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C H E A T I N G W I T H D R O M E D . E X E
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Contents
- 1.0 Foreword
.1 Notation
- 2.0 Preliminary Procedures
.1 Setting up Dromed.exe
.2 Safeguarding and Copying Existing Files
.3 House keeping
- 3.0 Fundamentals of Dromed.exe Operations
.1 The On-screen View(s) and Mouse-Ops
.2 Commands in 2D
.3 Commands/Moving in 3D
.4 Other commands (from the main Dromed window)
- 4.0 Precautions
- 5.0 Adding Objects (i.e., time for some serious ass-forkin')
.1 Navigating The Object Hierarchy
.2 Placing the Object
.3 Sizing, facing, and positioning
.4 When you need more than one...increasing stack count
.5 Putting Items in Chests (Linking)
- 6.0 Last Words: How to Cheat Responsibly
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<1.0> Foreword:
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I cheat. A lot. Whenever I can get away with it, I'll go to any lengths to
win/finsih first/kill you. If you're like me, then Thief and its even harder
sequel Thief ii, is not the game for you. However, there are so many things
to steal it just appeals to my kleptomania -- not to mention killing people
in the dark -- this game is a stalker's dream and a victim's nightmare.
I'm not weird, just eccentric.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This guide only serves to brief gamers on how to adjust/add
objects in Dromed, not how to build levels. I ain't got that time and I sure
as hell can't get any decent voice actin' from where I come from to warrant
a fancy schmancy original Thief/Thief ii level. The damn thing's also too
complicated and will probably blow up in my face if I screw it beyond normal
parameters. Also, much of the game details are netted from the Normal
Difficulty. Since finishing Thief/Thief ii on any level of difficulty nets
the same result, it is "unprofitable" (and lame) to do any part of these
games on a difficulty greater than Normal -- any novice thief should know
that.
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<1.1> Notation:
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I have been game raping both Thief Gold and Thief ii maps liberally, so I
will use the notation "ii-" before any Thief ii maps as to avoid undue
confusion between the games. Just remember that you DON'T rename your Thief
ii files (they should look exactly like Thief/Thief Gold files). You, of
course, can try that and e-mail me what happens to your computer if you do.
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<2.0> Preliminaries:
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For those of you lucky enough to have bought Thief and/or Thief 2 with the
level editor (retail ~$20 or less; 15 pesos in Mexico, and $75,000 in
Canada), you are indeed holding a tool far more powerful than a mere Gas
Arrow. With this program, you can increase and adjust your starting gear to
obscene quantities -- making even the expert level on par with . . . normal.
But before you get all excited and possibly do something that will kill your
game, let's set up our files and folders first.
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<2.1> Setting up Dromed.exe:
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#1: To proceed, you will need Winzip.exe or Pkunzip.exe inorder to extract
the necessary files for Dromed to run. Don't have it? Do a web search and
find one.
#2: Thief Gold's level editor is on the first disc (Installation) and is
housed in the directory CD-Drive Letter:\goodies\dromed\dromed.zip. Ditto
for Thief ii (Disc One: Installation), except the pathname is CD-Drive
Letter:\editor\dromed.zip. You will need to unzip that file to the folder
where you have Thief/Thief ii installed (i.e., extract to C:\Program
Files\Looking Glass\ThiefG). When you do, Winzip/Pkunzip will ask if you
want to overwrite certain files such as Dark.cfg etc.; to insure that Dromed
runs perfectly, you should select "Yes to All", however; if you are unsure
whether or not you wish to overwrite critical game performance options (such
as the IDE83 video bug), you should say "No" to each overwrite.
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<2.2> Safeguarding Old Files:
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**WARNING** If you have downloaded any "patches" or "upgraded maps" from
Looking Glass, or some other loser Thief site, BE SURE TO MOVE those files
to another directory or to make a back-up on a 350 mB Zip Disk or on a CD.
Don't blame me if you mistakenly alter your FAT.
#1: Eject Disc One: Installation and insert Disc Two: The Game. Go into the
CD-Drive directory of Thief, Thiefg, or Thief2 and Copy/Paste all the files
that have a .mis extension into the thief directory on your hard drive. On
early versions of Thief Gold, this will overwrite Miss15.mis, but that's
okay -- otherwise you will miss out on one of Thief Gold's unqiue missions,
as the Dromed tutorial map was accidently misnamed Miss15.mis. I will
however, use Thief/Thief Gold's Miss1.mis (a Keepers' Training) for the
tutorial, as all training should be kept on Keeper grounds.
#2: Remove the Read-Only Property on all the *.mis files in your
Thief/Thief2 directory. This will allow you to adjust them if necessary. If
you screwed up a map beyond your belief, retrieve them from the Game CD. It
should be noted that these missions are the factory missions Looking Glass
originally wanted you to play. All the dialogue and crap-chat will be there,
as will the objectives, enemies, etc. The point now is to modify them so
that even a blind taxi-driver can finish the game.
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<2.3> House-keeping
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*.mis files are big. A dozen of them take up an easy 150+mB. If you are
pressed for space, you should delete unecessary files, and uninstall crappy
games that take up your disk drive. You can also try just copying one file
(I recommend the smallest Thief/Thief Gold file, Miss1.mis) as I will be
using that to explain the tutorial.
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<3.0> Operating Dromed
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For those of you who've editted Duke Nukem 3D (mostly by putting in an extra
pair of strippers), this shouldn't be too much difficulty -- the principle
is the same; only the commands (and certain specifics) are different. For
those who can't tell a mouse from external speaker, then you shouldn't be
playing with this; but if you want, try and stick around, you might learn
something.
Dromed is basically the program by which the programmers (probably) made the
entire damn game. It offers a static but adjustable view by which the user
(i.e., you) to move about a specific level of Thief in its entirety in order
to change/add/delete details such as enemies, treasure, weapons, items,
patrol routes, rooms, objectives, etc.
It IS NOT akin to playing the game itself. The enemies do not move, nor does
anything else for that matter. There is no sound save for the incessant
clicking of your left and right mouse buttons; and you cannot "finish the
game" in any respect while using Dromed. If you are still unsure of what the
hell is going on, then please read the Dromed.doc that comes with the editor
and come back when you have achieved some understanding to what the hell
we're doing. We don't need rookies hanging around . . .
Now, given the All Mighty's power to smite thy foe and carve something from
nothingness, you may now begin to see the possiblity this program offers.
Need a 100 gas arrows? Not a prob; just one question? Where d'ya want it?
How about right next to you when you start? Can't be invincible? How about a
500 health potion pick-me up? Get the picture? Now let's review the basics
of using Dromed before we get into some serious ass-forkin'.
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<3.1> The Views Available
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When you run Dromed from the Start Bar (or via double-click), you will see
an unimpressive black screen split into four smaller windows. A grid of
white lines should show up in three of the four windows, with the upper left
window showing either total black or a single white line. THIS is what the
map looks like if nothing is in it -- in simple terms, you're basically in a
Black Hole so obviously, you can't see anything from nothing. Okay, enough
Nihilist rhetoric, let's get down to business. The little purple dot/sperm
cell appearing in three of the windows is the Dromed 3D Camera -- it will
serve as the marker for the 3D view and as a marker to some extent, in the
other views. Otherwise, you can pretty much ignore it.
There are basically two views you should concern yourself about: The 3D view
in the upper left window, and the top view (or as we architects say, 'The
plan view, Mr Zhang. Show us the plan view.'). These two windows wil be your
most often used, as you will basically create onjects in the Plan View, and
use the 3D view to determine most of its attributes such as dimension,
orientaton, and placement. The other two views are Front and Side, and while
not terribly important, they are nevertheless useful when you need to
determine where things are on the Y and Z Axes.
The pointer you move about resembles a red and white cross and can be used
to readjust the window sizes by holding the left mouse button (LMB) over
where the window borders intersect and moving the mouse. Adjust the view if
you like, but do note you will probably need all four windows to check where
your objects are.
