Boy, I stink. - TTLG Forums

Motley Fool on 15/2/2006 at 17:02

I've found something more terrifying than the Cradle... my own inability to play the game!

* Watch in terror! as Motley Fool sneaks up to a guard, hits him on the head, and only annoys him instead of knocking him out!
* Scream! as Motley tries to quietly drop boxes and other useless junk he picked up, but instead smashes them to the ground, alerting everyone within a quarter-mile radius!
* Recoil in horror! as Motley repeatedly goes the wrong way after unsuccessfully trying to read his map!

Ok, maybe I'm just not grokking the new interface as quickly as I'd have liked. But it's particularly humiliating that, after having defeated both the Trickster AND Karras AND all their minions in Expert mode, I'm now unable to knock out a servant girl in Normal mode even after repeatedly bonking her on the head. (And no, I don't feel good about myself for doing that, either. :erg: )

And maybe I'm just not being sneaky enough, but it seems like my footsteps on wooden floors in normal movement mode are STILL loud enough to alert Benny, standing 75 feet away.

Nor have I got my blackjacking technique down. Maybe I need more practice, but if I'm walking behind a guard to keep the noise down, it seems that I often can't match his pace... so he gets away. And if I start moving faster, he goes into Suspicion mode.

And I guess I have to say "goodbye" to the old technique of sneaking up right beside guards standing in front of doors/walls, and blackjacking them on the side of the head? And I guess I can't blackjack suspicious guards at all now?

So yeah, this post is really just one big "waaaaaahhh!", but if I'm struggling this much in Normal mode on the first real level (the Rutherford's mansion), then what am I gonna do with I have REAL enemies to deal with?

Did anyone else struggle with the transition from T1/T2 to T3? Got any tips or advice on how to get acclamated to the new environment easier? (Other than just practice, practice, practice, which'll happen automatically as I progress, I suppose. ;) )

(P.S. What is up with these crazy maps? They're trying to map 2 different floors onto a single 2-D sheet of paper! Why?!? :nono: )

T-Smith on 15/2/2006 at 17:56

:D I don't like the maps either. The only time I ever used my maps were in the later levels, which were really large, when I needed them.

Anyways, some things you should keep in mind for better Thief 3 sneaking -

1. There are 4 different movement types. By default, you're running. Now, you can also 'Walk', 'Creep' and 'Crouch'. Walking is kind of useless. Typically, the best bit of advice for getting behind someone and blackjacking them is: Crouch towards them and get up right behind them. Then stand up and blackjack them. Creeping is faster then an enemy's walk, but just barely.

2. You can't blackjack an enemy when he/she is suspicious, or blinded by a flashbang. Doing either will automatically alert them to where you are. Also, in the case of the flashbang, the guard who was previously blind will suddenly be able to see just fine. You also can't blackjack from the side anymore. Also, the classic aerial blackjacks are now gone.

Oh, and a note - if you haven't yet, install the 1.1 patch. It fixes a big where if you save and then reload your game, then difficulty level is reset to Easy. There's also some other things you might want to install to make the game better/more like the originals (these things being John P.'s custom textures, The Minimalist Project, and possibly Thiefbot).

Motley Fool on 15/2/2006 at 22:57

I've got the patch, but some of those user mods look pretty interesting. Especially the (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83801) Thief 3 Tweak Guide. I'd love to get rid of Garrett's head-bobbing, which I don't think is terribly realistic (I mean, it does happen in real-life, but your brain automatically adjusts to give you a smooth view as you walk. That doesn't happen when you're viewing a simulated head-bob.) And I definitely think I'll remove the sepia-toned and buzzing effects of Garrett's zoom eye

And anything that helps me get through the Cradle (low vulnerability cheat, lots o' fire arrows and/or flashbombs) will be helpful. :thumb:

T-Smith on 16/2/2006 at 01:41

Definatly look around the Tweak Guide. It has some great things to do fix up the game. Also as mentioned, definatly consider installing New Horizon's Minimalist Project. It changes a ton of things that really just make the game feel a lot closer to the previous titles, and overall it increases the quality of the game. Unfortunatly, the website for it seems to be down at the momment :\.

Anyways, don't worry so much about the Cradle. Worry about it when it comes. For now, just get some sneaking/blackjack practice in so you can get used to the new system :thumb:

Cardel on 17/2/2006 at 08:37

Relax, sit back, theres no monsters quite yet... :ebil:

Also, a good thing is that in T3 you can walk around the city itself in-between missions.

Kovitlac on 21/2/2006 at 04:53

I really didn't have a problem with the transition, although of course, I haven't been able to play Thief I or II for years....:erg: I haven't had any trouble blackjacking guards (except for the very occasional "Didn't even leave a scratch!!"....) Don't blame yourself for the maps, though - they're pretty useless for the most part. Except for the city maps, which can be helpful when I'm trying to locate Black Alley for the 20th time;)