Idea Info Name: Steal My Heart Away Index: Primary Category: Adventure Submitted: 7/10/2003 9:47:51 PM Written By: DrmDiver1983 Game Architecture and Design: A New Edition Book Highly Recommended !

While drilling for oil in the Congo jungles, an American petroleum tycoon unearths a large, pink, naturally heart shaped diamond. He donates the jewel to the Global City Museum of Arts and Natural History. Notorious international jewel thief Mint DeVry falls in love with the diamond and decides that she will have it, along with any other treasure she can get out of the job. However, DeVry is not the only thief after La Coeur du Monde. Three other thieves and one Interpol officer are also after the stone for their own reasons. Its a race against time, the Global City police, and a contest with the the Museum's sophisticated security system as these five people go for the ultimate prize: The Heart of the World. La Coeur du Monde!

You play as Mint DeVry. Capable of stealth feats no one would believe possible, you must use your wits, skill, and cunning to get around or go through the intense security of the Global City Museum. These feats are used by holding a Stealth button then pressing any of the other buttons. Stealth is not permanent, and is kept track of by a small meter on the screen. When this meter runs out, you cannot perform Stealth abilities. Some Stealth can only be used in certain areas. These are marked with a hazy blue aura. Press the stealth button while in these auras to perform extra sneaky thief moves. Hold Stealth while walking to sneak around. Otherwise Mint will run in the direction you want to go.

Examples of Stealth abilities:
Stealth Teleport- Transports Mint from one aura to a new location. (press Stealth near one)
Ninja Jump- Land on impossibly small platforms such as flagpoles, spearpoints and chandaliers.(jump and press Stealth)
Cat Recover- While falling, allows Mint to land quietly and on her feet. (press Stealth while falling)
Belly Crawl- Crouch, hold Stealth, and press any direction. Mint will drop to her belly and slide along the ground. Perfect for dodging those low level lasers and entering tight spaces.
Rail Walk/Slide- Walk or Slide upon narrow support beams, electric lines, banners and any other handy object (jump at an object described above and press Stealth)
Wall Kick- Bounce off walls to reach places higher than you could normally jump. This can also get you over walls, laser sensors, and pressure sensitive floors.

Other more mundane Stealth abilities are accomplished by locating an aura, and holding stealth. Such abilities are pressing against a wall, ducking behind a desk, statue or whatever.

Mint is armed with a quarter staff, though you will pick up more powerful weapons, like a GCPD 9mm pistol and an M-16. By continuously pressing the attack button while fighting, you will accomplish more and more complicated combos. Pressing any direction while in a combo will change the sequence of attacks. You can grab your enemies by sneaking up on them and pressing attack. Depending on your currently equipped weapon, Mint will perform a different attack. For example, while using her staff, Mint will choke the enemy by holding it over his throat. With a gun, Mint will use the enemy as a human silencer by pressing the barrel into their flesh and shooting. Bare handed, she will simply put them out with a sleeper hold. Enemies include GCPD officers, security guards, GCPD SWAT officers, guard dogs, rival thieves and mechanized defense systems.

The Global City Museum is seperated into two seperate towers. The game begins in one tower, and half way to the top of this building, you will have to find a way to get to the second without going all the way back down. Perhaps one of your fellow thieves will have something that could help?
Each tower is seperated into 25 floors. On each floor you will find great troves of treasures. Gold, jewels, works of art, fossils, rare natural phenomena, and artifacts are yours for the taking. You just have to out wit the security. Speaking of which, deactivating alarm systems is no longer a matter of find the switch or key and flip it. Mint will have to solve puzzles to disarm systems ahead, above, below, behind, and around her. Fail to solve the puzzle after so many tries and you will have to try your luck at avoiding it. Keep trying after you get locked out of the system, and you may set the alarm off! Also, as you climb the towers, you will experience more and more resilient security. Doughnut-loving security guards are plentiful at the lower levels, but higher up they are replaced by trigger happy SWAT teams and sensor-suite loaded robots. The more you are discovered below, the tighter security will be above.
Any place you could fit into can be a path: air vents, elevator shafts, Mail service slots, laundry chutes, you name it! If you can see it, odds are you can hide there.
Mint is directed to her objectives by her instincts. They will speak to her in her own voice when ever they feel some thieving oppurtunity. Listen closely for Mint to say something like "Something's near", "Ripe for Plunder", or "Guards!" to alert you to the presence of hidden items, valuables, enemies and security panels that will allow you to disarm a system. Go back to floors you have previously visited and all the security that has been deactivated above may do something there. This will open the way to more valuables, treasure, and money. But don't spend much time retracing your steps. Remember, you're not the only one after La Coeur du Monde, and the first one to it, gets it!

Props to ChickenFry! A slew of multiplayer modes are in the works thanks to his/her suggestion! They will be posted here for your review and approval as soon as they are finished! Check back to see what they are!