On the bottom, there should be a small table of values, of which six are
extremely important. X, Y, Z, H, P, and B values. X and Y are
self-explanatory to first year algebra students: they determine the X and Y
coordinates of an object or brush. The Z value is the height while the P
value determines pitch -- whether an object is tilted as in leaning against
a wall, etc. The B value is the value of bank and the H value determines
yaw. You can click the values and manually type in the numbers (then hit
enter), but you can also adjust the values by holding the LMB on the
appropriate variable and moving your mouse up/down, or side to side. You
don't have an object to see the effects yet, but you will soon enough.
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<3.2> Commands in 2D
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Now, move your cursor over to the upper right window (henceforth referred to
as the Plan View) and hold your right mouse button (RMB). A small command
window should pop up, and as long as your RMB is held, it will remain. You
may move the cursor over the commands and notice that your selection will be
highlighted in purple; by releasing the RMB, you will confirm that command
and it will be immediately executed.
In the PLAN, FRONT, and SIDE views, the commands will be the same: show/hide
grid; solo/unsolo; synch all/asynch all; teleport camera; zoom in; zoom out;
zoom in all; zoom out all; fit to region. A brief explanation:
SHOW/HIDE GRID - Shows or hides the white grid lines. On maps that have
numerous objects (such as Miss5.mis - Assassins; or ii-Miss7.mis - The Bank)
you should hide the grid to make things run more smoothly. This hides the
grid for all the single-perspective views unless you use the ASYNCH command.
SOLO/UNSOLO - makes the current view the only one you see, enlarging the
selected window to fill the whole Dromed window. Selecting UNSOLO will put
you back into the quad view.
SYNCH/ASYNCH - synchronises all three single perspective views so if you
move the purple 3D camera/sperm cell in one window, the other windows will
be adjusted accordingly to match the move. I advise you have all your views
in SYNCH all the time, as we are only concerned with simply adding items and
weapons, not floors, walls, and ceilings.
TELEPORT CAMERA - handy little command which allows you to move quickly from
one spot to another. Using it though, doesn't garuantee you will end up in
open air though. Somethimes, the camera will be in a solid mass, requiring
you to move out of the solid to see anything in 3D view.
ZOOM IN - Zooms in the current window, also activates the ASYNCH command.
ZOOM OUT - zooms out the current window; activates ASYNCH. re-SYNCH to
re-establish link.
ZOOM IN/OUT ALL - zooms in and out of all three single perspective views and
keeps synchronisation. Recommended.
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<3.3> Commands/Moving in 3D
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Now, move your cross cursor to the 3D window (in the upper-left) and again,
hold you RMB until a command window shows up. Like the single-perspective
views, the 3D view also has its share of commands -- I will only concern you
with the ones we need: show/hide grid; solo/unsolo; wireframe; solid world;
solid & selection.
SHOW/HIDE GRID - same for the other views, hide it if there are too many
things to discern.
SOLO/UNSOLO - Solo view is useful if you want to explore Thief levels
without being chased by guards. You can find all sorts of secrets in Dromed
simply by walking around.
WIREFRAME - shows the level in wireframe; the box things come in. This is
the only mode (in the 3D window) where you can select an object or brush to
be manipulated.
SOLID WORLD - see the level as you would in the game. Combined with the SOLO
command, this allows free exploration of every nook and cranny of Thief.
This mode is used primarily to check an object's facing (such as chests), as
wireframe doesn't show surface textures.
SOLID AND SELECTION - see the solid world, but allows you to see the
bounding box of the selected object (in white). This allows you to
manipulate the object to a specific degree, or if you just need to see if
the object is really embedded into the surrounding wall or floor.
The keyboard is used to move the purple 3D camera/spermcell in Dromed, much
like it's used to move Garrett the Thief in the City:
W/S - move forwards
A - turns left
D - turns right
X - moves backwards
Q/E - strafe upwards or downwards
Z/C - strafe left or right
R/V - angles camera view up or down
F - resets camera view parallel to the grid plane
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<3.4> Other Commands
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Under FILE - Open Mission; how else are you gonna see the level? If you
copied the *.mis files (and removed the Read-Only Attribute like I told you,
woman), then they should show up when you activate this command. Don't do it
just yet though.
Under FILE - Save Mission (as an *.mis file) allows you to save the changes
you made to the mission in question. It is very important, as Dromed doesn't
warn you about any unsaved data, like those other wussy programs Microsoft
markets.
Under VIEW - Toggle Light Maps temporarily removes all shadows and dark
areas so you can see what you're changing. It's not a permanent effect, even
if you save the mission while you have the darkness arrested; as soon as you
run the game again, the proper lighting returns. This is useful in more ways
than one.
Under OBJECTS - Object Hierarchy. The reason why this game is so easy. Read
on, chubbs.
On the Dromed screen, FLOOR ME - Sets the Z axis of a selected object to the
first available floor below it. Naturally, if the object is inside another
mass, this command will make it behave oddly.
On the Dromed screen, PROPERTIES - Adjusts the object's physics and other
stuff. However, we'll only concern ourselves with the stack count.
On the Dromed screen, LINKS - Connects two objects with a predetermined
behaviour. For simplicity, we will only be using the Contains link.
On the keyboard, DELETE - erases the selected object (the only one in white)
************************************************************
************* W A R N I N G *************
************* Read Below *************
************************************************************
<4.0> Precautions
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, use, press, or hold the LMB in any window
unless you have an object already selected and created, otherwise you will
instead, create an undefined brush that will require you to relight the
level -- unless you know HOW to relight the level (I do not), you will need
to delete the offending mission and re-copy it from the game CD (if you want
to edit it) or you will not be able to play past that level.
You've been warned, simpleton.
************************************************************
************* W A R N I N G *************
************* Read Above *************
************************************************************
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<5.0> Adding Objects: A Cheater's Training
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Now go ahead and load Miss1.mis (A Keeper's Training). This is a fairly
small map and the time it takes to load in Dromed should be multiplied by
2-3 for the bigger levels. Carefully, single click with the LMB on any of
the red bits on the screen -- just be sure not to hold the LMB and drag it
-- otherwise you've just screwed the map and should re-load it by opening
the same file again.
See how the object name changes as you click on various objects? You'll
notice things like "ambstartpoint" or "trolpoint" or "metaldoor" etc. These
are the objects that create the world of Thief. Assuming you didn't TELEPORT
the Camera, your camera should be where Garrett starts off in the Keeper's
Training mission. Now let's have a look around in 3D.
Use the RMB and SOLO the upper left window. Now RMB and select SOLID WORLD.
Seems familiar? Next, highlight the VIEW command and TOGGLE LIGHT MAPS.
Nothing will change **until** you move the camera with the keyboard or
unless you TELEPORT. You can practice moving the camera if you want, just
remember that there is no gravity and as long as you "see" and don't "touch"
(with your mouse) you should not do anything harmful to the map.
When you're finished goofing off, go to the next section.
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<5.1> The Object Hierarchy
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Now we are going to add a fire crystal and place it right in front of
Garrett so he'll be able to pick it up right from the get go. Why? Dunno,
but you can kill the Keeper strolling right above you if you want.
RMB, and WIREFRAME the 3D view. Then choose UNSOLO and go back to the quad
view. Now pick the OBJECTS command from Dromed's main window and select the
OBJECT HIERARCHY command. Chances are that you have a really object selected
like "ambwindsound" or something esoteric. Nevermind. Collapse the object
tree by pressing the left cursor button on your keyboard. This window
behaves somewhat like Windows Explorer, but the marked difference of doing
something useful.
If you keep collapsing the tree, you should eventually wind up with only
four to five objects labelled, "sfx", "fnord", "physical", etc.
We are only concerned with the physical. LMB single click the "+" next to
physical and you can see that objects have been grouped into thematic
categories: "household", "decorative", "weapons", "projectiles", etc.
Select the "tulz" category and expand it like you did with the "physical"
category. You'll see more subject headings. Select "crystals" then fire
crystal. Even though it has a plus next to its name, we are only interested
in the "firecrys" itself, so single click the name with the LMB. [NOTE: some
objects will have a variant of itself under the parent object; in this case,
a "firecrysphys" is a derivative of the normal fire crystal for the flame
spirits that drop these suckers on Expert. Sometimes though, the parent
object is undefined and will show up as a white wedge. In such a case, you
only have to delete the offending object and select a defined object. This
does not irreversibly damage your map by altering the room database, so you
don't have to reload.]
