OMs - Ghost/Perfect Thief Results

 

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11th Sep 2011, 00:07 #1

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OMs - Ghost/Perfect Thief Results

This thread will be used to post the results of players' attempts at ghosting official missions (OMs) whether wholly successful or not. The Official Rules for Ghost and Perfect Thief modes of play can be found here.

 

Each post of ghost results should record the OM name, the game (T1/TG, T2 or T3), the user's play mode (Ghost or Perfect or Supreme), the end-mission statistics, and any comments regarding the ghosting of the fan mission. Well written comments are appreciated.

 

WARNING: Discussions regarding how the mission was ghosted (or not) probably contain spoilers. Please do NOT use spoiler alerts in this thread. Everyone reading should be aware of that fact. If you want to simply know if a mission was ghosted successfully or not, just read the statistics portion of a post.

 

Occasionally, when these treads become excessively long, by whatever standards prevail at the time, the moderator(s) may be requested to move the old thread into the Thief archive to close it so it is retained as a lookup reference.

 

Replying to a reported ghost result is appropriate, but hurrah messages should be kept to a minimum. Discussing how to ghost a mission not yet reported here should be done in a separate thread. The idea is to report ghost attempts and perhaps to discuss failures and possible solutions but not to produce a lot of fluff within this thread. Off topic posts will be deleted.

 

Please note that nobody requires a mission to be ghostable. Ghostable missions are not necessarily a good thing. When made so deliberatly, they tend to be too easy. Comments about whether or not a mission is ghostable do not reflect negatively on the mission. Ghosting is just a means of raising the level of difficulty in the play.

Klatremus' Supreme Thief Site - Walkthroughs, Loot Lists & Ghost Reports

 

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11th Sep 2011, 05:46 #2

Klatremus

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Game: Thief 2 - The Metal Age

OM: Demo - The Unwelcome Guest

 

Ghost - Success

Perfect Thief - Failed

Supreme Ghost - Failed

Perfect Supreme - Failed

Time - 2:08:59

Loot - 2300/2735 (Supreme: 2145)

Pockets Picked - 24/27

Locks Picked - 6

Backstabs - 0, Knockouts - 0

Damage dealt - 0, Damage taken - 0

Healing taken - 0, Kills - 0, Bodies Discovered - 0

Secrets - 3/4

Consumables - None

 

See the entire report with screenshots here (top menu).

Loot list here.

 

 

Introduction:

 

I wanted to start my Thief 2 Supreme Ghost run with the demo mission ‘The Unwelcome Guest’. It’s basically an alpha version of ‘Life of the Party’, mission 10 of the full game, but I still view it as a separate mission with a plot of its own. Who wouldn’t want to play a mission of this quality twice anyway?

 

When doing these kind of reports, I approach the mission in a specific way. First, I play what I call a blackjack/loot list run. I simply fly through the mission, picking up everything I can, noting their value and location. Even though there are plenty of websites out there with Thief 2 loot lists, consulting those would bust any Ghost mode. I also make note of secrets, pickpockets, patrol routes and optional or hidden objectives. The blackjacking is just to make this playthrough easier. Once done, I have an image of the mission in my head and am aware of potential Ghost challenges. Doing this also eliminates irreversible mistakes that might force a reghost. This map is a good example of that, as mentioned three paragraphs down.

 

I then start my Ghost run. I cover both plain Ghost and Supreme Ghost in the same report, but I don’t play the entire mission twice. Instead, I play following Supreme rules. They completely overlap plain Ghost rules, just with more limitations. In other words, if I successfully Supreme a situation, then I have Ghosted it too. If I can’t Supreme it, then I will experiment and see what rules I have to break in order to still plain Ghost it. I will report any violations of either mode, or skip it if the situation isn’t a requirement toward completing mandatory objectives. But like I said, I won’t replay the mission Supreme style only, but rather “pretend” I skipped the situation. In the statistics, I will subtract any loot that I (should have) skipped for Supreme, to get a proper stat count for that mode.

 

 

Comments:

 

The objectives were as follows: get the schematics from the mechanist tower, the diamonds from the local bank, and break into Carlysle armory, plus 1,700 in loot along the way. I was more than well-equipped and easily skipped any purchases. I started by the bell tower in the southeast.

 

During my blackjack run, I realized the objectives had to be completed in a specific order. The Carlysle armory required a key found in the mech tower, but it had to be replaced due to the rule that makes Supreme Ghost much tougher than plain Ghost. Rule #7 states: “Put Everything back that can be put back: doors closed and re-locked if they are re-lockable, chests and gates closed if closable; keys returned, books/scrolls/letters returned to their original place.[...]” If breaking into the armory is the last unchecked objective, the mission simply ends successfully, leaving you with no possibility of returning the key. I needed to ensure I had the opportunity to return to the tower after completing this objective, which meant that other objectives had to be unchecked as well. I could wait with stealing the bank diamonds, but then the mission would end before managing to close the safe. No, the only option was to hold off stealing the schematics in the tower. My route was therefore as follows: to the bank, to the tower to pick up the key, to the armory, back to the tower to drop off the key, snatch the schematics, then leave the tower.

 

The first minor challenge came west of the bell tower. The building didn’t have a name on the map, but was located somewhat southeast of van Vernon’s. There was a sleeping archer upstairs and a patrolling swordsman walking unpredictable rounds below.An artifact stood on display above some stairs at the other end of the same building. There was only one spot in the staircase where I was safe (see image). The patrolling guard and another archer (awake this time) were nearby, but with a small hop the loot was mine.

 

Moving west I approached the famous archer fight best known from ‘Life of the Party’. There was a route circumventing this whole scenario, but it involved property damage on a boarded up passage in a nearby building. There were two ways past the archers after the battle was over. One went along the southern wall, the other through a small apartment accessible from the northern guard tower. The van Vernon archers usually won the clash, and in my case both of them survived. Afterwards, while the archers had their backs turned hunting, I could rope up the west side of the tower without alerts (see image). From there I could wait for them to settle. The archers went directly to alarm mode if alerted. As seen in the image below, I could approach and hide behind the southwestern pillar undetected. Astonishingly, the archers didn’t mind me rushing through the wooden window. Getting shot half dead by their rivals didn’t seem to heighten their senses at all.

 

 

 

East of this area and south of Fieldstone I found a cracked roof with a spider below. Had to gently lurk myself down the hole to get the ring in the corner (see image). The adjacent building had more loot and some equipment, but the only way in was by breaking an unbarred window. This was against ghosting rules, so I skipped it.

 

The housebreakers north of Fieldstone (see image below) posed a tricky challenge. The outside guard stared straight towards the entrance and alerted as soon as I appeared in the doorway, often directly to hunt mode. The patrolling guard charged them if detected, but this is not a legal way to obtain the loot inside. Rule #5 of the Official Ghost Rules states: “Garrett must not cause suicides of AI or melees that intentionally cause AI to attack each other […]” However, the thieves had a conversation upon entry and during this chat their alert level was heavily reduced. I don’t know whether this difference in behavior during a scripted convo is intentional or an engine exploit, but I treated it as the latter, so I skipped the loot for Supreme. I could enter the room at normal pace, steal the loot and leave safely without any objection. If I waited until they were done talking, I had to use a speed potion to enter fast enough to avoid anything more than a first alert. For plain Ghost I chose to clean the room during the conversation, as the use of a potion would render the stats a ‘chemical success’, a little less honorable. Engine exploits are allowed as a last resort for that mode, as long as they’re reported.

 

 

 

North of Sir Cullen’s Keep I ran into more unobtainable loot. I emerged on a roof with visible coin stacks in the office below, but, alas, the glass had to be broken to reach it. Instead I headed east through an open apartment and snuck into Dayport Trader’s Bank. Not much to report here except for one strange thing. The patrolling swordsman alerted to the vault being open when wandering down the next door hallway, not when passing through the room with the vault itself. There has got to be a glitch in the design where he accidentally spots the vault through the wall and alerts that way. It was only a comment so plain Ghost was good, but it had to be avoided for Supreme. I simply flipped the switch in the office, rushed out to steal the vault contents and returned to close the vault door before the guard ever ventured down the hall.

 

The double doors led to the balcony with archers peering in both directions. Nothing of interest out here except for Lady Louisa’s house to the northeast. Unfortunately, it was impossible to enter from either side, since two of the three women were staring straight out the two windows. I would try later from the north end coming from the tower, but I was fairly sure another 200 gold had to be skipped. That meant 550 missed so far for Supreme, leaving me with only 475 left to lose while still making the loot objective.

 

 

 

A nice challenge for equipment purists is to attempt to steal the arrows off all three archers in this area. The bank archer was easy enough, and so was Shemenov’s back door archer, as soon as I made the leap across the street below. Worse still was the archer on the fancy balcony across from the bank (see image above). Not only did he easily spot me coming out from the bank’s double doors, but he covered the entire ledge along the south side of Baron’s Way (the east-west going street below). The only option was to mantle across the roof to the south and approach the dark corner to his southeast. From there I could leap and mantle onto the marbled railing. Occasionally the bank archer would see me flying through the air, but more often than not I was in the clear. Had to creep-inch my way down the railing just beyond where it started to curve. I could reach the arrows while still on the railing, without being seen by either archer (see image below).

