Spiders!! D:

[Corvin25]

I noticed a distinct lack of spiders in TDS. While in many ways this was a relief, it also reduced the immersion factor for me. This is because I am INTENSELY arachnophobic. o_o;;

I enjoyed every level of thief 1 and 2. But there were a couple of missions which I DREADED at the same time, which really adds to the suspenseful nature of the game for me, and the desire to remain hidden and unseen. I've seen a lot of spiders in video games, but the T1 and T2 spiders were the freakiest ones of all. The click-click of their legs, their soft hissing and squeaks, every time I heard that sound, I would freeze in my tracks, and almost move in slow motion. I had to know exactly where these little monsters were, and how I could best avoid them.

So I'm saying this as an extreme arachnophobic: Please include the large, foul, icky spiders in Thief 4. ;)

Oh, but make them purely melee. No "magic missle" spiders.

[Espion]

Agreed. Bring them, and other "beasts" back please.

[Belboz]

Only this time make sure they can go up the walls and across the ceilings, and not just along the floor.

[VIKTORIA]

Yeah, love the spiders and their glistening webs, so more of them please for T4. :thumb:


We are the weavers
We are the web
We are the spiders
We are the thread

I will weave the earth to sky
I will weave the stars to skin
Let us sing and weave our web
Let us dance we'll weave you in

Powerful song of radiant light: Weave us the web that spins the night
Web of stars that hold the dark: Weave us the earth that feeds the spark


:D

[DoomyDoomyDoomDoom]

Heh and have a nice big creepy arachnid lair mission. You step into a large spider web, a graphic appears on your monitor, it's a spider walking on your face! We have games with rain drops and blood splatter on the screen, I've yet to see them do anything else. Spiders everywhere. God that would be a sweet mission.

[Hellion]

Easily one of the most annoying enemies in the series. If the initial "one-arrow-kill" approach failed, I remember having to hack and slash back and forth endlessly to hit the damn things, all the while having to avoid getting hit by them as the health bar at "Expert" difficulty diminishes quite rapidly.

But that annoying challenge contributed to the overall fun factor and I agree that they should definitely return!

[Corvin25]

Yeah, love the spiders and their glistening webs, so more of them please for T4. :thumb:


We are the weavers
We are the web
We are the spiders
We are the thread

I will weave the earth to sky
I will weave the stars to skin
Let us sing and weave our web
Let us dance we'll weave you in

Powerful song of radiant light: Weave us the web that spins the night
Web of stars that hold the dark: Weave us the earth that feeds the spark


:D

I dunno what that's from. o_o

Actually, I'm not sure webs would be a good idea. Cave spiders usually just use their speed and biting strength to hunt down their prey, like a tarantula. Also, web-spinning spiders never leave their web, so why would it come looking for you unless you destroyed their web?

Don't make tarantulas though. non-furry spiders are way scarier.

[Terr]

They could make an advanced option which would swap the spider models with rats ;)

"Well, here's your problem! You've got the 'arachnobia mode' box ticked."

[Mr. Perfect]

Wow, I'd forgotten about those things. They where creapy, and also the reason I perfected my archery skills, seeing as humans only got blackjacked. I should go replay TDP...

[DarthEnder]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/11/26/

[GmanPro]

I love Penny-Arcade :D :D

[Kennerinn]

The exploding frogs were always fun.

[DarthEnder]

It was actually my least favorite piece of equipment.

You could kill people with them, but it didn't count as you killing them?

Weird.

Although it is the only way to get rid of that guard on top of the submarine.

[GmanPro]

That guy was funny. I'd just run past him and duck into the submarine and he'd be all running around looking for me on the top deck still. Lawl, good times

[Corvin25]

In the darkest Pagan woods, and the deepest, dankest caverns, there can be virtually no light at all, leaving even Garret unable to see his hand in front of his face. But when there are no man-made sources of light, there must be bioluminescence. Enter: The Torch Spiders.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd319/BaronSarnoth/torchspider.jpg

(I painted that in just 15 minutes, lol. :D)

In most aspects, these spiders are almost exactly like their opaque brethren encountered in Thief 1 and 2. But in order to hunt in the dark, these spiders give off a soft glow that allows them to better spot their prey. When they are not alerted, they only give off a soft glow, enough to let them see where they are going. When alerted, they glow much brighter, like an actual torch... hence their name. They are essentially a mix between spiders and fireflies.

They are of course, venomous like other spiders. Whether or not they are small like the yellow spiders in Thief 1 and 2, or large like the green ones is up to Eidos.

