Also, while we've concentrated on the spell system and laying the groundwork on combat, there's one more elusive skillset that we haven't talked too much about... Something particularly near and dear to Tim and I's heart.
Yep... Stealth.
We won't be doing a 1:1 version of LookingGlass' Thief: The Dark Project, but will provide stealth skills that let you short-circuit encounters through avoidance, escape, and trickery. For a thief, the success or failure of a melee encounter is often determined by how it begins. Preparation is hugely important. Stealth skills often call for careful preparation to take advantage of specific circumstances, requiring you to plan ahead in order to make your abilities count.
Of course, AI is a big part of making stealth gameplay work. Tim has already created the basic groundwork of the system, which is following pretty closely the original Thief model: speed matters, light matters, and sound is also important. Many baseline beasties might react like the guards in Thief, but you never know if some of the other fantastic creatures in this world will be fooled by your skulking ways.
What aspects of stealth gameplay do you like most? Share with our devs and other fans
on our forums.
