Thief (series)


Thief is a series of stealth video games in which the player takes the role of Garrett, a master thief in a fantasy steampunk world resembling a cross between the Late Middle Ages and the Victorian era, with more advanced technologies interspersed.
The series consists of ', Thief II: The Metal Age, ' and Thief. An expanded version of Thief: The Dark Project, titled Thief Gold, was released in 1999 and features three extra maps and several bug fixes. Looking Glass Studios developed both The Dark Project and The Metal Age. After the studio had gone out of business in 2000, many former employees moved to Ion Storm and began developing the third part of the series, Deadly Shadows. Eidos Montréal was subsequently given the reins for Thief. The Thief series has been highly acclaimed by both gamers and critics, with praise aimed at the innovative gameplay, atmosphere, sound design, the refreshingly dark and mature tone and direction, distinctiveness from other video games at the time of its release, voice acting and storylines, with the series now being considered as a pioneer of the modern-day stealth game genre, serving as a major influence to numerous other video games in the stealth genre.

Gameplay

Set mainly in a first-person perspective within a 3D environment, the main gameplay tactic of the Thief series is to avoid fights, stealthily traverse the environment to complete specific objectives and instead sneak around the enemies or discreetly subdue them, without raising too much noise or suspicion. The Thief games are sometimes described as either a "first-person sneaker", "sneak-em-up" or a "first-person looter" to emphasize this difference. Classification of the game has been slow coming, as three-dimensional stealth games, such as Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell and Assassin's Creed, only became more common years after the first Thief. Another innovation employed extensively by Thief is the careful use of sound effects as an integral part of gameplay. Sound cues not only tell the player of other characters in the vicinity, but also indicate how much noise Garrett makes when moving about an area. Too much noise can alert nearby guards, who will grow suspicious and come looking for intruders. There are a variety of tactics to avoid being heard, however, such as walking gently, steering clear of noisy pavement, or using moss arrows to create a carpet that muffles the sound of footsteps. In a similar vein, using light and dark became one of the most important strategies. A gauge at the bottom of the screen indicates how visible the protagonist is. Entering deeper shadows or ducking makes the character less likely to be noticed. Walking about increases the risk of being spotted, and having a sword or bow drawn makes him very conspicuous in the game. The astute player is constantly keeping an eye on areas of light or shadow, guard patrol routes, and the type of terrain they are walking on, in case a hiding place is needed in a hurry. A light source, such as a torch or gas lamp, can be doused with a Water Arrow, creating an area of darkness in which the player may hide. Electrically powered lights, in all games, may simply be shut off by using a nearby switch or button; however, if no light switch is available, the electrical light will not turn off by simply shooting a Water Arrow at it. In Thief: Deadly Shadows, the player can simply 'pinch out' a lit candle by pressing the use button on it. A guard or any civilian may notice if a light source has been put out, likewise if something valuable has been stolen.
Another large component of game play in Thief, along with the stealth, is exploration. In most missions, especially in the first two Thief games, players can freely explore the game environment without much hindrance. Players are also free to experiment with how they approach the AI, as one may choose to take out all the AI-controlled guards, either by utilising a player-equipped blackjack, which incapacitates enemies, without killing them, a sword, which is used in direct combat and can kill enemies, or broadhead arrows, which can also discreetly kill enemies from a long range, along with other special arrows, such as water arrows, rope arrows and moss arrows, or one may choose to avoid any confrontation with the AI. "Ghosting" is a play style by which one tries to leave no trace behind them as they explore and complete the objectives in each mission.

