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Thumper's Guide to
Thief: The Dark Project
The Strange and Unusual
Rev. 2, August 13 1999
Table of Contents
"What a friggin great game!!!"
Talisman
Warning: Thief may radically alter your expectations of current and future game play. Your favorite games may seem boring and pointless after prolonged exposure to Thief: The Dark Project.
"What do you do when you're scared, but just MUST play Thief?"
Knife
Warning: Although I have tried to preserve most of the surprises that await you in Thief, the following document does contain some spoilers. Okay, a lot of spoilers. These spoilers may deprive you of certain hair-raising experiences. On the other hand, they may prevent heart related medical conditions and premature aging. Caveat emptor.
Note: This is draft #2. the next draft will be the "final" document.
There have been lots of changes since draft one. Most of the bigger changes have been highlighted. Most of the little changes and most of the new quotes have been not been highlighted. If you are using MSIE4+ you can toggle the change highlighting by clicking on the colored links below. Click again to undo the highlighting.
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Welcome to my favorite game. Inside this document are secrets of many ages, the sages, and the mages. Things they don't teach you of in school. Things you learn the hard way and die trying. Things you're dying to try again. Things out of the ordinary and into the strange and unusual.
Thief is a game of puzzles, but the vast majority of them are not ordinary puzzles. The puzzles in Thief force you to think in different ways. Of course, there are a few find-the-key puzzles, but most are much more devious. A typical puzzle is, "How do I handle that guard?" or "How do I get across that open floor when I'm scared witless?" It doesn't sound all that hard does it? In fact, there are usually many different solutions. The problem is that if you are seen, then quite likely you will soon be dead. Garrett is not a fighter and doesn't hold up well in combat. The mere problem of survival helps make this one of the scariest, most immersive games ever.
It seems like each time you think you've got it all figured out, you'll have to deal with a new set of challenges. The skills you thought you mastered may no longer seem to be very effective. The best thieves however, will find new ways of handling the challenges and realize that many of the skills they learned just need a little polishing.
"I swear, I spent about half an hour trying to regain my composure and stop shaking. For the next few days I went around turning on all the lights."
Angelfire
There are three levels of difficulty, normal, hard, and expert. Playing on hard and expert don't just increase the number of guards and monsters. They also decrease your health, reduce your resources, and often require that you avoid killing. New areas open up, some areas disappear, and there are new objectives you have to meet. It's like playing a whole new game. There are new things to do and the skills needed to finish a mission are often quite different.
If you play like a space marine on shore leave, you'll be in for a rude shock on Expert. Unfortunately, you'll be able to make a fairly good start on Normal. The trouble is, you'll miss opportunities to practice important skills and most of the game as well. You'll hit a point where killing is a chore and running is a bore. I recommend playing on normal first and then playing through again on expert to fully appreciate the game. If you still want a challenge, try playing the game using one of the alternate playing styles. Thief has an incredible amount of replay value.
If you've never played Thief before, I strongly recommend making a sign that says "Caution: Thief in Use" and putting it in a prominent location outside the room in which you're playing. This will help prevent injuries to you, your PC, and nearby furniture in the advent of an unexpected interruption. It's also a good idea to eject any pets from the room and remove edibles from the immediate flailing area.
"Scared the bejesus outta me!!!"
johnwink
Terminology note: Occasionally, I will generically refer to the creatures (guards, animals, monsters, etc.) in the game as AI's.
One final bit of introductory strangeness. Occasionally, I'll pose a question. I'll also give you the answer but, on the slim chance that you might actually want to find the answer out for yourself, I'll hide it like this:
Answer: What did you expect? There was no question!
To see the answer, drag your mouse from one corner of the box to the opposite corner.
Sword. Like Duncan MacLeod, Garrett has the strange talent of being able to hide his sword (in fact, all his weapons) in the folds of his clothes and seemingly summon them from thin air. Why a sword and not the more traditional dagger? Well, it's kind of like a security blanket thing. Not really necessary, but it feels better in your hands when confronting a hulking horror than an oversized toothpick would. It's also handy for breaking and entering when you've misplaced your keys, and for vandalizing wall hangings.
"I've been startled so many times by the creatures and happenings in this game, I've considered getting a medical alert bracelet with the words "Thief: The Dark Project" engraved on it. That way when the paramedics come screaming to my house, they'll immediately understand the catatonic state they find me in."
BurrickBreath
Blackjack. Many creatures can be rendered unconscious with your handy blackjack. Usually, if they have a brain, they can be knocked out. Heh heh, try it on a Zombie or a Haunt though and you're in for a surprise. The undead, fire elementals, and spiders can't be knocked out. Burricks and frogs, believe it or not, can.
If you lost the element of surprise, or you whack something that can't be knocked out, your blackjack will still do a small amount of damage to your target. In fact, even though you can't knock out the undead, your blackjack is still effective against them. You can whack Haunts and Apparitions fast enough that they don't have time to recover, eventually killing them, albeit very slowly.
Spend some time trying to blackjack someone while in mid-air. If you're successful, at the end of the mission in addition to regular knockouts, the stats screen will show the number of knockouts while airborne...
Broadhead arrows. Very versatile. They damage every creature to some extent. They are not very effective against Haunts or Bug men. They are surprisingly effective against Fire elementals. They are cheaper than noisemaker arrows and work nearly as well for creating a diversion. They can be retrieved if they hit something soft like wood or grass. They are useful for pressing buttons that are out of reach.
Challenge: Kill a Haunt with just broadheads. Hint: Make sure it's the right Haunt.
"Had to turn the damned game off I was shaking so badly."
BigJ
Rope arrows. Take a bunch of rope arrows and fire them into a tree or the ceiling near a wall. Then take a fire arrow and fire into the middle of the hanging ropes. The resulting explosion of ropes is very strange. You have to see it to believe it. See also Rope Climbing.
On a curious note, rocks (rubble) bounce off rope arrows.
A note about the crystal arrows. There are four and each corresponds to one of the classic Greek elements (fire, air=gas, water, earth=moss). Fire and Gas arrows don't arc because their corresponding elements don't behave that way in nature. Of course, knowing that fact is not going to stop you from cursing, the first few times you watch them sail over the heads of your intended victims.
Water arrows. Always nice to have. Putting out a torch does make a little noise. Once in a while a guard might actually hear it or see it go out and react. Most of the time, they don't seem to care that the torches around them are going out one by one. They just stand there in the darkness, whistling to themselves. It must leak a lot when it rains too. They don't even seem to notice a burst of water in their face.
Not surprisingly, water arrows are very effective against Fire elementals. They can also disperse insect swarms, although it's a bit tricky to do since their blast radius is not too large. You have to aim at something near the swarm like a doorway or a zombie.
Fire arrows. They don't arc. They have infinite range. They can be used to re-light torches. They blow up boxes and gunpowder barrels. They make a lot of noise and are useful for creating diversions. They can disperse insect swarms. You also stick out like Rudolph's nose when you have one of these in your bow.
"... I was utterly terrified by the Haunts. I'm sorry, but they are easily the most frightening enemies in any game."
MarkA
Moss arrows. While it is possible to creep silently across any floor with patience and enough time, the Rat men that are about to appear any second now probably won't give you that luxury. Moss arrows are essential for quickly quieting a noisy floor. If you have an abundance of them and no other junk handy, they can also be used to mark your passage.
Gas arrows. Like fire arrows, they don't arc and have infinite range. They have a large blast radius and can knock out most creatures in the game, making them very powerful. They also put out fires, and disperse insect swarms. But, they are not terribly effective against Fire elementals.
Noisemaker arrows. These arrows are indestructible. They are good for creating diversions when you know you will be able to recover them later. They are a little too expensive to just throw away. Use broadheads for that. Noisemakers are good for a moderately long lasting source of noise. They also bounce so, if you're not careful, you could find the arrow back under your feet rather than in the corner where you wanted it. Ooh, that is so embarrassing. Of course, you can use the bouncing to your advantage too. Finally, noisemakers are good when you want to make a noise in an area that has only soft quiet surfaces. Fire arrows work well for that too.
"... i turned a corner around a pillar and was face to face with an ugly dead thing...it wasn't so bad til he raised his hand and said RAHHHHHHHH! *chop chop* dead Garret...i couldn't fight back or run cos i was shaking too bad"
Ghost
Flashbombs. Very useful when you need to blackjack a group of guards. They are surprisingly effective against the undead. They are the most effective weapon against Haunts and Apparitions. Originally, it seems that flashbombs were supposed to blind Garrett as well if they went off in your field of vision. That doesn't happen in the game, but you can see what the effect would have been, by typing ":flash" and pressing enter.
Mines. They tend to slide a bit when you throw them, so you need to compensate by throwing them at a sharper angle into the floor. A sadistic feature of these toys is that they can be picked back up if done a second or so after arming. Oops, that's not where I wanted it, I'll just pick it back up and try again... BOOM. They can also light torches if they are not too far away.
How do you make a mine float? Take one mine, two scoops of glowing mushroom ice cream, and er... no, sorry, I meant in mid-air...
Answer: Drop a mine, activating it. Immediately pick it up and watch it in your inventory. As soon as it disappears, back away quickly. The mine will be armed and floating in mid-air about waist height.
What else can you make float in mid-air?
Answer: Clumps of moss! Stack up two or three boxes near a ledge or tall object. Fire the moss arrow at the ledge. It must detonate and sprinkle moss clumps on the boxes. Then, remove the boxes. Strangely, moss clumps are invisible from underneath...
Gas mines. They are just mines that release gas when they detonate. They have the properties of both gas arrows and mines. You can use them to extinguish fires if they are not too high.
