Heist

This minigame has been rated as Low Risk. See the minigames page for a definition of high and low risk.

Introduction

Heist is a Cops and Robbers style multiplayer minigame which brings together the best elements of Hide and Seek style play. Choose to either become a Robber and don crazy disguises such as a Camel to steal the treasure for your team, or become a guard and patrol the perimeter, accusing those who you think are hiding as NPCs and giving chase before arresting them.

Requirements: You must be a RuneScape member to play Heist, as this is a P2P only minigame. There are no skill or quest requirements to play Heist.

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How to Start

To begin playing Heist, you must first find the airship ladder which is located just North of Falador (a short walk west from the Falador Lodestone.

When you have clicked the ladder, you will be able to choose from the following options:

• Enter Heist waiting room - This option will take you to the airship lobby for your world, which is an open non-instanced area which anybody can join and play. This is the best option if you're not wanting to play with friends and are looking for a quick game.
• Start custom session - This option gives you the chance to create an instanced shard for private play with your friends. You will be asked for the maximum number of players you want to admit ranging from 4 to 100, and the option to then set an entry key as a password if you only want friends to join. Entering 0 will give no key.
• Join an existing session - If you want to join somebody else's game. This will ask for the name of the hosting player, as well as for the entry key if they have set one.

Once you have chosen, you will be sent up to the Airship platform lobby, where you can choose from three starting areas. The Robbers area is on the ship to the west, the Guards area is on the ship to the east, and the Neutral area is in the middle of the Airship.

Once you have chosen which side you want to play for, and the minimum number of players (2 per team) has been reached (each game will take a maximum of 5 players per side), the interface for choosing the map theme will appear. Two of 5 total map choices will be available to you, however note that the last played map for that world will not appear twice in a row. Every guard/robber about to enter the game will get to vote for a map theme. Note that every map theme has different perks, NPCs and random events, which are described in the Maps theme section below.

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How to Play (Robbers)

The aim of the game for Robbers is to steal (2 times the amount of robbers worth of) loot before the 20 minutes gametime has been exceeded, without getting caught. Heist provides various mechanics for one to do so, which are explained a little below:

 Transforming

The main mechanic of being a robber is the ability to "transform" yourself into an NPC on the map, so that the guards won't recognise you. This is simply done by clicking on any of the NPCs during the game. Once disguised, you must act exactly like an NPC would. This involves walking everywhere, stopping randomly and changing direction, and never travelling too far at once to name but a few traits. It's advisable to watch NPCs in the overworld to get a feel for how they are programmed and randomly act to truly master your disguise.

There will also be benches on the map that NPCs can (and will!) randomly sit on. It may be an idea to copy this behaviour to blend further in to the scene. On the other hand, some maps will have hay carts in which robbers can dive into to hide. However it is not normal behaviour for an NPC to be seen diving into a hay cart, thus you should only do this when no guards are about! If a guard pokes the hay cart whilst you are in it, you will be temporarily stunned which makes it very easy for the guard to arrest you.

• You cannot change disguise within 6 seconds of having previously transformed.
• You cannot change disguise if you have stolen loot and not deposited it.
• You cannot change into an NPC if you are already disguised as that NPC.
• You cannot change into an NPC if you have been accused by a guard and are in evasion mode.

 Looting

Clearly as a robber, your main objective is to rob the map of its loot. All of the loot on a map can be found in Treasure chests, which are both in the bank of that map and spread around the map in houses and market areas. To rob some loot, all you need to do is click any of these chests. Be warned however, the chest will then appear empty to any nearby guards, so they will know that someone nearby has a stash of loot on them.

Guards can also lock chests outside of the bank, so another aspect of being a robber is lockpicking. To lockpick a locked chest, you need only click on it to begin the procedure. Once it has been unlocked, you can then freely take the loot. Some random events will also reward loot, so be on the lookout for those!

 Depositing

Stealing the loot itself is just the beginning...you have to bring it back to a deposit point for it to actually contribute to your score! On most maps, this will be the airship that you came to the map on, and you must give the loot to Liara. Be warned however, some sneaky guards may be lurking on and around the ship, so play it cool! In some maps however, there are nearby deposit points such as rowing boats, loot carts and flying carpets where you can deposit your hard earned treasure.

Naturally, if a guard catches you trying to deposit some loot, unless you get away in evasion mode, you will lose the treasure.

 Pickpocketing

For EXTREMELY daring robbers who just can't get enough of looting, there is the option to pickpocket some unaware guards. To do this, you need only right click a nearby guard and select the "Pickpocket" option. Doing so will reward you with a jail cell key, which can be used to free fellow robbers from the nearby jail. Not only that, it can get yourself out of a sticky situation if you find yourself prisoned.

This is however VERY risky, as an attentive guard will most likely spot you trying to pickpocket them. Only use this tactic when you're sure the guard isn't paying attention.

 Escaping

Should you be unfortunate enough to get caught looting, you will enter evasion mode. Your run energy will be decreased by 95% (less with perks from the rewards shop), and your hands will flail up in the air whilst you try to get away. You must run and escape the guard before he catches you. The first time this happens, you will be handcuffed at the spot with a timer above your head for 30 seconds, before you are freed again.