Games

''Thief: The Dark Project'' (1998)

Released by Looking Glass Studios in late 1998 and powered by their own in-house developed Dark Engine, Thief: The Dark Project was considered by many to be a revolutionary game. The foremost defense of this position is that it was arguably the first morally ambiguous video game to receive a major release. Cast in the role of the thief, Garrett, the player can forego all morality or choose to exercise restraint in multiple situations. This represented a departure from popular video games of the time, which tended to rely upon a Manichean conception of conflict along with "black and white" settings and objectives. Another groundbreaking facet of the game was that although it utilized a first-person perspective, it was not an action-oriented shooter like almost all other first-person games. Instead, the emphasis was on stealth: The character is unusually agile, but is not a particularly skilled fighter, and much of the gameplay involves using shadows to avoid enemies. However, for those who desire action, there are weapons available that allow direct confrontation. A skilled player can often break cover and go head-to-head with the enemies. An even more skilled player can stay in cover and never let the enemies know that he was there. The game's original gameplay quickly developed a cult following. A re-release of Thief: The Dark Project entitled Thief Gold fixed various bugs and added three new levels which contributed significantly to the existing plot. The package also contains bonus content such as the DromEd Dark Engine editor, a behind-the-scenes "making of" video, and a desktop theme designed for Windows 98. Looking Glass was working on a similar re-release of Thief II: The Metal Age, provisionally entitled Thief II Gold, at the time they went out of business in 2000.

''Thief II: The Metal Age'' (2000)

released the sequel to Thief in early 2000. Utilizing the same Dark Engine that powered the original Thief, Thief II had an almost identical look and feel, with at some points differences in architecture and technology caused by the events of the first game, and only minor graphic and programming improvements, such as colored lighting. The basic gameplay was also fundamentally similar to the original Thief, but many new elements had been added, including technological gadgets such as a remote eye camera. Other changes include an increase in the number of AI behaviors. Responding to criticism of the original Thief that more time was spent on combat than actually living up to the title of the game, the missions in Thief II were designed much more around typical thief-like behavior, and much of the game is spent robbing the rich denizens of the City rather than battling monsters. In fact, the player encounters almost none of the monsters from the original Thief except for burrick heads mounted as trophies in some of the mansions, and a few zombies, undead and ghostly apparitions. The designers stated that, unlike the original Thief, where levels were developed to suit the plot, in Thief II levels were designed first and making the plot work with them was somewhat of a retrofit. A re-release of Thief II: The Metal Age entitled Thief II Gold was a game in development by Looking Glass Studios before the company closed down in 2000. It is believed to have been an expansion to Thief II similar to Thief Gold.

''Thief: Deadly Shadows'' (2004)

A major departure from the first two games in the series, Thief: Deadly Shadows was developed by Ion Storm rather than Looking Glass Studios. The game was powered by the Unreal-based engine. Unlike the original two games, the third Thief was developed simultaneously for Windows and the Xbox. Because of all these factors, Thief: Deadly Shadows was different from the first two games in the series in both appearance and gameplay. One of the game's major new features was the ability to explore the City. While previous games sent Garrett straight from mission to mission, Thief: Deadly Shadows allows him to walk the City streets between missions, where he can steal from passersby, spy on the townspeople's daily lives, and search for sidequests in addition to major story missions. Unlike sandbox games such as Grand Theft Auto III, the city is not one large continuous map, but rather several small neighborhood maps connected by load zones. The game also introduced an ability to switch between first- and third-person views, and to flatten against walls. In addition, the lighting engine was updated to accommodate moving shadows and light sources, which dynamically affected where the player could hide, an innovation originally precluded by the more technically limited Dark Engine. Smaller improvements were made to AI behavior, allowing for guards who noted when items went missing from their field of view or when doors were left open, along with an overhauled sound-propagation mechanic.

''Thief'' (2014)

Thief is the fourth game in the Thief series, developed by Eidos Montréal and published by Square Enix. Since early 2008, several rumors had been circulating regarding a fourth Thief game, which was allegedly under development. Eidos Montréal's General Manager Stéphane D'Astous commented in an interview for that confirmation of the company's second "AAA title", which its website states "begins with the letter 'T'", would occur "over the next year" or so. The game was unveiled on May 11, 2009, originally titled as Thief 4.

