catbarf on 13/4/2008 at 14:27

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Dated? Pssh. My computer can't run modern games (Seriously, it has trouble even with Half-Life 2), so I mostly play classics, and graphics are meaningless to me. I like the gameplay, it's very different from any other game I've played. It really gives me a sense that it is skill at work rather than button-mashing or character attributes, since even a basic guard can beat me bloody if I piss him off.

And, I have good news- my friend found the disc, and he's going to drop it off later today. Success! Woohoo!

jtr7 on 13/4/2008 at 16:34

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Very cool, catbarf. Very cool.

catbarf on 13/4/2008 at 20:24

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Alright, so I'm backtracking a little to Thieves Guild, which I am playing on Hard.

I start off by being treated to an amusing discussion between a guard and two other people, who know the guard and are infuriated by the guard's repeated demands for the password. Okay, I can't go in the front door- that's suicide. When they finish and go inside, I creep off to the left, around an S-shaped bend, and into a hallway- great, there's a guard coming towards me. I dash back, and hide in the corner. The guard just walks right on past, and gets clubbed in the head. I follow the tunnel around, and eventually come to another door. After a lengthy lockpicking, I'm inside. Through a door, I can see a civilian cooking at a table. A guard walks in from a door on the far side, goes in front of the table, and leaves through another door. When he does so, I run up and repeat the old process of *crack*-thud.

I crouch and hide behind the same table, desperately hoping that I'm low enough not to be seen. Sure enough, the next guard walks on past, and I am able to run up and knock him out as well when he goes through the second doorway. I go through the other hall, and see a guard performing a small patrol path in there. Rinse, lather, repeat, and all is quiet. I take the opportunity to loot- there's the door to the stairs, a door for which my key doesn't work and I can't pick (which I surmise to be a storage room of some sort, seeing as it is under the stairs), and the front door I saw at the beginning. Okay, time to head upstairs.

catbarf on 13/4/2008 at 20:54

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Through the door, and up the stairs. As I emerge into a hallway, a door opens, and a man yells 'Who the hell are you? Guards! Over here!'.

I dash back onto the stairs, and don't hear anything.

I peer into the hallway, and don't see anything.

I walk over to the door, and look- the man is in the searching/inquisitive/suspicious animation, facing away from me.

*crack*-thud.

Hoo boy. Thief sure isn't getting any kudos from me in terms of AI intelligence.

I turn back to do some exploring, and go through the other door.

As I walk into the room, however, I hear a funny noise. After a tense moment of standing still, I realize there is a guard sleeping. I sneak over to him, and draw my blackjack. I very carefully set up, then swing at him.

*swish*

Okay, it seems I'm still too far away. I'll aim lower.

*CLANG*

It seems I hit the bed. He is still asleep.

I look around, to make sure there's nobody here.

I draw my sword, and go into an overhead swing.

It hits him, causing him to stand up immediately before performing a very fast death animation, which makes it look like he flipped 180 degrees pivoting on his feet.

Check the chests- a little bit of cash, and some rope arrows. Nice.

Through the far door, and I'm in the room where I smacked the commoner. All that's here is a ventilation duct.

Well, here goes nothing.

Wait a second- hey, the ceiling is wood, and I did find those rope arrows earlier.

So, with a rope arrow in the ceiling, I once again entrust the weight of myself and enough weaponry to equip a small European nation to a single arrow and a rope, and start to head down.

I notice that I pass by the ground floor that I cleared out already.

At the bottom, I can go either right down a hall, or left into a door. I go through the door, and into a casino room. A cool soundtrack starts to play. I see a guard in a small booth standing sentinel, so I creep up the the door and open it, staying just enough to the side so that I can see when he turns but he can't see me. A little more fun with the blackjack, and he goes down, relinquishing his key. I stay crouched as another guard goes by at the far end of the room. I go over to where he patrols, and when he turns his back I take him down as well. Back in the gambling room, I steal a small stack of coins, and notice some civilians playing in the adjacent room. With a pair of water arrows, I dowse the torches, and then I'm able to go up behind them and steal all four stacks of coins while the guards watch.

I move into the far casino room, and one of the civilians sees me. The guards go apeshit, and my ass gets royally handed back to me. I was surprised to hear one of them refer to me by name. I thought Garrett didn't have anything to do with the Thieves Guild?

Die.

Reload.

Sneak.

I put out the torches, and steal a measly stack of coins from a table. Okay, this floor is stripped clean. Next.

And, what do you know? That key led me back to the main floor.

Waitaminute.

Okay, it's time to start searching for that secret door...

jtr7 on 13/4/2008 at 21:05

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Well folks, it looks as though this mission has and will provide more good training for the later missions. :thumb: