Art of Theft Game Discussion
#32
Posted 15 November 2007 - 10:39 AM
It's perfectly timed. Go behind the first guard, drop behind the second, drop in front of the laser, roll to the other side of the desk guard, then jump up twice, and nothing will see you long enough to trip an alarm. Hopefully you won't have to do level 8 twice because you pull a wrong wire the first time, shutting down the electricity
Sounds simple. Gotta try that one day. I already finished the game four times but I still suck at mission 6.
#33
Posted 15 November 2007 - 01:16 PM
This is the best platform 'engine' ever made with AGS. Sure, there have been only three or four that I can remember.
1213 is a piece of crap in comparison to this game (and it wasn't that bad). It actually reminds me of Flashback, which remains the best platform action/rpg of all times. In other words, the game design itself is not all that great. If you don't know a game called 'Bonanza Brothers', you should get a hold of it - you'll find a sega genesis' ROM of it somewhere.
In Bonanza Brothers, you play a thief (with an option to play cooperative missions with a second player/thief). It features cameras and guards, and items you should steal. It doesn't, however, implement the lock and key mechanism you used here. In Oblivion (and Betrayal in Antara, not to mention a few others) you have the same mechanism, but the you've done it is much simpler and cleaner. The challenge is visual, and the player knows right away that it's a hand-eye coordination thing. This is not always the case in Oblivion.
The tazer was pretty cool, by the way. And limiting it was nice, too, from a design perspective.
Overall, this is the best platform game ever made with AGS. The fact you can play it over and over, trying different strategies, etc shows how much effort you put into it. The 'Rolling' skill could've been useful early on in the game, so I missed a free buy right after the start - it would've made sense.
Also, you could try bringing in something new to your platform engine next time you decide to publish one of these games: a second 'ground' layer, so there is some spatial awareness to it, as in fake 3D. I am not sure I'm making myself clear here. Take a look at Bonanza Brothers and you'll understand the concept. Basically, you can occupy two spaces in one single spot of the floor - one in the back, one up front - and these spaces can be filled with cabinets, etc for hidding purposes.
See ya, mate.
Fabio.
This post has been edited by fabiobit: 15 November 2007 - 01:24 PM
#34
Posted 15 November 2007 - 01:31 PM
Oh well. Nevermind, I'm suffering from nostalgia. There are still some pretty decent folks making games these days, but most designers are full of shit and their games don't even scratch the surface of what we've grown to expect. Good games are hard to find, good designers are even harder.
Don't flush: I think you're one of the few who realize what a good game needs, and it's a shame you're not doing this professionaly (as in, with a large budget and crew).
Take care.
This post has been edited by fabiobit: 15 November 2007 - 01:36 PM
#36
Posted 15 November 2007 - 07:30 PM
I've only completed it once so far (nearly did last night, but lost my save file to the wiles of .zip files), but there's a serious wodge of replay value there, naturally with the rankings and costumes, but also with the huge list of skills and my "OOH OOH NEW SHINY THINGS MUST TEST NOW" imperiative. Also the eighth omnibus-type level.
Level Six, where do we begin? While I can understand the need for variety at the beginning, having to crack open the calculator every time I started the level was quite annoying. And, as has been said before, the difficulty curve is immense. Literally impossible without getting the extra alarms upgrade and flicking the lightswitch in the third screen. Lasers are a nightmare, but that's why they're there, I believe.
The boss on the seventh level. Hmm. While a game always needs a big note to end on, a large ball you have to shock at various points while dodging lasers doesn't, as has already been said, go with the vibe of the game. Don't quite know what to replace it with though. A longer self-destruct sequence? A new screen to escape to? No ideas.
Also, sort of bug that only appears on the sixth level: when you're just on the third screen, with the two guards, you can time it just right so they both see you at the same time, but ducking behind the second guard down the hole with the lasers, they carry on as if nothing had happened. I know fixing this would fuxxorz up the rest of the game, and it'd be silly, but it seems odd that you wouldn't at least turn for a cursory glance at a man dropping through the ceiling and rolling into a ventilation shaft.
Thanks a lot Yahtzee, you've released an awesome, much-replayable game just while I'm supposed to be getting a job and placating the missus. Now I'm royally screwed.
I dont want to sound full of myself but I never found a calculator to be needed, in fact the thought never even crossed my mind. Have you tried doing it mentally? If you can sort of work it out as you go along and while cracking that safe your time could be improved.
#37
Posted 15 November 2007 - 07:53 PM
There are two three-digit numbers, and there's one number between them that only has a tens digit in between them, so it's really not such a big deal if you take it as it comes.
I used a calculator at first too, but then I realized it was just as likely to make a mistake typing in the wrong number than I was just doing it in my head.
This post has been edited by Ninja Duck: 15 November 2007 - 07:56 PM
#38
Posted 18 November 2007 - 04:27 AM
<Candescence> Why the hell didn't he use it on the Welder?
<blueskirt2> Out of batteries, I don't know.
<Candescence> OMG PLOT HOLES
<blueskirt2> Yeah, let's bug Yahtz so he make another game to explain that :>
<Candescence> GOOD IDEA XD
<blueskirt2> 4 Days a Shortcircuit
<Candescence> lol
<Clouddark> He probablly exchanged it
<Clouddark> He probablly got more 'gentlemen' and changed the tazer to a grappling hook.
<Clouddark> AOT:2, no tazers.
<blueskirt2> AoT2: No Tazer, you stab them in the face with your hook, coming soon next year.
<Clouddark> I'd like to see interogation in AoT2
Nuts.
This post has been edited by Candescence: 18 November 2007 - 04:29 AM
#39
Posted 18 November 2007 - 10:23 AM
#40
Posted 18 November 2007 - 10:32 AM
JUST IN CASE you all don't know, there's a rather lovely AoT forum at
http://z3.invisionfr...dex.php?act=idx
And you'd all love it.
-The League Against Tedium
#43
Posted 20 November 2007 - 12:23 PM
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The Queen's own English, base knave, dost thou speak it?