tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57893049004100712572024-02-19T21:31:37.387-08:00Evangelizing 'Thief'A blog examining official missions, fan missions, and themes of the 'Thief' series of games.Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-45783486082704435092015-06-14T06:48:00.000-07:002015-08-04T17:36:37.172-07:00Why Thief?<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Ninety to 99% of my creative drive comes from gaming and games I have played. Fifty to
60% of this comes from the first two <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
</i>games. Since I first played them as a kid, I have loved everything about
them: their atmosphere, their stories, characters, environments, design, gameplay, and overall aura. The experience of playing the original <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games has been a fundamental part
of my psyche. They are, to get a little melodramatic about it, my first and
truest love.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So okay. I love these two games <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief: The Dark Project </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II: The Metal Age</i>. I’m doing this
project on them. Great for me—but what about you? Why should you care,
especially if you may not be interested in games and may have never even heard
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The answer: you should care if you
like great stories—great entertainment experiences. My thesis throughout this
project is that the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games are
the ideal story-telling platform and entertainment experience. I’ll try to
relay to you why I think this is so via mini-essays on topics and themes from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>and via mission-summaries I write
for select levels from the first three <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
</i>games. These mission-summaries will also include material on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>fan-missions created by members of
the fan community at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Through the Looking
Glass </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(see 'ttlg.com').</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I hope, through this, to share some
of the greatness that I have always enjoyed from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games. So if you in any way appreciate great storytelling and
other entertainment experiences, then please read, watch, and enjoy my blog; or, more importantly, play the <i>Thief </i>games.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>-Trevor Whalen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-26261523683435267372015-06-14T06:47:00.001-07:002015-08-05T18:10:18.687-07:00General Introduction<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> In 1998, game developer Looking Glass Studios
released <i>Thief: The Dark Project</i>, a PC game that was critically
acclaimed at the time and that has held and grown a loyal, dedicated fan base
since. The game drew inspiration from an earlier work of Looking Glass’, <i>Ultima
Underworld</i>, but unlike that role-playing game, <i>Thief </i>had
no role-playing statistics and mechanics at the forefront. Instead, <i>Thief</i> took
on the more immediate, accessible design of an action game and, like Looking
Glass’ other titles, added depth to this otherwise simple setup. <i>Thief </i>was
dubbed a “first-person sneaker” at the time, as it was first-person and part of
the game’s design was to sneak by the artificial intelligence (AI). But <i>Thief </i>was,
and is, much more than a stealth game. Its level design, narrative design, and
atmosphere make it a unique, unparalleled experience. This is the case not just
for gaming, but for entertainment in general.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Key
to <i>Thief</i>’s design is that the stealth gameplay takes a
backseat. <i>Thief </i>is a great ‘stealth’ game precisely because
its main focus is <i>not </i>on stealth. The requirement of players
to remain undetected and avoid confrontation is used to complement and enhance
the greater goal of the game, which is to explore and discover. This is a basic
goal, as most games arguably involve exploration and discovery. But <i>Thief </i>does
not just involve it to some degree—it executes the sense of exploration
perfectly. The stealth aspect forces players into a ‘fly on the wall’ position,
from which, lurking in the shadows, they can explore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> This
design complements the narrative and story aspect of <i>Thief</i>. <i>Thief</i>’s
story is formed through ‘narrative caches’ throughout the game’s missions.
These are either journals or other ‘readables’—books, scrolls, letters, or
pamphlets lying around—, conversations between AI that players can overhear,
and paintings and other artwork on the walls. Much of <i>Thief</i>’s story
is conveyed through paintings and other artwork, such as statues, that players
will see decorating manor-houses and other buildings. The game’s subtle method
of delivering its backstory adds extra weight to the game’s fiction. Rather
than something directly fed to the players, the fiction looms in the
background, part of the thick atmosphere that overhangs the entire game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <i>Thief </i>does
have ‘briefing’ cut scenes before each mission, narrated by the
player-character Garrett, but these serve only to set up each mission. The
backstory of the gameworld is conveyed through the aforementioned narrative
caches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The
level design is excellent. Most of <i>Thief</i>’s levels are large
and labyrinthine in structure, and allow players to explore as they please, in
non-linear fashion. A few of the missions I highlight in these blog entries are
like ‘mini open-worlds’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The
game series’ fanbase has iterated on all these design principles excellently in
fan-created <i>Thief </i>missions, or ‘<i>Thief </i>fan
missions’, created using the game’s editing tools, and distributed through
Looking Glass’ fanbase (ttlg.com). (I consider many of these fan missions to be among the greatest entertainment and narrative experiences I've encountered, and will highlight
some of them in this blog as well.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-Thief
Introduction-</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The <i>Thief </i>series
consists of four games. The focus of this blog will be on the first two: <i>Thief:
The Dark Project </i>(1998) and <i>Thief II: The Metal Age </i>(2000).
Both titles were developed by Looking Glass Studios, and are the series’ best.
The third game, <i>Thief: Deadly Shadows </i>(2004), is a mixed bag.
It was developed by Ion Storm and had technical limitations and design
fundamentals that gave it a lukewarm reception among the fans. One of its
missions, however, will be covered in this blog, as it is one of the finest
segments of the <i>Thief </i>series and is <i>Deadly
Shadows’ </i>saving grace. The fourth <i>Thief </i>game, a
reboot titled only “<i>Thief</i>” (2014), was released recently and developed
by Eidos-Montreal. This game is not very good, was ill received by fans of the
series (who had anticipated it with much cynicism in the first place), and will
not be covered at all in this blog. (Indeed, this blog’s author refuses to
recognize this latest <i>Thief </i>as a <i>Thief </i>game
at all.) The fan missions covered in the blog will all be for the original two,
Looking Glass-developed <i>Thief </i>games. For the blog
entries, <i>Thief: The Dark Project </i>will be called simply “<i>Thief
I</i>”, and <i>Thief II: The Metal Age </i>just “<i>Thief II</i>.” <i>Thief:
Deadly Shadows </i>will be called “<i>Thief III</i>”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> With
the formal introductions out of the way, let's move on to the story specifics. In
the <i>Thief </i>games, you play as Garrett. When players first meet
Garrett in <i>Thief I</i>, he is a stray child, who, in his own words, had
no parents and had to keep “running messages and picking pockets to keep [his]
ribs from meeting [his] spine.” But Garrett runs into an old man one day who is
a Keeper. The Keepers are one of the different sects in <i>Thief</i>’s
fiction, a group who remain hidden, read prophecies, use the “power of glyphs”,
and try to maintain balance in the City.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> “The
City” is <i>Thief</i>’s setting. It is always and only ever referred to as
“the City” in the game—there is no proper name. <i>Thief</i>’s world is a
blend of many different eras. There’s medieval, Victorian, and even some early
modern flair and style all mixed together in a fantasy world decidedly flavored
steampunk. <i>Thief I </i>is mostly medieval, with a ‘dark middle
ages’ vibe. <i>Thief II </i>is mostly Victorian, with art-deco style
throughout. <i>Thief III </i>returned the series more to medieval
fantasy, toning down the Victorian style of <i>Thief II</i>. But in
all, <i>Thief’</i>s setting is fantasy, and best described as a
medieval-Victorian hybrid with a little steampunk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> So
you’re Garrett, in the City, and you learn from <i>Thief I</i>’s intro
that Garrett got invited into the fold of the Keepers through the coincidence
of bumping into one of them. From the Keepers, Garrett learns the “art of not
being seen.” This learning process is the setup of <i>Thief I</i>’s
training mission. Garrett could use this “art” of the Keepers to…be a Keeper.
But he decides to ditch the shadowy organization and go out on his own, using
the ways of the Keepers to be a thief. Thus begins the story of the <i>Thief </i>series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Throughout
his adventures in burglary, Garrett will deal with all the wonderful people of
the City. One large organization in the City is the Hammerites. These are the
religious people of the <i>Thief </i>universe, their order, “The
Order of the Hammer”, being, essentially, the <i>Thief </i>world’s
Catholic Church. They’re like technophiles, worshipping the ‘Hammer’ and all
the tools for building and constructing, praising their “Master Builder” for
delivering them from humanity’s dark, wild past. They wield huge, heavy
hammers, which they will use to swiftly crush Garrett if they catch sight of
him in one of their temples.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Opposite
the Hammerites are the Pagans. In <i>Thief I</i>, players never see
Pagans, though they read of them many times (and their mystique of ‘being
unknown’ overhangs the atmosphere). In <i>Thief II </i>and <i>III</i>,
players will see and interact with Pagans. They’re enemies to the Hammerites,
as Pagans loath the constructs of civilization and prefer, instead, to live
wild in the woods. As the Hammerites practice technology, the Pagans practice
magic. They worship “the Woodsie Lord”, an ancient god whom the Hammerites call
“the Trickster”. The Trickster is basically <i>Thief</i>’s devil.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It’s
important to note that these two groups, integral to <i>Thief</i>, and
especially <i>Thief I</i>’s backstory, are introduced gradually through
the afore-described narrative caches. And it’s never cheap, because players
never pick up a book titled “An Introduction to Hammerites”. Indeed, players
are first introduced to the Hammerite vs. Pagan dichotomy via a painting
in <i>Thief I</i>’s first mission. At the time, players don’t even know
it, as they don’t know anything about Hammerites or the Trickster in the first
mission. It’s an early, subtle introduction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> In
addition to the Hammerites and the Pagans, there’s the star of the show: the
City Watch and private guards. These guys are the guards players will see and
hide from in most areas of the game. The City Watch patrol the streets, and
private guards patrol manor-houses. Private guards and City Watch look and act
very similarly. There also appear different ‘characters’ amongst the guards who
serve as the game’s humor. There’s the slow, stupid guard; the straight-talking
guard; the drunken guard; and others. All the guards and their dialog serve as
comic relief. It’s amusing to hear guards mumble “must’ve been rats” or “just
the wind I guess” whenever the player makes a noise, alerting them, but the
guard gives up the search. Guards will also mumble to themselves things like “I
haven’t had a thing to eat in days, when will they bring me my dinner” or
“Someday I’ll show them all…someday they’ll get what they deserve.” One comic
guard, named “Benny” by the fans, has some particularly funny dialog. Some
guards’ conversations are done in classic straight-guy / funny-guy style, as
one is from the very first mission of <i>Thief </i>in which two
guards discuss going to “the bear pits.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Then
there are the already-introduced Keepers, who players don’t run into much, but
who do get in touch with Garrett every now and then. They play their biggest
role in <i>Thief III</i>. They have their prophecies, their glyphs, and
their dedication to maintaining ‘balance’ in the City. They also always keep
their eye on Garrett.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Thief
II </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">has a unique group, the “Mechanists”, an outbranch of
the Hammerites and, as far as the Hammerites are concerned, outright heretics.