 

 

 

I couldn’t rob Shemenov’s from this side, so I had to backtrack through Sir Cullen’s keep and approach it via the rooftops in the east. I had a hard time figuring out how to evade the gaze of the archer on the wooden balcony. In the end I needed four rope arrows in the building at the opposite side (see image below). The eave was dark enough to avoid any comments. I had to descend the last rope a bit in order to successfully cross the street and land in a mantle. There was not much shade and a patrolling swordsman on the other side. I had to inch along the walls to lurk my way into Shemenov’s chimney. Putting out the kitchen fireplace would bust Supreme, so I jumped off and quickly got out of the way to avoid damage. The servant was extremely alert and I had to creep-crouch the entire way to prevent comments. The hallway guard had a long route and I got the only piece of loot while he was away. A banner on the wall concealed a hidden chest with a necklace. It could be reached through the banner, I simply slashed it for sake of the screenshot.

 

 

 

The way back was tedious due to the above patroller and the weary archer, but I made use of the few spots of darkness I could find. Retrieved the rope arrows going back westward.

 

 

The Tower

 

Passing the buildings north of the greenhouse, the only way into the tower was via an open top floor window. I waited for the conversation to finish and then snuck inside. I could grab two of the four pieces of loot in here by hugging the walls. Some of the guests were extremely jumpy and I had to make use of my creeping abilities most of the time. I could not reach the two purses on the east side of the hall without triggering first alert comments, so that loot (30 gold) had to be skipped for Supreme. To round the corner by the door for plain Ghost I could either run and come to a quick halt or turn off the lamp on the wall. That took care of the purse on the single nobleman, but the woman directly to the east of the fountain was much tougher. Not only was she positioned directly under a chandelier, but she was talking to a man facing the opposite direction. Together they covered pretty much every entry point. Once I realized that the ceiling was rope attachable I soon figured out the solution. The image below is taken from the corner opposite the door, in the southeast end of the ballroom. Coincidentally, the fountain’s east side was the only place dark enough not the be seen at ground level. Everywhere else was too illuminated. I could traverse the rope arrows and descend into the water just to the left of the couple. I actually made a hop onto the fountain ledge before leaning in to grab her purse. The arrows were positioned close enough for me to turn around and grab them as I Tarzaned my way back.

 

 

 

The 8th floor was packed with enemies, but scattered with dark patches, making sneaking tough but doable. The main junction was just outside the double-doors to Karras’ office. The outside guard covered the western part of the lit hallway, forcing me to venture through the library. At least that’s what I saw it as; a carpeted area with bookshelves and a tome. No less than two stationary guests, one sentry and two patrollers covered that room. With good timing, and proper use of shaded spots, I found my way to the easternmost wall (see image). The rest of the floor was quite standard. Plenty of smaller rooms to clean, but nothing significant to report. The kitchen servants didn’t have first alerts, which made the job a bit easier for Supreme. I found the Carlysle key in one of the bedrooms to the west.

 

I saved Karras’ office for later, and instead made my way to the top floor and back through the city to the armory in the west. A bit tedious to backtrack to this extent, but I guess it was worth the trouble. Everything there was ghostable. The armory door was protected by a pivoting swordsman; no bother whatsoever. I didn’t have to steal anything to get credit for the break-in. Found the last piece of loot north of the compound inside an open bedroom window.

 

Back in the mechanist tower my last tasks were to return the armory key for Supreme and head for the main office. The only way to approach it was from the east, where I could creep-crouch unnoticed all the way up to the stationed guard. Then came the blow. Unlocking the door spawned a comment from the guard. This inescapable Supreme bust slapped me in the face like an iron gauntlet; so close, but yet so far. My sorrow was short lived, however. Instead I started worrying about how to at least keep plain Ghost intact. Blocking the eastern door as the other swung open was the only method of entry, but even then the guard somewhat blocked my progress. In the end, I had to nudge the guard forward enough to squeeze through (see image below), before the patrolling mechanist appeared from the library. Not more than a couple of inches was needed, but still another Supreme bust. This was a last resort option, so plain ghosting rules do allow it. The schematics could be taken through the painting, without triggering the alarm. If not, the alarm wouldn’t be a bust (remember Undercover?), but exiting the tower would’ve been near impossible. Strangely, relocking the entry doors didn’t spawn another alert and I could sneak eastward without trouble (see image). Leaving the complex was just like before, except this time carrying the bitter taste of Supreme defeat.

 

 

 

Regardless, this was a very nice start to my Thief 2 ghosting exploits, and I was already looking forward to the full release missions. It would be interesting to see the differences between this demo and the actual ‘Life of the Party’.

 

 

Notes & Busts

 

- Had to skip the loot (150 gold) and the flares in the building southeast of Fieldstone. Breaking the window to gain entry is not allowed.

- Skipped the loot worth 125 gold in the room with the housebreakers for Supreme. I could have stolen it during their conversation, but I considered this an engine exploit.

- Had to skip three more coin stacks worth 75 gold in the office directly north of Sir Cullen’s Keep. Breaking the window (property damage) is in violation of every ghost mode.

- Had to skip 30 more loot on the tower’s top floor. The two guests carrying purses to the east were out of reach and commented.

- Got a comment from the office guard in the tower when unlocking the double doors. Also had to nudge him forward a tad to enter the office. The latter is a last resort and therefore allowed in plain Ghost. Both of these are Supreme Ghost busts.

Klatremus' Supreme Thief Site - Walkthroughs, Loot Lists & Ghost Reports

 

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11th Sep 2011, 05:57 #3

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Game: Thief 2 - The Metal Age

OM: Mission 1 - Running Interference

 

Ghost - Success

Perfect Thief - Success

Supreme Ghost - Success

Perfect Supreme - Success

Time - 48:56

Loot - 1285/1285

Pockets Picked - 9/10

Locks Picked - None

Backstabs - 0, Knockouts - 8

Damage dealt - 8, Damage taken - 0

Healing taken - 0, Kills - 0, Bodies Discovered - 0

Secrets - 3/3

Consumables - None

 

See the entire report with screenshots here (top menu).

Loot list here.

 

 

Introduction:

 

The main game’s introductory mission for me leaves more to be desired. It’s a standard mansion map that serves more as training than anything else. The textures are beautiful and a huge step up from the original game, but the layout is a little boring and tension virtually non-existent. The storyline also has no connection with the following missions. I can’t see the replay value for anyone other than ghosters here.

 

My main objective was simple: leave with Basso and Jenivere after giving him the birdcall signal. I also needed to pick up at least 600 in loot, including 200 in gems. An additional goal, which made things very interesting for Supreme, was scoring at least 8 knockouts. Any violations explicitly stated in the objectives are allowed for all modes. This was a clear example of that.

 

 

Comments:

 

No purchase screen, and my inventory was essentially empty; even the lockpicks were gone. Fifteen water arrows were all of interest, except for my blackjack this time. My only option was to enter via the side door. I was forced upstairs instantly, due to two stationary guards covering the basement hall. I would have to get a key to open the door to their chamber, or approach from the opposite side and put them to sleep. I would count my knockouts carefully and make them as strategic as possible. The first one came in the eastern end of the first floor. A swordsman had a very short patrol route right on top of the stairs coming from the butler’s (see image). The entire hall was lit except for a portion to the west. I got my blackjack ready and sprinted up the stairs as he pivoted away. I couldn’t reach him before he turned around again, and I had to slow down or else he commented. The only way to knock him out was to lean forward from a tiny portion along either wall, just past the door on the right (green area in the image below). Any other area would only be pitch black when crouching. Garrett automatically stands up when going for the blackjack strike, again spawning a comment, so I had to reach this “magic” area shown in the picture. If he bumped into me, he alerted, so I had to lean forward and strike as soon as possible. It was a tough set of moves, but highly doable.

 

 

 

For now, I cleaned what I could on this floor. Found a hidden pair of rings in the wall of the great hall fireplace (see image). It spawned a hidden objective. Some very tough lucky coins lay on top of a ledge leading down to the kitchen (see image below). The servant roaming around here was my next knockout victim for two reasons. His patrol path was randomized and the kitchen was part of Basso’s escape route. It also made traversing the basement a lot easier. The patrolling archer west of the kitchen tasted my blackjack as well.

 

 

 

I needed to get ahold of a yellow key. There were six of them spread about the compound, five of which were located behind doors needing that very key to open. The sixth was on a swordsman doing tiny loops back and forth in the dining hall. I could steal his key riding the dumbwaiter, but I couldn’t replace it for Supreme without alerting him. There was no way to blackjack him either. Instead I decided to climb the front yard gates. There were half a million boxes in the basement anyway. A patrolling archer with a key had spawned outside during my escapades in the manor. Three crates were enough to climb wither pillar by the entrance (see image). The opposite side was dark enough for me to observe the archer passing. From behind the westernmost one I could safely inch forward and grab his belongings. The two basement guards were now approachable via the locked door to the south (see image below). This circumvented dousing the outside torch and busting Supreme.

 

 

 

I returned the boxes and looted the remaining parts of the mansion. The only tricky bit was stealing the loot from the front yard lawn. The front guards were the last two on my knockout list. I had to take them one by one and hide them inside the main entrance. The patroller noticed the bodies and started searching. The middle lamppost actually helped me stay hidden from the orbiting archer. His route wasn’t entirely circular, and I exploited a few moments where he had his back turned. I dropped the key along his path for Supreme.

 

I could now safely return out front and give Basso the whistle. He fetched Jenivere and the mission ended as I went outside. Perfect Supremed this one! J

 

 

Notes & Busts

 

- Knockouts: Swordsman patrolling small route outside the parlor on the first floor, kitchen servant, archer west of kitchen, three stationary guards to the east in the basement, and two stationary guards outside the mansion’s main entrance. No busts, due to the explicit instructions in the objectives.