The second time this happens however, you will be sent straight to the prison. If you don't have a jail cell key or a spade purchased from the rewards shop, you won't be able to escape the jail unless a fellow robber breaks in and sets you free. If you don't escape the jail after 1 minute has passed, you will become a guard.

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How to Play (Guards)

 Accusation

The main aim for guards is to hunt down and successfully accuse disguised NPCs of being the robbers. To do this, they simply need only click on any NPC they believe is actually a human. Some traits which will point them out to you include running for long distances, loitering around the bank and climbing stairs to grab loot. It's advisable to stay near loot chests such as in the bank in order to have a better chance of catching a robber.

You can also use some of the rewards to gain even more indicators. This includes a friendly wave option, which normal NPCs will respond to, however robbers will not. You get 3 chances to accuse robbers before being jailed by the internal affairs office for gross incompetence. However after a minute of jail time, you will be put back on the beat to continue hunting down the robbers.

 Arresting

Once you successfully accuse a robber, they will flail their arms in the air and attempt to run. It's now time to go in for the arrest, which is the simplest part of the procedure as robbers will have their run energy severely reduced. To arrest the fleeing robber, you must click them again. If it's their first arrest, they will be grounded for 30 seconds with a pair of handcuffs appearing above their head before being allowed to wander off again.

If it's their second arrest, they will be sent straight to the jail. It is then advisable to have some guards at the jail to make sure that they don't escape. After one minute of jail time, robbers will become guards and join your team. You must arrest all the robbers before 20 minutes to win the game.

 Clever Traps

Guards don't have to be on the patrol in order to catch robbers, as they can be a bit sneaky and set traps for them. There are positions on all maps for guards to hide such as in trees far above the paths, which will be important if a robber doesn't see you and acts strangely nearby.

In the jail, Guards also have access to 5 viewing orbs, which can be deployed anywhere on the map. These act as remote eyes and ears which can be viewed from the jail, so one person can monitor 5 different areas to catch robbers. It's a good idea to set them up near to loot chests so you know immediately if one is stolen. The noticeboard perk in the jail after being purchased from the rewards shop is also extremely handy, as it can tell you which NPCs to be on the lookout for.

 Protecting the Loot

If the robbers gain enough loot to win (that is, they deposit loot equal to twice the number of players on their team), then the guards will lose. It is then advisable to naturally protect this loot at all costs, and this can be done in a few ways. For loot inside the bank (where most of it is kept), you must have a guard patrolling inside or nearby, otherwise the robbers will simply walk in and take the lion's share.

For loot around the map however, the loot chests can be locked by guards simply by clicking on them. This will lock the chest for 30 seconds, or until a robber picks the lock. However if a robber attempts to pick the lock with a guard in the nearby vicinity, then they will be giving themselves away, and the guard can swoop in for the arrest.

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Random Events

In every game of heist, some special events will occur randomly which can benefit both the guards and the robbers. Should a guard complete the event successfully, a temporary path will be created leading them to a robber. Should a robber complete the event, they will receive some loot to return to their base. Below is a list of all the random events and how to complete them:

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Map Themes

Before the game begins, each guard and robber will be able to vote for one of two map themes, which are drawn randomly from a pool of five maps. Each map has its own different traits and suspects to be on the lookout for, which are outlined in the tables below:

Map Features

The following list describes all the features as seen in the maps above:

• Swimming: On the edge of the map are cliffs, from which you can jump off the piers into the water to swim around as a robber or a guard. This is particularly useful if you're trying to make a fast get away as a robber. The climbing ropes allow you to get back up to the main map once you've had enough.
  
  
• Row Boats: These row boats appear in the water, and are alternative (with respect to the air ship) drop off points for loot. Particularly useful if your air ship is heavily guarded, however you must swim to get them.
  
  
• Loot Carts: Similar to row boats, these are alternative drop off points for loot. They appear on the edge of the maps, and are particularly useful if your air ship is heavily guarded.
  
  
• Flying Carpets: Similar to Loot carts, these are alternative drop off points for loot. They appear on the edge of the maps, and are particularly useful if your air ship is heavily guarded.
  
  
• Zombies: A zombie can sometimes appear, which will prove incredibly useful to any robber. Once you have found a zombie, you can disguise as it and become "infected". You are then free to infect other NPCs on the map, making it much harder for the guard to tell which one of you is the real robber. Guards can find vaccine in the storage chest in the jail, and can use the vaccine on zombies to turn them back into NPCs. Note that NPCs will make a groaning sound when turned back, whereas robbers will not. Guards can also use vaccines on the original zombie to cure them before a robber gets to them.
  
  
• Gargoyles: These solitary statues will notice when a robber is in the near vicinity, and turn to look at them when they pass. This is helpful to the guards, who can tell when a robber is nearby by standing by the Gargoyles. They will however reset quickly, so be vigilant.
  
  
• Dancing: NPCs will begin dancing when music is playing near by (from Valerio in particular), so guards may be wary if they see an NPC walking past without getting their boogie on, as they might just be a robber!

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Rewards

The main reason for playing heist is for the Hunter and Thieving bonus experience reward. Other rewards available are perks which can be used within Heist itself, which make the game more challenging and fun. All rewards are outlined in the table below:

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Credits

Original Guide by: Omnitec

Thanks to: The_Marquis

Last updated by: Omnitec

Last updated on: 09-Mar-2014