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Eidos Announces Thief 4

Posted by Soulskill on from the coming-out-of-stealth dept.

An anonymous reader tips news that Eidos Montreal has confirmed recent speculation by announcing the development of a new Thief game. They've set up a website, but the project is still in its early stages, and details are scarce. In an interview with IncGamers, Eidos' Stéphane D'Astous said, "We're keeping our ear very close to the ground. As you may have noticed, we now have a forum up and running for Thief 4, and I said to my guys 'I really want to have a forum at the very early stages,' because I want people to have a medium with which they can express their wishes, their expectations, and what they would like and not like to happen with the next Thief. Obviously we've started work, but it's always very important for the developers to be close to the community. We're listening to these people because they are very hardcore fans, and we want to bring the Thief 4 franchise to a new level, so the challenges are huge!"

23 of 102 comments (clear)

  1. Thiaf? by RyanFenton · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Thi4f? As in "Thiaf"? Doesn't seem like a good first impression.

    Ryan Fenton

    1. Re:Thiaf? by cjfs · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Thi4f? As in "Thiaf"? Doesn't seem like a good first impression.

      Shh. They're just figuring out the replacing letters with numbers. Next comes the realization that the numbers are supposed to look something like the letters. That's followed by the realization that nobody does that anymore, except in mockery.

      So we should be back to normal titles once they hit step three around 2020.

  2. Re-make Thief 2 by the_raptor · · Score: 4, Insightful

    All they have to do for huge success if make it nearly exactly like Thief 2. I loved Thief 3 but the lack of huge sprawling levels with many hidden passage ways really hurt the game.

    As to the story I hope they make it a prequel or otherwise not have Garret as the main character. The whole Thief mythos was pretty much played out at the end of Thief 3 and a continuation would just feel tacked on (Thief 1 & 2 heavily explored the Pagans and the Hammerites, Thief 3 basically removed the Keepers).

    --

    ========
    CINC, 4th Penguin Legion
    1. Re:Re-make Thief 2 by TitusC3v5 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      As to the story I hope they make it a prequel or otherwise not have Garret as the main character. The whole Thief mythos was pretty much played out at the end of Thief 3 and a continuation would just feel tacked on (Thief 1 & 2 heavily explored the Pagans and the Hammerites, Thief 3 basically removed the Keepers).

      The end of Thief3 paved the way for a sequel. Garret more or less came full circle, taking an apprentice in almost exactly the same was he himself was when he was a child. It has a lot of potential - personally, I'd like to see the new girl have more of an acrobatic lean with perhaps not quite Garret's godly skill at hiding in shadows (which is undoubtedly even more impressive now that he is essentially THE Keeper).

      --
      And the masses cried out, "09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0!"
    2. Re:Re-make Thief 2 by Hogwash+McFly · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Exactly. Thief 2 is my favourite of the series, and its gameplay mechanics are far superior to Deadly Shadows, except for maybe one or two improvements like the new lock-picking system which I believe should be kept for T4. The movement and body awareness in DS felt really sluggish, as though Garrett was stumbling through knee-high water. Blackjacking enemies, and the associated 'snap' to position the bodies was also a downside. Obviously the compromises made for the Xbox, e.g. the loading zones, were a huge disappointment.

      I agree that Garrett's story arc has been completed, so a prequel with him as main character could be interesting, if you could fit a storyline between the beginning of his training and the start of The Dark Project. Failing that, a sequel focusing on his female apprentice could also work, and you could still have Garrett (and his awesome voice provided by Stephen Russell) involved in the storyline. A healthy mix of looting environments - city-based, mansions, churches, tombs etc. - as well as their associated enemy types is a must.

      Ditch the climbing gloves and re-instate the rope arrows. Also get rid of the stupid loot glint, or make it an optional feature or part of a 'noob mode' that is off by default. The original method of using loot was far better, as well as highlighting frobbable objects (make them brighter, as opposed to giving them an atomic blue glow).

      I won't keep my hopes up, I was somewhat burned by Deadly Shadows and I'm not expecting any miracles to occur this time round either.