Klatremus' Supreme Thief Site - Walkthroughs, Loot Lists & Ghost Reports

 

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11th Sep 2011, 06:18 #4

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Game: Thief 2 - The Metal Age

OM: Mission 2 - Shipping... and Receiving

 

Ghost - Success

Perfect Thief - Success

Supreme Ghost - Success

Perfect Supreme - Failed

Time - 2:19:25

Loot - 1665/1665 (Supreme: 1390)

Pockets Picked - 17/18

Locks Picked - 3

Backstabs - 0, Knockouts - 0

Damage dealt - 0, Damage taken - 0

Healing taken - 0, Kills - 0, Bodies Discovered - 0

Secrets - 12/13

Consumables - 1 broadhead arrow to obtain hidden loot at Lord Porter’s (plain Ghost only); 3 water arrows on ship deck (plain Ghost only)

 

See the entire report with screenshots here (top menu).

Loot list here.

 

 

Introduction:

 

One of the best missions in the game. A warehouse map hasn’t been done before and it stands out as a unique, memorable creation. Interesting dialogues and readables introduce the game’s new faction, the mechanists. This also jump starts the main storyline regarding their influence in the city. The map is highly non-linear and contain a variety of ways to move around, both high and low.

 

Down to the docks I was headed, to interrupt smugglers and loot warehouses. I needed 850 worth of gold, including 5 spice bags. The only special objective was to redirect Gilver’s shipment with a new label. I would have to snoop around to find the label first. Even though the briefing said few guards were likely, that wasn’t the case at all. The alleys surrounding the warehouse buildings were filled with swordsmen and archers. Even some civilians were roaming about. I would have to utilize all my skills to Ghost this one. As always, Supreme was the ultimate goal, and I figured I was in for a challenge. Much equipment was scattered about, posing extra challenges for purists. Seventeen pickpockets, only one of which was loot, added more fun to the mix. I was really looking forward to this one!

 

 

Comments:

 

I fetched the rope arrow on the west side of building A first. The only practical way to reach it was by way of a difficult mantle up the adjacent shed. The southwest corner of the crate was dark, so I hung out there waiting to drop back into the alley. I entered building A via the ceiling window above the main offices (see image). I stole the few pieces of loot here and the key from the control room. Despite the abundance of guards, the building wasn’t hard to traverse, due to ample amounts of shade. I left through the side door in the east. Used the control panel in the nearby shed to unlock the warehouses in this vicinity. Got a bunch of pickpockets from the top floor of building A and the patrollers in the surrounding alleys. Two conversations on the south end of the building produced more patrollers. It’s smart to wait with triggering these, or avoid them altogether.

 

I started by the north entrance and worked my way clockwise. At first I thought Kilgor’s Weapon Smithing would be tough, as I knew there was loot inside. But the merchant/hammerite behaved in a peculiar manner. After their lengthy conversation, they entered the warehouse. Upon entry however, they were nowhere to be found. I replayed the scanario and discovered to my astonishment that they disappear after coming to a halt just inside the door (see image above). Playing the sequence several times produced the same result. This was most puzzling. Researching on the forums, I found they are supposed to act like this. Initially, there was an error where they remained outside indefinitely. This was later fixed in a patch by Winter Cat. I recently installed DJ Riff’s Tafferpatcher pack; it might have been included there. Well, if this is their intended bahavior, then I was in the clear for Ghost. Most of the warehouse entrances had windows, causing tricky situations for Supreme Ghosters. On more than one occasion, I realized I had been seen by outside patrollers through the door. Even when crouching they had the ability to spot me. That happened a time or two at Kilgor’s.

 

 

 

The next warehouse was not any easier: Mynell Steaks. A large green spider was held captive inside a cage with loot, but the real problem was his three little brothers spread around the storage room. All of them were stationary, pivoting with their famous butt-vision. X-ray butt-vision at that! I figured the boxes would help me out, but these critters could see straight through them. A tiny statue worth 15 gold was situated smack in the middle of two of the spiders. The third was way over in the corner. I could traverse the southeast corner and along the southern wall without trouble. One spider was staring straight into the wall and the other was too far away. But the last was looking directly south, right in between those two wooden containers. Two lifts as well, in opposite corners. I focused on the loot in the cage first. I could dodge the looks of the patrolling spider by hiding behind the nearest pillar. I could even reach the lever and raise the gate. There was a patch of shade just inside doorframe on the south side (see image below). Alas, I couldn’t reach it without a chirp from the small spider further north. It didn’t matter how slow I went. I was creep-crouch-inching my way against the pillar, but still spawned a sound. There was no other way into the cage, so I kissed the nugget goodbye for Supreme. I could Ghost in and pick it up easy enough. No offense to plain ghosters, but there is more than a subtle difference.

 

 

 

To access the loot upstairs, I first needed the safe key from top of the storage locker. The locker itself had another angry little spider. The key drops from a ceiling hatch by pushing a button just inside the door, but that alerts the spider to hunt mode. It was much easier to climb the outside of the chamber and grab the key from on top of the hatch. The spider still alerted to clunky footsteps, so I had to traverse carefully. I flung a rope arrow into the ceiling and used it to ascend silently. If the rope hung close enough to the edge, I could swing around from the top, climb back down and grab the rope while standing on the chamber sort of. That method is absolutely silent. To slide down the slope after taking the key I just tapped the walk-key while crouching. Another jumpy archer patrolled the outside hallway. The only way to reach the safe across the hall was by unlocking the door from the outside. Yes that’s right, you can unlock many of the doors in this mission from the outside, despite the locking mechanism being situated on the wall inside the room you’re trying to reach. In this case I could even unlock the safe and grab the valuable recipe from outside the door (see image below). This method is considered an engine exploitation, as it goes against all laws of physics. But exploits are allowed in plain Ghost as a last resort. The north elevator was too protected by the critters, so this was definitely a last resort. Supreme thus had another two pieces of loot skipped. The last statue could be reached riding the north elevator down to the backside of the small spiders. One of them gave a chirp inching along the wall, but all within plain Ghost boundaries.

 

 

 

Cleaned T.M. Blackheart, Cid Capezza, Lady Angelica’s Experimental Apothecary, and E.B. Bramrich’s accountant office without trouble. One piece of loot at Lord Porter’s had to be skipped for Supreme. Rule #5 states: “Use nothing that would leave a trace or remnant of evidence. [...] Rope Arrows and Scouting Orbs can be used but they must be retrieved.” I reason it to refer to any non-retrievable equipment, regardless of any visible remains. An arrow had to be struck into a specific spot of a painting in order to reveal a hidden alcove behind it (see image). What happens to the arrow upon impact? Does it get stuck? Does it shatter into a hundred pieces? Whatever the answer, it would bust Supreme, so I moved along without it. I could ascend the elevator despite the button being broken. The ceiling was wood so I used a rope arrow (another broadhead was intended but unnecessary).

 

 

 

Building B was hassle free except for one piece of loot. It’s in a closed off section on the first floor, southeast corner. A spice bag is found inside a sideways container, but it’s inaccessible without some serious intervention. The first obvious entry point is the outside door, but the locking mechanism is found on the inside and the wall is too thick to allow outside frobbing. The second way in is through the ceiling window, but breaking it is deemed property damage and not allowed in any Ghost mode. The third is past a footlocker up high on the south wall. It’s not intended for passing, but Sneak, Old Man and Peter Smith way back in the day came up with a clever way to do it (see image above). I won’t attempt to claim any honor for the method, but it actually isn’t too difficult. You need two rope arrows for the job, so make sure to pick up the first one west of building A. The other one is in the pickable footlocker right here. Climb up by fastening one arrow into the ceiling and pick open the footlocker from the edge. Fling the second arrow into the ceiling so the rope hangs down just off the back end of the chest. You shouldn’t see any of the rope transmigrating into the wood of the footlocker, then it’s too close. But just so you can spot a tiny opening between the rope and the back end. I couldn’t reach this line in any other way than to jump onto it from the initial rope. That is, I managed once directly from the edge but wasn’t able to recreate it. The safe way to attach to it is to jump from a foot or so down on the first rope, since the jump angles upward. Chances are the hop will reach the second rope at the very top. Then climb as high as possible and swing around by moving the mouse so you see directly west. The engine will attempt to force Garrett’s body through part of the chest by pivoting around the line. You might have to wiggle arround a little to get fully over on the east side of the rope. The trick now is to look down and open the chest. I think this forces you through the footlocker just a little more and solidifies your positioning. To get off, press the back button and jump. Then all you have to do it strafe back and to the right and slip between the chest and the crate to the north. Voila! I have repeated this set of moves many times and it really isn’t that hard. The trick is to have motivation enough to try persistently, like the aforementioned taffers so zealously did. Astonishingly, this situation completely pales in comparison to the events unfolding further below.

 

 

The Cargo Ship

 

Davidson’s ship contained eight pieces of loot, all but one of which had some degree of challenge to them. I entered the boat via the ladder in the aft, that is the backend. Five enemies to consider, three thieves and two spiders. Two of the thieves had long routes involving the nearby building B, so they could pretty much be disregarded. The last thief was stationed on the deck, shifting between three directions. Strangely, he covered all angles besides the one facing the deck entrance. The spice bag on his belt was the first target, although it wasn’t too difficult to obtain. I slid down the northern slope coming from the stern (again, the backend) while the thief was facing away.

