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[Dice]

Who else got it during the sale? I did thanks to the spontaneous generosity and franchise enthusiasm of Mr Elysia. I never played these games, so I had it on my wishlist. So far I have played the first level of Thief Gold and it totally kicks ass!

First off, setting up was a total pain to figure out, but I have you covered.

Go here and get DDFIX MOD 1.5.12 for Gold and T2 and install Sneaky Upgrade for T3:
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2715838

That should work just fine. Now I'm on a Radeon 5850 and I have a very strange issue. Even though I was maintaining 60fps, I had clunky mouse movement if I ran it in 1080p. This only seemed to go away when I turned on bloom for some reason. The original settings for bloom suck really bad, so here is what to switch in ddfix.ini for something far more reasonable that gives a bit of personality to the visuals without going crazy:

;Enable postprocessing. Boolean.
Enable=1

;Overall saturation. 0-255. (255 = full saturation, 0 = grayscale.)
Saturation=230

;Bloom intensity. 0-255. (0 = disable all bloom processing.)
Bloom=45

;Bloom saturation. 0-255. (255 = full saturation, 0 = grayscale.)
BloomSaturation=220

And just so we have some frame of reference on that...

Bloom 45



Bloom 35



As you can see, 35 is the limit for intensity before the very brightest areas of the game start clipping the highlights. However, most areas aren't that bright, and it isn't until 45 that you get a nice little glow on highlighted items.

Some people hate this glow, and I often do in games, but while this game is somewhat realistic it's also somewhat magical, and since I can't turn off texture filtering as I like to with old games like this, I think the bloom suits the overall soft look. And just in general, light feels more dangerous and shadows more safe, which is what you want in this game.

There are enhanced model and texture packs and shit, but I think they look like a garbage mish-mash of things. The game is hella old and was constructed to have a certain look. I think it's best to keep it for the most part.

I also had a chat with someone about good control setup since the default is kind of weird. Here is what I use:

Standard WASD walking movement
Shift for run forward
Q & E for side leaning
F for forward lean
C for toggle crouch
Alt for hold crouch
Space for jump
Ctrl for slow movement

For all weapon and item stuff, I have a gaming mouse that can handle it, so do with that as you will. Generally this isn't the kind of game where you'll ever want to be in high action situations, so you shouldn't have to do many quick switches. Thief 2 adds some much-needed streamlining to the controls, so look forward to that.

Finally, a quick note on leaning: Don't underestimate it! I know in other games it's usually useless, but in this game your visibility is locked to your feet. So you can stand in shadows and peak out and there is zero visibility penalty! This also helps with reaching to knock people out or pickpocket, which you'll be doing a lot.

Let's plaaaaaaay!

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

I actually just purchased the Thief collection. I played Thief Gold a while back (made it more than halfway through), but lost my save. Was eager to pick it up on Steam again.

I replayed the first mission last night and was reminded just how brilliant the game is. The atmosphere is unbelievable, and the level design is honestly second to none. All the locations in the game have so much "space" and "life" to them. It's hard to describe. So many twists and turns, but they come together in such a complete and cohesive manner. Makes exploring and digging around for treasure so fun.

Also, Thief (first one--haven't played the others) is bar none one of the creepiest games you will ever play. Some of the levels are full of so much mind-fuckery that they'll make your heart race. Think Amnesia. Not even kidding.


By the way, all you need for Thief Gold is TFix. Includes all the updates in one nice, neat, little package. However, I recently installed it and for some reason my game doesn't run smoothly at all. I know my system can handle it, but it's like there's a weird mouse acceleration thing going on. I'm seriously considering uninstalling it even though it makes the game look wonderful. Fucking hell. Anyone know what it could be?

 

[cj_iwakura]

Thief 3's Shalebridge Cradle is infamously creepy, so not just Thief 1. I own 2, but never got far. Such a wildly different game than 3.

 

[Rodney McKay]

I'll try that fix to see if I can get Thief 1 working on my computer. I tweaked the .ini to get it to my screen resolution, but the game crashed as it loaded the tutorial.

 

[epmode]

I played these games for the first time within the last 2 years. Looking Glass really was one of the best developers of all time.

 

[Lancehead]

I played the games before, but I'm going to again now. I'd be playing Thief 2.

For anyone looking for challenge, try ghosting the games. Ghosting is, simply, completing missions without leaving any trace of your presence except stolen loot. There are three types of ghosting - ghost, strict ghost and supreme ghost.

