“The Sting!”
DEMO
Feature List
·
The
Sting! offers the largest virtual 3D city ever seen in a computer game
·
18
burglary targets, among them The Spam Factory, The Undertaker's, The Harbour
and The Bank
·
70
additional intriguing buildings
·
Over 90
unique characters most of which can be hired for your team
·
Over
30 cars including trucks, sports cars, etc.
·
Disable
alarm systems, cameras, and laser sensors and trick guards
·
Plan
every burglary in full detail with several accomplices
·
Switch
between third person perspective and ego view.
·
Experience
a real City with traffic system. passers-by and police.
·
The
game’s point&click interface easy to learn.
·
Pre-rendered
shadow maps for realistic light and shadow effects.
·
Witty
video sequences in comics style spice up the game.
Controls
Walk
Click to the point where you want the hero to go.
Make sure to click exactly on the target. If the mouse pointer is not positioned correctly and you accidentally click on a target that is much further
away our hero will immediately head toward that destination. He will
independently avoid any obstacles to reach the location you selected.
Look
Around
Click and hold
the right mouse button and move the
mouse at the same time. This will change
the position of the camera. Move the
camera into all possible directions. Select a direction which offers an ideal
overview of the situation. The correct perspective can decide whether your
control of the situation is good or poor.
Look Around
You can interact with any object that appears
lighter on mouse over. Click on the object and the Action Menu will appear.
Choose between 
, Use 
and Look/Observe 
.
Play Modes
The game is
divided into three different playing modes.
Play
Mode: “In the City”
This mode
helps you prepare your break-ins. It
allows you to walk through the city
and to familiarize yourself with it. The City
Map will help you find your way.
You will encounter people on the street or in bars with whom you can talk. This will help you find out if
they are a good choice as an accomplice.
You will need accomplices to carry out complex break-ins. Scout out the
surroundings. Observe the various
buildings, as you will require this information for your plan. Enter the buildings that are accessible and familiarize
yourself with their interiors. You will not be able to enter buildings that are
locked in this mode, but you can observe them through the windows. If you
already know the target of your observation, take a taxi to get there fast. Remember that this mode offers you the
opportunity to find out where you can buy tools
and your getaway car, where to find
the receiver to whom you can sell
your loot, or where to have money laundered gained from the
break-in.
Taking
a Taxi
To advance
more quickly in the city and provided you have sufficient funds you can hail a taxi (see Activities Menu - Use) when it crosses your path. Use the taxi as described in “Activities”. As soon as you have
entered the taxi a pop-up list of possible destinations will appear. Click on
the desired destination and the taxi will take you there. The fee for the trip
will be deducted from your credit balance.
Buy and Sell
- Go to the store of the tool
trader. Talk to the trader. If
you have sufficient funds you can take your pick from his range of tools. You can also sell used tools to
the Tool trader if you think you don’t need them anymore.
- Go to the store of the car
dealer. Talk to the car dealer.
If you have sufficient funds the range of getaway cars appears. It is also
possible to resell your car here.
- If you successfully completed a
burglary you have to sell the loot to the receiver and launder the money. Go to the receiver and talk to him. If you click
on the respective Dialog Window
your backpack will open up. Click on the loot you intend to sell. The receiver will buy the entire
loot and will launder the
stolen money. Only then will the
counter value be credited to you. However, you will not receive the entire
counter value for the loot as the share for your accomplices will be
deducted.
Play
Mode: “Record Plan “
Go to Headquarters (motel). Click on the desk and activate the Activities Menu. Activate 
. You are now in Play
Mode: “Record Plan“.
This play
mode allows you to plan the burglary in minute detail. For this you have a Main Plan Menu and a Planning Menu. Record your plan with
the help of a recorder.
Tutorial
This
tutorial is a step-for-step explanation of your first burglary.
The
Gas Station
Start the game. You will see the opening credits. After the opening
credits you will immediately access the game. Our hero Matt Tucker is at
his headquarters. If you wish to abort
the opening credits press the
ESC button. You are now in the main menu. Start “New Game”.
The hero
Matt Tucker is now at his headquarters.
You are in the Play Mode: “In the City”.
Play
Mode: “In the City”
Take a close
look around you in the room. Apart from a little money and a getaway car, which Sinclair gave to Matt, you have nothing.
However, you will find a tool in
the room, which you will need for your first burglary. Practice taking a look around in the room. Once you discovered
the crowbar, take it as described in " Activities Menu - Use”. The tool is now in your backpack. Now you can walk the streets.
Open the door as described in “Activities Menu”. Practice the controls of the camera (see Look Around), even if you have activated
Automatic Camera. Now walk through the streets by using the
City Map. The arrow on the City Map indicates your position and the direction in
which the hero is looking. Look for the gas station on the City Map by using the Info
Text. Once you found the location of the gas station, go there. The arrow
on the City Map will indicate the direction in which to move. If you don’t
find the gas station try talking to Bruno who’s staying at the same motel.
He will show you the way. Once you have reached the gas station familiarize
yourself with your surroundings. You will see a guard
who regularly patrols the gas station. Observe
the duration of his patrol. Go to a window and activate 
(magnifying glass) by the window. Move the camera so that you can
look into the building from the top. You can now see the inside of the building.
Remember the details so that you have fewer difficulties during planning.
Now take the City Map again to return to headquarters. You can start planning only once you have returned to
headquarters. Once you are at the second floor of headquarters, go to the
desk. The desk symbolizes Record Plan. Activate 
on the desk. You are now in
the Play Mode: “Record Plan“.
Play
Mode: “Record Plan”
You see the
Main Plan Menu. Click on “New Plan”. The
planning menu pops up. You do not
require any accomplices for your
first break-in.
