Thief 4 - Interview @ Eidos Montreal Community

Eidos contributor Adam Badke has a brief interview with Game Director Nic Cantin.

Hey Nic‚ tell us: is Thief a 1st or 3rd person game?

1st person!

Are there any 3rd person elements?

Yes‚ we do have some 3rd person elements – but they’re really kept to a
minimum‚ we don’t have a lot. 3rd person is used to improve your
awareness of your surroundings – for example‚ during vertical
navigation. We’re really taking particular care to make sure that we’re
not jarring players back-and-forth between cameras.

How would you describe the pace of the game?

We want to give the player a choice about pacing. It’s really up to the
player to decide how to use the tools at their disposal to define their
own pace.

Will fighting/combat ever be the best choice to take?

If you do choose to take that kind of approach you’ll be challenged by
both the guards and the environment/level design – people are certainly
going to react to your behavior!

Would you say Garrett is a Superhero/Ninja/Action hero?

(laughs) No. Garrett is Garrett. He’s a thief. He’s THE Master Thief.

Does Garrett’s updated look reflect anything specific in gameplay?

Yeah‚ Garrett is a capable guy and I definitely think that’s reflected
in his costume. But if you look at the old Garrett I don’t think we’ve
changed him that much. He’s still that same dark guy‚ but with more
elements to reflect his new abilities.

What are the “action moves” that have been discussed in past coverage?
How do they work and are you able to fight without using them?

Yes – I think fans will be happy to hear that old school style melee
combat is still there like the classic Thief games‚ and it’s just as
challenging. We’ve also added an extra layer on top of that to empower
the player‚ Garrett has the option to use his Focus ability to give him
a temporary advantage if players choose – but it comes at a cost.

So you’re saying classic melee combat is still in the game?

Yeah – and the blackjack’s back as well!