Update, part I

Well, the long weekend is over, and I'm suffering from a cold. Very low energy. I'm at work, but a massive synch from the long weekend is still going on, so I can't actually do any work.

It's June. There are strawberries. Yay! Was too tired/damp to pick them this morning though. Barbara picked a pint yesterday, though. Oh, yeah, Barbara's back as a house guest for a week. Guess Maine isn't *quite* as exciting after all.

Sunday was Prisoner Fest. Was fun. 2 people there had never seen any of it, and a third had never seen the ending. Much brain mangling :-) I hadn't planned any book-loaning, but rufinia ended up going home with several books anyway.

Speaking of which, a heads-up for loanees: Don't "bring me back" anything at dance practice this week. I won't be there, as I'll be escorting kestrell to another awards dinner at U Mass. Graduation party on Friday!

Spent much of the rest of the weekend playing Thief, but that's for another post.

Update, part I

Well, the long weekend is over, and I'm suffering from a cold. Very low energy. I'm at work, but a massive synch from the long weekend is still going on, so I can't actually do any work.

It's June. There are strawberries. Yay! Was too tired/damp to pick them this morning though. Barbara picked a pint yesterday, though. Oh, yeah, Barbara's back as a house guest for a week. Guess Maine isn't *quite* as exciting after all.

Sunday was Prisoner Fest. Was fun. 2 people there had never seen any of it, and a third had never seen the ending. Much brain mangling :-) I hadn't planned any book-loaning, but rufinia ended up going home with several books anyway.

Speaking of which, a heads-up for loanees: Don't "bring me back" anything at dance practice this week. I won't be there, as I'll be escorting kestrell to another awards dinner at U Mass. Graduation party on Friday!

Spent much of the rest of the weekend playing Thief, but that's for another post.

Thief - interim report

So, I got the new Thief game (Thief: Deadly Shadows, aka Thief 3). I worked on the original Thief game as QA, and it's one of my all-time favorite games. Any one who has worked in QA themselves will realize how unusual it is to see those two concepts in proximity :-)

This installment came out from a new company, with a new engine, and there was significant doubt in the fan community whether or not it would live up to its heritage. I spent about a day and a half playing it this weekend, and, while I am less than half way through (I think), I can say quite firmly that this is a worthy Thief game. Yes, there are many changes, but the core experience is very much intact.

As always, Thief is largely about "negative space" gameplay. Much of the excitement and tension comes during times when the player isn't physically doing anything, but just waiting. Observing patrol patterns. Waiting for someone to walk close enough to be pickpocketed (but hopefully not so close as to notice you). Waiting to see if an alert guard manages to find your hiding place. Eavesdropping on other people's conversations. In the newest version, waiting in shadow on the city streets until there's a gap in pedestrian traffic large enough to get you to your next hiding spot.
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Thief - interim report

So, I got the new Thief game (Thief: Deadly Shadows, aka Thief 3). I worked on the original Thief game as QA, and it's one of my all-time favorite games. Any one who has worked in QA themselves will realize how unusual it is to see those two concepts in proximity :-)

This installment came out from a new company, with a new engine, and there was significant doubt in the fan community whether or not it would live up to its heritage. I spent about a day and a half playing it this weekend, and, while I am less than half way through (I think), I can say quite firmly that this is a worthy Thief game. Yes, there are many changes, but the core experience is very much intact.

As always, Thief is largely about "negative space" gameplay. Much of the excitement and tension comes during times when the player isn't physically doing anything, but just waiting. Observing patrol patterns. Waiting for someone to walk close enough to be pickpocketed (but hopefully not so close as to notice you). Waiting to see if an alert guard manages to find your hiding place. Eavesdropping on other people's conversations. In the newest version, waiting in shadow on the city streets until there's a gap in pedestrian traffic large enough to get you to your next hiding spot.
( More Details )