Hammers. The Hammerite's hammers have a couple of interesting properties. One, they make a fairly decent weapon. To get the best effect, throw the hammer while running towards your target. Two throws of a hammer will kill a Haunt. Two, hammers will open many locked doors! Just throw the hammer at the door and it will open. This is a good way to open many of the doors in Undercover. The Hammerite guards don't seem to care that you're running around throwing hammers at the doors.
"JoinUsJoinUsJoinUsNOW!"
Anonymous Haunt
Boxes. The primary use for boxes is building stairs for climbing. You can jump onto a stack that is up to two boxes high. With enough boxes, you can go almost anywhere. See Stack 'em up.
Boxes can also be used for blocking doors. Be gentle with the boxes though. Too much damage will destroy them.
Barrels. Common barrels are indestructible. That can be a hassle when you just pushed one in front of the only doorway out. There are two other types of barrels that are not common. Red gunpowder barrels and skull-and-crossbones barrels. Red barrels explode when hit with fire arrows. You can also hide behind a barrel, but usually not between barrels so be careful to keep the barrel between you and your friend(s).
Breath potions. You never need breath potions. There is always somewhere to catch your breath. Now, if you can just find it in time...
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#11 The word "Taffer" is a permanent addition to your daily vocabulary.
Digital Nightfall
Speed potions. These don't seem to be terribly useful. Certainly not in the entertaining sense anyway. They only act for a very brief time. Their most interesting use is for increasing the distance you can jump. Unfortunately, there are few places where this is useful. Another somewhat interesting use is to take one while swimming against the current. They help you make a little better headway.
A good thief possesses a wide range of skills. The first part of this section deals with skills that are actually useful in achieving the mission objectives. A few esoteric skills are listed at the end. These are mostly useful for getting into places you are not supposed to be.
How much longer?? You're waiting and waiting for the level to load... How much longer is it going to take... Look at the dial on the left. It's a progress meter!
Touch your toes. How do you whack something at your feet? Ready your sword or blackjack, then release your arm and crouch. The swing will reach lower than you normally can. Especially useful for swatting spiders and such that have gotten a bit too close for comfort.
Which way is he facing? Are you trying sneak up on a guard but you can't tell which way he is facing because he's too far away? Look at his sword. Guards are right handed. If his sword is on the right, he's facing away from you.
"... trying to climb on some ladder while zombie is approaching and being unable to remember the jump/climb ladder function! i yelled and screamed i got up from the chair tryin to mentally persuade Garret to immitate me and climb! my housemates run in and gave this "you are so pathetic" look!"
lothril
Rope climbing. You can always recover your rope arrows. You never need to lose a rope arrow. To recover the seemingly impossible ones, grab the arrow as you jump off the rope. It's still a good idea to have several rope arrows though. They are handy for creating escape routes and some of the more advanced tricks require multiple ropes. Also, while you can't lean forward while hanging from a rope, sometimes when near a wall, it is possible to extend your reach by spinning around in one direction or the other.
Mantling. You can mantle up lots of places. Some places look like they are too high to reach. Try anyway. Sometimes running and jumping help you reach the higher places. Sometimes, you have to run and jump and then immediately jump again. Some places look trivial but mantling just doesn't work. Usually, that's because you don't have enough room at the top. You can even mantle up angled surfaces. Occasionally, you'll find a place where you can mantle up but then fall right back down. If you are quick, you may be able to turn, run, jump, mantle, etc. to a nearby secure surface. Also, you can leap across a gap onto a wall and mantle up. Be persistent. The margin for error in some places is very small and it may take many attempts before you are successful. See precision quicksaving.
"... I'm yelling at Garret to move his stupid ass, knowing full well he can't hear me, but the Haunts can."
NightHawk
Hiding in the shadows. Shadows are everywhere, even in some places you might not expect. Watch your indicator carefully, the next time you're in a doorway. In almost all doorways, there is a spot where you are in total shadow.
Having your bow out makes you more visible. Keep that in mind before picking up those lovely arrows you just found. Naturally, fire arrows make you stick out like a sore thumb. Movement can also make you more visible for brief periods, so have patience and wait for your friends to look the other way before you pass by. Leaning around a corner makes you a tiny bit more visible, which usually doesn't matter unless you're borderline visible. You can hide in the shadows, just inches away from some creatures (like Spiders), but don't try it with Zombies or angry Fire elementals.
"Thief should come with a 'Do not play if you have a heart condition' warning!"
MarkA
Moving silently. Garrett is a stylish thief. He insists on wearing hard leather dress shoes to every occasion. The key to moving silently in dress shoes is speed. The slower you travel, the less noise you make. Go to the Training mission and practice until you can walk across the metal floor without being heard.
You move slower when walking, even slower when crouching, and slowest when crouching and creeping. You move slower when you have your sword out, and even slower when you are carrying a body! You move slower when moving sideways or backwards. You make less noise if you pause frequently. You can move arbitrarily slowly by sliding against a wall and controlling your angle. If you don't have a wall handy, the slowest way to move is crouching and creeping, with either the sword or a body in your hands. If you just have a sword, move sideways, backwards, or pause a lot.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#16 When you pick up something by mistake you hurl it across the room because it's much easier than remembering how to just set it back down ;)
Ghost
Dropping things. Ok, now that I've picked up this worthless vase, how do I get rid of it without throwing it and waking up the whole house?? Drop it using the "R" key. Augh! It still makes a lot of noise! What kind of clumsy thief am I? The quietest way to drop something is to crouch, look down at the floor, and then drop ("R") it. The less distance it falls, the quieter it is. So, dropping it on a shelf or crate is even better. I shouldn't have to mention that the type of surface also matters.
If you are feeling bored, playing with the physics engine in Thief is lots of fun. Try seeing how many items you can stack. Colm McSky managed to stack 6 bottles! Can you do better? Can you turn a bottle on it's side? It looks really strange that way. Experiment!
Dropping things part II. You can drop things in your inventory like keys, potions, scrolls, carrots, etc. Occasionally, something strange will happen. If you look straight down and drop the item, it will land in mid-air...in your lap, I guess. If you move away, it will fall to the ground. This is a good way to see some objects up close. Just exactly what is the design on that key? It doesn't work with all objects, only a strange few.
Running. Can't catch that guard? Put away your sword! It's slowing you down. Some say Garrett has two speeds, slow and slower. But, in reality, he is as fast or faster than most creatures in the game. Only haunts can keep up with him. By the way, the fastest way to move is running and jumping.
Don't fall. If you want to take a peek over that ledge, do it slowly. If you move slowly enough, you'll be safe. Crouching and creeping help, but they aren't necessary. When you get to the edge, you'll do a little half-step as you regain your balance, but you won't fall. Oh yeah, don't forget you can lean forward.
"NothingButFlamesNothingButFlames."
Anonymous Haunt
Safe and silent falling. Land on something besides the ground. A box, a slanted ledge, a monster - anything is better than just hitting the ground. Don't run off the edge. Often, you can just slide off the edge of something down to the ground, completely silently.
Breaking and entering. Can't get past that locked or boarded-up door? Try whacking on it with your sword a few times. Thrown hammers also are amazingly effective for opening locked doors.
Suicide. You can dispatch some opponents by tricking them into committing suicide. Try running around the pool in Bafford's with a guard chasing you. In Cragscleft, the water also facilitates suicide. In Down in the Bonehoard, there are several places to zap Zombies without lifting a finger. Also in Bonehoard, there are a few insect swarms. Throw something into them with a Burrick nearby and, well you can guess what usually happens.
I'm not quite dead yet. As your consciousness slowly fades away and the world turns dark...you can still run around and hop about! I can't help but picture Garrett scooting around the floor flopped over on his side... This has actually been useful once or twice to get a peek at some hard to reach location.
I plug 'im three times and see him fall. "HA!," I say, and then run up into the room to gloat over my victim. Just as I get there the friggin' thing stands back up! I literally scream and flail at the keyboard, causing myself to fall down the mine shaft, take lots o'damage, and then get eaten alive by the irritable spider at the bottom of the pit.
TJ
Don't take the rap. Get someone else to do the dirty work. Fire elementals don't like Burricks or Craymen. Zombies don't like Burricks. Hammer guards don't like Zombies, etc.
Tailgating. If you want to get somewhere, just follow a guard. Watch out for sudden direction changes though. Stand on his left and tap him on the right shoulder for a little fun. ;)
Diversions. If someone is not where you want them or they just aren't moving, create a diversion! Diversions are often very effective. Use your noisemaker or broadhead arrows. Or, throw a piece of junk. They'll often investigate. If you want them to come towards you, just jump up and down. Fire arrows are nice because they make a lot of noise and will attract attention from farther away.
Escape routes. Always have an escape route planned. It's a good idea to leave a rope arrow or two behind so that you can quickly reach higher ground. Know where the safe havens are.
Safe Havens. Most levels have places where the rest of the creatures can't reach. Some of these are relatively obvious like pools of water or ledges that are hard to get to. Some are stranger, like the tops of tables, and counters, and beds. Oh my.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#30 When attending a funeral, you bring along a vial of holy water 'just in case'.
Arliza
Swimming against the current. Some places the water current is just too strong to make any headway. Or is it? Stop swimming and walk along the bottom. You can get a lot more traction there. Too bad you have to come up for air... A speed potion helps. A breath potion would too if one was available, but they aren't if I recall correctly.