I guess you could see the Mechanists as <i>Thief</i>’s Protestants. It’s
thanks to them and their mechanical inventions that Garrett has to deal with
security cameras and robots in <i>Thief II</i>. In the style of the
series, these security machines are not just for gameplay—in all of the
Mechanists’ devices there is evidence of their crazed religion, with the
security bots spouting Mechanists’ “propaganda” and scripture, all recorded by
the Mechanists’ founder himself. In most other games, security bots don’t say
things like “blessed be the children of metal” as they patrol around—but this
is <i>Thief</i>. Story and gameplay always intertwine, the two supporting
each other; and hardly, if ever, in conflict.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Garrett,
the player-character and “master thief”; the shadowy Keepers; the zealous
Hammerites; the mysterious Pagans; the humorous guards; and, in <i>Thief
II</i>, the crazed Mechanists; and also the City itself are the major
characters of the <i>Thief </i>world. Throughout my blog entries, how
the games introduce these groups will be an area of focus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Lastly
I want to briefly describe how a typical <i>Thief </i>mission begins.
First, there is a mission “briefing.” No one is briefing Garrett—only Garrett
speaks, talking either to himself or the player. Following this is the screen
listing the mission objectives, and the option to change difficulty setting and
to see the differing objectives for each setting (<i>Thief</i>’s three
difficulty settings are ‘Normal’, ‘Hard’, and ‘Expert’). Following this, in
most cases, is a menu that acts as a store—as if Garrett is buying equipment.
You can either buy or ignore any of the equipment available, and how much money
you have to spend depends on how much loot you got in the prior mission. After this,
the mission starts. Throughout my project will be gameplay recordings and videos of the mission briefings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-86496308250046178272015-06-11T23:32:00.000-07:002015-08-03T21:13:15.964-07:00Introduction to missions from 'Thief: The Dark Project'This project will begin with overviews of the missions I want to highlight from the first <em>Thief </em>game: <em>Thief: The Dark Project. </em>To begin, here are a couple videos that, while not essential to the project, do help to set up the context of the story. They are of the training mission, which sets up the story of the game with Garrett being recruited by the Keepers and subsequently turning to the thief's life.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EhwZadEaOzw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EhwZadEaOzw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/na-9OH8m9Pk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/na-9OH8m9Pk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-1297641717934209182015-06-11T22:44:00.000-07:002017-04-08T22:03:52.646-07:00Mission #1: Lord Bafford's Manor<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Thief: The Dark Project </span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">starts
off with a simple, straightforward and brilliantly designed mission that sets
the tone for the adventure the player is about to begin. Our cynical antihero,
Garrett, has gotten word from his fence that Lord Bafford is out of town. The
time is ripe to break into Bafford’s manor house and steal the lord’s jeweled
scepter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_GIChVfVl6g/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_GIChVfVl6g?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>From the get go, the player is introduced to the design and atmosphere elements that make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">special</span>. The mission starts with the player dropped just outside
the front gate to Bafford’s manor. From this point, the player may travel left or
right, and from those directions other ways, including down into the sewers. The
plan is to enter a well house which leads into a water system that connects
with Bafford’s manor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Stepping forward into the shadows of the
front gate to the manor, the player can overhear two of the guards engage in conversation.
Overhearing conversation between AI characters is a key element in this series—<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>lets the player be a fly-on-the-wall.
As the player walks around towards the back of the manor house, wind blows
through the city streets, broken only by the occasional chatter that comes from
the closed windows of lit, crowded taverns. Environmental sound effects and
audio is something the developers at Looking Glass got perfect in the first two
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Audio
continues to set the mood as the player sneaks into the interior of the manor. As the player explores the manor house, more guards converse; notes hang pinned to the
walls; journals lie scattered about. The player can engage in all these
‘narrative pockets’, or just continue on to nab the jeweled scepter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The manor’s design is brilliant and
well-balanced. The player first enters the cellar, then proceeds to the outer areas
and then, finally, into the inner areas. Audio cues and changes in the balance between
lighting and shadow set the mood for each section. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><b>*Note:</b> In my gameplay recordings, I am playing <i>Thief</i> under the 'ghosting' style. This is a style created by the <i>Thief </i>fan community under which one uses little to no weapons or items while playing. So, in my videos, I'm mostly just sneaking around and soaking things in. There are other ways to play, though; I could be pulling out my blackjack to knock out guards, which I rarely do in these videos. I include this note just so you know that the way I play <i>Thief </i>in these videos is not the only way to play <i>Thief</i>.*</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">
</span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ex4Cm4NGspE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ex4Cm4NGspE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v2dt71nK_rY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v2dt71nK_rY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">
</span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Once the player reaches Bafford’s throne
room—“How pretentious can he get?” Garrett asks—the scepter is in plain sight,
hanging on the wall. Players nab it. On Normal, the mission ends. On higher
difficulties, players must get back out, and they will need to have been
nabbing other loot from the manor. On Normal, players can be murderer as much
as thief; on higher difficulty settings, Garrett’s a professional, so no
killing. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games’ gameplay
design and player experience changes substantially between each difficulty
level.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">
</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DF-pePRI4kA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DF-pePRI4kA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"> Bafford’s Manor sets the stage for the rest of the game. The elements
introduced here are used to memorable, fantastic effect as the game proceeds.
Every time I replay Bafford’s manor, and it numbers in the thousands by this
point, I’m definitely ready for another adventure through <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>.</span></div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-13155662461624715222015-06-11T16:41:00.004-07:002015-08-05T21:24:47.467-07:00Mission #2: Break from Cragscleft Prison<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Cutty,
Garrett’s fence, has been locked up by the Hammerites. He’s incarcerated in the
religious group’s compound at Cragscleft. The place contains the prison in
which Cutty is being held as well as a factory and a mines. As Garrett notes, the
Hammerites don’t venture much into the mines as they’re supposedly haunted, but
that’s exactly the way Garrett’s going to take to get into the compound to get
Cutty out.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><b>*Note:</b> The voice actor who voices Garrett, and many of the other characters and monsters in the <i>Thief </i>games, is Stephen Russell. He's a great voice actor and still acts in games today. His voice work is an integral part of the original <i>Thief </i>experience.*</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HA7o4G3XUaI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HA7o4G3XUaI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> T</span>hings don’t go as planned.
“Break From Cragscleft Prison” has a couple twists, which is a trend in the
official <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games and many of its
fan-made missions. “Cragscleft” also contains a contrast between the two main
themes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief: The Dark Project</i>’s
fiction: the well-lit, industrious, civilized world of the Hammerites, as
experienced in the Factory and prison sections (though, perhaps, a prison isn’t
truly civilized), and the dark, mysterious, decayed world of the undead, as
experienced in the haunted mines. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief:
The Dark Project</i> has throughout an underlying darkness, rising explicitly
in the game’s haunted segments. The story, in general, is one of
technology versus magic. And, again, in Cragscleft, with its industrious factory
and haunted mines, one can see this contrast in demonstration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On to the mission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Cragscleft” begins with the player plopped outdoors in a crevice of the mountain that the mines, factory, and
prison complex are carved in to. The blue sky and chirping birds are an ironic
prelude to the dark mines the player must enter at the start of their journey
through Cragscleft. Garrett leaves the cheery outside by diving into the water
and swimming through a passage and up into the cold embrace of the mines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Zombies are a big staple of the
original <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>game, and here the player meets their first one. It’s lying dead, for now, but will rise if alerted. The
undead’s groans and moans horrified me when I first played through <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>as a kid. And these zombies are
one of the elements that make <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief: The
Dark Project </i>such a unique stealth game. You don’t just sneak past guards,
but also the undead. And giant spiders—one of which lurks in the depths of
these mines. (There are also dinosaur-like “Burricks”, whom we’ll meet in the
next mission.) Though sneaking past guards has its thrills, there’s something
about creeping past zombies that’s all the more spine-tingling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The literal darkness of the mines
coupled with the zombies make walking through them a daunting trek. A great deal of the atmosphere comes from the audio. The distant moans, the scurrying and
squeaks of rats, and the creak of wooden beams fill the player with dread and give them a sense of the decay in these mines.
The player empathizes with Garrett. The players’ palms sweated as Garrett broke in to
Bafford’s manor, but now poor Garrett has to deal with the supernatural.
Relaying such dread through atmosphere is done really well in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>, which allows the player to
identify all the more with Garrett.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Little narrative pieces heighten the
dread. A flickering light above a broken keypad for an elevator conveys the
ruined nature of these mines. This elevator once would have served as a quick
link to the light world of the factory above, but now it can’t be called, not
to this level. The player will have to find another way up. A glance down the elevator shaft reveals the dim outline of a very large spider—the player certainly doesn't want to
go down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Using </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">’s sometime awkward mantling </span><span style="line-height: 32px;">maneuver</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">, the player can make their
way upwards to a higher level of the mines. The factory should be nearby—but
for now, Garrett is still stuck in the mines. One of my favorite moments from </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief: The Dark Project </i><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">lies on this
level of the mines. The player may find a tucked-away Hammerite sanctuary, long in
ruin, with benches, an altar, and some religious décor. In here, there are also
a couple holy water fountains. Using these will give the player Holy Water
Arrows for a brief time, which for now is the only sure way to destroy the
undead. (Of course, this option is not always the best to take. For Garrett,
sneaking is always better.) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The soft hum of the Holy Water fountains
and the secluded nature of this sanctuary give the player a feeling of safety. This sanctuary is a
respite from the creepy mines all around. As a kid first playing this game, and
even today, I'll sometimes crouch in a corner of this sanctuary. I like feeling
safe from the haunted horrors of the mines. But eventually, the objectives—or,
specifically, the need to find my imprisoned fence—come calling, and it’s back
into the fray.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Finally, the player sights a signpost that
reads “Factory.” The way out of these creepy mines! But around a corner—a
genuine jump moment—lies one last fright: a floating skeleton, that shoots its
skull forward and falls apart as Garrett approaches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Okay. Enough of these mines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YEGGECtGicw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YEGGECtGicw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">A few scattered zombie parts and faint
noises of humans—living ones—humming and whistling give the player indications that civilization is nearby. Take a peak around a corner, and you'll see a stairway up. There are also some nice torches, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lit </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ones</span>. And at the base of the stairs are a
couple of guys in some funny red, chainmail armor getup—and they’re carrying big sledge-hammers. Oh—these must be Hammerites! Their conversation gives the player a peek
into their story and place in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>’s
world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Up into the Factory, the player discovers a
different world. Here the hum of machines, the clank of gears and levers, and
the mumbling of Hammerites replace the haunted noises of below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Something else the player, myself included,
find out real fast is that it was much easier sneaking past zombies in the
darkness of the mines than sneaking past Hammerites in this brightly-lit
factory. These guys are alert, move fast, and have big hammers. Holy Water
doesn’t work too well on them, either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">But persistence, good use of quick saves
and quick loads, and a few Moss and Water arrows should have the player successfully transport Garrett through the factory and to the prison. In the
prison, the player gets a mix of the other two sections: the prisons are still
civilization, with lights and Hammerites, but throughout them echo the moans of
starving prisoners. Hmm…I could go back to the zombie moans now, maybe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">But, I can’t—not yet, because I need to
rescue Cutty. And, if I’m playing on Hard, I need to recover Freddie’s “hand of
glory.” If I’m playing on Expert, I need to do both those things <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>rescue Basso the Boxman. I always
play on Expert now, so, time to get to work!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The prison is divided into four cell
blocks: cell blocks 1 and 2 on one side, and 3 and 4 on the other. On each
side, a security hub with a Hammerite guard lies before the entrance to the
cell blocks. Cells 3 and 4 must be 'higher maintenance’ because the security
hub is more well lit. This drives me, and would likely drive any player,
towards cell blocks 1 and 2, putting off cell blocks 3 and 4 for later. However, a conversation between two Hammerites indicates that Cutty is in cell block 4. Thankfully, a central room, that can only be accessed
from within the cell blocks, gives the player an easier route to cell blocks 3 and 4. Given
how many hundreds of playthroughs I creeped through the well-lit hub before
finally discovering this easier route is one of many testaments to the fact that
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>always has new secrets to discover, even for a veteran player such as myself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">After some sneaking, some reading of who’s
who in the cells, some knocking out of guards, and some flipping of levers,
Garrett can nab Freddie’s hand of glory, pick up the unconscious body of Basso
to carry back to the surface, and meet with Cutty. Unfortunately for Garrett,
who is owed by Cutty, Cutty is dying. In his last, choked-out words, Cutty
gives Garrett the only payment he can now—a tip. Turns out another prisoner
here, named Felix, broke out of his cell. He had a map of some place called “the
Bonehoard”, and in this Bonehoard lies a valuable treasure, the “Horn of
Quintus.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oQaRJ5AuYvk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oQaRJ5AuYvk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Okay—interesting. But the player now has another task. Cutty’s fallen down dead, so scratch him—it’s time to find Felix
and his map. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">From cell block 1, the player can access the
Barracks. From here, the player can then access the higher offices. This is where,
according to Cutty, the Hammerites had locked up Felix’s map in an ‘evidence
vault’. But a perusal of the area and the reading of a journal lets players
know that Felix was able to steal the map back out of the evidence vault. Oh
well. The walk through the barracks and offices did give the players a chance
to see some pretty décor and nab some more loot, though.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Felix was able to nab the contents of the
Hammerites’ evidence locker, but he wasn’t able to make it out of the complex. The player finds his body, with the map of the Bonehoard beside it, in a secret
area off from one of the security hubs. Discovering secrets like this is one of
the great parts of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>—in this
case, the sound of running water alerts the player to there being an underground
river. This sound is coming from the entrance to the secret area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/12JUd836LQc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/12JUd836LQc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Once Garrett has the map, he must go back
through the mines to leave. There are several transition areas between the
Factory level and the haunted mines. This is another example of how <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>can scratch the exploring itch.
