Shoshin on 7/1/2023 at 03:21
Quote Posted by Hit Deity
I always took the brandy as the Trickster's blood, or maybe at least Viktoria's blood and maybe the Trickster's, mixed.. Either way, not something I or Garrett should be drinking.
As I recall, Garrett takes the glass Constantine offers him, but I don't remember if he drinks it or not. But you're right, not something Garrett should be drinking.
Kangra on 8/1/2023 at 02:56
Garrett initially does not drink and holds the cup as he eyes Constantine warily. He downs it when he accepts the deal, probably as a show of good faith and to maybe reinforce to himself that he's doing it for sure.
One thing that I like about this level is that it's fairly smartly connected. You do kind of have to follow the maze to figure it out when looting the first time, but going back or getting to an area is relatively easy. Some of Fromsoft's later stuff (i.e. Souls games) have a similarity to it.
I also think this is a great mission for the enemy variety. Zombies & spiders & burricks!
Shoshin on 8/1/2023 at 14:52
Quote Posted by Kangra
Garrett initially does not drink and holds the cup as he eyes Constantine warily. He downs it when he accepts the deal, probably as a show of good faith and to maybe reinforce to himself that he's doing it for sure.
One thing that I like about this level is that it's fairly smartly connected. You do kind of have to follow the maze to figure it out when looting the first time, but going back or getting to an area is relatively easy. Some of Fromsoft's later stuff (i.e. Souls games) have a similarity to it.
I also think this is a great mission for the enemy variety. Zombies & spiders & burricks!
I think you're right about that. Maybe that's the difference between a level like The Thieves' Guild and The Haunted Cathedral. Not just connected, but connected in a way that flows better.
I also like the enemy variety in this level.
SeriousToni on 10/1/2023 at 22:37
It's been a very entertaining read so far. I feel a bit sad, but also nostalgic while reading your posts, knowing your initial intention. I really wish that you can finish your goals (however don't waste too much time concentrating on the 100% Loot objective please). Thanks a lot for sharing all this so far. I'm keen to read on!
Shoshin on 14/1/2023 at 15:41
Quote Posted by SeriousToni
It's been a very entertaining read so far. I feel a bit sad, but also nostalgic while reading your posts, knowing your initial intention. I really wish that you can finish your goals (however don't waste too much time concentrating on the 100% Loot objective please). Thanks a lot for sharing all this so far. I'm keen to read on!
Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying reading this. I did 100% loot for the first 4 missions, and after that I abandoned that goal. I'm just about done with The Mage's Towers, I expect to finish up with it today.
Shoshin on 21/1/2023 at 16:27
The Grounds
You start the mission in a courtyard, with gates right in front of you. I do not recommend opening those gates, as they are in bad need of having their hinges oiled. I go through a side door, and am confronted with a hedge maze. There are several guards and mages wandering around all four of the hedge mazes, and it can be a bit tricky to figure out where they are in the maze. I try to knock out all of them before heading into the building, but with the patrols going from one maze section to another, invariably I miss some. There's also one portion of grass that clanks like a metal piece, and is a secret entrance to the basement levels. While wandering, you see the 4 towers at each corner, the central tower, and the bridges that connect the four corner towers to the central tower.
The Main Building
Each courtyard has an entrance into the center building, so I go in to start my looting. We seem to have a dining area, and storage facilities. Lots of guards and servants wandering around. One section has a stairway leading down to the dungeon area and the sewers, which I learn will be my way out. Lots of loot down there. There's also the Library, with Mages patrolling. There's a room full of statues, each with a message specifically for Garrett. I guess the Keepers aren't the only sect with prophesies. There's a note about a necromancer and his book, which sets up an encounter in The Metal Age, some nice texts giving flavor to the mages and their pursuits. A pair of glasses to steal, hidden doors, the barracks (which in no way seem large enough to hold all the guards that have been patrolling, unless the beds are communal). Most of the loot is in this part of the mission. Overall an enjoyable bit of thieving, and once you've accomplished all your tasks here it's time to go to the towers.
The Towers
The Water Tower is, as promised, flooded. It's a simple matter to swim up & grab the key to the Earth Tower.
The Earth Tower's entry way has a few moss arrows and a bit of bad poetry setting up what you're about to see once you go into the towers. Boulders floating through the air, conveniently giving you a lift if you want. There are moss arrows strewn about this level fairly liberally, which will come in handy for the last two towers. Ascend each level of the tower, avoiding/knocking out the patrolling mages. To get the Air key, there's a spot where you must use rope arrows to get around. Luckily they give you those as well. And they are re-usable. Get the Air key and get back out.
