The Art of Theft (New Yahtzee)

[GarageGothic]

Any chance that someone could post a savegame with all the levels and minigame unlocked? I'm getting really sick of replaying the same sections again and again, trying to save on tazers and alarms without even knowing how many rooms I still have to go.

[TheJBurger]

Any chance that someone could post a savegame with all the levels and minigame unlocked? I'm getting really sick of replaying the same sections again and again, trying to save on tazers and alarms without even knowing how many rooms I still have to go.

But that would just spoil the fun. Achieving it yourself makes it all worthwhile. I would recommend beating the game once, not caring about ranks or anything (listen to the tips in this thread or use a walkthrough if you have trouble), then play through a second time when you have a firm grasp of the gameplay to unlock the secrets.

Choosing the right skills and level route make all the difference when trying to get a "T" rank.

[GarageGothic]

But that would just spoil the fun.

My whole point was that I'm not having fun and am now giving up on the game (at mission 6). A few years back I would have struggled with the damn game until I was through, probably even replayed it for the maximum score, but I neither have the time nor the patience to do so anymore. I guess it's just a matter of time before I give up on video games altogether.

[m0ds]

LOL GG man, where's that prozac? :p It's not all that bad. I can't even beat mission 2. And it'll probably be 20 years before I really give it a try. When Yahtzee gave me his first beta to work on music from it STARTED with mission 6 (if thats the brainwashing device one). It was IMPOSSIBLE! No matter how manically I tapped the keyboard I could never beat it. And now I'm going to have RSI. So I didn't use the game for inspiration in the end. I find that game overwhelmingly hard. It's not an adventure game afterall, i generally do struggle with other genres like that. But I think for someone really determined AoT would be an extremely rewarding game. Sounds like it is to a lot of people already! But hey, maybe its just not your cup of tea. It's not exactly mine either, but I still think it's a great achievment with the AGS engine, so I give it a go. You will beat it one day! In the meantime, just play some great adventures I will too!

[GarageGothic]

I don't know, maybe it's a combination of 3 years as a professional game reviewer, roughly the same amount of time working as a game tester, and of course my own experience as an amateur designer. But I've become extremely sensitive to anything that I consider flawed design - in this case the unforgiving nature of the save game system combined with random gameplay elements like the wire cutting. If it auto-saved on entering a new room, it would be a different matter entirely.

I'm very impressed with the game in concept and overall design, as you can see from my first post in this thread, I just don't find it very entertaining - it's too damn hard. And this is coming from somebody who had the patience to finish all the Hitman games with perfect scores (well, only the last three actually had a scoring system).

[Storygamer]

Okay.  That's sort of how it looked from descriptions, but I wanted to make sure by asking the folks who'd played it.  Thanks!

[GarageGothic]

Storygamer, please don't let my experiences turn you off trying the game altogether. Give it a chance, at least the first couple of missions are doable even for people who aren't used to playing action or stealth games.

[kaputtnik]

I did beat the first four missions without too much trouble, maybe I drew from my console childhood...The wire cutting really got on my nerves, especially when I had to go "cherry picking" and triggered two alarms at once --> mission restart. This is a typical case of "You can beat a mission after you've learned it by heart", I'm not really into that stuff; anyway, it is a very stylish game (as are most of Yahtzee's games) and it is definitely fun, if you don't expect to beat it at a single blow.

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Actually, I'd like a savegame too, but for different reasons - I'm having lots of fun with the game, but I'm simply not skilled enough to ever unlock the mini-game, and it's teasing me awfully...

[Dualnames]

Yahtzee always seem to keep his self in motion...He alwasy changes something in his games. This time everything is changed.. Reminds me of Splinter Cell mobile which might be awesome fo mobile users but for someone from whom we are used to have quality ADVENTURE games is a big surprise to make arcade games. I've played but I'm not planning to complete it or have another look. I'm really disappointed Ben has decided to change style. I hope it;s only for a short while before he returns to Adventure games. He was really good at it..