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<5.2> Placing the Object
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With the fire cystal selected, click the CREATE command on the right side of
the OBJECT HIERARCHY window. Now you can create a fire crystal by moving the
cross cursor over the Plan View Window and holding the LMB over the desired
place where you want the crystal to be. Click and drag a box the size of
four to nine grid squares large and release the LMB. A new object (in white)
should appear in the vicinity. If you release the LMB too early, or selected
the wrong object, you should DELETE the mistake and start from 5.1 again.
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<5.3> Sizing, Facing, Positioning
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Now if you take the time to go into 3D and look around, you may or may not
see the newly made crystal. Why? Go back into quad view and check the other
single perspective views to be sure that the cystal is at the same height
you are. Adjust the fire crystal's Z axis value until you can see it is on
the level with the purple spermcell-camera. If you want, you can try to
floor the crystal by using the FLOOR ME command.
Single click with the LMB on the value for "p". Type in the value "90.0" and
hit enter. Notice how the crystal now lies on its side like in real life?
Click FLOOR ME again. It should look pretty natural now. You may adjust the
H and B values to make it look like it was discarded in a haphazard fashion.
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<5.4> Modifying Stack Count
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You only created one fire crystal; what if you wanted more? Make sure the
fire crystal is still selected as your preferred object (it should be white
in WIREFRAME), and click the PROPERTIES command near the Floor Me command.
You should get a window that allows you to adjust the physics and other
parameters of the fire crystal -- try not to. Just select the ADD command
from the new window and select the ENGINE option. A secondary window will
show next and the correct course of action is to select and click STACK
COUNT.
A new window should pop up with the number "1". Add a zero to the end and
make it "10". Enter. Select FILE from the main Dromed window and SAVE
MISSION as a *.mis file; overwrite Miss1.mis and the next time you play the
training level, you will have ten fire arrows lying right at the start
point.
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<5.5> Making your Own Damn Treasure (Linking)
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Most treasure in Thief/Thief ii htough do not lie on open ground waiting for
you to come by -- they wait in treasure chests to be discovered and found.
Half the time, it's the discovery of treasure in an overseen hiding spot
that gives thieves their delight in theft. So how about putting an object in
a chest of some sort?
First let's create another crystal (your choice) -- but this time, instead
of putting it anywhere near the starting point, create it in a place Garrett
cannot go normally in the game; i.e., null space. On the Plan View, use the
command ZOOM OUT ALL until you can see the large unfiddled-with black areas
of the level map; this is the left-over space that can be utilised for these
purposes. Place your crystal in the "Twilight Zone" and leave it in the
middle of no where. You will only be concerned with the Plan View for now.
Next, go to the OBJECT HIERARCHY and back up the tree until you can find the
CONTAINERS category under PHYSICAL. Open the CONTAINER tree and select the
object COINBOX to be created (remember to LMB click the 'CREATE' command!).
Although there are other types of containers available, this is the only one
that seems to be consistent between the two Thief games [Besides several new
ornate chests, a new steel foot-chest was added, bumping the old woodedn
foot-chest down to a new location.]
TELEPORT the camera to where Garrett starts (and where I instructed you to
create the fire crystal that gives you ten fire arrows from the step in
5.1). Create the coinbox much as you did before and place it on the floor
(in a place where Garrett can get to) using a combination of 3D View and
adjusting the X, Y, and Z values. Now notice that there should be an object
name somewhere to the left of the XYZHPB value table that should say
"Coinbox ###" where the ### should be a one to four digit integer. This is
the object identification number for that specific map. If there are more
coinboxes or similar objects, they will be numbered accordingly. REGARDLESS
of how many other like objects you have, ALWAYS remember the exact number of
the two objects you want to Link. If you input an incorrect object number
(along with a link that cannot occur with said objects) there is a high
probability your game will be irreversibly screwed and Dromed will crash.
I recommend that you write down the Coinbox Object ID# (now referred to as
the OID#). LMB click the crystal you created (in null space) and write down
**its** OID#. Now, LMB click the coin box and with it highlighted, click
the command LINKS on the Dromed main screen. A window will pop up with a set
of command buttons on the right. Click the ADD command and in the top-most
box, select the "CONTAINS" link. Next, input the coinbox OID# in the FROM
box and the OID# of your crystal in the TO box. That task done, click OK,
then DONE to create your first successful self-made treasure. This process
is the same for ALL items that Garrett can carry as inventory, from
flashbombs to invisbility potions to treasure. YOu can also do *multiple*
objects by creating as many objects as you want to be stuffed in the
container. So, you can technically link a Gas Arrow, a Fire Arrow, a Health
Potion, and several Invisibility Potions into one container. This of course,
assumes that you check your stash after you open it as the game only
displays the last item on the list. Also note that a "~" as in "~Contains"
means that the link is reversed for the objects in the TO & FROM boxes;
don't mix up the "~links" with the "non ~links" otherwise you will get an
undefined object in your inventory -- just how can picking up a fire crystal
net you a useless coin box?
Thus, a valid link would be:
Link CONTAINS
To Coinbox(1344)
From Firearrow(1348)
But not:
Link ~CONTAINS
To Coinbox(1344)
From Firearrow(1348)
Another valid link would be:
Link ~CONTAINS
To Firearrow(1348)
From Coinbox(1344)
Since the Fire Arrow is CONTAINED BY the Coinbox.
=====================================================
<6.0> How Not To Look Like You're Cheating Your Ass Off
=====================================================
You can now (hopefully) operate Dromed with the flourish of a gamer out for
revenge. However, you will find Thief and its sequel regrettably more
enjoyable if you DON'T have a standard cache of 500 Gas Arrows, 500 Fire
Arrows, and 999 Invisibility Potions waiting for Garrett at the beginning of
each mission.
My advice is to cheat -- responsibly. You will find that on Thief Gold, the
stack count for Moss, Gas, Fire, and Water (normal and Holy H2O) are
undefined, meaning if you somehow get a Gas Arrow without having one in your
inventory before, you will get an infinite amount of Gas Arrow (they
corrected this oversight in the Thief ii Dromed). However, it was for me,
better to operate with an increased **but limited** stash of equipment after
I played through the mission at least once.
Because Thief/Thief Gold is so repetitive game-wise, I recommend a Standard
Equipment Cache for each mission to be:
10 Gas Arrows
10 Fire Arrows
2 Health Potions
You can also make the arrows infinite with the "null stackcount" quirk, but
if you're working with limits then I would increase the arrows by 5 and the
potions by 1 per level of difficulty above normal. I did this for almost
every level except in Bafford Manor, where I only added a single Rope Arrow
in the wellhouse before you have to go down into the water (as I know that
place like the back of my hand). The only exception is the Lost City, as the
presence of Fire Elementals require the use of Water Arrows. Add another
10-20 Water Arrows for that mission (or expend all the water arrows and you
can also get a 'stackless' water arrow projectile if you want). I ususally
link all these items into one convenient stash, thus the nickname of
"Garrett's Coinbox." Guess that little sucker holds more than you think, eh?
For Thief ii, the missions are varied enough to warrant a specialised cache
for each one -- and it should be done to suit each player's taste. While
I've not personally gone through each mission yet, I do have recommended
loads for the following missions (of which #2 is the most fun).
Running Interference (Rumford Manour)
-------------------------------------
Location: Basso's Hide-away at the start
5 x Invisibility Potions
5 x Gas Arrows
5 x Flares
** Very easy. Mostly a black-jack exercise. The invisibilty comes into play
when facing situations with no alternatives. Gas Arrows will over-
power anyone who rushes you. The flares can be used to re-light
extinguished
torches after everyone has been suitably silenced.
Shipping & Receiving (The Docks)
--------------------------------
Location: By the large cube crate on the left wall near the start
5 x Health Potions
5 x Flares
10 x Gas Arrows
30 x Broadheads
2 x Rope Arrows
** Easiest mission in the whole game due to the fact you can kill lots
of people with no/weak retaliation. One or two Gas Arrows should be
saved for use on the little spiders in Mynell's Steaks storage bay.
