Thief 3 storyline concerns

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.thief-dark-project (More info?)

Just recently I've run in to quite alot of spare time; needless to
say, I began looking for a good game to get into. I wanted a game
tailored for play in the first-person view and I needed a rogue
character template: sticking to the shadows, moving quietly,
outwitting unsuspecting opponents and the occasional snatch of a
purse. I came upon Thief 3 almost immediately. It sounded like its
gameplay hit my preferential nail on the head; and to make it even
better, Eidos' site offered a demo version for me to test drive.

Now I've finished the training exercise and the first (and only) demo
mission and I'm considering purchasing the game. As far as gameplay
goes, Thief 3 is absolutely amazing. On the other hand, I'm worried
that:

* Thief 3 will be too unidirectional. The demo makes it appear as
though you're given a mission, which you complete, after which you're
automatically pushed on to the next mission. Do you have any choice
in which missions you participate in? Perhaps in the real game you
run about the City interacting with NPCs that point you to missions?
I really don't want to draw a conclusion from the demo and assume that
missions are indeed glued back-to-back.

* I won't be able to appreciate Thief 3's storyline because I haven't
played the two(?) prequels. I know this is probably a difficult
question for most people on this group (as you all seem to have
histories playing Thief) -- but does Thief 3 really work as a
standalone game? Do I need to be familiar with the previous Thief
games in order to understand what's going on?

* Thief 3 will be too superficial. In the demo, the justification for
stealing the bloodline opal is as simple as "I'd hate for someone else
to have this stone." If there were some real storyline implications
for stealing an object or if I could reap benefits from gaining
wealth, I'd be more than happy to loot each mission clean; but as far
as I can see, missions just come back-to-back, and the wealth I gain
is just a worthless accumulator. I hope I'm wrong.

I'd really appreciate reponses from people who have played through the
retail version; what I see in the demo version is too ambiguous to
make me want to commit to buying the real game.

Thanks in advance,
Joe

 

[loony]

Archived from groups: alt.games.thief-dark-project (More info?)

> * Thief 3 will be too unidirectional. The demo makes it appear as
> though you're given a mission, which you complete, after which you're
> automatically pushed on to the next mission. Do you have any choice
> in which missions you participate in? Perhaps in the real game you
> run about the City interacting with NPCs that point you to missions?
> I really don't want to draw a conclusion from the demo and assume that
> missions are indeed glued back-to-back.
>
Once you finish each mission there's a central city area where you can
interact with NPCs, sell the loot you stole, use the money to buy new gear
and so on. The side quests are fairly few and the game itself is linear in
that you have to do most of the missions sequentially... each one tipping
you off to what you need to do next. But no, the missions are not back to
back.

> * I won't be able to appreciate Thief 3's storyline because I haven't
> played the two(?) prequels. I know this is probably a difficult
> question for most people on this group (as you all seem to have
> histories playing Thief) -- but does Thief 3 really work as a
> standalone game? Do I need to be familiar with the previous Thief
> games in order to understand what's going on?
>
This is a tough one. There are definitely things I was happy to know and
understand going through the game. I wouldn't disuade you from buying the
game on account of not having played the first two because it certainly is a
fine game in it's own right. However you won't fully appreciate the story
(especially the ending) without a quick history lesson. If you're not
opposed I would be happy to write up a cliff notes version of the first two
games for you.

> * Thief 3 will be too superficial. In the demo, the justification for
> stealing the bloodline opal is as simple as "I'd hate for someone else
> to have this stone." If there were some real storyline implications
> for stealing an object or if I could reap benefits from gaining
> wealth, I'd be more than happy to loot each mission clean; but as far
> as I can see, missions just come back-to-back, and the wealth I gain
> is just a worthless accumulator. I hope I'm wrong.
>
As I stated above, you gather loot to sell and then use the money to
purchase new gear. Some of the hardcore players from the first two (myself
included) find that the loot you gather is far more than you can use up, as
we try to use as little of our gear as possible. But the loot does have a
purpose.