Blocking doors. While a small item like a goblet will seemingly prevent a door from opening, it won't prevent creatures from walking through the door. The guards and monsters think they opened the door and aren't bothered by our perceptions of reality. To fully block a door, you have to ignore the door for the most part and block the doorway. A barrel is effective for blocking a doorway, but pushing barrels around is hard work and often you have trouble unblocking it later. A couple of stacks of boxes may be effective if they are stacked close together. Monsters have a nasty habit of walking right through the boxes. Also, the opening door may move the boxes out of the way. But, little goblets won't budge. Strange isn't it? Useful though. Put a goblet (or some other piece of junk) down to prevent the door from pushing the boxes.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#60 when your looking for that munchie you know you hid in the fridge you start muttering "Don't make me come and find you."
nuboy
Dr. Kevorkian. So you realize after awhile that your blackjacked friends aren't ever going to wake up and you decide to help them "move on". You find your options are only limited by your sadistic imagination. I'm not even going to ask how many you can find. I can think of at least a dozen ways. And, the noises they make...
Reduce, reuse, recycle. All that junk lying around can be put to good use. It can be useful for causing a diversion or for marking places where you've been or want to go so you don't get lost. Stack body parts, rubble, boxes, whatever you can find and use it to climb to fun places the level designers never intended. You can also use junk as weights to activate floor traps and other such things.
Mantling 201. The topic for today's lecture in advanced mantling is "The Requirements for Mantling" as elucidated by Blinkwell's uncompleted dissertation entitled Postulations of the Terminally Observant. On page one, we find that blah blah blah... To mantle onto a surface, you must have centered before you an uninterrupted surface at least 1.25 feet (or about 0.5 meters). If there are protrusions in the surface, such as a wall, as much as 2.3 feet (or about 0.7 meters) may be required. The width of the surface is often irrelevant. Blah blah... Thus it becomes possible to apply deterministic methods in analyzing the potential for mantling in otherwise untenable positions. Blah blah... The document ends on page 41 with the final words, "The test results are as follows..."
"I was plugging all the zombies I could in BoneHoard one time, just trying to clean the place out a little before exploring. I was coming down the ramp (with the ladder at the top), and there were two zombies coming into the room from the back (behind the ramp).
Well, I figure no problem, I'll just go holy water them. I reach the foot of the ramp, and notice the two zombies shoot across the room as fast as an arrow. Suddenly they're in front of me. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. My sister, who was watching, screamed. It shook me up a little, too.
This game's spooky enough without Flash Zombies."
BoneChill
Stack 'em up. Having trouble climbing those boxes? Wanna know how to do it with the minimum number of boxes and it works practically perfectly every time? Ok, here goes... Stack a bunch of boxes next to where you want your "ladder". They need to be within easy reach. Grab one box and position yourself where you want to climb. Now, here's the trick... Look straight down. Drop the box and immediately jump straight up. When you land, jump again to make sure you're on top of the box. Grab the next box and repeat. Simple and easy, even with other objects like rubble. Yes, Egon, no human would stack boxes like that.
Precision Quicksaving. If you have a fast system, this technique will help prevent a great deal of frustration. If you have a slow system, only use it if you are desperate. Line up for a tricky maneuver and quicksave before trying it. If it didn't work then reload and try again. If, after a few times, it still doesn't work then restore, move slightly to refine your position, quicksave and start again. Some maneuvers have very little margin for error.
Lean forward. You can walk up some slopes that you might not otherwise be able. To do this, press and hold run forward first and then lean forward. You might need to move from side to side a bit. This is useful in The Haunted Cathedral and a few other places.
Lean forward again. You can get into some spaces you might not otherwise be able to by leaning forward, turning around a corner, and jumping. There are places in Sword and The Haunted Cathedral where this is possible.
The longer you play, the more you'll come to think of this section as "Know your Friends" instead.
Burricks. These leftovers from a prehistoric era are basically harmless as long as you can avoid their bad breath. They are sometimes referred to as dinosaurs, dino-mutts, and evil forward-farting moles.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#108 Much to your cat's dismay, you ambush him and blackjack him with a stuffed sock.
Dangus
It has been long thought that burricks subsist primarily on a diet of glowing mushrooms. Evidence is somewhat sketchy though since it mainly consists of the lack of any other apparent food and their obvious phosphorescent exhalations. It is known that the mushrooms, when dried, may be brewed into a stimulating tea. Considering the varied effects of the tea, one wonders about the mental state of a well-nourished burrick.
Burricks are frequently found in packs and have been known to show emotions. The burricks' wailing lament over their dead has prompted more than one thief to forswear harming them. In fact, a thief by the name of "catfish" went so far as to form the FBI: Foundation for Burrick Inshrinement [sic].
Spiders. These things really creep me out. Get close to one sometime. I mean really close. Look at their face. Some of them look almost human. Except for the mandibles moving back and forth that is.
Okay, I lied about blackjacking spiders. Red spiderbeasts can be blackjacked! That is if you dare get close enough to one.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#121 While playing AD&D you are asked to make a map of the cave system you just entered. At the heart of the cave (and after collecting the loot) your companions ask for the map in an effort to find the way out again. You produce only a piece of paper with a large circle drawn on it, it's labeled: CAVE. After receiving several threatening glares you reply in complete innocence, "What?"
Catalyst
Zombies. These slow moving horrors are one of the best monsters in the game. They still give me shivers. Sure, they have their faults. They can't carry a tune and they are lousy dancers, but their witty comebacks make up for their lack of social graces. They are slow and easy to run around. You don't really have to worry unless there are a lot of them or you let them cut you off.
You can't knock them out and they are hard to kill. Despite that, there are lots of ways to kill them. Holy water, fire arrows, flash bombs, mines, drowning, luring them into traps, etc. You can even get the Hammerites to kill them. Burricks, however don't stand much of a chance against a Zombie. One Fire arrow or Holy water arrow is enough to kill a Zombie unless it is alert. Zombies seem to have a weak spot near their navel (or rather, where their navel would be if they still had one). One shot with a Fire arrow there will blow them to pieces, even when they are alert. Otherwise, it takes two arrows.
They seem to have the ability to sense your life force if they are close, so don't expect to remain hidden in the shadows as they shamble by. Being brainless, they are quite dumb. They will quickly get discouraged and give up chasing you if you are out of sight. When all else fails, you can hack at them until they fall over. There is a good chance that when they get back up, they'll be facing the other way and wander off, forgetting all about you.
Ye shall not
rob from the
house I have built,
or commit any
theft or un-righteousness,
lest ye be
struck down
and driven into
the earth
forthwith,
and the land
of the heathen
consume you.--The Book of the Stone
Fire elementals. I really like the Fire elementals. The sound they make when they are mad is great! They are also quite fun to play with. Most people have a little trouble sneaking past fire elementals. The key is to move when they are not looking in your direction. Well duh! How do you know when that is? They look where they're going just like everyone else. Move when they are moving away from you. You can tell which direction they are going by looking at their smoke trail.
When angry, Fire elementals turn red and are a lot hotter. They are hot enough to toast their friends and you too, even if they don't see you gibbering in the corner. Which, curiously enough, they usually don't... Although they put out a fair amount of light, it doesn't seem to be enough to illuminate your hiding place. The funny thing is, if they do toast you, you'll cry out (who wouldn't? :) ) and they'll often hear that! An angry Fire elemental is also hot enough to re-light torches as it passes by.
Fire elementals can fly BUT they can't fly very high and are limited to the same paths as any other creature. If you are standing on a ledge in an area that walking creatures can't reach (safe havens) neither can the fire elemental. He can shoot at you though :). By the way, if you hear them shoot but you can't see the shot, it's coming straight at you!
Challenge: Backstab a fire elemental.
How do you make a Fire elemental shrink?
Answer: Make it mad.
If you're still alive, hit it with a broadhead.
If you're still alive, hit it with another broadhead.
Fire elementals shrink when damaged!They look so cute when they're small! Now, how do you make it grow again? Think about it.
Answer: Hit it with a fire arrow! Fire heals fire elementals.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#123 You're standing in a nice big double doorway in a bit of a shadow. Your friend walks by with his back to you and begins to whistle, and you have the uncontrollable urge to thwack him upside the head. (true story, actually ;))
redEye
Monkey/Rat/Ape Men. No one knows exactly what to call these strange creations of the Trickster. Not even the game's designers use a consistent designation. Officially, I suppose, they are Ape Beasts (or so they are called in the game's object system), but they have tails (apes don't) and remind me more of rats except for a few apelike mannerisms. In some ways I find I like them even better than human guards. They are very expressive and their comments seem to be more in tune with the moment. Sadly, they can't really smell you.
Frogs. These beasties are much more intelligent than their earthly counterparts. They are quite deadly, kind of like a mobile land mine. They are almost always moving and leaping about, so it is very hard to hit them. Fortunately, they'll freeze for a few seconds right before they blow you to bits.
"I totally freaked out! RTC is clearly my favorite level... "
Krynoid
Although it is practically impossible to do, it turns out that frogs can be blackjacked. I say practically impossible because, in order to prove it, I had to construct an artificial situation with a stationary frog that I could sneak up on. Stationary frogs are extremely rare. The ones I recall are all sitting near mushrooms, just rocking back and forth... Perhaps they have consumed some of the mushrooms? Or, per chance the mushrooms have an heretofore unnoticed olfactory effect? In any case, it's much easier to gas them.
Strangely, you can't pick them up. It's not like they are too heavy. A number of people have wished that you could pick up their unconscious bodies and use them as grenades... Incoming...More to come...
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#125 You become genuinely irritated when someone turns on the light and interrupts your game. You then get increasingly more and more frustrated as they yammer on and on about the so-called "real world."
Kyran Ward
A common theme amongst most of the alternate playing styles is stealing all of the loot on Expert difficulty. The reason for this is simply because it is the most challenging way to play. Stealing all the loot forces you to solve all of the puzzles and navigate the most difficult sections of the level. Note, I haven't included any info about loot in this guide. If you haven't found all the loot yet, I've included a link to a very fine expert walk-through that should help you with most of it. It's in the links section at the end of this guide.