      --
      Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
    3. Re:Re-make Thief 2 by pnuema · · Score: 4, Funny

      Then I humbly submit that you and your friends should stay away from the box with the blinking lights. Computers are probably too much for you.

    4. Re:Re-make Thief 2 by Hythlodaeus · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Thief 3 was the best of the series for me. Why? Because of the free-roaming segments between missions. For the first time, you could actually go where you chose to go when you chose to go there.

      --
      For great justice.
  3. If they want inspiration by RsG · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Look to Thief 2. 3 was something of a letdown; 1 was still a new idea (and therefor somewhat unrefined). 2 was easily the zenith of the series to date.

    What was missing from 3? Large open levels, multiple solutions to each problem, and the varied mission objectives. Thief 3 at least got the sneak, stab and sap aspect of the game right, to its credit, and they included the requisite gadgets and arrows. As long as these things remain for 4, the game will be, at a minimum, adequate; done right it can be something more.

    One of the things all three games got right was story. Atmosphere, character, plot and background are the series strong points, so they need a decent writer on staff (one familiar with the previous games). For the best of the series atmosphere, look to the Shaleridge Cradle section in Thief 3.

    Final detail. Garret, whatever else he is, is one of the game's selling points. There is something to be said for a cynical misanthropic kleptomaniac with a bludgeoning tool and bills to pay. Keep those aspects of his character, and you'll go far; the last thing anyone wants to see is the writers trying to turn him into anything "better" than he is.

    --
    Erotic is when you use a feather. Exotic is when you use the whole chicken.
    1. Re:If they want inspiration by Yuioup · · Score: 5, Informative

      The reason why Thief 3 didn't have large open levels had to do with the memory limitation of the original xbox. It couldn't handle large levels in de Unreal Engine, so the devs had to compromise and make the levels small.

      AFAIK the xbox 360/PS3 (or whatever new machine the new thief is going to run on) can handle large levels so ...

      Y

    2. Re:If they want inspiration by dunkelfalke · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And that is also one of the main reason why Deus Ex 2 sucked. They basically made the game for the console only and just added the PC executable. The result: tiny levels, dumbed down story, dumbed down weapon system, awful graphics.

      Guess what? It was the same game studio, the same developer team and the same publisher. No wonder the mistakes were the same.

      --
      "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
    3. Re:If they want inspiration by Plekto · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And that is also one of the main reason why Deus Ex 2 sucked. They basically made the game for the console only and just added the PC executable. The result: tiny levels, dumbed down story, dumbed down weapon system, awful graphics.

      They need to either make it for the PC first and a dumbed-down version for the 360 or they need to just ignore the XBox entirely.

      The problem is that they think that adding support for it will be easy, but the problem is that the controller, graphics, and many other aspects of the game are just not possible on a console. Not without crippling the PC game. Some companies get it right, though, and add features to the PC version. Rockstar is good about this, for instance(GTA 4 is much cleaner and smoother on the PC), but EA... I'm not seeing much hope here.

      Plus, PC gamers are a fickle crowd. If it doesn't have at least the graphical quality and scale of FarCry 2, well, forget about it entirely, because that's pretty much the lower limit now for quality and storyline.

  4. Thi4f by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    In other news, Deus Ex 3 is being renamed to D3us Ex.

    1. Re:Thi4f by Hogwash+McFly · · Score: 4, Informative

      Strangely enough...

      --
      Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
  5. In music news... by ciderVisor · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...Guns 'n' Roses front man Axl Rose has announced that he's starting a forum to let fans decide what the next album will sound like. The plan was hatched in response to the poor reception of the band's last album "Chinese Democracy". So far, postings have included:

    mtlhdz4evr: "Just make it so it doesn't suck, man !"
    RckRietGrrrrl619: "I wanna luv sng. Hugz xxx LOL"
    ShredKatz: "Buckethed'z the man. He's so fast, dude. More notes this time, yeah ?"
    AlkyBanger: "YEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

    --
    Squirrel!
  6. Thief by DreamsAreOkToo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Fantastic! I love Thief, it's my favorite video game of all time.