> I'd really appreciate reponses from people who have played through the
> retail version; what I see in the demo version is too ambiguous to
> make me want to commit to buying the real game.
>
If you enjoyed the feeling of the demo, I recommend you buy the game. The
story isn't as important as learning about the different factions or groups
of people you'll run into, but we can teach you all about them If you
found the story in the demo to be kind of flat, so did I. The story doesn't
really pick up till about half way, then whoooo boy does it ever pick up

Also, if you can stand the flashback graphics, you might consider playing
Thief 1 and 2. They are great games in not a bit aged at this point. Plus
with 300+ high quality fan missions they're worth the $10 they cost in the
bargain bin.

Let me know if you want me to catch you up
Loony

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.thief-dark-project (More info?)

"Loony" <loony@nospam.loony.name> writes:

> If you're not
> opposed I would be happy to write up a cliff notes version of the first two
> games for you.

One of the T3 FAQs at gamefaqs.com has a nice synopsis. Just don't
keep reading after that or you'll run into the walkthrough part.

--
Darin Johnson
"Look here. There's a crop circle in my ficus!" -- The Tick

 

[rms]

Archived from groups: alt.games.thief-dark-project (More info?)

> > If you're not
> > opposed I would be happy to write up a cliff notes version of the first
two
> > games for you.

http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84989

But I gotta say, at least play a few of the ThiefGold missions and watch the
TG cutscenes before reading all the way thru this. The plot and dialog is
simply too brilliant to gloss over.

rms

 

[Mike]

Archived from groups: alt.games.thief-dark-project (More info?)

"Joe Luquette" <anuril@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:6604684.0406271406.296bf0fd@posting.google.com...
> Just recently I've run in to quite alot of spare time; needless to
> say, I began looking for a good game to get into. I wanted a game
> tailored for play in the first-person view and I needed a rogue
> character template: sticking to the shadows, moving quietly,
> outwitting unsuspecting opponents and the occasional snatch of a
> purse. I came upon Thief 3 almost immediately. It sounded like its
> gameplay hit my preferential nail on the head; and to make it even
> better, Eidos' site offered a demo version for me to test drive.
>
> Now I've finished the training exercise and the first (and only) demo
> mission and I'm considering purchasing the game. As far as gameplay
> goes, Thief 3 is absolutely amazing. On the other hand, I'm worried
> that:
>
> * Thief 3 will be too unidirectional. The demo makes it appear as
> though you're given a mission, which you complete, after which you're
> automatically pushed on to the next mission. Do you have any choice
> in which missions you participate in? Perhaps in the real game you
> run about the City interacting with NPCs that point you to missions?
> I really don't want to draw a conclusion from the demo and assume that
> missions are indeed glued back-to-back.
>
> * I won't be able to appreciate Thief 3's storyline because I haven't
> played the two(?) prequels. I know this is probably a difficult
> question for most people on this group (as you all seem to have
> histories playing Thief) -- but does Thief 3 really work as a
> standalone game? Do I need to be familiar with the previous Thief
> games in order to understand what's going on?
>
> * Thief 3 will be too superficial. In the demo, the justification for
> stealing the bloodline opal is as simple as "I'd hate for someone else
> to have this stone." If there were some real storyline implications
> for stealing an object or if I could reap benefits from gaining
> wealth, I'd be more than happy to loot each mission clean; but as far
> as I can see, missions just come back-to-back, and the wealth I gain
> is just a worthless accumulator. I hope I'm wrong.
>
> I'd really appreciate reponses from people who have played through the
> retail version; what I see in the demo version is too ambiguous to
> make me want to commit to buying the real game.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Joe

Calm down, Joe. It's only a game and not a life-changing decision.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.thief-dark-project (More info?)

Joe Luquette wrote:

> * Thief 3 will be too unidirectional. The demo makes it appear as
> though you're given a mission, which you complete, after which you're
> automatically pushed on to the next mission. Do you have any choice
> in which missions you participate in?

