roflingstones on 21/8/2023 at 17:13
I'm replaying the Thief games and I remember all the patrol routes and loots etc.
Has anyone made any mods to fresh up the experience? Something like a randomizer.
New patrol routes would be enough to throw me off guard and keep me on my toes.
trefoilknot on 21/8/2023 at 17:25
There are FMs with random elements. I don't think there's any way to make a mod that would add randomness to missions in general. It would have to be done manually.
Random_Taffer on 21/8/2023 at 17:55
It would be theoretically possible to make something like this, but it would really be better if it were something like alternate patrol routes that the game chooses at the beginning of the mission, which still work with the way the lighting is setup so that gameplay is fair. If it were totally random, you would get issues with too many AI congregating in one room or getting stuck in doorways as their routes intersect, etc. Generally it's a much better experience if patrols are planned out meticulously as they usually are. Possibilities for alternate routes could be cool though if it was done thoughtfully.
mxleader on 22/8/2023 at 10:42
It might be easier to play new fan missions for a fresh Thief experience. But I get it. It would be cool to change up guard patrols each time you played through a mission. Some missions though should seem different because of your timing will change if you take different routes even if the guard patrol points are fixed. You could always make a ton of noise to get them to alter their routes. :cheeky:
roflingstones on 22/8/2023 at 16:18
Thank you for the replies. Maybe someone gets inspired enough to make a mod with alternative routes for OM :D
mxleader on 22/8/2023 at 16:35
Just for fun I asked ChatGTP if it was familiar with the Thief series and if it could help write some code to randomize the guards. It spit out sample code as an example. Maybe some of the smarter people in here can answer if it's even possible in the dark engine for the original missions. I imagine you could pull an OM and make it into a stand alone mission and mess around with the guards but I'm just throwing darts here. I haven't dug into any of the game files to see what's possible or where you would add any code so again I'm throwing darts. ChatGTP spit out the code below but I'm guessing you'd have to give it similar coding language to what the Dark Engine uses in order to make anything work. This is just an idea and I have no idea if any of it is possible but it is fun to think about and experiment with. I imagine you'd want to have a completely separate installation of whatever Thief game you want to modify before doing any mods though.
Example code:
class Guard:
List<Point> patrolPoints
Point currentTarget
float minPatrolDelay
float maxPatrolDelay
float currentPatrolDelay
function Initialize():
// Initialize patrol points and other properties
patrolPoints = [Point(10, 10), Point(20, 20), Point(30, 30)]
currentTarget = patrolPoints[0]
minPatrolDelay = 2.0
maxPatrolDelay = 5.0
currentPatrolDelay = RandomFloat(minPatrolDelay, maxPatrolDelay)
function Update(deltaTime):
// Move guard towards the current target point
MoveTowards(currentTarget, deltaTime)
// If guard reached the target point, select a new target point
if DistanceTo(currentTarget) < 1.0:
currentTarget = GetRandomPatrolPoint()
currentPatrolDelay = RandomFloat(minPatrolDelay, maxPatrolDelay)
// Delay patrol at each point for a random duration
currentPatrolDelay -= deltaTime
if currentPatrolDelay <= 0:
currentTarget = GetRandomPatrolPoint()
currentPatrolDelay = RandomFloat(minPatrolDelay, maxPatrolDelay)
function GetRandomPatrolPoint():
// Return a random point from the patrolPoints list
return RandomElement(patrolPoints)
function Main():
guards = []
for i = 1 to numGuards:
guard = Guard()
guard.Initialize()
guards.Add(guard)
while true:
deltaTime = GetDeltaTime()
for guard in guards:
guard.Update(deltaTime)
Cathedral Haunt on 23/8/2023 at 05:13
I've thought about this many times, not only random patrol routes, but also:
* Random guard types (for example, guards with helmets that cannot be knocked out, archers, etc.)
* Variable amount of guards in the mission
* Random placement of guards
* Random placement and amount of civilians
* Random light sources, and random state of some torches
* Random loot locations
* Random main objective location (maybe between 5-6 different possible locations)
* Random weather and time of the day (night/dusk/daytime + rain/no rain + clear/fog).
All of the above would be within reasonable values. For example, you wouldn't get a mission with 500 guards, or it wouldn't be possible for a cook to be hanging out in the master bedroom.
I think it would be interesting to create a FM like that (it could be based on an OM, such as "Random Lord Bafford's Manor), you'd certainly never get two identical playthroughs.
There are some OMs that have some randomization, such as the random location of the key in "Eavesdropping"; it would be a matter of taking this concept further.
fortuni on 23/8/2023 at 09:39
Quote Posted by Cathedral Haunt
* Random guard types (for example, guards with helmets that cannot be knocked out, archers, etc.)
* Variable amount of guards in the mission
* Random placement of guards
* Random placement and amount of civilians
* Random light sources, and random state of some torches
* Random loot locations
* Random main objective location (maybe between 5-6 different possible locations)
* Random weather and time of the day (night/dusk/daytime + rain/no rain + clear/fog).
I think it would be interesting to create a FM like that (it could be based on an OM, such as "Random Lord Bafford's Manor), you'd certainly never get two identical playthroughs
FireMage made such a mission for the 72hour contest, (
https://darkfate.org/view/details/files/fan-missions/thief2/1contests/72_hour/wooden_box/screenshots) The Wooden Box, he randomized as much as you could from the starting point, loot, weapons, AI's, goals completion point and probably a lot more than those.
