Yahtzee Croshaw's "The Art of Theft"

korodullin

So, we have quite a few people who enjoy Zero Punctuation by Yahtzee Croshaw, but what a lot of people may not know is that he's put out quite a few enjoyable little games, including the wonderful Out of This World-style platformer 1213.

Well, just today, he released another new title, this time a mix of Thief and 1213 and starring his character Trilby titled, appropriately, Trilby: The Art of Theft.



As you can see, the game uses a modified version of the 1213 engine, and has you sneaking around various locales using light sources, fast moves, and a swanky umbrella to grab your loot, evade notice, and escape with an inflated reputation. Lots of replayability, since you get timed and graded based on your performance, and you can also go back and replay any mission to improve. The better you do, the more money and renown you earn, and the better skills and extra abilities you can unlock.

I'm not sure how long this is, since I'm only on the third mission, but it's fairly challenging (for me, at least). Great fun though, just like 1213.

You can find it over at The Escapist.

Kazhiim

No way. Yahtzee made 1213?
RESPECT UP!

Zeon

Trying to play this game while running itunes will kill itunes. FYI.

Zetetic Elench

I'm really liking this. There are quite a few sprite depth issues, which are pretty annoying (often, for example, Trilby will hug against the wall, only to have a guard... obliviously walk between him and the wall) but overall I'm really really enjoying it. The skills are great fun and the 1213-style cutscenes are certainly doing it for me.

Impersonator

I'm really enjoying it too, it's so fun trying to run past the guards and watch them helplessly use the radio as I zap them

Oh and I now hate cameras to death

Zetetic Elench

Haha, and the Sadist skill is awesome fun :^::^:

Edit: Perhaps this thread would attract more attention if it mentioned Yahtzee or 1213 in the title?

Impersonator

Or the Chzo myths

Mumblyfish

This is a wonderful little game. I've yet to try any of the skills except Locksmith, as the most expensive skill in the game, Into Shadow, looks so delightfully broken I just have to save up for it.

Dance Commander

Damn you for showing me this.
Also, do alarms/zappings affect your score, or is it just binary--either you go over the limit or you don't?
AKA, is there some reason not to use the maximum I'm allowed?

Zetetic Elench

Tasings and alarms go towards your final grade at the end of the stage, yeah. The lowest score is C, and the highest is the Trilby symbol.

Edit: And your score affects how much rep you get.

Dance Commander

Mumbly, I'm not sure it's possible to get through the game saving up; I'm fairly certain you'll need to buy roll pretty early on, if nothing else.

Mumblyfish

Aye, I ended up buying Roll. It's only 300 Reputation, and it allowed me to rack up some good scores on the earlier missions. Regardless, I will get 3,000 Reputation. That broken skill will be mine.

Dance Commander

I'm don't think it's really going to be all that hot, it just lets you do the same stuff faster. Although it would make some of the more onerous camera sections easier, I'm personally trying to max out lockpicking.

Mumblyfish

The biggest obstacle thus far has been the time limit (for achieving Rank Trilby), and Into Shadow seems the skill of choice for shaving off precious seconds. I tried the 500 Reputation skill which allows Trilby to sidestep while hugging a wall, but the movement is simply too slow to justify at this point. It will, inevitably, become a required skill for speeding through laser-trapped areas. But for now Into Shadow seems a better target for achieving perfect scores.

At least I'm not saving up to put Reputation into Sadist and Lower Standards. Urgh.

jothki

Zetetic Elench wrote: »

Haha, and the Sadist skill is awesome fun :^::^:

Edit: Perhaps this thread would attract more attention if it mentioned Yahtzee or 1213 in the title?

Or even the full title. Those in the know will know who Trilby is.

Avenrosh

1213 is awesome... That's all I have to say for now. I'll definitely be trying this game out.

Zombiemambo

This is probably my favorite of his, with the 1213 series being my second favorite. The Chzo Mythos gets worse as time goes on, IMO.

Aydr

Cool. This looks like a good way to get my paper done on time.

Wait a minute... you bastard.

If my paper is on the word bastard, and I make a post calling someone a bastard because of this game, does that mean that playing this game counts as productive?

korodullin

Zetetic Elench wrote: »

Haha, and the Sadist skill is awesome fun :^::^:

Edit: Perhaps this thread would attract more attention if it mentioned Yahtzee or 1213 in the title?

Done.

Also, Yahtzee's beta testers have some forums set up wherein they discuss a lot of stuff about AoT like secrets and techniques, if you want a better idea of how to do some stuff.

Honestly though, I wish I could play this with a gamepad. Keyboard-only is tough for platformers with me, even if they're designed for it.

Zombiemambo

I wouldn't consider Art of Theft a platformer, but I know what you mean.

I wish I didn't have to "grind" RP to get skills I really should have at the beginning, like increasing the amount of alarms and tazes.

Disco Bandit

No Mac version? I'm borrowing a mac for a week, but apparently it doesn't like .exe files.

Shens

Holy shit. He is the same Yahtzee that did the fantastic AGS games?

