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GATHERING AT THE BAR After
finishing my Supreme Ghost run of Thief 2, I wanted to get back into fan
missions. Many of the classics were still waiting for me. Often I hear them
whistling gentle, seductive tunes. The Circle of Stone and Shadow (CoSaS) missions had always tempted me, and the upcoming
release of their next installment, ‘The Nine Year Sleep’, was just the excuse
I needed. And what better way to start than to head back its roots. Trimfect’s ‘Gathering at the Bar’ was the first fan
mission ever made, and the mission that ultimately convinced Looking Glass
Studios to release Dromed publicly. It essentially
made today’s fan based community possible. Though simplistic and small by
modern standards, GatB offers fun gameplay and an
entertaining storyline. This mission also ended up becoming the inspiration
for CoSaS’ first official release, ‘Gathering at
the Inn’. There
are both a Thief 1 and a Thief 2 version of this mission available. To my
knowledge, only slight differences exist due to the updated engine, making
the mission more stable and prettier. I did my test run through the original
and the Supreme Ghost run using the updated version. Interestingly,
as per the briefing, I didn’t play as Garrett in this mission, although I
don’t know who the protagonist originally was supposed to be. I was to steal Bafford’s scepter from the Grieving Burrick
Inn and then meet my contact by the fountain. Along the way I was to pick up
two other scepters (to throw off the owners) and 1,300 worth of loot. No
blackjack was present at the highest difficulty (impossible). Headed
for the chimney first. Its connecting passageways were highly useful for
Supreme. Eliminating first alerts in a building this heavily patrolled took
planning, hence the initial route. Iolaus was
stationed in the restaurant and I needed his key. It unlocked the bar safe
with loot. Stealing it from the bar side was near impossible. Coming through
the fireplace from the chimney was a lot easier (left image below). I could
monitor his pivots and the other guards’ patrols from here. The
opposite end of the same passage took me to the mage’s bedroom, a very tough area to Ghost if coming
through the door. From the fireplace however, I could stay hidden and time my
steals. He paused at the desk in the far corner long enough for me to grab
all his valuables. Found a tiny coin on his nightstand also (right image
above). Entered
the kitchen through the window. Snuck into the bar and stole the valuables
there. Noticed the lighting to be a touch different compared to the Thief 1
version. I could actually lean under the counter and avoid being spotted by
the patroller coming through. Left the grey key in the safe for now. I was
hoping it wouldn’t be necessary. Iolaus’ key
couldn’t be returned to the floor where he was stationed. He alerted from the
sound of it dropping. Remember, Supreme rules force all keys to be returned
to their original location or to
the enemy’s patrol route. Well, Iolaus made patrols
to the cellar if the power generator was shut down. I couldn’t actually do
this as it turned off the lights and is therefore not allowed for Supreme,
but that path was still part of his scripted route. I could therefore drop
his key anywhere along that route and avoid busting Supreme. The
second floor had an oddly behaved pair of guards. One would be stationed near
the meeting room door at the top of the stairs while the other patrolled
around the inn. Once he finished his route and returned upstairs, they would
switch, and the originally stationed guard would patrol instead. Confoundedly
strange indeed. They were easy to tell apart as one wore gold-plated armor
while the other was purpler (if that’s even a word).
They both pivoted once stationary, but the purple guard had angles more
suitable for sneaking (left image below). He faced the door some and even the
back wall; I never saw the gold-colored guard do that. Since
I hadn’t picked up the grey key from the safe, I couldn’t enter the ‘authorized
personnel’ door from the gallery. So I snuck in behind the guard’s back
instead and entered the meeting room after having pilfered his key. It was
one of the two existing white keys. Although they looked the same they worked
different locks. The stationed guard kept silent when unlocking the door, but
gave a first alert when I closed it. Strange. The workaround involved exploiting
the guard in Bafford’s bedroom. He appeared once
entering the meeting room. I had time to get to the shadows to the right
before he came by, given that he turned around and carefully locked the door
before sprinting onwards. If I timed the closing of the door exactly right, it would swing shut
just as he was about to sprint through. Since guards open doors by proximity,
he ended up preventing it from shutting entirely whilst coming to a short
halt (right image above). At this time I stole his key and then he suddenly
took off again closing the door behind him. The guard outside didn’t give a
comment from this, as (to him) other guards aren’t considered hostile. I hope
all that made sense. It’s a trick you can use any time a stationary guard
alerts to doors, as long as someone is patrolling through it at one time or
another. If you have trouble making this move, the grey key from the safe
would be your other option. Although I don’t know if it can be replaced
without alerting Iolaus. You’ll have to check that
one out yourself. I
left the meeting room through the secret study. Lock-blocked the exit and
dropped the second white key back onto the meeting room carpet. The gallery
was easy once I figured out the guard’s route. It was completely predictable;
no randomness at all. Snagged all the loot and left through the side window.
I guess the toilet would’ve been the less dignified method. Yuck! Reentered
through the north bedroom window (with the sleeping dude) and dropped the
first white key onto the stairs. Nobody seemed to care. Met Sheam by the fountain and ended the mission. Statistics: Time:
18:15 Loot:
1487 out of 1487 Pickpockets:
3 out of 4 Secrets:
None Locks
Picked: None Damage
Dealt: 0 Damage Taken: 0 Consumables:
None Ghost:
Success! Perfect
Thief: Success! Supreme
Ghost: Success! Perfect
Supreme Ghost: Success! Notes: -
The door in the
bedroom with the sleeping noble disappeared. I didn’t notice it until after
having saved. No bust, but worth mentioning. |
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