Even on recent playthroughs, I discover a way to approach this mission that I
hadn’t before. In this case, a running stream with a waterfall downwards, an
elevator shaft, the stairs noted above, or a secret passage through a cavern
will each connect the player back to the mines. These paths don’t all present
themselves, and the player may only ever be aware of one. It’s always satisfying
and fun to discover new passages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Cragscleft” is a great example of how to
put two different worlds together, in this case the haunted mines and the
Hammerite factory and prison complex. Both are blended together, and can be jumped to and from throughout the mission. Both have different atmospheres, and the
ascent from the haunted mines into the factory, and then back, gives the player a
sense of adventure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-4737022891676548052015-06-11T16:40:00.000-07:002015-08-05T17:18:28.880-07:00Mission #3: Down in the Bonehoard<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> A
great thing about the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games and
their fan content is that they are not always ‘standard stealth fare.’ This is
especially true of the first <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>,
in which, as has been explored, there is an underlying ‘dark’ or ‘mystic’
theme. While “Cragscleft” had some horror elements, the first full-on ‘haunted’
or ‘undead’ mission in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>is this
one: “Down in the Bonehoard.” What makes this mission great is not just its
creepy atmosphere, but also its labyrinthine design. On Expert mode, especially,
the designers have the player exploring every bit of this mission’s location: a
large underground crypt, or catacomb—whichever term you prefer. It’s a pretty
abstract design, and is a kind of catacomb structure that could not possibly
exist in our real world. And as Garrett explores it, he's not so properly a
thief, as he is a...grave robber. This mission is much less on the sneakster
side and more on the ‘Indiana Jones’ side, though there’s certainly sneaking to
be had. So grab your hat and whip—or, in this case, your cloak and rope
arrows—and let’s explore the Bonehoard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-2hldgfz8Cw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-2hldgfz8Cw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>difficulty setting
can radically change the playing experience. The changes are not just in terms
of the awareness level of the AI or in the amount of health the player has
versus the damage the player takes, though these are affected by difficulty
level. The changes are also in the amount of objectives and, more importantly,
in the very structure of the level. On the ‘Normal’ difficulty, “Bonehoard” is
simple: Get the Horn of Quintus. That’s it, and the design is as simple as the
single objective (though still brilliant). This is good for a player’s first
time through <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>. But on ‘Hard’ and
especially ‘Expert’, “Bonehoard” becomes a very different experience. More
areas are open to explore and there are many more objectives, including returning
to the surface once all the objective items have been acquired. It makes for a great
adventure, and this write-up is based on the ‘Expert’ version of “Bonehoard.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> The p</span>layer starts out in front of a
small crypt entrance. It’s a small opening into a cornucopia of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>-y fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Garrett begins his descent towards
the legendary Horn of Quintus by climbing down a rope into one of the tomb
areas. Here a solitary zombie walks around. Creepy art styles decorate the
wall—the air is thick with a sense of isolation. You’re down here all alone.
But other thieves have tried to rob the dead, as evidenced by the corpses
Garrett finds with journals lying beside them, detailing the final days of these
late explorers’ lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">As Garrett moves through this early tomb
section, he crosses a few booby traps, such as a falling boulder, and treasure
chests that trigger shooting arrows when opened. There are quite a few more of
these throughout the tomb. Once Garrett reaches the caves that will lead him to
the main area of “Bonehoard,” the mission really opens up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6zvLf6tGA8A/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6zvLf6tGA8A?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Bonehoard’s” open-ended design makes
it highly re-playable. I’ve played it hundreds of times (literally, no hyperbole) and even still will
suddenly feel the itch to dive back into the Bonehoard for a fix. It’s great
design and lots of fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The tunneled caves, with Burricks
(large lizard-like creatures), and the large crypt areas, with the undead, make
up the main area of this mission. Both weave in and out and soon enough the player will find they are going in circles. But this a good feeling here—one with lots
of discovery and the joy that comes from it. Discovering new areas, or new
passages to old areas, is crux to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
</i>experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Acquiring the Horn of Quintus is one
of the most memorable moments from the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
</i>series. When the player first step out of the Burrick-infested tunnels and then
enter the large, main catacomb area, they will hear, echoing from the distance, a
piped-tune playing. Garrett mutters, “Tombs with piped-in music. How classy.”
It is the Horn of Quintus, and it will keep playing until Garrett nabs it,
giving players a signal to follow to the treasure they seek.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j_p0LhD71zk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j_p0LhD71zk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The main section has several areas
to access, each one of them filled with tricks and traps. The tomb of
the Quintus family is located past a cavern filled with Burricks. These, however, are standing still and do not attack Garrett as he
walks by. The tune coming from the Horn of Quintus is what is keeping them
still. So, once Garrett steals the Horn, he won’t have as easy a time getting back
past these Burricks as he had getting into the Quintus’ tomb.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Climbing up the large corridor to
the Horn, its tune becoming louder as Garrett progresses to it, is magical.
Once in front of it, Garrett says, “The Horn of Quintus, I presume.” A sound of
distant rumbling plays. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>’s use
of audio, both Garrett speaking out loud to himself and the atmospheric ambiance,
is brilliant at creating atmosphere, and it shines in this ‘Quintus’ experience.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cJf2f65T96I/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cJf2f65T96I?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Either before or after grabbing the
Horn, the player may explore all the other areas of the crypts and get all the
other artifacts. “Bonehoard” is a fun, well-designed grave-robbing adventure
that fuses the world of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>with
the classic dungeon-crawling vibe. Like many of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>’s levels, it’s a great non-linear, open-ended mission that
encourages exploration and rewards this with discovery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vs4_EOr6FuQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vs4_EOr6FuQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-6725712700616704752015-06-10T16:01:00.000-07:002015-08-07T22:07:17.473-07:00Garrett's Character as Essential to the Story-telling in 'Thief'<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">What makes the </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">games great games is that they are not stealth games. They
have stealth in them, and they are partly stealth games; if someone described
them as such they would not be invalid. But stealth is not their primary drive
or goal. These games are about exploration and discovery, and having characters
and stories gradually, subtlety make their way to you. The </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">games use the stealth premise as a vehicle for a unique,
effective method of story-telling, key to it being that the player is a
proverbial fly-on-the-wall.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Just as stealth is incidental to a
better story experience, so too is Garrett’s status as a thief. Garrett is a
thief not just so players can ‘play as a thief’; he’s also such so that players
can receive the game’s story in a certain, very effective way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The first way Garrett's status as a thief is used in such a way is by
establishing an “atmosphere of intimidation.” This atmosphere only exists
because Garrett is a thief who must always hide from those around him.
Garrett’s surroundings, both the other people and all the buildings, are
hostile to him. This gives the character groups and the buildings in the game a
“heightened sense”—they tower above Garrett. This would not be the case were
players a knight-hero, or something. In this case, players would be on an even
plane with those around them. To a heroic knight walking through the City, who
does not have to worry about hiding, the appearance, beliefs, style, and
overall aura of the Hammerites or other groups in the City would not be as
intimidating. Garrett, to the contrary, is skeptical of them and indifferent to
them. Everyone is a threat to Garrett.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Garrett also sees the bad side of
people. To the average citizen, perhaps the Hammerites would only ever be
thought of as good. But Garrett sees them when they think no one is watching,
being a thief who can also double as voyeur or snoopster.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The second way story-telling is
affected by Garrett’s status as thief is by “Garrett’s disinterest.” Precisely
because Garrett is disinterested in the world and the characters around him,
their stories become more interesting. They are relayed to the player
incidentally. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I’ll provide an illustration to
demonstrate. If you had a knight-hero in the world of the City who was sent on
a quest, by the king let’s say, to either deliver to or pick something up from
a Hammerite Temple, learning about the Hammerites would be less interesting.
The knight-hero would walk into the Hammerite Temple, freely and with no need
to hide, and would read books lying about in the open and carry out dialogue
with Hammerite guards. Because the Hammerites would be easily approachable and
would be on an even-plane with the player, as they’re a lawful hero, the
Hammerites story would appear less interesting. It would not tower above the
player.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you had Garrett, or any like
thief, sneaking into a Hammerite Temple to steal valuables, and optionally
coming upon journals and other notes lying around—“just-so-happening to”, that
is—and the same for overhearing conversations between Hammerites, rather than
dialogue with them directly, the story becomes more interesting. This is
because Garrett, or the thief, is not supposed to be there and the Hammerites
do not know that he is there. Being a fly-on-the-wall is key to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>more effective method of relaying
story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Along with this, Garrett is only
ever interested in his own personal and selfish adventure at any given time.
When he goes in to a place, he just wants to steal. Story-consumption is more
secondary than it would be for a hero going in to a place on a legitimate quest.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The third way storytelling is made
more effective by Garrett’s status as a thief is through the idea of Garrett
being “one piece of the puzzle.” Garrett is ‘detached’ piece, if you will, of a
much larger puzzle. This would be less the case with a legitimate hero, as one
of these would be more attached to the places and people around him, being a
legitimate part of their world who does not have to worry about hiding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Garrett moves by his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">own will</i>, not by the will of an
overarching good force (like, say, a king giving him quests). As Garrett is in
his world, the player is by proxy more in their own world, and the game’s story
is more interesting because it intersects with or passes by our own world. As a
thief like Garrett, players are viewing the world from the perspective of a
detached rogue—uninvolved—as if we are viewing it from within a glass globe.
