Thief 3 Gold – Hand-drawn maps and briefing videos

snobel on 18/1/2015 at 09:36

Wow, you're almost done. :cool: I'd better get prepared for an update.

Quote Posted by mensch

That leaves one Hammer briefing (the Cradle) and a Pagan (Into the Pagan Sanctuary) one.

...and the second one for Still life...?

Edit: Hopefully Beleg has savegames for you but otherwise you can start the two remaining missions directly by making a copy of the T3 desktop shortcut and adding the map name (HauntedHouse1 or PaganIntro1) to the end of the target field as an argument. Because your gear is limited when starting like that you may not be able to reach all parts of the map, though.

mensch on 18/1/2015 at 10:16

Quote Posted by snobel

Wow, you're almost done. :cool: I'd better get prepared for an update.

...and the second one for Still life...?

Ah yes! I still need to get a good shot of the Kurshok Crown for both variants. Also, there are the City briefings to consider. Do we want videos there or just leave them as the spoken word versions?

Quote:

Edit: Hopefully Beleg has savegames for you but otherwise you can start the two remaining missions directly by making a copy of the T3 desktop shortcut and adding the map name (HauntedHouse1 or PaganIntro1) to the end of the target field as an argument. Because your gear is limited when starting like that you may not be able to reach all parts of the map, though.

Nice, I'll try that first. I could also use a save from a mission before the Sanctuary and the Cradle and use that as a starting point.

Beleg Cúthalion on 19/1/2015 at 09:42

Very nice, it's good to see the progress. :thumb: I don't mind the difference in grain between the quotes and the stills. However, I'd say that in a few places the screenshots might give away too much (especially with the Kurshok and throne room shots in the Sunken Citadel video). I'd opt for more subtle approaches so the surprise in the game isn't spoiled by the video. A few transitions could be synchronized a bit better with the speech files (e.g. Rutherford, and a slightly harsh pan in Seaside IIRC), but that's minor stuff. I'll try to prepare a new version of the Auldale map to differentiate between the two Museum briefings because I hadn't paid attention to that before. Concerning the City section briefings I think we can do without them, otherwise I'd feel there would be too many videos.

I can try to make a few more aerial shots tomorrow, not only for the Cradle but also for other missions just too have a greater choice. Any special requests?

mensch on 19/1/2015 at 20:48

Quote Posted by Beleg Cúthalion

I agree with the spoilery nature of the throne room in the Citadel briefing, I'll make some new screenshots. Garrett mentions monsters in his voiceover so that's why I included the sillhouette of the Kurshok. Otherwise the briefing consists mostly of interior shots that don't tie into the narrative all too much. Maybe I can find a nice Kurshok shadow cast on the floor or walls. Are there other shots that give away too much? Maybe Gamall in the last briefing? Not sure when that character model is first introduced.

Quote:

I can try to make a few more aerial shots tomorrow, not only for the Cradle but also for other missions just too have a greater choice. Any special requests?

The Cradle would be great. Maybe the Pagan Sanctuary as well, but I'm not sure if that's interesting. Shots from South Quarter, maybe? I can't get a good shot of the Jacknall's Paw. Using the editor, is it possible to create shots of individual objects (without scenery), like the crown, the Paw, Glyph key and the Eye, for example?

Petike the Taffer on 20/1/2015 at 08:15

I love the work you've done on this so far, guys, but I'd personally keep the Keeper, Hammerite and Pagan cutscenes intact and just focus on the quote-on-a-background-then-panning-images version of the video briefings. I think it looks a lot tidier and you also get to see those three great cutscenes in their entirety, unchanged. I just don't like the thought of excising those three cutscenes from T3 Gold completely, they're far too good for that, IMHO. Nevertheless, I'm A-OK if you experiment with the alternate versions of the briefings if you like.

mensch on 20/1/2015 at 10:27

Quote Posted by Petike the Taffer

I'm not sure if I understand you correctly, but it's not the intention (mine at least) to remove the three introduction videos from the game, only to add the briefing videos to the existing pool of cutscenes.

I've just completed the last two briefings:

- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EBxe-ZWQFo) Into the Pagan Sanctuary
- (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzR2u-oRikw) Robbing the Cradle

Judith on 20/1/2015 at 11:17

Well, quote on the gradient is more like T1, while what Mesch does is closer to T2 briefings. T3 is neither of those in terms of style, I'd say it's a preferential choice really. I have only one remark about panning screenshots: they seem to lack punch. Not in terms of contrast, but composition. Look how T2 screens were done, just use the rule of thirds with an interesting subject and that will do.

Petike the Taffer on 20/1/2015 at 15:47

Quote Posted by mensch

OK, awesome. :cool:

Quote Posted by Judith

I have only one remark about panning screenshots: they seem to lack punch. Not in terms of contrast, but composition. Look how T2 screens were done, just use the rule of thirds with an interesting subject and that will do.

Yes, I think the details and the speed of panning could be improved in those.

Judith on 20/1/2015 at 20:34

No no no, panning is mostly fine. It about (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds) the composition. Thief briefings (http://postimg.org/image/aezhmj2mp/) use that well ;)

Beleg Cúthalion on 20/1/2015 at 21:02

Looks I'm not a born photographer, but (http://www.jaybmusic.net/Eidos/Thief3Gold/PagHH.7z) here's a couple of shots from the Pagan Tunnels and the Cradle.