--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8 july 2009
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: BG Taffer (Svetlio)
Contact info: saturn@gbg.bg


Date of release: 8 july 2009

Story:

Thief 2: The Golden Project
Mission 1: First City College


Hello,

My name is Darius and I'm an agent of the woodsie queen Victoria. Things aren't going well these days, because the Mechanists are taking over the City and we, the Pagans are constantly under threat. We don't know what the Mechanists have in their
mind, but a fellow thief named Garrett has been sent into the huge Mechanist castle named Angelwatch to investigate the situation.

Meanwhile, I also have a mission to fulfill. A fellow agent named Alun was working in a local college, but we haven't heard anything from him for weeks.
This is what I'm going to do - to find out what happened.

The building is in Auldale and it's not new - It served as a museum in the recent past. I tried to find out information about it when an old woman told me the following story:
The former museum was built by a rich lord and he was one of the richest people in the City. After his death, his best friend and his nephew were the curators of the museum.
Unfortunately, the best friend died too and the nephew couldn't handle all things alone and went bankrupt.

The museum became abandoned, but was never demolished because there was a rumour that ghosts were inhabiting the museum. However, recently a brave man called George decided to investigate the situation and, to his surprise, the building turned out not to be haunted and there weren't any ghosts there.

He then decided to make the museum a college: a place where rich nobles and their children can study. To gather all knowledge George, now the headmaster, has decided to invite all City factions - the Mechanists, the Pagans and the Hammerites. Many people in the City were sceptics if all factions will ever work together peacefully, but weeks passed and there were no serious incidents.

However, I fear that this peaceful time is over and I suspect that Alun was murdered by the Mechanists. My first objective is to find out under what circumstances he was murdered. There are also a lot of valuables in the college and I'm going to take them for myself, which will be my second goal.

Luckily, I managed to sneak into the college undercover. The guards won't touch me, so I can stroll freely in most places of the Building. However the Mechanists in the Museum know who I am and will attack me on sight. There are certain places I should avoid also and I have marked then on my map with a red mark.

There's no time for waiting - the Karras has his plans and I don't believe the situation in the City will change for good. It's time to begin. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frequently asked questions:

1. What is the difference between Thief-The Dark Project and Thief Gold?

Thief-The Dark Project is the first game of the series. It was published in 1998. Thief Gold was published later and included bug fixes, enhancements, plus three new missions.

2. What was Thief 2 Gold supposed to be?

Thief 2 Gold was supposed to be an update to Thief 2: The Metal Age. It had to include several new missions - a College mission, a Museum mission, an Undead mission, a Slums and probably a mission with Hammerites.

3. What happened to the project?

Looking Glass Studios went out of business before the completion of Thief 2 Gold. Thief 3 was developed and released by Ion Storm and Thief 4 is being made by Eidos Montreal. The unfinished missions intended to fit into Thief 2 Gold were released to the community in August 2006, but they are unplayable. They can only be opened with DromEd and viewed in Game mode with the combination Alt+G.

4. Was there a fan project to complete Thief 2 Gold?

Yes, there was and I was also part of the project. Unfortunately, the team broke up and three years after the release of the unfinished Thief 2 Gold missions, the fan project remains incomplete.

5. So why did you decide to make a Fan Mission based on a Thief 2 Gold mission?

Because I believe this will be the beginning of the resurrection of the fan project.

6. Will there be anymore FMs based on Thief 2 Gold?

It depends on the will of the community

7. So why you didn't release your FM as Thief 2 Gold, but you chose a new title: Thief: The Golden Project. Mission 1: First City College?

Because I feel I don't have the right to do so. I'm not Looking Glass Studios. I'm not that skilled as the people who were working as Looking Glass Studios.

8. Is Mission 1: First City College based on the unfinished Thief 2 Gold College mission?

No, it's based on the unfinished Thief 2 Gold Museum mission. The mistake was discovered only later. Now Mission 1: First City College is a mix of many ideas. Part of it looks like a museum, another part looks like a school. There are even Hammerites which were almost not seen in Thief 2: The Metal Age. However, you won't find zombies and haunts there. It's a human only mission.

9. Was the mission heavily modified or you are just reskinning/retexturing it?

Thought I was trying to follow the original architecture design, there are almost no rooms left intact. Almost all of the first floor was rebuilt and retextured. The stairways, the whole second floor, the gallery, the observatory are made de novo. They are created according to my interpretation.

10. How much time did it take for you to create the mission?

Approximately four months

11. Why do you introduce a new character - Darius and no Garrett? Haven't you noticed that the community doesn't want a thief without Garrett?

Because it's a fan project, not an official Thief expansion. This is a fan mission and it's not supported by Looking Glass Studios or Eidos Interactive. Creating a campaign with Garrett means rewriting the whole plot, plus we know there are many inconsistencies between OMs and FMs and FMs and FMs. A new character is to minimise the inconsistencies.

12. How can I play this mission?

You should keep the archive intact and install it via Dark Loader or Garrettloader 


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Credits:

Level Design - Svetoslav Alexandrov
Story - Svetoslav Alexandrov, PotatoGuy, suewan. 
Custom textures - Svetoslav Alexandrov, Vigil
Custom objects - Sluggs, von Eins, Jason Otto
Betatesters: darthsLair, SirFreddieM, PotatoGuy, suewan, Gloria Creep

If I've missed somebody, feel free to contact me and I'll give credits to him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


* Play Information * 

Game: Thief2
Mission Title: Mission 1: First City College
File name: (miss20.mis)
Difficulty Settings: Yes
Equipment store: No
Map / automap: Yes
New graphics: Yes
New sounds: No
Briefing : No
Base: An unfinished Thief 2 Gold Original mission


* Construction * 


Four months

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





Copyright (C) Svetoslav Alexandrov.

Distribution of this level is allowed as long as it is free and the package is kept intact. You may not include this level to any map pack without my permission. No one may edit this mission or modify it in any way. 
This level was not made and is not supported by Looking Glass Studios or Eidos Interactive.


