ZylonBane on 1/7/2005 at 19:12
As everyone here (I hope!) knows, Thief started life as "Dark Camelot" a medieval FPS with swordfighting as a prominent component. Has anyone ever considered realizing this long-discarded design goal, and creating an FM or campaign where you finally play a buffed-up, armor-clad, sword-wielding badass?
Years of walking in Garrett's shoes have left me feeling almost embarassed every time I dispatch someone with a sword or broadhead anymore. This is a damn shame, because the Dark Engine has the best sword-fighting and bow-shooting mechanics I've ever played. It would be great to play a non-Garrett FM where this type of behavior was both viable and encouraged.
GORT on 1/7/2005 at 19:16
I know what you mean, ZylonBane. It would be a nice change. I would like to, but I'm still busy with a mission set right now. :(
Gingerbread Man on 1/7/2005 at 19:20
Be an interesting idea to explore, for sure.
I can't help thinking that for something like that to be as good as it ought, there'd need to be a bit of an overhaul of the sword attack movements / options, though. At the very least, it'd be nice to be able to have a choice of high or low blocks... but then, unless you've got a gamepad it could get mighty tricky.
Plus (and I cringe to say this) something that focussed heavily on swordfighting would probably be easier and more fun in third-person.
Although maybe I'm thinking of a totally different kind of thing to what you're thinking of.
Yandros on 1/7/2005 at 19:35
Assuming you don't try to add new attack moves or other motions as GBM suggested, it really wouldn't be that hard to setup a gamesys that supported this idea pretty well. Tweaking hit points and damage on the archetypes, plus eliminating the light gem, would take care of much of it.
TF on 1/7/2005 at 19:38
Hmm. I always wanted to make a mission like that. There's a lot of tricks you can do with the sword too, you can charge up for an overhead swing while holding the sword in the block position for example, or keep blocking even a haunt's attacks if you let go of the block button immediately after blocking a hit then keep it pressed again, making the sword switch from the 'blocked' pose to the 'ready' pose fast.
While there's no low/high blocking you can sort of make do by blocking normally and aiming your view down/low, it's actually necessary for the hammerites' attacks that start low and go upwards, a normal block won't stop those since you have to step back a little bit and look down while blocking.
I think the speed of some of the player arm animations could be sped up, and you can give him a hefty amount of hitpoints too.
Alas, no time.
SlyFoxx on 1/7/2005 at 19:48
@ZB...Why don't YOU give it a go? I doubt DromEd is beyond your capabilites. I like the idea.
:sly:
EDIT:I do know how to spell...really :o
ZylonBane on 1/7/2005 at 19:56
Quote Posted by Gingerbread Man
Plus (and I cringe to say this) something that focussed heavily on swordfighting would probably be easier and more fun in third-person.
I dunno about easier. There's a reason TDS added the auto dagger and blackjack raise, after all. It's a lot harder to aim and judge distance when you're viewing the action from an external perspective.
SlyFoxx, the Shocklings would kill me if I took on a project that would delay SHTUP even further.
EmperorSteele on 1/7/2005 at 22:14
..Your SS project is "Shut up"? =P
I played with this idea before.. basically, just manually gave the Ais less HP.
What would be a good idea is a secondary health bar for Armor.. and the player could pick up scrap metal and such to patch it up when the armors hp/integrity is low (perhaps they'd actually have to select the metal in the inventory to repair thier armor?).
And, yeah, animatiosn would have to be a liiittle faster, and the player arm haveing the ability to slash across and hit more then one person.
A more complicated thing to do would be having garrett able to use a shield (like an item). Right-clicking would bring up a shiled to your left; but your ability to attack is decreased drastically; right clicking again puts it "away" (or to the side). Any animations corresponding to this would have to be quick, to allow the player to block an attack, then counter. Granted, the sword blocks, but swords don't block arrows too well =P
ZylonBane on 1/7/2005 at 22:36
Quote Posted by EmperorSteele
..Your SS project is "Shut up"?
No, it isn't.
TF on 1/7/2005 at 22:46
A second health bar is impossible. As is actual armor separate from health, at least on the player.
The shield isn't a bad idea though. It probably could work with an object that is summoned and then immediately attached to the player.