Eidos announced the development of "Thief 4" (also called "Thi4f") as early as last year, but since then we've heard nary a murmur about the state of the game's development or what it's going to be like. Here are ten features that should make it into the game.
#10 A Return of Garrett
Garrett is the heart and soul of the Thief series. A game without the mechanical-eyed Garrett would be a Thief game only in name–even if he isn’t the protagonist.
#9 Role-playing Elements
Garrett, or whoever the protagonist of the next Thief game is, should grow in skill and expertise as he (or she) ventures through the story and comes to command experience. Allowing the player to specialize the player character in specific skills would allow for the game to be experienced in a myriad of different ways in each subsequent playthrough.
#8 Wide-open Areas
The first two Thief games featured wide open areas and extensive mansions that allowed Garrett to wander almost freely with very few loading screens. The third game was sadly hampered by the limitations of the Xbox console and gave the player the feeling of being locked into a series of compartments. “Thief 4” should offer players the same freedom of movement as the first two games, if not more.
#7 Diverse Missions and Objectives
There should be more to do in the game besides pilfering expensive objects from the rich. After all, a thief is capable of performing many tasks that utilize his expertise.
#6 Environment Interaction
The world with which you interact in “Thief 4” should be as reactive to your actions as you are to it. You’re every bit a part of the world, and as a master thief, even the shadows are your tools. Extinguish light with water arrows and create arcs of shadow in which to hide by manipulating the environment around you.
#5 Choices and Consequences
“Thief 4” needn’t be a linear affair. It should feature branching storylines based on the choices the player makes throughout the game, with each action leaving an impact on the overall storyline.
#4 Realistic AI
The inhabitants of the world in “Thief 4” should give the impression that they’re actually a part of the world they live in, and display realistic attributes like dozing off, wandering around and acting afraid or suspicious of the noises they hear instead of simply behaving like mindless, roving sentries.
#3 Replay Value
With choices and consequences, the game will have an extended value as a game, meant to be played and replayed for the player to experience variously different outcomes. Replaying the game shouldn’t simply be limited to choices the player makes within the story, but also the manner in which the game is played. Do you walk the path of subtlety, or murder?
#2 Faithful to the Original Thief Games
The setting should remain firmly in the steampunk metropolis depicted in the previous Thief games, where a corrupt aristocracy, an order of religious fanatics and vengeful nature-worshipping pagans fight for dominance.
#1 Focus on Stealth
The game should place a very strong focus on stealth and skulking over murder and assassination. “Thief 4” shouldn’t be another “Assassin’s Creed.” The player should be able to hide in the shadows, pickpocket, and pilfer the belongings of hapless victims without ever having to resort to violence.
