Thief 3

[Guest]

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

I haven't played thief or thief II for a while now but since Thief 3 is
finally out I feel I should purchase it and make a welcome return to the
world of Hammerites, Keepers and Garret.

But before I do, I would just like to ask my fellow taffers on this
newsgroup how it compares to the original.

Is it better? Worse?

Is it more of the same or have they changed it beyond recognition, or have
they got the balance of change and familiarity just right?

Any other information you feel pertinent please do share.

 

[loony]

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

> I haven't played thief or thief II for a while now but since Thief 3 is
> finally out I feel I should purchase it and make a welcome return to the
> world of Hammerites, Keepers and Garret.
>
> But before I do, I would just like to ask my fellow taffers on this
> newsgroup how it compares to the original.
>
> Is it better? Worse?
>
> Is it more of the same or have they changed it beyond recognition, or have
> they got the balance of change and familiarity just right?
>
> Any other information you feel pertinent please do share.
>
There are several varying opinions on this matter. I think if you come into
Thief 3 NOT looking for a re-make or expansion pack to Thief 2 you'll be
impressed (as I was). The bottom line for me is this:
Thief 3 *FEELS* like a Thief game. It's got things you probably won't like
but so did the first two if you'll remember. All in all I can not honestly
say that I the originals are "better" or "not as good" as Thief 3. I
consider them equals and members of the same great family

At the very least you should try the demo and decide for yourself. I
personally would spend the money to buy this game 4 times over (as I would
the originals).

Good luck and let us know if you end up picking it up
Loony

 

[Gez]

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

Thief 3 is a great game in it's own right. Yes, it's slightly different to
the others,
but not dramatically so.
It plays pretty much like you'd expect Thief to play, and the atmosphere is
fantastic.
Most people would cite the omission of rope arrows as the worst point.
(Although I've been doing a few funky moves with the climbing gloves,
I'd probably agree with that.)
Also I had to get used to a different set of controls. Initially I found it
a little unwieldy, but now I don't notice.
I'm only about halfway through, but there's alot of great stuff happened
already,
and Garrett still acts like Garrett.
I think you'd have to be a pretty severe purist not to find a lot of
enjoyment out
of this game.

 

[Guest]

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

On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 16:05:32 +0100, "Paul Harris"
<paul@NO-SPAMstudham74.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:

>I haven't played thief or thief II for a while now but since Thief 3 is
>finally out I feel I should purchase it and make a welcome return to the
>world of Hammerites, Keepers and Garret.
>
>But before I do, I would just like to ask my fellow taffers on this
>newsgroup how it compares to the original.
>
>Is it better? Worse?
>
>Is it more of the same or have they changed it beyond recognition, or have
>they got the balance of change and familiarity just right?
>
>Any other information you feel pertinent please do share.

Well, it's different. It's really not like the old familiar Thief games
but that's because an different team developed it with a completely
different engine. It's still pretty good though. The main drawback is
that there are no fan missions so once you finish it, that's the end.
There are lots of things left out from the old games that I missed, but
there is new stuff that is enjoyable. I think any Thief fan would like
it. Just be sure to patch it or use ThiefBot, because normal difficulty
level is laughably too easy.

--
Michael Cecil
http://home.comcast.net/~macecil/

 

[Tim]

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

"Paul Harris" <paul@NO-SPAMstudham74.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:cbmnhl$ttj$1@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
>
> Is it better? Worse?
>
> Is it more of the same or have they changed it beyond recognition, or have
> they got the balance of change and familiarity just right?
>
>

A few thoughts ...

As others have already mentioned, it "feels" like a Thief game which more
than compensates for its shortcomings The quality of the missions range
from mediocre to the best I ever played in *any* game (specifically the one
that rhymes with "schmalebridge")

The maps are much smaller than those found in the previous games. Each level
is divided into several maps which can really get on your nerves during the
loading periods. Personally, I want to get lost in Thief games - to wander
about, shoot a few rope arrows and get off the beaten path. But that's
impossible in this one. The minute you wander you're staring at a progress
thermometer as it loads another map. And as already mentioned here, Garret
has no rope arrows anyway.