The game’s world is more intimidating and alien because of this, and more
interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-82030401507310022752015-06-10T15:55:00.000-07:002015-08-05T17:26:39.143-07:00Mission #5: The Sword<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Because games allow players to
explore virtual environments, they can convey information about characters by
methods through which other media cannot. Games do not just tell the audience about a
character; they can let the audience discover who a character is, even when
the audience may never read or hear a word. Such an example of game’s unique
characterization process is in “The Sword”, the mission in the original <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>in which players learn of Lord
Constantine, a central character of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Garrett has been recruited by a
woman named Victoria to steal a valuable sword from the nobleman Lord
Constantine. None of Garrett’s contacts know much about Constantine, other than
the fact that he’s a new arrival in town and a recluse. The player will learn
plenty about Constantine as they navigate the maze-like, surreal and oftentimes
bizarre corridors of his manor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nXQ9H_9yvCA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nXQ9H_9yvCA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Constantine’s manor starts out
simple enough. The player expects this is just another “Bafford” mission.
Break into a manor house, steal a nobleman’s priceless trinket, leave quietly…
etc., etc. But as soon as the player steps into Constantine’s manor, they know that
this won’t be just another mansion to rob. From the first floor, the player sees that Constantine has a unique taste in art. A gigantic torch sits in the
middle of his entry room, carvings of hedonistic partying line the bottom of
his walls, and the first floor opens up, without doors, directly into a huge garden
area.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OFRNDh5BRtw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OFRNDh5BRtw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1FUL2MReG48/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1FUL2MReG48?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then there’s the second floor. The player knows something’s up when they notice they’re walking on the ceiling—or,
at least, what looks like the ceiling. The second floor is flipped like a
mirror. And the master bedroom is fixed up like the garden outside—it might as
well <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">be </i>outside, with all the plants
and greenery in it. One door opens up to nothing but a large carving of a face.
Other large carvings of strange looking faces shoot small orbs of energy (likely
magical) at Garrett if he crosses ‘trip wires’ (or, glyph symbols on the
wall). Another room has a raging fire; another, a swarm of hornets; one room
has a door, in the floor, that would drop one onto the dining room table below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4xZfJIVR3qE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4xZfJIVR3qE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But it gets weirder. Leaving the
second floor the player can enter a large, maze-like nature area, with odd
giggling and growling coming from the distance. A certain waterway will lead the player up into the drain of a gigantic sink, which is part of a gigantic room,
filled with gigantic furniture. Appropriately, there’s a proportionally-sized
mouse trap; a skeleton indicates that some other poor human already triggered
it. There’s also an area that appears to be floating in space, hallways that
twist around from top to bottom…and so on. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RFE-qgwU93c/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RFE-qgwU93c?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YJvLzGIXMO0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YJvLzGIXMO0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The sword itself that Garrett has been
tasked to steal is floating in the air above a strange structure, a creepy
humming noise emitting from it. Once Garrett grabs it, he says what every
player is likely thinking: “Time to take my new sword and get out of this crazy
place.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WGGDfh21Agg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WGGDfh21Agg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SWfcJKDexZA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SWfcJKDexZA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">So Constantine is a strange guy. There’s
more to him than just being a recluse. The large garden and nature areas, the
surreal architecture, and the clear use of magic or some equivalent
illusion all clearly indicate Constantine is a nobleman with strange powers and tastes. And the player learned about him without reading any text or watching any film. All they did
was explore the man’s home. In real life, exploring someone’s home would
perhaps be the best way to learn of their character, and games allow audience
to experience this. “The Sword” is great not just because of its design as a
game level, but also because it is a memorable portrait of an eccentric
character. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-72133811908988071402015-06-10T15:50:00.000-07:002015-08-05T17:27:45.389-07:00Mission # 8: Undercover<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> After Garrett steals Constantine's sword, he's taken by Victoria to meet her client. Her client, as it turns out, is Lord Constantine himself, who recruited Garrett to steal his own sword, as a test. The test was to see if Garrett could do Constantine's <em>real </em>job: steal a gemstone known as "the Eye." The gemstone lies within a long-abandoned and very haunted Hammerite Cathedral in an area of the City known as the "walled-off section." It's an area of the City that was walled off after a catastrophe befell it. Whatever the catastrophe was has become a part of the City's urban mythology; all that matters now is that no one goes to the walled-off section, and it's haunted. This is the lead-in for the mission after "The Sword" called "The Haunted Cathedral." </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5789304900410071257" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p> "The Haunted Cathedral" is a great mission, though I don't cover it here. Garrett makes his way through the walled-off section's ruins to the haunted cathedral, only to discover that it's been sealed off by four talismans. The Keepers did this to keep a great evil force held within. Garrett, though, only cares about nabbing the gemstone; so it's off to find the four talismans! The final talisman, the talisman of air, is locked away in a Hammer Temple (a non-haunted one). This is the basis for the mission I'm covering here: "Undercover."</o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The missions to obtain the Four
Talismans are all brilliant, but “Undercover” has a neat twist. The Hammerite
Temple Garrett must infiltrate is too well-guarded and well-lit for the
standard thieving approach. So Garrett goes in, undercover, as a Hammerite
squire. (He has the underworld connections to get him both the necessary garb
and credentials.) This allows the players to walk about freely, but there are
forbidden areas, and once the player decides to start nabbing loot it won’t be long
before the real Hammerites discover that the newcomer is causing trouble. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D74FQX_mKHQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D74FQX_mKHQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/n1gY7sRh9rE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n1gY7sRh9rE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The item Garrett’s after here is the
“Talisman of Air.” To get it, Garrett must press five switches, hidden through
the Hammer Temple, within five minutes. (The player learns of this from reading a
scroll describing the process.) Once you start pressing switches and running
around to hit all of them, the Hammers are likely to smell something fishy. So, as soon as Garrett hits the first switch, it’s only a matter of time before
Hammerites become alert and start chasing him down. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WzjOEVn733Y/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WzjOEVn733Y?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oKMLF7ouu18/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oKMLF7ouu18?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s a fun process, finding the
switches, planning out a path, hitting them all in tandem, and claiming the
Talisman of Air. Everything in this ‘run’ must be planned ahead of time. I plan
out my exact route each playthrough before executing this portion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Undercover” gives the player a
different approach to a mission as they do not need to sneak, and the goal is
to plan out the little ‘running game’ described above. It’s a slight change of
pace and makes for a very well done mission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-22101160407939271312015-06-10T15:45:00.000-07:002015-08-05T17:29:07.822-07:00Mission #9: Return to the Cathedral<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Return
to the Cathedral” is the penultimate mission in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief: The Dark Project </i>and one of the game’s best. It’s a large
mission with several different buildings to explore and smacks of open-world
role-playing game design. There are even several fetch quests that pop up in
the second part of the mission—a ‘love or hate it’ facet of open-world RPGs.
The mission’s first part, tightly cloistered, is like the intro portion of an
open-world game. The mission is a triumph of fundamentally sound design.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/dJPqXrgcdWc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dJPqXrgcdWc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Garrett’s
come back to the haunted Hammerite cathedral, and with the Four Talismans, he
can unlock the entrance. The ominous whispering of the Eye greets the player as
they first walk into the cathedral. The first part, the main cathedral
building, or sanctuary, is relatively small. The Eye sits atop the altar at the
end of the sanctuary. Zombies, and a new AI, “Hammer Haunts”, or restless,
undead Hammerites more goulish and cunning than a typical zombie, walk the
halls. But there aren’t many of them, and the task is to grab the Eye and get
out. This first part, then, is very small, direct, and simple. The level will
open up much wider in its second part, though.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SbyTrFSrNL8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SbyTrFSrNL8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Once
Garrett nabs the eye, the ‘spirits become restless’—or, more zombies and haunts
appear, and a few ghosts start roaming around. But it’s a short distance to the
front doors, and then the player should be able to escape. Easy? Well, it could’ve
been. But the front doors are locked tight. The Eye sealed them again (it’s a
very powerful gemstone). The stone thought it would be too easy for Garett to
just stroll back out the front door. Indeed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2yclqy6hggA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2yclqy6hggA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> So the player now heads out to the cloister area, at the back of the cathedral, in search of another way out. Here, they meet the ghost of the Hammerite ‘Brother Murus’. </span>Brother
Murus’ ghost is the ‘quest giver’, if I continue to use the open-world RPG
simile for this mission. Murus gives Garrett task after task, all with the
promise that Garrett’s reward will be a way out of the cathedral grounds. This
is classic open-world RPG design. And the cloister area of this mission is very
much like an open-world. There are five buildings: a living quarters, a
workshop, an observatory, a library, and a bath. There’s also a graveyard,
though it’s locked at first. Murus’ tasklist will have the player explore all
about these buildings and the greater cloister area.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/r-gEcSJ3oZ0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/r-gEcSJ3oZ0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
first tasks involve giving Brother Murus a proper burial. His body is buried in
the graveyard, true—but it wasn’t correctly blessed. Garret must gather items
to do this. I referenced earlier that ‘fetch-quest’ stuff like this, whereby the player is given a list of explicit chores to go and do, is a
love-it-or-hate-it gameplay design. I think it works well as a foundation to
encourage the player to explore a given area. Here, searching and finding all the
items Brother Murus’ needs gives the player license to explore the haunted
cathedral grounds as they wish. I love it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HYeFhWeREF0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HYeFhWeREF0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PqELIojSpXg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PqELIojSpXg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
getting these items—a rosary, a holy symbol, a candle, and a prayer book—Murus
has some other tasks for Garrett. He asks Garrett to find and bury the bodies
of a couple of his colleagues, which are both back in the main cathedral building.
