Nuth on 17/6/2013 at 17:34
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Originally Posted by Ashpolt
4. While I was walking along on top of the pillars at the start of the demo I noticed that I couldn't get off without pressing the circle button to drop down, i.e. you can't fall down just by walking off the edge. I suppose you could consider this to be removing control, but I didn't personally feel that it affected the game in any significantly negative way.
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That's exactly the sort of thing that would affect a Thief game in a significantly negative way for me. (I appreciate that level of specificity when someone is describing their experience with a demo even if I disagree with the person's assessment of an element like that)
Renault on 17/6/2013 at 18:27
If this is how the game turns out, I'm going to be extremely disappointed. We've already seen guards KOed by just pressing "R1 to takedown." You just push a button and the game does all the work for you. Now it's the same with climbing/mantling up (and down) pillars. And we've heard about "sticky beams" as well. If they reduce this game to a series of proximity button pushes and severely limit the players freedom to move/act, it's going to be really awful. And tbh, it really makes me question how genuine they are when they boast about "sticking to the DNA of Thief" that they love to mention over and over. Because that's not Thief.
Next up it will be, "Press Circle to headshot guard." :p
SubJeff on 17/6/2013 at 18:58
Pressing R1 to takedown when in range is functionally the same as using the blackjack isn't it? You press a button - the enemy is knocked out. I understand that you think its making it easier because it give you a range prompt. I kind of agree, and it reminds me of the blackjack raise in TDS.
But perhaps you will be able to turn off this range notification?
As far as the player/simulated skill split goes its a pretty fine print detail, and I guess that's why it doesn't bother me that much.
Flavia on 17/6/2013 at 19:15
I vaguely remember someone saying about regular KO (like in previous Thiefs) in addition to scripted takedowns (available only via focus mode?).
It's good to have you here, Ashpolt :)
Say, did guards react in any way if you threw a bottle in their big, stupid faces? :ebil:
SneakyJack on 17/6/2013 at 19:23
While I do like the freedom of being able to jump from anything at any time on the flipside you have many poorly designed fan missions that put you in jumping puzzles that weren't meant for such an old and clunky engine and many falling deaths later you're just frustrated and sick of that portion of the mission.
I know this doesn't really apply to an official game (Unless it too has poorly designed jumping puzzles) but I can see where the decision comes from in the mind of a designer. Doesn't excuse it - but I can see why that sort of decision would be made. As long as there isn't an invisible wall that keeps me from jumping down from a ledge completely I'm not going to be that bothered by it. An extra button is far different than barring entry altogether. Invisible walls are one of the things I dislike most about modern games. It's also one of the reason why the talk of Thief being fairly linear worries me far more than not having the word taffer or Garrett being voiced by another voice actor.
Springheel on 17/6/2013 at 20:16
One question I'd be curious about; if the lightgem does indeed only have 3 stages, does that mean it is only affected by how much light hits you? Or do things like moving, having a weapon out, crouching, etc, still affect the gem (seems like they'd have to have a big impact, if so)?
Renault on 17/6/2013 at 21:42
If anyone wants some additional impressions on the demo from the press, I added a whole bunch of E3 feedback type articles to the (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141236) Article Index, some video and some text. Look for the separate section on E3.
Ashpolt on 17/6/2013 at 23:26
Hey guys, sorry to be deeply lazy, but I've decided it's easier for me to answer all the questions in one place, and also means everyone can read all the answers in one place. Head on over to the (
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=138032) Q&A thread at the official forums if you've got more questions - I'll be answering them on there for pretty much as long as people are asking them!
Springheel on 18/6/2013 at 03:34
Quote:
when I asked on the official forums for examples of people who'd played it at E3 and not enjoyed it, the only examples were given were one guy
In addition to the ones I mentioned above, there's also now Rock, Paper, Shotgun:
(
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/06/17/thief-eidos-words-vs-my-e3-playthrough/)
" I am conflicted. As you can very obviously tell, the new Thief rubbed me the wrong way in quite a few places."
bukary on 18/6/2013 at 08:17
RPS impressions are mostly negative: :(
Quote:
The question: was Thief's E3 demo able to live up to what lead level designer Daniel Windfeld Schmidt told me about it mere moments before? The answer: Errrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Quote:
Put simply, the combat's terrible. There is no weight. No heft. I understand that Garrett's got noodle arms and twig legs, but come on: it felt like we were sparring with toothpicks. [...] I know it's Thief and all, but there's no excuse for melee that's this creaky.
Quote:
I do have to point out, however, that guards seemed physically incapable of glancing even a few degrees upward. [...] Seriously though, it was bad. [...] That said, Eidos Montreal's AI programmers still have a whole, whole lot of work ahead of them. Godspeed, ladies and gentlemen. Godspeed.
Quote:
The demo wasn't quite a shining paragon of level design brilliance, but it wasn't some hyper-linear funnel into the gaping maw of Call-of-Duty-dom either.
Quote:
There was, however, an oddly repetitive element to its many stone-hewn dimples and curves. Areas frequently opened up to reveal multiple paths - for instance, water control rooms beneath a giant fountain or various halls, bedrooms, and quarters within the mansion - but they'd always funnel back together for the main objective. So I was able to explore and maybe choose my way around some guards, but eventually I'd be forced to skulk past (or place arrows between the unibrow hairs of) a specific group of three-or-so standing directly between me and the next objective. Previous choices, then, ended up feeling a bit artificial.
Quote:
That said, goodness gracious great balls of fire, what were so many great balls of fire doing in my Thief game? [...] This section was essentially on rails, and sneaking wasn't even a factor. [...] There was also a fair amount of third-person during this section. I didn't hate it or anything, but any sort of climbing basically was Assassin's Creed. [...] Far more egregious, meanwhile, was an insta-death QTE involving a loose chunk of wall and a quick button-mash to give Garrett's grappling line a life-saving toss. I mean, really? In Thief? Why? Why at all?
Quote:
I won't lie: I didn't leave the room particularly pleased.
Fortunately, some good info about
verticality:
Quote:
It was in these moments that Nu-Thief truly shined, allowing me to dart and duck between the highest highs and lowest lows, blending with the shadows and meticulously plotting my way through each maze of guards and poorly trimmed shrubbery.
It seems that Nathan Grayson was not very impressed with
so many aspects of the game...
