Erand on 5/4/2013 at 10:31

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After the recent overflow of THI4F news, I understand why some people are now saying: ”I'm not going to play this, EVER!” but I bet that after the game has been released and T4-releated discussion floods the forums, curiosity wins over for the majority of them. At least after trying the game you can have something to back up your opinion on why, exactly, the game sucks.

The first three games were made in an age when concepts such as DLC, Premium-pre-order packs, trophies/achievements and regenerating health as the default didn't really exist. Now I'm assuming that all of these features will be clearly present in the new Thief, since we're living in an age where no auto-save function would probably be considered bad game design. (What!? I have to do all that again?! That's not ENTERTAINING at all I want my money back!!). All these things profoundly affect the way the whole game is approached by the players, and I agree it won't exactly please the most hardcore fans (yes, myself included). I know I am being cynical when I say that gaming, as a whole, has transformed immensely during the last few years, towards a direction that doesn't really allow games like TDP or TMA to happen again, so I'm not really expecting much in that respect. Well, I hope they let us turn off immersion-shattering 3rd person cam switches and all that stuff, if not by default, then by tweaking the game - I'm quite confident that we will find a way to do it.

What I love about Thief is the almost mystical, unexplainable experiences it somehow manages to trigger. Today it's the awesome graphics and all the “cool stuff” that the hypothetical “average gamer” (=target audience) is yearning for. They don't really expect deep or intelligent storyline and well thought and inherently coherent worlds, and don't really need that in order to enjoy a game. So, perhaps it requires a certain kind of adventurous mind to genuinely enjoy missions such as Bonehoard and perhaps I am somewhat of an elitist since I've become really picky on which titles I choose to play and they are becoming few and far between. Most new games are just really dull and simply don't capture my interest at all, so I rather enjoy some Thief FMs. I can't really help it, since Thief with its Fan Missions are simply superb to most of the stuff on the market, and they are products of hard, voluntary work that stems from real love of the lore and the unique experiences Thief induces, not the results of some target-audience marketing analysis and whatnot.

Well, Dishonored was a good game in my opinion, I liked the “useless” readable stuff (poems, stories) and the overall atmosphere; it was pretty well tied together and occasionally managed to cause this “suspension of disbelief” that I long for. If the new Thief manages to do the same, I'll think it's a good game - perhaps not LGS quality, not really even “a real Thief game”, but still enjoyable (like TDS is). I will certainly play it and I might even be positively surprised. I trust EM to be able to develop high quality games, DX:HR wasn't that bad and it didn't completely rape the original franchise, and I don't think EM will dare to do that with Thief either, even though it is a different development team and perhaps a more challenging title.

jtr7 on 5/4/2013 at 10:46

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Oh geez, of course not. :rolleyes:



I notice erand didn't really praise DX:HR or TDS, heh heh. Honesty coming through.



With a new Thief-based game, I was hoping that if someone made one, that they'd show me more of that world's history and city sections, and answer questions that have been built up, without necessarily spoiling any delicious mystery, but getting into that bothersome stuff I and others have always wanted to know. I'd rather get it from dev anecdotes and design documents and archived emails, more notes like Emil's notebook, than in a new game that fails to capture the power of TDP and TMA's world-building. Instead, it looks like everything I wanted to know more about is just f***in' gone. It's not enough that's it's one more good game out of thousands. That's just a product to sell. I wanted the World, not a game that hybridizes TDS and AC.

Renzatic on 5/4/2013 at 15:59

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We seem to be able to determine a lot based on one trailer and a handful of screenshots around here.

sterlino on 5/4/2013 at 16:47

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yes but i continue to ask myself: why all these news about the game and expecially why now ?

years of no info and in 1 single month everything we always asked about it and never dare to ? wierd...

may be it could be related to some recent changes in the staff ?

or what ?

Dia on 5/4/2013 at 17:52

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But that's not all the news that's been released about the game, Renz. While some may rejoice in the news of 'the Focus ability', 'slow-motion combat sequence', timed sequences (missions?), the absence of S. Russell, the new 'complicated and complex' replacement for the old reliable light bar, Garrett's new ninja-like appearance and his new voice, Garrett's newfound agility and his collapsible bow (which 'will make him a less subtle knife in the dark at times), wallhugging, the separation from the Keeper storyline of the past three games, the seriously limited 'lean' ability, and forced 3rd person sequences, others may not welcome these changes so readily.

Each to their own, Renz. I honestly hope T4 turns out to be a good game and that you & others who are all excited about it have a blast playing it. But like I said, the changes we've been hearing, reading about, and seeing are not as reassuring to some of us. Not everyone is going to agree. It would be a seriously boring world if they did.