There is no need for additional Slow-fall as there are only places
that mandate Garrett to jump down and sustain light damage. The Rope
Arrows are used to get secret chests in the last warehouse (near the
pirate boat), Building-B.
Framed! (Shoalsgate Station)
----------------------------
Location: Inside the empty bar, a little forward from the start (but a
really neat hiding place)
5 x Gas Arrows
5 x Fire Arrows
20 x Water Arrows
15 x Invisibility Potions
5 x Flares
1 x Camera Grenade
** One of the harder missions as you cannot knockout a certain number of
people. Use the Water Arrows liberally as many of the Electronic Eyes
can be shut off by Garrett. Use the Invisibility Potions to by-pass
heavily guarded areas -- just be sure you have enough potions to get
back to safety! The Camera Grenade is an extra Scouting Orb to see the
"Dancin' Zombies" Easter Egg behind the left wall when Garrett starts
this mission.
Ambush (The City)
-----------------
Location: Right by Garrett when he starts; crouch on the coin box to
hide from the patrolling guard who'll come by shortly
10 x Gas Arrows
20 x Water Arrows
60 x Broadheads
15 x Flares
5 x Health Potions
** Garrett's "BatCave" stash in his secret closet should have enough fire-
power to level whole ranks of the City Watch -- assuming you first get
him back home alive! The path to Shalesbridge should be easy once you
have suitably armed Garrett. There are many places to snipe at guards
with Broadheads while remaining completely undetected. The flares will be
necessary to relight torches that were extinguished without resorting to
a more valued (and noisy) fire arrow.
Eavesdropping (Mechanist Seminary/Old Hammer Temple)
-----------------------------------------------------
Location: Right next to Garrett at the start
15 x Gas Arrows
5 x Fire Arrows
5 x Water Arrows
5 x Moss Arrows
5 x Flares
1 x Holy Water
** Another easy mission as you can kill some Mechanist guards without
alerting
too many of their bretheren. Use the black-jack exclusively for those
guards
Garrett can close in within handstrike and save the Gas Arrows for those
who
patrol over metal flooring. The Fire and Water Arrows are for the single
Machine Soldier patrolling the grounds outside of the seminary. In a
pinch,
they can be adapted for other situations once Garrett is inside the
Seminary.
1st City Bank & Trust (The Bank)
--------------------------------
Location: Right on the pillar-column that allows mantling to the roof -- a
place
where the patrolling guards cannot see Garrett -- a "safe" spot
20 x Gas Arrows
10 x Fire Arrows
40 x Water Arrows
10 x Invisibility Potions
5 x Health Potions
5 x Flares
2 x Slow-Fall Potions
2 x Speed Potions
** An impressive stage, on par with the Downwinders' mission in Thief Gold.
Multiple levels with reams of guards, machines, security devices, and
dis-
agreeable surfaces. Stay hidden and you can snipe and pilfer most of what
you
need from the shadows. The invisibility potions are to be used sparingly,
and the Gas Arrows are to rid yourself of troublesome guards. Note that
since
Machine Workers are completely BLIND, Garrett can walk up and place Water
Arrows in their boilers very easily -- just be sure not to alert the
Machine
Soldiers who CAN see and will terminate Garrett on sight.
Blackmail (Truart Estate)
-------------------------
Location: Anywhere inside the servant's quarters Garrett starts off next to;
try tp lace it in a really natural hiding spot for "realism"
20 x Gas Arrows
5 x Gas Mines
5 x Health Potions
5 x Invisibility Potions
** The Gas Mines are to disable the groups of Guards who patrol the manour
floors
and the three guards who race down when a Story Event takes place as
Garrett
nears the third floor. The best bet is still to silence as many poeple as
possible while making an effort to complete the objectives -- alarm or no
alarm.
Trail Of Blood 1 (The City)
---------------------------
Location: Right behind Garrett as he starts off and sees Mosley (180-turn
around and
peep a little to the left)
999 x Invisibility Potions
10 x Water Arrows
2 x Holy Water
** It's the first part of Assassins made 65,535 times harder than it was --
meet
the "Trail of Blood 1, the Courier." Take note as this is one of the few
missions where the current loot and equipment carries over to the next.
Whatever
isn't utilised in this mission is brought over and will benefit Garrett
on his
next endeavour. The potions should allow knock-outs and back-stabs to a
level that's
not humanly possible. Just be sure neither Mosley or the Pagan messenger
see it done.
As for the Holy Water . . . let's just say Garrett may need it in the
Graveyard if
he wants to do some grave-robbing, hehehe . . .
Trail of Blood 2 (The Maw)
--------------------------
Location: Right beside the Glow-shroom as Garrett starts off the level
10 x Gas Arrows
30 x Broadheads
5 x Health Potions
** Another fairly easy mission as Garrett can kill non-humans -- i.e.,
anything in
this level. The Gas Arrows are merely an insurance for silent approaches
on the
Ape-men (who were originally Skaven rip-offs, I'm sure). With the
invisibility
potions from the previous mission, this level is quite easy compared to
the
next mission.
Life of the Party (Angel-Watch Tower)
-------------------------------------
Location #1: By a corner in the Bell Tower, where Garrett starts
10 x Gas Arrows
10 x Invisibility Potions
Location #2: Carlysle Castle Armoury
20 x Gas Arrows
40 x Water Arrows
10 x Moss Arrows
100 x Invisibility Potions
5 x Health Potions
** Finally a "challenge." The Carlysle Armoury was too good of a hiding
place to pass
up -- almost akin to a secret (but it ain't, 'cause the tip was paid
for). Merely
getting in is a chore unto itself . . . but it CAN be done way before one
gets to
Angel Watch (within 15-20 minutes of starting the mission on Normal).
Coin-box #1
has enough power-ups to get Garrett inside Angel Watch, but it will
definitely not
have the UMPF! to get him out, nor allow him the luxury of the many
sidetrips in
the City; precisely why there are enough invisibility potions in coin-box
#2 to
knock-out/back-stab every crossed-eyed bastard who looks at him wrong.
Feel free to
Gas Arrow everyone in order to open the Armoury -- once Garrett's in, the
gloves
come off . . .
SEQUENCE: Fetch Sunburst Device from Astronomer's Lab (in attic of an
unmarked house
very near the Bell Tower). The lab entrance is hidden amongst
the rafters;
a Rope or Vine Arrow will allow Garrett to access it. The
entrance is also
boarded up. This is whene using a sword for breaking and
entering is most
prudent. Look around to see which house -- it has a guard in a
blue and
yellow surcoat patrolling the insides of it on the Normal
Setting.
Now continue your looting/burgulary/thieving until just before
the Dayport
Bank. A HUGE BANNER should be strung across and over the avenue
below, as
well as connecting the buildings on Garrett's side to the ones
on the other
side. Cross it with care (long way down . . .) and again use a
Rope or Vine
Arrow to get into the window to Carlysle's residence, which is
just above
the green house.
When all the loose ends (i.e., guards) are taken care of, the
Sunburst Device
should be planted beside the armoury door and a Fire Arrow may
be used to
trigger the detonation. If the Arrow is fired at low strength,
it will travel
slowly enough to give Garrett a running chance to escape the
blast relatively
unscathed (remember that Fire and Gas Arrows have no trajectory
and is not
affected by gravity or air friction). Once fired, gas and fire
arrows do not
stop until something gets in the way of its flight-path.
Got better loadouts/hideaways? Let's hear 'em. Damn this is D&D all over
again.