 

The next piece of loot was the spice bag on deck. The two spiders in the shed were already alerted to full alarm (third level). I could hear them clearly from the outside. I also realized the door to their shed somehow was transparent to the critters. They saw me the instant I passed in front of it. I restarted the mission to see if they were alerted from the beginning, and surely, I was never able to encounter them in a restful state. They have a high pitched, elongated chirp when in this state, easily recognizable. I figured they had spotted the stationary thief as he was lit up quite well from the surrounding flames. Had they been in hunt mode they would’ve searched around the inside of the shed making footstep sounds. Since they were unable to open the door to attack, they instead stood frozen in alarm mode, similar to a guard waving his sword if Garrett mantles onto an unreachable plateau. Opening the shed door out of view solidified this hypothesis, as they went straight for the thief and caused a fight. This door was special in other ways too. In fact, I’ve never seen any other door behave this way. First, it gave an unlocking sound when opened, even though I frobbed it without the use of a key. Second, it couldn’t be closed, although it lit up as if frobbable. Third, I could penetrate it from the front just by regular leaning. That’s when my previous theory got confirmed. I could see the critters had their pedipalps raised, doing small leaps as if viewing an enemy from afar. So if I could transmigrate the door, couldn’t I just grab the loot from outside, you ask? Well, this is considered an engine exploitation, and only allowed as a last resort. And there was another non-exploitive way to obtain the loot. Dousing the three torches closest to the thief lowered the spiders’ alert level to rest mode (see image below). This was proven by opening the shed door and seeing no spiders leave to attack. The sounds they made were different as well, more like the regular soft hissing noises. Leaning through the door at this point revealed them facing south. Of course, they still have their butt-vision so in effect their orientation was unchanged. This meant Supreme had to skip whatever was in the shed. Neither dousing torches nor transmigrating doors are allowed for that mode. Dousing the first torch spawned a comment from the stationary thief anyway. It was one of those comments that takes a few minutes to produce a settling remark, similar to enemies alerting to the opening of doors or picking of locks. Ok, so the door could be opened, but reaching the spice bag inside still wasn’t that easy. I couldn’t cross the view of the door, so instead I had to climb the top. With the stationary thief turned I mantled up, quickly traversed to the east side of the door and slid off the edge quietly. With the three aforementioned torches out, the thief only commented when pivoting south. I opened the door and spotted the spice bag (see image further below). The spiders couldn’t see me from around the doorframe corner, so I grabbed the bag and mantled back over the shed.

 

 

 

Two of the three fruits in the shed could also be obtained within plain Ghost rules. The rightmost apple and the cucumber could be taken while grabbing the spice bag. The cucumber wasn’t in view, but could be taken around the doorframe corner. I always keep an inventory object active and when it shrinks in size I know something is highlighting. I grabbed the cucumber without alerting the spiders using this method. The apple in the nearest corner was out of reach, though it can still be reached by leaning through the door while it is closed. As mentioned, most of the objects can be obtained this way but due to it being an engine exploit it is only allowed as a last resort. "Norwegian Thief" mode (a personal creation of mine) aims to obtain every possible pickup within Perfect Supreme rules. I see that mode as the ultimate challenge in Thief; stripping a mission utterly clean without a single enemy comment, without using any consumables, returning everything to its original state and leaving no traces of my presence. As an example, only two missions in Thief Gold were successfully Norwegian Thieved.

 

 

 

The spiders now started behaving peculiarly. Upon the first reload to a save state after having opened the shed door, the spiders did a patrol route out of the shed, about halfway across the deck just past the first mast, turned around and headed back for the inside of the shed (see image below). They gave several settling remarks as they came to a halt and returned to a complete resting state. This small patrol did not repeat and I was never able to spawn it any other way than by reloading after the shed door was open. I had to time the reload to a state when a) the stationary thief had his back turned and b) none of the patrollers were anywhere in sight. Either of those conditions would spawn a brawl. From this point on all three thieves gave comments when facing the shed, then settled with another remark like “I’m getting too jumpy” when turning away. The spiders never alerted again. They were however much more sensitive to movement on deck from me. I had to slowly sneak in and out the cabin doorway, but dousing the last torch was not necessary. Of course, none of this applies to Supreme, as the shed loot for that mode was skipped entirely.

 

 

 

The focus ahead now lay on Davidson’s cabin. It held five pieces of loot, only two of which needs reporting, located in chests behind banners. Again I redirect all honor and glory to Sneak, Old Man and Peter Smith and their endless work towards perfecting this mission. Both banners can be transmigrated, thanks to them. The northern one is by far the toughest, so I suggest going for the other first. The methods below are very close to the original instructions, developed by the aforementioned taffers. They have recently been revamped and confirmed by Sneak and myself.

 

Here’s how to reach the loot behind the southern (starboard) banner without property damage:

1. Crouch hugging the middle of the banner and shoot a rope arrow straight into the ceiling as close to the banner as possible.

2. Release the crouch to grab onto the rope.

3. Climb to the top, turn around 180 degrees and jump. [You should now be attached to the banner and unable to walk away]

4. Retrieve the arrow.

5. Crouch, hold back and jump. [You should now penetrate the first layer of the banner and if crouching, the chest should highlight]

6. Unlock the chest and grab the contents (see image below). Quicksave.

7. Slide to the right with your back to the banner and position yourself so that the vertical line of shade on the wall is in the middle of the screen. Then crouch, lean forward and jump. [You should be propelled to the front side and be completely free of the banner. If not, reload and try again.]

 

 

 

Here’s how to reach the loot behind the northern (port) banner without property damage:

1. Crouch hugging the middle of the banner and shoot a rope arrow straight into the ceiling as close to the banner as possible.

2. Release the crouch to grab onto the rope.

3. Climb to the top, turn around 180 degrees and jump. [You should now be attached to the banner and unable to walk away]

4. Retrieve the arrow

5. Crouch, hold back and jump. [You should now penetrate the first layer of the banner, but the chest won’t highlight yet]

6. Face the chest, crouch, lean forward and jump. [The banner’s second layer has been penetrated and the chest should highlight]

7. Unlock the chest and grab the contents (see image below).

8. Crouch, push back and jump. [The chest should not highlight anymore]

9. Slide to the left with your back to the banner and position yourself so that the vertical line of shade on the wall is in the middle of the screen. Then crouch, lean forward and jump. [Although no visible change is apparent, the force from the wall has pushed you through to one of the front layers]

10. Move a little bit to the right, crouch facing the chest, push back and jump. [You should bounce back to the front side of the banner, seemingly a foot or so away, although still attached]

11. Walk all the way to the door end, crouch, move so the right side of the bed is in the middle of the screen, lean left and jump. [You should now be completely free of the banner]

 

 

 

Throughout the entire process I turned up the volume to listen for alerts from the deck guards. They regularly commented on spotting the spiders, but that never resulted in hunt modes. My maneuvers inside the cabin occasionally had them start searching, which indicated a bust. Mossing the bottom of each banner takes care of the problem ahead of time, but I wanted to avoid consumables. This image shows Garrett after having retrieved both pieces of loot, with both banners still intact and no alerts.

 

Snuck off the ship by creep-crawling out the cabin doorway and climbing the aft ladder. Ventured along the east wall of building B, back to Noah Jerm’s warehouse, replacing the various keys for Supreme along the way. They were all taken from patrollers, so no alerts were risked in the drops. Used the control panel in the middle shed to open the bay door. Grabbed the loot and headed for Gilver’s. Switched the packaging label there and stole the final pieces of loot. A diamond in the office could be taken through the banner. Exited through the second floor door.

 

Put the yellow key back in the main office control room for Supreme and reset the code to ‘0000’. Returned to the starting corner via the metal catwalk, dropping silently onto the barrels below.

 

 

Notes & Busts

 

- Skipped a silver nugget in the spider cage at Mynell Steaks for Supreme. The small spider nearby gave a chirp when crossing the gateway.

- Couldn’t reach the valuable recipe in the safe at Mynell Steaks for Supreme. The only way was by exploiting a hole in the doors highlight perimeter. Engine exploits are not allowed in Supreme Ghost mode. The small statue in the north end of the first floor was thus also skipped.

- Skipped another small statue behind a painting at Lord Porter’s. The broadhead arrow required to reveal the loot would bust Supreme rule #5.

- Skipped the spice bag in the small shed on Davidson’s ship for Supreme. Had to douse three torches on the deck to avoid a fight between the spiders and the stationary guard. Putting out light sources is not allowed for Supreme mode, plus the water arrow spawned a comment from the nearby thief.

- Skipped two pieces of loot behind the banners in Davidson’s cabin for Supreme. Obtaining them requires banner transmigration, an engine expoit not allowed for that mode.

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11th Sep 2011, 06:29 #5

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Game: Thief 2 - The Metal Age

OM: Mission 3 - Framed

 

Ghost - Success

Perfect Thief - Success

Supreme Ghost - Success, but debatable

Perfect Supreme - Same as above

Time - 40:27

Loot - 1378/1378

Pockets Picked - 3/5

Locks Picked - 7

Backstabs - 0, Knockouts - 0

Damage dealt - 0, Damage taken - 0

Healing taken - 0, Kills - 0, Bodies Discovered - 0

Secrets - 9/9

Consumables - None

 

See the entire report with screenshots here (top menu).

Loot list here.

 

 

Introduction:

 

Thief 2 simply has too many of these missions. Another standard “one-building” map with something to steal on the top floor. I guess the whole framing situation is new, but it offers little creativity in terms of design or feel. It is also among the easiest OMs I’ve ever played, which isn’t a good thing.

