T2 - Eavesdropping: can it be ghosted (with max loot)?

Herbrand on 24/2/2009 at 14:12

Recently I'm having great fun replaying Thief 2 missions with the enhanced textures pack, sounds pack and widescreen patches; I'm also trying, to some extent, to ghost missions, or at least a part of it (to be honest, sometimes I get bored and just go in a frustration-induced rampage of blackjacking frenzy).

So, it's mission 5 time: everything goes well, until the darn church hall: how the hell am I supposed to grab the gold candeliers (x2) plus big and small chalices near the altar with that stupid guard just standing there and watching? Not just that, I must also grab the tiara left in the hall between the, the... those things in the church where you sit/kneel.

The closest I ever got was carpet-bombing the whole floor with Moss Arrows, drinking Speed + Invisibility potion and just making a wild rush for it - but invisibility always lifts too fast for me to accomplish anything. Did anyone managed to do it in a different way?
I guess I could just fire a Noisemaker to send it away for the time I need to loot the place, but that would break the ghost rules.

Also, to a minor extent - about the secret room where corpses are stored, I can't get down or up without the masked servant noticing - do I have to use a Moss Arrow there too?

Any help is appreciated.

addone on 24/2/2009 at 14:56

I think an invisibility potion can be found somewhere in the mission itself. Extra ones may help the invisibility last longer, possibly? Unless you have all of them and they still run out before you can make it?

Herbrand on 24/2/2009 at 15:01

I don't know of any other invisibility potions lying around, I only have the one I can buy at the start. I wonder if 5 seconds can still be enough... I should (shock! horror!) quicksave before, and make a few attempt to it until I get used...

Any other "regular" ways anyone tried successfully?

Nightwalker on 24/2/2009 at 15:27

There are several very old threads with ghosting results in the Eidos archives. This report on Eavesdropping was posted by Clayman on Aug. 14, 2000. The thread is (http://forums.eidosgames.com/old-ubb/Thief_2_Ghost_Perfect_Thief_Results_1.htm) here

Quote:

Eavesdropping

Ghost : Success
Perfect Thief : Success
2119 of 2119
1:12:17
1/1 secret
no chemicals needed

[EDITED SECTION] The 15 loot was the Birdman statue under the steps outside the wax impression area. I knew I had found it before, and knew I was looking for either a cup or a statue, as stated below. Just needed to think ! 4 for 4 ! This Perfect Thief I did on my own; the others I had advice or memory jogs to help me along. See the original post below.[END OF EDITED SECTION]

I thought this one had me. It still does, by 15 measly loot. Based on what I did find, I deduce that I am missing one of those purple cups, or one of those pinkish Birdman statues. Hints would be appreciated.

The Ghost was easy. The key was in the basement next to the little mech, first time I've seen it there. Usually its on one of the upper floors, mixed in with those other keys and you forget where to return it. Not so this time, made the impression, returned it to the table nearby, got out. Just so I wouldn't have a guilty conscience, I re-did it, the key turned up upstairs, and I repeated the Ghost.

My standard order to playing this mission is as follows : clean the loot outside, go to catacombs, back up to the roof and the loot there, go eavesdrop, go inside, get/make/return key, looting along the way, get out. This does not work for Perfect Thief, even if I had the 15.

The reason is the conversation between the guards in the sanctuary. It is required for you to loot the pulpit/closet area while the conversation is going on. Otherwise the guard will assume a position that makes it impossible to Ghost the pulpit without the dreaded inviso potion. Unacceptable.

There are 2 differences in this mission I have seen with the patched game - The mech that patrolled around the wax impression room is now on a table(active, facing the wall but not patrolling), and the guard in the sanctuary now faces the pulpit rather than the doorway west of the pulpit. Major difference on the second one, stopping the Ghost of the pulpit, and made me re-do the entire mission in an order I wasn't accustomed to.

New order was : go immediately to west sanctuary entrance, get the metal pan from closet, 3 moss arrows on pulpit area, run to pulpit/loot, back out. Then the rest as before.

OK, I know what some of you are thinking...what about the gold necklace thing between the pews ? Well you can't get that before the conversation breaks up, besides its right next to where they are talking. I knew it was worth 125, knew I would still be short 15, so I tried a novel approach. I fired about 5 moss arrows along the metal walkway next to pew where the necklace was. Everyone nice and quiet, I've quicksaved, got nothing to lose. I crouched and creeped around the edge of the sanctuary farthest from the pulpit guard, got parallel to the necklace pew, no reaction from either guard. The pulpit guard is now out of the play, I'm past his profile. Inched forward, watching the front door guard. Lean in frob the scroll...."Hello ?"....I froze, watching the guard. Leaned and got the necklace, no reaction, backed out, heart pounding. Not satisfied with "hello", I re-did it from a 45 degree angle in, and got no response. AI myopia strikes again ! Whoopee !

OBTW, I found 3 pieces of loot I had never seen before : the two gold hammers on the tombstones, and the little 10 loot metal pan in the broom closet. The metal pan was an accidental pickup, I had scooted in there to avoid detection and accidentally frobbed it.

And this was almost Ironman Mode : once I re-did it in the correct order, I only got busted one time, coming off the steps after the eavesdrop, so only one reload on the final product.

Now if I could just find that 15 loot, I'd be 4 for 4 on Perfect Thief.

On to the Party, and some required chemical dependence, I'm afraid.

Herbrand on 24/2/2009 at 15:32

Interesting, so you can only loot the pulpit when the conversation is ongoing... should have thought of that. And you can even get the necklace without invisibility potion, interesting!

I wonder if the original missions were all balanced up to this level of maniacal detail - if so, it is amazing how much you can play a single mission and not learn everything...