=====================================================
Contact: The Dopp
Simalcrum@hotmail.com
Quabbin, Massachusetts
=====================================================
C H E A T I N G W I T H D R O M E D . E X E
=====================================================
Contents
- 1.0 Foreword
.1 Notation
- 2.0 Preliminary Procedures
.1 Setting up Dromed.exe
.2 Safeguarding and Copying Existing Files
.3 House keeping
- 3.0 Fundamentals of Dromed.exe Operations
.1 The On-screen View(s) and Mouse-Ops
.2 Commands in 2D
.3 Commands/Moving in 3D
.4 Other commands (from the main Dromed window)
- 4.0 Precautions
- 5.0 Adding Objects (i.e., time for some serious ass-forkin')
.1 Navigating The Object Hierarchy
.2 Placing the Object
.3 Sizing, facing, and positioning
.4 When you need more than one...increasing stack count
.5 Putting Items in Chests (Linking)
- 6.0 Last Words: How to Cheat Responsibly
=====================================================
<1.0> Foreword:
=====================================================
I cheat. A lot. Whenever I can get away with it, I'll go to any lengths to
win/finsih first/kill you. If you're like me, then Thief and its even harder
sequel Thief ii, is not the game for you. However, there are so many things
to steal it just appeals to my kleptomania -- not to mention killing people
in the dark -- this game is a stalker's dream and a victim's nightmare.
I'm not weird, just eccentric.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This guide only serves to brief gamers on how to adjust/add
objects in Dromed, not how to build levels. I ain't got that time and I sure
as hell can't get any decent voice actin' from where I come from to warrant
a fancy schmancy original Thief/Thief ii level. The damn thing's also too
complicated and will probably blow up in my face if I screw it beyond normal
parameters. Also, much of the game details are netted from the Normal
Difficulty. Since finishing Thief/Thief ii on any level of difficulty nets
the same result, it is "unprofitable" (and lame) to do any part of these
games on a difficulty greater than Normal -- any novice thief should know
that.
-----------------------------------------------------
<1.1> Notation:
-----------------------------------------------------
I have been game raping both Thief Gold and Thief ii maps liberally, so I
will use the notation "ii-" before any Thief ii maps as to avoid undue
confusion between the games. Just remember that you DON'T rename your Thief
ii files (they should look exactly like Thief/Thief Gold files). You, of
course, can try that and e-mail me what happens to your computer if you do.
=====================================================
<2.0> Preliminaries:
=====================================================
For those of you lucky enough to have bought Thief and/or Thief 2 with the
level editor (retail ~$20 or less; 15 pesos in Mexico, and $75,000 in
Canada), you are indeed holding a tool far more powerful than a mere Gas
Arrow. With this program, you can increase and adjust your starting gear to
obscene quantities -- making even the expert level on par with . . . normal.
But before you get all excited and possibly do something that will kill your
game, let's set up our files and folders first.
-----------------------------------------------------
<2.1> Setting up Dromed.exe:
-----------------------------------------------------
#1: To proceed, you will need Winzip.exe or Pkunzip.exe inorder to extract
the necessary files for Dromed to run. Don't have it? Do a web search and
find one.
#2: Thief Gold's level editor is on the first disc (Installation) and is
housed in the directory CD-Drive Letter:\goodies\dromed\dromed.zip. Ditto
for Thief ii (Disc One: Installation), except the pathname is CD-Drive
Letter:\editor\dromed.zip. You will need to unzip that file to the folder
where you have Thief/Thief ii installed (i.e., extract to C:\Program
Files\Looking Glass\ThiefG). When you do, Winzip/Pkunzip will ask if you
want to overwrite certain files such as Dark.cfg etc.; to insure that Dromed
runs perfectly, you should select "Yes to All", however; if you are unsure
whether or not you wish to overwrite critical game performance options (such
as the IDE83 video bug), you should say "No" to each overwrite.
-----------------------------------------------------
<2.2> Safeguarding Old Files:
-----------------------------------------------------
**WARNING** If you have downloaded any "patches" or "upgraded maps" from
Looking Glass, or some other loser Thief site, BE SURE TO MOVE those files
to another directory or to make a back-up on a 350 mB Zip Disk or on a CD.
Don't blame me if you mistakenly alter your FAT.
#1: Eject Disc One: Installation and insert Disc Two: The Game. Go into the
CD-Drive directory of Thief, Thiefg, or Thief2 and Copy/Paste all the files
that have a .mis extension into the thief directory on your hard drive. On
early versions of Thief Gold, this will overwrite Miss15.mis, but that's
okay -- otherwise you will miss out on one of Thief Gold's unqiue missions,
as the Dromed tutorial map was accidently misnamed Miss15.mis. I will
however, use Thief/Thief Gold's Miss1.mis (a Keepers' Training) for the
tutorial, as all training should be kept on Keeper grounds.
#2: Remove the Read-Only Property on all the *.mis files in your
Thief/Thief2 directory. This will allow you to adjust them if necessary. If
you screwed up a map beyond your belief, retrieve them from the Game CD. It
should be noted that these missions are the factory missions Looking Glass
originally wanted you to play. All the dialogue and crap-chat will be there,
as will the objectives, enemies, etc. The point now is to modify them so
that even a blind taxi-driver can finish the game.
-----------------------------------------------------
<2.3> House-keeping
-----------------------------------------------------
*.mis files are big. A dozen of them take up an easy 150+mB. If you are
pressed for space, you should delete unecessary files, and uninstall crappy
games that take up your disk drive. You can also try just copying one file
(I recommend the smallest Thief/Thief Gold file, Miss1.mis) as I will be
using that to explain the tutorial.
=====================================================
<3.0> Operating Dromed
=====================================================
For those of you who've editted Duke Nukem 3D (mostly by putting in an extra
pair of strippers), this shouldn't be too much difficulty -- the principle
is the same; only the commands (and certain specifics) are different. For
those who can't tell a mouse from external speaker, then you shouldn't be
playing with this; but if you want, try and stick around, you might learn
something.
Dromed is basically the program by which the programmers (probably) made the
entire damn game. It offers a static but adjustable view by which the user
(i.e., you) to move about a specific level of Thief in its entirety in order
to change/add/delete details such as enemies, treasure, weapons, items,
patrol routes, rooms, objectives, etc.
It IS NOT akin to playing the game itself. The enemies do not move, nor does
anything else for that matter. There is no sound save for the incessant
clicking of your left and right mouse buttons; and you cannot "finish the
game" in any respect while using Dromed. If you are still unsure of what the
hell is going on, then please read the Dromed.doc that comes with the editor
and come back when you have achieved some understanding to what the hell
we're doing. We don't need rookies hanging around . . .
Now, given the All Mighty's power to smite thy foe and carve something from
nothingness, you may now begin to see the possiblity this program offers.
Need a 100 gas arrows? Not a prob; just one question? Where d'ya want it?
How about right next to you when you start? Can't be invincible? How about a
500 health potion pick-me up? Get the picture? Now let's review the basics
of using Dromed before we get into some serious ass-forkin'.
-----------------------------------------------------
<3.1> The Views Available
-----------------------------------------------------
When you run Dromed from the Start Bar (or via double-click), you will see
an unimpressive black screen split into four smaller windows. A grid of
white lines should show up in three of the four windows, with the upper left
window showing either total black or a single white line. THIS is what the
map looks like if nothing is in it -- in simple terms, you're basically in a
Black Hole so obviously, you can't see anything from nothing. Okay, enough
Nihilist rhetoric, let's get down to business. The little purple dot/sperm
cell appearing in three of the windows is the Dromed 3D Camera -- it will
serve as the marker for the 3D view and as a marker to some extent, in the
other views. Otherwise, you can pretty much ignore it.
There are basically two views you should concern yourself about: The 3D view
in the upper left window, and the top view (or as we architects say, 'The
plan view, Mr Zhang. Show us the plan view.'). These two windows wil be your
most often used, as you will basically create onjects in the Plan View, and
use the 3D view to determine most of its attributes such as dimension,
orientaton, and placement. The other two views are Front and Side, and while
not terribly important, they are nevertheless useful when you need to
determine where things are on the Y and Z Axes.
The pointer you move about resembles a red and white cross and can be used
to readjust the window sizes by holding the left mouse button (LMB) over
where the window borders intersect and moving the mouse. Adjust the view if
you like, but do note you will probably need all four windows to check where
your objects are.