The Air Tower. Leave it to the Air Mages to build their tower out of marble. Luckily once you get it and take the floating boulders up to the main area there aren't many mages present. A few moss arrows come in handy, then there is a lot of waiting as you take the boulder elevators from place to place until you come to the timed puzzle for the chest containing the Fire key. I think this is also the first mission to add the gas arrow, which comes in handy in the next tower.
The Fire Tower. This one was the hardest tower for me, with all the clanky metal grating and crystals providing too much light. There are also metal plates that heat up and make crossing some areas more challenging. An abundance of water arrows helps, as they will instantly cool the plates allowing you to walk across them without having to wait for them to turn off on their own. I used my gas arrow on the first mage, and then my moss arrows throughout the rest of the level to take out the other mages, leaving me free to get the Treasure Key. Then I took the bridge over to the central tower.
The Central Tower
There's a mage waiting in the central marble staircase, so ascend slowly so as to not alert him. He'll start a patrol up and down the stairs, so I pick a spot in the shadows to wait for him and knock him out. Open the door to the room holding the Earth Talisman (and many decoys). Two of the mages are having a conversation about someone who has returned, and it's clear in retrospect that they are talking about the Trickster. The first time through, though, you have no idea what they're on about. Then they start to patrol, and if you watch, they genuflect in front of the real talisman, and ignore the others. There's also the bit of poetry about the eight old men up in a tower. Get the Talisman, and the remaining loot on the shelves, and head back to the sewer to exit the level.
Stray Thoughts
One nice touch for the mages' voices is the addition of an echo, making them sound slightly otherworldly. I think the mages show up again briefly in the Lost City, but it would have been nice for them to have more of a presence in the world. I can't remember, other than the dead necromancer in the city, do the mages show up in The Metal Age at all?
I always felt bad for the lone guard in the sewer, muttering about the cold and damp, when are they going to bring me my dinner? That's gotta be the worst posting to have.
I've played this game many times in the last 24 years, and this playthrough was the first time I actually got the Talisman by following the directions on the scroll, about "turn away from the hand with the sword, count seven and find your reward". Every other time I've done that, I'm off by one and get smacked in the face by the decoy. This time, though, I actually saw and counted the one decoy that isn't on the outside edge of the room, but is on a shelf in the middle. Once I counted that one, everything lined up. That's been something that has bothered me for years, that LGS would have made a mistake like that. Turns out they didn't, I just wasn't observant enough.
I quite liked this level, with the interconnected parts of it, the new enemies the Mages, the introduction of the gas arrow... Overall I think this is one of my top 5 favorite levels in Thief, and the story gets advanced as we exit with the Earth Talisman. 1 down, 3 to go!
Galaer on 24/1/2023 at 18:10
Quote Posted by Shoshin
An abundance of water arrows helps, as they will instantly cool the plates allowing you to walk across them without having to wait for them to turn off on their own.
You can do that? Wow, I never knew about that.
downwinder on 24/1/2023 at 18:22
i hated how they changed lost city in gold version i like it the way it was in dark project
and i also had no idea water arrows worked on hot plates
Shoshin on 24/1/2023 at 23:04
Quote Posted by downwinder
i hated how they changed lost city in gold version i like it the way it was in dark project
and i also had no idea water arrows worked on hot plates
I've never played Thief prior to Thief Gold, so I don't know how they changed things. What differences are there in the Lost City besides only finding one Talisman instead of two?
Hit Deity on 25/1/2023 at 04:23
Here are two threads and one website that might be illuminating, granted
IF the links still work in the ttlg threads. A lot around here
do not. But, I have a feeling those will. Or at least current versions should still be around somewhere..
Just info..
(
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124159)
More info..
(
https://maximsamoylenko.medium.com/20-years-of-thief-gold-different-not-better-925dfd87051f)
I like this quote about the two from here:
"Thief Gold is a different variant of the game that doesn't cancel or supersede the original release — it exists alongside The Dark Project as an alternative take on the game's story and gameplay."
And how to get the original back..
(
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140679)
Um, I haven't tried it, so I can't vouch for how well it works.
But, I can say that Original TDP is still worth playing. I prefer the old Lost City, the new Mages Tower, and I can leave out Thieves' Guild..