Lastly, Murus asks Garrett to kill all of the Hammer haunts. This last request
I don’t like—seeking out and killing the Hammer haunts breaks the immersion,
because an important part of the horror atmosphere is that the haunts are
tough, creepy, and to be avoided. Having to confront them, or kill them
stealthily from behind, breaks that. This is also the only mission in the first
two <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games that requires the player to kill.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/z2S70rVvHPI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z2S70rVvHPI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Brother
Murus rewards Garrett by giving him a key to the attic in the Cathedral. In
this attic, Garrett finds a “sunburst” device—basically a huge land mine—that
he can use to blow up the giant gateway into the cloister and escape the
cathedral grounds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Return
to the Cathedral” is not only a great horror mission but a great open-world
mission. Its tight beginning, ‘opened-up’ second section, and series of quests,
combined with a thick horror atmosphere, make it a prime example of great game
design. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-30042518950738344782015-06-10T15:43:00.000-07:002015-08-08T06:07:37.352-07:00'Thief I' in Review<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-<i>Thief
I</i>, in review<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Below
I include quotes from the Gamespot and IGN reviews of <i>Thief: The Dark Project</i>. The segments I selected are the parts that
echo moreso the points I’ve made in this project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-from
the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/thief-the-dark-project-review/1900-2533843/">Gamespot review</a>, by Greg Kasavin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“But
if it looks good, Thief sounds incredible. Because you're always trying to stay
silent, you'll find yourself cringing at just how conspicuously audible your
footsteps are. At the same time, you'll smile from the shadows as you hear some
lonely guard shuffling nearer as he hums some tune or mutters to himself. Each
floor surface makes a different noise as you walk upon it, and all of your
actions, from using lockpicks to quaffing healing potions, are complemented by
vivid sound effects. Since listening to the environment is so important, and
because the game sounds so good, you'll find yourself turning the volume much
higher than you're used to while playing Thief.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">First-rate
voice acting brings the game to life. The cynical Garrett is never at a loss
for smart remarks, but he knows to keep his mouth shut most of the time so that
he can listen to guards bantering, religious fanatics whistling hymns, and
more. Of further note, Garrett's subhuman foes, including all manner of undead
and man-beast hybrids, sound positively terrifying. Thief also takes full
advantage of 3D positional audio if you have the right hardware, which makes
the game even more dramatic. There's no music during the missions themselves,
but the pounding industrial soundtrack during the beautiful, stylized animated
cutscenes perfectly suits the game's dark magic-and-machinery setting.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">[…]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“You'll
guide Thief's charismatic protagonist through a dozen missions, over the course
of which a serious, surprising story will develop. Although there aren't many
missions, most of them are huge, and more rewarding at higher difficulty levels
because you'll have many more objectives to accomplish. There's further cause
to want to try a mission more than once if only because the nature of the game
is such that you can accomplish your task in many different ways, but in the
end, you'll still wish the game was longer. You'll have a few complaints with
Thief - the game isn't perfectly stable, and sometimes your foes won't act as
intelligently as you'll expect them to. But between its novel premise, its
artistic production, and its superb design and implementation, you'll find that
those rare concerns fade from sight even faster than Garrett.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-from
the <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/1998/12/12/thief-the-dark-project">IGN review</a>, by Trent C. Ward</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">"For
years now, long before everyone else realized that people were eventually going
to get tired of running around and killing monsters over and over, <a href="http://games.ign.com/objects/025/025261.html">Looking Glass</a> has been
looking for new ways to take the first person shooter genre forward. In Ultima
Underworld, a game that foreshadowed titles like Trespasser, Arena and
Everquest , the company took a remarkably smooth 3D fighting engine and added
complex (for the time) elements of conversation trees and magic. In System
Shock, the company once again created a first person engine designed to add an
element of realism to the era's severely limited shooters. The end result was
phenomenal and is widely recognized as one of the best games of its time. Now
the company finally has the tools and the technology to realize one of its
long-term development dreams. In <a href="http://pc.ign.com/objects/003/003476.html">Thief: The Dark Project</a>,
you get a glimpse of what the future of gaming is really all about ¿ the
exploration and manipulation of a believable virtual world."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">[…]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">"Other
than some pretty serious video card compatibility problems (three out of the
four machines we had in the office would never run the game no matter which
patches we downloaded) Thief is nearly flawless in its execution. The game's
AI, its brilliant look and feel, and its challenging levels all work together
to make a play experience that every thinking gamer will enjoy."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-8499422387009547302015-06-10T15:40:00.000-07:002015-08-05T19:42:16.791-07:00Subtle Darkness<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Not everything’s as it seems in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This is especially the case in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief: The Dark Project</i>. From the very
beginnings of the game at Bafford’s manor, I knew there was more to this game’s
story than being a thief. At face value, you’re just a thief going to steal
some loot. But what a dark world! The Keepers lurk somewhere in the
background; hints of ancient magics, past darkness, and the Pagans show in art
and readables; AI converse about the “walled-off section of the City”; and so forth. Together it all works subtly to remind you, the player, that you are moving about in a world with its own history and culture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There’s a sense of unease under
everything. It seeps up through the cobblestones of the City streets and
through the heavy stone of the nobility’s manors. It can’t be escaped. The
technology of the City and the riches of its upper crust can’t contain the past which seeps through the darkness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II</i>, this is not so much the case, though darkness can occasionally
be seen with such examples as the catacombs in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eavesdropping, </i>the mage’s home in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Life of the Party</i>, and the haunted library in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Casing the Joint</i>. But the Mechanist’s twisted technology takes the
show.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
III</i>’s story, like the original <i>Thief </i>game's, is ultimately about an ancient evil
lurching forth from the past. But even when the story does not explicitly
thrust some long dormant monster into the modernized world of the City, there
is the sense that something is wrong. There is some evil creeping about everywhere, at any point during most of the first and third <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Indeed, a major theme in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games is that there <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is </i>stuff going on in the background. You
think this is just about a thief stealing loot? There are greater forces at
work here. And poor Garrett always, unwittingly, gets caught up in them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-22387456322813123982015-06-10T15:35:00.000-07:002015-08-05T19:44:14.125-07:00Everyone's Bad in the City, but Garrett Does Some Good<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There is a small point in irony to
be made with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>story.
Garrett, a thief, is bad. He’s an outlaw whom the City Watch will always chase
down on sight. Yet, ironically, he seems to be the only figure in the City who
does some good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>First, Garrett doesn’t mess with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">anyone</i>. He intentionally keeps a low
profile. He doesn’t want anyone to know he’s been in their house, except for
the fact of their missing valuables—he’s not out to make a mess or murder
people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Hammerites, the Pagans, the
Mechanists, and the City Watch all have corruption and evil in their midst.
They’ve all done some bad things. So what is Garrett compared to them? He may be the
titular <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>, but he’s also the only
thing close to a hero the seedy, corrupt City has. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">He’s like a Keeper. He wants to go unnoticed. He isn’t committed to any group. Detachment is key
for the Keepers. Garrett thought he was leaving the Keepers and going his own
way, and indeed he did for the most part, but he’s more like one of them than he
realizes.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Whenever Garrett does save the City,
which he does in each <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>game, he
never does it out of his own good will. He’s always drawn into it through his
personal, selfish thieving enterprise. But he does <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">save </i>the City, nonetheless, and it’s the major groups—the supposed
‘law and order’ of this world—that seem time and again to be the ones trying to destroy it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-11082846908280839612015-06-10T15:34:00.000-07:002015-08-05T19:47:34.239-07:00Technology vs. Magic<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> “Hammer,
anvil, forge and fire, chase away the hoofed liar; Roof and doorway, block and
beam, keep the Trickster from our dreams.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So murmurs any given Hammerite guard
as they patrol, Garrett listening from the shadows as he sneaks around.
The Hammerites are more aware—indeed, it is central to their religious zeal—of
what technology means for humanity than anyone else in the City.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games hint at a dark past for humanity, when people ran
around wild and scared, in the woods, worshipping strange, powerful, and evil
gods, and fleeing from monsters. This past bleeds through in the game’s
undead and monsters. In the same world as sword-toting guards there are giant
spiders, lizard and bug beasts, zombies and ghosts. What do these things
harken back to?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Lord Constantine, or the Trickster,
tried to bring back the dark past with his Dark Project. He wanted to blot out
the light, have the world ruled by monsters again, and then have the people
come to him and worship him as their god. In contrast, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II</i>’s Mechanists wanted to bring even more technology to the
City, and held an even more zealous hatred of the Pagans and of nature than did
the Hammerites. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Throughout the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games there is this dichotomy between the past, nature, and
magic, on one side, and the future, civilization, and technology, on the other.
It borrows, of course, much from our own world’s history, especially that of
Western civilization. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">“Vigilance is our shield, which protects
us from our squalid past; Knowledge is our weapon, with which we carve a path
unto an enlightened future.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">This also Hammerite guards may say. They operate
on a fear of regression into a primeval past. The pagans? They have no
conception of progress or time, or at least they desire no progress and want time to stand still. Their world is one only of dances and monsters
and darkness, and central within their world is awe shown towards arcane magic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-46114330629123680362015-06-10T15:33:00.000-07:002015-08-05T19:47:58.346-07:00Thief as Noir<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> It’s
not rocket science to observe that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>is
akin to a noir film. The game almost always takes place at night; shadows hang
over just about every scene; the design of the City gives it an abstract feel;
and Garrett, both in demeanor and voice, comes off as a seedy private eye. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief:
The Dark Project</i>’s story could be portrayed as noir. Ken Levine, who
contributed to the game’s story, said as much in an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Irrational Behavior </i>podcast. Garrett is the private eye, lured into
a lucrative job by a sultry woman (here, Victoria), gets embroiled in this job
hoping for a big payoff, only to be betrayed in the end, and not only gain
nothing but lose something as well (here, his eye). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>’s
moodiness is certainly noir. While I wouldn’t describe the game first as being
noir, that comparison can understandably be made. This is just a recognition of
one of the many influences behind the brilliance of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>. Add 'noir' to the list of medieval fantasy, D&D, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ultima Underworld</i>, and so on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-78342662137601746032015-06-10T15:30:00.000-07:002015-08-05T21:30:18.261-07:00~An Introduction to Thief Fan-Missions<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve already gone over some missions
from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief: The Dark Project</i>, and now
I’m going to introduce “fan missions.” I already kind of did back in the blog’s
introductory posts, but here I’ll make sure that I’m giving them a proper
introduction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
</i>fan-missions are missions built for the official <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games by fans of the games, who are also almost always
members of the “Through the Looking Glass” fan community (ttlg.com). These
missions are mostly just single missions, but sometimes the more ambitious
authors, or teams of authors, make multi-mission campaigns. The missions are
built in either <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief I</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II</i>’s game engines, using the
DromEd editing utility that comes with the first two <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>games. (There are also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
III </i>and “Dark Mod” fan-missions, but none of these are covered in this blog.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>These fan missions are plentiful.
Here’s <a href="http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144797"><span style="color: #0563c1;">a link to a
full listing</span></a>, by category, of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>fan
missions. Most of them are for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II</i>,
but I begin here with a few for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief I</i>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Thief
</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">FMs,
which I’ll start calling them for short (as all the fans on the forums do), are
amazing entertainment experiences. For me, personally, they could be the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only </i>entertainment experience, and I’d
be just fine! My purpose for including them here is to demonstrate that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>’s design principles, and what they
mean for narrative construction in virtual environments, can translate into
fan-made missions as well as the official-release missions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">I’ll start by going over a few select <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief I </i>FMs. They each get an introduction
in the video below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Enjoy!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/l7POqPKwdcg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l7POqPKwdcg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-16064589897713455232015-06-10T15:25:00.000-07:002015-08-05T18:28:37.521-07:00Thief I Fan-Mission: "Cult of the Resurrection", by "Sledge"<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Fan
mission author “Sledge” made “The Inverted Manse”, a classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II </i>FM and a masterpiece of design.
