 at any store I checked (but I did have fun sneaking up behind cashiers, whapping on the head with my blackjack and then picking the locks to their safes).

As for the game: I was surprised the make it though the basement of the bank when I had no more fire arrows, water arrow, mines or potions. But somehow I completed my tasks & made it out okay. The sheriff's manor was a pushover in comparison. Now, I'm courier following.

PS: I've never seen any Thief II construction kit. Is there any such thing? It'd be really cool to design your own scenarios and send them to friends.

General Ludd · May 30, 2002, 11:39

I have never tried it, but I recall there being a 'construction kit' on the CD.

Zkribbler · May 30, 2002, 14:19

Nope. None there. I even checked the Read Me and went on the company website.

Although Thief 2 can be bought directly from them, Thief 1 and Thief 1 Gold are not available. I didn't see any announcement for a Thief 3 or a Thief construction kit.

General Ludd · May 30, 2002, 16:06

I just checked, and the level editor is on the installation disk - in the 'editor' directory.

Maybe I have a different version then you, though... I bought it quite some time ago.

Zkribbler · May 30, 2002, 19:47

Hmmm. My installation disk has an Editor folder, but no editor.exe file. It does have files entitled missblat.exe and misstrip.exe, but they don't do anything.

My version is 1.18.