SubJeff on 13/6/2013 at 16:46
The budget might be large (indeed I hope it is) but I'm interested in how bloated it is, what that even means, how that can be detrimental to the game and indeed if it actually means anything at all other than some throw away bs.
Springheel on 13/6/2013 at 16:48
Is it just me, or is it weird how all the versions of this playthrough seem to be 95% identical, with just the occasional, slight difference? I've seen the guards walk through each other in two slightly different places in different versions, for example, and in one search you see a guard open a shutter and another you don't, but the way the player alerts the dog is identical in both.
For example, in THIS one: (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PLou_ADEas) , we get to see what that left arrow is...a "blunt arrow".
What is a blunt arrow for? Nonlethal takedowns at a distance maybe?
Renzatic on 13/6/2013 at 16:56
Quote Posted by Zewp
...and they have money to spend on things such as making leather suits so they can see how the light reflects off it.
I think it's funny how the bow and leather suit is seen as some horrible example of massive, wasteful excess on EM's part. I'd honestly be surprised if the construction costs of both together totaled more than $8000.
Neb on 13/6/2013 at 16:59
I think that the game they're showing is a prototype with a lot of behaviour missing. I suspect that they don't shoot the fire arrow into the oil because how the AI reacts to being on fire hasn't yet been implemented properly, etc.
All of the playthroughs are along the same rails because then the developers can be sure to avoid showing off what is unfinished.
Zewp on 13/6/2013 at 17:09
Quote Posted by Renzatic
I think it's funny how the bow and leather suit is seen as some horrible example of massive, wasteful excess on EM's part. I'd honestly be surprised if the construction costs of both together totaled more than $8000.
Are you honestly trying to tell me wasting $8000 on something people aren't even going to see for 95% of the game is entirely inconsequential? If they can waste $8000 on something as dumb as 100% accurately mimicking the way light reflects off leather armor, what else are they wasting money on?
We've already established that Thief has been through three complete transformations since the project was originally started, so that's already a ton of money wasted. With Square Enix on the brink of bankruptcy, do you really think it doesn't matter that one of their studios is spending money like it's nobody's business? Shouldn't they rather be trying to save as much money as possible?
Zewp on 13/6/2013 at 17:16
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
The budget might be large (indeed I hope it is) but I'm interested in how bloated it is, what that even means, how that can be detrimental to the game and indeed if it actually means anything at all other than some throw away bs.
Do you really not see the problems a needlessly large budget poses for a developer? The higher your development costs, the more copies you need to sell to recoup your development costs. The more money you need to make to become profitable, the wider your audience has to be. The wider your audience has to be, the more you need to change the game to accommodate this wider audience. The more you need to change the game, the bigger the risk you end up alienating your core fans.
When a game that has been in development for five years and has already gone through three entirely different iterations in its development cycle then you can bet its development costs are running pretty high. A studio of 50+ people doesn't get peanuts for pay either.
Renzatic on 13/6/2013 at 17:27
Quote Posted by Zewp
Are you honestly trying to tell me wasting $8000 on something people aren't even going to see for 95% of the game is entirely inconsequential? If they can waste $8000 on something as dumb as 100% accurately mimicking the way light reflects off leather armor, what else are they wasting money on?
Hookers. Coke parties.
You can take the construction of the bow and suit one of two ways. Either they're idiots, out wasting money just because they can, or they're a little overly dedicated to their craft.
$8000 is a tiny drop in their overall budget. Yeah, it wasn't at all necessary, and we're only ever gonna see pictures of it. But at worst, it was a tiny, tiny side project for EM.
Quote:
We've already established that Thief has been through three complete transformations since the project was originally started, so that's already a ton of money wasted. With Square Enix on the brink of bankruptcy, do you really think it doesn't matter that one of their studios is spending money like it's nobody's business? Shouldn't they rather be trying to save as much money as possible?
I'd rather they make the best game they can, and spend all the time they want doing so. I don't hold stock in either Square Enix or Eidos Montreal. Their bottom line is of very little concern to me.
That's not to say I don't want everyone to lose their job, or EM to go bankrupt on it. But really, I don't care how much SE is spending on it. As a potential future player, I just want the game to be good.
Zewp on 13/6/2013 at 17:40
$8000 is a small drop in the ocean, yes. One of many possible ones we don't necessarily know about.
And you should be very worried about the fact that Square Enix is in financial trouble. That means they can't afford very many losses. If EM is wasting tons of money and in the end they can't recoup their losses or the game doesn't garner enough sales to be considered profitable, the chances of us seeing more Thief games decrease dramatically. SE isn't going to continue investing in the franchise if this game turns out to be a financial failure, which is an ever increasing risk when your development costs just keep rising.
I don't know about you, but as negative as I feel about this game I don't want to see the Thief franchise die out completely.
GlasWolf on 13/6/2013 at 17:41
Quote Posted by Springheel
What is a blunt arrow for? Nonlethal takedowns at a distance maybe?
One of the previews mentioned a headless arrow used purely for creating a distraction.
sNeaksieGarrett on 13/6/2013 at 17:56
Ah. So I guess that's a replacement for noisemaker arrows then? Or have those been confirmed to be in the new game as well?