A creature like this could open up a lot of interesting and terrifying elements to the game.

Imagine a "spider cave" area of a level. Every possible entrance to the mansion Garrett wants to plunder is too well guarded.... however, there is another way in... through an underground cave that leads right under the mansion. Problem is, it's infested with spiders. There are no sources of light anywhere in the cave, and carrying a torch himself would expose Garrett to the brood within seconds. Instead, Garrett has to silently navigate his way through the "spider-lit" caves, using their body light to see where he's going. An objective of this mission could be "don't kill more than 5 spiders, or you'll get lost in the blackness of the caves." And with all the deep pits in the cave, you don't want to be without light.

A level like this would force arachnophobes like me to face their fears... >.<;; and it would also be an exercise in non-lethal thieving techniques and staying hidden. Also, if you're a ruthless sort, imagine leading a guard into the caverns, where he is then viciously assaulted by all the little creatures who see him.

Note: Even if the Torch Spider idea is rejected, the picture shows pretty much the perfect *SHAPE* for any spider in game. Large, bloated, raised abdomen and pointy, spindly legs.

[Espion]

If implimented well, this could work really well. I welcome the return of all beasties in the Thief games.

[Aceyalone7777]

Brilliant idea!!!

But if he kills em then the light must remain lit. Otherwise there will be no light at all.
Maybe he, in order ro proceed must not kill those spiders, which is even GREATER

But kill limit in spiders is dump... If he can still finds his way, with even 1 spider alive, should be cool

[Aceyalone7777]

Double Post! plz DELETE!

[Corvin25]

Brilliant idea!!!

But if he kills em then the light must remain lit. Otherwise there will be no light at all.
Maybe he, in order ro proceed must not kill those spiders, which is even GREATER

Or perhaps it glows VERY brightly for a minute, and slowly fades after death.

[Mr. Perfect]

That's a fantastic idea. It reminds me of the Will-o-wisps that the pagans had, just with an offensive role.

Just don't have a no-killing section. Tricksie beasts must die! :gamer:

[GmanPro]

Glowing mushrooms should still be in as well, but I like the idea of glowing spiders too

[Master Taffer]

This is actually a cool idea. And perhaps with the new hardware available these days, one could actually make spiders that can crawl on walls and ceilings! Image that spine shivering moment, looking up to see a nest of spiders right above you.

Perhaps these glowing spiders live underground and actually use the glow to blend in with patches of glowing mushrooms. When prey approaches the spider to eat some illuminated fungie, the spider pounces on its prey. Gameplay wise, this just means they tend to appear in old rotten buildings and ESPECIALLY underground tunnels.

Nerd nitpick: The spider in that picture has 3 body segments which is wrong. Spiders only have 2 segments: The prosoma and the abdomen.

[Corvin25]

This is actually a cool idea. And perhaps with the new hardware available these days, one could actually make spiders that can crawl on walls and ceilings! Image that spine shivering moment, looking up to see a nest of spiders right above you.

Perhaps these glowing spiders live underground and actually use the glow to blend in with patches of glowing mushrooms. When prey approaches the spider to eat some illuminated fungie, the spider pounces on its prey. Gameplay wise, this just means they tend to appear in old rotten buildings and ESPECIALLY underground tunnels.

Nerd nitpick: The spider in that picture has 3 body segments which is wrong. Spiders only have 2 segments: The prosoma and the abdomen.


Uhhhmm...... It's a venom sack? :nut: Heh. Well, you get the idea I'm going for, eh? The bloated abdomen and pointy, thin legs are essential to making it icky-looking.

Actually, you're right though. These spiders, combined with the glowing mushrooms would actually seem very realistic. A rat coming to eat a piece of mushroom would be an easy meal, and if these little creeps are territorial, they will attack Garrett if he gets too close to their glowing mushroom patch.

Yes, I like that a lot. If a spine-chilling "spiderlight cave" is out of the question, then mushroom caves would be a great hiding place for them. If i were to look up and see a bunch of spiders above me on the ceiling, I would uh.... panic. In the most sissified, girlish way imaginable.

[Jilly The Taffer]

A brilliant idea! Would love to see these :P

However, are these not quite abit like the Pagan light orbs and the glowing mushrooms?

[Corvin25]

A brilliant idea! Would love to see these :P

However, are these not quite abit like the Pagan light orbs and the glowing mushrooms?

Yes, we've discussed that in this thread. ;)

[Mr. Perfect]

Yes, they are, but that's part of the genius! You can then have underground caves with complete bioluminescent communities.

