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In this part of the section, we will discuss the game "THEY STOLE A MILLION". It is not easy to define the genre of this game. In general, it is a strategy game, but there are no military parades here. You will need to plan a heist. The game has five interconnected missions, and only those with the talent of a "great strategist" will be able to complete it. Some may call this magnificent game a textbook for beginner gangsters, but we believe that this is not relevant for many of our readers.
And in general, it is better to participate in a heist in the illusory electronic world without leaving home than to "gut" real museums and then sit in a real prison.
(c) Anatoly Khorobrykh
"THEY STOLE A MILLION"
AriolaSoft UK Ltd. 1986
PROLOGUE
Rays of the hot Cairo sun unsuccessfully tried to break through the closed blinds of the luxurious apartments of the "HILTON" hotel. The air conditioners, humming softly, dispensed artificial coolness, especially pleasant after the dusty and stuffy streets of the "heart of Egypt". The boss leaned back in the huge soft chair and took a flavorful puff from his Havana cigar... His gaze slid over the four people with whom he was set to pull off a "job" tomorrow. The plan for the museum heist, honed by the brilliant mind of this "crew," was calculated down to the last detail.
- Sir, do you remember our first job? - asked the boss's old, trusted friend Billy Smith.
The boss smirked and nodded:
- Of course, old chap! The first pancake is not always a lump. After all, back then, in London, luck was on our side... God willing, it will be the same tomorrow...
The boss fell silent, enveloped in clouds of cigar smoke. The others were also silent, knowing that if they waited a little longer, Mr. Big would tell one of the entertaining stories from his life. And so it happened this time...
- Many years ago, when Billy and I were young and just starting our "business," there was a famous antique shop in London called "Coin Dealer's Shop." Its owner, Mr. Hambug, known as "The Striker," along with friends and colleagues, began buying and selling rare coins even during the war. He managed to become the most famous numismatist in Albion. In his "Shop" were the most exotic and rare coins from all over the world.
Mr. Hambug's son, Henry - a level-headed man - equipped his father's shop with the most modern secret security system for greater safety in trade, but he skimped on expenses and did not want to hire a guard. This later cost him dearly...
Through informed individuals, I contacted the technician who installed the alarm system in the shop. With the help of blackmail (the guy was dabbling in drugs), I managed to extract all the information about the old "Striker" and the "Coin Dealer's Shop" for a certain sum.
"This is a real Aladdin's cave, sir! I've never seen such coins... The "Striker" spared no expense in buying the most expensive ones. He bought silver: cups and ingots. Then he sold all this to wealthy tourists at three times the price - I saw it myself! He boasted to me that all the goods he had in glass showcases and wall cabinets were worth over £60,000. Although the most expensive and rare coins the old man does not display and hides from prying eyes in the kitchen, on the shelves...
And Henry - the son, bought a safe for cash and placed it in the back room. Expensive - a terrible thing! Model 375, version 2! But sometimes at the end of the day, he does not lock the money in it and leaves it in the cash register... I set them up with a cool security system! All showcases and cabinets are locked: if you touch or try to open them - the siren goes off and "Bobbies" will receive a signal at the control panel - they will arrive in a flash! But for you, sir, I will draw the entire system scheme - just throw in a couple more thousand...
The boss extinguished his cigar, took a glass of Martini with ice from the table, and took a sip:
- I had to shell out a lot of money for this guy, but I knew what I was doing! Already after the "Coin Dealer's Shop" was "processed" by us, this unfortunate fellow died from a massive dose of "Crack," bought with my money... The boss fell silent. Silence hung in the room. Outside the windows, the mad Cairo sun blazed mercilessly...
INTERFACE
First of all, do not be intimidated by the amount of information in English. If you do not know the language very well, I advise you to work with a dictionary rather than putting this unique game in the "long box." Although there is a possibility of Russian localization, then you will be able to understand all the nuances of this game without any problems. So...
The first screen is divided into two menus.
In the first on the left:
1) NEW GAME - choose a new game. You will be asked to confirm your choice. Confirm - "SURE", cancel - "EXIT".
2) SAVE TEAM / LOAD TEAM - functions for saving / loading mission states from disk. When prompted - submenu: SWAG1-SWAG5, i.e., you can save/load five positions according to the number of missions.
3) BUY PLANS - choose a heist plan. Accordingly, the "fatter" the loot, the more expensive the information costs. Therefore, you can only complete all missions if you have sufficient capital.
a) COIN DEALERS - Coin Dealer's Shop
b) ART GALLERY - Art Gallery
c) DIAMOND MERCHANT - Jewelry Store.
d) HIGH STREET BANK - Bank on High Street
e) NARBURAK MUSEUM - Museum in Cairo.
