ElJoepo on 4/1/2007 at 02:18
A new year, a new post eh? ;)
Let's say money is not the issue... And you'd like to play thief in real life.
How would you like to simulate this?
Me, I can imagine me hiring some medieval castle for a night.
A castle that contains plenty of shadow...
Then let someone place a bit of 'loot' here and there, so I can grab that. Also
I'd hire about 20 guards, which would have to patrol in constant circles/paths.
Ofcourse they have to make pointless conversations about
bearpits and such while doing so. Whistling some creepy song is also
excellent.
I'd have to be totally unknown to the interior of the castle, also there should
be placed some wooden structures into which I can shoot my rope arrow ;)
Furthermore there should be some 'ordinary people' in and around the castle.
There should be plenty of entrances, so I can pick one to my liking.
If all is set and ready, I'd try to enter the castle in a black costume and
some soft shoes on and see how much loot I could pick without going
undetected. ;)
Briareos H on 4/1/2007 at 02:45
I'd like to see you try to enter the castle undetected...
Kaiseto on 4/1/2007 at 02:55
I'd like to see the guards ignore your shoes tapping on stone floors when they barely ignore Garrett, who happens to be a thief of nearly supernatural proportions :p
Soft shoes still make noise, after all. You'd be better going with cloth wrapped around your feet.
Enchantermon on 4/1/2007 at 03:38
Or barefoot.
We play a game at my church called "Flashlight" (some call it Thief). All of the lights in the building are turned out, then one person turns on a flashlight and hides it somewhere in the building while everyone else waits outside, as they have been locked out. Then the person inside unlocks one door and disappears into the darkness. The object is for the rest of the people (working as a team) to find the flashlight and get back outside with it. Only one door is unlocked at any given time, and the person inside can lock and unlock doors as he pleases (as long as he leaves one unlocked). If he catches you sneaking around, you're out of the game. It's pretty neat, because our church is fairly large with lots of good hiding spaces, several ways of getting around, and a trapdoor that leads from the attic to backstage. It's about as close to Thief as I've ever gotten, and I've actually been able to use some of the skills in Thief in this real-life game.
Anyway, one of the things that helps a lot in this game is playing barefoot. It's easier to walk quietly without making a sound, and you're less likely to slip on tile or linoleum than you would be if you had socks on.
Keeper Jonas on 4/1/2007 at 07:40
Be ready for a bruised ego.
I am too much of a die-hard Thief fan not to have tried a non-castle version of this exercise.
If you can actually convince people to play this game with you, you'll find that stealth is not something you learn by sitting in front of a screen.
If they aren't deaf and blind AND they know you are going to be coming, you have your work cut out for you.
That is why it never works, in the game you usually have something of an element of surprise.
Your buddies know they're playing a game, know you're out there and they won't be afraid of you. If they're half way friendly with you, they might even predict your strategies.
I most always played as the thief, and I most always won, because my partner, as much a fan of the Thief games as I am, is an obstinate, overly methodical brat, who was more interested in making up rules and then changing them every time he lost.
Being the Thief, I just ignored his rules and won till he refused to play again.
Why play fair if you are playing as a criminal?
But I lost plenty of times too.
If you try to create a thief related game, these are a couple issues you might possibly run into.
It is a lot like sparing.
Caranfin on 4/1/2007 at 10:53
I've tried something quite close to this with a few of my friends. Not really Thief since the objective is to hear an encrypted "message" one of the guards went to "send" in a predetermined place after guarding the area for a reasonable time. The place we mostly did this in was near my grandparents' place in rural Finland, mostly in winter and always in the middle of the night. All the guards were equipped with flashlights and had planned their routes and strategies ahead in secret from the sneaker. The sneaker was allowed to equip him- (or her-)self with anything excluding, of course, any important not-to-be-ruined stuff like fine carpets and anything possibly lethal or dangerous, like my grandfather's hunting rifles.
The game is extremely fun whether you are sneaking or on guard duty. Personally I think it's more fun to be sneaking but a few of my friends don't like that part at all for some reason. The possibility to take whatever equipment you want adds a lot to the fun since you're allowed to think creatively. I mean, spot a nice row of trees when skiing the other day? Are the lower branches too high? Just take some rope and other tree-climbing equipment and enter the area from high above the guards. My sneaking equipment usually includes my cell-phone, a large piece of cloth to hide my cell-phone's glow when I'm typing the message into the phone's memory and a wild planet listening device I've had for a really long time. Really boosts your hearing, increasing the range and possible hiding places when trying to hear the message. A recent addition to my equipment has been loads of small reflecting surfaces, like broken cat's-eyes from bikes. The guards seem to often investigate anything that glitters in the light of their flashlights and scattering those things in intelligent places can serve as a good distraction.
As for going with shoes or without, I'd say going barefoot is the best option mentioned here since losing balance wouldn't be fun and it's really quite silent. I would be considered of my feet showing too clearly in the darkness, though. If I would be going to sneak indoors I'd probably buy some childrens' socks. You know, those with sticky soles to keep the children from falling over? Then I'd remove the soles and stitch them onto some dark-coloured socks of my own.
On the colour of clothing, I'm under the impression that a really dark blue is better for sneaking than pure black. Anyone have any experience on the matter?
BTW, Enchantermon, that sounds like a really fun church you go to.
Keeper Jonas on 4/1/2007 at 22:06
sounds like fun
the highest tech equipment i ever considered investing in for these games was an IR scope
ganac on 5/1/2007 at 01:34
More ego popping!!!
I played Americas Army a little while back. There was the final test for the Rangers: sneak past enemy outposts and guards to the allied tent.
EASY! I play thief. Stay in the shadows, avoid the light, etc.
Hardest thing I have ever played. You can be in the shadows, behind a bush, making no noise, and they still see you. After two or one warnings. If it is two, they remember you. They even show where you are hiding from the bad guys perspective, and sometimes I cannot even see me.
Thief and real life, not even close.
Enchantermon on 5/1/2007 at 07:17
Quote Posted by Keeper Jonas
...you'll find that stealth is not something you learn by sitting in front of a screen.
No, it isn't, but it helps.
Quote Posted by Keeper Jonas
Your buddies know they're playing a game, know you're out there and they won't be afraid of you. If they're half way friendly with you, they might even predict your strategies.
I never said they would be afraid of me. And it's not as easy to predict someone's strategy as you might think. After all, we won just as much as we lost.
Quote Posted by Caranfin
BTW, Enchantermon, that sounds like a really fun church you go to.
Oh yeah, it is. Our youth minister is awesome. :)
