ZylonBane on 24/6/2019 at 15:46
I'm still not enthused due to the apparent lack of any actual plot, but I'll probably force myself to give it a slog at some point since I went to the bother of backing it.
froghawk on 27/6/2019 at 18:09
Finally booted this up and played until I left Marcaul for the first time. Seems like it's come a long way - I didn't encounter any bugs, but it does feel a little clunky. So far it's... ok, I guess.
icemann on 30/6/2019 at 05:03
Its a real shame that this is end of the line for the update patches. Game could have used a few more.
froghawk on 30/6/2019 at 15:43
I'm having trouble telling if 4 was actually the final update or simply the final update before releasing the console and mac/linux ports.
twisty on 2/7/2019 at 03:04
Whatever it is, it's now a much stronger version than the first two. I've just started a new game and have played around 2 hours of it so far.
While I'm no longer expecting this to be UW3 (in fact, I'd rather they work on new IP to be honest), it definitely exudes some of the dark and mystical atmosphere that immersed me in some of LGS's other games such as UW1&2 and the first 2 Thief games.
ZylonBane on 4/7/2019 at 20:17
I gave it a shot for about 20 minutes today. Locked doors still pop up that inane "The * symbol is visible" message when frobbed, instead of something sensible like "You need a circle key to open this door."
The M key to open the map failed to work most of the time. Had to open the map through the GUI.
Killed one of the new monster types in the starting area. His body never stopped spinning around until I saved and reloaded.
That being said, the opening is now less gameshow-like than it used to be, which is a good thing. It could still use improvement though. Literally the first thing you hear after arriving in the Underworld is Typhon's corny "A new contestant appears!" line.
twisty on 6/7/2019 at 05:19
Fortunately they have just released a 1.5GB hotfix for their patch (although this seems to be an alarming pattern). I had encountered the physics bug (highlighted in red) on an earlier build however so it's not really a hotfix as such, but anyway good to see that they have finally addressed it.
Quote:
* Reduced the force used to move carried objects against obstructions in some cases that were causing the player to be pushed in the opposite direction (for example, you might have been lifted off the ground while stacking crates).
* Some wooden platforms that were floating are once again grounded.
* Improved reliability of dragging mechanics for dead bodies.
* Helmeted enemies no longer have floating helmets upon death.
* Various lights, bottles and torches no longer disappear based on player distance.
* Various controller fixes related to switching focus during menu navigation and tooltips not appearing for armor slots.
* Fixed issue where the button guide bar did not show up for the Rune Wheel when using a controller.
* Fixed issue where the sound effects for the Dash skill would continuously play.
* Fixed an issue causing a lever in Underswamp to be inaccessible.
icemann on 9/8/2019 at 07:41
The worrying part is whether or not this is a sign of how things will go with SS3. If you look on the Otherside forums, they are FILLED with negative comments, bug reports, people asking whether or not they should even play the game at all. For a company heading up System Shock 3, which is a much bigger deal to a lot of people, it's of concern. Yes I know it's not the same people making it, it's a different team etc. But it's still the same company, and Ascendant is not being left in the best of condition. It still needs HEAPS of work.
Imagine they had hit all of their stretch goals back in the beginning. This would be even more of a mess.
What if we get a similar thing happen with SS3? Will they do a year of updates and then stop like they are doing here, or do more a No Man's Sky, where much is promised, not there on release but added in incrementally over time afterward.
twisty on 9/8/2019 at 09:32
I remember hearing similar concerns raised after the release of Deus Ex: Invisible War, particularly after its deplored demo portended an grim playtest of what was to come. The narrative then became (voiced by some of the development team as well as hopeful fans) that Thief: Deadly would turn out much better as it was being developed at Ion Storm's sister studio. Your mileage may vary, but I found both of these to be very disappointing sequels, plagued with a range of significant technical, design and story issues.
I was optimistic then and am trying to be now (although less since UA) but I can't help but feel that the magic of LGS was something that occurred with That team at That point in time and they should deeply consider developing new IP instead of trying to resurrect former glories.
Pyrian on 9/8/2019 at 17:59
I recall Thief: Deadly Shadows being decidedly better in some respects, basically identical in many, while studiously finding its own new ways to be awful (first-person movement).