When selecting any of the proposed scenarios, you will receive a complete dossier on the object of the future "job." This is a brief description of the buildings, valuables, as well as the owners of all of the above. Your secret informant is ready to sell the plan (blueprint?) for various payments. If you have the necessary amount - "TAKE" and upon confirming your choice "SURE".
After that, you enter the next menu:
INFORMATION FOLDER
In the first item "VALUE OF SWAG" (value of loot) precise information about the price and selection of valuables. In the first mission, this is "COINS" (antique coins), "CASH" (cash money), and "SILVER" (silver cups and ingots). The informant will also offer additional information about each type of loot. I advise you not to be greedy and definitely familiarize yourself with the additions.
By choosing the "SECURITY" (security) option, you can learn about the locations of hideouts, safes, and various secluded places where the rich hide their ill-gotten treasures from their people. In the submenu "FURTHER INFORMATION," there are specific tips on safe-cracking techniques and other things that significantly ease the heist, but - everything comes at a price.
The third line "ALARM SYSTEM" (alarm system) - in my opinion, the most valuable of all. For several thousand pounds, the "spotter" will kindly provide information about all alarm systems, will gladly mark them on the plan, and will give the necessary consultations to the electronic security device specialist. However, expenses can seriously empty your wallet. Let's remember a good rule: "A penny saved is a penny earned."
4) HIRE TEAM - ("assemble" the crew). For any "job" (when selecting this item), 18 desperate tough guys are ready. Each of them has their own requests and ambitions, their own character and fame, their own specialization in "business." Moreover, you are dealing with top-class professionals - each has not one, but two specializations. Accordingly, they ask for different "shares" and a different percentage of the loot for each.
HIRE - participates in the "job"
FIRE - refusal of partnership
EXIT - exit to menu
By the way, in the "PERSONNEL FOLDER," by selecting the "PAGE" option, you can view all the dossiers of your future "accomplices."
5) GET FENCE (get a fence). A menu item without which no mission begins. In the submenu, we meet five "fences" (buyers of stolen goods). Each of them, having their own tastes and preferences, offers different prices for the "loot."
6) JOYSTICK - control selection. Three options to choose from: SINCLAIR, KEMPSTON, PROTECT.
7) PLAN RAID - planning the heist. The start of the mission occurs only when selecting the items BUY PLANS, HIRE TEAM, GET FENCE, otherwise, the program will prompt what or whom you forgot to include in the "job" in one way or another. And don't forget that your team must have a person who knows how to drive a car.
If everything is "O.K," then load the mission and start the "job."
By the way, the large menu "STATUS DISPLAY" contains information about your capitals (CASH: `55,000 initially), about the target of the heist (TARGET:___), about the composition of the "crew" (TEAM:___). The maximum number of "accomplices" is four people, as well as a previously chosen "fence" (FENCE:___).
After completing the first mission, you must load the status in "SAVE TEAM" and with the new amount of money (`) recruit the "crew" for the next "job."
HEIST DEVELOPMENT
After loading the mission and receiving the O.K. message, you enter the initial phase of the game. On the screen in the lower left part - from left to right: six pictograms: a large portrait of the robber currently in contact with you; up to four smaller portraits depending on the number of previously selected participants; timer 00:00; a yellow field indicating the action being performed and the location.
PICTOGRAMS:
"The walking man" - movement of the selected hero. When "FIRE" is pressed, the command "MOVE" appears and you can move in any direction one step or perform one action. The timer will change its value by one time unit (00:00 - 00:01), but the action, unlike movement, can take more time. For example, if you find yourself in front of a locked door (LOCKED DOOR), it will take between 14 to 25 seconds to pick the lock, and additional pictograms will appear. Let's address them right away (they are located in the second row).
OPEN DOOR - open the door if it is locked
CLOSE DOOR - close the door
LOCK DOOR - close and lock the door
PICK LOCK - pick the lock
All text messages appear in the message window.
Let's return to the first pictogram window. After the "walking man" - "hourglass." The pictogram WAIT (wait). When this pictogram is activated, an additional timer appears next to the main timer (on the left) with the initial position 00:00.
The "UP" and "DOWN" keys will help you set the necessary waiting time (maximum 59 seconds per set). If necessary, the set can be repeated.
The pictogram "DEL" (go back) duplicated by the title "DELETE STEP," cancels the previous actions and upon repeated pressing and holding "FIRE" can return you to the starting point of the route. The pictogram "FACE" switches to the next hero in "heist development" mode. In this case, the hero's number and location change on the main screen (from N1 to N2, from N2 to N3, etc.). The names of the heroes change in the message window.
