Software:They Stole a Million
| They Stole a Million | |
|---|---|
 They Stole a Million screen shot | |
| Developer(s) | Tigress Marketing |
| Publisher(s) | 39 Steps |
| Composer(s) | Ben Daglish |
| Platform(s) | Amstrad CPC Commodore 64 ZX Spectrum |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
They Stole a Million is a strategy computer game released by Ariolasoft in 1986. The objective of the game is to plan robberies and execute the crime. The player first purchases blueprints of the house where the soon-to-be-stolen object is kept. Then several specialists can be hired which disable alarms, open locks or drive the getaway car.
The planning stage allows the player to set waypoints, actions, and the times at which the actions should take place. For example, the alarm specialist needs two minutes to disable the alarm for a certain display. After two minutes, the lock picking master opens the display and takes the loot.
Gameplay
The objective of They Stole a Million is to plan and execute high-stakes robberies.[1] The gameplay is divided into two distinct phases: planning and execution.[2]
During the planning phase, the player evaluates potential targets and purchases structural blueprints.[3] The player must then hire a crew of specialized criminals, including safecrackers, alarm technicians, and getaway drivers, each demanding a specific cut of the loot.[2] Using the blueprints, the player maps out precise real-time instructions, setting chronological waypoints and timers for each crew member to coordinate tasks—such as disabling a security sensor moments before a thief reaches a display case.[1][3]
Once the plan is set, the execution phase plays out automatically in a pseudo-3D perspective.[1] The player watches the heist unfold, monitoring whether the crew sticks to the schedule or if unpredictable elements, such as patrolling guards or civilian witnesses, trigger the alarms and cause the mission to fail.[2][3]
Development
They Stole a Million was designed and programmed by Tigress Marketing, a development house founded in 1985 during the peak of the 8-bit commercial era.[4] The project concept originated as a "police chase" design under the working title Cop, before the team inverted the premise to focus on a crime caper framework.[4] Programmer Chris Palmer and the team aimed to implement complex graphic planning phases and showcase animated sequences that were technically challenging to execute on 8-bit architectures.[4]
The game's design was entirely structured around a dual-phase system, simulating real-world heist coordination.[4] The crew mechanics were designed by to evaluate distinct roles, including safecrackers, alarm specialists, and getaway drivers, whose varying reliability could affect the outcome of the plan.[4] Co-designer David Bishop noted that the intricate scheduling was mapped out extensively using physical, hand-annotated A3 paper spreadsheets before being translated into software timers and pixel coordinates.[4]
Reception
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They Stole a Million received generally positive reception from video game critics. It received a Your Sinclair Megagame award.[5]
Legacy
A remake based on the IP was created under the name Der Clou! (The Clue!),[6] followed by a sequel, The Sting!, from the developer's house that was known at the time as Neo Software. They would go on to be assimilated into the Rockstar Games umbrella of developers.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Action Test". Amstrad Action (16): 86–87. January 1987. https://archive.org.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Gillbert, John (January 1987). "Arcade Review". Sinclair User (58): 59. https://archive.org.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Zzap! Test". Zzap!64: 116–117. February 1987. https://archive.org.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Mason, Graeme. "The Making of They Stole a Million". Retro Gamer (154): 64–69.
- ↑ Your Sinclair magazine, Reviews section, issue 13, page 80
- ↑ "Clou! Open Source Project". 26 November 2019. https://sourceforge.net/projects/cosp/.
External links
- They Stole a Million at MobyGames
- They Stole a Million at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
- They Stole a Million at GameFAQs
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