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[Ricker]

Okay,I am not getting the turning of the big stairs in Chapter 3...keep going in circles it seems...

Spoiler

I did manage to turn one that made somekind of human beast appear and scamper away but I can't figure out how to get there...

i get that that section is suppose to be dark and damp and all but still,it looks awful on the PS4...besides that,really enjoying it so far.

 

[Chubzdoomer]

I'm loving this game's level design. I was afraid it would railroad you from one room to the next like in a modern military shooter, but instead it gives you at least two paths to take in almost every area. Sometimes there's even more than one way to complete objectives, which is unheard of in most games today. In the second level, for example, you're tasked with obtaining a key for the machine room. You can either steal the key from an overseer near a couple guards in a well-lit area or from a locked chest surrounded by broken glass and next to a sleeping guard who will awaken if you move too quickly over the glass or screw up when picking the lock.

I have to wonder if those complaining about the level design have even played the game or are just copying what some reviewers have said.

 

[Shake Appeal]

I'm loving this game's level design. I was afraid it would railroad you from one room to the next like in a modern military shooter, but instead it gives you at least two paths to take in almost every area. Sometimes there's even more than one way to complete objectives, which is unheard of in most games today. In the second level, for example, you're tasked with obtaining a key for the machine room. You can either steal the key from an overseer near a couple guards in a well-lit area or from a locked chest surrounded by broken glass and next to a sleeping guard who will awaken if you move too quickly over the glass or screw up when picking the lock.

I have to wonder if those complaining about the level design have even played the game or are just copying what some reviewers have said.

Did you play Thief 1&2? The size and complexity of the levels in those games dwarfs the ones in Thi4f, though they obviously are pretty sparse.

 

[justjim89]

Can anyone tell me why in God's name they made The Bank Heist, the mission most resembling classic Thief, a fucking pre-order bonus? It's such a tease! I've been a staunch apologist for this game, but I can't think of any reason why this mission isn't included in the main game by default, and why more levels aren't like it! From the sound of things, the level design steadily goes downhill as the game progresses.

If the game had more missions like The Bank Heist, the game itself would be ten times better!

 

[Chubzdoomer]

Did you play Thief 1&2? The size and complexity of the levels in those games dwarfs the ones in Thi4f, though they obviously are pretty sparse.

Yeah. I'm comparing it to modern games, though, not to the old Thief games for two reasons: Almost all old games have far more complex level design than anything today (that's just how it is), and this is a reboot of the franchise, not a sequel to those games. As a modern game, Thief's level design is great. It reminds me a lot of Dishonored and even Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory in that although you progress through the levels in fairly linear fashion, there are numerous paths to take and ways to go about completing the levels themselves.

 

[Shake Appeal]

I kinda feel Deus Ex: HR did a better job of it, but they also had a very streamlined, low-poly aesthetic, whereas Thief has crates and bird cages and shit piled everywhere.

 

[Chubzdoomer]

I kinda feel Deus Ex: HR did a better job of it, but they also had a very streamlined, low-poly aesthetic, whereas Thief has crates and bird cages and shit piled everywhere.

Yeah, Deus Ex: HR is another game this one reminds me of, especially with the vents that you can go through to access different parts of a level, then sometimes end up looping around and coming back to sections you've been in before. It was definitely better overall though.

 

[DukeBobby]

Y'know, this game isn't bad.

I wouldn't give it any higher than a 6-7 out of 10, but it's definitely no Hitman: Absolution.

 

[Dezzy]

I just did the Bank Heist mission and I thought was pretty great actually, and it's exactly what I expect out of a Thief game. I hope there's more like it.

By the way, did anyone else hear an NPC talking about Shalebridge early in the game? Nice little nod to Thief 3.

 

[RedSwirl]

Yeah, Deus Ex: HR is another game this one reminds me of, especially with the vents that you can go through to access different parts of a level, then sometimes end up looping around and coming back to sections you've been in before. It was definitely better overall though.

I would also agree that Human Revolution probably did a better job of reconciling the spirit of older games with appealing to modern gamers.

 

[PirateKing]

I'm enjoying this game more than Dishonored. From now on, i'll never ever pay attention to any reviews! I'm just wondering did they play the same game as me? 6 my ass.

 

[UnrealEck]

I'm enjoying this game more than Dishonored. From now on, i'll never ever pay attention to any reviews! I'm just wondering did they play the same game as me? 6 my ass.

