Thief II: The Metal Age
Encyclopedia
Thief II: The Metal Age is a 2000 first-person stealth game developed by Looking Glass Studios
and published by Eidos Interactive
. The sequel to Thief: The Dark Project
, the game's plot follows Garrett, a master thief, as he attempts to uncover a conspiracy in a medieval, steampunk
city. The player assumes the role of Garrett and undertakes missions that range from theft, to kidnapping, to sabotage.
Utilizing the same Dark Engine
that powered the original Thief, Thief II has an almost identical look and feel, with only minor graphical and programming improvements. It was followed by a sequel, Thief: Deadly Shadows
, in 2004.
In order to assist the focus on stealth, the game uses large levels, which are strategically populated by enemies, items and objectives, and can take upwards of two hours to complete. Several technological additions were also made in-game, including cameras and mechanical sentries introduced by the Mechanists faction. The game is split into linear missions that follow the game's story. Missions include escorting a character, breaking and entering and casing buildings.
and Eidos Interactive
to create four new games in the Thief series.
The game utilizes the upgraded version of the game engine
, the Dark Engine
, used in System Shock 2
. It supports 16-bit color, more polygons in character models, larger textures, color light and weather effects. Other changes include an increase in the number of AI
behaviors, some guards to raise an alarm rather than try and fight, and their awareness levels will increase if they see something out of place. Items have been upgraded or introduced, such as a remote camera and flares. Supernatural enemies such as zombies were mostly removed.
Cooperative gameplay for up to four players was originally announced but this did not appear in the final game. One planned gameplay mode, dubbed "Theftmatch", saw players on opposing teams racing to steal the most in an NPC
guarded building.
GameFan wrote, "If you liked Thief, you'll love Thief 2: The Metal Age; it's more of the stuff that made Thief great, with less of the annoying stuff".
Several reviewers praised the removal of the perceived combat-oriented levels of the original game.
found its story "slight".
Vincent Lopez, writing for IGN, commented: "A big part of Thief's strength comes in the storyline, which is dark, completely original, and absolutely enthralling"
went out of business, a group of fan developers under the banner of The Dark Engineering Guild created an extension to the Thief universe. In 2005, the result was an unofficial Thief II expansion pack titled Thief 2X: Shadows of the Metal Age.
The game presents a new protagonist, a young woman named Zaya. She has journeyed to the City to meet her cousin Kedar and start a new life. Things take an unexpected turn though and she soon gets drawn into a murky world of crime and deceit as events spiral beyond her control. The story takes place approximately the same time as the Thief II timeline. The game has features similar to those in retail Looking Glass games: complex level design, a lengthy campaign, pre-rendered introduction and ending sequences, original music, new voice acting, original artwork, and animated mission briefings.
Thief2X received significant gaming press coverage prior to and after release. PC Gamer magazine stated it was "one of the most impressive achievements of any fan community for any game." In a discussion of game modding in general, Computer Games magazine called it "Arguably the biggest and best mod of the past year." Jolt Online said that for a fan of the Thief series "there was simply no excuse not to play T2X".
Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
and published by Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
. The sequel to Thief: The Dark Project
Thief: The Dark Project
Thief: The Dark Project is a 1998 first-person stealth game developed for Windows by Looking Glass Studios and published by Eidos Interactive...
, the game's plot follows Garrett, a master thief, as he attempts to uncover a conspiracy in a medieval, steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
city. The player assumes the role of Garrett and undertakes missions that range from theft, to kidnapping, to sabotage.
Utilizing the same Dark Engine
Dark Engine
The Dark Engine is the computer game engine used for the Looking Glass Studios games Thief: The Dark Project , Thief II: The Metal Age , and the Looking Glass/Irrational Games title System Shock 2 .-Features:...
that powered the original Thief, Thief II has an almost identical look and feel, with only minor graphical and programming improvements. It was followed by a sequel, Thief: Deadly Shadows
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Thief: Deadly Shadows is a stealth video game in which the player takes the role of Garrett, a master thief. It is set in a fantasy/steampunk world resembling a cross between the Late Middle Ages and the Victorian era, with more advanced technologies interspersed...
, in 2004.
