Idea Info Name: Steal My Heart Again Index: Primary Category: Adventure Submitted: 9/21/2003 11:27:27 PM Written By: DrmDiver1983

Steal My Heart Again

Story

Global City Museum of Art and Natural History

Having defeated her fellow thieves, and outwitted the security of the museum, notorious international jewel thief Mint DeVry finally hacks into the chamber containing the priceless Heart of the World diamond, La Coeur du Monde. But it’s gone. There is nothing in its place. Just the small velvet pillow it had been displayed on. Having gone through too much to turn away empty handed, DeVry vows to make the Heart of the World hers. And the first place she’ll look is at the home of the oil tycoon, who originally found the diamond.

Once again, you are Mint DeVry. You will infiltrate some of the most secure places on the planet in your quest for the Heart of the World. These range from a swank mansion, to downtown New Orleans during Mardi Gras, all on the search for the most valuable jewel in existence.

Your Stealth abilities are monitored by a small meter on screen. Each ability consumes a varying amount of stealth. Mundane stealth abilities such as tiptoeing, hiding behind things, pressing against a wall, do not consume stealth. Stealth is recovered over time, and through picking up special items. Mint’s abilities, and the amount of stealth they use, this time around are:
Stealth Teleport- Press stealth near a blue aura to transport Mint to a new location. Medium
Ninja Jump- Jump and press stealth to land on impossibly small platforms such as flagpoles, spearpoints and chandeliers. Small.
Cat Recover- While falling, press stealth to allow Mint to land quietly and on her feet. Small.
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. Cumulative, the longer you use it the more stealth it consumes.
Rail Walk/Slide- Press stealth to walk or slide upon narrow support beams, electric lines, banners and any other handy object. Cumulative in a walk. No stealth is consumed for a slide.
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. Jump at a wall and press jump again when you hit the wall to kick off of it. Small
Phantasm- If you get in a fight that you can’t back out of, hold the stealth button and press attack, or jump and attack. You will take off toward or above your opponent, either winding up behind or over them. From here, they are open to attack. In the process, you will leave a wispy image of yourself behind, for a second or two, the enemy will attack this form, so you can either attack or run. This can be used outside of a fight to cover ground between hiding spots quickly. You must flick your control stick in the direction you want to dash. If you hold the stick, Mint will not dash but tiptoe in the direction you point the stick. Medium.
Drop Out -By holding perfectly still and pressing stealth, you can render yourself invisible for a few seconds. The effect doesn’t last long, and you can’t move while invisible. Use it on those pesky security cameras, and wandering guards. Large.
Disguise-If you knock out an enemy, you can press stealth near them and steal their clothing. This will help you blend into the society of security guards, police, and whatnot. Don’t get too close to these people while disguised, or they may realize that you are not who you are dressed up as. None.
Camouflage- In an outdoor environment, and standing near some sort of plant life, you can press stealth to hide in it. While hiding in the bushes, it is paramount that you do not move, or else you break the pattern of camo, and give away your position. Medium.
Pickpocket- Think an enemy may have something useful? Sneak up behind him and press stealth. You will silently search their pockets for anything that may be of use (weapons, keys, any valuables, etc.).Frisk them too much and you will draw their attention. And you don’t want that. Small.

Enemies in this adventure work as a team, and many carry radios on which they report back to their section HQ. They do this almost religiously, and if they skip a report, a team is sent to find where the tardy guard is. If this guard is found dead or knocked out, a sweep of the section is performed. During a sweep, you want to find somewhere and hide, fast. Guards on a sweep are ordered to shoot and kill intruders, and a dead thief will never steal the world’s most valuable diamond. Once the sweep is over, you can continue your felonious exploration of the level. Just don’t get caught again. Each successive sweep is more thorough than the last, and places that were safe before may not be in the next sweep. Once a sweep is complete, or you defeat a certain amount of enemies, thing will either settle back down (uneventful sweep) or the security will call for more powerful forms of protection, such as the local law enforcement. Keep fighting when they arrive and what started as a simple reconnaissance mission may become a full blown hostage situation, depending on how long you survive. Garnering this much attention for yourself is not the best way to ensure continued good health, so it would be best to simply avoid starting sweeps altogether. If you can find the section HQ, and knock out the controller, you can wander about the area that HQ was for without fear of sweeps, though you will still have to worry about guards. If they can’t get in touch with HQ they will call on other guards for back up. If a lone guard finds you, he will fight you. Knocking him out may initiate a sweep. Disarming the security will again be a matter of “hacking” into it. By solving puzzles, ranging from Simon style memory games to perhaps a few levels of Tetris, you will shut down systems ahead, behind, around, above and below you. Some systems cannot be hacked, and must be fried with your taser (again, thank you TheNewMan). Not all systems can be fried either. They will be mixed up between the ones you must fry and the ones you have to hack. And some can’t be hacked or fried. You’ll just have to go through or around these. Setting off an alarm system would send a guard to investigate. If you are found by this guard, he will try to capture you. Defeating him will set off a sweep, and you’ll have to find somewhere to hide. The best method of getting through the game is quite simple: Don’t get caught.