[Jilly The Taffer]

Yes, we've discussed that in this thread. ;)

Ahaha, my bad :nut:

[Psychomorph]

Yes, they are, but that's part of the genius! You can then have underground caves with complete bioluminescent communities.
Seriously, that would be great. Imagine you walk through a cave and the only light source you have are various glowing insects, small ones and large ones. That would be like a surrealistic neon dream. And imagine using a light (a small glowing crystal or little fire) draws the attention of some of the predatory animals on you (said spider for example), they might think you're some new prey, so you better stay dark.

I have a picture in my mind, but I can't paint as nice as Corvin25. Just imagine a natural cave/tunnel, insects glowing in blue, green and yellow colours, crawling around, it is like glowing ghosts in shape of insects. Has something shamanic to it.

Where they are? Maybe very deep under the city, in a very old burrick tunnel system, somewhere you haven't been in the previous Thief games.


http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd319/BaronSarnoth/torchspider.jpg
Looks great, almost like some developer concept art (hire that guy :D).

I see the picture in my mind again, imagine you walk into a dark area (pitch black) of the tunnel system described above and wonder where the insects are, suddenly you hear a strange hissing and clicking sound behind you, you turn around and suddenly, very slowly something like a skeleton of a spider appears in a very weak orange glow. the glow intensivies and fills out the whole silhuette of the creature, giving it a clear shape of a giant spider (the one you painted). Man, that would be intensive.

[Psychomorph]

I see the picture in my mind again, imagine you walk into a dark area (pitch black) of the tunnel system described above and wonder where the insects are, suddenly you hear a strange hissing and clicking sound behind you, you turn around and suddenly, very slowly something like a skeleton of a spider appears in a very weak orange glow. the glow intensivies and fills out the whole silhuette of the creature, giving it a clear shape of a giant spider (the one you painted). Man, that would be intensive.
Created a simple picture to explain the effect.

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/6809/spiderglow.jpg

[Palmberg]

Heh and have a nice big creepy arachnid lair mission. You step into a large spider web, a graphic appears on your monitor, it's a spider walking on your face! We have games with rain drops and blood splatter on the screen, I've yet to see them do anything else. Spiders everywhere. God that would be a sweet mission.


God, please no. I wouldn't be able to play that mission that's for sure. I have arachnophobia. I could handle the ones in T1/T2, but I still didn't like being near them. I remember playing Dark Messiah but refused to play any further once I saw one of the huge spiders that could crawl on walls etc. Just looking at pictures of big spiders give me this stinging feeling in my chest.

[Maethius]

Webs would be very useful as well; guards or creatures could notice if Garrett broke through webs to pass down a hall. They wouldn't need to impede his progress. Or make silk strands that work as real spider silk... a tripwire that sends a spider scurrying from out of some dark crack. I, too, missed the spiders in T3, especially to find them replaced with the rust beetles which were just a ploy for faction and required a bow power-up.

How about those awesome bioluminescent spiders being a part of a community of intelligent arachnids? Were they in league with the Trickster? Victoria? Do they carry a grudge?

[Zahr Dalsk]

The inclusion of spiders almost got me to stop playing the Thief series. I'm glad that at least in Thief 2 I can avoid them completely (but only when I know where they are). If there are unavoidable spots where I have to encounter them in Thief 4? I'll take it back in to EB games. Might return it if they're in at all.

[Psychomorph]

What are broadhead arrows good for? To kill spiders from distance.

[Sapare]

God, please no. I wouldn't be able to play that mission that's for sure. I have arachnophobia. I could handle the ones in T1/T2, but I still didn't like being near them. I remember playing Dark Messiah but refused to play any further once I saw one of the huge spiders that could crawl on walls etc. Just looking at pictures of big spiders give me this stinging feeling in my chest.

Same,but I'm fine if you guys put it in but optional!, maybe you can still go through the heavy defended entrance. Or give us a jump level choice like in thief 1 and 2, because I could not play thief in NEW graphics with scary spiders in a dark cave. So what i'm trying to say is, only add spiders if there is another way around them!(you can avoid them )

[WVI]

'Scuse me while I curl up in the fetal position.

[Psychomorph]

Same,but I'm fine if you guys put it in but optional!, maybe you can still go through the heavy defended entrance. Or give us a jump level choice like in thief 1 and 2, because I could not play thief in NEW graphics with scary spiders in a dark cave. So what i'm trying to say is, only add spiders if there is another way around them!(you can avoid them )
I want a mission where I get chased by hordes of spiders and I have to run away from them through a labyrinth system.

