The last time we posted updates to the robbery gameplay we showed a couple of videos and it was very early in development. Now we're at a stage that we can talk about exactly what role the robbery section plays to the overall gameplay.

We love the original game, but we thought it needed some clarity between choosing your mission and playing the game, that's what the robbery section is for. It ties the selected mission to the thrill of The Heist. It's not superfluous either, the people who are fighting for your side are actually your chosen specialists — if you hire a specialist with and afro and equip him with a shotgun, in the robbery you'll notice a guy with an afro shooting a shotgun. Depending on his weapon skill level will determine the chances of him landing a shot but the more he plays in your active gang, the better that character will get. You can have up to 6 specialists fighting side-by-side.

In the previous post, The Heist 2: Specialists, I noted that it's possible for your active specialists to get killed in action. For the robbery section this can happen is if you spend too long robbing the bank your gang will come up against unbalanced police resistance; Depending on the type of place being robbed. Essentially being greedy won't help your gang, if your specialists aren't up to the job of fighting the growing number of police enforcements outside, you will find yourself with at least a few dead specialists on your hands. Timing your exit is an important strategy as well, it actually sets the difficulty for the mission itself.

You'll also be making key decisions such as deciding not to kill a cashier to reduce the potential police resistance. Having supporting specialists available, such as a hacker for the diamond robberies will speed up your robbery and potentially save specialists from getting killed; You can get out with more credits in less time.

Tomorrow I'll continue these The Heist 2 feature posts by talking about the vehicle and weapon choices available in the game.