Do you disagree with most of the criticism the game has received or do you maybe feel even with all the criticisms it's still more than a 6/10 game? I find everything I've criticised it for being repeated by other people over and over again.

 

[PirateKing]

Do you disagree with most of the criticism the game has received or do you maybe feel even with all the criticisms it's still more than a 6/10 game? I find everything I've criticised it for being repeated by other people over and over again.

I'm not saying it's a perfect game but some of these reviews are just laughable. I know the AI is horrible, but what stealth games are out there who have a great AI? i only agree with Edge's review tough.

 

[bonesmccoy]

I'm enjoying this game more than Dishonored. From now on, i'll never ever pay attention to any reviews! I'm just wondering did they play the same game as me? 6 my ass.

Me too - about Dishonored and about reviews. But then I've given up on 'professional' reviews almost entirely. I'll check RPS and Edge now and then, but usually I just go off Gaf's impressions.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Do you disagree with most of the criticism the game has received or do you maybe feel even with all the criticisms it's still more than a 6/10 game? I find everything I've criticised it for being repeated by other people over and over again.

Yeah, I agree with you. I'm not sure the game some people ARE playing. As what I'm playing is a watered down Thief, load-heavy, context-sensitive ass game with great atmosphere and pretty good artwork. If people enjoy it, more power to them, but as I see it, people are just defending their purchase and ignoring the massive design flaws or their living in sweet ignorant bliss. I wish I could ignore the issues I have with it as I'm Super Mega Ultra Fan #1 with some Skittles and I just couldn't ignore the problems with it.

Also, what did that 42mb update add? I'm curious to see what's been changed or added and debating coming back to it.

 

[Krappadizzle]

42mb. patch from Nixxes Notes:

Hello everyone,

We have just made public a new version of the PC version of Thief, v1.1 build 4110.1. This patch will be applied by Steam automatically when you next start the game. If your game does not update, please restart the Steam client.
This patch will address the following issues

- Fix for a crash after loading a new game or benchmark, often seen on Intel GPU hardware.
- Fix for DOF issue when peeking through keyholes.
- Fix for stereoscopic 3D inconsistencies in option menus. Forces VSync to be ON and Triple Buffering to be OFF.
- Fix for a bug where “Invert mouse X/Y” would not be saved.
- Minor UI improvements.
- Optimized memory usage.

While we expect this patch to be an improvement for everyone, if you do have trouble with this patch and prefer to stay on the old version we made a Beta available on Steam, v1.0 build 4107.3, that can be used to switch back to the previous version

Step 1: Go to your STEAM library and select Thief in your game list
Step 2: right-click on the game and go to properties
Step 3: go to the Betas tab in the properties menu
Step 4: select version 1.0 and press ok.

This will set you back to the original released version of the game.
We will keep monitoring for feedback and will release further patches as it seems required. We always welcome your feedback!

 

[Dead]

Chapter 2 1/5 collectibles found. Geez and that was with spending an hour on the level.

 

[Spookie]

I finished this last night and found it to be a mess of a game. It tries so hard to be like Dishonoured but without any of the emergent gameplay. Instead, you're hamstrung through the levels by clearly defined chokepoints. Which require you to have a certain set of tools to get past. The contextual jumping is constantly fucking faulty, meaning I often fell off a ledge because I was struck randomly by leprosy.

Hell I found stealth in DX:HR to be more fleshed out than this! :/

 

[P. Fembot]

I'm quite liking it so far, although have spent the last hour trying to follow the map to the tailor's. Still can't get there, will drop the mission.

I don't think it's a 5/10 but it's not exceptional either.

Also, on next gen, why do we have to suffer through loading screens when we pry open and move through a window..?

 

[B4D1E]

Chapter 2 1/5 collectibles found. Geez and that was with spending an hour on the level.

Same here, I was shocked when I saw my stats. I took my time and tried to visit every room and check everywhere.

So far I'm having a blast with this game. I really needed a slow-paced game where you can take your time. The only gripe I have, is with some sidequests. It's a pain to find them, even when it's marked on the map.

 

[Hammer24]

Finished Capter 2 yesterday. Enjoying the game so far.
Its no "real" Thief, and has severe limits when it comes to trying different strategies. The game basically forces several decisions and encounters on you, that I would like to be able to avoid.

