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Eidos Announces Thief 4
Posted by
Soulskill
on Tue May 12, 2009 02:51 AM
from the coming-out-of-stealth dept.
from the coming-out-of-stealth dept.
An anonymous reader tips news that Eidos Montreal has confirmed recent speculation by announcing the development of a new Thief game. They've set up a website, but the project is still in its early stages, and details are scarce. In an interview with IncGamers, Eidos' Stéphane D'Astous said, "We're keeping our ear very close to the ground. As you may have noticed, we now have a forum up and running for Thief 4, and I said to my guys 'I really want to have a forum at the very early stages,' because I want people to have a medium with which they can express their wishes, their expectations, and what they would like and not like to happen with the next Thief. Obviously we've started work, but it's always very important for the developers to be close to the community. We're listening to these people because they are very hardcore fans, and we want to bring the Thief 4 franchise to a new level, so the challenges are huge!"
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Submission: Eidos Announces Fourth Thief Game by Anonymous Coward
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Thiaf? (Score:3, Insightful)
Thi4f? As in "Thiaf"? Doesn't seem like a good first impression.
Ryan Fenton
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Thi4f? As in "Thiaf"? Doesn't seem like a good first impression.
Shh. They're just figuring out the replacing letters with numbers. Next comes the realization that the numbers are supposed to look something like the letters. That's followed by the realization that nobody does that anymore, except in mockery.
So we should be back to normal titles once they hit step three around 2020.
Re: (Score:2)
Reminds me of some boy band several years back called 5ive. I worked at Best Buy back when they released an album and had to look at that every day.
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There was a boy band in the UK (at least, maybe Europe) called 5ive.
Despite being a teenager during their popular spell, I cannot remember the slightest bit about any of their "music" though.
Re-make Thief 2 (Score:5, Insightful)
All they have to do for huge success if make it nearly exactly like Thief 2. I loved Thief 3 but the lack of huge sprawling levels with many hidden passage ways really hurt the game.
As to the story I hope they make it a prequel or otherwise not have Garret as the main character. The whole Thief mythos was pretty much played out at the end of Thief 3 and a continuation would just feel tacked on (Thief 1 & 2 heavily explored the Pagans and the Hammerites, Thief 3 basically removed the Keepers).
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I don't know if it was Thief 2 or 3, but I got hold of a demo of one of them, and my friends and I spent about 4 hours trying to do the lockpicking stage and none of us could do it, so it became a drinks mat.
Re:Re-make Thief 2 (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
The end of Thief3 paved the way for a sequel. Garret more or less came full circle, taking an apprentice in almost exactly the same was he himself was when he was a child. It has a lot of p
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Exactly. Thief 2 is my favourite of the series, and its gameplay mechanics are far superior to Deadly Shadows, except for maybe one or two improvements like the new lock-picking system which I believe should be kept for T4. The movement and body awareness in DS felt really sluggish, as though Garrett was stumbling through knee-high water. Blackjacking enemies, and the associated 'snap' to position the bodies was also a downside. Obviously the compromises made for the Xbox, e.g. the loading zones, were a
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The whole Thief mythos was pretty much played out at the end of Thief 3 and a continuation would just feel tacked on (Thief 1 & 2 heavily explored the Pagans and the Hammerites, Thief 3 basically removed the Keepers).
There's yet another faction that Garrett can end: the Ancients. As silly as time travel might be, I'd like to see them in their prime, with their cities alive. Maybe Garrett's runes retain their own memory and he starts having walking-flashbacks or something. If the AI were good enough, a Thief version of Blue Shift could be interesting: you play Lord Bafford, and you score points for how long you keep the Thief at bay before he steals your latest prized treasure. Set your guard patrols, locks, traps,
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I wish they'd have Garret again but make him more powerful. Sure, you can still have sneaking as an option - except for boss fights, of course - but there really should be a lot more action. Sometimes there could be reaction test, like when a guard draws a deep breath and a button blinks on the screen for a split-second, and if you push it on time Garret will throw a knife into the guards throat before he can scream.
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Thief 3 was the best of the series for me. Why? Because of the free-roaming segments between missions. For the first time, you could actually go where you chose to go when you chose to go there.
If they want inspiration (Score:5, Insightful)
Look to Thief 2. 3 was something of a letdown; 1 was still a new idea (and therefor somewhat unrefined). 2 was easily the zenith of the series to date.
