Thief... 4!!!

[nickie]

Here is the 'finished draft' of the letter.

Edits are highlighted in blue. Most edits are grammatical, e.g. changing Number 48. 'Remove outstretched Garrett's hands whilst moving' into 'Remove Garrett's outstretched hands whilst moving'.

The opening paragraph has been edited quite a bit. Bigger edits for clarity, or for explanation are in Numbers: 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 21, 34 and 41.

I have added a line at the end.

I do not think that I have changed the meaning of what you want to say but please do ask any questions.

Hello Thief (Creators or Developers or something)

The two thousand members of Darkfate, the biggest Russian Thief series support community, have been following the news on the new Thief game with interest, and would like to offer some suggestions for your consideration. We would be very grateful if you would take the time to read them.


Darkfate Suggestions

Playability

     1. The possibility of playing in different styles: 'Sneak, Slay, Speak' (i.e. 'stealth', 'combat' or 'dialogue-driven' gameplay). Also the possibility of playing as different characters with their own unique stories and quests.
     2. The possibility of upgrading Garrett's skills and gaining experience points by successful stealth actions, e.g. careful pickpocketing, unnoticed knockouts, lockpicking, - but not for lethal actions.
     3. Retain the Hammerite, Keeper and Pagan factions from the previous games in the Thief series. Provide for magic, zombies, burricks, glyphs and everything analogous from the first games.
     4. Variable play: more than two methods of achieving the main objectives.  For example, an objective to 'enter a manor' could be achieved by a number of choices: entry through a roof, or a window, or a sewer etc.
     5. Bring back the sword (preferably) or a dagger, for the quick elimination of guards.
     6. If Garrett is given an assignment by a client and there is a separate objective to get a certain amount of loot, some of the stolen loot should go to the 'client', and the remainder of the loot could be counted as cash for buying weaponry and equipment for the next mission. This will create a stimulus for completing side quests.
     7. On maximum difficulty level, the player should be prohibited from killing guards. Also the following should not be available:
- Tips;
- Focus;
- Concentration;
- Highlighting all routes and highlighting loot (at medium and long distances);
- Quick movements from shadow to shadow;
- Slow motion;
- Showing the potential trajectory of  items that can be thrown.
- Crosshair.
     8. On maximum difficulty level, the ability to gain access to a secret area that is usually inaccessible, by being able to acquire special means to do that. This area would not be available on other levels.
     9. Provide the possibility of supplying a tool such as a pinch bar capable of opening flimsy doors, which Garrett could use to push windows up.
     10. In-game shop (possibility to buy food, weapons, equipment, tools, maps etc).

Guard Interaction

     11. Provide flashbombs or similar tools for a non-lethal effect on guards.
     12. On maximum difficulty level, two hits from a guard should kill Garrett.
     13. Guards' helmets should protect against arrows and sword blows. After a sword or arrow hits a helmet or armour, then there should be an appropriate sound and arrows should bounce.
     14. On high difficulty levels, once guards have noticed Garrett, they should continuously search for him.
     15. Guards' patrol routes and reactions should change after each alert.
     16. Guards should light up a doused torch.
     17. Guards should also search the area above their heads.
     18. When alerted, guards should leave their patrol routes and search all likely places.
     19. Guards should react to falling items caused by any of Garrett's activity.
     20. On high difficulty levels, guards should all attack together and not wait for Garrett's 'Concentration' to reload.
     21. Interactive pickpockets. Example: On a first skill level - the automatic alert of the pickpocketed AI after a short time has passed. Second skill level – the ability to take an item without cutting it off resulting in a longer period of time before the AI alerts. Third skill level - swapping the item for a similar one (in mass) which would have a very low probability of AI alert).
     22. Visualisation of the pickpocketing process by hands animation rather than a 'progress bar'.
     23. Guards should react to Garrett's shadow.
     24. When Garrett moves, his visibility to guards should increase and when moving into light, should correspondingly increase up to a critical level.
     25. Give guards the ability to climb up on obstacles, including ropes. At the least, a guard should wait for the player and call for guards with fire arrows to illuminate the place and kill the intruder; also give the ability for them to force Garrett down from trees and ledges.
     26. If Garrett is in shadow but near an illuminated surface, he should be detectable when in guards' field of view.
     27. Garrett should be able to change into guards' clothes for intrusion purposes.
     28. Knocked out guards should 'regain consciousness' by themselves after some time, or be 'woken up' if discovered by other guards.
     29. Bodies of dead/knocked-out guards should be detectable even in complete darkness, if another guard walks on the body.
     30. Have the possibility of carrying bodies as it was done in previous Thief games (on Garrett's back).
     31. After the murder of a guard, blood stains on the floor should be left and should be detectable by other guards.
     32. Guards should have a good opportunity of noticing that Garrett has stolen something on display and look for the stolen item until they find it.
     33. If Garrett walks on snow, water or blood, he should leave footprints which guards react to.
     34. When hearing Garrett's footsteps, guard responses should be realistic. They should not immediately suspect a thief but should be suspicious and question who has made the noise. A guard should continue to question but not go into search mode unless a suspicious person is actually seen.
     35. On high difficulty levels, dogs and other animals should detect Garrett not only visually, but by sound and smell in complete darkness (sensitivity levels should be much higher than the corresponding guards' levels). However, Garrett should have the tools and abilities to deodorize himself or for poisoning and/or mercy killing the animals.
     36. NPC in-game interaction: e.g. a wounded guard should run away for help and after getting another guard, both of them should then attack Garrett.