Gameplay
Gameplay itself remains mostly unchanged, but based on feedback from the previous installment combat and action elements were de-emphasized in order to focus more on stealth gameplay.In order to assist the focus on stealth, the game uses large levels, which are strategically populated by enemies, items and objectives, and can take upwards of two hours to complete. Several technological additions were also made in-game, including cameras and mechanical sentries introduced by the Mechanists faction. The game is split into linear missions that follow the game's story. Missions include escorting a character, breaking and entering and casing buildings.
Plot
The plot continues some time after the events of the first game. The "Metal Age" has come, and the city has changed with new technology, like cameras and steam powered robots, brought forth by the Mechanists, the current most powerful religion in the city. The sheriff Gorman Truart rules over the city attempting to clean up the streets, including the cynical protagonist, Garrett, who wants nothing to do with saving the world. Like the original Thief, the story takes place in three "Acts"—each one "punctuated by a cutscene that will further progress the storyline", according to Thief II level designer Emil Pagliarulo. The first Act sees Garrett as a "master thief, performing classic thieving runs", while, in the second, he becomes more of a "private investigator" character. In the third Act, Garrett is cast as a "James Bond-type agent, working from a 'base' and setting out to accomplish specific missions".Characters
- Garrett: The master thief continues his life of crime, which has become somewhat difficult given the advent of new technology provided by the Mechanists, a spin-off sect of Hammerites that have become a major influence in the city. Soon enough, Garrett again finds himself in a middle of a plot that threatens the very balance of civilization; a balance the secret Keeper Order is trying to preserve.
- Sheriff Gorman Truart: A corruptPolice corruptionPolice corruption is a specific form of police misconduct designed to obtain financial benefits, other personal gain, or career advancement for a police officer or officers in exchange for not pursuing, or selectively pursuing, an investigation or arrest....
medieval lawman who becomes the leader of the City Watch and the apparent main antagonist in Thief II. Truart oppresses the people, collects bribesBriberyBribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
, implements outrageous taxTaxTo tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
es, brutally suppresses the criminal element, and seems to have a particular personal grudge against Garrett. Truart regards the law not as an end in itself, but rather as a means for those with power (specifically, himself) to control those without. Despite his corruption and questionable morality, he did dramatically modernize the Watch, improve its efficiency, and introduce a standardized blue uniform by the time of Thief II, although not all of the Watchmen are fully up to date with the new system (some can occasionally be heard forgetting the numerical codeLaw enforcement jargonLaw enforcement jargon refers to a large body of acronyms, abbreviations, codes and slang used by law enforcement personnel to provide quick concise descriptions of people, places, property and situations, in both spoken and written communication. These vary between countries and to a lesser extent...
they need to report a crime in progress). Due to Truart's modernization efforts and his close links with the Mechanists, the Watch headquarters at Shoalsgate Station are bristling with new technology during the second game.
- Father Karras: A brilliant inventor, sociopath, geniusGeniusGenius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
, and prophetProphetIn religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
who split from the Hammerite organization to found his own faction, the Mechanists, and later becomes the game's primary antagonist. He and his organization play a major role in Thief II' s story. While still a Hammerite, Karras invented the mechanical eyeOcular prosthesisAn ocular prosthesis or artificial eye replaces an absent natural eye following an enucleation, evisceration, or orbital exenteration. The prosthetic fits over an orbital implant and under the eyelids. Often referred to as a glass eye, the ocular prosthesis roughly takes the shape of a convex...
and gave it to Garrett as a gift. Karras suffers from an extreme speech impedimentSpeech disorderSpeech disorders or speech impediments are a type of communication disorders where 'normal' speech is disrupted. This can mean stuttering, lisps, etc. Someone who is unable to speak due to a speech disorder is considered mute.-Classification:...
, yet somehow is highly charismatic and able to command the loyalties of numerous followers, despite the fact he secretly despises most organic life. He charms the nobility into taking his "Servants" (vagabondsVagabond (person)A vagabond is a drifter and an itinerant wanderer who roams wherever they please, following the whim of the moment. Vagabonds may lack residence, a job, and even citizenship....
, beggarsBeggingBegging is to entreat earnestly, implore, or supplicate. It often occurs for the purpose of securing a material benefit, generally for a gift, donation or charitable donation...
, lepersLeprosyLeprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
and prostitutesProstitutionProstitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
converted into placid slaves via ancient, bizarre enslavement masks salvaged from the destroyed city of Karath-Din) who are equipped with a gas canister. This gas feeds on organic matter, using it to fuel a chain reactionChain reactionA chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events....
