Accignite Vos on 5/8/2013 at 07:05

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That's a question you probably want to ask the nice folks at the T1 & T2 design subforum: (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=85)

As for revisiting old characters, here's something I took from my thread on Thief fanon: if you can make a good story out of it, it's worth a shot. When revisiting old characters, ask yourself a few questions:

- Who is this character? We all know Garrett pretty well; he's our POV character and main protagonist! But what do we know of the Trickster, who only wanted a greener, leafier world where the forest ruled? What do we know of Basso's sister, who Garrett sought to spend a night with and was never heard from again; was she an innocent maid, or a beguiling temptress? What about Benny, that lovable drunk, whose alcoholism is seriously hindering his ability to perform in a job? It's best to try and piece together what you can from the games, and with characters like Basso's sister, you have a little leeway. The aim, however, is to make the leeway believable.

- What story do I want? Thief FMs can cover a variety of genres, and the community is very open to innovation. Benny's story might be a lighter jaunt about a drunk down on his luck, only to accidentally prove his worth and receive a small fortune. Basso's sister might lead to what appears to be a romance, only for her to stab Garrett in the back and woo someone like Ramirez, turning it into a revenge tale. (Garrett's often the recipient of bad luck with women.) The Trickster's story might be more tragic, mourning the loss of the old ways and intolerance of them in the face of change; one might go with the interpretation that "the Trickster" was a Pagan sorcerer who became one with the embodiment of his religion.

- When is this going to take place? Sometimes, going down the road chronologically can help jar free inspiration. You might not think much of Basso's sister during what was happening in the Thief games, but set after them, what if she has Garrett's illegitimate son? What if we learned that Benny was driven to alcoholism by losing a beloved family member in his youth, partially because of him? The sorcerer-becoming-the-Trickster idea is a great idea of setting something a while before or after the games; you could say he rose to power just when the Hammerites were getting their most fervent, and maybe chronicle the creation of The Eye.

- Where can I put this story? Thief FMs have taken us beyond the limits of the city. We have gone to steamy jungles and into the frigid mountains, into alternate dimensions and Garrett's own dreams. Basso's sister could be living with her brother and Jenivere at some point, far outside the city; Benny could originally come from a place in the country; the Trickster, obviously, would dwell in the Maw, or perhaps an uncharted dimension between our world and the Maw.

- Most importantly: why? Why are you revisiting this character? Are you bored with Garrett as a protagonist? Do you want to see the City through the lens of someone who is not a cynical Chosen One/thief? Were you dared to by another FM designer? Whatever your reason, it must keep you motivated. If you start an FM up without the drive to do it, or the idea is too weak in your head to justify an FM, you're more likely to not finish it because you'll run into a block on what to do.

Source: I do a lot of writing. The difference FM creation and worldbuilding is that one uses Dromed and scripting, the other uses Wordpad and a pen and paper.

Accignite Vos on 5/8/2013 at 08:01

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Tell me about it. It was hell enough trying to figure out scenario triggers in Age of Empires when I still had my copy. :eek:

Edit: Great, now I'm thinking of replicating Age of Empires models in Dromed and using them as custom enemies. Garrett vs. hoplites?

theBlackman on 6/8/2013 at 00:49

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I agree with Sensut. The current Thief world leaves lots of room for storylines. I have three that involve The City, without Garrett as the main character. As Sensut says, "start working it and FINISH it."

The expanding world of Thief has opened up, due to brilliant Dromedeers and story writers, to a vast choice of terrain, protagonists and locations, both within and without The City.

Ricebug on 13/8/2013 at 07:10

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For those particular AI, you can employ the NVOnscreenText script. As you approach the AI, it highlights and his or her name appears on the screen.

I suppose you could have a revenge-motivated brother enter the story, seeking to find out why his sibling was killed. I don't know how you'd pull that off, however.

Make the AI tough to kill or NO KO, then, when the player tries to harm him or her, 20 guards suddenly appear. They would give up and leave the person alone after several quick-loads.

FireMage on 13/8/2013 at 20:02

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Or you can do like Deus Ex the nameless mod: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ7YBfkslFI)
Being teleported out of the world if you kill an important character linked to story! XD

Seriously, why don't you just add these characters with a lot of bodyguards, or some big states that make that the guy will kill you if you attempt any assassination.

Or like the nameless mod again, do that you learn that the guy have a lot of skilled surgeons who will heal him, that he hasn't really killed just severe wounded.
And how about doing that in latest mission, you'll see them again with more bodyguards, security devices or something else.