Mint will still pack a quarterstaff as her primary weapon, however (and props to TheNewMan on this) it is telescopic. When not in use, Mint will carry it in travel size: about a foot long. When the time comes for you to fight, it will extend to its full length. The staff won’t be your only weapon though, as you will also find small dart guns, cans of pepper spray, chaff grenades (perfect for shocking those pesky electronic security systems), chloroform (a sleeping guard is not as alarming as a dead or unconscious one), a taser and perhaps a set of nunchakus or some other non-lethal weapons. If you are a good thief, you will rarely or never need to fight. These are here just to back up the novices who speak as masters.

Mint’s quest for La Coeur du Monde will take her around the world and into some of the most secure locations on the planet. While visiting these places, be on the lookout for anything that may be valuable: jewels, artfiacts, works of art, etc.Be advised, though, Mint can only carry so much loot before she has to drop it off at a collection point. These are tucked away in hidden places in each level, and what goes into them won't come out. However, these places are not immune to sweeps, so you can't always hide at one of these points during one. Don't worry about your hard-earned cash though. Once you drop it off, it's forever yours. 

The first place you look for La Coeur du Monde is:
Lockhart Mansion, Texas
Texas billionaire, Kenneth Lockhart, owned the oil firm that originally discovered La Coeur du Monde. Legally, he owns the stone, and therefore should know exactly where it is. It will not be easy breaking into his house. It is guarded by an army of security guards, and is loaded with sophisticated anti-theft technology. Not to mention the place is simply HUGE. Your goal here is to find Kenneth’s bedroom, and somehow talk him into telling you where La Coeur du Monde is. After some coercion, he will tell you that a French diamond firm has taken the stone to France, so that they can calculate its worth. Once you leave Kenneth, you will be off to:

Vendeurs des Diamants Internationale, Paris.
The Vendeurs des Diamants Internationale building is heavily guarded, as a fortune in diamonds is always on hand. This firm supposedly has the Heart of the World. The French corporation has a little more financial clout than our good friend Mr. Lockhart, and has hired a gaggle of mercenaries to protect their billion dollar investments. Also, the place is equipped with the latest in high-tech security equipment: Heat-sensitive floors. Not to mention the fact that several of the “ornamental” statues are in all reality booby traps. Some spit arrows at you, others “mistakenly” drop their axes on your head, while still others abandon subtlety altogether with flamethrowers. Once you find the Appraisal Office, you will find documents that lead you to believe that the gem is at:

The Tragic Kingdom Resort and Casino, Las Vegas
Owned by an eccentric Romanian count, The Tragic Kingdom breaks away from the traditional happy, bright themes of other casinos, opting instead to take visitors into the pages of a gothic novel. Everywhere are wall sconces fixed with torches, macabre statues and paintings with eyes that seem to follow you around the room. The shows are horrific, and sometimes gruesome events. The dealers are pale, and gaunt. The waitresses are skinny, and appear malnourished. The security guards are dressed as medieval executioners, and pack large axes. Many of the paintings are fitted with security cameras in the eyes, and more than a few rooms have motion sensors that kick on the lights the moment a guest (or thief) enters. Being caught in the light is not a good idea. According to the paperwork from Paris, a guest at the House of Superstition has the stone. Once you find this individual, he tells you that the diamond has been sent to be run through a series of tests designed to find out what gives it its pink color. The only labs capable of such experiments are:

Hasegawa Laboratories, Tokyo.
These labs are not very well manned against intruders, but then again, with all the double paned glass and titanium doors, they don’t need to be. You will still have to be on your guard, as there are a few guards wandering the halls, and security cameras are all over the place. Opening the doors will be a true test of your hacking abilities. Once you have entered the diamond testing labs, a helpful scientist will explain that the diamond is on display during the celebration of:

