Open Appeal for a Theif Editor

[Mr Jay]

Dear Eidos,

Like thousands of other Thief fans I have signed the petition (http://www.ThiefPetition.com/) to encourage Ion Storm and Eidos to release the editing tools that will enable the Thief fan mission community to continue to ply their humble trade with thief 3. But it seems that literally thousands of signatures is not enough to demonstrate the value in releasing said tools. Word is that Eidos is still reluctant to support releasing the tools to the community unless the game is first very successful in a commercial sense.

If I want to buy myself a nice entertaining book it is going to cost me £6 - £8 pounds. A music CD will set me back £12, a little steep – but not bad. A film on DVD will be £15. Thief 3 video game from Eidos… £35. hahaololololol Eidos you are too funneh.

That’s some premium pricing scheme Eidos has going on there. So what would I get for my 35 quid? Perhaps they are planning on providing some extras to add much needed value? If it was any other of a myriad of PC games including the last two titles in the Thief franchise I could expect an editor. Thriving communities build around the modification and mission editing tools and owners of these games get to enjoy countless hours of extra entertainment. Suddenly £35 looks like a very enticing prospect indeed. Sadly, in comparison, the third instalment of thief is looking like providing poor value for money.

So am I going to risk £35 on thief 3 on the off chance that Eidos suffers a ‘fit of generosity’ and releases the tool set? hahaololololol Eidos you are too funneh. No.

I am a Thief fan. I have been from the start and as such I’m really looking forward to this game. It looks fantastic. I’m keen to get editing. I want to give Eidos money in exchange for a great game. I am not, however, a mug.

Here is the deal Eidos. If you want to charge me a premium price for Thief 3 then you can damn well go the whole hog and release the editing tools. Otherwise I will simply wait for Thief: Deadly Shadows to hit the budget labels. Bargain.

Faithfully
Jay Pettitt

[tealsmith]

We don't know whether the editor is in the game or not, but the game's already gone gold, so I highly doubt anything at this point will change it (editor included or not).

[Mr Jay]

yes we do. no it isn't. The CD is not the only means of distribution. :)

[WNxScythe]

Games always cost $45-50 when they come out. It's no "premium price".

Im buying regardless

[BrokenArts]

Check out Sneak's comment, at the bottom of the page, about the editor. What he says is true.
We can always hope.

http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37643

[Mr Jay]

It is premium pricing when compared to the other forms of entertainment that are competing for my time and money. The precedent that level editing tools are supplied with PC games and indeed with the Thief series has already been set. The editor for Thief 3 is conspicuous in its absence.

[Peter Smith]

Somehow, I think the best chance to get an editor is not to withhold funds but to buy the game and then keep unrelenting pressure on Eidos. Good sales may help to spark the enthusiasm of the Eidos executives. The petition probably got the message across, but we cannot relent until we get the editor. Thanks for posting, Mr. Jay. :)

I have been looking forward to the T-III editor to start another hobby. I will gladly join another campaign and maybe even start one myself when I I buy the game and there is no wind of an editor.

[Mr Jay]

Yeah, I'm not trying to promote some kind of organised boycott here. I think T3 looks fantastic and we all know its going to have more charm and wit than just about every other game out there. Go buy it. I don't want to withhold funds from Eidos or Ion Storm. Thats not my bag.

I'm itching to play the game. But I'd rather shell out the money for Thief 3 safe in the knowledge that the editor is available and that I can look forward to editing and fan missions a plenty. It may be unwritten, but for me that is part of the deal. Customers can be a pain in the arse like that sometimes.

[BrokenArts]

From what I understood, they predict Xbox sales to outshine the PC sales by 5 to 1. That's quite significant if you ask me. Lagging PC sales, we won't see the editor. Doesn't mean we can't still petition. Doesn't mean we still can't try. Right now, there is no clear cut answer.......yet.

[Peter Smith]

Originally posted by BrokenArts
Lagging PC sales, we won't see the editor.
I am not convinced by that. Perhaps it is wishful thinking on my part, but I would think that a burgeonning FM scene for the PC would convince more people to buy the PC version to play the FM's. Frankly, I don't see how Eidos can be hurt by releasing the editor so long as they have the clause "what you create with it is our property" in the licensing agreement. They could even put a marker in there to identify all products that were created by it. They could even sell collections of FM's to Xboxers. I see it as such a win-win situation that I cannot understand why it is a controversy. :(

[Mr Jay]

I'd have thought that releasing the editors could only help improve PC sales in the longer term when the initial flurry has died down?

[unaimedkgb]

many people buy the game based if it has mod/editor support or not. Come on, thief 2 had an editor, plus its unreal engine, so many people have some experience with it.

[alexius]

Dear Eidos,

We shall take thy knees and switch to other, prettier, fancier games like "Stalker- the shadows of Chernobyl",
if ye doth naught give us the editor.


-Alexius-
_________________________________________________
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3841/empiread3b2.png
(http://imperium.webz.cz/)Project Lead
-Zee writer of Dromed Architecture Tutorial Supreme (http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71559)

[BrokenArts]

Originally posted by Mr Jay
I'd have thought that releasing the editors could only help improve PC sales in the longer term when the initial flurry has died down?

I agree wholeheartedly, releasing it would help sales, maybe not to the extent that they envision, who knows what dollar signs are dancing in their heads. Father Eidos hasn't given the ok for the release as of yet. We still have to keep lobbying for it's release.

To me, buy not releasing the demo, (though they probably will later on) and buy not releasing the editor to me hurts the PC version and hurts sales.

[Sneak]

Well Peter Smith,
I am agreeing with you. Best way to get it is for the game to sell briskly on the PC. And to Lobby of course. Now why hasn't someone posted that this is a marketing Technique for Eidos to get the PC version to sell well? Oh ho! ;) About everything else has been touched on concerning this game. Why not that?

My Jay,
I agree with you also and wish it would be so.