I knew Thief was for me when . . .

electronic pest on 30/6/2011 at 21:18

Quote Posted by redface

When I stumbled upon the first zombie in the Cragscleft prison, AND IT WOKE UP.

That pissed me off more than anything, "F***ING QUAKE ZOMBIES!?" Those things annoyed me to no end in the game.
Don't get me wrong the hammer haunts and priest ghosts are amazing, horrifying in all the right ways, but those zombies are slow, obstructive and whiny as hell.

Anyways, that bafford demo I played years ago drew me right in with the music, atmosphere and appropriate guard sound reaction and AI.
So I was thinking, a whole game of this? Hell yes!
Then I found out thief was very varied: big mansions, prison-labour camps, haunted crypts, post apocalyptic cities and pagan hell-holes, all in the same game :eek:.
And all done considerably well :cheeky:.

Goldmoon Dawn on 30/6/2011 at 23:43

Quote Posted by electronic pest

but those zombies are slow, obstructive and whiny as hell.

They are similar in nature to the children of Karras in Thief II. Basically just there to annoy, however the zombies in Dark Project can become somewhat formidable in close quarters, as they have their close range speed attack. Dark Project was gutsy and gritty, and each of the Missions that showcased the zombies achieved grit to superb effect. Much of the first game was a throwback to the now long forgotten classic crpgs, and it wouldnt be the classic it is without all of the supernatural elements, especially later in the game.

Tedh75 on 1/7/2011 at 02:12

Everything about the game had me hooked from the start. The cool cut scenes, all the weird glyphs, pagans, hammers and zombies oh my! The replay value of these games is just incredible. I must have played the Thief 2 demo a hundred times! When I first began to play The Dark Project I did a lot of killing. Played on easy and really enjoyed the game. But, when I began to play on expert I truly understood why Thief was so special. These are the only games that have ever literally made me jump, and gasp from fear, shock excitement etc.

All the varied environments and moods make sure that the game doesn't become stale. And what was most amazing in The Dark Project in particular was all the additional stuff that was in the game that you would never know about if you simply followed the path. Hidden things and parts of the city that you can only find by roof-top mountaineering. Seemingly placed there solely for the benefit of those intrepid souls that are not satisfied untill they have explored every inch of every level. The city in the Ramirez mission is huge compared to the part that you actually sneak through? Why is it there?! Why do all that work when most people will never see it or even know it exists? I still remember the first time I managed to snatch Constantines sword and bolt out of the mansion. It is a wonder that my heart didn't explode. "I am the Woodsie Lord!" I just can't say enough about these games.

Goldmoon Dawn on 1/7/2011 at 03:42

Yes, The Dark Project is a classic rpg. In a sense, it almost represents the end of an era. It is definetely the capstone on the pyramid that is 80's/early 90's crpg. A classic amalgamation of the Ultimas, the Wizardries, down through the Might and Magics (:sly:) and what have you, presented for the very first time in stripped down free roaming first person 3d. Every aspect of the Project was precalculated and executed flawlessly. The overall space of each Mission is exact, and it allows for the unprecedented physics engine to create a sense of realism as you explore the dingy gritty atmospheres. The story builds up to the halfway point and then delivers thee most classic story twist up to that point in crpg. Truly classic. The voice actors realised how good the lines and story are, and more than stepped up to the plate. Every cutscene is memorable, and tying the whole damn thing together, Eric Brosius' sounds...

Welcome to TTLG Taffer. :ebil:

jolynsbass on 1/7/2011 at 04:28

For me, I was sold when I realized that I had to actually listen to this game. It came out at the same time as Unreal, which had better graphics overall, but I'd often just turn the annoying sound off, and listen to my own music or something. But with Thief, you *had* to listen - to both the sound of your own footsteps, as well as the sounds around you. Plus, I *love* the fact that at the "expert" level of gameplay, you can't kill anyone! Such the opposite of first-person games those days... (and these days...)

davehall380 on 1/7/2011 at 10:17

Despite my recent problems trying to get T2 to run (grr), my Girlfriend asked me if I was 'playing that silly Sword game again'.

It took me 10 minutes to correct her, and even then was met with indifference. Sigh, not for everyone :-)

reelyanoob on 1/7/2011 at 10:58

I originally got the Thief I demo off a magazine disk way back when it was really new.

Played it over and over, I had a spare bedroom back then with my computers etc in it, and I sealed off the window etc for complete darkness. This really added to the immersion.

Hooked from day 1. It's still my favorite Thief, and I have a massive soft spot for the Ramirez mission.

The closest experience in terms of sheer joy was playing Deus Ex for the first time, and realizing "Hey this is Thief!" (more or less)
I only found out about the links between the developers later, but I began to suspect ...

I'd like to say Hi to everyone here this is my very first post on TTLG

Dia on 3/7/2011 at 12:51

Hello and welcome, reely! Always nice to meet a fellow Taffer! :thumb:

BG_HHaunt on 4/7/2011 at 15:39

At first I was kinda confused but liked it when I understood the different way of approach this game offers. The main problem in my first playthrough was that I hardly knew English at the time and I was stuck when the eye was telling me to go to the Keepers' grotto, I kept trying to get through the little window on the back side of the cathedral. After a few years I picked up the game again and it was so amazing understanding all the dialogue (especially the "Bear Pits" part :D) and I was really hooked up.

Also, dexterward - your username, reminds me of a book I just read a few weeks ago called "The case of Charles Dexter Ward by H.P Lovecraft.

dexterward on 4/7/2011 at 17:00

Quote Posted by BG_HHaunt

your username, reminds me of a book I just read a few weeks ago

That`s indeed The Case sir. You`re a Fellow Thieferer I see, so there`s hope that you read it properly and was utterly terrified...a reaction that seems to be long forgotten.

Yep, of all things improbable...the commercialization of Cthulhu and generally turning this obscure horror madness into a post-post-modern cuddly/ironic icon will never cease to amaze me.