Deus Ex invisible war had excessive in-level loads, will we see a repeat for Thief 3?

[baxterrj]

I’m new to posting here, and as you can see there are tons of posts already… this has probably been mentioned already but I’m just wanted to see what you all think, again… if this is indeed a frequently asked, or voiced concern.

In thief 1 and 2 the levels where huge, bigger than big compared to all other FPS games of its time! The nicest thing about it… ONE long (if you had a mid range computer) load time and that was it! The ENTIRE, huge level loaded… no loading in-between.

I have played the new Deus Ex Invisible War to its end and I will say… THE LOADS IN-BETWEEN DROVE ME NUTS!!!! I found that the game was STILL loading from the CD. In today’s world of pc games this is ABSURD!!! Even the Xbox has a fairly large HDD. PLEASE INSTALL, OR CACHE THE ENTIRE SECTION/LEVEL TO A HDD TO GET RID OF LOAD TIMES!! The CD check should also be done only in the beginning, when you first load the game. This personally killed the game play of Deus Ex for me and I am VERY concerned about Thief 3 now because I’ve herd over and over they use the same engine.

If the reason for doing this is because of the console port, then by all means do a little more work for us original PC guys and have the entire level load at once, not in sections like Deus Ex invisible war!!

Any one else care to comment?

My thoughts from a previous thread… “Face it. Thief 3 will suck”

Mike Fang said…

Also, the trading of rope arrow for climbing gloves is probably give and take, but in favor of the gloves. True, it might make things difficult when it comes to stuff like when you need to do a long jump, grab onto something, then jump the rest of the way to your destination.

…
I myself will admit to being hesitant about the 3rd person view. I thought that it would make things difficult, not being able to see though Garret's eyes, especially when trying to position yourself JUST so. But from what I heard, with the ability to do things such as hug walls and such, it might just work out for the best. Think about games like "Tenchu:Wrath of Heaven". The only concern will be the camera angle. When sneaking up to a doorway, you want to be able to look through the door, not at the corner right behind Garret. But with the ability to switch between 1st and 3rd person views, that problem should be easily handled.

My response:
Well yes, gloves will make it easy… but that’s not the thief concept. If thieving were easy everyone would do it. I do know the pains of trying over and over to get the perfect shot. It depends on HOW the gloves are implemented. For example… you shouldn’t be able to use them if they are wet, or on certain surfaces. How they will handle this is still a question. Do the gloves supposedly have suction cups, rendering them useless on wood… or do they have small hooks… making them useless for metal?

One thing I DO NOT support is the third person concept. It removes the element of ones self. I’ve played enough console games, and FP style games to say that you seem to be more immersed in a world where you can not see you’re self. One thing that drove me nuts in Prince of Persia sands of time, a third person game, is that you can see around corners, and into doorways! If I am climbing up a wall for example, I should ONLY see what my eyes see in my head, on my person, next to the wall. I DO NOT expect to be able to switch to third person view and see above my position to see if a guard is there. This will RUIN the game play for me, and probably most true thief players.

The only advantage to third person view would be if you got in a tight spot, and have to fight to get out… (NOTE this is again NOT an original thief concept). Since they are implementing a system where you can kill, apparently a lot easier, they need to include dodge keys… thieves are supposed to be good at this… so why not have the keys there and then it would be easier to combat in third person perspective…. Come to think of it… a doge, or roll key would be usefull… say in a corridor where you have to move to the other side… low to the ground quickly after a guard passes… just a though on the dodge movement here… (probably a moot point as the game is already in alpha)

[Acronomic]

Originally posted by baxterrj
How they will handle this is still a question. Do the gloves supposedly have suction cups, rendering them useless on wood… or do they have small hooks… making them useless for metal?

--- No, it's clear that they are only gloves, to make it easier to scale brick walls.



One thing I DO NOT support is the third person concept.

--- Just don't use it!

[HOC]

Originally posted by baxterrj
... they need to include dodge keys… thieves are supposed to be good at this…

i think they have...kinda. from the "updated thief3.com" thread there are a bunch of new screenshots. in one of them (forget which) it looks like garret is dodging a sword thrust (not sidestepping). you'll probably know exactly what i mean if ya played jedi: outcast or jedi: academy...when ya hold down the "use" key and hit <- or -> direction keys, looks like garret's doing something like that.

[TheSaber]

Yes the load times would kill the mood of the game. Perhaps the ordinary levels will be fully loaded at the beginning but when you do the free roaming part it be the streets all laid out and then the interiors will be required to load.

[Squid]

Actually, I figure the City will be laid out in quaters, neighborhoods, or zones, and when you cross the borders is when the game will load. I believe each individual mission will be self contained in one load. No real evidence to support this; just my gut reaction, and I trust my gut.

Squid