Game editing

With the release of DromEd, a map editor for the first two games, an active community of fans began providing a wealth of home-grown missions for the first two games. Thousands of fan missions for these games have been created, some equally or more complex than the original game missions. These fan missions can be played by other fans using a loader. T3Ed, a map editor for the third game Deadly Shadows, was released in February 2005 after a letter-writing campaign by fans. This allows fans to design their level with all the interactive objects seen in original missions, as well as place stealable loot and lighting, factors which drastically affect gameplay. Human NPCs and creatures from all the various factions can be added into missions, and their behaviors configured. Missions may be packaged and distributed to other players, who need a loader to play them.

Characters

The following are recurring characters. Information on non-recurring characters may be found in ', Thief II and '.

Garrett

Viktoria

Viktoria is a wood nymph in the series. She was a primary antagonist during the events of The Dark Project, being the one to remove Garrett's eye. However, she and her followers become allies for Garrett's war on the Mechanists during Metal Age. Initially there is little trust on Garrett's part, but over time she is able to gain Garrett's respect, loyalty and, uncharacteristically of the cynical thief, care. The two gradually grow closer over the course of working together, even to the point of Garrett being willing to defend her directly by rushing to her aid upon her ill-fated assault on Soulforge, and being noticeably upset when he is unable to save her. It seems that this degree of respect and general sentiment on Garrett's part is only seen in his relationships with Viktoria and the Keeper Artemus.
The character was well received. In 2000, Viktoria was included in GameSpot's list of the ten best female characters according to readers' choice, with the staff commenting: "Viktoria didn't make our TenSpot, which was a shame. We editors apologize to those of you who lamented our oversight". It was also accompanied by a poll asking who should play Viktoria in the movie adaptation of the Thief games. In 2007, Tom's Games included this "bad girl with charisma and style" on the list of the 50 greatest female characters in video game history, noting how "evolves from a deceptive villain in the first game to a more benevolent companion to Garrett in the sequel, which ends her heroic, sacrificial death" and applauding her "hypnotic voice" provided by Brosius. Tom's Games stated she should be played in the live-action adaptation by "Naomi Watts, who's got the sexy voice, beauty and charisma for the part". In 2013, Gameranx ranked her as the third-sexiest female game villain in history.

Other characters

The universe of Thief is a dark fantasy setting and is centered mostly on a dense, sprawling metropolitan complex known only as "The City", which has some resemblance to 18th/19th century London, but with an altogether more Medieval culture, reflected in the style of dress and semi-feudal social structure, a lack of firearms but widespread use of magic. It is a steampunk metropolis constantly being fought over by a corrupt aristocracy, an order of religious fanatics and a horde of vengeful woodland beings, all under the eye of a secret organization. The world is highly superstitious and does have a noticeable problem with the supernatural and the undead are very common. Technology is unnatural varied in a way that they have access to electricity and use it for light and industry but nothing else. The method in how electricity is generated is unknown as well, electricity was common 50 years before Garret was born but the steam boiler was only invented shortly before the events of Thief 2. Thief takes place hundreds of years after the original games, possibly with a heavier emphasis on the identity of "The City". Garrett works with the underground economy of the City, making a lucrative living for himself. Occasionally Garrett would leave the confines of the City and rob mansions, prisons, or graveyards.

Film

In 2016, Straight Up Films announced that they have acquired the film rights to Thief with plans to develop a movie, Adam Mason and Simon Boyes to write the screenplay, Straight Up Films’ President of Production Sandra Condito serving as executive producer along with Khalid Jones of Source Rock and Square Enix while Straight Up principals Marisa Polvino and Kate Cohen to produce alongside Roy Lee and Adrian Askarieh.
In 2015, Adrian Askarieh, producer of the Hitman films, stated that he hoped to oversee a shared universe of Square Enix films with Just Cause, Hitman, Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and Thief, but admitted that he does not have the rights to Tomb Raider. In May 2017, the Game Central reporters at Metro UK suggested that the shared universe was unlikely, pointing out that no progress had been made on any Just Cause, Deus Ex nor Thief films.