Graphics, Physical models, Interaction

     37. Rewrite particle effects animation of dousing with a water arrow and a fire arrow explosion.
     38. Draw the appropriate texture for the rope of a rope arrow.
     39. Aiming instability: the firing angle should depend on distance.
     40. During scripted animated actions, Garrett should be able to stop the script scene immediately (so the player retakes control) by pressing any key.
     41. Ability of providing the necessary strike power to knock out a foe. If there is excessive use of force, there should be lethal consequences for the victim. On the highest difficulty level, if there is no blackjack, provide for the ability to knock someone out with a blow from the hands, only being able to hit specific spots. These spots should not be highlighted. If the correct place isn't hit then the knock out doesn't happen and the victim is alerted. Also, provide for an ability to knock out or kill with heavy items instead of a blackjack.
     42. Mantling should be not an automated process but controlled by the player,
     43. Greatly decrease the climbing speed for obstacles which are higher than Garrett's waist.
     44. Provide a hook which can be thrown anywhere (either by throwing it with a rope or shooting it with a crossbow) to cling to various obstacles (wood, stone and metal surfaces) in accordance with a real physical model.
     45. Rope arrows should stick to any wooden surface.
     46. Ability to climb trees and hide in trees.
     47. Garrett must be able to swim underwater.
     48. Remove Garrett's outstretched hands whilst moving.

Interface

     49. The weapon selection screen should not cover the majority of the screen.
     50. Provide for switching to the old interface with the visibility indicator at the centre of the bottom of the screen.
     51. Remove inventory limitation for the quantity of carried items: weapons, tools, arrows, other items.
     52. Divide the inventory into several sacks/backpacks of a specified weight (so that they can be carried separately) and adjust for movement speed and probability of being detected depending on the weight being carried. In this way, everything can be carried out but not in one go.
     53. Provide the ability to save at any point in the game.
     54. Be able to switch between first and third person view.
     55. Statistics at the end of each mission showing as much useful information as possible.

Sound

     56. Footstep sound should reflect the surface Garrett moves on and his body position (i.e. standing up or crouching).
     57. Change Garrett's voice timbre to that of Stephen Russell's.

Level editor

     58. Release a complete level editor with the game.

Regards from the Darkfate Community

[Dront]

nickie, very nice  I don't see any changes in general sense of the letter.
I have one question left: in No.22, why 'rather than' should be used? (I mean, why not 'not the', as it was originally?) Just curious.
Vorishka, ну читай хоть чуть-чуть внимательнее Предыдущее сообщение - финальный черновик письма. Что из этого следует - отправлено оно или нет?

[nickie]

It's hard to say, Dront. I didn't check with you whether a progress bar was shown as being in the game and I should have. But it is a very subtle distinction and to do with what is implied.