Harm no one. No harm means no killing, no blackjacking, no gassing, no leading into traps, etc.
Lytha style. Steal all the loot on Expert. Harm no one. Damage you take doesn't matter at all. This one is named after Lytha, the queen of thieves and originator of this style. She is amazing at finding new and strange ways to enjoy Thief. This style is quite fun to play. All the missions can be completed this way although with some it is very hard. The Lost City is very challenging since you have to master sneaking past fire elementals. Undercover and Escape! are particularly bad because many times your only choice is to run in, grab something, and try to run away. I'd suggest skipping these last two missions. Playing the other missions Lytha-style more than makes up for the troubles with these two.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#132 You can understand Cadfael.
NightHawk
Sneaker style. In addition to the regular Lytha-style objectives (no harm, etc), don't be seen. You have been seen if any AI's chase you. It's ok if they hear something and look around as long as they don't find you. In other words, creating a diversion is ok. But, a really good sneak thief can complete the mission without ever even alerting the AI's. Imagine the servants waking up in the morning to find the house completely striped of valuables and no one heard or saw a thing... The Sir is definitely not going to be pleased. Saddly, this is not possible to do with all missions. A good place to practice this is Bafford's.
Headhunter style. Another great style from Lytha. In addition to the normal Lytha-style objectives, harm no one other than your intended victim. Choose a victim (e.g. the inquisitor), then kill him and take the body to an odd location (such as the on top of the arch above the entrance). Don't be seen. Carrying around a body adds an extra level of difficulty and more interesting challenges.
"When are they gonna bring me my dinner, that's what I want to know. When are they gonna bring me my dinner? "
Anonymous Guard
Minimal evidence style. This one is from Rolander. The idea is simple. Doing it is hard. Complete the mission objectives on expert, taking all the loot and leaving the least amount of evidence behind. Thus no one harmed or alerted, no flashbombs, no dousing lights, no arrows at all (unless you can recover them later), no damaging objects, return keys and scrolls after use, no unnecessary stealing/pick pocketing, no munching, close doors behind you, etc. In other words, leave everything exactly like you found it, as much as possible, and with no one the wiser. Like I said, hard to do, but good fun in the missions where it's possible.
Miscellaneous styles. There are lots of other variations. Play with out reloading. Kill everything. Kill everything, each in a different way. Destroy everything possible. Do something interesting with the bodies of each guard. Do all the missions as fast as possible (Lytha's time for the whole game was under 2 hours and 20 minutes.) Ring the alarms as soon as possible (before getting any loot). Remove all the baddies without directly killing or black jacking them. In other words, force them to commit suicide, have someone else kill them, or lead them into traps. Play with the sound off. Adopt a zombie, guard, servant, or whatever and try to get them to follow you around the whole level. Get creative.
#1 Keeper's Training (designed by Randy Smith)
Back to basic training for you! Make sure the difficulty level is Expert.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#148 You hear the baby cry in the middle of the night and dream that you creep downstairs, shoot a gas arrow at the dresser next to the crib, then assume the problem is taken care of so you fall deep asleep again, and are really baffled when you actually wake up a few minutes later because he is still crying.
Jennie
Practice makes perfect. Keep at it until you can cross the metal floor without alerting the keeper.
Go climbing. There are three known locations to go climbing in this level. The first location is the balcony in the corner of the courtyard where you get your bow and sword. There is a ledge to the right of the bow and sword table. Jump from the ledge onto the tree and then mantle up to the balcony.
Retrieve your practice arrows. After shooting a few arrows at the target, go get them. It's somewhat tricky to mantle over the barrier, but it is good practice for the climbing to come. Notice that your arrows will disappear if you do not get to them fast enough.
Play basketball! Enter the cubbyhole your sparring partner came out of. There is a door there that only appears on Expert difficulty. Whack it a couple of times with your sword and it will open. In the unpatched version, this method of entry avoids getting caught in the cubbyhole when the gate goes back down. Alternatively, you can take the key that appears after sparring and use it to open the door.
"Not sure just why - but it is without a doubt the most blood-chilling, spine-crawling thing I've ever met in a computer game. Just thinking about them makes me cold."
James Sterrett.
In the unpatched version, in addition to the basketball, there is a zombie head on one of the poles. No one knows why is it gone in the patched version. There is a bedroll in the corner. Pick it up and use it. You'll be treated to strange and bizarre quotes from the developers. Take the basketball and the bedroll with you back into the courtyard.
Experiment. What happens when you shoot your sparring companion? Does the basketball float? Does the water current affect it? What else can you think of to try?
Go climbing again. The second location for climbing is the roof across from the first climbing rope. Jump and mantle up to the beam that holds the rope. Then, run, jump, and mantle up to the flat roof in front of you. This will probably take a few tries, so it would be a good idea to quicksave before attempting the jump. A lovely view awaits you.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#153 You decide to search for the sentence with the word "doetten" in your local snd.crf-file and find it immediately, because you know the meaning of "ab1a3na5.wav" and must only listen through 6 files to get the right one.
Lytha
The third location is the roof above the exit door by the second climbing rope. This one is very hard. Don't get discouraged if you can't do it, there are lots of other places to climb in the game that are easier to reach. Again, jump and mantle up to the beam that holds the rope. Aim your next jump for the left most section of the roof. Back up as far as you can. Run, jump, mantle, turn left, and mantle again onto the sloped roof. You can get over to the flat roof on the right side, if you want, by jumping off the top of the tall roof on the left.
For these last two locations, it can be helpful to be standing on the bedroll before jumping. The alignment of the bedroll doesn't matter. The additional height makes a small but noticeable difference. Even better is to stand on the basketball! This is rather tricky to accomplish though. Crouch, look straight down, then drop (do not throw) the basketball and immediately jump straight up. Jump again to make sure you're fully on top of the ball.
It is also possible climb onto the right side of the roof at the third location. This is extremely hard, maybe harder than getting to the left side. The trick to this is to run and jump to the beam that holds the rope and immediately jump and mantle to the slate roof (aim for the right side). If all goes well, quickly turn to your right and mantle onto the stone wall that juts out. It's very hard to get to either side of this location, but if you manage it, it's also very satisfying and an interesting view.
"'Roof mountaineering' can often be more fun than playing the missions themselves."
Catalyst
What's behind door #1? Ever wondered what's behind the three doors at the very end of this mission? It's possible to open them and see. You won't have much time so you'll have to move quickly. Open the "final" red door and run/jump to the end of the hallway. Grab the plain vase and run to a doorway. Throw the vase at the door. Pick it up and repeat until the door opens. You should have just enough time to see inside...
#2 Lord Bafford's Manor (designed by Dorian Hart)
"Kudos to EvilSpirit and company. It's been a long time since I played a level that disturbed me enough that I had to stop playing it till daylight... "
MarkA
Don't forget to visit the spiders. On your way in (through the sewers), don't miss the underwater tunnel and a bit of loot. Say hello to the spiders there. Note, they are not in the demo.
Challenge: Go in through the front door instead. The switch is on the right.
Challenge: Tango with the guards. Take them out with just your sword. No other weapons. Expert difficulty.
Challenge: Try it again. This time just avoid the guards. If you're quick, you can do the whole mission (normal difficulty) in less than two minutes. The best times though, are under a minute.
The funniest is when you're chasing after a servant and he's screaming, "Help! Help! Save me!" and you conk him over the head and hear a giddy, "Ooooh!" from him. It almost sounds like that part on Monty Python and the holy Grail when the woosie son is trying to climb out of the tower using tied bed sheets, and the father decides to cut the rope, and we hear the son go, "Oooh!" when he realizes he's falling.
Corey
Nooks and crannies. In the foyer, past the main entrance there are two second floor archer posts. There is a little nook above the ceiling of each post. You can get up there with a rope arrow (demo only) in the nearby wooden ceiling or by using a lot of boxes. It's a nice little hideaway with some strange architecture around the corner.
Lovely night for a rooftop stroll. Go to one of the little garden areas on either side of the pool. Go up the stairs and climb onto the railing. From there, it is an easy jump and mantle to the far wall (over the trees). This gives you access to not only Bafford's roof, but most of the city as well. Some parts of this trip may be one way, so be sure to save first... Whilst walking on the roof, you should stop and watch the guards around the well house. If you're lucky, you might see them skating about.
Go for a midnight swim. The pool is a safe haven if you're in trouble. It's also a nice place to swim. Practice your high dives from the roof. You'll have enough time to get in a good scream before you hit the water. If you want to be more conventional, there is a nice little high dive platform that's a bit lower and a lot easier to access. Either way, it's quite fun.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#167 Some folk tells yer what it be and what it aint yer right to do and yer thinks to yerself "that be Hammerspeak if ever Aye heard it."
Cadfael
Slash the banners. Slash the banners with your sword. Behind one is a secret entrance to the throne room. If your lucky, a guard will happen by and notice your vandalism while you're in the area. His reaction is rather funny. You'll have to slash a banner on a guard's patrol and wait around to hear this. It's worth it.
Secret within a secret. Find the secret entrance to the throne room. Just inside the "door", look up and see a wooden ceiling and a gap. If you jump, you can peek into a rather large "room". To get a better view, face the north or south walls and move as close to them as you can. Now lean forward and jump, holding down both keys. You should be mostly inside the room. It doesn't seem possible to get all the way in, but if you're lucky, you might succeed. It's been done. Once.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#198 You've removed every unnecessary key from your keyboard so that they don't get in the way.
Archdaemon
If you move farther down the passage, you'll find another wooden roof. You can peek in here too, but you'll need to stand on some boxes for a good look. Or, use the rope arrows in the demo.
