Roof Climbing - Reaching the "Impossible"
There have always been people who tried to reach the impossible, both in this strange thing called "real life", and of course also in Thief. Typical "impossible" areas were i.e.
The inside of the second huge tree in The Sword That strange building on the crossing St. Rubin & de Perrin in THC The roof at the 2nd rope in Training The roof of The Sword The windows in the shadow-room in Training
All of these areas are already reached now, by the strange and yet amusing (and mainly friendly) folks who want to reach the sky and the end of the worlds. I just name the most freaked members of this species: Catalyst, Thumper, and me. All of them can be found in the TTLG-forums.
In this case here, the target is easily to describe:
The roof of the Mechanist Tower.
You can find on this page:
I hope, you will enjoy. :-)
Warning
If you have not yet guessed it, the following content of this page will be absolute freaked-out. Don't read, if you think that a person must be a complete nutscase, when this person carries 27 crates through a mission, just to reach an "impossible" area.
So, if you just decided that you don't want to have anything to do with this madness, then click here.
Oops. I meant of course: Back to Lytha's Strategy for the Thief 2 demo
The Target
Already in my second way through the demo, one question did not leave my mind: Why can't I access the roof of the Tower, and why are the metal thingies in the chimneys too high for mantling?" At about the same time when I played my first attempt in the 0 damage-way, I had an idea how I could climb up the chimneys - if they only hadn't the first of the metal thingies into the wrong direction. At this time, I had not yet looked into all three of them.
Luckily (or not, depends on the POV), I peered into the fireplace of that Nobleman with the scared voice of a servant. This was when I tested the fun-factor of the mission in regards of the psychotic-mass murderer - nothing to worry about, it's just another questionable gaming style.
And this time, I had a success.
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This is the Mechanist Tower, AKA "The Tower
of the Future", AKA "Why the hell can't I get
to the roof of that tower?"
Click here for the screenshot in 800x600. |
The view from above was already reward enough for a freaked-out roof climber like myself, but the experience was spiced with several other goodies.
This is a typical view to The City from the far
far above. Now if there wasn't only all this fog... ;-)
Click here for the screenshot in 800x600. |
Other than normal "impossible" areas, this one had acoustics. I found several rooms that, even though they were clearly in an very alphaish state, were already shaped out and connected with doorframes (without doors) These architectonical details included rooms in the floor of the roof, and rooms in the floor directly under this one. The framerates were absolutely acceptable, a fact that is seldom in other "impossible" areas. And last, but not least, there were 2 enemies.
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When I had reached the 3rd to last of the metal beams, I was surprised to hear the voice of a Mechanist, coming from above. Obviously, he had heard me, and was on the search for me. This was in fact not very surprising, because my way up was at this time a very suffering one, with lots of "Arghs" and "Ouchs" from Garrett, when he was - again - falling down into the chimney.
And when I finally had reached the roof for the first time, I saw myself face to face with a very, very angry Mechanist.
Luckily, the roof is mainly a pretty shadowy area, so that he and his buddy (his buddy is located in the opposite site of the roof) had not a chance against my lean forward & whack them on the nose-technique.
And, well, because I was in the mass-murdering mode, they learned to fly directly afterwards. Or should have learned to fly, more like.
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This is one of the two enemies who I encountered
on the roof of the Tower. He falls down unconcious
after a whack on the nose.
Click here for the screenshot in 800x600.
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But then, after having hopped around on the roof for a good (and long) while, I realized that there was still something left. The very roof of the tower.
I realized that I had still not reached the really
"impossible" area on the roof of the tower. You can see
it here: the area next to this giant water arrow thingie.
Click here for the screenshot in 800x600. |
It happened in the TTLG-forums, I fear. I had happily told the Nutshousers (AKA the inhabitants of the Chat&RPG-forum) that I had reached the roof of the Tower. And then, Ishy, said in the RPG that he saw through his telescope a small figure at that giant blue water arrow thingie.
The idea was born, but not to be realized in this way through the mission. I had just taken the 4 crates from inside of the tower, plus several kitchen-utensils, and this was definitely not enough to reach the very roof of the Tower. |
I happen to act relatively quickly, when I get obsessed by a weird idea. So, it was already the very next day, when I tried to access the tower. This time, it was in normal difficulty, so that the permanent falls in the chimney wouldn't hurt so much.
To climb the roof, one needs crates. Lots of crates.
This here are the crates from the entire level,
stacked nicely.
Click here for the screenshot in 800x600. |
I managed indeed to climb to the very roof, admired the view a lot, and learned interesting facts about the tower, and especially of course about the giant water arrow thingie at its top.
But, first of all, I needed crates. Lots of crates, to be more concrete. On this demo mission, are luckily lots of crates (27, to be exact). So, I got rid of all potentially dangerous or hindering NPCs, and started my mad run: Run through The City, search for crates. Find several crates, and bring them to the 2nd entrance of the Tower (I think that the way through the kitchen is the best way to get lots of crates inside). |
A problem were the dangerous jumps, as i.e. at the bank. I tended, and do so still, to jump too late - meaning that I had to reload.
It was still an experience with lots of suffering. But I learned also interesting things about the climbing-value of kitchen items. So do I know now, that 3 bottles equals 2 crates, while the same equals 4 flour-boxes.