 

[JoJo UK]

I got my copy for XB1 last night, only got about an hour or so of playtime into it (also got the XB1 update last night)

Good

• Environments look really nice
• Actually it looks nice overall, not 'next gen herpy derp is this real life?' but like a really, really polished 'current gen' game if that makes sense?
• 'Feels' like a Thief game (how you move around, etc) to me anyway, I haven't played one in like 8-10 years so something. EDIT: I take that back, thinking about RedSwirl's Fry Cry example in a previous post is correct.
• Place 'feels' massive, I know it's not but I have found a few different ways into houses (I had watched some videos and was surprised at how 'guided' it looked however there does seem to be different entry points)
• Load times seem short, 30 seconds ish and not as bad as made out however (see bad list)
• Some character animations are very nice
• You can use the kinect to distract people
• The way you can customize the difficulty is brilliant, should be in more games
• You can use the kinect to distract people but... (see bad below)

Bad

• Took at least 5 years to install with a 5 GB update (thats what the XB told me)
• Ingame cutscenes have fps drops (wtf) and lip sync problems the odd time
• Sound is borked, sometimes you can hear someone outside a building as if they are right behind you
• NPC speech is mega repetitive, actually the sound is really f-ing annoying, you have random chats being repeated over each other, I mean like one guy starts a sentence and half way through his mate starts saying the same thing
• Loading is short but odd and a lot of them, you can climb in one window and out another and you'll have to go through a loading screen but you are just climbing out into the street you came from
• Some character animations are very crap
• ... if you sneeze (IRL) they will find you (found this out the hard way).

Again this was all from about an 1 or so, maybe a bit more playing last night, enjoying it so far and is a nice change of pace from my BF4 addiction.

 

[Moff]

from my 15 hours with this game, I definitely like the story missions the least.
I wouldnt say they are terrible, but they are underwhelming, the story missions are usually divided in 2 parts, one part "thief" gameplay, one part more streamlined and linear.

what I really love about the game are the side missions though, they come in different sizes, there are big client side missions with own areas, there are medium side missions that you get from your handler who tells you to break in somwewhere, and then there are the tons of mini side missions you get witthout any quest at all, you can break in at so many random windows, you overhear conversations that give you hints where special loot can be found, there are different chain quets that dont give you quets in your log at all, they are just pieces of paper with instructiony you find, no quest marker or anything.

I really love how they did the city, its so much fun to move around in it and look for access points to places where you want to go, there are some really good puzzles involved, shooting tiniy buttons from different angles, jumping and climbing from roof to roof.
I think they city is definitely my favourite thing in the game so far, I spent at least 5 to 7 hours only in the city.

 

[TheVampire]

Is there any difference between the x64 and x32 versions of the exe?

I noticed my shortcut on the desktop was the x32 one.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Same here, I was shocked when I saw my stats. I took my time and tried to visit every room and check everywhere.

My highest loot percentage for any level so far is only 91%. Potentially gives me reasons to replay, though.

 

[Deleted member 10571]

Whats the best deal on this one right now? GMG?

 

[SJRB]

My highest loot percentage for any level so far is only 91%. Potentially gives me reasons to replay, though.

Definately. I thought I thoroughly cleared everything in chapter 1, and then my stats told me I only got 51%. Totally confused as to what I missed, but pretty cool nontheless that not all loot is so easy to find.

 

[Respawn]

I'm loving this game's level design. I was afraid it would railroad you from one room to the next like in a modern military shooter, but instead it gives you at least two paths to take in almost every area. Sometimes there's even more than one way to complete objectives, which is unheard of in most games today. In the second level, for example, you're tasked with obtaining a key for the machine room. You can either steal the key from an overseer near a couple guards in a well-lit area or from a locked chest surrounded by broken glass and next to a sleeping guard who will awaken if you move too quickly over the glass or screw up when picking the lock.

I have to wonder if those complaining about the level design have even played the game or are just copying what some reviewers have said.

Thank God for this post. I feel the same way. Your last sentence makes me wonder to.

 

[j0hnny_385]

Whats the best deal on this one right now? GMG?

SimplyCDKeys, IMHO.

19.99 GBP with 5OFFTHIEF comes down to 14.99GBP ~ 25 USD.

 

[B4D1E]

My highest loot percentage for any level so far is only 91%. Potentially gives me reasons to replay, though.

