MYSTIC GEMS I: UNLUCKY SOUL I beta-tested the sequel
‘Heart of Bohn’ a while back, and based on its quality I wanted to give the
original a shot. Once again the Mystic Soul was on my list of to-dos, located
in the I started in the Eastport
warehouse, with one patrolling hammer covering the night shift. There was
nothing to report here or in the sewers. Also passed Lord Gillian’s basement
patroller without any trouble. Standard Ghosting was all. The subtle ambiance
and high attention to detail made the trip around the ground floor enjoyable,
despite posing few challenges. The kitchen floor was tile, but the maid took
long enough breaks for me to steal the room unnoticed. There was even a spot
on the counter where I was completely hidden (left image below). The spice
bag on the mantelpiece was cleverly placed, and hard to spot. Had to approach
from the eastern side-door to reach the front yard swordsman’s purse (right
image below). The alley here was dark, plus he was stationed on the east side
of the stairs. With only one guard
roaming the top floor, reaching the prized gemstone proved effortless. The
guard had a rather lengthy route at that. Fiddled a bit with the keys back
and forth; three of which was needed to get all the loot. I was certain
replacing the safe key would wake Gillian and bust Supreme, but he must have
had a fair bit of wine this night. His chest key unlocked the chest
(surprise!) in the living room attic, containing the Mystic Soul. The
opposite end of the crawlspace was available from the hallway hatch. The lost
ring mentioned in one of the readables was placed
here (left image below). Locked up all doors and left the bedroom key along
the patroller’s path. Supreme got busted on my
way toward Gilbert & Son’s. First of all, I had to leave the sewer gate
open after pulling the lever. Unsure whether that is a bust as it is
impossible to close it and also complete the mission. [UPDATE Aug 5th, 2022: You can easily block the gate using
two crates from Gilbert & Son’s. After you’ve flipped the lever back, the
gate will lower as you return the crates.] Supreme was busted from not
being able to return the control room key without waking the drunk anyway, so
it didn’t matter much. There were no soft spots close by to dampen the noise
of the key. After all these years of playing, I am still baffled as to how
Garrett is completely unable to quietly lay a key (or any metallic object)
onto a hard surface. Oddly, he seems compelled to drop it from waist height. The warehouse almost had more
guards than the rest of the mission combined, which says more about the rest
of the mission. Gilbert & Son’s was the best area in terms of layout if
you ask me (at least for Ghosting). An easy way for authors to up the
challenge on higher difficulties is to give one or more guard a lantern. You
don’t have to cramp a floor full of people to increase tension.
Well-positioned AIs and awareness of light sources can serve the same
purpose, with a better outcome in my opinion. The basement guard was a good example
of where this came into effect. Giving him a purse also provided an optional
challenge for purists. Excellent Wille! Entered the upstairs
office through the window. Found a hidden room with a purse frobbing one of the books (right image above). Could
steal the stationary guard’s purse through the door, but I assumed this to be
a glitch so I grabbed it coming up the stairs to his left instead. Stole the
remaining objects from the crates and finished by hiding in the large
shipping container. Nice mission! Statistics: Time: 36:17 Loot: 2500 out of 2500 Pickpockets: 7 out of 8 Secrets: 2 out of 2 Locks Picked: 6 Damage Dealt: 0 Damage
Taken: 0 Consumables: None Ghost: Success! Perfect Thief: Success! Supreme Thief: Failed! Perfect Supreme Thief:
Failed! Notes: -
Hung on to the control room key
heading for Gilbert & Son’s. Couldn’t drop it by the drunk without
reaching second level alert state. Supreme bust. |