 

This time I was to break into Shoalsgate police station to frame a certain Lt. Hagen for robbing the evidence vault. Apparently, he was on some important people’s least wanted list. Leaving a personal item of his in the vault would take care of business. To make matters worse, I was to steal the strongbox from the vault and leave it in his office. All without alerting the guards or sounding the alarm. Knockouts and kills were also prohibited; forced Ghosting, in other words. This usually means guards are at a minimum and ‘Framed’ was no exception.

 

 

Comments:

 

I entered Shoalsgate by way of the canal system. The entrance hatch was a little tricky to close for Supreme. There was a delay after frobbing the crank, barely enough for me to hop in with the hatch closing behind me. The cave system and basement were utterly empty, so nothing to report. I had expected more from the prison cells. The inmates and haunt ghost were interesting enough, but this could’ve been expanded. I wasn’t able to access the interrogation room, but I assume that was the point.

 

As mentioned, the guards were few and far between. I reached the front desk on the main floor without trouble, but left the security camera switch untouched. Supreme rule #8 specifically mentions watchers. Instead I robbed the coins in the floor panel under the control desk. I also avoided the triggering of a nearby conversation. It added an extra patroller to the otherwise empty halls.

 

I utilized the secret in the training room to get to the second floor (see image below). A torch opened a passageway on the above walkway, leading to sheriff Truart’s chamber. The toughest spot in the mission lay in the hallway outside. Not that it was particularly difficult, but a tad more challenging than the rest of the compound. A female guard patrolled the nearest east-west hallway, while two male guards took care of the other halls. I could easily skip from office to office as I ventured northward. There was a tiny ring on one of the desks in robbery/homicide (see image); I missed it first time around. Mosley’s key gave access to the secure records room with the vault code. It had to be accessed through a grate in the main office downstairs. The regular entry by way of the stairs involved dousing a torch or nudging a guard, either busting Supreme.

 

 

 

The vault code meant I could head for the third floor. Again the stairs wasn’t an option, as it took me straight to a room with a security camera. The stationary guard was on high alert and couldn’t be ghosted without dousing the nearby lamp. Luckily another hidden entrance was located in the office to the southeast on the second floor. A book in the shelf caused a banner to swing open revealing the passageway (see image). Reaching the office was a bit troublesome as it involved dodging a female guard in a brightly lit hallway. I followed her to the end and crouched to the side as she pivoted left (see image below).

 

 

 

The last hurdle was the vault itself. It had a keypad to unlock the door, responding to the code from the secure records room. However, this also stopped the camera inside, violating Supreme rule #8. I could easily push any of the numbers and slip in before the door closed and ghost the room with the camera back on. A lever operated the door from the inside. Is this a bust? I did stop the camera, yes, but only as a result of opening the door. If I had a choice, I would have opened the door and left the camera on, as it is perfectly ghostable. I made sure to turn the camera back on as soon as possible, not drawing any benefit from it being off for two seconds. I believe the rule was made to prevent shutting off security systems to traverse difficult areas. A similar situation was described in Broken Triad: Arkford, where you have to signal a friend across the street by extinguishing a light source. The light was turned back on immediately, similar to here. I normally rule against myself if in doubt, but I also try applying common sense. In my opinion, the latter is more important in this scenario.

 

Dropped the strongbox in Hagen’s office and returned Mosley’s key for Supreme. Descended through Truart’s office and exited by plummeting into the well.

 

 

Notes & Busts

 

- The vault security camera was turned off in the process of opening the door. It was turned back on immediately, in order to fully Ghost the vault. This situation is debatable, but I have ruled in favor of a clean Supreme Ghost.

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11th Sep 2011, 06:34 #6

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Game: Thief 2 - The Metal Age

OM: Mission 4 - Ambush!

 

Ghost - Success

Perfect Thief - Success

Supreme Ghost - Success

Perfect Supreme - Success

Time - 50:55

Loot - 1970/1970

Pockets Picked - 7/9

Locks Picked - 3

Backstabs - 0, Knockouts - 0

Damage dealt - 0, Damage taken - 0

Healing taken - 0, Kills - 0, Bodies Discovered - 0

Secrets - None

Consumables - None

 

See the entire report with screenshots here (top menu).

Loot list here.

 

 

Introduction:

 

I appreciate this mission as there are none like it in The Dark Project. The city itself could easily have been made a lot prettier though. A little extra detail would’ve gone a long way. As with many Thief 2 missions, it seems somewhat rushed. However, it is definitely a step up from ‘Framed’.

 

As the title has it, I got ambushed at the local pub and needed to dodge my way home through the city. No kills were allowed, but there were no additional objectives besides that. I would try to obtain all the loot along the way. I knew I’d be redirected to Shalebridge later, so I planned my route accordingly. I had a feeling this would be a tricky night for Supreme.

 

 

Comments:

 

I ascended the roof garden to the west of the pub and started my route home. There were several options, but I found the best way through the adjacent building to the north. An oddly placed purse was located in an entryway just north of here (see image). I snuck through the market unseen and looted an empty apartment to the southwest. The manhole outside took me to the canal on Helena Way. Found another purse in the water just up ahead.

 

The entire northwestern region of town didn’t pose any problems. The grocery store had some more loot before reaching my apartment. I entered by way of the back window. The patroller inside my quarters didn’t alert to the door if located at the far end of the living room (see image below). I eavesdropped at the door to be sure of his position. When the footsteps changed from wood to carpet I knew I was safe and made my entry. I grabbed the key from the hidden closet and left. The female guard in the hallway also alerted on the door, so I timed her patrol route accordingly.

 

 

 

The way to Shalebridge contained much of the same. Plenty of dark nooks and shady entryways made dodging guards easier than first anticipated. The last piece of loot posed the most difficult challenge of the night though. A swordsman stationed on the marketplace bridge had a purse on his belt. Stealing it would complete Perfect Supreme Ghost, something I thought would be way out of reach. The problem wasn’t the swordsman as he had his back turned, but instead a prostitute by the tables further north. She initially has a conversation with the guard, then stations herself over by the eating area facing east. The entire plaza was lit up by lampposts and my indicator was bright yellow at best. I could ccc (creep-crouch-crawl) in between the nearest lamp and the bridge railing. When rounding the corner to get onto the bridge itself my indicator went red and the woman commented. It took a lot for her to say something, but she started hunting soon after. Trying this move several times made me realize I needed other options. I understood mantling the railing was my only choice. Despite it being a fast maneuver, the girl didn’t comment on the actual mantle. She didn’t react until I clunk-landed on the metal. Naturally it set off the guard too. Normally those sounds can be avoided by releasing the jump-button at the appropriate moment, but I couldn’t get that to work here. Perhaps metal surfaces are too sensitive. Instead I experimented with various soft objects such as fruits, vegetables and potions. Either of those placed in the right location would cushion the mantle and prevent any sound. I chose a healing potion but any other similar object would do (see image below). I could then inch up the railing and lean in for the grab. The sloped part going back down easily set off the woman if I generated too much speed. I turned around and tapped the backwards-key to go slower. The final drop down to street level was a tricky one. It had to be as stepwise as possible. I used the invisible outer rim to prevent the last drop from being too long. I snuck away without comments. I repeated this move alert-free several times (see image).

 

 

 

Shalebridge Road contained some guards but they were all patrolling in packs and easier to dodge that way. I had to pass through an apartment to get by a stationary guard in one of the east alleys. From there the gate wasn’t far away. Luckily, the key was an objective and couldn’t be returned to my apartment.

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28th Sep 2011, 04:04 #7

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Game: Thief 2 - The Metal Age

OM: Mission 5 - Eavesdropping

 

Ghost - Success

Perfect Thief - Success

Supreme Ghost - Failed

Perfect Supreme - Failed

Time - 40:49

Loot - 2119/2119 (Supreme: 1994)

Pockets Picked - 1/4

Locks Picked - 3

Backstabs - 0, Knockouts - 0

Damage dealt - 0, Damage taken - 0

Healing taken - 0, Kills - 0, Bodies Discovered - 0

Secrets - 1/1

Consumables - None

 

See the entire report with screenshots here (top menu).

Loot list here.

 

 

Introduction:

 

Applying golf terms, this mission is par for the course. Nothing special, yet with a few interesting aspects. We get introduced to functional iron beasts, and the game’s main villain voices his opinion for the first time. I am definitely a fan of the Hammerites over these clunkers. There are indoor, outdoor and underground areas, but nothing we haven’t seen before. Karras’ plot to rid the world of all life is also eluded to at one point.

 

After being approached by the Keepers, my next step was to overhear Karras’ meeting with Sheriff Truart. It was to take place at the Mechanist seminary, built around an old Hammerite cathedral. I was to eavesdrop on one of the two doors marked on the map, and follow further instructions from there on. There was a 1,200 loot goal, but no requirements besides that.

 

 

Comments:

 

The front gates were guarded by two female archers (or crossbowers actually) on the east and west tower balconies. They pivoted north and south, but could spot me from either angle. Creep-crouching out of view circumvented any comments. From my blackjack run I knew that preventing the guards and the iron beast on the west side from triggering would leave the compound a lot less crowded. Two of them (including the robot) had patrols that went through parts of the chapel, a highly unfavorable condition. Instead I worked my way clockwise around the east side of the seminary.