:whistle:

[BG_HHaunt]

A spider mission could be cool,like Song Of The Caverns mission but entering another building not an opera

[jay pettitt]

Spiders should be optional! a spider slider in the game options screen would be ace:

Spider Slider
no spiders -------o-- many spiders (look out!)

(ps. ooh nice glowing orb spider - I may have to steal that)

[fayfuya]

Spiders are fine, but don't create too many missions with undead and ghosts and this ****, i don't wanna be scared in this game too much, it's not a horror game, but stealth, and i've seen lots of undeed stuff at T1 & T2, in TDS i've seen less of those, which were good.

[Palmberg]

Spiders are fine, but don't create too many missions with undead and ghosts and this ****, i don't wanna be scared in this game too much, it's not a horror game, but stealth, and i've seen lots of undeed stuff at T1 & T2, in TDS i've seen less of those, which were good.


TDS had WAY more undead than T2, what are you on about. Anyway, for me spiders are way more horrific than haunts,zombies and puppets put together.

[jtr7]

Bring back the full flora and fauna of the Thief Universe, and bring back the smooth and suitably creepy animations for the arachnids. The rust-mite and cat animations were atrocious, while the old spiders were animated well -- it made no sense.

I'd like to see rust-mites, but not as they were in TDS, just oversized mites gnawing on metal like termites gnaw on wood, and none of that Builder's Blessing stuff and score-keeping.

[DarknessFalls]

I like the idea of them blending in with glowing mushrooms. Spiders are normally stealthy creatures, so this idea gives the light bulb body some purpose. If they could control when they glowed, and the luminosity of that glow it'd be great -- rather than a perpetual glow. Maybe some could have a dim pulsing glow when they're at rest, for variety purposes, for instance.

MasterTaffer's right. Spiders on walls or ceiling would be scary. I remember in T2 walking into an open room in a cave and it had a high vaulted ceiling. Not seeing any reason to be too cautious, I walked out to the center of the room and started looking around and totally creeped myself out when I thought at the very tip-top of the ceiling, where it was dark, was a spider and I was directly below! I thought I had fallen into a trap and the spider would drop down on me. A great moment. Unfortunately, there was no spider... but I've wanted to have that built in a level ever since.

[Tushaar]

Need to make a fan mission, consists of
- Huge( I mean it!) pit, full of spiders
- Garrett, very high on the ledge.
- 1 WMD arrow (Weapon of Mass Destruction) :P Nuke or something, anthrax x))))
- Kaboomey effect
- Blood, lots of it
- Spider Guts
- Those nuclear glasses they wear on testing
- Forbidden for age under 18 :P
A mission just for fun ^_^

[jtr7]

To attest to the creepy ceiling spiders, a story...:

My father grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, and there are canals there. People aren't supposed to go in them, but of course, they do. Anyway, my father and a friend of his took an inner-tube there. With one inner-tube only one person could float around at a time, and the other had to help pull them out of the canal. When it was my father's turn, he was floating along with the current and went under a low bridge. Mere centimeters above his face, he saw that the underside of the bridge was swarming with spiders, as if many eggs had hatched all at once. He was terrified and scarred for life as he had to wait until he made it out the other side of the broad bridge, floating too slowly, and hearing spiders lose their grip and plink into the water around him.



Oh, and since these big Thief Universe spiders are apparently very tasty like the best steaks ever, we should see a campsite where there's a spider roasting on a spit, with a couple more spiders on a cutting board.

[Nothke]

nice thread... BRING BACK THE SPIDERS!!! I always liked that baker in "Shipping and receiving" that has the finest meat (during play I got saliva in my mouth when Garrett said that), and then you go inside and see he is using spiders for meat (I almost puked!). aaauuugh, the game ia not only scary, but disgusting too...

and bring back the BURRICKS!! they were stupid when I first saw them, but after a while without them... they became legendary!

[Belboz]

light emmiting spiders was done in some fan missions, so its not actually a new idea.

[zombie32]

Absolutely! I also hate spiders, so that kind of personalizes it for me. I had fun in T2 in the Shipping and Receiving mission at the warehouse of Mynell--the one with the steaks. This is where the giant spider was kept under lock and key behind bars. I would deliberately open the cage and coax the spider to chase me out of the warehouse and quickly jump up on a crate where it couldn't get me. Then I would close the warehouse door so it couldn't get back in, and I was hoping it would go and kill some guards for me! Never happened. I would always find the giant spider dead somewhere else, apparently killed by the guards. Which is too bad, because if the AI were any good, Garrett should be able to manipulate his environment and make it work for his advantage.

