What we've known for years

daniel on 29/10/2010 at 21:02

(http://www.damnlag.com/video-game-stories-must-find-their-way/)

Shamelessly ripped from Digg, but why else would the FMs for our old game have survived for so long and especially with such a ominous editor for the game? Let's hope Thief 4 will continue the tradition of great game story.

ZylonBane on 29/10/2010 at 21:05

"ominous editor"? :weird:

Xorak on 29/10/2010 at 22:03

It's ominous because it watches you from its little corner on your hard-drive. It doesn't say anything, but it knows and its waiting...

Boxsmith on 30/10/2010 at 01:18

Quote Posted by Kyle Conway

I highlight games like Metal Gear Solid that have good stories

lolwut

Yandros on 31/10/2010 at 01:25

Melan on 31/10/2010 at 09:56

Quote Posted by daniel

Shamelessly ripped from Digg, but why else would the FMs for our old game have survived for so long and especially with such a ominous editor for the game? Let's hope Thief 4 will continue the tradition of great game story.

Deus Ex has a great story and very few FMs (although there are three full campaigns). System Shock 2 has a great story and very few FMs, even if it basically uses the same editor as Thief. Duke Nukem 3d has a paper-thin story built entirely from Hollywood clichés, and it has hundreds of FMs, some enormous and very complex by late 90s standards. That doesn't seem to support your hypothesis. Maybe it is more along the lines of
* an identifiable protagonist (the master thief/the badass killing machine)
* doing an identifiable thing (avoiding combat and stealing stuff/killing everything that moves and blowing up shit)
* in a way that can be easily replicated in self-contained missions.
In comparison, the essence of DX and SS2 is harder to pin down; they are more campaign- than mission-based, and what makes them great is their gradually unfolding complexity.

Koki on 31/10/2010 at 10:55

Or maybe it's because Thief is the only First Person Sneaker like, ever.

FMs for Thief are also easy to make, you just need a level, some guards, some loot, and basic scripting. No need for a complex backstory, intros, outros, custom models/animations, recording additional voice acting, etc.

It's also one of the few FPSes in which playing against the AI is the main point of the game.

And the backstory of the game easily allows for additional missions with estabilished character(s).

Captain Spandex on 3/11/2010 at 02:53

Quote Posted by Koki

Or maybe it's because Thief is the only First Person Sneaker like, ever.

Not actually true. Although, it is certainly the best first-person sneaker ever, games like Daggerfall, Goldeneye 007, and even Wolfenstein 3D had strong stealth components.

Quote:

FMs for Thief are also easy to make, you just need a level, some guards, some loot, and basic scripting. No need for a complex backstory, intros, outros, custom models/animations, recording additional voice acting, etc.

It's also one of the few FPSes in which playing against the AI is the main point of the game.

And the backstory of the game easily allows for additional missions with estabilished character(s).

Yeah, this is definitely on-the-money. It's easier to make self-contained missions without mapping out some huge arcing story with Thief. Some of the best FMs I've ever played had little to no backstory whatsoever.

With Deus Ex or System Shock, you almost feel bound in some way to making some big story to go with the missions in order to mirror the vanilla campaign.

Chade on 3/11/2010 at 22:57

Koki's right. I can't believe I just said that. If you want to create your own stealth level, thief is the only option.

And our FM community now enjoys a strong network effect.