On the bottom, there should be a small table of values, of which six are
extremely important. X, Y, Z, H, P, and B values. X and Y are
self-explanatory to first year algebra students: they determine the X and Y
coordinates of an object or brush. The Z value is the height while the P
value determines pitch -- whether an object is tilted as in leaning against
a wall, etc. The B value is the value of bank and the H value determines
yaw. You can click the values and manually type in the numbers (then hit
enter), but you can also adjust the values by holding the LMB on the
appropriate variable and moving your mouse up/down, or side to side. You
don't have an object to see the effects yet, but you will soon enough.
-----------------------------------------------------
<3.2> Commands in 2D
-----------------------------------------------------
Now, move your cursor over to the upper right window (henceforth referred to
as the Plan View) and hold your right mouse button (RMB). A small command
window should pop up, and as long as your RMB is held, it will remain. You
may move the cursor over the commands and notice that your selection will be
highlighted in purple; by releasing the RMB, you will confirm that command
and it will be immediately executed.
In the PLAN, FRONT, and SIDE views, the commands will be the same: show/hide
grid; solo/unsolo; synch all/asynch all; teleport camera; zoom in; zoom out;
zoom in all; zoom out all; fit to region. A brief explanation:
SHOW/HIDE GRID - Shows or hides the white grid lines. On maps that have
numerous objects (such as Miss5.mis - Assassins; or ii-Miss7.mis - The Bank)
you should hide the grid to make things run more smoothly. This hides the
grid for all the single-perspective views unless you use the ASYNCH command.
SOLO/UNSOLO - makes the current view the only one you see, enlarging the
selected window to fill the whole Dromed window. Selecting UNSOLO will put
you back into the quad view.
SYNCH/ASYNCH - synchronises all three single perspective views so if you
move the purple 3D camera/sperm cell in one window, the other windows will
be adjusted accordingly to match the move. I advise you have all your views
in SYNCH all the time, as we are only concerned with simply adding items and
weapons, not floors, walls, and ceilings.
TELEPORT CAMERA - handy little command which allows you to move quickly from
one spot to another. Using it though, doesn't garuantee you will end up in
open air though. Somethimes, the camera will be in a solid mass, requiring
you to move out of the solid to see anything in 3D view.
ZOOM IN - Zooms in the current window, also activates the ASYNCH command.
ZOOM OUT - zooms out the current window; activates ASYNCH. re-SYNCH to
re-establish link.
ZOOM IN/OUT ALL - zooms in and out of all three single perspective views and
keeps synchronisation. Recommended.
-----------------------------------------------------
<3.3> Commands/Moving in 3D
-----------------------------------------------------
Now, move your cross cursor to the 3D window (in the upper-left) and again,
hold you RMB until a command window shows up. Like the single-perspective
views, the 3D view also has its share of commands -- I will only concern you
with the ones we need: show/hide grid; solo/unsolo; wireframe; solid world;
solid & selection.
SHOW/HIDE GRID - same for the other views, hide it if there are too many
things to discern.
SOLO/UNSOLO - Solo view is useful if you want to explore Thief levels
without being chased by guards. You can find all sorts of secrets in Dromed
simply by walking around.
WIREFRAME - shows the level in wireframe; the box things come in. This is
the only mode (in the 3D window) where you can select an object or brush to
be manipulated.
SOLID WORLD - see the level as you would in the game. Combined with the SOLO
command, this allows free exploration of every nook and cranny of Thief.
This mode is used primarily to check an object's facing (such as chests), as
wireframe doesn't show surface textures.
SOLID AND SELECTION - see the solid world, but allows you to see the
bounding box of the selected object (in white). This allows you to
manipulate the object to a specific degree, or if you just need to see if
the object is really embedded into the surrounding wall or floor.
The keyboard is used to move the purple 3D camera/spermcell in Dromed, much
like it's used to move Garrett the Thief in the City:
W/S - move forwards
A - turns left
D - turns right
X - moves backwards
Q/E - strafe upwards or downwards
Z/C - strafe left or right
R/V - angles camera view up or down
F - resets camera view parallel to the grid plane
-----------------------------------------------------
<3.4> Other Commands
-----------------------------------------------------
Under FILE - Open Mission; how else are you gonna see the level? If you
copied the *.mis files (and removed the Read-Only Attribute like I told you,
woman), then they should show up when you activate this command. Don't do it
just yet though.
Under FILE - Save Mission (as an *.mis file) allows you to save the changes
you made to the mission in question. It is very important, as Dromed doesn't
warn you about any unsaved data, like those other wussy programs Microsoft
markets.
Under VIEW - Toggle Light Maps temporarily removes all shadows and dark
areas so you can see what you're changing. It's not a permanent effect, even
if you save the mission while you have the darkness arrested; as soon as you
run the game again, the proper lighting returns. This is useful in more ways
than one.
Under OBJECTS - Object Hierarchy. The reason why this game is so easy. Read
on, chubbs.
On the Dromed screen, FLOOR ME - Sets the Z axis of a selected object to the
first available floor below it. Naturally, if the object is inside another
mass, this command will make it behave oddly.
On the Dromed screen, PROPERTIES - Adjusts the object's physics and other
stuff. However, we'll only concern ourselves with the stack count.
On the Dromed screen, LINKS - Connects two objects with a predetermined
behaviour. For simplicity, we will only be using the Contains link.
On the keyboard, DELETE - erases the selected object (the only one in white)
************************************************************
************* W A R N I N G *************
************* Read Below *************
************************************************************
<4.0> Precautions
DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, use, press, or hold the LMB in any window
unless you have an object already selected and created, otherwise you will
instead, create an undefined brush that will require you to relight the
level -- unless you know HOW to relight the level (I do not), you will need
to delete the offending mission and re-copy it from the game CD (if you want
to edit it) or you will not be able to play past that level.
You've been warned, simpleton.
************************************************************
************* W A R N I N G *************
************* Read Above *************
************************************************************
=====================================================
<5.0> Adding Objects: A Cheater's Training
=====================================================
Now go ahead and load Miss1.mis (A Keeper's Training). This is a fairly
small map and the time it takes to load in Dromed should be multiplied by
2-3 for the bigger levels. Carefully, single click with the LMB on any of
the red bits on the screen -- just be sure not to hold the LMB and drag it
-- otherwise you've just screwed the map and should re-load it by opening
the same file again.
See how the object name changes as you click on various objects? You'll
notice things like "ambstartpoint" or "trolpoint" or "metaldoor" etc. These
are the objects that create the world of Thief. Assuming you didn't TELEPORT
the Camera, your camera should be where Garrett starts off in the Keeper's
Training mission. Now let's have a look around in 3D.
Use the RMB and SOLO the upper left window. Now RMB and select SOLID WORLD.
Seems familiar? Next, highlight the VIEW command and TOGGLE LIGHT MAPS.
Nothing will change **until** you move the camera with the keyboard or
unless you TELEPORT. You can practice moving the camera if you want, just
remember that there is no gravity and as long as you "see" and don't "touch"
(with your mouse) you should not do anything harmful to the map.
When you're finished goofing off, go to the next section.
-----------------------------------------------------
<5.1> The Object Hierarchy
-----------------------------------------------------
Now we are going to add a fire crystal and place it right in front of
Garrett so he'll be able to pick it up right from the get go. Why? Dunno,
but you can kill the Keeper strolling right above you if you want.
RMB, and WIREFRAME the 3D view. Then choose UNSOLO and go back to the quad
view. Now pick the OBJECTS command from Dromed's main window and select the
OBJECT HIERARCHY command. Chances are that you have a really object selected
like "ambwindsound" or something esoteric. Nevermind. Collapse the object
tree by pressing the left cursor button on your keyboard. This window
behaves somewhat like Windows Explorer, but the marked difference of doing
something useful.
If you keep collapsing the tree, you should eventually wind up with only
four to five objects labelled, "sfx", "fnord", "physical", etc.
We are only concerned with the physical. LMB single click the "+" next to
physical and you can see that objects have been grouped into thematic
categories: "household", "decorative", "weapons", "projectiles", etc.