 

The toughest spot of the mission was in the south end of the chapel. The pulpit area held four pieces of loot (plus the potential deposit box key), all in view of a nearby stationed mechanist. As if that wasn’t enough, a valuable tiara was located on the chapel floor in between the pews, just in front of a guard by the main entry. In addition, the entire seating area was surrounded by noisy, metallic floor tiles. The loophole, however, was a timely conversation initiated upon entry through the chapel’s southeast door. Both guards headed for the middle of the chapel, instigating a discussion regarding tonight’s important meeting. The front door guard was still facing the pulpit, but far enough away not to take notice as I stole the valuables. The other guard had his back turned the entire time. I even managed to sneak over to the east corner before their chat ended (see image). In order to steal the tiara within Supreme rules (without any first alerts/comments) I had to snag it as the conversation ended and the guards were heading back to their stations. Once that time came, I ran along the wall to directly out from the fourth pew. The best method from here was to creep-crouch-run across the metal until I was close enough to lean in and grab the items. By now, the pulpit guard had reached his spot and turned back around. He would now spot me and comment if I moved faster than crouch-walking. So I turned and moved back to the east wall before the second guard came to a halt. He would comment if turning around while I was close to the pews. He didn’t spot anything east of the metal, and I might have been safe closer than that too. Regardless, I could securely inch along the wall back to the entry door (see image below).

 

 

 

There was a strange piece of loot in the west storage closet by the pulpit. It seemed to be an offering bowl of some sort, worth 20 gold (see image). Anyway, it looks like junk and can easily be missed.

 

Next I eavesdropped on the main event in the meeting hall. The hall itself wasn’t accessible, but the doors on either side were. The purpose of the conversation was to find out the location of the safe-deposit box key. The key can be found in any one of 10 fixed spots around the mission. The correct spot is randomly generated upon starting the mission. Coincidentally, the key was found on the pulpit, so I already had it in possession. The inventory name simply changed from ‘key’ to ‘safe-deposit box key’. I also got a verbal confirmation from Garrett. This was very bad news though, as the key couldn’t be placed back without setting off the mentioned guard. This was not only a requirement for Supreme, but for all modes upon successfully completing the wax impression objective. So I was forced to restart and try again. This time the key was located in the guards’ quarters, one of the safer locations. In fact, the pulpit is the only key location that will bust all modes, so there’s a 10% chance of automatic ghost-failure when starting the mission. If the key is found in the basement foundry, then Supreme is busted for reasons explained below. For that mode the chance of up-front failure is 20%.

 

I was planning on clearing the basement next, but quickly reconsidered upon discovering the conversation in the lab. The guards went upstairs after the chat and I wanted to delay their patrols until that floor was done. The small lab to the north of the seminary held a few pieces of loot. Unfortunately, it had to be skipped for Supreme as the doors were locked and the lockpicks alerted the servant inside. The doors here had a tendency to disappear when opened, a furiously frustrating bug. Anyhow, I managed to enter and found the mission’s only secret in a sliding floor panel (see image). There was a small ring next to one of the corpses down there.

 

I ascended to the roof and entered the second floor of the seminary. This was the most crowded place of the compound with four enemies. A clockwise pattern around the level ended up being the most logical approach. From each tower I could reach the loot on the bottom floor, previously unreachable due to the front door guard. At first I thought the tower crossbow guards had stopped pivoting, but they just took a long time to do so.

 

I took the crypt entrance down into the catacombs. Two patrolling haunts were easy to circumvent. I went back up and approached the foundry via the staircase (see image). That way I didn’t have to pick the lock on the door from the catacombs. Since there isn’t a key to relock it I figured this to leave less trace of a thief’s passing. Call me a stickler... The conversationists had left and the foundry was free to explore. There was a smaller robot roaming about, but it was blind and only detected sound. I copied the key in the wax impression machine using the nearby putting knife. Unfortunately, the knife made too much noise when replacing it onto the metal counter (a Supreme Ghost requirement). The iron beast alerted and ran upstairs. The image below shows it being as far away from the wax room as possible, but it still went straight to alarm mode. I put it on the floor beside the counter instead, but still a bust. The safe-deposit box key can also be found on the counter near the generators. If returned, it also made too much noise for the robot. Regular Ghosters can muffle the drop with a moss arrow, but for Supreme that is not allowed.

 

 

 

I returned the box key to the guards’ quarters and ended the mission by the front gate.

 

 

Notes & Busts

 

- Had to skip the loot (125 gold) in the lab north of the seminary. The stationary servant alerted on either door being picked.

- Couldn’t return the putty knife to the metal counter by the wax impression machine in the foundry. The patrolling robot went into third alert mode (alarm). Returned it to the floor just next to the counter. Small Supreme violation, but a bust nonetheless.

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12th Oct 2011, 05:29 #8

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Game: Thief 2 - The Metal Age

OM: Mission 6 - First City Bank and Trust

 

Ghost - Success

Perfect Thief - Success

Supreme Ghost - Failed (but without a single first alert)

Perfect Supreme - Failed

Time - 2:10:40

Loot - 2284/2284

Pockets Picked - 17/18

Locks Picked - 15

Backstabs - 0, Knockouts - 0

Damage dealt - 0, Damage taken - 0

Healing taken - 0, Kills - 0, Bodies Discovered - 0

Secrets - 2/2

Consumables - None

 

See the entire report with screenshots here (top menu).

Loot list here.

 

 

Introduction:

 

‘First City Bank and Trust’ is a very solid mission. To me, it ranks in the top five as far as OMs are concerned. The bank itself is massive and you are looking at a good 2-4 hours worth of gameplay. It is vastly challenging, which makes it all the more entertaining. I wish Thief 2 offered more maps like this.

 

Having stolen Karras’ deposit-box key, my next logical step was heading for the bank to use it. I needed to find out which box belonged to the mechanists and then somehow find my way into the vault. The bank was filled with guards and, more annoyingly, cameras. Again there was no loot objective, just the mandatory no-kill and get-back-to-where-you-started requirements.

 

I knew Supreme was impossible up front. Rule #8 states: “No turning off of watchers, or other security systems.” There is a watcher aimed directly at the vault door, with an off-switch nearby. Also, to enter the southwest region of the first floor, you have to pass through the lobby. The lobby is filled with security cameras, the switch of which is found on the top floor of the compound. An alternate way into the vault area is through the guard room, but that is a marble-filled nightmare. My secondary goal for Supreme was thus to avoid busting any other rules. That meant no first alerts, no removal of light sources and no use of moss arrows. That was a challenge in itself, given the amount of lit rooms and noisy flooring. The cameras give a tiny chirp indicating a first alert. The light doesn’t go yellow and the turning mechanism doesn’t stop, but you can still hear the sound. Several places cameras could catch you through windows, sometimes leaving me oblivious to the fact that I was spotted. I made sure to double-check my tracks carefully. A loophole in the watchers’ maneuverability is that they can’t spot anything directly underneath. Occasionally I’d also forget they can’t hear, spending extra time inching through a tiled room with no guards around. Anyway, watchers add an extra dimension to the game, which I appreciate and don’t think have been utilized enough in third-party missions. I’m not a huge fan, but I value their addition to the gameplay. An additional challenge for equipment purists is to get all 17 pickpocket counts. I knew of a few that would be very tough.

 

 

Comments:

 

There were several ways to enter the bank. I chose the basement window in the east. The basement was filled with small robots, but they were easy enough to pass. I found the vault locking mechanism in a closed-off section beyond a watcher. I could unlock the sliding gate and avoid its gaze without having to turn it off. I noted the initial setting of the button combination, as I knew I’d have to come back to reset it for Supreme.

 

Second Floor

Upon arriving on the main floors the action got more intense. Watchers, robots and guards were all over the place, so I stuck to the few carpeted and wooded surfaces I could find. I headed to the second floor and immediately went for the library in the northeast. The entrance was in a dark, depressed staircase, where I could wait out the watcher for further moves (see image below). Found the deposit-box information in a library scroll. In order to leave I had to hide below the watcher and run out from there as it swung north. It worked to my benefit as there was a piece of loot in that end of the room.

 

 

 

Further west was a trickier piece of loot. A marbled hallway south of the Great Hall below had two ceiling cameras and an occasional wandering robot (see image below). The loot was a blue vase on an end table. The key to success was noticing the two watchers had unequal spinning speeds. Eventually the faster would catch up to the slower and they would swing away at the same time, as in the image. Given the robot was away and the downstairs patrollers were gone, I could sprint up and steal the vase.

 

 

 

This is one of the few missions where I made ample use of the map’s notetaking ability. Marking all the loot locations gave me a good idea of the most efficient route to travel. For this reason, the rest of the second floor didn’t pose many problems. It took time to dodge all the patrols, but in the end it was standard sneaking.

 

The northwest part of the floor actually ended up being easier than first anticipated. One of the swordsmen was hung up on the railing above the Great Hall. I saw him there during my blackjack run as well, so it must be a common error. I couldn’t nudge him across the edge either. It didn’t impact my travels, so I let him be.

 

Third Floor

As mentioned, I had to ascend to the third floor to shut down the lobby cameras. The only other way into the vault area on the first floor was through the guard room (see image). It had no less than three guards, an iron beast, a watcher and the entire room covered in marble. Initially, I thought the door on the upper walkway behind the robot would be my saving grace, but it was locked and unpickable. It responded only to the infamous red key. If it hadn’t been for the camera though, this room might have been Supremable. Alas, the vault entrance watcher would bust that mode regardless.