    However... they ended the series. Not only that, but they kind of butchered their whole attempt at Thief 3. If they want a good new game...

    *Item scarcity. 1 & 2 never gave you 30 fire arrows to play with...
    *Uninterrupted whole levels. 1 & 2 never had loading zones within a level.
    *Complete outdoor areas. 1 & 2 were not set up like dungeons. They were *real* buildings.
    *Rooftops.

    I could say more, but I'll spare you. :)

    1. Re:Thief by sammyF70 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      that was a ~problem~ ??
      I thought the fact that you were a wimp in hand to hand non-stealthy combat was the main point of the game. Otherwise you could just have played Splinter Cell. This might have solved your second problem with the Thief Serie too : there were too many ways to finish the levels.

      Keep the hero a wimp, make the levels as ~open~ as can be with multiple entrances and no forced way of finishing a level or pass an obstacle (see the latest Tomb Raider or Prince of Perversia installments for how NOT to do it), don't include a sidekick, especially if that sidekick is supposed to save you everytime you might have died (hell.. ALLOW for failure. you know, the old "YOU'RE DEAD, GAME OVER" concept that seems to be vanishing out of most games lately), and you'll have a great game on your hands.

      --
      "DRM is like the Ford Pinto: it's a smooth ride, right up the point at which it explodes and ruins your day."-C.Doctorow
  7. New petition for T1&2 source release,please mo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Thief fan community has been trying to get the source to Thief 1 & 2 released for several years but with little success - as a consequence of the bankruptcy of the original developer, it has been hard to even find out who might have it let alone be in a position to release it. However, recently there has been a glimmer of hope since one developer seems to have information about it but permission is still needed, which is why a new petition has been started. We want to improve the engine and enable it to run on modern systems so please slashdot the release petition:

    http://www.petitiononline.com/ThiefSrc/

    Note: This is not the same petition as before but a new one. So even if you have signed the old one, please sign this too.

  8. Producing for consoles will dumb it down by zaibazu · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The originality of the first 2 Thief titles will never be possible when the game is dunbed down for the console generation.
    Just look at Bioshock which was supposed to be the spiritual successor of the beloved System Shock series.
    Another victim of the consoles is Deus Ex 2 which I consider a sibling title of Thief 3, same studio, same problems due to console restraints.

  9. As bad as Theif 3 was... by giltnerj0 · · Score: 2

    It still included one of the best levels of any game in the history of ever and awesome.
    The Shalebridge Cradle. This level alone gets me to play Theif 3 every so often.

    1. Re:As bad as Theif 3 was... by Adam+Jorgensen · · Score: 2

      Agreed. Although Thief 3 was not as cool as Thief 1 or 2, The Shalebridge Cradle was possibly one of the best levels I've played in any first-person type game. It was seriously atmospheric and incredibly spooky.

  10. You're doing it wrong by edremy · · Score: 3, Informative

    You were discovered? You hurt a guard? I think you miss the entire point of the series. Discovery or using the sword for anything beyond cutting drapes to check for treasure means you are doing it wrong. If you actually kill a guard you do fail the mission- on hard mode you can't ever kill anything, and that's the only way to actually play the series.

    --
    "Seven Deadly Sins? I thought it was a to-do list!"
  11. Focus on the AI by rainmaestro · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't care which engine they use anymore. Thief 1/2 engine or Thief 3, either one would work with some enhancements. Yeah, the Thief 3 engine had some *issues*, but that whole generation of ragdoll games had issues. DX2, VTM:B, Thief3...

    My biggest hope is some improved AI. Sure, I could make some long, insightful post about the shortcomings of the AI in all three games, but CAD summed it up quite nicely:
    http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20040616

  12. Re:Thief 3 - better than it's made out to be by Lord+Ender · · Score: 2, Funny

    I didn't get as far into it because of other reasons (becoming a dad, rather suddenly)

    So you've discovered a means to accelerate the gestation process?

    --
    A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.