Click on gas
station in “Select target building “.
Now choose the getaway car and the tool that was provided at the
beginning. Confirm your choice. The crowbar is now in your backpack which you can open at any time
through the menu bar.
You are
now next to your getaway car at
the rear entrance of the gas station. Move the camera so that you can see
the metal staircase. Click on 
(the button turns into 
). Time
is not running yet. Move to the stairs. The time will start running as soon
as you start walking. Walk up the stairs. As
soon as you have reached the top you can spot the sidewall of the gas station.
Watch out for the security guard.
Go into waiting position if necessary.
If the security guard has gone, go to the window. Click on your backpack. A window containing your selected
tools appears. Click on the crowbar.
It now hovers above the mouse pointer.
If you click on the window it is automatically broken into. Read the duration of this step on the
time bar. If you wish to accelerate this step use the Forward function. Make sure the guard can neither see nor hear you,
otherwise the plan will fail. As soon as this step has been completed open the window with the help of the Activities Menu. The hero will independently
access the building through the window. Go to the cash till; take
your crowbar from the backpack
and click on the cash till. Once
this step has been completed open the
cash till. As soon as the till has been opened activate 
to take
the money with 
. Close the cash till so
you don’t leave too many traces. You now need to wait for the right moment
to leave the building. Stand at the window and adjust the camera position
so you can watch the security guard. Assume a waiting position
if necessary. As soon as the guard
has left you can climb out of the window and return to the getaway car. Activate 
on the car. The hero will get into the getaway car. The plan has been completed.
If you are not satisfied with the recording, use the recorder to correct the plan.
This
tutorial of course doesn’t give away the best possible way to conduct this
burglary. If you want to get 100% of the loot try to optimize the plan.
Quit
Recording and Start Plan
If you are
satisfied, confirm and name the plan. After confirming
with 
you have a further possibility under “Edit Plan” to change
the plan once again.
- If you only change “minor details” to the plan
and do not renew the entire plan, use the recorder.
- Editing with the recorder: Let us assume that you do not take the shortest
route to the gas station and
you want to re-record this step.
Terminate the recording with
(the button now turns into 
), rewind with the
slide control to the point where
you intend to correct the action. Then press 
again and record the step from the start. Observe that you are now irretrievably
deleting the previous recording.
You can repeat this step as often as you like until you are satisfied with
the outcome. Make sure not to
accidentally delete recordings
you are satisfied with.
Only when
you click on “Start Plan” will this plan
be carried out and the burglary take place.
If you did
everything right, congratulations on your first break-in!
Click on 
to return to the Play Mode:
“In the City“. You are now back at headquarters.
You now have to go the receiver and
sell your loot or launder your money.
Technical Information
"The
Sting!" requires MS DirectX 8. If you are using Windows 95, DCOM95 for
DirectX 8 also
needs to be installed on your computer.
Should the
installation process be too short for you to read the tutorial
please
visit the "The Sting!" homepage http://www.thesting-thegame.com,
read the
manual or start the tutorial.
Additions to the Manual
Fast switching between accomplices:
You can use the number keys "1",
"2", "3" and "4" to switch between Matt
and his accomplices during the burglary.
Simple navigation using the map:
Choose a location on the map and double
click on it with the left mouse
button. Matt will - if possible - set out
for the destination.
System Requirements
100%
Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 or
Windows ME
DirectX 8 compatible computer.
Windows 95,
Windows 98, Windows ME or Windows 2000 operating system.
Graphic
card with at least 16MB RAM which supports Direct 3D.
Pentium II
300 or higher.
64 MB RAM
(memory) or more.
4x CD-ROM
drive or faster.
100%
DirectX 8 compatible soundcard.
100%
Windows 95/98/ME or Windows 2000 compatible mouse and keyboard.
Microsoft
DirectX 8 is essential to play the game.
Microsoft
Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher is needed to use the tutorial
(you can
download the lastest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/).
In some cases
your system might require additional recent Windows drivers
for some of
your hardware components.
To install
the game you need at least 90 MB free space on your hard disc.
If your RAM
capacity is not sufficient you will need at least another
100 MB free
space on your hard disc to install the game.
Your
computer's speed is not as relevant for the game as your RAM size.
The more
RAM you have got, the more smoothly the
game will run.
If your
display is set to "large fonts" the start menu might be display
twice its
size not allowing you to read all the options.
General Information
Please
close all (!) applications before you start the game.
Toggling
between applications while "The Sting!" is running might lead
the game to
crash.
If you
experience any problems please have a look at the "The Sting!"
homepage
http://www.thesting-thegame.com
Further
information is available under
Technical problems
The music is not loud enough:
If the music is not loud enough raise the
volume in audio settings.
The
music volume has been turned down for the standard settings to
adjust it to most sound cards. Nevertheless
CD-ROM drives sometimes
have different default volume levels.
You cannot hear music.
Check the manual's trouble shooting section.
In case you have 2 CD
or DVD-ROM drives in your computer try
installing "The Sting!"
from an alternative drive.
Important terms of use
The term
game comprises the entire content of this software package,
including
the manual and all components of "The Sting!"
(C)
Copyright 1998-2001 by neo Software Produktions GmbH.
Wienerbergstraße
9, A-1100 Vienna, Austria.
Neither the
software as a whole nor parts of it may be reproduced,
localized,
changed, or saved on any media in neither mechanic nor
electronic,
magnetic, optical, chemical or manual form without the
permission
of the neo Software Produktions GmbH.
neo Software
Produktions GmbH does not take any responsiblilty
for the
completeness or correctness of the game and takes no
liability
in case of any resulting damages.
neo and
the neo logo are a registered trademark of
neo Software Produktions GmbH.