Yes and no. You will have to do all the story-line missions, but, as
far as I can judge, you can decide which of two independent sub-missions
you take first. You also have a few off-story missions that you do get
from NPC's, but there doesn't seem to be too many of them -- or perhaps
I've been to engrossed in the ordinary missions to bother.

However, between missions, you're in the City. Either youre back at your
flat, or you've finished a job for someone and have delivered the loot.
Some missions (or 'days') have sub-missions, between which you typically
go from one place in the City to another, during which you're free to
rob a few citizens, or a few houses, or sell loot to your fences to
be able to get outfitted for the next part.

I don't think this question should worry you. Thief 1 and 2 had far
less freedom here.

> standalone game? Do I need to be familiar with the previous Thief
> games in order to understand what's going on?

No. A few plot elements do, such as the Eye and a one or two mentions of
Viktoria, but they are not show-stoppers: just something that happened
in Garrett's past.

> * Thief 3 will be too superficial. In the demo, the justification for
> stealing the bloodline opal is as simple as "I'd hate for someone else
> to have this stone."

The justifications for future missions are not considerably more
complex: but then, the meat of the game is not the storyline, but doing
the missions: the taffing. The story just presents new opportunities for
doing that. You will have to submit to the storyline, or you won't get through
the game.

The wealth Garrett collects helps get him fitted out for the next mission
(or sub-mission): collect a lot of loot, and you won't have any problems in
getting the gear you need in order to get on the next mission quickly.
Collect less, and you may, as I have said, do the City rounds to get more
money and gear. But again, that only means more taffing, and that's what
this game is about.

However ... you will only get *one* game out of Thief 3. If you go for
earlier versions you will get the 'main' game, but you will also have the
chance of playing several 'fan-missions', some of which are rather better
than the original game was. (The Thief creators included the game editor
on the game CDs of both Thief 1 and Thief 2 -- but you can't play missions
for one with the other.) Actually, I'd get both if I could find them: there
are some extremely impressive and very taffish fan-missions for both.
(See http://www.keepofmetalandgold.com/ for more info in this area.)

--
Anders Thulin ath*algonet.se http://www.algonet.se/~ath

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.thief-dark-project (More info?)

>
> Calm down, Joe. It's only a game and not a life-changing decision.

I don't blame him for not wanting to spoil the story line by not knowing
whats going on.

And you never know... it *could* be a life-changing decision )

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.thief-dark-project (More info?)

"Joe Luquette" <anuril@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:6604684.0406271406.296bf0fd@posting.google.com...
> Just recently I've run in to quite alot of spare time; needless to
> say, I began looking for a good game to get into. I wanted a game
> tailored for play in the first-person view and I needed a rogue
> character template: sticking to the shadows, moving quietly,
> outwitting unsuspecting opponents and the occasional snatch of a
> purse. I came upon Thief 3 almost immediately. It sounded like its
> gameplay hit my preferential nail on the head; and to make it even
> better, Eidos' site offered a demo version for me to test drive.
>
> Now I've finished the training exercise and the first (and only) demo
> mission and I'm considering purchasing the game. As far as gameplay
> goes, Thief 3 is absolutely amazing. On the other hand, I'm worried
> that:
>
> * Thief 3 will be too unidirectional. The demo makes it appear as
> though you're given a mission, which you complete, after which you're
> automatically pushed on to the next mission. Do you have any choice
> in which missions you participate in? Perhaps in the real game you
> run about the City interacting with NPCs that point you to missions?
> I really don't want to draw a conclusion from the demo and assume that
> missions are indeed glued back-to-back.
>
> * I won't be able to appreciate Thief 3's storyline because I haven't
> played the two(?) prequels. I know this is probably a difficult
> question for most people on this group (as you all seem to have
> histories playing Thief) -- but does Thief 3 really work as a
> standalone game? Do I need to be familiar with the previous Thief
> games in order to understand what's going on?
>
> * Thief 3 will be too superficial. In the demo, the justification for
> stealing the bloodline opal is as simple as "I'd hate for someone else
> to have this stone." If there were some real storyline implications
> for stealing an object or if I could reap benefits from gaining
> wealth, I'd be more than happy to loot each mission clean; but as far
> as I can see, missions just come back-to-back, and the wealth I gain
> is just a worthless accumulator. I hope I'm wrong.
>
> I'd really appreciate reponses from people who have played through the
> retail version; what I see in the demo version is too ambiguous to
> make me want to commit to buying the real game.
>

IMHO it would make more sense to at least know the background - just so you
know more about each faction and some of the artifacts you come across.

