Poetic thief on 6/2/2010 at 06:58
Now before you rip my throat out, Hold ON !!!!!
Don't get me wrong. I still love Thief 1 and 2 (both official games and fan missions).
The things I love are:
story
setting
atmosphere (still original and immersive after all these years)
ambience
sound
cutscenes and artwork
heck, I love the graphics which have aged well in my opinion because of the iconic Thief design
However, while I still love those aspects of the game, actually playing the game is just not as much fun as it once was :(
I pretty much know how to avoid guards, how to get right up behind them to blackjack, how to push my luck and get away with it etc.
It seems as if the only way to enjoy the gameplay is if I use self-imposed gameplay limitations, like not using water arrows, or health potions.
So to the Thief veterans here, do you still enjoy the gameplay as much as when you were a newbie? What do you do to keep it fun ?
Are there any fan missions which are known for particularly challenging gameplay (but still have good story, atmosphere etc) ?
jtr7 on 6/2/2010 at 08:06
Plenty of fans have grown out of love with Thief, or have moved on, and/or have their find memories but don't really care anymore. Some of them don't even realize they've moved on and they try to have conversations with those who still actively love the games and their cooled fires are obvious to nearly all but themselves. If you've moved on, it's fine. It's normal, and probably even healthy.
I personally have not even begun to burn out, emotionally, even if physically and mentally I'm burnt out in general, and not over Thief, heh heh. The only "hope" for one such as yourself is to bid a fond farewell with no regrets about it, OR...make your own games and give them the spice you crave, if games with a Thiefy quality are still important to you to play.
I'm a person who thrives on being creative, even if the product is utter crap. Being creative is my fire, my passion, my point of existence--again, even if the product is utter crap--as long as I'm doing something. And Thief has given me a hundred different ways to be creative, on top of all the other ways I was already, and have added to since, and so, I can burn out on one project but move to another that's been simmering. Sometimes, circumstances prevent me from getting back to a project, or hinder me, or need to simmer longer, but with Thief, there's no end in sight for what I get from it, and I haven't even properly played it straight much. That's probably the big secret to not burning out to begin with: Don't play it too often or too many times in a short amount of time, and if you don't, and you still burn out, that's okay, say goodbye and maybe you'll visit sometime in the future or not.:angel:
Herr_Garrett on 6/2/2010 at 11:37
I concur with the OP, but for another reason. I simply know Thief by heart, so the OMs do not offer much of a challenge, and as for the FMs... With a few exceptions (which I love), I think they are pretty repetitive.
I've tried taking up DromEd to create something new, but my PC loathes it, apparently.
Melan on 6/2/2010 at 12:38
Sometimes taking a break is the right thing to do. I got bored with Thief missions around late 2004 or so, and just got out of it for two years. Part of it was fatigue, part of it the problem that FM creators apparently weren't making the kind of missions I liked. I returned at the beginning of 2007, and there was not just a lot of fresh stuff, but fresh stuff that was enjoyable. Shortly afterwards, I got started with Dromed.
That said, since I know the AI so well after that many years of playing, I get more out of the exploration / enjoying fancy architecture aspect of the game than dodging patrols. Ghosting puts some challenge into sneaking, and I have been doing that for a while, although not as strictly as some other people.
DrK on 6/2/2010 at 14:06
I feel the same, I just don't play thief anymore because I know its gameplay too well, I came to the point I only use rope arrows. Nowadays I only play fms which propose something unique, something outstanding, otherwise I feel like a waste of time : playing instead of dromeding...
However, you should try the ultimate difficulty mod, I installed it 2 years ago, and I truly rediscovered thief. As it says, it raises the difficulty of the game making AIs stronger and more sensitive to your presence. I had to use all the tools in my inventory, I was kind of afraid to do a single mistake, I felt I was playing the game for the first time ! :D
BrokenArts on 6/2/2010 at 15:43
Go play Dark Mod, and sometimes get your ass handed to you on a silver platter. I just don't get that anymore with Thief, though I still play it. Play demagogue'ss FM there's a real treat in there. :ebil:
daniel on 6/2/2010 at 19:01
In this aspect, I'm glad I started out as a very sucky thief. Now I can go back and do everything thiefy instead of killing or KOing everyone!
But this is how things are for most of the games I play. I'm pretty good at most games, even day one. Story and gameplay is all that drives me to pick up games now and with everyone seeming to focus on graphics, that doesn't leave much to my list. Braid was probably the last newly released game I really enjoyed.
Dooh Nibor on 7/2/2010 at 00:35
I feel strangely the same like the OP, sometimes I think Thief is not right now what it was from one year ago to the 1999. And it makes me sad when I think of it, because I always thought it would never bore me in my whole life, because of the combination of circumstances surrounding the game and how it fitted in my life. But I think that as Melan said, sometimes it's good to have a break from it, anyways it will never left being the best :thumb:
(wow, I didn't knew about that mod, I'll check it)
Renault on 7/2/2010 at 00:44
I still enjoy Thief quite a bit, and specifically ghosting. Sure, I think if your style of playing is to knock everyone out, yeah, that can get boring fast after 10 years, and it's really way too easy. I don't necessarily play Thief for the challenge aspect, but ghosting makes it just tough enough where it's still enjoyable.
The cool thing about switching to a ghosting style just recently is that I can go back and replay old levels, and it's like playing it for the first time.