What was missing from 3? Large open levels, multiple solutions to each problem, and the varied mission objectives. Thief 3 at least got the sneak, stab and sap aspect of the game right, to its credit, and they included the requisite gadgets and arrows. As long as these things remain for 4, the game will be, at a minimum, adequate; done right it can be something more.
One of the things all three games got right was story. Atmosphere, character, plot and background are the series strong points, so they need a decent writer on staff (one familiar with the previous games). For the best of the series atmosphere, look to the Shaleridge Cradle section in Thief 3.
Final detail. Garret, whatever else he is, is one of the game's selling points. There is something to be said for a cynical misanthropic kleptomaniac with a bludgeoning tool and bills to pay. Keep those aspects of his character, and you'll go far; the last thing anyone wants to see is the writers trying to turn him into anything "better" than he is.
Re:If they want inspiration (Score:5, Informative)
AFAIK the xbox 360/PS3 (or whatever new machine the new thief is going to run on) can handle large levels so
Y
Parent
Re:If they want inspiration (Score:5, Insightful)
And that is also one of the main reason why Deus Ex 2 sucked. They basically made the game for the console only and just added the PC executable. The result: tiny levels, dumbed down story, dumbed down weapon system, awful graphics.
Guess what? It was the same game studio, the same developer team and the same publisher. No wonder the mistakes were the same.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
And that is also one of the main reason why Deus Ex 2 sucked. They basically made the game for the console only and just added the PC executable. The result: tiny levels, dumbed down story, dumbed down weapon system, awful graphics.
They need to either make it for the PC first and a dumbed-down version for the 360 or they need to just ignore the XBox entirely.
The problem is that they think that adding support for it will be easy, but the problem is that the controller, graphics, and many other aspects of the
Thi4f (Score:2, Funny)
In other news, Deus Ex 3 is being renamed to D3us Ex.
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In other news, Deus Ex 3 is being renamed to D3us Ex.
I still don't know that Thiaf means...
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Because DBus Ex is much more meaningful related to a game? Does it include its own card?
Re:Thi4f (Score:5, Informative)
Strangely enough... [wiktionary.org]
Parent
management speak (Score:2)
"and we want to bring the Thief 4 franchise to a new level, so the challenges are huge!"
Stop quacking and start talking!
Good PR Flak. Here's a donut. (Score:2)
We're listening to these people because they are very hardcore fans
That's nice. And for the rest of the Slashdot readers who couldn't care less?
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Maddox is that you?
In music news... (Score:4, Funny)
...Guns 'n' Roses front man Axl Rose has announced that he's starting a forum to let fans decide what the next album will sound like. The plan was hatched in response to the poor reception of the band's last album "Chinese Democracy". So far, postings have included:
mtlhdz4evr: "Just make it so it doesn't suck, man !"
RckRietGrrrrl619: "I wanna luv sng. Hugz xxx LOL"
ShredKatz: "Buckethed'z the man. He's so fast, dude. More notes this time, yeah ?"
AlkyBanger: "YEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Thief (Score:5, Insightful)
Fantastic! I love Thief, it's my favorite video game of all time.
However... they ended the series. Not only that, but they kind of butchered their whole attempt at Thief 3. If they want a good new game...
*Item scarcity. 1 & 2 never gave you 30 fire arrows to play with...
*Uninterrupted whole levels. 1 & 2 never had loading zones within a level.
*Complete outdoor areas. 1 & 2 were not set up like dungeons. They were *real* buildings.
*Rooftops.
I could say more, but I'll spare you. :)
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Re:Thief (Score:5, Insightful)
that was a ~problem~ ??
I thought the fact that you were a wimp in hand to hand non-stealthy combat was the main point of the game. Otherwise you could just have played Splinter Cell. This might have solved your second problem with the Thief Serie too : there were too many ways to finish the levels.
Keep the hero a wimp, make the levels as ~open~ as can be with multiple entrances and no forced way of finishing a level or pass an obstacle (see the latest Tomb Raider or Prince of Perversia installments for how NOT to do it), don't include a sidekick, especially if that sidekick is supposed to save you everytime you might have died (hell.. ALLOW for failure. you know, the old "YOU'RE DEAD, GAME OVER" concept that seems to be vanishing out of most games lately), and you'll have a great game on your hands.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Keep the hero a wimp, make the levels as ~open~ as can be with multiple entrances and no forced way of finishing a level or pass an obstacle (see the latest Tomb Raider or Prince of Perversia installments for how NOT to do it), don't include a sidekick, especially if that sidekick is supposed to save you everytime you might have died (hell.. ALLOW for failure. you know, the old "YOU'RE DEAD, GAME OVER" concept that seems to be vanishing out of most games lately), and you'll have a great game on your hands.
