Unclaimed Channel on 13/1/2015 at 05:26

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[CENTER]Discussion : A new play-style[/CENTER]


Main Rules :

- Do not kill any human.

- Do not blackjack any human.

- Do not be seen.

- No active alert. [1]

- It is allowed to kill humans by indirect means. [2]

- Leave no evidence as open doors or arrows.

- You are allowed to use objects.

- Shooting arrows at walls is allowed.


Other rules :

- Objects should not be moved too far from their original location.

- You are allowed to close/open lights with a button.

- You are allowed to douse a torch because of a Watcher as long as this will be not noticed by humans. [3] [4]

- You can exploit the *engine* by going through banners or thin walls.

- Drawing the AI's attention by throwing items or activating their "sixth sense" is encouraged. [5]

- Jumping on place is allowed but not creative.

- Stealing keys, locking guards and creating large accidents is allowed.

- Never block an AI.

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[1] : Guards running and shouting at you.

[2] : As luring it over a trap, lighting a nearby red barrel or zombies/spiders.

[3] : In the way of his patrol path or vision.

[4] : Relighting a torch is optional if it is not in a guard's patrol path.

[5] : AIs are drawn to you if you are near.


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Exceptions :

- Killing humans through traps, accidents or confrontations is allowed.

- Dousing a torch is allowed if a guard will not notice it.

- Killing and blackjacking people in the streets is allowed. It must have been thugs.

- Arrows that cannot be retrieved can be left.

- Moving AIs by drawing their attention is allowed.

- You are allowed to move a few objects from their locations if :


* The object is not being seen.
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* You retrieve it after throwing.
*
* You throw objects outside instead of hiding them.
*
* Replacing those objects is optional. Items that are lost and found again is suspicious in my opinion.
*
* It is encouraged to move crates. They do not hold much of value and are found in large quantities in storage areas. It is unlikely that this will be noticed. It is the common way of accessing alternative routes.



Challenge :

Try to steal or finish the mission as fast as possible. Missions vary on length. A theft/burglary is usually done in a few minutes or hours.
No crouch tap walking for several minutes ! A few small missions can be done in 30 minutes even with all the loot/objectives but most will fall between 30 and 60 minutes. Large missions as Life at the party may take over 3 hours.


Short description :

Never be seen or leave traces of your presence. Commit thievery silently. Make use of the environment. Steal fast or you will be late for rent pay.


Purpose :

Simpler than ghost. Applicable to Original Missions and Fan Missions without becoming impossible. It doesn't test your patience. The main goal for this play style is completing the mission as you normally would but with more care. Moving a few items is allowed for hard sequences. Creative solutions are encouraged. This play-style is more accessible while being challenging because of the time constraint. Plan your route wisely and find quick ways to get rid of guards !

I rarely use water arrows and never drop-pick items or jump on place. I love using my blackjack. I noticed that I can avoid the guards and still complete the mission in a reasonable amount of time. Ghost rules are too strict for me. I created this style to play OMs and FMs with it.

"It must have been rats !" is an unique play style players can compete on. Master leaning, listening and observation.



Thief 1 Gold Lord Bafford Route :


Garrett found himself in front of the castle. He studied the map for hours so he knows his route very well. He walked into the right alley but heard someone. Quickly, he jumped on the blue shop sign and then on the ledge near the window. From the second floor of the brown building, he watched as a male in red clothes walked towards the castle. He jumped off and used his blackjack.

After bunny jumping for a few seconds and taking all that was in the cache, he dropped the body in a dark spot when he heard a guard humming. The guard greeted Garrett. Garrett use the blackjack against the guard. A single witness does not pose a threat and he has a plan. He took the sewers to avoid the guard at the well house. He found a jewel crown, activated a gate and made a exit.

The guard near the well is drunk. Great ! A key is grabbed and one more unconscious guard is found. He moved everyone into the well house and placed the bottles into the bucket. It would provide an ample excuse for being off work. Garrett pulled the lever again and closed any door opening to the sewers. After locking and leaving the key, he jumped into the well. After swimming in the water for a few seconds, he found a secret passage leading to a chest protected jealously by green spiders. He climbed on the floating barrel and killed the spiders with his bow. Traces of blood were cleaned with water.

