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Ion Storm: Warren Spector Interview @ Gamer.tv
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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
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Ion Storm: Warren Spector Interview @ Gamer.tv
   

Gamer.tv sat down for a chat with Ion Storm's Warren Spector a couple of weeks ago to <a href="http://www.gamer.tv/page/feature/23147057.htm" target="_blank">discuss</a> the Euro release of DX:IW and the upcoming Thief 3:<blockquote><em>Gamer.tv: Looking at some of the feedback on Invisible War from North American PC players, they seem to think that you've compromised the interface for Xbox, rather than sticking with a PC-centric one. How do you respond to that - and will you be making similar choices for Thief: Deadly Shadows? <br> <br>WS: It's just not true! I can't tell you how close the Invisible War HUD is to the original concept I had back in 1997-1998, the concept I wanted to get into the first Deus Ex game. I wanted the HUD to look like it was mapped onto the player's eyeball using Nanites, but I never got that across to the art director. We finally managed to sell it to the Invisible War team though, so it [the interface] was exactly what we wanted it to be. I love the interface in Invisible War! <br> <br>The interesting thing about Thief's user interface is that the original's was actually conceived with consoles in mind. If you look back at Thief I, translating its UI to a console would be trivially simple. And so, we kind of feel like we're taking Thief where it was always intended to be.</em></blockquote>
Post Thu Feb 19, 2004 8:41 am
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Kloetenotto
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This guy was once my hero. But the more I read from him in recent times the more he becomes my most hated man in the gaming industry (after Harvey of course).

Not only did they make DX2 a crappy XBox port, now he even has a nerve to claim our beloved Thief was always intended to be a console game

WS: That's right, we're not calling it Thief III any more, we're calling it Thief: Deadly Shadows. I think it's a terrific name - I wish I could claim that I thought of it! It sums up everything that Thief is all about - you being a deadly sneak, trying to avoid detection and hiding in the shadows.

Oh Warren . Deadly Shadows must be the most unoriginal, boring name after "thief: a(n XBox) game where you play a thief" I could think of.

I still have hopes for T3... sorry, T: DS ... but it's getting harder with every word I read about it.
Post Thu Feb 19, 2004 8:54 am
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fatBastard()
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"The interesting thing about Thief's user interface is that the original's was actually conceived with consoles in mind. If you look back at Thief I, translating its UI to a console would be trivially simple. And so, we kind of feel like we're taking Thief where it was always intended to be."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the villain's infamous and stereotypical attempt to justify his heinous crimes towards humanity

I too used to consider Warren Spector as a kind of hero, but now he has become the ultimate proof of human corruptibility and I hope he got a damn good price for his soul
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Post Thu Feb 19, 2004 1:07 pm
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Shevek
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Spector used to constantly talk about the importance of consequences for player actions, the importance of small immersion center details (volumetric inventory, first person perpective, etc etc) to draw the player into the game, and so on. Now he is talking about how he always wanted to make console games and how Thief was designed to be played on the N64.

Spector games are dead to the PC market that put them on the map by supporting them for all these years. He is a sellout and all his little interviews have stopped sounding like frank expressions concerning the industry and more like shameless self promoting lies. Frankly, I'm just happy he can't butcher the System Shock series the way he has ruined Deus Ex and will ruin Thief.
Post Thu Feb 19, 2004 6:11 pm
 
Shevek
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Also, the 1UP preview of Thief:DS makes it pretty clear that Specter no longer gives a damn about his loyal fanbase. He wrote something along the lines of "The team's mantra is to stop making games for MIT grads" to have them reach a "wider audience."
Post Thu Feb 19, 2004 6:16 pm
 
LongDong
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My god Spector.... what a shame what he has become.

" And so, we kind of feel like we're taking Thief where it was always intended to be."

Ok. buddy....yer taking a PC only game an taking it where it was MEANT to be... gimme a break. If Thief WAS a console game, it would have gotten made on the consoles long ago.

Also what's his whole deal with "Ohhhh I ALWAYS WANTED the hud in DiX Suk 1 to be like an eye" crap. He is trying to save face by not admiting what a crap-ass idea it is and how it's how he ALWAYS envisoined it.... Gimme a break, they coulda done that 10 years ago if they really wanted to.

WARREN SPECTOR SUX aZz.
Post Fri Feb 20, 2004 3:04 am
 
Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
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Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia
   

Some of the comments here are a *bit* strong for me but I generally agree. The eyeball UI might be a great "Man, What if -" to toss around the office but any designer should be able to see it's a lousy idea in practice.

It's frustrating reading Spector's interview comments on the lack of industry innovation while his own company only seeks to broaden the appeal of existing franchises into mainstream markets. It also drives me mad reading "I told Harvey Smith 'That's a terrible idea! But then he convinced me...'"
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Post Fri Feb 20, 2004 4:34 am
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Roqua
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RPGS have been continously dumbed down over the years to appeal to a wider audience. Speeding up combat and making it so easy as to never be a challenge was the first step. Adding an element that an RPG had and then calling the action game an rpg was the next. Taking all form of thought or thinking out of the games so a 4 year old retard could play them came after. Now they are making them portable to consoles, or for consoles only (fable, kung-fu game by bioware, probably others).

The genre is now saturated with with moron players that love action and no challenge or thinking. Developers are wrecking not just dues ex or thief, they are wrecking real rpgs and following the dollar.
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Post Fri Feb 20, 2004 5:39 am
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Thief: Deadly Shadows is such terrific name! How making even more awesome with something like: Thief: Deadly Shadows of Danger or Thief:Deadly Shadows of Death! WOW!
Post Fri Feb 20, 2004 5:53 am
 
Kloetenotto
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Just had to quote this one from ZylonBane on the IonStorm Boards:



"Invisible War is doing very well, we're getting great review scores.
Developing on the X-Box was no problem.
Thief: Deadly Shadows is a terrific name."
Post Fri Feb 20, 2004 10:58 am
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