Select the "tulz" category and expand it like you did with the "physical"
category. You'll see more subject headings. Select "crystals" then fire
crystal. Even though it has a plus next to its name, we are only interested
in the "firecrys" itself, so single click the name with the LMB. [NOTE: some
objects will have a variant of itself under the parent object; in this case,
a "firecrysphys" is a derivative of the normal fire crystal for the flame
spirits that drop these suckers on Expert. Sometimes though, the parent
object is undefined and will show up as a white wedge. In such a case, you
only have to delete the offending object and select a defined object. This
does not irreversibly damage your map by altering the room database, so you
don't have to reload.]
-----------------------------------------------------
<5.2> Placing the Object
-----------------------------------------------------
With the fire cystal selected, click the CREATE command on the right side of
the OBJECT HIERARCHY window. Now you can create a fire crystal by moving the
cross cursor over the Plan View Window and holding the LMB over the desired
place where you want the crystal to be. Click and drag a box the size of
four to nine grid squares large and release the LMB. A new object (in white)
should appear in the vicinity. If you release the LMB too early, or selected
the wrong object, you should DELETE the mistake and start from 5.1 again.
-----------------------------------------------------
<5.3> Sizing, Facing, Positioning
-----------------------------------------------------
Now if you take the time to go into 3D and look around, you may or may not
see the newly made crystal. Why? Go back into quad view and check the other
single perspective views to be sure that the cystal is at the same height
you are. Adjust the fire crystal's Z axis value until you can see it is on
the level with the purple spermcell-camera. If you want, you can try to
floor the crystal by using the FLOOR ME command.
Single click with the LMB on the value for "p". Type in the value "90.0" and
hit enter. Notice how the crystal now lies on its side like in real life?
Click FLOOR ME again. It should look pretty natural now. You may adjust the
H and B values to make it look like it was discarded in a haphazard fashion.
-----------------------------------------------------
<5.4> Modifying Stack Count
-----------------------------------------------------
You only created one fire crystal; what if you wanted more? Make sure the
fire crystal is still selected as your preferred object (it should be white
in WIREFRAME), and click the PROPERTIES command near the Floor Me command.
You should get a window that allows you to adjust the physics and other
parameters of the fire crystal -- try not to. Just select the ADD command
from the new window and select the ENGINE option. A secondary window will
show next and the correct course of action is to select and click STACK
COUNT.
A new window should pop up with the number "1". Add a zero to the end and
make it "10". Enter. Select FILE from the main Dromed window and SAVE
MISSION as a *.mis file; overwrite Miss1.mis and the next time you play the
training level, you will have ten fire arrows lying right at the start
point.
-----------------------------------------------------
<5.5> Making your Own Damn Treasure (Linking)
-----------------------------------------------------
Most treasure in Thief/Thief ii htough do not lie on open ground waiting for
you to come by -- they wait in treasure chests to be discovered and found.
Half the time, it's the discovery of treasure in an overseen hiding spot
that gives thieves their delight in theft. So how about putting an object in
a chest of some sort?
First let's create another crystal (your choice) -- but this time, instead
of putting it anywhere near the starting point, create it in a place Garrett
cannot go normally in the game; i.e., null space. On the Plan View, use the
command ZOOM OUT ALL until you can see the large unfiddled-with black areas
of the level map; this is the left-over space that can be utilised for these
purposes. Place your crystal in the "Twilight Zone" and leave it in the
middle of no where. You will only be concerned with the Plan View for now.
Next, go to the OBJECT HIERARCHY and back up the tree until you can find the
CONTAINERS category under PHYSICAL. Open the CONTAINER tree and select the
object COINBOX to be created (remember to LMB click the 'CREATE' command!).
Although there are other types of containers available, this is the only one
that seems to be consistent between the two Thief games [Besides several new
ornate chests, a new steel foot-chest was added, bumping the old woodedn
foot-chest down to a new location.]
TELEPORT the camera to where Garrett starts (and where I instructed you to
create the fire crystal that gives you ten fire arrows from the step in
5.1). Create the coinbox much as you did before and place it on the floor
(in a place where Garrett can get to) using a combination of 3D View and
adjusting the X, Y, and Z values. Now notice that there should be an object
name somewhere to the left of the XYZHPB value table that should say
"Coinbox ###" where the ### should be a one to four digit integer. This is
the object identification number for that specific map. If there are more
coinboxes or similar objects, they will be numbered accordingly. REGARDLESS
of how many other like objects you have, ALWAYS remember the exact number of
the two objects you want to Link. If you input an incorrect object number
(along with a link that cannot occur with said objects) there is a high
probability your game will be irreversibly screwed and Dromed will crash.
I recommend that you write down the Coinbox Object ID# (now referred to as
the OID#). LMB click the crystal you created (in null space) and write down
**its** OID#. Now, LMB click the coin box and with it highlighted, click
the command LINKS on the Dromed main screen. A window will pop up with a set
of command buttons on the right. Click the ADD command and in the top-most
box, select the "CONTAINS" link. Next, input the coinbox OID# in the FROM
box and the OID# of your crystal in the TO box. That task done, click OK,
then DONE to create your first successful self-made treasure. This process
is the same for ALL items that Garrett can carry as inventory, from
flashbombs to invisbility potions to treasure. YOu can also do *multiple*
objects by creating as many objects as you want to be stuffed in the
container. So, you can technically link a Gas Arrow, a Fire Arrow, a Health
Potion, and several Invisibility Potions into one container. This of course,
assumes that you check your stash after you open it as the game only
displays the last item on the list. Also note that a "~" as in "~Contains"
means that the link is reversed for the objects in the TO & FROM boxes;
don't mix up the "~links" with the "non ~links" otherwise you will get an
undefined object in your inventory -- just how can picking up a fire crystal
net you a useless coin box?
Thus, a valid link would be:
Link CONTAINS
To Coinbox(1344)
From Firearrow(1348)
But not:
Link ~CONTAINS
To Coinbox(1344)
From Firearrow(1348)
Another valid link would be:
Link ~CONTAINS
To Firearrow(1348)
From Coinbox(1344)
Since the Fire Arrow is CONTAINED BY the Coinbox.
=====================================================
<6.0> How Not To Look Like You're Cheating Your Ass Off
=====================================================
You can now (hopefully) operate Dromed with the flourish of a gamer out for
revenge. However, you will find Thief and its sequel regrettably more
enjoyable if you DON'T have a standard cache of 500 Gas Arrows, 500 Fire
Arrows, and 999 Invisibility Potions waiting for Garrett at the beginning of
each mission.
My advice is to cheat -- responsibly. You will find that on Thief Gold, the
stack count for Moss, Gas, Fire, and Water (normal and Holy H2O) are
undefined, meaning if you somehow get a Gas Arrow without having one in your
inventory before, you will get an infinite amount of Gas Arrow (they
corrected this oversight in the Thief ii Dromed). However, it was for me,
better to operate with an increased **but limited** stash of equipment after
I played through the mission at least once.
Because Thief/Thief Gold is so repetitive game-wise, I recommend a Standard
Equipment Cache for each mission to be:
10 Gas Arrows
10 Fire Arrows
2 Health Potions
You can also make the arrows infinite with the "null stackcount" quirk, but
if you're working with limits then I would increase the arrows by 5 and the
potions by 1 per level of difficulty above normal. I did this for almost
every level except in Bafford Manor, where I only added a single Rope Arrow
in the wellhouse before you have to go down into the water (as I know that
place like the back of my hand). The only exception is the Lost City, as the
presence of Fire Elementals require the use of Water Arrows. Add another
10-20 Water Arrows for that mission (or expend all the water arrows and you
can also get a 'stackless' water arrow projectile if you want). I ususally
link all these items into one convenient stash, thus the nickname of
"Garrett's Coinbox." Guess that little sucker holds more than you think, eh?
For Thief ii, the missions are varied enough to warrant a specialised cache
for each one -- and it should be done to suit each player's taste. While
I've not personally gone through each mission yet, I do have recommended
loads for the following missions (of which #2 is the most fun).
Running Interference (Rumford Manour)
-------------------------------------
Location: Basso's Hide-away at the start
5 x Invisibility Potions
5 x Gas Arrows
5 x Flares
** Very easy. Mostly a black-jack exercise. The invisibilty comes into play
when facing situations with no alternatives. Gas Arrows will over-
power anyone who rushes you. The flares can be used to re-light
extinguished
torches after everyone has been suitably silenced.