Original:  '22. Visualisation of pickpocketing process by hands animation, not «progress bar».'  It would be more correct to say '. . . not a 'progress bar'.

But the first case, 'not a' is suggesting that: you've not given us anything yet but when you do, we want animation not a progress bar.

Using 'rather than' is saying: you've given us a progress bar and we want animation instead.

So, if they haven't given you anything yet then 'not a' would be fine. If they've given you a progress bar but you want animation then 'not the' would also be fine. I can't remember the video now so I don't remember if there is a bar or not.

I hope that explains. I had to think hard!! 

[Dront]

I hope that explains. I had to think hard!! 

Yes, it does make sense. Thank you!

[MoroseTroll]

Некоторые мысли, похоже, витают прямо в воздухе. Полюбопытствуйте, ежели не лень.

P.S. У Eidos Montreal поменялся руководитель: Стефан д'Асту покинул свой пост 19-го июля, его заменил Давид Анфосси (начальник DX:HR).

[Scrp007]

Ну, если уж эстонца проняло
А Azaran просто повторил мои мысли - даже новый голос для Г. слишком хорош
Понравились также идеи про лазерный целеуказатель и устройство невидимости (это для вора-то!)

[Dront]

Да уж, товарищ отжёг 
Но если серьёзно -- это открытое письмо посылать нельзя. По сути это тот же троллинг. Толстый.
С разрабами надо говорить по-серьёзному. А вот соседняя тема в этом смысле мне нравится гораздо больше.

[nemyax]

What does Demiurges mean?

[MoroseTroll]

Мой контакт в EM не ответил на последние три мои письма к нему. Сами понимаете, этой плохой признак. Делаю вывод, что отсылать ему наше коллективное письмо просто бесполезно. Боюсь, мне ничего не остаётся, как умыть руки и сказать, подобно римлянину: сделал, как мог, и пусть кто может, сделает лучше. Иными словами, нужно найти другой способ достучаться до команды T4. Я пока вижу три:

1) Поручить передачу письма Acid Burn (если он, конечно, не возражает), являющемуся сотрудником Нового Диска и, если не путаю, модератором на форумах Eidos. Он же, кстати, был одним из приглашённых, кому было дозволено сыграть в альфа-версию Thief 4 на E3.
2) Опубликовать письмо в соответствующей ветке на форуме Eidos. Есть, правда, некоторая вероятность, что его по привычке быстренько там удалят, но она не стопроцентная.
3) Опубликовать письмо в соответствующей ветке на форуме TTLG. Там его не удалят точно, но нет вероятности, что кто-либо из команды T4 вообще хотя бы узнает о его существовании, потому что, судя по всему, сотрудникам EM поголовно запрещено (кроме PR-менеджера) посещать форумы, имеющие хоть какое-то отношение к разрабатываемым ими играм, тем более такой оппозиционно настроенный, как TTLG.

[Zontik]

Все три варианта, однако, не исключают самого первого. Кто тут говорит о бесполезности? Я считаю - сначала надо отправить письмо (пускай даже в черную дыру), а уже потом умывать руки. Пусть мизерный, но это все-таки дополнительный шанс.

[MoroseTroll]

Мне нетрудно это сделать, просто по прошлому опыту я знаю, что это абсолютно бесполезно.

[Scrp007]

Отсылать в ЕМ надо обязательно, просто несколько раз с интервалами в несколько дней.
Еще пара вариантов.
1. Отослать на личные е-мейлы Кантену и другим руководителям (если возможно). У них есть личные страницы в фейсбуке, твиттере и т.п.
2. Выложить на...ютубе. Для этого правда придеться сделать видеоролик. Однако, если он получится интересным, то привлечет огромное количество сторонников. И замолчать его точно не удастся.

[MoroseTroll]

Отослать на мыло не вопрос. Вопрос - получить нужное мыло. Я пока что не нашёл.

[Zontik]

Отправка ведь не сделает хуже? Я так понимаю, что надо цепляться за любой шанс.

[DJ]

Видео?! Интересно а как это будет выглядеть?