Thief Gold vs. Thief 2

ZylonBane on 7/8/2021 at 01:37

Apparently your quote-trimming skills aren't godlike.

Azaran on 7/8/2021 at 15:30

This topic's been done to death, but Thief 1/Gold comes out on top for me.

- Darker ambience

- Far more supernatural & undead elements.
I like my Thief with a healthy dose of horror, and T2 is seriously deficient in these aspects; this was the main point of contention for taffers who prefer T2, but given the popularity of horror/supernatural FM's, I'm pretty sure I'm in the majority on this

- The engine rendering is different in T1 and better befits the theme and story; it looks grittier, and the shadows are more intense

- I wasn't a fan of the more Victorian style that Thief 2 introduced. And considering that it took place only a year or so after T1, the drastic style change is unrealistic

- Here's a weird one. I don't like Mechanists as a faction, but I did like them as antagonists. I prefer religious/ideological factions to be antique/medieval. Ultra-evangelical technocrats don't do it for me, but at the same time it makes it all the more satisfying when you undermine their plans

All that said, I still found T2 extremely enjoyable despite its shortcomings.

My overall score for the 3 games.

T1/Gold: 99% (took off one point because of the Thieves Guild mission)
Thief 2: 95%
Thief 3: 85% (still a great game, save for cramped levels, lack of continuity with the originals, wonky mechanics, and cheesier dialogue)

Aemanyl on 8/8/2021 at 17:38

I prefer Thief Gold mainly due to its dark and grim medieval atmosphere. It's a perfect game to play during long and rainy nights of autumn. I can just turn off the light and I am immediately transported into the world that inspires my creativity and imagination. There is something incredibly soothing and relaxing about playing this game. The ambience is superb. Sometimes I just like stand in front of Constantine's Manor and listen to the wind.

I don't mind supernatural elements. I think they are intelligently intertwined within the greater framework of Thief's world. There are also many original creatures (e.g. craybeasts or burricks) that you cannot find in other games, which is a great advantage. Even though the emphasis of Thief Gold is clearly on these supernatural elements (after all the main antagonist is Trickster, the god of chaos), the game features a fantastic mix of human and non-human environments. We have got four 100% human levels (Lord Bafford's Manor, Assasins, Thieves' Gold, Undercover) and four mostly human environments with supernatural or bizarre sections (The Sword, Cragscleft, Mage Towers, Opera). Eight solid missions. So even if someone is not a fan of magic, it's not like the whole game is completely devoid of more realistic elements. Contrarily, Thief 2 feels totally imbalanced when you realise that Trail of Blood is the only proper supernatural level in the game, while some of the remaining missions feature just a few tiny and usually insignificant sections with the undead or ghosts.

Don't get me wrong, though, Thief 2 is still a great game. But the feelings of immersion, relaxation, and nostalgia I get when I play the sequel aren't that strong as those associated with Thief Gold.

Playing Thief Gold is like spending a night in a small, dim, a bit musty, and remote countryside inn where tales of mystery and imagination abound. You are likely to hear spooky and interesting tales from other travellers. Strange noises may wake you up in the middle of the night. Therefore, you will remember your stay for many years to come.

Playing Thief 2 is like spending a night in an expensive hotel in the city centre, where everything is well-polished, clean, and you are sure to get a good night's sleep in your well soundproofed room, but in the end this experience feels too dull to be remembered for long.

Azaran on 8/8/2021 at 18:49

Quote Posted by Aemanyl

Playing Thief Gold is like spending a night in a small, dim, a bit musty, and remote countryside inn where tales of mystery and imagination abound. You are likely to hear spooky and interesting tales from other travellers. Strange noises may wake you up in the middle of the night. Therefore, you will remember your stay for many years to come.

Playing Thied 2 is like spending a night in an expensive hotel in the city centre, where everything is well-polished, clean, and you are sure to get a good night's sleep in your well soundproofed room, but in the end this experience feels too dull to be remembered for long.

This.

Grandmauden on 9/8/2021 at 02:56

Quote Posted by Azaran

- I wasn't a fan of the more Victorian style that Thief 2 introduced. And considering that it took place only a year or so after T1, the drastic style change is unrealistic

Based on the "Mapping out The City" project ((http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10995&page=94&p=2196127&viewfull=1#post2196127) link), most if not all of the Victorian-style buildings are on the east side of the big river. So I'd argue the Victorian architecture was adopted over time as The City expanded eastward, and already existed during the time of TDP/G, but Garrett simply didn't visit those areas until TMA.

Just my two cents.

Azaran on 9/8/2021 at 23:37

Quote Posted by Grandmauden

That's an interesting possibility, but there's the fashion change as well

Cigam on 10/8/2021 at 07:13

Quote Posted by Azaran

That's an interesting possibility, but there's the fashion change as well

Even the zombies are dressing differently. Wearing actual clothes. . And the ape-beasts now grow their hair long.

Kaleidoscope on 10/8/2021 at 21:43

The idiosyncratic architecture, and the mish-mash of styles, is one of the things I like best about Thief and the City. It feels almost like the archetype of any and all fantasy cities - it could stretch on forever, just an infinite jumble of buildings in every conceivable western style from Norman/Romanesque, through Palladian, to Tudorbethan timber-framing, quasi-Georgian and eventually Victorian Industrial and even Art Deco. It really gives it the air of a place that has existed for hundreds or thousands of years and is eternally built and rebuilt in an ad-hoc and unplanned fashion.
It's something I felt Deadly Shadows took a sad step backward on, as its architecture seemed to mostly consist of uninspiring generic fantasy gothic. 2014 did a better job, you can see a distinct mix of gothic and Victorian-inspired architecture, with some classical or Palladian thrown in, but the extremely limited palette sadly disguises the architectural diversity, and creates the appearance of a blandly homogenous city.

Kupildivan on 11/8/2021 at 05:51

del

Basso The Boxman on 13/8/2021 at 21:36

Quote Posted by Hesha

Oh, wow. I was expecting just about any kind of response, but not just blatent abuse from some guy I don't know. Thanks for that, hope you're real proud of yourself for that.

Oh i guess you just don’t know this guy. I’m surprised he hasn’t been banned yet. All he does is insult people because he’s highly insecure. Just ignore him.