Mardi Gras, New Orleans
A city steeped in mysticism and voodoo, New Orleans is a spooky place for a superstitious thief. Under the veil of parades and beads, there is a large subculture of magic. La Coeur du monde is being held in a New Orleans history museum. Unfortunately, you arrive in the city all the way across town from the museum. You will have to wade through the celebration and find passage across the Mississippi River to the museum itself. You arrive just in time to see a religious cult steal the stone before you, and your pursuit of them takes you to:

Tikal Ruins, Central America
A cult calling itself Light of the Muse has taken La Coeur du Monde to the ancient Mayan ruins in Mexico. Somewhere in the city’s central pyramid the stone is about to be reunited with the planet, since it is, after all, The Heart of the World. If it is returned to the earth, you can never claim it as your own. You have to infiltrate the pyramid, disarm the ancient booby traps, get around guards both natural and supernatural (as in Mayan spirits), and swipe the diamond from the hand of the cult leader. That’s when all hell breaks loose. The temple is ordered sealed off, and you have three minutes to get out before you are trapped forever inside. Escape, and the Heart of the World is yours. But something doesn’t feel right about it. It doesn’t feel like a diamond should, it feels like. . .

Lockhart Mansion Redux
GLUE! This diamond is a fake. A return trip to Texas is in order. This visit to the mansion, the security will be tighter thanks to your last intrusion. Not only that, but the way you took last time isn’t the way you have to go this time. Different areas of the mansion have been locked off, others have been opened up. Also, you won’t be able to stay indoors the entire time. A little foray into the lovely garden will be needed to get you to where Kenneth has holed himself up this time. This is one of the most guarded places in the mansion, as Kenneth values his flowers almost more than his life. Once you reach him, he tells you that all your globetrotting was for nothing. As the Heart of the World had never left. . .

The Global City Museum of Art and Natural History
Here you are, back at the scene of the original crime. You’ve got 25 floors of covert hell to get through before you can get back to the display chamber that houses La Coeur du Monde. The world famous military/police force known as the Global City Security Forces has been alerted to your imminent arrival, and the place is locked up tighter than brand new Bentley in the projects. And four certain individuals are at large in the museum, and they shouldn’t be too happy to see you. After all, you’re the one who got them arrested the first time you were here. The final guardian of the Heart of the World is a certain spy, sent not only to protect the world’s most valuable gem but to try and recruit the one trying to steal it: Lethal Agent Kaguya Shinomiya. There is no way around this method of defense. You will have to go through Global City’s best secret agent to claim the ultimate prize. The Heart of the World. La Coeur du Monde!

For those interested, these are the four thieves from the original Steal My Heart Away. They make a return in this one as midlevel bosses in the last level.
Alec- Former US Air Force special operations officer. Alec was discharged when he was found to be smuggling military hardware to anti-government groups. After he left the Air Force, Alec got into stealing this piece of whatever or that. He has stolen everything from money and jewels to military hardware.
Venus- Oh so beautiful, and oh so clumsy, Venus is more suited for the runway than she is for thieving. However, she has managed to garner more than a little notoriety, as she was responsible for a successful break in and escape from Fort Knox in the US.
Chester- Though he is only 17, Chester is already a master hacker, and has been linked to the crash and corruption of many “unbreakable” computer systems the world over. He is after La Coeur du Monde for the challenge of breaking into the “invincible” security systems.
Julia- A former Technical Sergeant in the Global City Security Forces, Julia was recruited to Interpol to track down Mint DeVry. Despite her roots with them, GCSF would not allow her run of the museum, so she had to break in herself and try to steal La Coeur du Monde. Once it was hers, she intended to lure Mint into a trap with it.

Some levels also have a special item that permanently enhances Mint’s abilities. These are well hidden, and would take a while to find. Some would actually be hidden in the most obvious of places, because let’s face it, we’ve all been searching hard for this one item or treasure endlessly, only to find it in the last place we’d expect it, that place being the most obvious. These items are called Relics. The Relics are:
Bruce Lee Video- In the instances you find yourself needing to fight, this makes your attacks connect with more power and precision, and will make short work of those who want to fight you.
Saint Nick- Saint Nicholas of Myra (a.k.a Santa Claus) is the patron saint of thieves. If you can find this amulet, your stealth skills will not drain as much of your stealth meter. This will also improve the natural regeneration of stealth, making it reover faster than before.
Climbing Gear- Mint can only jump so high, and there are walls, bookshelves and things of similar nature that she may want to be on top of. If you have the climbing gear, you can reach the top of these easily. Just walk up to them and press stealth to climb up.
Running shoes- With these, Mint will run faster and this also improves the range of her Phantasm move.
Tonfa- A new weapon similar to a pair of police nightsticks. With these, Mint will deliver two or three hits instead of just one. These are also combo-capable. With multiple hits of the attack button, you will deliver more and more complicated strikes, perhaps going so far as to disarming your opponent. They can also break things that Mint’s staff can’t.
Trench Coat- Mint can only carry so many treasures and money before she has to take them to her exit point. With the many-pocketed Trench Coat, you can carry twice what you could before, and that means less returns to your drop off point.
GPS- With this little contraption, you can keep a map of the level you are on. The map will show places you have already been, and you can mark areas on the map so that you can find your way back to them easier.

