Chade on 24/6/2009 at 23:03
Hrmm ... I'm not so sure I like this idea.
It doesn't strike me as adding anything new to the game (there are already surfaces with different sound volumes, and level designers can already set up rooms as you suggest), it sounds like a hidden variable which will make the world harder for the player to parse, and by tying surface volume to architecture you reduce the level designers flexibility in designing challenges for the player.
Stath MIA on 24/6/2009 at 23:26
If it 'aint broke don't fix it. 'Nuff said.
Ostriig on 25/6/2009 at 00:03
Quote Posted by Stath MIA
If it 'aint broke don't fix it. 'Nuff said.
Two sides to that coin - you think you'd be playing Thief now if LGS had said the same about the generic first person action game format back in the day?
That said, I'm also not too hot on this idea either, for the "hidden variable" reason that Chade mentioned. I think it could easily work out as frustrating more often than as a rewarding tactical challenge.
Chade on 25/6/2009 at 00:50
Quote:
Two sides to that coin - you think you'd be playing Thief now if LGS had said the same about the generic first person action game format back in the day?
This.
I should say to ascottk: while I may not like your idea, it is nice to see someone thinking about ways to improve thief's gameplay. Thief's legacy is not just about a specific set of game rules - it is also about a game which stood industry conventions on their head.
Stath MIA on 25/6/2009 at 02:34
I sincerely apologize if you took my post to mean that you shouldn't be creative because Thief is perfect and can never be improved on. I meant more that I find that Thief's sound system for types of floors already handles the situation very nicely and that squeaky floor boards really wouldn't add all that much to gameplay.
5tephe on 25/6/2009 at 03:36
Actually, I'm going to side with ascottk here:
Sure, technically you could build levels with different floor sounds for different areas of the floor, but in its current format it would be really clunky.
Thief TDP and TMA both have only a limited set of on/off floor sounds, that gave an added element of gameplay 10 years ago, but isn't very subtle.
I think a more 'sliding scale' approach to a lot of things like that would mimic reality better, and not confuse players at all.
Imagine tracking a quarry through a park, or wilderness level, and having to think about avoiding areas of dry leaves piled up on the ground. Or bushes and trees that make noise as you push through their branches. Perhaps some carpets are quite threadbare, or have work down areas that are visible, and you have to learn to avoid?
There are a lot of potential enhancements here.
Stath MIA on 25/6/2009 at 03:48
I conquer with you 5tephe, a smoother less uniform system for kinds of floor sounds you hear is definitely a great idea. However that's not what the OP was talking about.
ascottk on 25/6/2009 at 05:22
Quote Posted by Stath MIA
I conquer with you 5tephe, a smoother less uniform system for kinds of floor sounds you hear is definitely a great idea. However that's not what the OP was talking about.
Actually that's exactly what I was talking about.
Technically it could be fairly easy using materials. An alpha invisible texture (invisible to the player) that fades near the walls & the engine adds intensity to the sound according to opacity.
EDIT: Well . . . not easy with existing Thief tech . . .
belboz on 25/6/2009 at 05:56
probably not easy with any tech, leaves in game environments are usually decals, or overlays.
