Shinrazero on 11/8/2013 at 21:04
Consoles are the only thing on their minds. Why do you think they are going through the trouble of putting it on current gen hardware?
Renzatic on 11/8/2013 at 21:11
Probably because they've spent a crapton of money making the game, and want to maximize exposure for more potential sales.
Robert4222 on 11/8/2013 at 22:10
You know, it's not like if the game's footage looked anything like a next-gen game in terms of overall graphics quality... I would even say it is one of the most ugly games for the new gen.
Just compare the screenshots and the demo footage and you'll see what I mean
Calibrator on 11/8/2013 at 23:27
Quote Posted by Robert4222
You know, it's not like if the game's footage looked anything like a next-gen game in terms of overall graphics quality... I would even say it is one of the most ugly games for the new gen.
Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about the graphics. I still play fan missions for the original games and we all know how they look.
Also, it's to be expected that most games published in the first year of a new console generation don't make full use of the new hardware, anyway.
However, what I *do* care about it is gameplay deficiencies and I won't tolerate a game in the franchise that is dumbed down this much.
I mean, what's next? "Thief - The Tablet Edition" with single, context-sensitive touchscreen presses?
Or "Thief - The Pre-Schoolers Edition" which plays itself?
What's making me angry is that Eidos can produce good, immersive games if they have a capable team and the will to do it.
"Deus Ex: Human Revolution" is a good example for that: A modernized classic with acceptable changes that was both successful with the audience and the critics. Free saving on consoles and jumping included, by the way...
IMHO DX:HR is every bit as good as Dishonored (I played both on the PS3 and had no problems whatsoever) - and both games seem to be leagues better than the new official Thief game. Their designers made the right choices, at least most of the time.
So, if Eidos now buggers Thief 4 up then it's by their choice. The choice of hiring an incapable producer, for example.
My choice as of now is to skip Thief 4 because it simply is not what I want. It's a pity that Eidos doesn't want my money...
SubJeff on 12/8/2013 at 00:28
What amazes me about this contextual movement nonsense is Dishonored.
Dishonored is clearly an homage to Thief and it looks like it's going to out-Thief the new Thief!
Starker on 12/8/2013 at 00:37
Quote Posted by Renzatic
It's like what's been said before, a gamepad can do everything a mouse and keyboard can, but you do lose a bit of split second accuracy when comparing the mouse to the right analog stick. There's no "is it possible". It's very possible, and it's been done a thousand times before without any sacrifices to playability. Hell, I played through the Dishonored expansion using my 360 pad and was just about as good with it as I was with a keyboard and mouse.
From my experience, and I'm not new to gamepads, you lose more than "just a bit" of the accuracy. For me, it is unacceptable enough to prefer a keyboard and a mouse every single time.
Quote Posted by Renzatic
The movement restrictions aren't in the game due to the limitations of consoles or gamepads.
Are you trying to say that limiting vertical movement in a first person game is not advantageous for gamepads? I don't think I can agree with that. It seems to me that the less you have to use the right thumbstick the better.
The game being designed with keeping consoles in mind is not that outlandish of an idea -- the PC port is being developed separately by another company, all the visual stuff seems to be geared for people playing on their sofas, and it does explain the simplified controls, such as one button for jump and swoop and mantle.
Briareos H on 12/8/2013 at 01:26
Consoles are not an excuse for the absence of vertical movement, freedom of exploration or mobility. Gamepads aren't an excuse. When something doesn't work well, you work around it. Off the top of my head: Metroid Prime, Mirror's Edge, Dishonored. Three games that all work their way around the loss of precision when switching from mouse to gamepad. And such examples of adaptation are not few.
The only and obvious reasoning behind this is the irrepressed desire to keep control over the player's experience. To only allow them to see what the game is designed to show in a favourable light. To create a flow which corresponds to a single vision of a thief who never bunny hops for fun, who doesn't try to mantle everywhere, who never does something silly and creative with the game systems because he is not their Garrett. This falls into a paradigm which allows the developer to tailor the experience to their liking while cutting on creating content that some players would never see anyway, sacrificing freedom for that directed flow and little details. I'm not saying that all freedom will be cut off from the player, even they are not that stupid, but that freedom will be allowed within controlled systemic environments tied together with modern, gamified tropes.
I really think their decision makes sense in that context.
Starker on 12/8/2013 at 02:45
I have nothing against consoles and gamepads, btw. I was a console player for a long time and I still play with a gamepad on my PC when it makes sense. I'm not saying that gamepads are definitely the reason for the changes, I'm just thinking that they may have been an influence in the design decisions.
That is not to say that the desire to appeal to the casual gamer hasn't been an influence. Indeed, a lot of the stuff seems to be geared towards people who play games at daytime on the sofa in front of a TV.
Chade on 12/8/2013 at 03:09
The jumping and rope arrow restrictions are the only things I've see that I can't understand. Sure, you want to make it easy to play. But why go so much further than the current state of the art?
Llama on 12/8/2013 at 03:30
Quote Posted by Robert4222
I'm pretty sure they are upset of our opinions and want to make us regret or..
I'm sure that's what a Thief apologist would say.
