Jahandar on 1/6/2004 at 09:43
Was just thinking, if/when the editor is available, theoretically, FM makers would be able to create new cities or districts of The City. These could even be used to link various FMs created by different authors. This leads to some interesting possibilities...
I haven't actually finished any thief maps, though I have made many maps for other games, and have contributed a few models used in Thievery, but this idea of Fan Cities and Fan Districts (FCs and FDs - to coin some new acronyms :) ) I find particularly interesting. Hopefully I'll be able to find the time to contribute something of my own for Thief: DS.
Any thoughts?
Eshaktaar on 1/6/2004 at 09:48
Interesting. It could be part of a contest where each contributor creates a city district with two predefined loading zones to other districts. In the end, they could all be connected to one big city.
SubJeff on 1/6/2004 at 11:21
Cripes peoples, why do you think we are soooo keen on getting an editor? Just for the pretty visuals?
Nope.
Aside from the gameplay mechanics changes and the new AI there is the possibility of a real modular city, probably somewhat akin to the SeigeEngine vision that LGS had.
We could reconstruct the City from TDP and TMA for starters. As a single city. Incorporate the city sections from TDS. FMs could be standalone, accessed from the city, come with new city sections, have city components before or after them, or even between linked FM campaigns.
There may be no need for a Darkloader but rather the FMs "plug" into the city with or without new city sections .
Now that you all realise this, realise that the release of an editor for TDS will be the most monumental event in Thief history and (
http://www.petitiononline.com/t3editor/petition.html) sign the petition if you haven't already or better still (
http://www.thiefpetition.com/letters.html) send a letter. We have a new contact at Eidos for the letter campaign. Someone who is sympathetic. I'll quote him for you:
Quote:
I volunteer my services. Any and all letters written to Eidos on behalf of a level editor for Thief III can be sent to me. . .
I will collect them, read them, show them to the Powers That Be, make my case again and see what happens. If I knew of anyone else here who would not simply trash them I'd tell you, but I think I might be of service and I'll honestly give it my best shot.
The address is at (
www.thiefpetition.com) in the letters section. And whilst you are there read the section on the history or DromEd. If that doesn't convince you that the FM creators are resourceful enough to produce some amazing TDS FMs nothing will.
Nupraptor on 1/6/2004 at 11:32
I like the idea. Perhaps (and this is wishful thinking), someone could re-do the sections of the City currently available so that they're not so claustrophobic. Add some streets flowing in-between buildings, allow you to enter more buildings, etc. There's precious few places to break into in the City, as it is.
As far as creating sections of the City from the original Thief games: That's an excellent idea. How cool would it be to find a path leading to Old Quarter where the Cathedral still lay? The possibilities are endless; In fact, the loading zones that so many people complain about could work to our advantage, since it would give us a way to connect different areas, instead of having a bunch of stand-alone missions. You could theoretically construct a vast, sprawling City that could take weeks to explore.
I, for one, am going to heed Subjective Effect's advice and send a written letter in, pleading our case.
Fallen+Keeper on 1/6/2004 at 12:00
Jesus, this is the greatest idea I've heard since I bought Thief The Dark Project in 1999.
str8g8 on 1/6/2004 at 12:03
doesn't neverwinter nights allow people to do something like this, where fan created worlds could be linked togather, kind of like a distributed model for MMORPGs
thief isn't a multiplayer experience of course, but the various districts could be still linked but remain resolutely offline - downloaded and single player
I think at heart, this is what the thief community wants to do - to add depth and detail to the thief universe. You know, the way in games there is always that invisible wall - no matter how well hidden it is - and this would push back the wall... imagine trying to make your way across the city and it taking literally hours ...
that whole city mapping thing that went on would come in very handy as well
zacharias on 1/6/2004 at 15:12
Wouldn't it just be like GTA3 though, without the story..kinda empty? Just moping around the city doing the same old things..Unless you include a grand story..but then the designers would have to accomodate and defer to that and that'd be problematic. Plus it would take *years*..
fett on 1/6/2004 at 16:08
Yep - this could make community projects like T2X and CoSaS much easier and therefore more common -everyone could link to the city hub and you could have countless missions launching from Garrett's apartment (or wherever). We must get that SDK. With the future of the franchise hanging in the balance, possession of the new editor could really affect the health of the community.
SubJeff on 1/6/2004 at 16:14
Quote:
Jesus, this is the greatest idea I've heard since I bought Thief The Dark Project in 1999.
Why do you think am bothering with thiefpetition.com? This is no DromEd part 2. DromEd FMs are already great - could be a whole new approach to FMs. Admittedly when we started out it was just the new engine and visuals that I wanted. But as the whole city section began to take shape after the media black out ended I realised how great this could be.
Quote:
Wouldn't it just be like GTA3 though, without the story..kinda empty?
No. Nothing like it at all. Each FM
has a story, each addition would have a plot and an aim and eventually we would create our own Thief cannon. Even with just the City section (whatever form it takes) you could have complex missions. It'd be like the city missions in TMA.
I think you have missed the point zacharias. There are close to 400 FMs for TDP and TMA all with stories and content. They would be accessed from the city section, be incorporated into the city section or be stand-alone (e.g. if Garrett had to travel far out of town for example - heck you could even create a coach station/inn that acts as the hub/portal for the "out of town" missions).
Essentially it would be an ever expanding city and story. Thief. . . forever. . .
Fallen+Keeper on 1/6/2004 at 16:37
Heh, if you give it away so loud, there will be no Thief IV. Not that I care, if they give me TDS Editor.