 

The third floor was no big issue, I just couldn’t use the staircases due to the stationary archer on the top floor. I rope arrowed up one of the side walls instead. His arrows were reachable from the front, bending around the corner from the shade. I circled the floor clockwise, passing the Hall of Statues, ending up in the security office to the southwest.

 

The only real tough spot on the third floor was going for the office in the northeast. The nearby hallway was tiled, had two watchers and a patrolling swordsman (see image below). Luckily, the guard’s long route made him unable to hear me traversing the tile. I timed it so both cameras swung away and rushed around the corner. The Hall of Statues had a secret lever behind one of the sculptures, revealing a hidden torture chamber in said office (see image). The skeletal remains inside had a tiny piece of loot.

 

 

 

First Floor (The Nitty Gritty)

Considering the activity level on the first floor, I can’t imagine anyone successfully Ghosting this mission on the first try, at least not if desiring all the loot. A blackjack run to map the grounds is valueless, if not for anything but to play such a quality mission twice. With the lobby watchers out of commission, the office directly to the north was somewhat easier. I only had to dodge the big iron beast doing rounds between here and the library (see image). There was a door in the middle, keeping him out of view for at least a few seconds. Each cubbyhole had a pickable safe, and I returned to my hiding spot after robbing each one. The smaller robots had routes all over the place, and I still don’t have them all mapped. They were the least of my worries though, as they don’t see until they have heard you first. A way of conserving energy I assume. Distinguishing first alert comments from mechanical chatter was trickier still, but I think I got it figured out.

 

The large office to the southeast had a tough piece of loot (see image below). There was a vase in the far corner, with a watcher right by the entry door. An archer occasionally swung by, but his route was extensive. Timing the watcher I could enter and jump around the corner at the top of the ramp. From the spot in the figure below, I could use the same maneuver leaving. I had to leap over a few desks and chairs in the process. It was a tough call, but doable.

 

 

 

The most intense portion of the mission came in the vault region to the southwest. I entered this area by passing the unguarded lobby westward. The initial office had a watcher and a patrolling archer, but nothing too bad. Next, there was a randomly placed coin pair on the lower walkway by the staircases further west (see image). Someone must have dropped it on their way to the vault. They were in plain view of the pivoting camera to the right in the image. Directly above was the only entry to the office in the southwest of the second floor. It involved a leap from the walkway to a tiled hall (see image below). It was preferential to land in a mantle, as that makes less noise than a firm landing. The office gave me access to the red key that unlocks all the doors in the southwest region of the bank. Returning to the first floor I made my way towards the vault.

 

 

 

In my quest to steal all consumables within Supreme rules, the final two pickpockets were coming up. Both were found in the guard room, on a stationary swordsman and a patrolling archer, respectively. Those were the same guards involved in a conversation overheard earlier. The closest I could get to the sentry was at the dome entrance, from a small marbled portion separating two darker, wooden halls (see image below). His silver key was my target. However, there were multiple factors to consider. First, the sentry kept pivoting east-west at a fairly frequent rate. Second, the patrolling archer had four visiting spots around the guard room, two of which were safely out of view. Third, the watcher around the north corner needed to be angled east the moment I went for the forward-lean-grab. Fourth, I also needed to be on the watch for the other patrolling archer, who made trips down to the vault as a result of me previously stealing his key. I basically had to wait for the perfect moment, sneak around the corner, pray the swordsman faced east long enough, and time the watcher as I leaned in for the lift. I managed to retrieve the key multiple times, but more often than not the swordsman caught me on my way back to the shade. After about 15 tries, the key was mine. One down, one to go. [Old Man’s archived report from long ago (Nov 4, 2000!) said it was easier to steal this key before their conversation. I don’t see how that is possible, as the archer is facing the dome before and during their chat, and the swordsman actually walks down to meet him, not the other way around.]

 

 

 

The archer’s pickpocket was easier, once I knew how. I ascended the vault stairs and exited through the locked door to the east (it responded to the red key). I was now on the upper walkway directly above the stationary iron beast (see image). From here I could quietly drop onto the marble without taking damage. I made sure to do it when the archer was in the south end. Just to the south of the pillar behind the robot there was a dark path where I could lean in and grab the arrows as the archer came to a halt (see image below). I set auto-equip to ‘off’ in the game menu first, otherwise the bow would make the archer comment. I used a rope arrow to get back to the upper walkway. I had to loosen the drawstring to reduce the sound on impact or else the robot commented. Two for two.

 

 

 

I had to turn off the camera guarding the vault door to enter. It didn’t turn away from the door at all and the entire entrance was well-lit. Supreme was already busted so it wasn’t a huge deal. The two watchers inside was tricky to dodge, especially on the ground level. I made good use of the pillars and stuck to the corners. The lift was dark enough to take me up unseen. I was disappointed to see that none of the other deposit boxes could be picked.

 

Took the long haul back up to the third floor to reset the lobby cameras. Supreme Ghost requires everything to be put back to its original state. I also dropped the silver key back to the swordsman’s patrol route in the northwest. I then descended to the basement to relock the vault door. I was surprised to see the door couldn’t relock, so all I could do was reset the buttons to the original configuration. The vault remained unlocked though and the light stayed green. Had I known this I would’ve reset it in the beginning of the mission, preventing the extra trip. Lastly I replaced the red key to the office on the second floor and exited via the side balcony. I had already lock-blocked it and could end the mission safely.

 

 

Notes & Busts

 

- Had to turn off the lobby watchers in the third floor security office to reach the vault. This is necessary to get the recording, but it violates Supreme Ghost rule #8.

- Also had to turn off the watcher guarding the vault door. Another violation of rule #8.

Klatremus' Supreme Thief Site - Walkthroughs, Loot Lists & Ghost Reports

 

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16th Oct 2011, 00:52 #9

Old Man

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Originally Posted by Klatremus

[Old Man’s archived report from long ago (Nov 4, 2000!) said it was easier to steal this key before their conversation. I don’t see how that is possible, as the archer is facing the dome before and during their chat, and the swordsman actually walks down to meet him, not the other way around.]

I confess to having made use, one more time, of an engine expoit to frob the key off the guard's belt in this case. It is possible, however impossible in real life, to lean Garrett out into full light and sight of enemy mobs and not be seen as long as he plants his feet firmly in shadow while doing so. In this case I looked down the hallway across the doorway to the guard room, leaned forward and held that forward lean while rotating my view to the key, screwing Garrett around the door jamb so he could reach out from full shadow in the hallway and frob the key. In fact, before the conversation between the two, the guard with the key is at least a foot closer to the hallway than where he takes up position after the conversation making it possible to do all this from the hallway which is why I commented that it was easier before the conversation. A sure-fire method to "see how that is possible" in the game is to try that something. You never know what might work contrary to the real world. How it matters which guard walks to talk with the other is beyond me unless you mean the archer's back would be turned toward Garrett while returning to his post after the conversation giving Garrett a brief moment to dash in and grab the key. As you can see it doesn't matter if he's looking in Garrett's direction or not since Garrett's light meter never wavers off full shadow. By the way, optical occlusion in the game similarly does not behave as in real life and Garrett can be between an enemy looking right at him with a bright light background and not be seen as long as Garrett remains in full shadow. Ignoring occlusion might also be considered an engine exploit. Ignoring these breaks from the real world has always been accepted by Thief players. Or at least I thought they had. Are you saying that you don't allow yourself to make use of these techniques while playing? Bravo! for your Ghost Mode successes then.

 

Mea Culpa

 

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16th Oct 2011, 06:01 #10

Klatremus

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Old Man, I didn't at all mean to hint to the fact that you exploited the game engine.  To me, the entire dark engine is an exploit towards regular laws of physics, so I completely agree with you there.

 

I was simply puzzled by your ability to steal the key before the conversation and how that should have made a difference. I saw the guard before their chat and didn't notice a significant difference in placement. However, I revisited the area after your reply and indeed you are correct.  The guard is noticeably closer to the doorway. I also wasn't aware that you could lean into the room without triggering the conversation. I guess just like the light gem results from where your feet are planted the proximity for when conversations are triggered depends on the same factor. Those two facts combined makes Garrett able to lean around the corner and barely reach the key if the guard is facing west (see image below). Originally I thought you meant the guard was close enough to avoid the watcher only, not to steal it from shade, hence my note about the archer who then would have screamed frantically.

 

 

 

Again, I hope I didn't cause you to feel disrespected with my original comment. Like I said I was more puzzled with the situation rather than questioning it. It was more a plea to encourage your reply, and it that case it worked.

Klatremus' Supreme Thief Site - Walkthroughs, Loot Lists & Ghost Reports

 

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18th Dec 2011, 23:40 #11

Hexameron

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Wow. Amazing work here, Klatremus. I hope you finish your TMA run. Are you going to attempt to replicate Sneak's "unhooking the caboose" method in Kidnap?

 

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20th Dec 2011, 16:43 #12

Klatremus

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Hey Hexameron, what's cookin?

Thanks for the compliments. This is a project I have been looking forward to. It is definitely my aim to finish it, but that might just be the end of Thief for me, at least as far as Ghosting and these lengthy reports are concerned. Our first child is due at the end of January at it is already taking up much prep time. My initial view was to finish one mission a month, but even that is hard to maintain. I am not aware of Sneak's Kidnap endeavor, but whenever his name pops up I know I am in for some neckbreaking stuff. I haven't played T2 missions since the game came out so these are basically new experiences for me, which makes it so much more fun.

