Chiles4 on 4/5/2007 at 21:23
I just bought Thief III (TDS?, T3?) having never played any Thief game before and was wondering if anyone had any tips on getting good at it...besides the usual way of getting good at a game - dying in countless stupid ways until you FINALLY figure the smart way. I find that doing it that way results in very little feeling of accomplishment. It's one of my biggest beefs with the Splinter Cell series.
I've played the first 3 Splinter Cells and am currently on the 4th so there is indeed hope for me in T3. My story...I tried either the game or demo for all 3 Thief games but was never impressed enough to play one. You might find that a bit at odds with being a huge Splinter Cell fan but...so be it.
About a year ago(?), I played the T3 demo and found it be very buggy and again wasn't impressed with the gameplay. I guess I found the AI to be a bit on the dumb side...not sure.
Well I bought T3 because I'm a big fan of stealth in games - even in tactical shooters - and realized that if you want real stealth, there's really only 2 choices: Splinter Cell and Thief. I read a glowing review of T3 and saw (
http://media.pc.ign.com/media/015/015244/img_2152641.html) this screenshot and I knew I had to "do something". So I ordered T3 and am going to "push at it" until I can be won over by it. Which I'm sure I will be.
If anyone has any pointers on how to get good at this game before I get "wacked" incessantly I'd love to hear them. From what I have played of the Thief series, I found it alot harder than the Splinter Cell series.
Gingerbread Man on 4/5/2007 at 23:27
I know exactly where you're coming from.
The best advice I could give would be to remember the concepts from the Splinter Cell games... the staking out, the surreptitious lurking at doors listening to the conversation in the other room. Flattening yourself in corners and praying that the light doesn't sweep over you. The trick is to let the game world do what it's doing and never notice you at all.
If you've played Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay then you know what I mean. If you haven't played that game, then I absolutely recommend that you do... it seems weird at first, but you'll love it I promise you.
But.
It's not as aggressive. You can usually finish every mission without leaving a single konked head. It's all about patience and waiting and waiting.
The first two games ... well, that's a different story. The first two games trained us to play Thief 3. Timing is everything. Slipping precisely between patrols. Firing that rope arrow, swarming up and over, and the *bamf into the shadows as the next guard came around the corner. The first two games were more like puzzle games in that respect. Timing and awareness and creativity.
So my main point seems to be: Play the first two games, that's how you'll get good at Thief 3. But more than that I think all you need to do is play it like Splinter Cell only more desperate and slower. The one thing that always struck me about Thief was how close you always were to failure.
Nameless Voice on 4/5/2007 at 23:52
I'd strongly recommend you to start with Thief 1.
Random1156 on 5/5/2007 at 01:29
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
It's not as aggressive. You can usually finish every mission without leaving a single konked head. It's all about patience and waiting and waiting.
But knocking people out is the
fun part!!! :D
I started out playing Deadly Shadows, then went back and played T1 and T2. The best advice I can give you is to have a lot of patience...and don't forget to save often!
Yandros on 5/5/2007 at 02:46
Quote Posted by Random1156
But knocking people out is the
fun part!!! :D
For some people, yes. For others, the fun part is never been seen or heard. :D
Marecki on 5/5/2007 at 13:03
The GBM has said most of it already, so I will just add several of my notes on the subject of Thief.
Be alert; just because it's safe where you are now doesn't mean it will be safe 10 seconds later. Think before you act; in most cases, if you find a situation risky it's better to pass (as you gain experience you will begin to recognise the exceptions). Practise so that you are able to intuitively move as fast as possible without being detected, regardless of where you are. Take advantage of your gear. Listen to conversations, but don't let them freeze you in your tracks; remember that the others will resume their duties once they're done talking, so take advantage of the way they are now before stopping to listen. And last but not least, be an opportunist! Stab them, knock them out, shoot them, ignore them, sneak past them, take advantage of the scenery or other creatures - weigh the pros and cons and do whatever is necessary to get past obstacles the safest way. You will have time to try self-imposed limitations another time (with the possible exception of killing the AI; all three parts of Thief are fairly easy to go through without getting blood on your hands, so you may try it even the first time through).
Good luck! And yes, do consider going through the series in order.
jay pettitt on 5/5/2007 at 13:33
It won't help you get good, but getting rid of the on-screen lock-picking HUD thingy makes for surprisingly good fun. There's a text file somewhere which can be edited to change the scale of the rings to nil - can't remember which file it is though, but it is so much more fun.
rhoelzl on 5/5/2007 at 21:30
@Chiles4:My personal impression is that "getting good" is easier in the first two parts of thief. for some unclear reason the old engine makes sure that the result of an action is more predictable. less will go wrong. i have the impression that in thief 3 sometimes for some reasons for example blackjacked people simply will not lose conscience, even if it seems that you did everything correctly. in the first two parts that seems to happen less often. can't explain it any better. maybe it is just my imagination.
Elentari on 5/5/2007 at 23:52
That screenshot is from [SPOILER]the prison[/SPOILER] I believe. The name of the place exactly escapes me as its been awhile since I played TDS, but its one of those side missions/quest thingies that you get to do, or can bypass entirely.
I won't post the spoiler of how to get there in here, but its easy enough to find hints and spoilers on that in the spoiler forum. :)
