DirkBogan on 21/12/2023 at 21:32
There are two entries from the starting area, but only one of them is stealthy :angel:
Galaer on 22/12/2023 at 09:19
Quote Posted by DirkBogan
There are
two entries from the starting area, but only one of them is stealthy :angel:
That's not true, if you have luck with Hammerites other entrance is also stealthy.
marbleman on 22/12/2023 at 12:47
I fully expect klatremus to try and use that entrance so that he doesn't have to pick a lock. :cheeky:
klatremus on 23/12/2023 at 17:34
I only tried that approach briefly in my casual run. If you run inside then I imagine you can get away with only a first alert, but for Supreme I don't see it possible. I thought the hammerite who controls the gate stares out that window constantly. Unless you can mantle over somewhere. I'll definitely experiment when i ghost it.
klatremus on 23/12/2023 at 20:16
Tried it just for fun, and yes, you can get in for Supreme even. But 1) you have to be lucky with patrols like Galaer said and 2) you have to utilize what almost seems like a glitch in the scripted conversation between the gate guard and the outside hammerite who comes in. They're supposed to talk about credentials, but occasionally they just stop (I did not spam save/reload to construct this). Usually the gate guard ends up behind the back door and the other guard with his back turned. If so, you can sneak south (left) and be in the clear. Repeatable, but somewhat unreliable.
Yoshik on 27/12/2023 at 11:03
Hello guys, my first post here so let me just introduce myself that I love Thief (123) all those years despite being new on TTLG. I even have some mediocre experience with the DromEd etc.
I really love the Black Parade mission pack very very much.
To the point:
People did mention in this thread that the mission is not really haunted. Well, is it not?
As mentioned in the thread before, there is something creepy in deep cellar adjacent to the canals connected to the well underground reservoir. There is a barred passage to the room visible either from canal's depths or from the hole in a wall in Hammerite mechanized cellar. I saw something there, just a glimpse in the dark, definitely it creeped me out.
Questions:
- Is there a way to enter this place?
- Was that poor Brother Rainier (mentioned by the Cardinal being a product of flawed consecration)?
- Or was Brother Rainier that spooky sealed sarcophagus in the crypt?
R Soul on 28/12/2023 at 01:23
Welcome to the forum. :D
For your first qestion: It is not.
For the last 3 questions:
No, there is no way.
No, that is not him. I think it's one of the many things lurking beneath the surface in this FM.
Yes, this is him.
Always good to end on a positve.
jamesPatton on 30/12/2023 at 16:36
Just finished this mission. I had to take a break after the glorious spiral into the surreal that was mission 2, but came back refreshed today and beat it in an afternoon.
I had a really good time! This reminded me a lot of those missions in Thief Gold where, similarly, you have to sneak into a Hammerite stronghold and filch something. I enjoyed the fact that the cathedral wasn't just a cathedral but an entire complex: this was historically accurate (assuming you're taking inspiration from Catholic monasteries) and made the space much more interesting.
As with mission 2, I was a bit surprised by the lack of a comprehensive map (not having a basement meant I had to figure out the layout myself, and got confused when I went back down there later to finish up a few objectives) but it was manageable, and may have added a small amount of challenge. I was also really challenged by how much damn marble there is in this place. It makes sense, of course, this being a church. The slightly hostile floor design, and the large number of electric lights, left me pretty exposed for a lot of the mission so I played a bit faster and looser than I usually would, which was pretty fun. A lot of dashing into doorways at the last minute, or letting a guard chase me instead of reloading (then leading him into a dark basement and knocking him out when he gave up looking). The funnest moment was probably when I discovered the Cardinal's bedchamber was guarded by an armoured guard, but then I ran past him, explored the roof and found a gas arrow (the only one in the whole level AFAIK). Jumping back down and firing the arrow into this angry guard felt very earned, and it was perfect since this was the one enemy I was unable to circumnavigate this level. (I found a route around later, but I still like this solution.)
I was also very interested in the portrayal of the Hammerites by the writers. I've seen some people online claim that the Hammerites are clearly in the right and the pagans are just lazy stupid idiots, since the Hammers build a lot of stuff and maintain order etc etc. These people seem to have missed the worst of the Hammerites' offences in the original game, which were a tad subtle in places or could be missed. So I found it quite refreshing, and a little unsettling, that the first part of the inside of the abbey I see is an honest-to-god Inquisition torture chamber. The notes between different Hammerites helped to make the picture a bit more naunced, and to continue exploring what drives the Hammers. I even found a note complaining that the Hammerites with the "windy stone" (the Air Key from Thief Gold) were superstitiously holding onto a heretical relic, which is an extremely fair point. It felt like this mission was a re-analysis of what the Hammerite faith even is, and what role it plays in the city's makeup - which was a welcome and thought-provoking touch.
ultravioletu on 31/12/2023 at 21:54
Finished, after three days, the mission (blind supreme ghost). It was, at times, extremely frustrating. The factory area and the outsides were tightly packed, I could barely catch a break. Had to be very patient while waiting for openings, and I am NOT a patient person. I tried a lot af approaches, most of them being dead-ends.
After finishing the objectives, hunting the last pieces of loot (about 500) was almost a complete day, and, alas!, I failed - did not figure out how to reach the loot piece mentioned by klatremus, so I am 1gp short of max. I might try next year...
But it paid off sticking with it, the second run went much smoother (but it too had hiccups due to forgotten loot, noticed while I was in a completely different area). Posted the report here: (
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2510463#post2510463) even though I failed "perfect thief".
The mission is very good looking, quite beautiful, and I liked very much the attention paid to several details. Some of them were probably lost to many "casual" players - like the drinking habit of the treasury guy (if you BJ him immediately, no chance to see it). As a "Forged in Fire" avid viewer, I was touched by the complex animation depicting blacksmith's work. The dialogue in the Scriptorium was funny, and definitely worth the wait for its finish. Other dialogues were, when not funny (altough: one witty reply to "
Anything new, brother?" made me smile too), insightful in portraing the Hammerites, like the one in the barracks and the one outside.
Marvin on 1/1/2024 at 10:57
Quote Posted by Unkillable Cat
I've finished everything needed here so I'm just taffing about now, and there's one place I can't get to.
It's the abandoned prison cell. In the room west of the waterwheels in the sewers, there's a hole in the wall where one can see into a room with a tattered cloth hanging. This room can also be reached by swimming through the open sewage tunnel while heading westwards to the well, but then I'm confronted by a cell door that seemingly cannot be opened.
There appears to be a passage inside the cell leading eastwards, but I cannot find any way to reach it.Thoughts?
Fiddled with this and
it's just an ape beast spying on you through the crack. When you catch a glimpse, it vanishes with a sound and that's it. You cannot get in there and there's nothing else inside..
