Thief 1

So, I decided to try out Thief. It seems kinda cool so far, but the default controls are whacked out, the engine feels dated even for 1998, the guard's voice acting is awful, combat feels very clunky, and enemies seem way too blind. It's still pretty cool, though. Any tips for how to get the most out of this game?

Nope, not really. Looked it up on wikipedia, it sounded like a cool concept. But how you wrote the post, it's probably a bad execution of it.

How to get the most from it? Have some Earl Grey. I get more out of everything with a nice (twelve) cup(s) of Earl Grey.

I suppose you could always go looking for mods to improve it too. I think it uses the same engine as System Shock 2, in which case the mods will likely be few, but there might be something worthwhile.

Sodaholic said:
...the guard's voice acting is awful...

Yo best not be talking shit 'bout my homeboy Benny!

Sodaholic said:

combat feels very clunky

that's the whole point - you SUCK in swordfights. better take them out with one backstab!

Sodaholic said:

Any tips for how to get the most out of this game?

Play something better, such as Deus Ex, Splinter Cell or Assassin's Creed*.

*Not exactly the same kind of game, but it contains plenty of stealth elements and is guaranteed to be more enjoyable than the broken turd of a game you're playing. Parts one and two are the best to date, imo.

I only play Thief to be a mass-murderer, just as I only play Elder Scrolls to piss off the NPCs. *sob*

Sodaholic said:

Any tips for how to get the most out of this game?

Play on expert and try to avoid save scumming basically. It's like goldeneye in that the higher difficulties give you more objectives, and on expert you're not usually allowed to kill anyone. The ai appears to be dumb because it's designed to let you fuck up a bit without completely screwing yourself over.

DoomUK said:

the broken turd of a game you're playing.

thief is one of my favourite games. its outdated graphics were ugly even back in its day, but the use of darkness and sound oriented gameplay is still unparalleled.

it was also probably too hard for you.

I'm about half way though the game on normal right now, I have to say, I'm enjoying it so far. Maybe when I beat it I can stop sucking at it so much and ramp myself up to hard, then expert mode.

I'll probably play Thief 2 before I do that, though.

On a related note: Thief and System Shock 2 updated!
Seems someone has the source code after all. I wonder if they modified the dreamcast stuff that was found a while ago, or if they had the original PC source all along. The whole thing is fittingly shrouded in mystery.

I love Thief, but the engine and movements etc is really...clunky indeed. Also the AI is pretty lame haha. The atmosphere is really awesome though. Thief 2 is cool too, and I heard good things about Thief 3 but I never played it myself.

One thing that annoyed me with Thief 1 were all the monsters. I liked the humans. Thief 2 has alot of steam-punk`ish robots and stuff, but it works alot better than the monsters in Thief 1 imo.

The Thief games, especially 1 & 2, are definitely amongst my favourites. The tension in playing them is amazing, I like the back story and the appearance of them. I have literally sometimes sat there for minutes on end terrified to even breathe to heavily in case I gave my position away. The fact that you suck at fighting and that, in a straight up fight, the guards should make a kebab out of you pretty quickly just add to the tension. IMO, Thief 2 was better than Thief. The maps were just better somehow and the annoying enemies from Thief were far less in evidence.

I didn't enjoy the third episode quite as much - mainly because they pulled back a bit from the unique victorian/medieval/steampunk feel of the first two a bit and made it more traditional/medieval in feel. However, it has what I consider one of the best maps in a game ever: The Shalebridge Cradle.

I only played the first Thief (Gold edition) and that game had a lot of atmosphere, that's for damned sure. Very memorable game. Some of the sounds in different places were damned creepy, especially in ruined places as you weren't sure what might be lurking around the next corner. I tended to blackjack a lot of guys... on this one map I had a dozen guards shoved into the area beneath a trapdoor. lol. I think one of the most memorable maps for me was Down in the Bonehoard.... aaahhhh all those tunnels and traps.

Enjay said:

The Shalebridge Cradle.

Very tempted to check that out. Will have to look for the 3rd game sometime.

the third one isn't looking glass, though. eidos acquired the franchise after lgs went belly up and spector directed the sequel during his ion storm stint. bits and pieces of deus ex inluence, perhaps? it certainly doesn't feel anywhere close to its predecessors.

I love the Thief series, it had an amazing atmosphere and some really amazing and memorable levels such as The Sword, The Haunted Cathedral, and The Lost City just to name some from the first Thief... and yeah The Shalebridge Cradle is an insanely twisted and warped level aswell. Scared the hell out of me. :)

I love the Thief series! It featured a truly amazing atmosphere. My level favorites include Down In The Bone Hoard & The Haunted Cathedral.

I swear the guards are stupid. Here's a conversation I just overheard:

Woman: What's a big guy like you doing out at night?
Guard: Durr hurr hurr "big guy"
Woman: Don't you want a woman to keep you warm?
Guard: What for? This uniform keeps me warm enough, and besides, it ain't even cold out tonight!
Woman: *sigh*

If I could make Garret talk I'd should out "she wants to fuck, you dumb fuck!", though it would be entirely out of character for him.

That's Benny! He's the doofus standing near the market bridge in Mission 4 of Thief II. His voice is unique among the guards, voiced by the same actor as Garrett, Stephen Russell.

Benny has lots of dialogue throughout the game, always makes me chuckle.

Definitely enjoying this Thief thread... This game has to have some of the best ambient noises in any game I've played. And everyone is right - the dumbest guards!

miko508 said:

This game has to have some of the best ambient noises in any game I've played.

Agreed, the soundscape of the Thief series is amazing. IMO, the sounds in Thief are a huge part of the experience. In some ways, because they are so well done, I think that they are more important than the visuals.

I am very familiar with the Thief games and their excellent ambient sounds so I do, however, get a little confused when I hear the same or similar sounds in System Shock 2 (which I am less familiar with).

yeah i really liked those games, especially the first two. but yeah i agree with the consensus here- its horrible graphics and engine.

but i think the dumb guards in the game are there cause the AI was never very good. many times i'd run right past a guard in full light and hes like 'what was that noise??', so instead of fixing the AI they just cover it up with having 'purposely' dumb guards. imo anyway.