You can check the ghost rules here.

Or if you don't wish to ghost but still want challenge, you may want to install the Ultimate Difficulty Mod (available only for Thief 1&2).

Or you may try both at the same time!

 

[ChoklitReign]

Re: the unofficial Thief Gold patch:

1) make sure the game is not installed in program files or some other protected windows folder.

What does this mean? I have it installed in Program Files/Steam/steamapps/common like normal - will it work?

 

[epmode]

Re: the unofficial Thief Gold patch:



What does this mean? I have it installed in Program Files/Steam/steamapps/common like normal - will it work?

I feel like it's a bad idea to have any games in the Program Files subfolder in general. You might want to reinstall Steam, if possible.

 

[Dice]

What does this mean? I have it installed in Program Files/Steam/steamapps/common like normal - will it work?

It doesn't matter if you have admin rights.

Played the first level of Thief 2 just to check it out.

I thought I got everything. I also picked more pockets than that but it was after I knocked them out so I guess it doesn't count. Some areas of that house are fuckin creepy.

 

[Red Blaster]

Got Thief 2 and 3 in the sale, will be checking in.

 

[Conciliator]

I did buy Thief Gold. I played like the first five levels when I was younger(not when it came out, a few years after that. After System Shock 2), and had a decent time.

I've installed dozens of mods for skyrim and oblivion, but I don't know about these thief mods. I'm not doubting their quality, just the ease and reliability of install. I'm not willing to put two hours into sprucing up something that I'm not even sure I'm going to play a bunch. I'm going to stay away unless someone can tell me "Install this inarguably vital mod exactly like this, it is easy to do and will work and will make the game better."\

EDIT: No Quick Save, yeah? Couldn't find one.

 

[Dice]

I feel you on that. Skyrim has been a pretty simple affair but I think it took me 3 whole days of modding efforts to get Oblivion going correctly and then I didn't even play it in the end because it's still hella awkward.

As I said in the OP, I think the things that change models and textures for this aren't very good. Deus Ex had some neat mods, but the ones for Thief Gold are pretty halfassed.

 

[Adnor]

Also bought the collection when it was a Daily Deal, I had problems with the videos, but after installing some codecs and using compatibility mode they work fine.
Just finished the first level, pretty cool game, I can see why it one of those classics that everyone talks about.

EDIT: No Quick Save, yeah? Couldn't find one.

F11 = Quick Save, FF12 = Quick Load.

 

[Dice]

T1 second level

Think of it this way, maybe Hammertime Jesus wanted me to bless your skull with the Sacrament of Thud.

The other prisoners made a break for it when I released them. This dumbfuck decided to run around shouting that I was there. Now guess who gets to wake up still in prison when all the guards wake up.

 

[luka]

Been playing thief gold lately after having the collection sitting on my shelf for a few months. Never actually finished the first two games so I'm rectifying this now. Also playing on hard and forcing myself not to use quicksaves. It's been interesting! The first 3 levels were pretty slow (especially wandering around the mausoleum for half an hour dodging zombles) but now the game is really picking up. Infiltrating Ramirez' mansion was such a great mission and that kind of pure infiltration/thievery is something the games need a lot more of.

games were really easy to get working perfectly too. took about 5 minutes with ddfix and a hex editor.

 

[epmode]

Play expert! The additional objectives and level changes are awesome.

 

[luka]

Play expert! The additional objectives and level changes are awesome.

huh. didn't know there was that much difference between them. maybe ill just restart the whole game

 

[Deyleone]

I already own all 3 but re-bought the collection during the steam sale. There are only so many games that are near and dear to my heart, and this series is right up there.

 

[luka]

Jeez the casino/thieve's guild level is ENORMOUS. I just got to Reuben's mansion and it has to have been nearly two hours since I started.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

I have played the entire series, and let me echo a piece of advice:

Play all three games on expert mode. You won't regret it.

 

[1stStrike]

I can't play through The Orphanage on Thief 3 again. Shit scares me too much.

I loved that game back in the day, though. Really want that new one to come out with modern graphics and such.

 

[Adnor]

Someone has advice to don't make so much noise? I swear I'm moving as slow as I can, but the guards still hear me .

 

[Lancehead]

Someone has advice to don't make so much noise? I swear I'm moving as slow as I can, but the guards still hear me .

Creep. You'd still drop footsteps but at a much slower rate. So the trick is to stop creeping just before you make a footstep, and start again. That way you can move without any sound, but very slowly.