New Objectives. Bafford's is a perfect place to get your feet wet in some of the alternate playing styles. It's possible to sneak through the entire mission without being seen. Without ever even alerting the guards, in fact. If you can do that Lytha-style, you are a very good thief indeed.
New Objectives. Lock a guard in the well house. Feed a guard to the spiders. You get the idea. Do something interesting with each guard.
"Damn that tea. I am warning you man, it does weird things to you."
Andman
Have a party! Bring the food, plates, bowls, bottle, and such to the banquet hall and set the table. Then gather up all the guards, place them in appropriate spots, and have a party! It takes a few minutes but nothing beats a good sit down with the boys. This one's from crazed fan, Allyson. Oh, and don't forget to bring a few servants (preferably alive) to help out.
#3 Cragscleft Prison (designed by Mike Ryan)
A Hot Tip. Take a look at those tips. According to Dikket, a "heretic" who was recently let out of Cragscleft, Cutty's being held in cell block four. When you get inside, look at the log book for cell block three. Our old pal Dikket was in cell two, "2: Dikket, Heretic. Sour Mash. Released upon Recantation and Informing". Now that's continuity!
From the unpublished adventures of James and Jyre: A scene cut from COT circa chapter 27, part 1 of 3.
We pushed at the doors, and, to our surprise, found that they opened in a gust of incredibly fetid air. After we recovered from the stench, we found ourselves facing an intersection. At not quite a right angle to the hallway behind us, a corridor ran, so smooth and circular in outline it might have been melted through the black basalt. A slick of slime covered the lowest portion of it. At our feet, just beyond the door, a row of queer dimples had been chiseled into the floor, their regular patterning suggesting an alien writing, and the side of them towards the smooth corridor suggesting both wear - or assault? - and repair. Before Jyre could ask, or I could think of the implications, we set out across the intersection, heading for the far side, where a second line of the five-pointed alien script likewise drew a boundary on the slick, smooth tunnel.
"Why is there no dust in that tunnel?"
"Because what lives in it still patrols it." She looked at me, as if struggling between the evidence and her disbelief. "And its enemies, apparently, still constrain it." A gust of rancid wind came from the tunnel, and I urged her onwards, down the new corridor, which was built of huge blocks of sandstone. "We're almost at the back door Labyrinth, which I think Daniel went to. Let's move." Jyre, however, was seized by an inexplicable urge to see "the person who patrolled the corridor", and as I tried to convince her to leave, she became more steadfast. My growing unease did little to convince her that there would be "nothing to see".
A "shortcut". You can climb onto the boards behind you at the start and enter the mines on the 3rd floor. You'll need some boulders ("rubble") or boxes to stand on. There are four boulders within easy reach and lots of boxes within the mine. You only need three if you've mastered Stack 'em up.
The right side of the boards is lower so stack and jump onto two boulders there. Grab the third boulder and mantle onto the boards. Drop the boulder in front of the right post (and jump on it) then mantle onto the post and again onto the rock wall.
Presumably, this boarded up opening is where you came in, but when you're on the other side, there is no way to get over the boards. Unless you grab the boulders through the boards... Oops, forget I said that. BTW, if you drop down to the other side and walk up the path, it's mission over... I guess they figure you chickened out which, come to think of it, is not such an unlikely possibility. :)
After you're on the wall, proceed as far as you can. When you can't go any farther standing up, crouch. Your goal is the triangular ledge jutting out. Once there, you want to drop onto the other side in the "corner". I find it is easiest to back down into the corner. Stand up fairly quickly or you'll fall off. Now, you just have to keep your footing and walk over to the opening... If you're having trouble, try walking straight "up" to stabilize your position. Leaning forward may also help. The drop down to the opening can be a bit painful.
Once you're inside, you'll probably want to go up. The 4th floor button on the elevator control doesn't work. What to do...? Stand on the platform and shoot the button on the controls for the floor above you with a broadhead. Up you go.
Back to normalcy. Yeah, right. Just inside the normal entrance to the mines is a mound. You can jump on the mound and then turn around and jump and mantle onto the ledge in front of you. Look up the chimney at the greenery. Ah, if only I had a rope arrow.
Bring out your dead. Enter the mines through the normal entrance. The first zombie you come to is a special zombie. Not in the sense that it's your first zombie. It is and of course that's special. Okay, maybe not that special since he doesn't do much, but it's more than that. It's a dead zombie. I mean deader than usual. You can pick him up. All in one piece. Er, why are you looking at me so strangely? He's one of only two I know about that can be picked up! Don't take him into the water though. Strange things happen that strongly resemble bugs. Not the kind that were around the zombie either.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#209 You wake up and see your family in the hall, and thinking they are ratmen/apemen, you blackjack them and scream, "Can't smell me now can you!!".
Dangus
That's gotta hurt! Stick your head in the stream of sparks. No, really. Go ahead and do it. There's even a convenient box right there waiting for you to stand on it. Surprise! Not even a little tickle. Cool effect though, to see sparks zipping back and forth around you.
Another first. Inside the mines, look for a dead Hammerite. Look at him closely. He's really a Haunt!
Experiment. Hammers don't like zombies, remember? See what happens.
No! Go Back! If you follow the signs to the factory, you'll run into a skeleton blocking the path. He's shaking his head as if to say, "No, don't come this way." He's easy to get past (just stay to the side), but don't disturb him! Do as he says and go back. It's more fun. Enter the factory through the back way and approach the skeleton from behind. Grab his head! Don't trip the trap or it will disappear. Now take it some where and drop it. It still moves back and forth. Creepy.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#220 You join Catfish's FBI.
Lytha
In control. The big switch with the dials in the control room opens a portcullis and starts some gears spinning. What does the little switch near the steam pipe on the right do? Very very little. You see that turbine at the end of the hallway past the now spinning gears? The middle piece on it goes round and round. Whoopie.
Where's the key? You found the offices and the evidence locker, now where's the key? The key is in the drawer on normal. It's gone on hard and expert right? Wrong. It's only gone on expert. On hard, it just moved... Where is it?
Answer: It's on the top shelf of the bookcase! You have to stand on the desk to see it.
Take a stroll on the roof. At the very top of the mine, past the officer's quarters is a little walkway above some water. You can climb on the roof there. Hop on to a fence pole and then onto the roof. There are strange stone columns up there. You can climb the columns if you bring enough boxes. You'll need five perfectly stacked boxes. I suggest piling some boxes on top of the left corner piece so they are within easy reach as you stack 'em up.
"Yeah, I just save cows."
Mahk
It's secret time again. On normal and hard, there's a nice water tunnel ride from the offices down to the top level of the mines. On expert, you can enter the water tunnel path a bit farther down, behind the guard post by sections 3 and 4.
New Objectives. Get Cutty out alive. Now that you know it's possible, how do you do it? Credit to ua for finding this.
Answer: Blackjack him before he finishes his death scene. Note, you won't be able to complete the normal mission objectives after you do your good deed. He has to die for you to receive your final objectives.
#4 Down in the Bonehoard (designed by Dorian Hart)
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#231 You see a spider on the floor and decide to kill it with a rolled up newspaper. You swat at it and miss high. You try again this time taking careful aim considering all possible variables, and you miss low. After swatting at it 50 or 60 times the spider jumps over your head and bites you in the ass.
Sloth
This is one mission you probably should play through on expert first. There are quite a few additional goodies on expert and at least one surprise that loses it's punch after you've played some of the other missions.
Alarus. What lies hidden within your depths? Nothing but a little dust. You can mantle onto the post and from there lean right, jump, and mantle onto the broken rock ledge. You can even jump over to the wall and hang on with your finger nails. But, sadly, you can't make it over the top. Oh, it's theoretically possible to make the final jump, but the margin for error is practically zero. X-ray camel vision shows nothing but a small empty space anyway. They must have been a poor family. Hmmm, the pattern on the wall there reminds me of the Keeper keyhole symbol, so maybe this area is just a ruse...
Dive! Dive! There are lots of good diving places on this level. It's fun to jump off backwards and watch your previous place of safety recede into the distance.
Feeling a little lost? Been wandering for days, walking in circles? Wondering where you can find a piece of chalk? Use all that junk lying around!
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#237 You play indeed the last 3 maps with absolutely no Gamma to get the half-blind feeling.
Lytha
Skull racing. Come on up folks! Race your skulls here. First one to the face is the winner. Step right up! Go to the octagonal room with the big face and sparkly eyes. Leave the eyes in place. Yeah, I know it's hard but, try to show some semblance of self control :). Now, watch the skulls on the floor and move carefully towards the face's line of fire. Each time a shot explodes on the far wall, the skulls inch closer to the face. Very strange.
#5 Assassins (designed by Mike Ryan, Greg LoPiccolo)
This is a BIG level. In fact, it is the largest in the entire game. Most of that space is taken up by the cityscape, which is just basically window dressing. It's a shame that it wasn't used to better advantage in the game. Still, there are a lot of interesting places to explore. In fact, there are so many places that I'm certain I've left more than a few out.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#244 You find yourself looking for glowing mushroom tea when you're out shopping.
The Magpie
Who did that? At the start of the mission, lean right and inch over towards the doorway. Watch the assassins. The archer never uses his bow! In fact, an examination of the window shows that the archer couldn't even have seen the store keeper...
Which way did they go? Restart the mission a few times to see the various different routes that the assassins take.
Out go the lights. When does a broadhead put out a light?
Answer: When it breaks a window! Shoot the windows near Farkus' shop. Poof, out go the lights! Nice breaking glass sound too. A few other windows in this level behave the same way.