The multiplayer modes from the first Steal My Heart Away return, with improvements. (BIG thanks to TheNewMan, jeez you sure have helped a lot with this one). For one thing, Agent Shinomiya is selectable as soon as you beat the game, and you can unlock other characters (i.e Kenneth, security guards, cops, scientists, and the like) as you meet them in the game. All the original modes have returned.
Steal the Stone- Playing as your selected character, you must search the maze for La Ceour du Monde, and take it to your exit. You can't attack while holding the stone, and if you are attacked while holding it, you wll drop it, and be stunned for several seconds. During this time, the gem will roll in the direction you were running until some enterprising sneak picks it back up. The first one to get the stone to their exit wins.
Smash and Grab- A whole floor of money, jewels and treasure just waiting to be lifted. Get as much as you can to your drop point, but be careful. You can only carry so much before you have to drop your treasure off. And if you're attacked, you will drop a little bit of your ill-earned cash.
Keep the Stone- Once you find the Diamond, you have to keep it for a player-set amount of time. If you are hit, you will be stunned and drop the stone. If you can hang on to it for the set amount of time (cumulative of course) you win.
Escape!- The players are set on identical courses, and must outrun the pursuing cops. There are shortcuts littered along the path, which take you much farther down the road in a shorter path. However, these will test your thief skills to the limit, and failure will put you all the way back to the beginning of the short cut to either try again, or keep to the well beaten path. Don't hesitate to trip your fellow runners up.
Mine!Mine!Mine!- A random player protects a pile of gold coins while every one else has to try and steal from it. The attacking players can only carry one coin at a time, and if they are hit, they will forever lose the coin they were carrying. If the defender can keep more coins than the others steal, he/she wins. If not, then the player with the most coins wins.
Arena has been removed, but will be replaced if people like the idea of it.
Hacker- A special computer contains a special file. Each thief must slove a series of puzzles to hack into the mainframe, and begin downloading this file. Once in, he/she must defend their position in the mainframe from other hackers with a series of defense puzzles/programs designed both to keep other hackers out and improve your download speed.  If he can stay in long enough, he will download the precious file within. If he's kicked out by another hacker, he has to get back in and resume his download.
Hot Potato-A thief has been tagged with a tracking device. An attack from this thief will tag the injured thief. If you have the device for a certain total amount of time (time is player-set, and time you have the device is cumulative) You are out. Last thief running wins.

Multiplayer would be done either as four players on one system, or as up to 16 on multiple systems (LAN networking, gotta love it when it works). At least three players are required, as simply two would make for short hacking, racing and stealing sessions.

Get enough money and treasure in the story mode, and you will unlock a secret level: Mint's first mission as a Lethal Agent.
Area 51, Nevada
A search and rescue mission chosen for Mint to cut her teeth on. Agent "Jazz" O'Connell has been captured while snooping around this top-secret military installation. Your mission is simple: Rescue him. This level is in a state of constant sweep, so you have to get through without being discovered at all. Sure hope you found all the relics, as this level would be very difficult without at least Saint Nick, the Running Shoes, and GPS. Area 51 naturally has the tightest security on the planet: Pressure sensitive floors, laser sensors, motion detectors, automated sentry guns, and, surprise surprise, none of the security systems can be hacked, and they are hardened against external electric shock (no taser shock). You have to go through, around, over and under the security to get to Agent O'Connell, and once you find him, you have to get out.

The game is played like the bastard child of Sly Cooper and Metal Gear Solid, so it’s semi-serious,
semi-cartoony. Serious story, fantasy abilities (like teleporting). Draw your own conclusions. As is the norm with my ideas, your input is more than welcome.

Unfortuanately, Steal My Heart No More didn't pan out as I expected it to, and has been killed off. However, Steal My Heart Forever maybe coming soon.