 

[Night_Trekker]

I bought, among many Steam games last week, Thief 1 and 2. I can't wait to dig into them this weekend.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

Someone has advice to don't make so much noise? I swear I'm moving as slow as I can, but the guards still hear me .

Creep. You'd still drop footsteps but at a much slower rate. So the trick is to stop creeping just before you make a footstep, and start again. That way you can move without any sound, but very slowly.

Marble and metal surfaces are the loudest surfaces you'll have to worry about. Don't forget about moss arrows, too, if the situation warrants it.

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

Jeez the casino/thieve's guild level is ENORMOUS. I just got to Reuben's mansion and it has to have been nearly two hours since I started.

Yup. First time I played that level I was floored by how vast it is.

 

[Sentenza]

Play expert! The additional objectives and level changes are awesome.

Yeah, the Thief saga had probably the best handling of difficulty levels ever seen in games.
Choosing a more challenging setting didn't merely made enemies tougher or bullshit like that; it added entirely different conditions for victory, like "don't kill everyone, don't knock out more than three people, gather at least that much gold" and so on.


That said, I loved the first two games, but never liked the third even remotely.
So obviously NOT a Looking Glass product.

 

[luka]

the sword:

hey guys what's going on in this leve-

(•_&#8226






(ノಠ_&#3232ノ彡┻━┻

 

[Adnor]

the sword:

hey guys what's going on in this leve-

(•_&#8226






(ノಠ_&#3232ノ彡┻━┻

Oh God that level it's so... bizarre... I don't know how to explain it...
When they say it's a maze, IT'S A FUCKING MAZE.

EDIT:

Creep. You'd still drop footsteps but at a much slower rate. So the trick is to stop creeping just before you make a footstep, and start again. That way you can move without any sound, but very slowly.

Marble and metal surfaces are the loudest surfaces you'll have to worry about. Don't forget about moss arrows, too, if the situation warrants it.

Ok, thanks
Creep = Speed Toogle (shift), right?

 

[Lancehead]

Oh God that level it's so... bizarre... I don't know how to explain it...
When they say it's a maze, IT'S A FUCKING MAZE.

It's a great level, but infuriating if you want check out all that the level has. When I played it I gave up after a while and went straight for the objectives.

EDIT:



Ok, thanks
Creep = Speed Toogle (shift), right?

Check the key bindings. There should be "Creep". It'd probably have no binding.

 

[Adnor]

It's a great level, but infuriating if you want check out all that the level has. When I played it I gave up after a while and went straight for the objectives.



Check the key bindings. There should be "Creep". It'd probably have no binding.

I looked at the .bnd, for some reason the game call Creep "Speed Toggle" in this version.

Also: Oh God zombies why.

 

[SeriousApes]

I bought the collection during the sale. I've read many times around the internet about how good the series is, and for around $6, it was pretty low-risk. So far I've only played the tutorial on the first one.

 

[Lancehead]

I looked at the .bnd, for some reason the game call Creep "Speed Toggle" in this version.

Also: Oh God zombies why.

The bindings in the .bnd file are differently noted in-game options. In any case, the movement in Thief has a lot more depth and complexity than it first appears.

There are a large number of possible speeds in Thief 2, obtainable using combinations of keys. I use special key bindings to make the coordination easier for me. The names applied to the bindings in USR.BND do not correspond to the names you find when you enter the options menu to modify the controls. I think the options menu names are more descriptive. Below is my understanding of how it works and the key bindings that I use.

In order, from fastest to slowest, when you are in standing position:

The "run forward" key is the fastest you can go forward. I use "up arrow".

There is a second combination key called "speed toggle". In user.bnd, this is called "creepon." That modifies run to a brisk walk. I use "SHIFT". So, the combination SHIFT-up-arrow" is a brisk walk.

Next is the key called "walk forward" in the options menu. In user.bnd it is called +forward. This is a slow walk. I use CTRL for this.

The slowest steady movement while standing is the combination of "walk forward" and "speed toggle", or in my case SHIFT-CTRL.

The crouch position (I use "/" for "toggle crouch") also makes you move slower. I am not sure about the ranking, but I think that crouch is about the same as speed modify. Thus, crouch-run is about the same speed as speed-modify-run.

If you first do "toggle crouch" to put you in crouch position and then use "speed modify", it is doubly slow. Thus, the slowest steady motion is crouch, then speed modify + walk forward, or in my case, "/" followed by SHIFT-CTRL.