[The Ivy]

I'm loving this game so far. I couldn't play all the way through his "1213" games, what with the unresponsive gameplay, respawning bad guys, and heartbreakingly slow player character. But Art of Theft has hit on something really addictive, and I'm putting off some pretty important school stuff in my quest to unlock new levels. (Also, I just watched a bunch of "Zero Punctuation," so please imagine the previous sentences in a cheeky British accent).

[Groogokk]

I just completed the game with roughly 2000 RP left... and no useful skill left to invest them in. Something had given me the impression that there would be more levels, and I had assumed that before the final level, I would get to buy all the decent skills, most importantly "in shadows". One bad investment, however, kept me from getting that skill in the end. Also, I don't think there is much room for improvement; I got A-ratings on all levels except the last two (which were a B and a C) and I don't think I can get much better without the aforementioned skill. 

Nevertheless, I think this is a fantastic game, and the best from Yahtzee so far.

[Radiant]

Try for T ratings...

Also, do the Master Challenge for a couple thou extra RP. It's quite feasible if you have Forgetfulness.

[Groogokk]

Thanks for your advice with the Master Challenge. I always thought I'd die from excitement and frustration before even getting close to completing it, but "Forgetfulness" went a long way to ease my mind. 

[Storygamer]

Just downloaded it and have played about halfway through.  VERY addicting game.  Reminds me a lot of Metal Gear Solid, and the Thief series.  Yahtzee has once again done a terrific job.

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Heh, never mind my previous post - I have just gotten "Trilbys" on all heists, including Master Challenge.

GGothic, and other people put off: your adventure-game-attitude will help you! It's a matter of obsessively colleting all loot, and choosing your upgrades with care (and honestly, the choices are obvious) - it's the old adventure-game persistence and reasoning. Then, once you get a certain skill and a certain costume, it's a breeeeeze!

Mini-game was good, but after all the excitement of the whole game, I'd really just go ahead and play "5 Days a Stranger"...

EDIT - In fact, I will. Excuse me while I play all four DeFoe games.

[Traveler]

Doesn't seem a bad game, but I think the controls have serious problems - I always have lag for almost every keystroke, which is very annoying when trying to do something on a strict schedule. I don't have the same problems with other software, so it must be the game code.

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

That's funny, there were no lags here... did you try changing the game to 320x240 res? It's clearly a low-res game, but it comes in 640x480 res. In an older PC, it helped a lot for me.

[Eshaktaar]

As an avid Thief player (and FM author as well), I found this game to be very much to my taste. It manages to strike the right balance between being challenging and frustrating.

I just finished the last scenario with the Lazy Sunday suit (manageable thanks to "Forgetfulness" & "Into Shadow"), and the bonus game made all the hassle totally worth it.

[InCreator]

What a frustrating game!
And how original still.

I made it to the last level, and kind of grow tired of trying. There's two major mistakes in overall design: Time limit/reward and random cables. Time limit/reward is worst, since stealth games usually reward patience and careful planning, not senseless rushing through guards and cameras. You cannot enjoy lurking in the shadows and watching that stupid guard walking around with no idea. Why? There's no time! And game is extremely unforgiving when making a mistake.

I failed several maps many times when tripping into laser. What happened was that laser respawned on my position again and again quickly depleting all alarm "lives". Game was over even before I had a chance to understand what happened.

Even if tazer/alarm limit would be for a SCREEN (I mean multiscreen levels), it would be much nicer to play.

A bit more better balanced sequel, with more (and shorter) levels, with less need to play same levels again and again to get everything out of the game would be still a good idea. IMO, difficulty should be an option. There could be "very easy" mode with no tazer limit, for example, and slower lasers/cameras. I know that there's a suit for this, but if I can play well enough to get that suit, I won't be needing one, anyway.

A video game should offer enjoyment and challenge. Not early balding.
This is a bit too frustrating and tough for my taste.

But still very nice addition to Yahtzee's portfolio and AGS games overall.