How many ways in? I know of three, or four if you're ambitious. Okay, seven if you're one of those bean counter types. One, you can go in through the front gate, to the left, right, or on through the main doors. Two, you can go in through the waterway by the two boxes. This is kind of tricky since the current is rather strong, but it's doable. Three, you can go over the wall. Shoot a rope arrow into the window next to the low wall. Get on the wall, drop down into the open area and climb the handy ladder. Turn around and mantle into the "U" shaped wall section. Slide down the ground. Four, stack boxes like crazy and go over the wall where ever you want. On top of the flat wall is a good spot since you only need two and you can drop down behind the guard.
I was in the room right beneath the sword, trying to figure out how to get the drop on a pair of guards standing together in a bit of light. Anyways, I figured I'd just shoot one of them, which would lure the other into the shadows where I could club him silly. So I draw back the bow, and I let fly, and sure enough, the taffer goes down in one. The other one, alerted by the noise, turns and says "Are you all right? No, of course you're not! Sorry."
Zelgadas
If you like, from the same wall as in way #3, you can jump over to the second floor of the building across from you for a little peek inside. The jump is tricky so you might want to just stack three boxes up instead.
Challenge: Walk the tight rope. Mantle onto the top of the wall to the left of the "U" in way #3 and walk in past the guard to the end.
Turret walking. This one's pretty tricky. A good test for an expert climber. Go to the "U" in the wall described above. On the right (east) is a turret. You want to jump and mantle into the little "u" on the turret. Standing on two boxes helps and hey, they are conveniently just around the corner. To make this jump, you have to aim precisely for the center of the "u". Once up there, head for the other wall to the north. Drop down onto that wall and walk it to the end. Jump and mantle onto the next turret, etc. Sadly the builders never finished one of the rear turrets so you can continue this way only a short while.
Up on the roof. From either Ramirez's bedroom or the library balconies, stack two boxes and mantle onto the roof. You have to crouch occasionally, but you can walk around the entire mansion. If you're lucky, you'll see the multi-talented guards skating backwards around the perimeter.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#264 You jump at the sound of your own voice.
Thumper
Starry hideaway. From the main entrance, take the path to the left (west). Go to the west turret, enter it and go up to the catwalk. Just outside the turret door, look up to your right. You'll see a little platform. Stack up three boxes here and mantle up. There is a very cool little hideaway behind the turret where you can kick back, listen to the wind, and relax a bit. Naturally, you can also get on top of the turret here and walk about on the walls some more if you like.
The Strange Door. Go back to Farkus' shop where you started. From there go leftish (north). Take the first right and then left. Go through the arch and the door is on the left. Whack it a couple of times and it will open to reveal... a darkish wall of nothing. Strange.
A strange switch. Back to the shop and go north again. You will come to a lit porch (on the right). On the inside wall of the porch to the right is an on/off switch. It controls the porch light and a window light above it. This is very helpful when er... um... uh... you're being chased and um... you want to duck into a dark corner and um... hope that your pursuers lose you..? Yeah that's it.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#292 You walk outside, see this bright orange ball in the sky and say "What the hell is that!?"
CHILLman
Up and over. Next to the porch which the strange switch is a barrel. Move the barrel to the wall and put two boxes on it to climb up. You can get to a few roofs in this area including one with some strange "sky-lights".
A climbing we will go. This one is moderately difficult, but fun since it exercises several climbing skills. Go back to Farkus' shop. This time go right (east) a short distance. Just past the first building is a gray brick wall. To the right of the wall is a 2nd floor window with half a shutter. Put a rope arrow in the shutter and climb up. On your left is the top of the gray brick wall. Aim towards the left portion of the wall (to avoid hitting the stuff on the right), jump and mantle onto the wall. On the right is one of the evil slippery tile roofs, which you can't climb :(. But, on the left is a narrow gray rooflet. Follow it all the way around and you'll come to another gray stone wall, this time with crenelations (those "U" shaped holes). Move as close to the gray wall as you can, lean left, jump and mantle into the "U". From here, you can get on top of the wall and "run" across the crenelations for as far as they go. The interesting thing is, if you move quickly enough, you won't fall into the gaps. There are several roofs you can jump to as well and, if you like, you can drop down and play around on the metal pipe that crosses above the street.
"We want the endgame to be the climax of the mission. And you can't sustain a climax for 45 minutes. At least I can't."
Tim
Apartment over the bar. When you cross the iron bridge, go right then left. Up in the wall on the left, there is a doorway (no door). To get into it, stack four crates, put a rope arrow in the shutter of the house across the street, jump onto the crates, crouch, and enter. Not much to see, but a neat little place, just the same. Credit to Ithel for finding this.
More climbing. In the "down towne" area, there is a stairway over an arch and some octagonal buildings you can enter. Go there. From the stair railing you can jump and mantle onto the top of the buildings for a stroll. If you cross the second building and continue west, you can get to the other side of the street and have access to a large number of roofs in this area and some very interesting views, including the area with the iron ramp.
You can also get to the roofs across the street by going to the barrels nearby and shoot a rope into the top window over the barrels. Climb up and onto the nearby roof. Once you're there, you can either head north-east or south. To go north-east, jump across the street again, this time to the left of the star wall. Go to the little flat area. There's a catwalk on top of the stone wall that you can get to. Go to the end of the catwalk and mantle onto the red tile roof. The stars are a little low here so head to the left. There's a little flat stone area there. When you get to it, crouch and enter it. If you continue on, you'll reach catwalk part 2 and another nice view of the area and the iron ramp.
From the unpublished adventures of James and Jyre: A scene cut from COT circa chapter 27, part 2 of 3.
As we argued, a insane and insidious piping - "Tekeli-li! Tekeli-li!" began to make itself heard. It was unnerving, and, perhaps seeing me grow pale, Jyre consented to move back from the junction, albeit not without aspersions on my stock of courage. I did not disagree with them; Abdul Al-Hazred, the Mad Arab, had sworn desperately that the patroller I feared had never been summoned. He lied. His protests that he knew of them only through mad visions induced by outlandish drugs and bizarre rituals may be true; but summoned they unfortunately were.
We did not go far enough, fast enough, to avoid seeing the patroller. A vast plastic bulk of shapeless bubbles oozed into the intersections with incredible rapidity, then stopped, strange green eye-pustules forming and disappearing all over its surface. The air over the line of alien writing cracked with exotic energies. While the abomination could come no further, its mad piping came through all too clearly. Overcome by horror, we fled the frightful scene, scrambling down the corridor in blind terror, heedless of damage to our bodies or our clothing.
The incredible floating city! Go through the arch near the top of the iron ramp. Follow the right wall around until you come to a small alley between two buildings. Go to the end of the alley. Surprise! This city apparently floats in a sea of stars.
A walk in the park. Go back to the archway with the stairs over it and go through it. Just on the other side is a turbine and a ramp with three barrels. Push a barrel over to the turbine. Climb onto the barrel and then onto the turbine. Mantle up to the platform so conveniently placed above the turbine. Turn right and enter the park. Complete with grass!
Across the park is a flat stone roof. Run, jump, and mantle onto it. From here, you can go onto the ledge (see below), cross over to the red tile roofs to the east, or visit the strange half-height door above the Armorer's shop.
There is a very narrow ledge on the building next to the flat roof. You can get onto the ledge with two boxes (it's too narrow for mantling). Boxes are available in the nearby entrance to the Lost City. From the ledge you can get to a metal roof and another small roof.
To visit the half-height door, go to the south-east corner of the flat stone roof. Go as far south as you can without falling off and look down to the west. There is a balcony there. Walk off the edge and hopefully land on the balcony. The door is on your right. From the balcony, you have a nice view of the Machinist's shop.
Home Turf. Visit the entrance to the Lost City. Buy your souvenirs at the smelting shop (proprietor conspicuously absent). Take a dip in the well. See the amazing floating mini-barrel. Enter some windows. Bring the kids! Fun for the whole family!
You can dive to the bottom of the well, by the smelting area. If you want to get back out, be sure to shoot a rope arrow into one of the side posts first. The floating mini-barrel is to the right of the well.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#306 While talking with co-workers, you realize that you are referring to your boss as "the Sir".
CardinalFang
If you follow the water around to the left, you'll see three 2nd floor open windows. To get into them, you need one small barrel and three boxes. Push the barrel to the top of the ramp and stack the boxes on it (Stack 'em up style). I'd suggest putting some of the boxes on the railing for easier access. Mantle up onto the flat roof. There is a weird view of the other side of a neighboring street up there. You can enter the windows from here (have to crouch) or jump across to the opposite roof and look around.
Back to the regularly scheduled mansion. When you get bored of exploring the city you might want to actually go inside the mansion and continue the mission...
How do you suppose Ramirez opens the secret door from within the library? Maybe you found this right away, but I didn't. There's a hidden switch. It's a book on the book shelf to the right of the fire place.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#324 You constantly shush your friend who's sitting beside you making comments on the game while you're playing Thief, and you keep saying "Shhh! They'll hear you talking! Shut up!" over and over again to your friend.
Knife
A good place to hear "Oh no! The Sir will have our heads!" is to slash the wall hanging from inside the secret passage (across from the peeping Tom peep hole) and wait for the patrolling guards to find it.
Check out the trophy room. What is that strange looking head on the right?? Um, it's a cobra... No, really!
Be sure to visit the "pet" burricks in the basement. They're not in the demo though. They like to have their heads scratched with that fire place poker. ;)
New Objectives: Make it a point to press the alarm button after taking care of Ramirez. You'll get an opportunity to show off your intimate knowledge of the city and have a little more fun.
New Objectives: Take Ramirez and dump him in home turf. Extra credit for stuffing him in the room with the three windows.
#6 The Sword (designed by Sara Verrilli)
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#335 A close friend dies and you find yourself fretting about what new objectives you have.
Lightfoot
This is definitely a strange level, in more ways than one. By the way, stop to admire the paintings in Constantine's collection. There will be a quiz later.