Shipping & Receiving (The Docks)
--------------------------------
Location: By the large cube crate on the left wall near the start
5 x Health Potions
5 x Flares
10 x Gas Arrows
30 x Broadheads
2 x Rope Arrows
** Easiest mission in the whole game due to the fact you can kill lots
of people with no/weak retaliation. One or two Gas Arrows should be
saved for use on the little spiders in Mynell's Steaks storage bay.
There is no need for additional Slow-fall as there are only places
that mandate Garrett to jump down and sustain light damage. The Rope
Arrows are used to get secret chests in the last warehouse (near the
pirate boat), Building-B.
Framed! (Shoalsgate Station)
----------------------------
Location: Inside the empty bar, a little forward from the start (but a
really neat hiding place)
5 x Gas Arrows
5 x Fire Arrows
20 x Water Arrows
15 x Invisibility Potions
5 x Flares
1 x Camera Grenade
** One of the harder missions as you cannot knockout a certain number of
people. Use the Water Arrows liberally as many of the Electronic Eyes
can be shut off by Garrett. Use the Invisibility Potions to by-pass
heavily guarded areas -- just be sure you have enough potions to get
back to safety! The Camera Grenade is an extra Scouting Orb to see the
"Dancin' Zombies" Easter Egg behind the left wall when Garrett starts
this mission.
Ambush (The City)
-----------------
Location: Right by Garrett when he starts; crouch on the coin box to
hide from the patrolling guard who'll come by shortly
10 x Gas Arrows
20 x Water Arrows
60 x Broadheads
15 x Flares
5 x Health Potions
** Garrett's "BatCave" stash in his secret closet should have enough fire-
power to level whole ranks of the City Watch -- assuming you first get
him back home alive! The path to Shalesbridge should be easy once you
have suitably armed Garrett. There are many places to snipe at guards
with Broadheads while remaining completely undetected. The flares will be
necessary to relight torches that were extinguished without resorting to
a more valued (and noisy) fire arrow.
Eavesdropping (Mechanist Seminary/Old Hammer Temple)
-----------------------------------------------------
Location: Right next to Garrett at the start
15 x Gas Arrows
5 x Fire Arrows
5 x Water Arrows
5 x Moss Arrows
5 x Flares
1 x Holy Water
** Another easy mission as you can kill some Mechanist guards without
alerting
too many of their bretheren. Use the black-jack exclusively for those
guards
Garrett can close in within handstrike and save the Gas Arrows for those
who
patrol over metal flooring. The Fire and Water Arrows are for the single
Machine Soldier patrolling the grounds outside of the seminary. In a
pinch,
they can be adapted for other situations once Garrett is inside the
Seminary.
1st City Bank & Trust (The Bank)
--------------------------------
Location: Right on the pillar-column that allows mantling to the roof -- a
place
where the patrolling guards cannot see Garrett -- a "safe" spot
20 x Gas Arrows
10 x Fire Arrows
40 x Water Arrows
10 x Invisibility Potions
5 x Health Potions
5 x Flares
2 x Slow-Fall Potions
2 x Speed Potions
** An impressive stage, on par with the Downwinders' mission in Thief Gold.
Multiple levels with reams of guards, machines, security devices, and
dis-
agreeable surfaces. Stay hidden and you can snipe and pilfer most of what
you
need from the shadows. The invisibility potions are to be used sparingly,
and the Gas Arrows are to rid yourself of troublesome guards. Note that
since
Machine Workers are completely BLIND, Garrett can walk up and place Water
Arrows in their boilers very easily -- just be sure not to alert the
Machine
Soldiers who CAN see and will terminate Garrett on sight.
Blackmail (Truart Estate)
-------------------------
Location: Anywhere inside the servant's quarters Garrett starts off next to;
try tp lace it in a really natural hiding spot for "realism"
20 x Gas Arrows
5 x Gas Mines
5 x Health Potions
5 x Invisibility Potions
** The Gas Mines are to disable the groups of Guards who patrol the manour
floors
and the three guards who race down when a Story Event takes place as
Garrett
nears the third floor. The best bet is still to silence as many poeple as
possible while making an effort to complete the objectives -- alarm or no
alarm.
Trail Of Blood 1 (The City)
---------------------------
Location: Right behind Garrett as he starts off and sees Mosley (180-turn
around and
peep a little to the left)
999 x Invisibility Potions
10 x Water Arrows
2 x Holy Water
** It's the first part of Assassins made 65,535 times harder than it was --
meet
the "Trail of Blood 1, the Courier." Take note as this is one of the few
missions where the current loot and equipment carries over to the next.
Whatever
isn't utilised in this mission is brought over and will benefit Garrett
on his
next endeavour. The potions should allow knock-outs and back-stabs to a
level that's
not humanly possible. Just be sure neither Mosley or the Pagan messenger
see it done.
As for the Holy Water . . . let's just say Garrett may need it in the
Graveyard if
he wants to do some grave-robbing, hehehe . . .
Trail of Blood 2 (The Maw)
--------------------------
Location: Right beside the Glow-shroom as Garrett starts off the level
10 x Gas Arrows
30 x Broadheads
5 x Health Potions
** Another fairly easy mission as Garrett can kill non-humans -- i.e.,
anything in
this level. The Gas Arrows are merely an insurance for silent approaches
on the
Ape-men (who were originally Skaven rip-offs, I'm sure). With the
invisibility
potions from the previous mission, this level is quite easy compared to
the
next mission.
Life of the Party (Angel-Watch Tower)
-------------------------------------
Location #1: By a corner in the Bell Tower, where Garrett starts
10 x Gas Arrows
10 x Invisibility Potions
Location #2: Carlysle Castle Armoury
20 x Gas Arrows
40 x Water Arrows
10 x Moss Arrows
100 x Invisibility Potions
5 x Health Potions
** Finally a "challenge." The Carlysle Armoury was too good of a hiding
place to pass
up -- almost akin to a secret (but it ain't, 'cause the tip was paid
for). Merely
getting in is a chore unto itself . . . but it CAN be done way before one
gets to
Angel Watch (within 15-20 minutes of starting the mission on Normal).
Coin-box #1
has enough power-ups to get Garrett inside Angel Watch, but it will
definitely not
have the UMPF! to get him out, nor allow him the luxury of the many
sidetrips in
the City; precisely why there are enough invisibility potions in coin-box
#2 to
knock-out/back-stab every crossed-eyed bastard who looks at him wrong.
Feel free to
Gas Arrow everyone in order to open the Armoury -- once Garrett's in, the
gloves
come off . . .
SEQUENCE: Fetch Sunburst Device from Astronomer's Lab (in attic of an
unmarked house
very near the Bell Tower). The lab entrance is hidden amongst
the rafters;
a Rope or Vine Arrow will allow Garrett to access it. The
entrance is also
boarded up. This is whene using a sword for breaking and
entering is most
prudent. Look around to see which house -- it has a guard in a
blue and
yellow surcoat patrolling the insides of it on the Normal
Setting.
Now continue your looting/burgulary/thieving until just before
the Dayport
Bank. A HUGE BANNER should be strung across and over the avenue
below, as
well as connecting the buildings on Garrett's side to the ones
on the other
side. Cross it with care (long way down . . .) and again use a
Rope or Vine
Arrow to get into the window to Carlysle's residence, which is
just above
the green house.
When all the loose ends (i.e., guards) are taken care of, the
Sunburst Device
should be planted beside the armoury door and a Fire Arrow may
be used to
trigger the detonation. If the Arrow is fired at low strength,
it will travel
slowly enough to give Garrett a running chance to escape the
blast relatively
unscathed (remember that Fire and Gas Arrows have no trajectory
and is not
affected by gravity or air friction). Once fired, gas and fire
arrows do not
stop until something gets in the way of its flight-path.
Got better loadouts/hideaways? Let's hear 'em. Damn this is D&D all over
again.
=====================================================
Contact: The Dopp
Simalcrum@hotmail.com
Quabbin, Massachusetts
=====================================================