Thief (4) Features. What we know is in, what we know is out. - by SubJeff
Flavia on 11/7/2013 at 22:19
Quote Posted by Chade
I don't think focus is the right answer though. Even if I don't have a better use for it, other people will, or will legitimately disable it. At the end of the day, there are two use-cases for lockpicking: 1) an environmental obstacle that restricts Garrett's movement until he spends time in a particular spot to disable it, and 2) a storytelling device to make the player feel more like a thief. A good lockpicking solution should handle both use-cases, with or without focus.
And you see how hard it is to find solution that would satisfy everybody ;)
Personally I find lockpicking in T1/T2 uninspiring (especially since I've played soo many FM with rows of locked rooms, each containing locked chest
and locked case :tsktsk: ), lockpicking in T3 is ok, but can become tedious, and lockpicking in TDM is clever, but it irritates the
shit out of me.
What we've seen in T4 demo seemed terribly rough (at least basic lockpicking) and I hope they will fix this before final release. Also I can't recall any auditory response, but it was probably because devs kept talking :sweat: Anyway, there were two ways of doing it - for two different types of situations - so it does seem like an improvement. Sort of.
As for using or not using focus - that's what it's about. It's finite resource you have to manage. You can disable it, you can use it in first minutes of gameplay to clear your path or you can preserve it to indulge yourself with the lockpicking.
b1skit on 12/7/2013 at 22:00
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
* Musical style - seems fairly ambient but its not like the originals
Great post here Subject Effect.
To give you a quick update, Thief's music direction is dark and organic. The final sound track will be a mix of orchestral and dark-electronic-ambient music. We haven't announced the composer at this time, but we will at a later date :)
SubJeff on 16/7/2013 at 06:28
If you have a composer already what difference does it make announcing that now or later?
Thief 1 and 2 had the perfect soundtrack and perfect ambient sounds. In fact I think the only "controversial" piece is the guitar music as you enter the gambling den.
EM have a lot to live up to.
SubJeff on 16/7/2013 at 06:51
I've updated the main list.
I'll do a bit more later.
SubJeff on 16/7/2013 at 09:26
Updated with red text for the horrible stuff.
If anyone disagrees with my assessment of what is horrible or not please post. I want this to be a good list of what we know and what EM knows we think is rubbish/should be changed.
Chade on 16/7/2013 at 10:05
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
If you have a composer already what difference does it make announcing that now or later?
I'm guessing you're not a PR man. :p
Well, neither am I, so this might be horribly wrong ... but afaik that would be a waste of a good news cycle. I believe you want to time announcements to get a good build up of news mentions prior to release. There may also be concerns about having suitably sized announcements? I don't know what else they consider ...
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
Updated with red text for the horrible stuff. If anyone disagrees with my assessment of what is horrible or not please post.
1) we know that you don't need focus to find rope arrow spots, although I guess you could argue whether the "rope arrow indicator" is any better. :p
2) I personally don't think the door opening animations look bad, although of course it depends on how they work in practice.
3) I'm also not convinced that the lockpicking timer circle is a bad option compared to the alternatives. I don't much like the "magically jiggling purse" and other alternative animations that have been floated here. Not saying I definately disagree, I just haven't made up my mind.
4) I don't understand your lockpicking critique. From memory, the standard lockpicking method looked pretty decent, while it was the the focus lockpicking that looked less immersive.
5) We know you can blackjack people without third person takedowns.
In general, I think we know a fair bit more detail then is in your list now, but it's all scattered everywhere and hard to find. To be honest, I think the amount of information is a bit too much for any one person to keep track of it all. I'd be open to creating a joint account (if the mods are ok with that) so we can share the burden of maintaining these lists.
SubJeff on 16/7/2013 at 10:20
Tell me what else we know, with links, and I'll put it in.
I only update periodically as you can see, when there is a good chunk to do. But I'm going to try to be a bit more frequent.
As to your points:
1. Updated! :)
2. The animations look fine. Its the fact that you are "locked" to opening that is the issue, and we know this from the Eidos crew feedback, no?
3. Anything with a modern interface is silly. This isn't Assassins Creed so we're not using an Animus. Stuff like this, and the aiming reticles, are silly.
4. See above.
5. Updated! :)
svs on 16/7/2013 at 19:41
I think this is the worst legitimate concern. Surprised to see it's not on the list. (
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showpost.php?p=1930559&postcount=1) Link.
Quote Posted by Jerion
Jumping and climbing appear restricted to predetermined locations.
This is something that I feel that needs to go in its entirety. Where's the player's freedom?
Some random points I thought to make:
Rope Arrow doesn't have to feel restricted, even if it's implemented the way it is. It highly depends on if it will be highlighted as it is on the E3 demo or not and how comprehensively the spots will be placed. It might sound much worse than it is, and I hope that's the case. If it's highlighted always when you aim the hotspot and Rope Arrows can't be shot in places where I feel they should, then yeah, it pretty much sucks ass. In the best case, the difference won't even be visible to the player.
I think the swoop/dash mechanic was way overpowered in the demo. I really like the idea in principal, but it needs balancing. Swoop should have a cool-down and it needs to make noise, maybe even more than running.
SubJeff on 16/7/2013 at 22:05
"appearing" restricted and from one guy isn't enough for me. It would be very bad if this were true.
Your statement about the rope arrow is so far from correct you'll never get anyone else here to agree with you.
Dia on 16/7/2013 at 22:29
And I don't. Iirc, rope arrows in TDP & TMA could pretty much be shot into any kind of visible wood; in fact, you could shoot ten rope arrows right in a row into one long wooden beam if you wanted to, then swing from one rope to the next. I remember being able to shoot rope arrows into window frames and wooden shutters as well. Now THAT'S what I call unrestricted use of rope arrows. So how would only being able to shoot a rope arrow into a restricted/pre-designated spot NOT be considered restrictive regardless of whether or not it's highlighted? Another one of those dumbing-down features, obviously. 'Here, let us show you where you need to shoot the rope arrow.'
Uhhhmmm ... yeah, no thanks.