Same mission, on Davidson's ship, there was a lone guard on deck and a box with the smaller spiders inside. I would take an invisibility potion and race up the gangplank and release the smaller spiders, then run into the deckhouse and watch the fun from the shadows as the guard went nuts trying to kill the spiders with his sword. AI got me again, because it was a stalemate and neither spiders nor guard won. They just kept fighting and fighting.

Should Garrett be able to get the spiders to work for him, however, he might have to deal with them himself later on and that would be really scary, not knowing exactly where they might appear.

This is my first post here, and it is sure exciting to think that another Thief game is in the works!

[jtr7]

The first time I played TMA, the spider trotted out of the warehouse and attacked a couple of guards. I think they patched it against doing that.

[gpagonewest]

I hate spiders, but they do add to the feel of the Thief games. You hear them before you see them, it makes you shiver. well, it does me anyway.

[Hamadriyad]

Yessss, I want those annoying creatures back. Maybe this time they give us a huge one like Shelob.

[TheEye]

the spiders were disgusting - black legs, poisonous green and yellow spots, hissing, fast, almost invulnerable; when you looked closely at them, their face resembled a human one!
yeah, they SHOULD make a comeback... probably pure black and red this time with poisonous fangs, climbing down from their webs. good times :)

[Palmberg]

As long as there is a way to avoid them I'm fine with spiders, just no invasion please. Also, no Shelob :o

[Lionmane]

I would love the spiders coming back too. As someone said before, thief aint a horror game, but the city is a dark and gloomy place, with haunts ghosts and the likes.
That all builds up to the lovely feel of the game, where you think twice before leaving your comfortable shadow. The spiders were especialy creepy, and made me keep on my toes. Anything that makes me slow down and do things right is a plus. After a while you get used to how well the guards hear and see, and can bypass them easily by running, perhaps even knocking them out as you go. The spiders are a different story alltogether.

And the glowing spiders? I love that idea.
I think the scare factor of spiders jumping at you from clumps of mushrooms, or even the gradual glowing effect would add even more feel to the game.

[Infinity000]

I STRONGLY ENDORSE THIS THREAD!!!!!!!

I missed the spiders in TDS too. The Glowing spider idea is great. Having a mission through some caves with such spiders crawling on the ceiling and hiding in cracks is also great, giving an option maybe for arachnophobes to skip it, or bypass it, perhaps with an optional reward for those who choose to do it, like a special poisoned daggar made from some giant spider fang with like an insta-kill ability to take out beasties and beasties only. After all, killing humans is not the "thief way." Or it could be a different ability as a reward or something, whatever best fits Garett's style. Maybe a web arrow that you can use on guards like a net???? Dunno, possibilities are endless. Obviously all of this should not be overdone though, lest one loses the fear of the spiders or they become more of an annoyance than need be.

[VIKTORIA]

I've always loved that whooshing-whirring-whizzing sound they make. :D

[glyph07]

Wouldn't be nice to find them on roof tops too? Maybe coming out some old houses or from wholes in the walls.

[Gabriel]

I STRONGLY ENDORSE THIS THREAD!!!!!!!

I missed the spiders in TDS too. The Glowing spider idea is great. Having a mission through some caves with such spiders crawling on the ceiling and hiding in cracks is also great, giving an option maybe for arachnophobes to skip it, or bypass it, perhaps with an optional reward for those who choose to do it, like a special poisoned daggar made from some giant spider fang with like an insta-kill ability to take out beasties and beasties only. After all, killing humans is not the "thief way." Or it could be a different ability as a reward or something, whatever best fits Garett's style. Maybe a web arrow that you can use on guards like a net???? Dunno, possibilities are endless. Obviously all of this should not be overdone though, lest one loses the fear of the spiders or they become more of an annoyance than need be.

I don't think something as minor (or important, depending on how you look at it) as this should be made optional. You either take the game as it is, or don't play it. There shouldn't be a spider slider (or any-scary-creature slider for that matter).

And I'm saying this as an arachnophobe - my skin would literally crawl whenever I wasn't able to kill a spider with one shot and they'd come after me and jump with that gurgling hissing sound :eek: even though they were supposedly just pixels on a computer screen.

This said, I'm all up for having spiders back, along with all the creatures in the older games that make up the fauna in the Thief world.

Also, I'm strongly against a "spider level".:eek: though I would probably play it anyway.

[Yaphy]

optional reward for those who choose to do it, like a special poisoned daggar made from some giant spider fang with like an insta-kill ability to take out beasties and beasties only.

I dont want Thief to go RPG!

[esme]

I dont want Thief to go RPG!

:thumb: