Quote Posted by DirkBogan
In anticipation for this contest, I've tried to outline what I think are the key differences between Thief 1 and 2. This shouldn't be taken a list of instructions to participants, far from it. But it has helped me understand what is distinctive about each game versus what they have in common, and I think these differences guarantee that this contest will not just be a repeat of the first one. Hopefully this helps inspire others in some way!
Thematically, where TDP combines fantasy medieval/Tudor and steampunk, TMA combines Victorian and Art Deco. The grime, misery and nastiness in Thief 1 is thicker and more apparent on the surface, whereas the evil that permeates Thief 2 is repressed, hidden behind the opulence and formality of aristocrats, law enforcement and religious figures who depict themselves as holier-than-thou while scheming to further themselves.
Visually, when I think of Thief 1, I think of saturated red roofs and yellow windows, blue-grey brick and cobblestone, stark white light between thick black shadows. In contrast, my vision of Thief 2 is predominately ornate woods in orange and brown, black and white marble, all basked in warm orange light. Lots of polished and sterile metal, and very little green.
Gameplay-wise, Thief 1 is a pastiche of all kinds of styles. Sneaking, stealing and blackjacking guards is mixed with natural and supernatural fauna, as well as otherwordly creatures and spirits. Urban and wealthy country environments are threaded between missions with tombs, caverns, underworlds and ruins. Thief 2 jettisons most of the landscapes that had a lesser emphasis stealth gameplay in favour of a tighter focus on human environments that weren't properly available in a pre-modern setting -- banks, police stations, rooftops, warehouses and industrial sectors. In this way, the macro-level gameplay variety is supplemented for a more nuanced exploration of the possibilities offered by a single aspect of Thief 1 gameplay, namely that of sneaking/thieving. Importantly, every enemy AI can be dealt with in a stealthy way. Also, on average, the interior design and architecture is
much less symmetrical than Thief 1 (see
First City Bank & Trust and
Blackmail vs Ramirez's Mansion in
Assassins as examples).
If anybody is looking for inspiration from FMs, I think older FMs like
Hidden Agenda and
Heist Society are a good place to start: they capture the spirit of Thief 2, while managing to expand (and improve) on many of the aforementioned elements.
I am sure that Thief 2 means totally different things to many people (I would love to know what others associate with it!), and I am excited to see what we all make in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of a game that was surprisingly dissimilar to its predecessor, to the delight of some and disappointment of others.
I have a slight problem. See, I bought this game off of Steam, like a filthy casual, and now I cannot install The Dark Mod onto my computer, because the file for the game does not exist. Can somebody please help me out, so that I can play these awesome community maps?