Forums > Game Forums > Thief: The Dark Project > What can/ could You take away (add?)
hribek (28) on 3/22/2009 11:31 AM · Permalink · Report
"A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. " Antoine Exupery
TAKE AWAY
I realized that You can remove hammerites, burricks, zombies, writings (papers, scrolls, books...), all arrows besides {rope, water, moss, broadhead}, sword and it will still be a brilliant game. It has a good core mechanics.
You can also take away story and animations and serve just missions with little text to introduce to situation.
ADD?
There's the (probably only) thing which I would add. List of missions. Surely with best times or stats with them. Also little pictures of some sort so You'd know what is this mission about.
Because it is such a gem I am asking You what would You remove from this game ?
PS: Just one thing. I have read about thief development somewhere where they said the game clicked at eleventh hour ;) . It was interview with amazing guy who interviewed also Ken Levine and people from Deus Ex. I am not able to find it. I'd post it if I have it. Hasn't someone read about it somewhere ? And where?
xroox (3895) on 3/22/2009 12:23 PM · Permalink · Report
I guess a lot of people would want to remove the zombies from this game. While I didn't like those levels as much as the regular ones, I thought they were fine. They were an interesting change of mood and pace.
I think the game would suffer if you took too much away. Sure, it has good mechanics, but a lot of its appeal comes from the writing. And the burricks are cool ;)
Then again, just give me some rope arrows and a few wooden roofs and it would keep me happy for hours :)
hribek (28) on 3/22/2009 1:03 PM · Permalink · Report
Zombies freaked me out every time I met them :). And burricks were cute. I wonder if fourth, which I've heard from unrealiable source, Thief will go back to the beginning and create game for PC players. Thief 3 suffered of console ways, if it wasn't for Cradle which felt little off anyway, it would be forgotten ten minutes after. First person where characters looked repulsive and much worse than in first Thief, and I don't much care about graphics, and 3rd person was atmosphere killer.
I was scared more than in any other horror game I remember.
I read something about [1] today game's propaganda. Usually average games are hyped. Lots of people jump on that hype. Some people will bash it much more than it deserves because it was hyped. Some (few) people will try this "shitty game". Some will see "it is shit" and "it is hit" next to each other and say "hmm", and buy it.
Also games with lots of face on soul (mechanics). Those one-night stayer. They are, by me, much more efficient to make. Something with average graphics but with load of content and depth wouldn' let You out of the room so easily. No "next month(?) new girl, sir, yes?" there.
Society acts like spring, everyone is normalized ;). The more You press it one way the more it presses the other. Maybe.
Hmm. I think if it was bare bones, presuming it clicked not at eleventh hour, and grow some flesh around it, it would be "overhyped" Mirrors Edge killer ;).
[1] http://sexyvideogameland.blogspot.com/2008/08/four-month-bell-curve.html