Inside at last ! Garrett is inside the basement. An accident has happened recently for there is a large hole in the wall. Black powder is being stored here. It is not red sadly for there are two guards in the basement nearby. After the guards parted away, the thief followed the one that walked downwards. The guard paced through a metallic surface to stop in the doorway a few seconds later.

A shovel fell of the shelf. "It must have been rats !", the guard said to himself. Garrett took the opportunity to walk through the doorway, steal loot in a chest along with an apple and continue his way. After crouch-running a long staircase, he is finally in the first floor. Opening the first chest gave a vase. He dropped it and acquired the loot in the second chest. He went out into the room for the kitchen door at the left.

There is a cook. He crouch-tap-walked and stole all the food in front of him. "It must be my sore eyes.", said the cook. Garrett took the cooking pot and dropped it above the sink. The cook heard a noise and walked towards the other room where the thief was hiding. The thief went out of the room and quickly appeared in the kitchen again. He stole the deer leg and two cheese pieces. He went through the left door and another door. He is now in the left wing on the first floor.

Stealing everything is fairly trivial because Garrett knows where to go. The guards affected to the protection of the scepter are organized. He needs some thought.

He was careful and didn't get caught while exploring the two closed rooms near the throne section. He had the occasion to find a staircase leading to a secret room with loot and a key. After taking the keys from the two guards, he went inside the throne section.
There is a lonely guard that inside. He turns around randomly and won't be easy to avoid. It is a good thing that I carried a crate from the basement all the way. It is 28:00 since the mission started.

He placed the crate while the guard wasn't facing, climbed on it and ended up on the wooden beams after some mantling. The guard will likely not notice the crate as it partly in shadow. Garrett had his two plates he picked from some room. He threw both at a place they cannot be retrieved easily. The guard heard the clash but could not identify the source. The sneaky thief jumped from the beam on the carpet at the expense of some health. He crouch-tap-walked to hide behind the throne.

"It must have been rats !", the Bafford Sergeant exclaimed. Garrett jumped on the throne when the man wasn't facing him anymore. From the top of the throne, he mantled on the wooden beam. The sound of an arrow against the wall interested the guard. Garrett jumped on the carpet and quickly hid in darkness without making a sound. The crate is no more.

All the keys in his possession, he opened the door cautiously to unlock the second door to the throne section. He went back and locked himself. He hit the left dong when the sergeant showed the back of his head.

After some turmoil, the three guards have found themselves locked inside the Throne Room. They did not have the keys and the scepter is not there. Lord Bafford would fire them.

Garrett was lost for a few minutes but found his exit. A metallic door with bars cuts the castle from the streets. He done it in 55 minutes. Impressive !



Ideas to cut down my time :


Lock the three guards and explore the second floor back section. It will save five minutes of crouch-tap-walking.

Use an arrow on the back wall of the throne room. The guard will investigate the sound. I can run and jump on carpets, get the scepter and get back. This will save me ten minutes. He kept seeing me through the throne and I had to wait a long time until he concludes that it must be his imagination.

Do not blackjack the three NPCs in the first part. I am probably losing a few minutes only. It is possible to close the gate in the sewers and get through it quickly by ducking.

Go to the right instead of the left when leaving the place. (5 minutes ?)


Comments :


Three drunk guards in a well house.

Three incompetent guards that lost their keys and are locked inside the throne room.

A few killed spiders.

Annoying cook.

The Bafford Sergeant is hard. I hate long tap-walking. There is always a single sound that gives me away.


One fallen shovel.

One stole crate.

Two stole plates.

The cook is very tired. He forgot that his cooking pot is in the sink.

TheDuriel on 15/1/2015 at 02:14

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this seems to be a case of fixing a problem that does not exist in the first place: why make a new version of the already existing ghosting rules that also make it easier?

i might try this just to see how fast it is compared to ghost/supreme ghost