sterlino on 22/10/2007 at 13:04
Quote Posted by Lovecraftian
That's bizarre since many consider Life of the Party the very definition of Thief
actually this is very interesting... so obivious that i never think enough about it... :o
it would be very nice to create a re-make based on this 'life of the party' with the next DarkMod editor....(Thief3 is not good for that) i hope that someone will do it or one day in the future i will do it by myself ! :thumb:
Jrpg8403 on 25/10/2007 at 05:02
Quote Posted by Goldmoon Dawn
Yeah dude, Life Of The Party is like the Enter Sandman of the series. :p
I know most people really love this mission, but I have to say that it is a little bitter-sweet to me. I absolutely love the roof-top part of the mission, but as for the angelwatch side; words cannot express the loathing I have for it. I just didn't feel it. Now, scouring the city top was my personal favorite part of TMA, and the main reason I go back.
As for the subject of DS missions being worse that T1 & 2; I have to disagree just a little. Before I do, I will agree that each mission was entirely too short and that the mission split was the worst thing they could have ever invented in a first person, sneak style like thief. It works for Doom, and Half-Life and one like that, but not for thief IMO. Now, as for the layout and design of the missions, I was quite impressed. The detail was rich and full of character. The ambiance also went quite well with the missions. I feel as though DS did a damn good job with keeping up with the missions. The only thing I feel would have made the missions better is if they were a bit more open ended, larger and had the rope arrows rather than the gloves. Oh yes, more roof hopping!
Aja on 25/10/2007 at 07:30
Quote Posted by Sypha Nadon
One thing I like about the first two Thief games is that the living environments were full of rooms that, while not adding much to the game, helped you imagine people actually living there during the daytime. TDS cut a lot of those little charms out, and while it may not seem like a big deal to some, it lost a bit of realism.
This is true. The original games had many superfluous rooms, that, while sometimes making for an unrealistic building (who would build a bank like that), gave the feeling of a purpose other than simply to be "in" the game. TDS's missions were technically quite competent, and the level design was certainly above par. But Thief 1 and 2 featured the sort of layouts that
still aren't found in games today. You really could get lost in them, and that feeling of embedded isolation in a monstrous mansion is all but gone in Thief 3, where nearly every room is a specific, well designed, but ultimately "gamey" challenge.
jay pettitt on 25/10/2007 at 08:57
Apples and Oranges. Excepting a few notable exceptions Thief 3 didn't suck me in as much as T1 and T2; some of that is no doubt due to lackluster level design, but some of it is also down to robotic AI, variable cut scenes, gameplay issues, engine issues yadda yadda yadda.
At a guess I'd say that T2 and T3 are roughly comparable when it comes to quality of level design vis-à-vis architecture, layout and stuff; though I'm not sure how you quantify 'level design'.
Quote Posted by SE
Even though some people don't like T3 as much who thinks that Thief 3 has some missions that are better than all of the T1 and 2 missions?
You're up to something, I can tell.
sparhawk on 25/10/2007 at 09:40
Quote Posted by Jrpg8403
Now, as for the layout and design of the missions, I was quite impressed. The detail was rich and full of character.
I agree with that. The detail was much richer, which is to be expected with a new engine. In the Widows mission, there was even a slight resemblance of the atmosphere of Thief style maps.
Quote:
The ambiance also went quite well with the missions. I feel as though DS did a damn good job with keeping up with the missions.
With this I definitely don't agree. Even today looking at a good mansion mission, the atmosphere feels much warmer and always draws me back to play more. TDS with it's blue tint everywhere, just feels cold and doesn't inspire me to get back to it (gameplay issues laid aside). This blue tint reminds me a bit of old Hollywood movies where the used a similar technique to give an impression of night, but it's not really neccessary in TDS to do it this way.
242 on 25/10/2007 at 10:02
Quote Posted by sparhawk
Even today looking at a good mansion mission, the atmosphere feels much warmer and always draws me back to play more. TDS with it's blue tint everywhere, just feels cold and doesn't inspire me to get back to it (gameplay issues laid aside).
it's blue-yellow combo actually, good color combination, it feels worm and cosy for me
It's just that ALL missions had it, except maybe Cradle and Abysmal Gale, and therefore the same colors everywhere became kind of boring. Also the same sky, no weather.
Muzman on 25/10/2007 at 10:05
Night time is generally blue, where there is any light at all. But we usually manage to ignore it.
However, I suspect Thief DS' version of it was more to do with making darkness easier for people to cope with, particularly on a television set with other lights around.
sparhawk on 25/10/2007 at 11:07
Quote Posted by Muzman
Night time is generally blue, where there is any light at all. But we usually manage to ignore it.
That's not really true. When I walk out with my dog at night, I often encounter places where the lighting is similar to Thief 2, but I never encountered so far a lighting setup that looks similar to TDS. In fact, one of my immediate neighbours has a frontgarden which looks as if it were designed after a Thiefmap, complete with these small flowerpots and trees. :)
Most lamps are more yellowish around here, while neonlamps often go into the white or bluish range, making them look colder. But that doesn't really tint all the air as well. :)
Quote:
However, I suspect Thief DS' version of it was more to do with making darkness easier for people to cope with, particularly on a television set with other lights around.
Yes, that's certainly the reason.
jtr7 on 25/10/2007 at 19:28
Another consideration: The lighting would most likely NOT be blue if the place is lit with torches, the moon hasn't risen, the moon isn't the source of the light, the moon is obscured by pollution (The City is supposed to be smoggy from all the fog from The River and the sea and all the smokestacks and torches). The first games at least seemed correct. Very few people complain about the color of the lighting in the first games, and even less complain about the color of the lighting in either of the whole games. I, personally, am not a fan of the magenta's and purples in this context. I don't mind the blue except when the shadows should be indigo.
Dan on 25/10/2007 at 22:56
The Blue-Gray atmosphere in TDS is present in all the levels and for me, it creates a monotone experience. It's like the levels in Thief 3 don't vary in atmosphere at all. I like TDS as a game experience, but I'm talking about the missions! It's all about the night in the dark grim gothic city or it's underground.
Thief 1 and 2 maps on the other hand have a rainbow of colours, more like a comic. They create a warm atmosphere and still manage to look somewhat realistic. The maps themselfs are quite various. Cragscleft for instance is a daytime mission! Some missions in both TDP and TMA give you the chance to walk around the city streets or rooftops(without loading sections like in TDS), not just in an isolated mansion. This gives the feeling of a living universe inside you imagination, wating to be explored!