Red herrings. This level is kind of like modern art. You can spend forever trying to figure out the what for's and the how come's. When the last strands of hair are gone and all your pencils look like they were chewed by spastic mini-beavers, you find out the what for is...nothing and know one knows how come. Just a warning...
Go roof climbing. At the start of the mission, shoot a rope arrow into the end of the wooden beam to the left of the balcony. Climb up all the way. Turn around and jump onto the ivy covered stone ledge. From here, you can jump down to the wall or climb onto the roof. The wall walk is kind of interesting. Especially, the unfinished "pool".
The paths of thief and god are worn as one in the earth
Getting onto the roof is not too hard. Staying up there is a bit trickier. From the ledge, inch left as far as you can go, then mantle up the sloped roof. Turn right and "run" towards the right side. You're too tall to fit under the roof there so, when you get close to the edge, you need to continually toggle the crouch key while you run under the overhang and onto the next roof. The stars are rather low tonight so your sojourn will be a bit limited, but amusing anyway.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#346 While visiting someone's home, you spy a pair of golden candlesticks and your immediate reflex is to "right-click" on them. (actually happened to me yesterday!)
CardinalFang
The other side. You can only go so far along the wall above before you are stopped by a dreaded red slippery roof. Thus, getting to the wall on the eastern side of the main gate is a bit tricky, but it can be done. You'll need all three boxes and a potted plant, or just a lot of potted plants. Stack 'em up to the right or the left of the main gate, against the wall in the corner between the wall and the gate. Mantle onto the sloped stone on top of the gate. If you're having difficulty, aim towards the edge away from the wall. See Mantling 201. There is a curious pyramid up there along with lots of stars and quiet. Lots of quiet.
Strange doors. There are no less than six doors in this mission that can't be opened and one that can, but doesn't lead anywhere. Two look like they should lead to a cellar area, one is in the ceremony room, and the other three are ... well, just too small. You'll find out where two of these doors (one cellar door and the ceremony door) lead in a future mission. The other cellar door is never explained.
"It was then I saw that there was no mother-frog at all, but merely a Frog Dispenser...."
Para?noid
The ceremony door is a little strange in this mission. My X-ray camel vision shows a room behind it... I wonder if the strange blue key was intended to open this door...?
Climb inside a tree. The tree in the courtyard area that is surrounded by water can be climbed. It's a bit tricky since rope arrows don't tend to stick in the top branches. Be persistent. Eventually, you'll get one to stick inside the tree. Climb up. Surprise! You are inside the tree. Now you can see what's actually in those little windows around the courtyard.
Pick mushrooms. Off the garden area, there are two trees. Inside the bottom of the tree with the red flowers is a pickable mushroom. No one knows why this mushroom is here. For a long time it was thought that this mushroom was unique, which made it even stranger. Recently, I found another pickable mushroom and it's only a short distance away. It is extremely hard to reach though. For more info see "What's inside?" below.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#348 You have no dishes left in the house because you can't pick one up without throwing it against the wall.
Khalid
By the way, this tree has a small tunnel in its branches. Move a little to the right of the "mushroom" tunnel, and look up. Fire a rope arrow into the greenery for a look. You can get inside, but just barely. It quickly becomes too small to proceed.
The Blue Key. Nearby is another tree, the one with the blue flowers. In this area, you'll find a strange blue key lying on the ground. It is strange because it does not seem to unlock any lock. Many people have spent long hours trying to find a use for this odd key. Only god and the level designer know why this is here. I haven't heard a word from either of them, despite repeated queries.
A tree secret. Walk around the tree with the blue flowers, looking up. You'll see a hole in the foliage. Shoot a rope arrow in the hole and climb up. In one direction is a tunnel that is a "secret" shortcut into the upper levels. Read on to find out what is in the other direction.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#358 At 3:00 a.m. you realize that you have spent another 3 hours with the snd.crf. You prefer now additional to the classic "bkrun_1.wav" the sound files "vikgig4.wav" and "m13str.wav." And of course the classic "fb1att_1.wav."
Lytha
What's inside? If you jump to the other side of the passage, you can look down into the hollow tree trunk. There is a mushroom down there and something else very strange. You can climb down to the bottom of the tree with a little patience. This is a one way trip so be sure to save before attempting it. Crouch, jump, and go as far left and forward as you can. You can sort of climb up into the crack on the left. Now, lean forward and shoot a rope arrow into the wooden ceiling, near the opposite wall. While leaning forward, spin left or right slowly around until you are looking around the edge of the trunk inside the tree. Still leaning, jump forward a few times. You should be mostly inside the tree. You might want to try jumping sideways, etc. as well. Leaning helps. Keep this up and you can make it all the way in. You'll probably want to quicksave a few times to preserve your progress. You might not realize when you're inside and fail to catch the rope on your last jump. On the ground is the only other known pickable mushroom and what other strange thing?
Answer: A moss arrow! Beats me as to why.
Go rope climbing. Off the courtyard area, there is a little room with a sliding door in the ceiling. Open it and use a rope arrow to climb up. This is goal #1. There is a sideways room there with a gold candlestick. In the roof, there is a hole. This is goal #2. An arrow in the "floor" will do the trick. Climb up into the sideways table and chairs. Look up. The hole is goal #3. An arrow in the side of the hole is what you need. Climb up. You might want to take a moment to play on the table and chairs. This is another "shortcut" into the upper levels.
Ah, the "Garrett action figure." My most popular piece of artwork to date...
EvilSpirit
Cold fire. In Constantine's bedroom there is a strange torch. At least he won't have to worry about soot on the ceiling. There's no smoke and not much light coming from this "fire".
#7 The Haunted Cathedral (designed by Randy Smith)
This is a big level. There are lots of places to go climbing and, unlike Assassins, you can enter many of the buildings. There is a lot of history here too. I was surprised to find that one of my ancestors helped build the Wall. Sadly, he was slain by zombies.
Ready, steady, climb. From the start, go left and then straight. There is a narrow sloped roof between two buildings just above a short pole light. Behind the wall, near the fallen beams in the corner is a boulder. On the other side of the wall is another. Bring one of them back to the pole light. Jump on the pole and position yourself so you are on it perfectly (you'll be as high as possible). Drop the boulder and jump on to it (Stack 'em up style). When done correctly, you can mantle up to the sloped roof. The view is very nice and you have access to many of the roof tops in this section from here.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#360 You find yourself singing the Lion King sound track because you're afraid of all the noises in RTC. (There's a lovely bunch of coconuts diddlidy.... here they come a'dancing in the rain
MasterP22
What's inside? By the Cathedral street sign there is a leaning building with one corner in some water. There's a light in this building and some open windows. It looks like you should be able to get in and you can, but it's very tricky. Walk around to the hole. From the wooden platform across the street, jump into the hole and hang on. Move all the way to the left and let go of the forward key. You'll slowly slide backwards. Just before you fall off, crouch and move forwards again. If you managed to crouch, congratulations. Half the work is done. Now you can lean forward and peek inside the room. Still leaning, turn left until you are inside the building as much as possible. Keep leaning, press and hold forward, and then jump. You should be mostly inside the room now. You can see that there is nothing really in the room. Just a light and a puddle in the corner. If you really want to get all the way in and down to the floor, you'll need to continue with the same tricks (jump, lean forward, turn around the corner, etc.) until you manage it.
Tilt. There are two tilted buildings side by side, west of the Rubin St. ramp. Go to the side of the less tilted one where it looks like you could walk up it if it were less steep. You can. Lean forward and "run" up it. Every roof in this section is accessible from here.
More to come...
Woe be to him that defies the tree,
for he shall be cast out into the world
through the veils of pain and fireThree missions were cut from Thief. Originally, you would have had to break into the mage's tower to learn what the deal with the talismans was, and then go to four more levels, including the sewers (water) and a big canyon (air) to recover them. Mission number 8 was the sewer mission and was the last one cut. Renumbering the missions would have been too painful at that stage in the development, so they were left as is. The good news is that we'll probably get to see these missions in Thief Gold. Thanks to boojum for this info.
#9 The Lost City (designed by Mike Ryan, Greg LoPiccolo)
This mission gives us a look into the past dating back to the Precursors.
Pray tell, what doth thou mean, "Biscuits & Mustard"?
Abysmal
Leap of faith. Were you one of the unfortunate ones who didn't extend the bridge and instead leaped across the lava only to find, an hour later, that you couldn't get back? Oops. This problem was fixed in the patch. What magic did they use to fix it? A skillet. Yeah, that's right, a skillet. They embedded a Thief-era modern day skillet in the landing wall. The level gods had a good laugh about that one I'm sure. Oh yeah, it works by causing you to bounce off when you try to get a grip on the wall.
More to come...
#10 Undercover (designed by Dorian Hart)
TBW
#11 Return to the Cathedral (designed by Randy Smith)
"Bawitaba Da-bang Da-bang Diggy Diggy Diggy said the boogie-said up jumped the boogie."
Greyhound
This is one of the scariest missions in Thief. It also is one of the best in terms of things to do.
Who needs keys? You can get inside without using the talismans! You'll need four ribcages and one skull. Take them over to the low stone wall to the left (west) of the entrance. Stack the four ribcages first and then the skull (Stack 'em up style). Mantle atop the wall. Go to the last stone column. Jump and mantle onto the wall on the left. From here you can jump over to the roof, drop down into the courtyard and go in through the back entrance. The Eye seems to be a little worried by this approach. It asks you a curious question...
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#361 You're experiencing severe withdrawal and are becoming more and more manic-depressive because you made the mistake of lending Thief to someone 7 days, 2 hours and 38 minutes ago... and now they won't give it back.