The very slowest movement, when you get one of those impossible AI's, is like the above but instead of holding down the "walk forward" key you go tap-tap-tap with the "walk forward" key.

Notice that all my motion control bindings including crouch are close together, so I can use any combination I need with my left hand, while my right hand is always on the mouse.

http://forums.eidosgames.com/showpost.php?p=756538&postcount=7

I believe Thief Gold and Thief 2 have the same controls. I only have Thief 2 installed so I can't verify.

 

[luka]

i had no idea that walk forward was slower than speed toggle, and that they could modify each other. good to know!

 

[Lancehead]

For anyone interested, here are some of my key bindings for Thief 2:

Run Forward = W
Walk Forward = W+Shift
Walk Forward Slowly = W+Ctrl+Shift

Toggle Crouch = X

Creep = Shift
Run = Ctrl

You actually have four speeds in standing position and four in crouched position. To rank the speeds in either position:

W
W+Shift
Shift+W
Shift+Ctrl+W

Or if you want global ranking:

Stand W
Crouch W
Stand W+Shift
Crouch W+Shift
Stand Shift+W
Crouch Shift+W
Stand Shift+Ctrl+W
Crouch Shift+Ctrl+W


And beyond these, strafe movement is faster than normal movement - an engine quirk.

 

[Meatvillain]

I often find it hard to go back to games from the late 90s/early 00s, particularly ones I havent played before. I could never really get into Deus Ex, for instance. The little bit of Thief Gold that I've played, though, I've quite enjoyed beyond some grapples with the controls.

 

[eXistor]

I'm in the middle of Thief 2 myself. My first Thief game after wanting to play them for a long time. It does not disappoint! The level design is top notch and just the feeling of being in places you're not supposed to be comes across very well even if the game is clearly outdated in some ways. Graphically it...sucks, but it doesn't really bother me, I grew up with 8-bit games and up, so for me it's simply a matter of putting myself back into that mindset, which is easily done.

One thing that surprised me is how easy the game is. I started on normal, expecting myself to fail even then (I generally suck at stealth games like MGS), but to my surprise there was little to no challenge. So I quickly switched to Expert from the second mission on and it really hasn't gotten any more difficult. I was hoping Expert would give me extra objectives, but beyond "get more gold and don't kill anyone" it stays largely the same. These are small quibbles though, the game is clearly a masterpiece.

 

[Lancehead]

One thing that surprised me is how easy the game is. I started on normal, expecting myself to fail even then (I generally suck at stealth games like MGS), but to my surprise there was little to no challenge. So I quickly switched to Expert from the second mission on and it really hasn't gotten any more difficult. I was hoping Expert would give me extra objectives, but beyond "get more gold and don't kill anyone" it stays largely the same. These are small quibbles though, the game is clearly a masterpiece.

As with most stealth games, difficulty comes with choosing a play style and executing it. Here are some play styles: http://forums.eidosgames.com/old-ubb/Thief_Modes_of_Play_Final_rules.htm

Try those, and you'll find the game difficult.

 

[Dice]

Even if you don't want to follow all those rules, simply following a rule of no saves except at the very start of the level makes things much more tense and exciting. I also think that while patience is often the rule, mixing brazenness into it is something that generally comes naturally to those who enjoy stealth games. Sometimes it's not just about accomplishing your goal, but kind of showing off your skills to yourself.

I'll be getting back to this today. I was distracted by trying to make myself play through HL2. Those games just aren't for me, and it's a huge waste of time trying to force it with this brilliance waiting. Aside from the gameplay, the Hammerites say some hilarious things, especially when you tip them off to your presence a bit and they convince themselves it was nothing.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

Even if you don't want to follow all those rules, simply following a rule of no saves except at the very start of the level makes things much more tense and exciting.

The number of times I've used trial-and-error in this series? No way could I only put a save at the start. :/

My personal rules are 1) never kill humans and 2) if it looks valuable/sparkles, take it.

 

[Parallacs]

I have a question regarding Thief 1 and 2.

I played Thief 3 after I got it in the Steam winter sale. I was suprised that when I blackjacked people they never woke up.

I played all the way though Thief 1 when it came out but in the 15 years it is a distant memory. I thought I remembered that blackjacked guards wake up after a few minutes. Did they take this out?

 

[Lancehead]

I have a question regarding Thief 1 and 2.

I played Thief 3 after I got it in the Steam winter sale. I was suprised that when I blackjacked people they never woke up.