I concur, I'll replay those levels for sure. But I do wonder where the hell all this loot is hidden? Kudos to the developper for that. It's like a game of Hide and Seek now lol

What Moff describes in the post above, it's what I love about this game. It's so random, you can enter a house via one window and exit on another one and you find yourself on another part of the City with new places to visit.

 

[Deleted member 10571]

SimplyCDKeys, IMHO.

19.99 GBP with 5OFFTHIEF comes down to 14.99GBP ~ 25 USD.

Don't trust those key sites at all, Imma go with GMG then. Thanks though!

 

[j0hnny_385]

Don't trust those key sites at all, Imma go with GMG then. Thanks though!

Got my keys yesterday from SimplyCDKeys. Fair and square. But, your money, your choice.

 

[TyrantGuardian]

You can use the kinect to distract people… but if you sneeze (IRL) they will find you (found this out the hard way).

Haha, what? This sounds pretty cool actually. I would have listed that as a pro.

 

[Woo-Fu]

Got my keys yesterday from SimplyCDKeys. Fair and square. But, your money, your choice.

The concerns typically aren't whether or not the keys work but any fallout you may get down the road for using keys from other regions to take advantage of regional pricing in ways the publishers/distributors do not want you to.

 

[JoJo UK]

Haha, what? This sounds pretty cool actually. I would have listed that as a pro.

lol I suppose so, post updated! I had been trying to be all sneaky sneaky and got past a part which I had messed up a few times (it was an easy part but I was tired), as I climbed the stairs I sneezed and the guy I had been hiding from came charging up and freaked out seeing this burgular tippy-toe up his stairs. :/

 

[Moff]

at the asylum right now
seriously, I'm too old for this

 

[Carcetti]

I'm loving this game's level design. I was afraid it would railroad you from one room to the next like in a modern military shooter, but instead it gives you at least two paths to take in almost every area. Sometimes there's even more than one way to complete objectives, which is unheard of in most games today. In the second level, for example, you're tasked with obtaining a key for the machine room. You can either steal the key from an overseer near a couple guards in a well-lit area or from a locked chest surrounded by broken glass and next to a sleeping guard who will awaken if you move too quickly over the glass or screw up when picking the lock.

I have to wonder if those complaining about the level design have even played the game or are just copying what some reviewers have said.

Zomg, even two paths to get to an objective. Did you play the original Thief games at all? The best levels in them didn't have 'routes' or alternatives, they were just so open that you could design your own routes instead of picking a designer's A or B choice. The level design might be awesome if you've only ever played Call of Duty but even Dishonored, action game that it is, beats NuThief's levels handily. Easiest way to compare is to take the house that exists in both Dishonored and Thief, which is the Whorehouse. Compare the options and complexity of those and you can see what I mean.

 

[FlyinJ]

Did you play Thief 1&2? The size and complexity of the levels in those games dwarfs the ones in Thi4f, though they obviously are pretty sparse.

That is it right there. Back when Thief 1 and 2 came out, GPUs were so weak they couldn't render rooms with anything more than a chair and a painting in them. They compensated for this by making massive levels... there was enough memory left over to fill it with geometry as long as that geometry wasn't being rendered on the screen all at once.

Nowadays, GPUs can render exquisite details in the rooms. Your art budget skyrockets. There is no way in hell a developer these days could afford an art budget to make every room and area as detailed as they are in Thief 4 with levels the size of the Thief 1 and 2 levels.

I suppose you could make huge sprawling levels with minimal art assets in each room and area... but can you imagine how many people would bitch about it if they did? "OMG what is this and xbox game LOL".

So, there you have it. They did as best they could given the modern development climate, and I think they did a great job.

HOWEVER- I really wish they made the windows that load you into a new map section look different than the windows that have lootable rooms.

 

[SickBoy]

After debating since Tuesday I finally picked up my prepaid preorder for PS4 yesterday. Then my wife accidentally drove off with it so I couldn't play. :/

I've been having a lot of trouble getting through the noise on this one, so I figured I needed to try it for myself. It's really hard to determine how many people are carrying baggage related to what they expect Thief to be and how many are responding solely to what's on heir plate, so to speak.

I never bought the original Thief -- played the demo and felt my PC at the time says right on the borderline in terms of what I felt was acceptable quality/performance. So I may be able to overlook issues others have had if problems with... Guess I'll see soon enough.

 

[Shake Appeal]

So, there you have it. They did as best they could given the modern development climate, and I think they did a great job.

