References in Dishonored

Bonusbartus on 26/11/2012 at 08:15

Quote Posted by Myth

I've gotten up to the plot twist right now. I'm playing a non-lethal, knockout style game. First thing to notice is the art - the textures are not realistic, but instead seem like high-res concept art done with Corel Painter. It gives the game a slightly art/cartoonish (but not manga style) feel which has a stark contrast with the grim reality of the setting.

The second thing that stands out is that they tried to please both crowds. Obviously, the game has been made by stealth shooter fans, and I bet by Thief fans (who said something about Purah being involved? Please share the info). However, most of the 13 year old X-box, COD/Assassin's Creed kids want to murderize things and feel awesome while doing it. So you can do that, or you can play thief-style, and you have the tools to do both.

However, due trying to please everyone, the stealth system has been oversimplified for my tastes. First, they dropped the Thief style shadow concealment because it was deemed "unrealistic" and instead adopted a line of sight and cover system. The result is a very counter-intuitive need to doge the narrow cones of light that illustrate NPC view spectrum, and the even more counter-intuitive result of shadows not hiding you at all at close and medium range. You have a regular "Rambo" mode and a sneaky mode. When you press the "sneak now, 10x" button Corvo crouches down and he suddenly becomes like a cat. It doesn't matter what surface you're walking on, or if you're hiding behind a railing, you're invisible.

So slowing down is not really required, nor is avoiding loud surfaces. You crouch, you win basically (as far as sneaking goes). This is further made easier with the two muffle upgrades you buy for your boots. OK, I agree that maybe wearing tap dancing shoes to a robbery like Garrett does doesn't really make sense, but once you spend a paltry amount of coin, you can literally hold shift and run like a mad man and no one will hear you approach. So much for that.

So sound is made useless, and shadows don't work unless you're 100 meters from the npc. Cover works perfectly. You also get tools that further make sneaking a breeze, albeit an enjoyable, casual breeze. For anyone who had to ghost across a marble floor and trying not to bump into the hammer haunts, the access to things like a 65 meter blink and stopping time for 10 seconds will surely let you relax and drink juice while playing (for the most part).

I did reload a ton of times, but mainly because NPC senses are oddly "black and white". They either see you approach or if you step 10 cm to the left, they're oblivious and you can do anything but super jump (yes, you can upgrade your jumping) on their head.

Don't get me wrong, these are not whines or bitter resentments for a game which is obviously well made and which has "spirit". I'm just sharing info that only Thief fans will get so you can understand my take on things.

Now, the game is indeed not quite steampunk. Walls of light, the city wide announcement system and steel cabins for the city watch are 100% Half-Life 2 design and seem a bit out of place for me. Espeically the force field lights and those steel cabins, they are mot-a-mot taken form HL2 Overwatch designs.

The game adds that required semi-RPG element all the kids want nowadays, and you can upgrade your weapons and add traits (called bone charms) as well as purchase magical powers. Overall, if you want to be this awesome bloodthirsty assassin guy, you can. But hey, when I was a kid I used to play the Thief 1 demo on easy and I killed everyone too, so I can't judge.

The blink spell and the super jump really add a level of freedom when roaming Dunwall which feels very refreshing and Assassin's Creed-y, though while in AC you can't really fall unless you're brain dead (your character always auto jumps or auto grabs a ledge), here a lot of the higher roofs or derraces have invisible walls blocking blinks or mantling, which detracts a bit from the fluidity.

Personally, I'd like to do a playtrough without any super powers and just ghosting like a regular human. I'm sure that'd be fun. If mods can be made for this game however, it's a texture pack and a light gem away from becoming Thief 3.5

I have to agree with Myth here. Though I like the game it's not a game like thief where I just can't stop playing. it feels somewhat easy to me, especially because of all the "perks", and I hated to find out that shadows didn't provide any cover...

On the voice acting, in a way it made me think of thief, but everytime I hear a guard say something (especially when talking to other guards) I get the feeling the dialogues don't match and are just randomly chosen lines....

The way guards start looking for you when they noticed something did remind me of thief though, although because of the cover system hiding just means running away, or around a corner/rooftop...

Somehow the game reminds me more of the Metal gear solid series, which I think is in a way just as good as thief:p just different...

VanBurenPhilips on 26/11/2012 at 20:10

I found Dishonored's stealth baffling at first, took me a while to get the hang of it. Now I love it. It's a very different experience to Thief's stealth and I like the way shadows are treated, it works in this more combat-focused game, makes you respect your enemies a bit more and I think it would be far too easy if you could hide like Garrett. I was dubious about the dark vision when I first read about it - vision cones & all - and the first thing that sprang to mind was 'playing the map' in MGS. But when I tried it out in my first play through (stealthy, non-lethal) I found it works brilliantly with these stealth mechanics, and as a quick planning tool.

This game isn't intended to be as slow paced as Thief unless you want it to be - that's the whole point of Dishonored, you choose how you want to play, and buy powers to suit. You want to play stealthy but cheat with magic :p then use dark vision to observe & plan, then make your move with blink, time stop or possess if straight creeping is not viable. You want to slow it down and make the stealth harder, then don't buy dark vision, listen (surround sound helps), stay high or hide in/under furniture and always use lean before entering an unknown room. It's a different discipline to Thief, I enjoyed the challenge of learning it & enjoy it even more now I've got the hang of it.

Al_B on 27/11/2012 at 09:09

Quote Posted by Al_B

I believe Digi worked on Kaldwin's bridge

I retract this - it was not one of his levels.

Sir Taffsalot on 27/11/2012 at 15:12

It looks like The Abbey of the Everyman and the Outsider are to Dishonored as The Hammerites and Trickster are to Thief. Although I found it a little hard to take The Outsider seriously when he looked like he should be in a boy band.