His first mission, and what “Inverted Manse” is sequel to, was “Cult of the
Resurrection.” This <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief I </i>FM would,
like its sequel, offer substantially different experiences on each difficulty
setting. This was the first <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>FM
to do so to such a noticeable degree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The mission’s architecture is a
well-done labyrinth. It has a small area of entry, here a small temple that
opens up via an underground passage into a large complex, including an
underground temple of a group of cultists. But what I want to highlight here
are the difficulty settings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The three difficulty settings offer
a different play experience. They do not only stand for the degree of
challenge, and so they do not correlate to the game’s standard ‘Normal’,
‘Hard’, and ‘Expert’ settings.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYf0ze3SyCzuV2BE2Wu9ICUZeFx68h7HxKxdCnMKXgket2Iit2U0EJlcLuKUXUQOOo0BOhxdGi0MoC1ZPWqGEtSa00tJl0r90VTqg8UGIAdw_mZx5RwHhU2J7utZZ9z8cBhwu7paMQxi6H/s1600/Thief+2015-06-26+10-33-17-33.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYf0ze3SyCzuV2BE2Wu9ICUZeFx68h7HxKxdCnMKXgket2Iit2U0EJlcLuKUXUQOOo0BOhxdGi0MoC1ZPWqGEtSa00tJl0r90VTqg8UGIAdw_mZx5RwHhU2J7utZZ9z8cBhwu7paMQxi6H/s320/Thief+2015-06-26+10-33-17-33.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVQ33kwAtkYh7NKL-1BLiOS-KKPNP_MxdsmQUp0_NASCY4ldcU2IB5v5YTga683Aqh28UhWp-WG1XKgs2OXrSAeyQCwRDQC1J0bA9a3l1jTlq9JO3URTarhoBcu5y6DytM1pZGVzn7vpb/s1600/Thief+2015-06-26+10-33-20-65.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibVQ33kwAtkYh7NKL-1BLiOS-KKPNP_MxdsmQUp0_NASCY4ldcU2IB5v5YTga683Aqh28UhWp-WG1XKgs2OXrSAeyQCwRDQC1J0bA9a3l1jTlq9JO3URTarhoBcu5y6DytM1pZGVzn7vpb/s320/Thief+2015-06-26+10-33-20-65.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NLf6mryB0UVtHeMmCOchlbOFWC6Kr6YYiM4zs3EQlcLsOMtz7rstFMHEbXSnL7rGspZtuqXUcLvlWyF_8lRlSIj0g4g9GQ1dztrF9ADQDLggU0vF5Gz0QzoWrZM4pfP4jaHTXnGitpeB/s1600/Thief+2015-06-26+10-33-23-12.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_NLf6mryB0UVtHeMmCOchlbOFWC6Kr6YYiM4zs3EQlcLsOMtz7rstFMHEbXSnL7rGspZtuqXUcLvlWyF_8lRlSIj0g4g9GQ1dztrF9ADQDLggU0vF5Gz0QzoWrZM4pfP4jaHTXnGitpeB/s320/Thief+2015-06-26+10-33-23-12.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The first setting, “Burglar”, has the player complete the basic set of objectives, but also includes the objective
of stealing the “holy sword of St. Edgar” (this isn’t on the other two
difficulty settings). The second setting, “Assassin”, has an objective not seen
in any other <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>mission: kill all
the AI, which here are the “cultists.” Sledge wouldn’t repeat this objective,
and it isn’t in any other <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>mission,
as it’s certainly not a popular way to play. But, here it was part of a design
experiment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">The final difficulty setting is a bit more
interesting: it wards the player from killing the AI, which most <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>missions do, and thankfully so (you’re
a thief, not a murderer). But it nonetheless has the player dispose of the cult’s
two leaders. One of them must be gotten rid of so as it appears to be an
accident. This setting also tasks the player with stealing “all” of the loot in
the mission, which is a rare objective for a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>mission. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/znwSWab84e4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/znwSWab84e4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7_ty1vYVMVI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7_ty1vYVMVI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sledge would execute on this design
principle of creating three different mission via the difficulty settings much
better in his second mission, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Inverted Manse</i>, but with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cult </i>he
got a good start. It’s one of the most well-designed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief I </i>missions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kHKdRvoahog/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kHKdRvoahog?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-88827170590450501182015-06-10T15:20:00.000-07:002015-08-05T18:29:10.554-07:00Thief I Fan-Mission: "Sepulchre of the Sinistral", by "Doaal"<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fan-mission author “Doaal” only
made two fan missions, both for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief I</i>,
and both excellent. His second, “Sepulchre of the Sinistral,” imitates “Down in
the Bonehoard”, successfully providing a new “Bonehoard” experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Sinistral” is a large underground
tomb. It, like “Bonehoard,” has several different sections with their own
challenges and treasures. The mission does begin, in labyrinth fashion, with a
small opening segment—a Hammerite church, very simple, and that serves only as
an entryway to the main part of the mission. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There are five main areas in the
tomb, each accessed from a central maze of corridors very reminiscence of the
large, cylindrical rooms of “Bonehoard.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
-Mission Start: Above ground, Hammerite Church<br />
*I love the simple starts to large, labyrinthine missions. Here, the small Hammerite church is but a miniscule prelude to the grand catacomb below.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UeW-6qu_zac/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UeW-6qu_zac?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
-Entering the Sepulchre<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1E-GD51oPLY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1E-GD51oPLY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
-The Tomb of Terror<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pMpM3Un7VMc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pMpM3Un7VMc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
-The Temple of Amon<br />
*In this interesting segment, players needed to find and then bless an Ankh in order to be able to not run out of breath underwater. However, nabbing the gemstone negates the Ankh's effects, leading to a rushed swim upwards.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/I2zkHIPJsdo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I2zkHIPJsdo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
-Tomb of the Infidels<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T4RU2sUVscE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T4RU2sUVscE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
-Erim's Maze, Erim's Temple<br />
*This is my favorite section from the Sepulchre. To pass the initial maze, without constantly being transported back to the beginning, players must travel the cardinal directions in a certain order. This order is deciphered from the lengthy journal left behind by the Hammerite explorer. The first letter of each paragraph represents a cardinal direction; players must go in the order that these letters are in in the journal.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2W5pHVeWhxI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2W5pHVeWhxI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
-St. Renall's Tomb<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Y7c9fQnR7bU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y7c9fQnR7bU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
-Erim's Shrine<br />
*The puzzle for this room was very tricky. It required the finding and deciphering of 7 different scrolls, all part of one large riddle. The end result was figuring out which torches to light, and in what order. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KZVHvLGiOxo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KZVHvLGiOxo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
-Deep Pit<br />
*Like the underwater segment above (Temple of Amon), this section required a special item to negate mortal bounds. Here, the Stone Potion received from Erim's Shrine is used to make the player immune to fall damage.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Yooqv3aOQUw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yooqv3aOQUw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
-The Masumene<br />
*After conquering the Sepulchre tricks and puzzles, and acquiring all the gemstones, players may go after the sword called the Masumene, the main treasure of the Sepulchre.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GIxgGlaZsUs/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GIxgGlaZsUs?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
-Exiting the Sepulchre<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kv8g89CHv-Y/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kv8g89CHv-Y?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-31009805893120020522015-06-10T15:15:00.000-07:002015-08-05T18:30:17.684-07:00Thief I Fan-Mission: "Calendra's Cistern", by "Purah" and "Team Calendra"(Additional note on the authors: "Team Calendra" is the already-noted "Purah", who was the main designer of this mission, and also: "Totality", "Thumper", "Loanstar", and "Deep Qantas".)<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> Some
missions are great for their level design, others for their ingenuity, but then
there are some that shine for their production value. For any fan content,
production value can be measured by how much custom or new content there is, or
by how much the author ‘remixes’ the default content of the original games. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Fan-mission author Purah is perhaps the
best at this. Though the three categories listed in my opening sentence here
are certainly not mutually exclusive—all <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
</i>fan missions have some amount of great level design, ingenuity, or
production value—Purah’s production outshines just about any other author’s,
and this is especially the case given the time period he released his missions
in. Released in August of 2000, “Calendra’s Cistern”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>had advanced features not discoverable in other FMs. For one, near
the starting point is a shop the player can go into and buy items from.
Programming this into the mission was a very tough feat: though all <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>missions open up with a “shop”,
it’s just a menu that precedes the start of the actual mission. Here, the shop
is a full-fledged building that is part of the actual mission.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/40fN_r2NQgQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/40fN_r2NQgQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Cistern” also has something no
other <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>mission at this point had
had—an AI partner for Garrett. Now, this AI partner does not accompany Garrett
throughout the mission. She, a thief named Mercedes, just shows up and chats
with Garrett a few times, and at the end of the mission walks with Garrett down
a city street. The AI is fully-voiced, and not just with stock audio files from
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>’s original voice files, but by
one of the mission’s developers. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YvEEaiklb68/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YvEEaiklb68?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On the topic of audio, Purah does
string together some interesting conversation and AI chatter from the game’s
vanilla voice files. And there are some other new audio sounds as well. In all,
the production value is very slick. Purah did have a team behind him to work on
this mission, but in all it was just five authors, and Purah did most of the
work (user “Totality” programmed the in-game shop, though).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WJnR30lmHAE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WJnR30lmHAE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2JXa1RL5rJ8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2JXa1RL5rJ8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My focus here has been on new
features and production, but I also want to note the level design itself. The
level is divided into three main segments: the city area, which is where the
player starts out in; the temple area, which is the ‘main building’ in the
mission; and the underground areas, which include a sewer system, some ruins,
and a large shrine. Throughout the mission each of these areas connects with
the others, doing what so many <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>missions
do so well: interweaving each area of the mission multiple times.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CQ9JoLRWRwY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CQ9JoLRWRwY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mfMu5kFOek4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mfMu5kFOek4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-46027652838969099022015-06-10T15:11:00.000-07:002015-07-06T20:15:21.564-07:00~An Introduction to Thief II Fan Missions
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve already introduced <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>FMs, but here I want to give a
very brief introduction to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II </i>FMs.
The reason is because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II </i>FMs
constitute around—and I’m ballparking it—95% to 99% of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>FMs. In addition to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
I</i>, there’s also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief III </i>FMs and
“Dark Mod” FMs (the “Dark Mod” is a standalone mod, built on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Doom 3 </i>engine, with tools and assets
that facilitate the creation of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief-</i>style
missions). But though these other three options exists, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II </i>FMs reign supreme. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And it’s not just the missions. With
enhancement packs and the latest “New Dark” patches, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II </i>game engine has been taken to heights that no 2000-era
game engine should have been taken to, perhaps. It certainly has been taken
beyond the expectations of the original designers (I don’t have their word for
it, but I think it’s safe to assume so). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
II </i>FMs are a chronicle of fan-made, mod-making greatness. They’re like a
gigantic tree grown from the seed Looking Glass planted years ago. (Hey—I could
singe praises for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II </i>FMs all
day!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But enough of the romanticizing. In
short, they’re great game experiences; my favorite ones, period. Choosing only
six to cover in this blog was very difficult. I begin, here, with three of the
best early ones, which get introduced in the video below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Enjoy!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/s78E5TOoxrs/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s78E5TOoxrs?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-8489620388020566462015-06-10T15:10:00.000-07:002015-08-05T20:00:09.461-07:00Thief II, Mission #2: "Shipping...and Receving" (a.k.a. "Docks")<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As the first mission is just a brief
training level, this is the first real mission of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II: The Metal Age</i>. It is a large level full of opportunity
for exploration, with lots of readables and conversations for story development.
