Selete on 8/10/2008 at 19:25
I think I know just what you mean, Syndef. Thief is a game that changes the way you look at gaming, and maybe life in general... I don't know how they do it, but killing in thief feels like murder. In the beginning, I never shed a drop of human blood purposefully; instead, I just went around blackjacking or gassing everything in sight, then had fun piling the bodies up and imagining what the guards would think when they woke up with their face crushed under another guards abdomen. It wasn't until I found this forum that I considered any other way to play thief, until one day I decided to try playing the game without saving during the mission.
I didn't go so far as through Bafford's place without finding the need to shed blood. I hadn't been aware how often I saved before taking a risk and loaded after alerting someone...
I had done pretty well up until the guard who patrols the area just outside Bafford's throne room spotted me and wouldn't stop chasing me. Having no where to go and eventually tiring of playing the part of the wild goose, I finally turned to draw my sword when we were playing ring-around-the-rosie in the bathtub area. Having no experience fighting guards, the battle was a long and bloody one. There was screaming, and the blood, and for the first time in my gaming life, a fight genuinely seemed unpleasant.... When he finally turned to run, screaming for help, I saw no other recourse than to run after and bury my sword in his back. In my mind, I can still see the place his body fell, hear the heavy sound of it hitting the floor. After killing him, I stared at the body for a few seconds, gave up, and started the mission over. I just couldn't bear the fact that I'd killed him.
... After that, I got over it pretty quickly, though. Especially once I discovered what you can do with explosive mines. :D
