Description
Set before the FS2 Main Campaign. In the opening stages of the Neo Terran Rebellion, the NTF is suffering a critical shortage of ships and equipment. Admiral Bosch formulates a plan to remedy that situation by the simplest and most effective means...stealing them from the GTVA.

Storyline:
Early on in their rebellion, the NTF are doing pretty well, but now they’re short of supplies and ships – so that crazy f00 Bosch decides that he’ll just steal what he needs from the GTVA. From this point the mission is presented very well indeed, with a thorough briefing, though the screen can look a bit cluttered and full of highlighting arrows. All of the icons also match up and in-mission dialogue is good, even delivered by Admiral Bosch. There’s no conversation between pilots though.

Balance:
Steady yourselves – this is a bomber mission. You don’t see many of them about, and they’re notoriously hard to balance (I know from bitter experience). However in this respect, Ice Heart has done well, combining bombing, interception and dogfighting together for extra variety. This is done despite placing the player in an Ursa, which is quite an achievement. That said though, the mission is quite difficult – or rather, challenging with fighters on your tail and AA beams knocking you about. Of particular note is the loadout, being accurate to the FS2 storyline and allowing you your choice of bombing style.

Design:
Design in Thief is deceptive; appearing very complex itÂ’s actually more an example of good timing than of complex event usage. ThatÂ’s not to say design is simplistic, just economical, and itÂ’s still very clean and comprehensive. The timing is quite a skill in itself, and with all the ships moving itÂ’s good that everything goes off and with sufficient time for the player to act. The only (minor) problem I really spotted was the fact that I was given a debriefing stage that I didnÂ’t earn (I failed that particular goal). It was only a bonus though.

Gameplay:
The great part about the gameplay in this mission is the tactical level. You’re offered a great choice of what to do in the mission, and what you want to delegate to your wingmen (well, until they all die). This extends the life of the mission a great deal as you get to try out all the options. There is also a lot to do, and you won’t be left sitting around for a single second – you’ll probably even warp out under fire (it’s frustrating to finish the mission and be blown up though).

Other Thoughts:
The new NTF animation file may not be Volition-quality, but itÂ’s a nice finishing touch and Ice Heart was kind enough to allow anyone to use it.