Klatremus' Supreme Thief Site - Walkthroughs, Loot Lists & Ghost Reports

 

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20th Dec 2011, 21:58 #13

Hexameron

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Originally Posted by Klatremus

Hey Hexameron, what's cookin?

I took a break from Thief for a while to play a variety of newer games out there. But I've had my fill. All the superficial "cutting edge" graphics, physics, and fancy cinematics of modern games only grate on my nerves. Now that I've seen how much PC games are devolving into eye candy-saturated interactive movies, I just had to come back to Thief.

 

It is definitely my aim to finish it, but that might just be the end of Thief for me, at least as far as Ghosting and these lengthy reports are concerned.

Don't say that  The ghosting community here has already shrunk so much. I hope you won't abandon ghosting; even if you just post your stats and no comments in the FMs thread, that'll make me happy.

 

Our first child is due at the end of January at it is already taking up much prep time.

Yea, I suppose taking care of a newborn is more important than Thief. Congratulations

 

I am not aware of Sneak's Kidnap endeavor, but whenever his name pops up I know I am in for some neckbreaking stuff.

It's discussed on the first page of the Thief 2 Ghost/Perfect Thief Results thread from the archive. It's one of those ingenious but patience-taxing exploits similar to Sneak's crate nudging of the Golden Boy in LotP.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 00:07 #14

tarvis79

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I'll resurrect this thread. If you want video documentation of each of the runs, just head to www.youtube.com/tarvis79 and check out the "Let's (really) Ghost" playlists.

 

I'm finished with Thief Gold, working on Thief 2 (currently uploading the Bank). I'll post here as I finish missions.

 

Game: Thief Gold

OM: 0-A Keeper's Training

 

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Ghost: Failed! (couldn't relock the door to the obstacle course AND return the key)

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Failed!

 

Time: 16 minutes 32 seconds

Loot: 50/50

Damage: 20/0/0 (training dummy and sparring partner)

 

This one is easy. I guess some technical niggling is possible, but if you're not seen or heard by the Keepers, the sparring partner doesn't alert. Damaging him is excused by the "follow instructions" objective.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 00:16 #15

tarvis79

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Game: Thief Gold

OM: 1-Lord Bafford's Manor

 

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Ghost: Failed! (had to nudge the guard on my way out of the basement)

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Failed!

 

Time: 53 minutes, 8 seconds

Loot: 1429/1429

Pockets: 4/4

Damage: 0/0/0

 

This mission has been done too many times to warrant much of a report. Suffice to say, it's done. I think I erroneously claimed credit for a Perfect Supreme in my video, when in reality that's invalidated by the nudge.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 00:24 #16

tarvis79

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Game: Thief Gold

OM: 2-Break from Cragscleft Prison

 

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Ghost: Failed! (had to douse a torch to get up to the barracks, took a 1st alert on the way down, waited for the novice to fidget to nab the gold hammer, transmigrated the banner for the tasty wine)

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Failed!

 

Time: 13 hours, 12 minutes, 31 seconds

Loot: 1688/1688

Pockets: 11/12 (game flags Nammon's corpse as a pick, auto-fails since he's dead)

Damage: 0/0/0

 

Trouble spots were at Tarquis (solved with Klatremus' method of ledge-hopping into shadow), the gold hammer at the priest and novice (solved with a 10-hour wait for the novice to drift into the wall), the banner (easily transmigrated), and the priest at the stairs to the Barracks. Had to douse the torch to get by him.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 00:29 #17

tarvis79

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Game: Thief Gold

OM: 3-Down in the Bonehoard

 

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Ghost: Failed! (object stacking on the Fireshadow's patrol route, moving the skull to keep the Mystic's Soul trap from firing, triggered the falling boulder trap behind the wooden door, may have taken 1st alerts while leaving the Quintus burricks behind, triggered the "stay away from my face" trap)

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Failed!

 

Time: 1 hour, 13 minutes, 13 seconds

Loot: 2450/2450

Damage: 0/0/0

 

Only big trouble spot for normal Ghost was the Fireshadow/Mystic's Soul. Stacked some potions, holy waters, and golden bones to get in through the exit. Actually had more trouble getting out-took me forever to get to the tile floor silently.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 00:30 #18

tarvis79

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Game: Thief Gold

OM: 4-Assassins

 

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Ghost: Success!

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Success!

 

Time: 41 minutes, 12 seconds

Loot: 2705/2705

Pockets: 9/9

Damage: 0/0/0

 

This mission is so easy, I can't even think of anything to designate as a trouble spot.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 00:40 #19

tarvis79

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Game: Thief Gold

OM: 5-Thieves' Guild

 

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Ghost: Failed! (took too many 1st alerts to keep track of, doused 3 torches: one in the casino, one in Thom's room, and one at the entrance to Reuben's mansion, if memory serves)

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Failed!

 

Time: 2 hours, 19 minutes, 31 seconds

Loot: 2716/2716

Pockets: 18/18

Damage: 0/0/0

 

Toughest spots were in the casino itself (had to use a crate to mantle into one of the side windows to pick a pocket) and in Reuben's mansion (getting past the kitchen women in this mission is ALWAYS hard), but nothing that couldn't be solved with patience and AI timing.

 

I did encounter a lot of patrol glitches in the endgame, but nothing really jumps out as being all that terrible. Just a lot of saving/loading to stay undetected. Trying to Supreme made it MUCH harder.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 00:44 #20

tarvis79

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Game: Thief Gold

OM: 6-The Sword

 

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Ghost: Success!

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Failed! (can't get the silver nugget in the bedroom, the gold nugget by the fireplace, or the chest in the spitfire trap room)

(Note: for the campaign, I went with the Perfect Thief/Supreme bust)

 

Time: 1 hour, 16 minutes, 37 seconds

Loot: 2656/2656

Pockets: 10/10

Damage: 0/0/0

 

Only trouble spots that spring to mind are the Sword itself, which was obtained by firing a rope arrow from the ground floor and not even messing with the patrollers. Fun mission, nothing too bad. Hard to add much that's new, honestly, but I'm interested in a thriving Ghosting community so I'll post my efforts just the same.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 00:47 #21

tarvis79

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Game: Thief Gold

OM: 7-The Haunted Cathedral

 

Ghost: Failed! (Try as I might, lighting the torches in the grotto alerted the spider every time)

Perfect Thief: Failed!

Supreme Ghost: Failed!

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Failed!

 

Time: 1 hour, 43 minutes, 30 seconds

Loot: 2635/2635

Damage: 0/0/0

 

I started a whole new thread about this, but I'm deeply curious as to how those claiming success managed to light the torches without alerting the spider. I suspect they may have excused the alert as necessary for an objective; if they managed to avoid it, I REALLY want to know how, as I couldn't do it. That was the only bust of either Supreme or regular Ghost.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 00:51 #22

tarvis79

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Game: Thief Gold

OM: 8-The Mage Towers

 

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Ghost: Success!

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Success!

 

Time: 1 hour, 56 minutes, 4 seconds

Loot: 2812/2812

Pockets: 22/22

Damage: 0/0/0

 

The biggest trouble spots were the Fire Tower (duh) and, for Supreme, the stationary woman on the third floor of the Keep. Klatremus' crate method solves the woman for Supreme, and a little bit of patience suffices in the Fire Tower. Mission is a lot of fun, though.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 01:03 #23

tarvis79

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Game: Thief Gold

OM: 9-The Lost City

 

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Ghost: Failed! (had to crate-nudge the entrance spiders, took 1st alerts from the burricks in the library basement, bought the commission at loadout)

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Failed!

 

Time: 1 hour, 28 minutes, 27 seconds

Loot: 3205/3205

Damage: 0/0/0

 

Had to crate nudge the entrance Spiders extensively. Everything else was actually remarkably straightforward.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 01:17 #24

tarvis79

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Game: Thief Gold

OM: 10-Song of the Caverns

 

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Ghost: Failed! (took first alerts from some craymen, the coatcheck girl, some people in the audience, and probably others; used a moss arrow to get the coatcheck loot)

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Failed!

 

Time: 1 hour, 44 minutes, 37 seconds

Loot: 2920/2920

Pockets: 13/13

Damage: 0/0/0

 

I had a lot less trouble than others have with the Spider. I was able to rush him and slide into the water without any of the wall-jumps described by Klatremus and Sneak. This happened on two loads in a row, so it wasn't a fluke.

 

Also used the Sneak/Klatremus method for the coatcheck girl. Nothing else was a problem.

 

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18th Feb 2012, 01:21 #25

tarvis79

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Game: Thief Gold

OM: 11-Undercover

 

Ghost: Success!

Perfect Thief: Success!

Supreme Ghost: Failed! (took a 1st alert from the High Priest-thanks to Klatremus for noticing his settling remark)

Perfect Supreme Ghost: Failed!

 

(the above assumes the alerts from the Talisman alarm are excused)

 

Time: 44 minutes, 11 seconds

Loot: 2758/2758

Damage: 0/0/0

 

Here, I feel like I may have finally contributed something new. I don't know if this was ever Perfect Thiefed in the archives or not, but I was able to get the golden hammer in the entrance unseen and unheard. This just required a lot of patient waiting for the 8 relevant AIs to all have their backs turned. This assumes, of course, that the Talisman alert was excused. Full compliance with the Supreme rules otherwise-no alerts at all, everything back as it was.

 

EDIT: Watching the video, Klatremus caught a settling remark I missed, indicating a 1st alert and a Supreme bust. Still have Perfect Thief, at least.