This mission is key for the story development of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II</i> because it introduces the Mechanists. Through AI
conversations, the first appearances of Mechanist security machines, and
ominous ambient noises, this mission sets the tone and mood of the major new
character group in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II</i>, the
Mechanists.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VNct97MLBxI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VNct97MLBxI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/b-p75uOAcBU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b-p75uOAcBU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Near where the player starts, a
Hammerite, on business in the docks, strikes up a conversation with a docks
worker. The topic of the new group in town, the Mechanists, comes up, and the
Hammerite is none too pleased to hear anything well said of these “heretics.” </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">As Garrett enters all the areas of
the docks—store rooms, offices, and even a docked ship that’s secretly run by
pirates—he’ll encounter other foreshadows of these Mechanists. The
introductions to this group will be picked up again later in the game, when the
Mechanists are more fully fleshed out.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In an area tucked away between some
of the main buildings, players may overhear another conversation on the
Mechanists. In this case, a guard is talking to one of the staff. He describes
how the City has changed since the Mechanists began rising to power, noting the
appearance of several more smoke stacks and mechanical structures than usual.
The staff replies by describing a visit of his to the Mechanist tower in
Dayport. He was going there to deliver some packages, and noticed the
Mechanists’ security cameras—mechanical faces that watched him as he went in.
These made him realize that there’s more to the Mechanists’ than just new
technology. Indeed, the Mechanists’ are, at heart, a crazed religious order.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> The p</span>layer gets a subtle taste of the
Mechanists via visuals in two places in this mission. The first is when
Garrett encounters a Mechanist security camera, or “mechanical watcher” as
they’re called in the game, in one of the inner storage areas. Per the
conversation overheard between a guard and a Docks worker earlier, the
Mechanist camera is creepy, and denotes that there is “more to the Mechanists
than just new technology.” Both its face and the placement of the camera lens over
one of the eyes are ominous.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RPTiLPvw_Yw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RPTiLPvw_Yw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> The p</span>layer also gets a peek at a
Mechanist security robot. The Mechanists call these “children of Karras"; Karras is the leader of the Mechanists. One of these
robots can be seen through a slat in a large crate, should players chance
across it. A glimpse at its face and some of its front body is all that can be
seen, and thus this serves as a sneak preview for when the player begins to encounter these metal monstrosities in full, beginning in the fifth mission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But the Mechanists’ introduction is
not the only part of “Shipping and Receiving’s” backstories. There’s also a fun
side-story about a pirate operation going on. Players may overhear one
conversation between two pedestrians about spice prices going up in the city,
and whispered words about a smuggling ring bringing in affordable spices.
Certain readables clue players into the details of the illegal operation going
on. At the back side of the docks, players can even go aboard the pirate ship,
if they wish—sneaking on board is tough, though. But, once inside, players may
find the captain’s journal, hidden treasures, and a dead body tucked away in a
crate below decks. (Who knows the story behind <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that?</i>)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Hsl05yNbUv0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hsl05yNbUv0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Shipping and Receiving’s” premise is
that Garrett just needs to steal some quick cash from the dockyards. But our
thief’s little errand is an opportunity to be introduced to the game’s new
group, the Mechanists, and to enjoy several other backstories, such as the
pirate’s smuggling ring. As in the first <i>Thief </i>game, the player is gradually introduced to characters and elements in <i>Thief</i>'s fascinating world, and in <i>Thief II </i>this world is undergoing some changes.</span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-11061320997845117662015-06-10T15:09:00.000-07:002015-08-05T20:05:20.655-07:00Thief II, Mission #5: "Eavesdropping"<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> The
Mechanists are first introduced in mission #2, and their introduction to
players will continue again in mission #5, “Eavesdropping.” The Keepers have
tipped Garrett off to a meeting between the Mechanists’ leader, Karras, and the
City’s sheriff, Gorman Truart, that will take place at a Mechanists Seminary,
at midnight. The Keepers let Garrett know that overhearing this conversation is
in Garrett’s best interest, as the Sheriff has been hired to kill Garrett and
so Garrett should find out as much about his business as possible. For the
purposes of this post, all that needs to be known is that Garrett has an
excuse to visit a Mechanist Seminary.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e8bzSXDRDi4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/e8bzSXDRDi4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Seminary has been converted from an old Hammerite Cathedral. This allows for a dichotomy in the mission
between the ‘old’ story of the first <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
</i>game and the new story of this sequel. Old Hammerite relics lie in corners
while new Mechanist décor stands proudly in the forefront. Beneath the seminary
is a small catacomb system, tread by Hammer-Haunts (the vicious undead beings
Garret met in the Haunted Cathedral from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
I</i>). The graveyard is full of ghostly voices and whispers. But this, again,
is in contrast with the bright electric lights of the Mechanists’, and their
security robots, pounding the ground with their large mechanical feet and
playing Mechanist propaganda. The new story of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II </i>is one of technological progress, and this is seen in the
forefront of the Seminary; the old, magic-riddled story of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief I </i>lies beneath the grounds in the catacombs, dead and passed
by the wayside.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Jnwq50gjCoM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Jnwq50gjCoM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/41H_RkBWm6U/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/41H_RkBWm6U?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Suffice it to say, the Mechanists’
introduction is well continued here from where it had been left off at the
Docks. Once the mission begins players walk under and hear the slow, squeaky
spin of a Mechanist gear, set up above the front entrance to the Seminary. A
Mechanist robot patrols by as two Mechanist guards discuss the robots’
frightful visage. And, once inside the Mechanist seminary, the player sees the full
aesthetics of the Mechanists: bright lights; large, futuristic statues; and metal
floors and art deco design. The ambient sound combines a new electric guitar
riff with old noises that played in the background of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>’s cathedral mission. Even in the ambient sound, the dichotomy
between the first <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>and this
sequel is demonstrated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mXMxLfWeXkY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mXMxLfWeXkY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The design of the mission is
well-balanced. There’s the Seminary up top, the catacombs beneath; the overall
level size is smaller than usual, but there’s intricacy that adds depth. Then
there’s the already noted dichotomy between Hammerite relics and new Mechanist
stuff.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7uSurAH88aI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7uSurAH88aI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>On a first playthrough, this mission
is very satisfying, because the player finally gets to meet the Mechanists in
person after having heard about them in the Docks and since. It’s also the
first time players get a look at the Mechanists’ eerie security robots, which
will remain a staple of the game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-406200372079840192015-06-10T15:08:00.000-07:002015-08-05T20:11:21.759-07:00Thief II, Mission #10: "Life of the Party"<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This mission is a favorite among
fans, many calling it the best official <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
</i>mission and all agreeing it’s at least one of the best. It accomplishes to near-perfect
degree everything that a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>mission
should be. It starts out in a place no other <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>mission does—high atop the roofs.</span><br />
In the following briefing, Garrett is speaking with another character: Victoria. If you remember, she is the one who contacted Garrett about getting the sword from Constantine's manor (see Thief I, Mission #5: The Sword). She would go on to play a big role in <em>Thief I</em>'s story. I won't go over that here. In short, she and Garrett end up meeting in <em>Thief II </em>and working together, and are an unlikely alliance. They share a common enemy in the Mechanists.<br />
The later briefing scenes in <em>Thief II </em>are the only ones in which Garrett is not speaking by himself. I enjoy the banter between Garrett and Victoria. Victoria is voiced by Terri Brosius, an excellent voice actor who also voiced the evil artificial intelligence 'Shodan' in <em>System Shock 2</em>.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Dmus5wiDxpQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dmus5wiDxpQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“The City looks almost bearable from
up here,” Garrett says at the start of the mission. It is a long way up. The rooftops themselves, as the briefing notes, are the “thieves’ highway.". It is a
practice of thieves in the City to get from different places by jumping and
running across the rooftops. Garrett is trying to infiltrate a high society
ball that the Mechanists are throwing at their tower, called “Angelwatch,” in Dayport.
With tight security on the ground, Garrett will head there via the rooftops.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A la <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cragscleft</i>, there are two distinct worlds to this mission that blend together: the rooftops, and the tower Angelwatch. The player travels across the
rooftops, enters the tower, and, when done inside, will then leave the tower and
travel back across the rooftops. It’s quite an adventure, with lots of areas to
explore off the beaten path—i.e., plenty of open windows—and lots of story
development once in the tower. It’s a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief
</i>fan’s dream.</span><br />
In the following video, Garrett starts out at the belltower, enters some open windows, overhears a rather heated argument between some private guards, and comes across some housebreakers (how quaint!).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nUZX5Lj7Zbg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nUZX5Lj7Zbg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>While exploring the rooftops, the player can take different directions. There is no set path, though all paths
will eventually lead to Angelwatch. Open windows and any doorways the player
can lockpick lead to new nooks to explore and treasure to pick up. There are
interesting story elements as well. One secret passage players may discover
leads into an old “star gazers’” private room. In addition to a telescope and
star charts, there is also a journal in the room, from which players may read of
the star gazers’ endeavors to travel to another world—another planet—he’s been seeing
through his telescope. A large explosive device, a box, and a fire arrow (for
ignition) are what he’s decided on for interstellar travel—very crude, of
course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Another area the player may discover is
an old mages’ study. The player may read a tome he has laying out as
they would any readable in a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>mission.
But reading this tome causes two zombies to spawn nearby; one of the rare
appearances of the undead in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II</i>. The player may also read in this place of a powerful book, “The Book of Ash.” This
book originally was to be part of a mission for this game, but was cut and so
here is simply a brief side story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In addition to interesting places, the player may also overhear intriguing, and funny, conversations. One such is in the video above. It complements
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief I</i>’s “bear pits” conversation as
this game’s “funny guard conversation.” In it, guards engage in a light-hearted
argument about who is the better of their respective nobles: Lady Van Vernon, or
Master Willey. The horseplay ends in arrows being fired, though. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Another humorous conversation relates
to the party at Angelwatch. From an open window players may hear a nobleman
complaining to his wife: “They invited the Bumblesons! The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bumblesons</i>!” And he, as a “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rothschild</i>,”
is offended, to no end, that he was not invited. Players may also read a note
in the Angelwatch tower, though, that one of the Mechanists accidentally
misplaced the invite for the Rothschilds. Oops.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1gRm0D4Q3Ek/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1gRm0D4Q3Ek?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Adventures like these and more are
to be had during Garrett’s memorable rooftop escapade, but eventually players
will reach, and must infiltrate, Angelwatch. Infiltration from so high up is as
easy as sneaking into a ventilation shaft. Garrett remarks, “That wasn’t so
tough. I guess tower security isn’t as tight as I thought.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Security is a bit tighter inside, as
plenty of well-lit areas with patrolling Mechanists and security robots test
Garrett. Karras, the Mechanists’ leader, and the reason why Garrett is there—to
spy on him—isn’t even at the party. In his stead, Karras has placed several
viktrolas with pre-recorded messages on them for the guests to listen to.