I mean it would help if they weren't developing it to be multiplatform on last-gen consoles, but...

Agreed about the different windows. They could have made ones that move you into a new map larger and more ornate.

 

[SJRB]

I mean it would help if they weren't developing it to be multiplatform on last-gen consoles, but...

Agreed about the different windows. They could have made ones that move you into a new map larger and more ornate.

They started development on this game five years ago, I can only imagine the jump to cross-generation development was an extremely late decision.

Not to mention they had to completely overhaul the entire game after their initial reveal last year. The game was originally built around an XP system and unlock tree. The reveal gameplay had insane stuff like HEADSHOT! 50XP! popups after you shot a guard in the head. Thankfully "the internet" spoke out and they completely removed the XP system. Getting such a fundamental mechanic out and another one in over the course of a year must've been pretty intense.

 

[Ricker]

Finally figured out those spinning stairs in the Ruins and finished Chapter 3...unusual to say the least,really enjoyed perving out a little in there lol...

Game is pretty good,liking it a lot and it can be huge if you try and do all there is to do...

 

[Das Mookid]

So is this game actually a reboot? There's a lot of stuff that seems like it's a continuation of the series: Erin looks like the girl Garrett takes in at the end of DS, Garrett looks like he has a mechanical eye, Basso talks about never getting married again... Just stuff I've noticed half way into the second chapter.

 

[EatChildren]

So is this game actually a reboot? There's a lot of stuff that seems like it's a continuation of the series: Erin looks like the girl Garrett takes in at the end of DS, Garrett looks like he has a mechanical eye, Basso talks about never getting married again... Just stuff I've noticed half way into the second chapter.

Yep, reboot.

 

[Cave Johnson]

That is it right there. Back when Thief 1 and 2 came out, GPUs were so weak they couldn't render rooms with anything more than a chair and a painting in them. They compensated for this by making massive levels... there was enough memory left over to fill it with geometry as long as that geometry wasn't being rendered on the screen all at once.

Nowadays, GPUs can render exquisite details in the rooms. Your art budget skyrockets. There is no way in hell a developer these days could afford an art budget to make every room and area as detailed as they are in Thief 4 with levels the size of the Thief 1 and 2 levels.


I suppose you could make huge sprawling levels with minimal art assets in each room and area... but can you imagine how many people would bitch about it if they did? "OMG what is this and xbox game LOL".

So, there you have it. They did as best they could given the modern development climate, and I think they did a great job.

HOWEVER- I really wish they made the windows that load you into a new map section look different than the windows that have lootable rooms.

Is this the standard we're supposed to accept in the modern era? The fact that game developers can't make decent gameplay levels because of "budget" seems like a cop out - especially with one that is in developement in 5 years. Jesus, we're not asking for Skyrim or GTA level areas.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Yep, reboot.

Huh. I figured the missions to do with

Spoiler

the mechanical man

were going to feed into The Metal Age.

 

[Deleted member 10571]

holy crap this game runs bad as fuck D: I expected some sluggishness, but I figured since I could run TR just fine it'll be okay. Turns out it's pretty much unplayable at medium settings. Wow.

AMD PhenomII 4GHZ, 4GB RAM, Radeon 6850, far from high end, but I'm really shocked right now.

 

[Chubzdoomer]

Yeah, I agree with you. I'm not sure the game some people ARE playing. As what I'm playing is a watered down Thief, load-heavy, context-sensitive ass game with great atmosphere and pretty good artwork. If people enjoy it, more power to them, but as I see it, people are just defending their purchase and ignoring the massive design flaws or their living in sweet ignorant bliss. I wish I could ignore the issues I have with it as I'm Super Mega Ultra Fan #1 with some Skittles and I just couldn't ignore the problems with it.

Also, what did that 42mb update add? I'm curious to see what's been changed or added and debating coming back to it.

I think you (and many others as well) need to watch this video:
Stop liking things I don't like - Relativism in games critique

 

[ys45]

Finally got the game working on my PC, run pretty well on my computer (everything is maxed out)

I was wondering something about difficulty, are the guards more alert to sound and have a better vision if you put the base difficulty to master because I'm currently playing on custom with Thief as the base and I find it way too easy to walk around guards without alerting them .

 

[bryanee]

What the hell is wrong with the cutscenes on the PS4? Jittery as fuck.