Mechanical Eye: Too High Tech

[De2nis]

Do you think having a mechanical eye is too high tech for the theif universe?

[Guineapiggy]

The impression I got is that it was earned by wisdom imparted by the master builder. What's wrong with a little magic? (As those who played Thief 2 recall, (Or a very very good FM I forget the name of that wrote a story that came between Thief 1 and 2.) Karrass made the mechanical eye for Garrett for foiling the trickster, enemy of the Master Builder.

[Powerslave]

^Indeed. It was trully amazing to learn in THIEF II that KARRAS was the one who made your mechanical eye. And the eye is not so amazing a creation if you think that Karras also made Robot Guards and Metal Faces that sound the alarm when spotting you :p

[Kokopelli]

While I will admit the mechanical eye is unique, what I'd like to know, is how does Garrett see out of it? It is not connected to an optic nerve, because Garrett has perform basic mainainence on it. That said, how does the eye transmit the data it "sees" to the brain for processing?

[tealsmith]

Originally posted by Kokopelli
While I will admit the mechanical eye is unique, what I'd like to know, is how does Garrett see out of it? It is not connected to an optic nerve, because Garrett has perform basic mainainence on it. That said, how does the eye transmit the data it "sees" to the brain for processing?

I believe his mechanical eye has a sort of ancient magic around. Ancient magic explains everything.

[Kokopelli]

@tealsmith

In other words, no one knows. LOL

[Catman]

Originally posted by Kokopelli
While I will admit the mechanical eye is unique, what I'd like to know, is how does Garrett see out of it? It is not connected to an optic nerve, because Garrett has perform basic mainainence on it. That said, how does the eye transmit the data it "sees" to the brain for processing? That's an easy one. The eye has a small transmitter, and there's a small receiver connected to the optic nerve.

[Conquistador]

Originally posted by Kokopelli
While I will admit the mechanical eye is unique, what I'd like to know, is how does Garrett see out of it? It is not connected to an optic nerve, because Garrett has perform basic mainainence on it. That said, how does the eye transmit the data it "sees" to the brain for processing?
As far as I remember from the eye description from the original thiefs it transmits data through "aethiric" (or aethyric) waves or vibrations. There wes such a term I think in medeival science.

[SilverZ]

Cool

[Freth]

The Thief "universe" is fantasy. Therefore, reality has no bearing on it. So, it doesn't matter how Garrett's mechanical eye works in real life. The games cover it enough to give you an explanation. I remember when Garrett lost his eye. I was like, "No way!... they did this to the main character?"... but the addition of the mechanical eye enhanced the gameplay in my opinion. Who cares how it works? It ties into the fantasy of the Thief world and that's good enough for me.

[njcl]

i found the eye too be essential myself,besides the zoom factor it was a night vision tool ala splinter cells nightvision goggles,great game tool methinks:)

[Silent_Hitman47]

I only used the eye as a NVG. Occasionally I used it to see if a person had loot from afar.

[TiffTaffinTaffer]

Honestly, I never use the eye. But, if it doesn't have to be connected to an optical nerve, like some nerd pointed out, does that mean Garrett can technically take it out and hold it around a corner to see what's there? Or throw it to an adjacent area to see if there's a guard patrolling then run after it?

Sorry about the nerd comment, it's just that I have no idea what obscure source you have about his optical hygiene.

[Madigan]

:) well in thief II, there were Scouting orbs... has to be wireless somehow don't ya think?

[unit]

As someone esle said here, it's fantasy - in fact the Thief series is classic steampunk - the fusion of primitive technology and magic in a dark universe. If you wanted to start dissecting the game you'd find it, and many others have holes.

Just immerse yourself in a fascinating and well developed world.

[kusemono]

Well look, they at least made it have a fuzzy view, no color instead of making it like a normal telescope of something...

And I love/hate/love the fact that it makes a noise when you use it, like it wasn't completely finished or it was prototype or something...

Good stuff I feel...

[Speesh]

I always liked what the Thief society was based upon. Such as the fact that there are generators that power up lights yet they are still fighting with swords.

[Nupee]

I thought it had something to do with metachlorians? :D

[Cell]

I reckon the mechanical eye is brilliant. Looks cool, sounds cool, its very useful. I use it ALOT.
The only thing about it that i would change is the little dots everywhere. I would change them with some fuzzyness and tv lines. Like manhunt style yet still old and greeny.

[DreXor]

works with 4 year old toaster logic, plug it in and vuala it works :)

but yes, there's alot of "magic" in the game so i'm sure some of that got crafted into the eye.

and if you're getting this technical over a game boon, maybe you should also ask , how do zombies work ? :D

[Sander Scamper]

I wonder, if its electrical, if Garrett avoids taking showers to avoid hilariously electrocuting himself =p

[Petestar]

Must be honest, I never actually used the mechanical eye.

Which key is it on the keyboard :confused: :rolleyes: :D

[Clumsyorchid]

default- up arrow and down arrow

[Night Stakler]

Personally, I think it gives Garrett a signature characteristic - something that separates him from all the other "heroes" out there.