In short, you'll have Nethack.
Actually, I love the first 2 Thief games: as one review put it, Thief was one of the few games where standing still watching and listening for your opponents was exciting. And if it was too easy to go around conking guards on the head, you could always have a nice challenge by leaving all the guards awake and walking around while you went and grabbed all the loot.
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You're doing it wrong (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
New petition for T1&2 source release,please mo (Score:5, Informative)
The Thief fan community has been trying to get the source to Thief 1 & 2 released for several years but with little success - as a consequence of the bankruptcy of the original developer, it has been hard to even find out who might have it let alone be in a position to release it. However, recently there has been a glimmer of hope since one developer seems to have information about it but permission is still needed, which is why a new petition has been started. We want to improve the engine and enable it to run on modern systems so please slashdot the release petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/ThiefSrc/ [petitiononline.com]
Note: This is not the same petition as before but a new one. So even if you have signed the old one, please sign this too.
please mo? (Score:2)
Moooooooooooooo!
Compression filter? Bah.
Re: (Score:2)
"We are only requesting the original source code for the graphics engine to these games, not anything more."
Don't you want the audio engine, utility code, and logic, too?
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I could be wrong.
Producing for consoles will dumb it down (Score:2, Insightful)
Just look at Bioshock which was supposed to be the spiritual successor of the beloved System Shock series.
Another victim of the consoles is Deus Ex 2 which I consider a sibling title of Thief 3, same studio, same problems due to console restraints.
Thief 1,2 & 3 (Score:2)
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If you sign up for a free gametap account, they usually have Thief 3 cycling through the reduced set of games allowed to be played by the free account tier.
And a random sideline... (Score:2)
...those who can't wait should check out The Dark Mod [thedarkmod.com] for Doom 3 - a toolkit for building Thief 1/2 style missions in a reasonably modern game engine. The two alpha missions so far looked extremely good.
Wonder which will be released first, TDM or Thief 4?
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TDM has been in closed development for so long, I refuse to believe it even exists. The community around it is unhelpful, the project leaders are uncommunicative, the developers refuse to discuss what they're working on, and contributing to the project requires an application process.
Quite frankly, after all these years (5 or 6 years now?) of teaser screen shots and videos, I think TDM is the mod communities version of DNF.
As bad as Theif 3 was... (Score:2)
It still included one of the best levels of any game in the history of ever and awesome.
The Shalebridge Cradle. This level alone gets me to play Theif 3 every so often.
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Sounds to me they will screw it up.. (Score:2)
They say something about a broader target audience. For Games like Thief, System Shock, Deus Ex, that is a death sentence. Well, not quite, but it assures they will disappoint the fans. Case in Point: Deus Ex was great, Deus Ex 2 was a sick joke. Thief 3 managed to avoid this fate, but narrowly. I remember not finishing it, because I could just not stand some aspects of the game.
Focus on the AI (Score:3, Funny)
I don't care which engine they use anymore. Thief 1/2 engine or Thief 3, either one would work with some enhancements. Yeah, the Thief 3 engine had some *issues*, but that whole generation of ragdoll games had issues. DX2, VTM:B, Thief3...
My biggest hope is some improved AI. Sure, I could make some long, insightful post about the shortcomings of the AI in all three games, but CAD summed it up quite nicely:
http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20040616 [ctrlaltdel-online.com]
Multiplayer! (Score:2)
My favorite aspects of the game have been talked about already: Anti-protagonist, scarcity of items, large full levels, great atmosphere, etc...
What I'd love to see is A multiplayer version. Co-op, Anti-Co-op (Get the golden statue before the opposition does. -- Wouldn't it be a hoot to fire a noise arrow in the direction you think an opponent is hiding while the guard is searching for you both.), Guard vs Thief (one sided capture the flag.)
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As a long time Thief fan and advocate I did have some issues with the interface. But I guess everyone has an opinion of what's good.
And I must say that Shalebridge Cradle was one of those missions that made me realize that I might need to wear some Depends undergarments when I play games that are so immersive. It wasn't as beautiful as The Bonehorde or The Haunted Cathedral but it was still one hell of a good time.
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I can't help but wonder how that happened. Well, I mean, not how the first part happened...how it could be sprung upon you.
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So you've discovered a means to accelerate the gestation process?