MasterP22
Up on the roof. As you go west along the wall, you'll see a balcony of sorts with a castle-style border (more crenelations). Jump over to one of the sloped buttresses and mantle up. To get onto the roof, stand on the top of one of the side walls, in the middle. There will be a "U" shaped hole between you and the roof. Don't worry about it. Now, just run towards the roof, jump and mantle up as you would expect. If you're having trouble, you can always bring a box from inside or try going up by standing on one of the buttresses on the right. The latter requires a tricky jump to get on, but it's an easy mantle to the roof.
This roof is very nice for roof walking. You can get to all parts of the roof. Some highlights are the sky-lights, the gargoyles and statue area above the entrance, and listening to the bells in the bell tower. If you want another challenge, drop down onto the narrow ledge around the bell tower and walk around it to the other side.
Out back. Use the ribcages and stuff from above or get some boxes from inside and climb up on the wall to the right (east) of the entrance. If you drop down to the other side, you can walk around back to the cloister gate where you normally exit. There is one jump to get to the exit area, but it's not too bad. It's kind of nice to have a little time to explore this area, without the mission ending. There is a little cubby hole you can reach if you stay on the wall after the jump. BTW, this is a one way trip.
"In my level, I've been using a bush and a rolling pin as a lockpick."
Doug
Challenge: Mantle up the broken cloister staircase.
Brother Murus. This guy is like a bad phone solicitor. Once he has your number you can't get rid of him. He keeps calling back, wanting you to get something else. You can't even kill him! To top it off, he wants you to kill all the haunts! Well, at least you can do it with style.
Challenge: Kill each haunt in a different way. There are nine haunts. I only found eight ways, maybe you can find a ninth? Two haunts were killed by backstabbing and one each by fire arrow, mine, sword fight, flash bomb, holy water arrow, and broadheads (took 10 or 11!) and the last one with two hits from a thrown hammer.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#395 Your baby brother struggles mightily to reach the water fountain and you tell him, "Just MANTLE it!"
Risquit
Make a key. Don't you find it a little odd that one of the things you can make is a key to the wine cellar? It amuses me to think that this key was requested so often that they kept the mold near the smelter for easy access. I also wonder what they did that might require quick turnaround on door handles...
Star gazing. It's possible to get onto the observatory roof. The hardest part is figuring out how to do it. Bring five boxes up to the telescope room. Stack 'em up in the corner between the telescope and the "pool". Jump off the boxes onto the roof. it's a little cramped up there, but you can play peek-a-boo with the door, and look at stars of course.
Challenge: You can complete this mission in under five minutes if you are clever. The best times are under two minutes.
More to come...
#12 Escape! (designed by Randy Smith)
TBW
#13 Strange Bedfellows (designed by Sara Verrilli)
TBW
#14 Into The Maw of Chaos (designed by Sara Verrilli, Mike Ryan)
That's gotta hurt...
"Has anyone else ever knocked themselves unconscious in Thief? In THC, I jumped the gap over the northernmost drawbridge to get to the mansion. Robbed it. On the way back I tried to jump the gap, mistimed it. I made a funny sound, ended up facing the ground (still hanging above the drawbridge), and the world slowly faded to black. The only thing that I can think of is that I tripped and whacked my head on the other wall."
Turner
This is one of my favorite levels for strange and unusual stuff to do. It's easiest to do the activities with Normal difficulty since you need a lot of health for some. You'll also need two or three rope arrows.
Go climbing. You can climb onto the beams above where you start. What's unusual about the mushroom up there?
Answer: It's floating it mid-air and it's not even oriented towards the ceiling.
Go riding! You can jump onto the floating monsters and ride them! Find the ledge over the place where the floaters exit before making their final ascension. You can see it by going to their arrival ledge and watching where they exit. Go there. Wait for a floater to pass under you and jump on. If you time it right, you can ride all the way up to the exit ledge.
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#409 OK...you are sure, I mean 100% positive that you are the only one home, yet you still turn your head away from the monitor to see if there is anyone behind you!
Risquit
Go caving. There is a extensive cavern system off the beaten path. It's the one the floaters travel through. This is usually a one way trip so be sure to save before attempting this. It is possible to get back on track by jumping through the hole in the floor, but you're likely to lose even more health doing it so you probably won't want to. You'll want a lot of health for this (i.e., normal difficulty).
First, go back to the ledge where you went riding. Now look at the opening carefully. There is a tiny ledge on the right of the opening. Aim for that. Save. Jump! If you fall off the ledge, you may get lucky and land still alive. Or you could die (it's still a long way to the floor), so you might want to try to stay on the ledge before making your second jump. If you stopped at the ledge (not an easy feat), save again. Now, jump over to the ledge where they are coming out or jump to a wall and hope you can slide down alive. Use the floaters to break your fall (credit to Ergates for this). Once down, explore! There is something slightly odd about these caverns... What is it?
Answer: A section of the caverns leads off to nowhere. The floaters don't need it, why is it there?
From 1000 clues that you have been playing thief way too much...
#410 You start to think that a back lit keyboard would be the best peripheral ever.
Jades
Ride again. Jump off the "interesting bridge" onto the floaters and ride them into the caverns. This is very tricky, for several reasons. First, you have to time your jump just right, otherwise you'll miss your ride. And, you need a fair amount of health because the drop to your ride hurts a bit. Second, the floater changes direction a few times and it's somewhat hard to compensate. You have to keep a close watch on your position relative to your ride. Third, getting into the caverns is tough. You have to align yourself on your ride so that you are crouching and centered under the tunnel's peak. Otherwise, you get pushed off into the lava. Ouch.
Go all the way. It's possible to climb the giant tree all the way to the top and bypass the creepies within. You'll need at least two, possibly three rope arrows. To the right of the tree entrance is a root. Look up between the entrance and the root. There are two branches above you. Move away from the tree a bit and shoot a rope arrow into the tree just under the left branch. Climb onto the rope (you may have to jump off the root), and jump over the right branch. Now do a similar thing to get onto the left branch. From there, you can easily reach the exit branch.
From the unpublished adventures of James and Jyre: A scene cut from COT circa chapter 27, part 3 of 3.
I cannot recall how long we fled, but when we came to our senses, we were exhausted and had torn several holes in our cloaks. Fortunately, we had managed not to actually lose anything. Jyre looked pensive, and said nothing as we conducted field repairs on our garments, ate a small snack, and took stock of our surroundings.
From descriptions of it, I realized we had entered the Lost City of those ancient humans who had succeeded those who had summoned the patrollers. Who now held the long-rebellious patrollers in check was unclear. To all appearances, the Lost City was abandoned. Perhaps the numbers of the combatants have been reduced severely during the eons the war has lasted; perhaps, indeed, the ancient humans were but temporary allies to the summoners, whose thin numbers fought long ages before, and continue to struggle now, in dark and secret passages best left undiscovered.
Special thanks to: Catalyst for climbing tips and inspiring me to greater heights :). Lytha for greatly increasing the fun with her amazing variety of interesting playing styles and for other things too numerous to mention. Digital Nightfall for being a great the forum leader and master of many fine web sites. And, last but not least, the many fine thieves in the Thief forum from whom I've acquired many interesting ideas. My apologies to all the folks who deserve and didn't get credit, but I think I'd lose the last shreds of my sanity trying to figure out who you all are. :)
Extra special thanks to LGS for creating such a fine game.
By the way, if I quoted you and you'd rather not be quoted, send me mail and I'll remove you. On the other hand, if you're feeling left out, my apologies. Maybe you'll show up in the next draft. If not, it's nothing personal. :)
See you in the shadows.
- Thumper
P.S. Blame these guys for your lack of sleep and that twitch in your right eye...
Greg LoPiccolo
Project director, assistant level designer (bits of assassin, lost city, endgame)Tim Leonard
Lead Programmer AI, scripting system, core architectureMark Lizotte
Lead Artist Terrain textures, polygonal people, game objects, UI screens, spider animations, overall art directionTim Stellmach ("EvilSpirit")
Lead Designer, Gameplay design, object & creature behaviors, mission scripting, special effectsDoug Church
Programming, JugglingChris Carollo
Physics, Sound Propagation, Ranged Combat AI, some JugglingKate Jenkins
Creature rendering, creature motion systemMarc "MAHK" LeBlanc
Dark Object System, Act/React, game systems, UI, JugglingMat MacKenzie
Renderer enhancements, speech systemLaura Baldwin ("boojum")
Creature motion process, text & dialogue, translation coordinatorDorian Hart
Bafford's Manor, Bonehoard, Undercover, Manual, JugglingMike Ryan
Cragscleft Prison, Assassin, The Lost City, Maw of ChaosRandy Smith
Training, Haunted Cathedral Return to the Cathedral, Escape, General mission scripting, Some JugglingSara Verrilli
The Sword, Strange Bedfellows, Maw of ChaosDaniel Thron
Cutscene art and animation, box art, maps, particle system effects, voicesJosh Randall
Produce, localization director, cutscene co-ordinator, Garrett spokesmodel, breakbeat consultantEric Brosius
Music, Sound effects, Speech design and productionMichael J. Steinkrauss
Lead TesterSean Barret
Rendering EngineJoseph Gilby
Executive Producer
These are the best.
Official sites: Looking Glass Studios / Thief
Looking Glass Studios fansite: Through The Looking Glass
Thief fansite: http://www.thief-TheCircle.com.com/
Thief forum: Thief
Expert walkthrough: Ghost's Walkthrough & Maps
Fan fiction and art: T-DP fanworks / Correspondence of Thieves AKA "COT"
This document: Guide to the Strange and Unusual Thief
Travel to: Strategy Index / Thief-TheCircle.com.com (home) / TTLG.com / Go Back
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