The Thief Series - Discussion

So, I was wondering if any other tropers have been in contact with this, in my humble opinion, absolutely wonderful series. Probably one of the most original, intelligent and spooky games of the period.

I really like the series (whose first two games were called "Dark Project" in Germany[/uselesstrivia]). Especially the third game. Now that I have a mouse for my laptop, I could actually play it again...

What's rather sucky (if not downright infuriating) is that the first two games don't work on modern PCs. Fucking Dark Engine...

Actually the second worked on my XP computer. That is, until the middle of a certain mission that takes place on the roofs of that other city (that actually has a name), where it crashed like the first (and System Shock 2). To add insult to injury, it seems to be the most popular mission.

Anyway, one of the most awesome things about Deadly Shadows is the Shalebridge Cradle. It's one of the few things in video games that actually scared me.

edited 10th Aug '11 5:34:04 AM by Nyarly

I really want to try Thief but I can never figure out how to get it to work on my PC. Do I need Dosbox or something?

Considering that it's a Windows game, probably not. But good luck getting it to work with Windows XP or later...

Hmmm this is the thread on Eidos's forums...I'll try this out and see if the game works after I finish Torment (almost there!). If anyone tries this out and it works can you post here and let us know?

It crashed on Life of the Party, the Angelwatch infiltration mission? Man, that's brutal. It really is the best mission of 2, too. The non-horror equivalent of 3's Cradle level.

I love all three games immensely, although the third one was a bit consolized for my tastes; I felt that 2 had the best gameplay and 1 the best story, although 3 implemented factions and city zones rather well, imho. Been trying to find a copy of the Thief edition with the bonus gold levels without success for a while now.

I wasn't aware that the first two games had such problems running on modern systems. Last time I played 2, the only problem I had was the movies not playing; and those, of course, you can watch on Youtube or play the raw files for anyway. That's really depressing to hear that others are having more trouble; the games aren't THAT old, and are really irreplaceable in so many ways both in terms of fun gameplay and artistic presentation.

edited 10th Aug '11 7:08:56 AM by Karkadinn

Yeah, I've only had the problem with the movies not playing as well.

I do see that The Dark Project is available at Gamersgate, and I have yet to see a digital copy of The Metal Age anywhere. I would like to get my hands upon those two.

As for Deadly Shadows, it's by no means those two, but I still like it (in fact I have it on my Steam account).

Now comes the question: Would Thief 1 actually work on my computer without requiring a patch if I were to get it from Gamersgate?

edited 10th Aug '11 9:09:13 AM by EarlOfSandvich

I'm using the Sold Out version of the first two games on XP - they usually make games work better on modern systems, and it's running flawlessly. Most other distributors, like Gamersgate, probably do the same.

And, if possible, try to get Thief Gold instead of The Dark Project, since it's the updated rerelease.

Also, a question for everyone - Hammerites or Pagans?

edited 10th Aug '11 11:13:28 AM by MilosStefanovic

Pagans. Not likesy those iron men.

I enjoy fucking around with the Hammerites. Their reactions are always much funnier than Pagans.

None or both. Both are kinda dicks.

Although I have slightly more affection for the Hammerites, due to theire butcherede Englishe. The pagans, on the other hand, talk like they have a collective speech impediment. Which may be very well the case. They are pretty nuts in general.

Isn't there some kind of patch, with which one can play the old games on modern systems?

As of now, its straightforward to play the games. Both GOG and Steam have plug-and-play copies.

As for the question, I'd say the Hammerites. Yes, they are dicks, but they are largely honest, productive dicks. Be honest: if you were living in the setting, wouldn't you find them a lot more comforting a concept than any other faction in the game? They are a lot less corrupt than anyone else, actively work to protect people from supernatural threats, and build technologies that make life better for everyone. The only people who don't like them are Pagans ( who largely hate civilization and want to bring it crashing down ) and criminals ( who are, um, criminals ).

The Thief 1 and 2 downloadables available from GOG.com run just fine on my Windows 7 system, so they'll likely work on XP too.

I can confirm that for Thief 1, at least. I got my copy of Thief 1 from GOG, and ran it on my XP system. Never encountered a problem.