If you're a big fan of the Thief series, I think I can safely presume that a
large part of the attraction is the engrossing storyline from the previous
games. Some of the cutscenes really make you squirm/smile/wonder.

Very much worth a few pennies to cover the old ground first, but you would
still be able to enjoy T3 without.

--
Cookie McCrumble

www.whateverhappenedtomysocks.co.uk

Today is just a side effect of yesterday.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.thief-dark-project (More info?)

"Cookie McCrumble" <cookiemccrumble@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:2ka4l9F19s0joU1@uni-berlin.de...
> "Joe Luquette" <anuril@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:6604684.0406271406.296bf0fd@posting.google.com...
> > Just recently I've run in to quite alot of spare time; needless to
> > say, I began looking for a good game to get into. I wanted a game
> > tailored for play in the first-person view and I needed a rogue
> > character template: sticking to the shadows, moving quietly,
> > outwitting unsuspecting opponents and the occasional snatch of a
> > purse. I came upon Thief 3 almost immediately. It sounded like its
> > gameplay hit my preferential nail on the head; and to make it even
> > better, Eidos' site offered a demo version for me to test drive.
> >
> > Now I've finished the training exercise and the first (and only) demo
> > mission and I'm considering purchasing the game. As far as gameplay
> > goes, Thief 3 is absolutely amazing. On the other hand, I'm worried
> > that:
> >
> > * Thief 3 will be too unidirectional. The demo makes it appear as
> > though you're given a mission, which you complete, after which you're
> > automatically pushed on to the next mission. Do you have any choice
> > in which missions you participate in? Perhaps in the real game you
> > run about the City interacting with NPCs that point you to missions?
> > I really don't want to draw a conclusion from the demo and assume that
> > missions are indeed glued back-to-back.
> >
> > * I won't be able to appreciate Thief 3's storyline because I haven't
> > played the two(?) prequels. I know this is probably a difficult
> > question for most people on this group (as you all seem to have
> > histories playing Thief) -- but does Thief 3 really work as a
> > standalone game? Do I need to be familiar with the previous Thief
> > games in order to understand what's going on?
> >
> > * Thief 3 will be too superficial. In the demo, the justification for
> > stealing the bloodline opal is as simple as "I'd hate for someone else
> > to have this stone." If there were some real storyline implications
> > for stealing an object or if I could reap benefits from gaining
> > wealth, I'd be more than happy to loot each mission clean; but as far
> > as I can see, missions just come back-to-back, and the wealth I gain
> > is just a worthless accumulator. I hope I'm wrong.
> >
> > I'd really appreciate reponses from people who have played through the
> > retail version; what I see in the demo version is too ambiguous to
> > make me want to commit to buying the real game.
> >
>
> IMHO it would make more sense to at least know the background - just so
you
> know more about each faction and some of the artifacts you come across.
>
> If you're a big fan of the Thief series, I think I can safely presume that
a
> large part of the attraction is the engrossing storyline from the previous
> games. Some of the cutscenes really make you squirm/smile/wonder.
>
> Very much worth a few pennies to cover the old ground first, but you would
> still be able to enjoy T3 without.
>
> --
> Cookie McCrumble
>
> www.whateverhappenedtomysocks.co.uk
>
> Today is just a side effect of yesterday.
>
As the first two games are quite old now, it is possible to pick them up for
about £5 each - I did and that was about 2 years ago. I don't think not
having played them first will spoil your enjoyment, but for a few extra
pounds why not have all of them?

Mary