Garrett must listen to each of these as he sneaks through the towers’ six
massive floors.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TWxt6ZfhaIw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TWxt6ZfhaIw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/j9X_mnoiDDk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j9X_mnoiDDk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Players eventually make their way
into Karras’ office, where a viktrola with a message for the evening’s “special
guest” sits. The message is addressed to Garrett—indeed, he was the anticipated
“special guest.” Karras warns Garrett to say his prayers; and after Garrett
steals some detailed blue prints from Karras’ office, the security alarm is
activated and players understand why Garrett needed to say his prayers. With
alarms ringing and Mechanist guards on high alert, Garrett must make his way
back out of the Angelwatch tower and across the rooftops to the bell tower he
had started out on. It’s a great ending to a great mission.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fzk4fKXiBhU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fzk4fKXiBhU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>(It is possible to avoid setting off
the alarm. A secret area in the tower has a switch which shuts off the alarm
trigger in Karras’ office. The keen-eyed player, then, can leave the tower in
peace and quiet.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-74500839145525340522015-06-10T15:06:00.000-07:002015-08-08T06:08:49.676-07:00Thief II in Review<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-<i>Thief
II</i>, in review<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Below
I include quotes from the Gamespot and IGN reviews of <i>Thief II: The Metal Age</i>. The segments I selected are the parts that
echo moreso the points I’ve made in this project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-from
the <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/thief-ii-the-metal-age-review/1900-2533414/">Gamespot review</a>, by Ron Dulin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">"In
the game's best mission, Life of the Party, you must sneak across the rooftops
of a city, break into a high-security building, gather information and loot,
and then sneak back across the city again. The mission is filled with funny
moments, and you'll overhear all manner of conversations during the course of
the heist, such as two sets of guards shouting insults across the rooftops
about one another's employers. Looking Glass has done a remarkable job of
making the city seem alive, as almost every mission contains conversations to
eavesdrop on and people going about their business who are unaware of your
presence. The only element that slightly weakens the otherwise excellent
ambiance is the occasionally poor voice acting."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">[…]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">"There
are very few moments in Thief II where there's a single correct path to take,
and the beauty of the mission design is that it's left to your ingenuity to use
the tools provided to overcome the obstacles in your path. Do you shoot out the
torches and sneak down a hallway? Or should you use a rope arrow to hoist
yourself up to the rafters and ambush the guards from above? It's a testament
to the quality of the design that when you complete a mission in Thief II,
you'll actually feel as if you've accomplished something and not just executed
a series of predetermined tasks."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">-from
the <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/03/25/thief-ii-the-metal-age">IGN review</a>, by Vincent Lopez<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">"For
instance, the game opens with a mission involving clearing a path in a mansion
to a woman so that her lover can sneak through the guards and get her out, a
task which not only involves finding the woman, but insuring that all guards on
the route are out of commission or safely out of view. What route is the best?
That's up to you. I diverted from the designated path completely and found
myself in some interesting areas I would have otherwise never ventured into.
Another mission has you sneaking through the city streets avoiding the guards
in order to get a special item from your house, a process that shows just how
much wider the gameplay has gotten in the sequel. Not only are there a myriad
of routes available to you, from city streets to the underground tunnels of the
canals, but there are entire areas that will bring you gold and information
that aren't needed to complete the game. Secrets abound in every mission, and
rather than just providing a joke or two, the special notes or items that you
find really add a depth to the storyline, especially when you keep track of all
the connections between the characters involved."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">[…]<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">"The
sound once again shines in Thief II, from the dark but ambient score to the
myriad of sound effects and voices that you'll hear in the game. It's really
one of the first times in a game that your ears are equally as important as
your eyes, and the Looking Glass team has emphasized that in the sequel."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789304900410071257.post-53666739654245529402015-06-10T15:04:00.000-07:002015-08-07T19:04:27.635-07:00Thief II Fan-Mission: "The Inverted Manse", by "Sledge"<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-“The
Inverted Manse”, by “Sledge”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-Released
April 1<sup>st</sup>, 2001</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_V9V70TbeabyUJ8fHTwOwZciy2EDfiLjwxcmHJX5wT0dHywo4ePvibd1JZ5lNoTyr1YfsOvkOgg_-RBtM5O90k4mpXH_yLU72YmnEHCyPDhD9WuPdfVePOfDzyC6JCyDENP9tuICdo-c/s1600/Inverted+Manse%252C+title.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_V9V70TbeabyUJ8fHTwOwZciy2EDfiLjwxcmHJX5wT0dHywo4ePvibd1JZ5lNoTyr1YfsOvkOgg_-RBtM5O90k4mpXH_yLU72YmnEHCyPDhD9WuPdfVePOfDzyC6JCyDENP9tuICdo-c/s400/Inverted+Manse%252C+title.bmp" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> “The Inverted Manse” is one of the
early <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief II </i>fan missions, and was
one of the first I played. It demonstrated, to me and many others, that fan
missions can indeed be as great as the official missions in the two <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>releases. It's a great undead and horror mission and a great labyrinth; definitely some prime <em>Thief-</em>y goodness.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This is another mission by TTLG user
“Sledge”, who authored “Cult of the Resurrection”, covered here previously.
This mission is the sequel to “Cult” and shares a design principle with it:
very different experiences for each difficulty level. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The premise is that Garrett is going
to investigate the origins of the ‘Spirit Stone’ that he stole from the Cult of
the Resurrection. As Garrett relays in the briefing (TTLG user “Loanstar” doing
a great Garrett voice), the Spirit Stone was found in a Pagan manse that had
been discovered beneath a Hammerite factory complex. Soon after the discovering
of this manse, the factory fell to evil spirits and the undead, and is now
haunted. That being said, “Inverted Manse” is a great horror mission in the
style of Bonehoard, though there’s some more ‘human’ element to it as well. The
Hammerite factory complex has a ‘post-disaster’ theme running through it, and
players pick up on the final hours of the factory through journal entries and
spectral appearances and voices of the former occupants.</span><br />
(Not all fan missions have briefing videos; most don't. But it is a nice surprise when ones do. It's even nicer when they're really well done, such as this one for "Inverted Manse." Note that Sledge opted for a <em>Thief I </em>style briefing with the way the text at the start is relayed, though this is a mission built for <em>Thief II</em>. And, again, that's "Loanstar" doing the voice of Garrett; he also voiced Garrett in "Calendra's Cistern.")<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UWe7yW9-jVk/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UWe7yW9-jVk?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Uncovering the story of the
factory’s fall is part of the greatness in “Manse”. At first, there were just
rumors in the factory of some caves discovered by builders in the lower levels
who were working on the building’s expansion. But gradually, more and more wild
rumors spread—and then the whole place eventually succumbed to the evil that
had been residing in those tunnels. In those tunnels is a Pagan manse, and
players it reach after making their way through the factory. This mission has a
great ‘dungeon’ or ‘labyrinth’ vibe to it. Gradually descending the factory and
then the tunnels and Pagan manse is a satisfying adventure. There is a lot of
suspense here, too. I got anxious about finally seeing the underground tunnels
and manse that had been the source of the factory’s ruin.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JZUNbazOJcA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JZUNbazOJcA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rsccWJcUXYQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rsccWJcUXYQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kHmnjzUblTc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kHmnjzUblTc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(Below are screenshots for each difficulty level)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF1t3OmLjgZ_oOFVZYzoEYMWpM7-yfNa9C6V3kHaLO-hJ9CEEJFbJjt_91Q6FqTMLAbWD3zFi6kVJvLeqwFhGDkNGE4VCryWI2KI1B7g1yeD8KSPVdy5CzomHKuU064ln1pTvxfq1cLeR/s1600/Inverted+Manse%252C+Cutpurse+difficulty.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyF1t3OmLjgZ_oOFVZYzoEYMWpM7-yfNa9C6V3kHaLO-hJ9CEEJFbJjt_91Q6FqTMLAbWD3zFi6kVJvLeqwFhGDkNGE4VCryWI2KI1B7g1yeD8KSPVdy5CzomHKuU064ln1pTvxfq1cLeR/s320/Inverted+Manse%252C+Cutpurse+difficulty.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzn0gqF5bXYN2qX3iwNuSyV5uyfrdGNZiM3CLmqFVmn4CR-dY2DheAOFcx2pHaVhxGpfToIppOtk1oFeTZUNfh1oMTbAvcO1K1sfZPfNpKgtACk8d1xjiob1oE6n9MFiAZNAin-0DpDnJh/s1600/Inverted+Manse%252C+Rogue+difficulty.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzn0gqF5bXYN2qX3iwNuSyV5uyfrdGNZiM3CLmqFVmn4CR-dY2DheAOFcx2pHaVhxGpfToIppOtk1oFeTZUNfh1oMTbAvcO1K1sfZPfNpKgtACk8d1xjiob1oE6n9MFiAZNAin-0DpDnJh/s320/Inverted+Manse%252C+Rogue+difficulty.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8NSwaFcZQipJVAiggrUGRMMWjiNON-TywO42A_HYFVB1Xycso9b-yn2hj3rQtv74ABLgMKjJknHUdIPTu7o5-LcTMRm8uClS9Oofvn3H7tNaJBZ3EmXPUAqKO_UEKEiscRW_t4ZFZ8e9/s1600/Inverted+Manse%252C+Warrior+difficulty.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8NSwaFcZQipJVAiggrUGRMMWjiNON-TywO42A_HYFVB1Xycso9b-yn2hj3rQtv74ABLgMKjJknHUdIPTu7o5-LcTMRm8uClS9Oofvn3H7tNaJBZ3EmXPUAqKO_UEKEiscRW_t4ZFZ8e9/s320/Inverted+Manse%252C+Warrior+difficulty.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The size of the Pagan manse depends
on the difficulty setting players chose. On ‘Cutpurse’ difficulty, it’s
smaller. Players pass through an initial tunnel area, come out into a large
cavern, with a very large spider pacing about, and come upon a small temple. In
here, players nab a Pagan tome, one of the objects Garrett is going after, and
then can head back up to the factory and leave. But on the highest difficulty,
‘Warrior’, it isn’t so simple. There’s a much larger area that can be entered
from the back of the small Pagan temple, and in here three more gem stones the
player needs to get. There’s also a weapon players must find, and, optionally,
players can aid a spirit of a departed Hammerite. I first played this mission
on ‘Cutpurse’, back in the day; years later I came back to it, chose ‘Warrior’,
and was amazed at how much I hadn’t remembered. But, of course, I was
remembering correctly—it’s just that so much of what I explored hadn’t been in
‘Cutpurse’. For <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief </i>fans who had run out of missions to play, ‘Sledge’ provided plenty of replay value in this
mission.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oXzx0gpEo3U/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oXzx0gpEo3U?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8sop0C2R-TE/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8sop0C2R-TE?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The story, the atmosphere, and the
replayability are all excellently done in “Inverted Manse”. It’s one of the best
fan missions and one of my top favorites. It also is a case study of a
‘disaster narrative’ done within <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief</i>’s
design parameters. In other words, the story of a place that once was normal but
that has gone horribly wrong. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nQiJ5hS5Wj8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nQiJ5hS5Wj8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the videos, I include the
beginning of the mission on each difficulty setting, as the start areas differ
slightly. I also include the underground Pagan temple on both ‘Cutpurse’ and
‘Warrior’, to demonstrate how much more there is on ‘Warrior.’ Most of the
gameplay videos otherwise come from the ‘Warrior’ difficulty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As a sidenote, this mission was so
well-made that the developers at Ion Storm-Austin hired “Sledge” to work on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thief III</i>, which was in development at
the time of this mission’s release.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">-See
<a href="http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10732&highlight=inverted+manse%5d"><span style="color: #0563c1;">a
thread on “The Inverted Manse”</span></a> at TTLG <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Trevor Whalenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06748517414260707022noreply@blogger.com0