Be prepared to edit some game files for mouse settings and certain movement
quirks (like head bob, etc), they're missing from the in-game option
screens. I also recommend listening through headphones to catch all of the
well-crafted sounds without the distractions of the outside (boring) world.

Finally you'll need a fairly powerful system to run it adequately. I'm
running it with an Athlon 3200 CPU and a Radeon 9100 graphics card,. I'm
averaging 25-30 fps on the low-graphics settings. I think a fast processor
is more important than a cutting edge video card as you can always turn down
the graphics settings to maintain an adequate frame rate. Even then, the
graphics are spectacular compared with the previous Thief games. The new
engine makes it a world of shadows and light which works wonders for the
overall mood .Do yourself a favor and play it on a CRT monitor. While still
enjoyable on an LCD, the detail and creepy atmosphere just don't compare.

 

[rms]

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

> I think a fast processor
> is more important than a cutting edge video card as you can always turn
down
> the graphics settings to maintain an adequate frame rate.

False. The reverse is true, both for Thief3 and for upcoming games like
Doom3 & Half-Life2.

rms

 

[Tim]

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

"rms" <rsquires@flashREMOVE.net> wrote in message
news:FhMDc.8262$Pt.7847@newssvr19.news.prodigy.com...
> > I think a fast processor
> > is more important than a cutting edge video card as you can always turn
> down
> > the graphics settings to maintain an adequate frame rate.
>
> False. The reverse is true, both for Thief3 and for upcoming games
like
> Doom3 & Half-Life2.
>

Can't speak for Doom 3 or Half Life 2, but I had the exact opposite
experience with Thief 3. See my thread in this group called "Thief 3 on a
Radeon 9100" (which you contributed to). At the 640x480, and lower graphics
settings, the CPU is the bottleneck with a 9100. It runs fairly well that
way, you just need a fast CPU.

 

[rms]

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

>At the 640x480, and lower graphics
> settings, the CPU is the bottleneck with a 9100.

haha! This is a perfectly true statement! But WHO WANTS TO PLAY AT
640x480 LOW DETAIL? Not me! With that very same cpu a faster videocard
could run at 1024x768 or even 1280x1024 with full detail and AA as well. I
demonstrated this amply to myself in NOLF2 and RTCW on a 700mhz athlon and a
voodoo3 upgraded to a 9700pro.

rms

 

[Tim]

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

"rms" <rsquires@flashREMOVE.net> wrote in message
news:LBUDc.2363$_N4.2181@newssvr16.news.prodigy.com...
> >At the 640x480, and lower graphics
> > settings, the CPU is the bottleneck with a 9100.
>>

> haha! This is a perfectly true statement!

Hoho! Thanks!

> But WHO WANTS TO PLAY AT
> 640x480 LOW DETAIL?

My point is that you don't need a high end card just to play. And compared
with the previous Thief games, at full graphics quality, 640x480 looks
fantastic!. You don't need a $200+ 9800 Pro just to join the fun. I never
said that anyone would prefer that, but certainly anyone would prefer it to
not playing at all. (Incidentally, I have found that playing on a CRT
monitor does more for the image quality than kicking up the detail and
screen resolution. LCDs tend to lump anything dark into a single color, all
the game resolution and detail in the world won't change that.)

> With that very same cpu a faster videocard could run at 1024x768 or even
1280x1024 with full detail and AA as well.

Of course it can, with the very *same* CPU. Try it with a 700MHz Athlon.

> I demonstrated this amply to myself in NOLF2 and RTCW on a 700mhz athlon
and a
> voodoo3 upgraded to a 9700pro.

What you demonstrated is that these are ancient games (compared with Thief
3) with lower CPU requirements. How old is RTCW now? Isn't it based on
1999's Quake 3? Back then, a 700MHz Athlon was the fastest chip of its
time.