RavynousHunter on 30/10/2007 at 17:46
Quote Posted by Goldmoon Dawn
I agree completely with this. Growing up with Lord British as my father gave me an early insight into what a true crpg should be. As you know, Looking Glass was mentored by Lord British and walked away with a lot of obviously classic ideas. The Dark Project is right up there with the classic Ultimas. :ebil:
GD, we really are two of a kind, arent we? :cheeky:
Meisterdieb on 31/10/2007 at 01:13
I like the idea of thief as an action-rpg. Call it role-play, or immersion - whatever. Garrett is actually only as bad/evil or good as you want him to be.
And while the games have certain stages set for you; most of us have different feelings when playing them. When you consider the Thief playing styles (Ghost, lytha Way, Perfect Thief...) you have another element of role-playing.
Quote:
He was offered a life as a Keeper, yet he chose to manipulate them for their skills.
But then again, it appears that this was foreseen. If true prophecy or s´just a self-fulfilling one, it does seem that he didn't have another choice (seeing that maybe the Keepers -by knowing the prophecy- acted differently around and towards Garrett, thereby prompting the fate they thought prophesied).
If he truly does not have a choice in his actions, then can he truly be evil...?
@goldmoon dawn
slightly offtopic: wow, RG is really your father? what was that like?
Goldmoon Dawn on 31/10/2007 at 01:38
That's funny. Keep in mind I said Lord British, not Richard Garriott. Lord British is merely a fictional alter ego.
JayDee on 31/10/2007 at 01:43
I've always gotten the impression that RB himself wasn't so sure of that.
RavynousHunter on 31/10/2007 at 02:13
I know, I tend to use the two names interchangeably tho. Besides, be it Garriott or British, he was my father for quite some time (not literally), as my own was a ... bit of a harbinger of mental illness, making him a poor role model. :rolleyes:
demagogue on 31/10/2007 at 02:44
One of Austin's finest ... for Halloween LB/RG (used to, anyway) open up his mansion to visitors, with its trap doors and hidden passageways and creeping monsters. Nobody quite takes creating new worlds to the lengths they used to.
Ren Fests have become suburban, Medieval Times doesn't have the knights like it used to, and even the SCA has gone tame. Of course, all of those people were completely nuts ... so maybe it's a good idea we don't encourage them anymore.
Goldmoon Dawn on 31/10/2007 at 07:17
Quote Posted by RavynousHunter
Besides, be it Garriott or British, he was my father for quite some time (not literally), as my own was a ... bit of a harbinger of mental illness, making him a poor role model. :rolleyes:
Yes, we are two of a kind. :ebil:
Quote Posted by demagogue
for Halloween LB/RG (used to, anyway) open up his mansion to visitors, with its trap doors and hidden passageways and creeping monsters.
"I guess if you're rich enough you can build any sort of mad house to live in." "It's a throne room! How pretentious can you get?!"
:sly:
...Bafford and British... in it together.... how?
imperialreign on 8/11/2007 at 04:42
wow . . . been a while since I traveled these forums, and here I come across an interesting thread and see a name I haven't read since I was a lot younger! The first RPG I ever played was Ultima I on a Commodore64, followed by the whole series as they became available to me.
UltimaIV was, by far, the best of the series and, in many ways, I think has contributed a lot to how I am and how I percieve RPGs today.
Anyhow - I don't really percieve Garrett to be either good or bad, per se - as much as he makes a living off the bread of others, it always seemed that he was only taking enough to get by and pay his rent with just a little left over for himself. Although he is a thief, he doesn't come across as being stricken with avarice, and many times it seems that he needs to keep to this career. The only real long term goal that was ever presented was his "keeping an eye out" for that one item that would allow him to retire.
Plus, as much as it bothered him to become involved with the Keepers meddling, and as much as he complained about it - he still helped, but always found a way to twist it to make himself feel like he was doing the job for his own gain. If he really was a "bad" guy, he wouldn't have anything to do with their plots and would leave them to fix it themselves. Perhaps he helped out of a sense of duty, knowing that if he didn't help, no one could. The Keepers made it well known to him that he was their last resort.
I'd have to say that Garrett is neutral.
jtr7 on 8/11/2007 at 05:28
According to Ken Levine, the guy credited with the initial concept of Thief, Garrett was supposed to be amoral. He did good things, he did bad things, and couldn't care less either way, as long as he got what he wanted in the end. Chaotic Neutral. This was one of Ken's early ideas about letting the player choose how good or how evil he/she would play. The gameplay and structure limits the choice, but there is definitely room to move within those boundaries.
In Metal Age, especially "Trail of Blood" and "Precious Cargo," there was an attempt to move Garrett from amoral to moral.
demagogue on 8/11/2007 at 06:08
Reminiscent of a noir anti-hero IMO, like Rick in Casablanca, normally only looks out for number one, but if the occasion presents itself they just can't help taking the moral high-ground. It struck me as fitting right into that kind of theme of the genre.