I played all the way though Thief 1 when it came out but in the 15 years it is a distant memory. I thought I remembered that blackjacked guards wake up after a few minutes. Did they take this out?

They don't wake up in Thief 1 or 2 either.

I think it'd be nice if knocked out guards can be woken up by other guards when discovered.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

They don't wake up in Thief 1 or 2 either.

I think it'd be nice if knocked out guards can be woken up by other guards when discovered.

ala DX:HR.

I personally don't like that feature because it's such halfassed realism. If you actually knocked someone out by cracking them over the head, you wouldn't just be able to wake them up and have them be 100% better. The person should be dazed and in need of medical attention from a concussion, and so should be escorted to get their head checked out while backup is called in and on extra-alert. If they were put out with a tranq, they shouldn't wake up just by being found and the other guard should need to carry them to medical. Popping up fresh as a daisy and going back to herp-di-derp patrolling fairly quickly is stupid. I prefer people just stay knocked out over that because a mission usually only goes 30-40 mins tops anyway.

I remember reading that striking someone on the back of the head with a blackjack is potentially fatal, if not severe injury-inducing.

 

[Dice]

I personally don't like that feature because it's such halfassed realism. If you actually knocked someone out by cracking them over the head, you wouldn't just be able to wake them up and have them be 100% better. The person should be dazed and in need of medical attention from a concussion, and so should be escorted to get their head checked out while backup is called in and on extra-alert. If they were put out with a tranq, they shouldn't wake up just by being found and the other guard should need to carry them to medical. Popping up fresh as a daisy and going back to herp-di-derp patrolling fairly quickly is stupid. I prefer people just stay knocked out over that because a mission usually only goes 30-40 mins tops anyway.

 

[Lancehead]

I've got around to finishing the first mission.

My aim was to get Perfect Supreme Ghost, i.e. supreme ghost with maximum loot. And I've succeeded with just one small reservation. Returning the key to the guard in the dining room on the first floor proved impossible, without alerting him, from the dumb waiter . So I had to go to the door and drop it just inside. It'd possibly look suspicious to the guard when he finds the key there, but I guess he might think he dropped it there as he entered the room.

A few more notes. The maximum loot you can get is 1265 even though the stats screen shows 1285. This is a bug in the patched (1.18) version where a set of lucky coins, worth 20 gold, are stuck in the wall and cannot be acquired.

Most difficult loot to get was the ones in the front garden. Taking out the two guards at the front without any first level alerts took a while to execute; similarly taking the loot without alerting the patrol guard.

Supreme ghosting this mission is made much easier by the fact that one of the objectives is to score 8 knockouts. Otherwise it'd be impossible to do it.

Now on to the second mission, Shipping and Receiving.

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

I'm gonna use this thread to update my progress in Thief Gold. I played it a while back and made it Song of the Caverns, but due to a corrupt file I couldn't continue any longer.

Earlier tonight I restarted on Expert, and after two hours I've completed the first two missions. I remember Break from Cragscleft Prison giving me quite a bit of trouble when I first played it, but this time it wasn't so bad. Had to reload a couple times due to being seen and getting killed, but besides that I was okay.

Game is so good, and the recent patch has only made it better. dat skybox

 

[subversus]

I'm on 4th mission in Thief Gold ( the assassins) and damn, my skills are rusty. I alert everybody and can't find a way to sneak properly.

 

[Eusis]

Started getting into this with the one two punch of Dishonored coming up and the patch making the engine VERY friendly to modern computers. I REALLY like it when FPSes are more exploratory and about something other than shooting everything in the face.

Finally, a quick note on leaning: Don't underestimate it! I know in other games it's usually useless, but in this game your visibility is locked to your feet. So you can stand in shadows and peak out and there is zero visibility penalty! This also helps with reaching to knock people out or pickpocket, which you'll be doing a lot.

I leaned over right in front of someone's face without anything happening. Comical absurdity aside, yeah, you really can't underestimate that, though I figured it'd be more useful in a game about sneaking around than, well, a shooter where you'll probably want to just shoot the guy around the corner immediately anyway.

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

Thief, along with F.E.A.R., probably has the best leaning function of any game (in terms of usefulness).

 

[MrOogieBoogie]

This guy has been working on an amazing HD texture mod for Thief Gold.

Some screens:

More screens http://www.moddb.com/mods/thief-gold-hd-texture-mod/images/thief-gold-hd79#imagebox

Only unfortunate thing is that it's set to release in the second quarter of 2013. :/