The pictogram "ED" (edit) (title: "EDIT TRACK") allows you to adjust the hero's movement to the beginning or end of his route without erasing the last one.
At any place, you can add or remove any action (or movement) by selecting the pictogram "scissors." An additional submenu of pictograms will appear. The top row of them has been discussed above ("move," "wait," "erase").
New pictograms "LINK TRACK" (link) and "SCRAP TO END" (finish editing).
The first one is very useful. In "WAIT" mode, you can choose additional time (the setup is the same) or remove unnecessary action "DELETE" and after that select "LINK" - the program will automatically recalculate the time of the specified action plus or minus.
If you selected "MOVE" (go) and made a new movement on the plan, the point of route change will be marked with a "star," and the "LINK" function will disappear. After finishing the movement - "SCRAP TO END," and the route will be changed. But if you return to the starting point marked with a star, the menu will show "LINK TRACK." By using this function, you will save the rest of the route, but it will add the time of actions that you set in editing mode.
If you need to review the entire route and actions of the hero - use "ED" and with the options "" like rewinding a tape on a VCR, move where needed. Exiting the mode - the option "EX" ("EXIT EDIT").
When penetrating inside the building, when you discover a safe or a showcase (naturally locked), two new options appear in the pictogram menu:
1) "SMASH CASE." (break the showcase)
2) "ROB CASE" (rob the showcase)
Note: the time for these actions varies among different heroes and depends on the "qualifications" of the characters.
The last pictogram in the main menu "COMMIT ROBBERY" (commit the robbery) triggers all previously compiled routes and actions of all heroes, i.e., you start the heist.
As for the interiors of buildings, you will encounter doors, windows, stairs, and something more substantial that will make you scratch your head. If you worked wisely in the first menu "BUY PLANS" and looked into the sections "INFORMATION FOLDER" and "FURTHER FOLDER," then when programming the heroes, you can see where and what lies, what is protected and how, and most importantly - how to steal it!
And if you find the alarm control panel, you will also get acquainted with two pictograms:
"ENABLE ALARM" - turn on the alarm
"DISABLE ALARM" - turn off the alarm
Pay very close attention to the first pictogram.
Finally, all preparations are complete, the option "COMMIT ROBBERY" is selected, and you start the game.
As a surprise - your heroes are not four (maximum), but five! And this fifth one is you, THE BOSS! You have the same capabilities as the others. But there are also three additional pictograms:
"FREEZE" - freeze. Stops all robbers for about 10 seconds in one place.
"ABORT JOB" - leave the job. Returns everything to the beginning and allows you to correct mistakes.
"ASSIST" - assist. By selecting this function, you can monitor any robber. When switching, the portrait of the hero you are in contact with turns yellow. In this mode, there is one more function:
"RUN FOR IT" - "ATAS"! If activated, the selected accomplice starts to "make a run for it" (i.e., quickly heading to the car) - the action starts. The main goal is to grab everything in the shortest time possible and preferably "without a sound." If you managed to pull off the job "cleanly" - with the help of "ASSIST," use the last pictogram "DRIVE CAR" (let's go!) and...
Well, if luck is not on your side and you get "swept," the program will offer to try again. Go for it!
And lastly. Pay close attention to the messages that will appear in the timer window accompanied by a sound signal from time to time.
GOOD LUCK!
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Contents of the publication: Spectrofon #08
- Экспертиза - Дмитрий Усманов
Strategy guide for the ZX Spectrum version of HEROQUEST, detailing character actions, mission tips, and important game features.
- Дебют - Анатолий Хоробрых
Review of the strategic game THEY STOLE A MILLION, focusing on planning heists and using a team. Analysis of the game's mechanics and mission structure. Tips on managing resources and executing plans effectively.
- Экзамен
Quiz on the game 'THEY STOLE A MILLION' from the debut section, testing players' knowledge. Previous quiz winners on games 'HERO OF THE LANCE' and 'THE SENTINEL' announced. Fresh magazine issue awarded to winners.
- Обзор
Overview of recent Spectrum programs, focusing on Space Crusade and Dizzy-X games with strategic and adventure elements, plus a game chart.
- С миру по биту
Reader letters discuss ZX Spectrum hardware issues, game preservation, and editorial graphics. A competition for the magazine's logo is announced. Opinions on various ZX Spectrum games are shared.
- С миру по биту
Parody on game descriptions, exploring styles from detailed to absurd across different publishers, focusing on Tetris.
- Реклама
Advertising opportunities and distribution locations for Spectrofon magazine, collaboration invites for authors and artists.