I also finally found a way around the most annoying part of the chimney - an area where there are 2 metal beams in one height - meaning that one has to jump back onto the climbing item. And that leads in the case of crates in about 50% to a sudden, but certain, death, in the case of a bottle in only about 30%, and in the case of a flour-box only in 10%.
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These crates are arranged as it should be.
Click here to see the screenshot in 800x600. |
Then, I only needed to find a way to stack 6, or even better 7 crates, and after I finally managed to do that, I used a speed potion, and went up.
This was the final reward for my 2nd attempt
to reach the "impossible" area in the demo.
I think it was surely worth all the pain.
Click here for a larger screenshot (800x600).
The Addiction
And now, one would surely expect to hear that I had now - finally - enough of this madness. But this was not true.
As you could have seen already at the health-shields, I have been on the roof of the Tower in all 3 difficulty settings now. It seems that I just can't have enough of it.
On the day after my first success, I repeated the same procedure, only that I moved now all crates in the mission into the Tower. And only that I played in Expert difficulty this time. Firstly, I had planned to combine it with the 0 damage approach, but I decided against this, after the first guards happened to be unfriendly. So, I just knocked everyone out who was potentially dangerous, and carried crates to the bank. |
Here are all the crates from the mission in the
room of the man that I like to call Lord Bafford. So this
are 24 crates of the 27 (I missed 2 crates in this time through.)
Click here for a 800x600 screenshot. |
I am definitely not sure if I will ever repeat this madness, but I have to say that all the training helped a lot. I had to reload only a very few times, because I fell into an abyss.
Here are 3 heavily annoying non-armed NPCs stacked.
I hope they are having some fun.
At least, I can now blackmail them.
Click here for a more impressive version of this obscene screenshot. ;-)
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Getting 27 crates into Lord Bafford's room is a pain, when a Noblewoman (that one from the library), the taller Mechservant, and Lord Bafford himself are in the search-mode, and try to nail you into a corner. When I really could not move no more, because all 3 were searching right infront of me, I decided to put them to sleep - and to take some incriminating evidence, while I was at it.
The other Noblepeople were only searching here and then, and definitely not a problem. I found it especially funny to run 20 times (no, 20x2 times) through her small Apartement, and to hear the 3 ladies cry for the Guards. |
This time, the stacking process inside of the chimney went along much easier - I did not even fall one single time into the abyss! :-) And luckily, also the stacking process at the roof was relatively easy. After I had 7 crates, I swallowed my speed potion, and went up.
This is a nice odditiy of the giant water arrow thingie.
One can enter it from one of the 5 sides, and see this view.
I like it. :-)
Click here for the bigger screenshot.
One of the most positive things of this 3rd way up to the roof of the Tower was, though, that I managed also to get down not only alive, but also with my full hitpoints left.
Basic Hints on the Chimney-Strategy
I will explain here only the way up through the chimney, because the strategy for reaching the very roof consists only of "Get as many crates as you can, at least it should be 13 crates, and bring them up through the chimney. Stack them on the roof of the tower. You want 6-7 crates stacked on each other, at best this small tower should be close to the wall of the inner building. Stand on the top of your small tower of crates. Swallow a speed potion. Run."
Contrary to this easy strategy, the chimney needs a bit of more attention.
First of, you want to chose the correct chimney. Mantle into all 3 fireplaces, and look at the metal beams. You will most probably agree with me that only the fireplace in the room of "Lord Bafford" is useful for the climbing.
Now, do the most boring part. Get the crates that you want on the roof and that you need for your way up into the "Bafford" room. For the chimney, you need not many crates - with a run-start + mantling, you can climb as good as each level of the chimney with maybe only a bottle or a flour canister. If that is not enough, use a crate.
Douze the fire in the fireplace, and begin the stacking. For the first beam, you need 2 crates (or 3 bottles, or only 1 crate and much practice in the run-starts of the mantling). Bring the item that you want to climb on in the next level on the first level of the chimney (most probably, a crate.) Stack your climbing utensils, grab the crate, and up you go.
The 3rd level of the chimney doesn't need any items at all. Just climb up with a run-start. This makes things easier, by the way, since it was always troublesome to climb back at this 3rd level when there was an item.
So, hop back down, and bring the next items to the 4rd level of the chimney. Same as the 1rst level, the 4rth level needs either 3 bottles, or 2 crates, or 1 crate with a well-done run-start.
Now that you know how, continue climbing up. The last level of the chimney doesn't need a climbing item, again - but take care that you don't alert the Mechanist too much when you mantle up.
Take care of him quickly, and also of his buddy at the other side of the roof. And then admire - finally - the really wonderful view and these strange alpha-ish rooms at this floor of the tower.
If you want to get to the "blue jewel" now, then hop back down, and get as many crates up as you need. Stack them, and then run up to the jewel.
If you think that I will ever post a saved game on the roof on my site, you did not understand nothing at all. Either you are so much of a hardcore fan that you will (happily) try to reach the roof yourself, or you should find another way to spend your time than with sitting on your lazy butt and hoping that someone else will do all the work for your.
And, I will also never have part of something that is known as 'save game-cheats'.
Back to Strategy for the T2 demo
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