If you guys love Point-Click-Adventures, check out 5 Days a Stranger and 7 Days a Skeptic. Fantastic games and very well made. I think this is his site:

http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/games.htm


Sorry that was slightly off-topic. It does feature the Trilby character though. I loved the character in his two adventure games, I am going to have to check this out.

Iriah

1213's saves corrupted for me when I was perhaps thirty minutes from the end. I was squaring off against that boss you have to hide in the

shadows

to beat. I was far too annoyed to ever go through it afterwards.

Ghandi 2

Cool game, but how the fuck do I get past cameras? Even though I can't do it always, I understand how to get past a guard. But these cameras seem fucking impossible. At least they deactivate after they go off.

Mitten

Ghandi 2 wrote: »

Cool game, but how the fuck do I get past cameras? Even though I can't do it always, I understand how to get past a guard. But these cameras seem fucking impossible. At least they deactivate after they go off.

Just keep in mind that it doesn't matter if they see you, just that you manage to get out of their sight before they go off.

Zetetic Elench

Ghandi 2 wrote: »

Cool game, but how the fuck do I get past cameras? Even though I can't do it always, I understand how to get past a guard. But these cameras seem fucking impossible. At least they deactivate after they go off.

Did you do the tutorial at all? I don't mean that harshly; but it is pretty well explained there. Hug the walls, stay out of the light, and wait for them to face away before you go for it. If you can't see an obvious way through, look for cables leading to junction boxes or switches that could turn them off.

Edit: Yes, that too. You've got a very brief time period that you can be seen and still get away with it, no more than about a second.

Zombiemambo

Note: cameras can't detect you when you stand underneath them.

Zetetic Elench

That's useful also, though I only find myself using that to my advantage very occasionally.

Zombiemambo

I use it all of the time, but it's harder on later levels.

Zetetic Elench

Sidling was the very first skill I bought, so I think that's probably why I don't stand under cameras much - I can just sidle past dark areas with cameras above without being seen.

korodullin

Shens wrote: »

Holy shit. He is the same Yahtzee that did the fantastic AGS games?

If you guys love Point-Click-Adventures, check out 5 Days a Stranger and 7 Days a Skeptic. Fantastic games and very well made. I think this is his site:

http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/games.htm


Sorry that was slightly off-topic. It does feature the Trilby character though. I loved the character in his two adventure games, I am going to have to check this out.

According to Yahtzee, Art of Theft is a kind of prequel to 5 Days a Stranger.

And as for cameras, they're pretty tough to get around at times, especially when you have to time it so that you pop through a door, the camera's not facing your way.

And a little bit of baffling logic with the guards sitting at desks. I spent more time than I should have trying to figure out how to get past the guy in the first mission without being seen. I figured I'd have to duck in "front" of the desk to get out of his line of sight, but it turns out you just walk on past him. Kinda binary, but I guess it could be worse.

Disco Bandit

Wait, you don't have to zap the first guard in the first level? Explanation please, I'd love to have a higher score on that one.

Zetetic Elench

Well, he can only see you when he's looking up, and as far as I can tell (this is how I did it both times I've done the level) he can't see you when you're ducking.

korodullin

He can't see you at all when he's looking down at whatever he's reading at his desk. When he looks down, simply run in front of the desk.

PatboyX

I know it would probably be considered self-serving but I'd still love to see him review this game.

Disco Bandit

Yeah, I figured that out. Thanks for the help. I'm stuck on the third level, but I don't feel like I'm missing anything... I just need to do better, if that makes sense. I keep making mistakes that cost me.

I think I'm so reluctant to use my zapper (because you only get a certain amount) that I wind off setting off alarms, which, guess what, you only get a certain amount of.

PatboyX

korodullin wrote: »

Shens wrote: »

Holy shit. He is the same Yahtzee that did the fantastic AGS games?

If you guys love Point-Click-Adventures, check out 5 Days a Stranger and 7 Days a Skeptic. Fantastic games and very well made. I think this is his site:

http://www.fullyramblomatic.com/games.htm


Sorry that was slightly off-topic. It does feature the Trilby character though. I loved the character in his two adventure games, I am going to have to check this out.

According to Yahtzee, Art of Theft is a kind of prequel to 5 Days a Stranger.

And as for cameras, they're pretty tough to get around at times, especially when you have to time it so that you pop through a door, the camera's not facing your way.

And a little bit of baffling logic with the guards sitting at desks. I spent more time than I should have trying to figure out how to get past the guy in the first mission without being seen. I figured I'd have to duck in "front" of the desk to get out of his line of sight, but it turns out you just walk on past him. Kinda binary, but I guess it could be worse.

Does this mean that the final level will

have you sneaking into the mansion?

Impersonator

Oh god, please let it be

korodullin

I don't think so, since Art of Theft takes place a few years before 5 Days a Stranger.

Impersonator

LIES

korodullin

www.fullyramblomatic.com wrote:

The game's called Art Of Theft. The long version is Trilby: The Art Of Theft, because it features everyone's favourite dapper renegade from the Chzo Mythos (I stress that it's set in 1991, two years before 5DAS, so don't think it's a continuation or anything).