Indeed. It was trully amazing to learn in THIEF II that KARRAS was the one who made your mechanical eye.

I have heard this comment a lot, but where in "Thief II: The Metal Age" is this documented (I do not think that it is in the manual, and Karras did not blabber about to me over his infernal intercom system in Soulforge).

I got the impression that Garett got it from the Hammers, though I can certainly now see that the Mechanist's would be far better suited to the task of creating such a device. The Hammers seems more occupied with stone and crude machinery than robotics and alarm systems.

[John D.]

I do recall hearing the comment overhead one time at Soulforge, but I'm not sure if it goes off every time, I've also spotted it in the media files via Thief Edit.
The Hammers seems more occupied with stone and crude machinery than robotics and alarm systems.Actually in Thief 1, the Hammers had a crude form of camera guarding outposts in Cragscleft prison which were wired into alarms. They were easy to take out with arrows though. :cool:

[Night Stakler]

I do recall hearing the comment overhead one time at Soulforge, but I'm not sure if it goes off every time, I've also spotted it in the media files via Thief Edit.
Ah, thank you.


Actually in Thief 1, the Hammers had a crude form of camera guarding outposts in Cragscleft prison which were wired into alarms. They were easy to take out with arrows though. :cool:

Fair enough, then how about "Advanced automatic alarm systems".

[c6jones720]

If everybody had them it would be out of place. But considering very few (rich) people used things like robots, servants and cameras and submarines when Karras and the Mechanists were alive I dont think it was too out of place. DS is presumably set after Metal Age and people have mostly reverted back to thier medival Magick ways. I think that shows that the advanced mechanist technology was lost forever when Karras and the Mechanists were killed. If Garrets eye ever stops working, hes going to be in trouble since there are no mechanists to repair it.

[AdamP]

The eye is magical in nature and doent need optical nerves and stuff. I think the eye is with garrett for life, so no pulling it out to look around corners and such... it would hurt!

[R Soul]

In a T2 briefing/cutscene we see Garrett's eye on a table and then he pops it in his eye socket.
I assume that it has to be very close to the optic nerve for him to see through it.
The Scouting Orbs sent images to the eye, not Garrett himself.

I reckon Karras and the Mechanists (which sounds like a 1960s rock & roll band :D) tapped into some powerful magic that allowed the robots/scouting orb to work.
With the Mechanists gone, it was only the simple magic left, such as the Hammer/Pagan spells we see in T3.

[Night Stakler]

I reckon Karras and the Mechanists (which sounds like a 1960s rock & roll band :D)

Funny you should mention that, to find something slightly similar try to go to Garrett's Notebook (http://www.3dactionplanet.com/thief/walk/thief2/soulforge/walk.shtml), scroll all the way down and click on the image, and you'll see what I mean.

[Hodi]

IMO the mechnical eye is uselss.. i never used it and now i'm in the city day nine.. about to finish the game

[Windog]

What everyone needs to realise is that its a game.

The mechanical eye has been put in because:
a) he looses it in the first game and how do you make a game with half you vision gone, (who wants to play with half a black screen)
b) its a cool and useful tool in the second game.

The rest of the mechanical stuff (robots, etc) is extra challenge to the game as well as giving the game interesting stuff to work around. If you kept it all the same as the original it would be repetitive challenges. It was one of the few ways you could advance the game without loosing credability of the continuing storyline

[dogsolitude_uk]

Exactly. T3 is a game. :)

I'd never really considered the possibility of finding fruit in mazes until I played Pac Man as a child, nor would I have worried too much about dragons blowing bubbles until I played Bubble Bobble.

So it's not really a massive stretch to consider the idea, within a game, of a mechanical eye with a dodgy picture and mains-hum against a quasi-mediaeval lite-steampunk setting!

What is in Thief is in Thief. We all have slightly different ideas of what the Thief universe 'should' have in it (Robots? Zombies? Rope Arrows?) but the Thief universe is, in fact, the sum total of all the Thief games and their elements, whether they seem to 'fit' our expectations or not.

[DoctorBBQ]

I tried the mech eye once on T3 just to see it work. I didn't use it just do to the fact that I like to play the missions without much "help". IOW, if I had 100 water arrorws, I wouldn't put out every light. It's just not as much fun or as challenging. You don't NEED the eye. Why use it? :confused: (BTW, you don't need oil flasks either!)

[c6jones720]

you dont need them but theyre fun to use. Nothing like oiling the floor underneath somebody and then setting fire to it lol!

[dogsolitude_uk]

This is why I like Thief games (and Deus Ex) - you can play how you like...

I try to 'ghost' levels wherever I can - no blackjacking, lights out or anything. Theres something very elegant and satisfying about creeping through a level without being seen, and then creeping out again...

Try playing through Deus Ex without killing anyone :) I'm at the level wher you have to scuttle the freighter...

[Tafferboy]

The eye at first seemed out of place, but there's enough magic in the story to justify it. The eye had its utility and was fun to use, so I didn't think very much about its appropriateness. I liked throwing it in a room, then turning the view around to see Garrett standing in the shadowy doorway. Cool stuff.