. He plans to wipe the City clean of life to create a mechanical "Paradise."
- Lieutenant Mosley: A member of the City Watch under Sheriff Truart, and one of his two lieutenants. Unlike Truart, Mosley is a solid, honest officer, and her conscience eventually causes her to question Truart's brutal methods despite her admiration of the way he has cut down crime. Mosley eventually forms an alliance with the Pagans to bring down Truart, framing Truart's other sycophantic Lieutenant and eventually providing keys to his mansion to his Pagan assassin.
- Viktoria: A former enemy of Garrett and right-hand of the now-deceased Pagan god Trickster himself, Viktoria, the mysterious dryad from the chaotic world of nature, is a last major leader of Pagan religion that exists in and around the City. She is forced to create an unholy alliance with Garrett in order to stop Karras and his plot of life extermination.
- Keeper Artemus: Artemus is the Keeper who Garrett attempted to steal from in the beginning of the first game, and was the one who introduced him to the Keepers. He accompanies two Keepers who summon Garrett to the Keeper Libraries after Garrett arrives at his safe house. Artemis helps Garrett by giving him information on who wanted him dead. He finally tracks down Garrett on personal emotion to inform him that Viktoria is assaulting the cathedral, towards the end.
Development
Thief II was announced in May 1999, as part of a development agreement between Looking Glass StudiosLooking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
and Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
to create four new games in the Thief series.
The game utilizes the upgraded version of the game engine
Game engine
A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...
, the Dark Engine
Dark Engine
The Dark Engine is the computer game engine used for the Looking Glass Studios games Thief: The Dark Project , Thief II: The Metal Age , and the Looking Glass/Irrational Games title System Shock 2 .-Features:...
, used in System Shock 2
System Shock 2
System Shock 2 is a 1999 first-person action role-playing video game, designed by Ken Levine for Microsoft Windows. The title is a sequel to the 1994 PC game System Shock, and was co-developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios...
. It supports 16-bit color, more polygons in character models, larger textures, color light and weather effects. Other changes include an increase in the number of AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
behaviors, some guards to raise an alarm rather than try and fight, and their awareness levels will increase if they see something out of place. Items have been upgraded or introduced, such as a remote camera and flares. Supernatural enemies such as zombies were mostly removed.
Cooperative gameplay for up to four players was originally announced but this did not appear in the final game. One planned gameplay mode, dubbed "Theftmatch", saw players on opposing teams racing to steal the most in an NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
guarded building.
Reception
Thief II received positive reviews from critics. Many noted its similarities to the original Thief. The game's graphics were commonly cited as a weak point.Technical design
Herold of The New York Times praised the game's artificial intelligence, which he believed was a "remarkable impersonation of real intelligence".GameFan wrote, "If you liked Thief, you'll love Thief 2: The Metal Age; it's more of the stuff that made Thief great, with less of the annoying stuff".
Several reviewers praised the removal of the perceived combat-oriented levels of the original game.
Story and direction
Charles Herold of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
found its story "slight".
Vincent Lopez, writing for IGN, commented: "A big part of Thief's strength comes in the storyline, which is dark, completely original, and absolutely enthralling"
Aftermath
Despite Thief IIs fast sales, Looking Glass did not receive the money from royalties quickly enough. As a result, the company was closed, with Thief II their last release. A follow-up, Thief II Gold, was in development, but it was canceled, alongside several other projects, as a result of the company's closure.Fan expansion
After Looking Glass StudiosLooking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
went out of business, a group of fan developers under the banner of The Dark Engineering Guild created an extension to the Thief universe. In 2005, the result was an unofficial Thief II expansion pack titled Thief 2X: Shadows of the Metal Age.
The game presents a new protagonist, a young woman named Zaya. She has journeyed to the City to meet her cousin Kedar and start a new life. Things take an unexpected turn though and she soon gets drawn into a murky world of crime and deceit as events spiral beyond her control. The story takes place approximately the same time as the Thief II timeline. The game has features similar to those in retail Looking Glass games: complex level design, a lengthy campaign, pre-rendered introduction and ending sequences, original music, new voice acting, original artwork, and animated mission briefings.
Thief2X received significant gaming press coverage prior to and after release. PC Gamer magazine stated it was "one of the most impressive achievements of any fan community for any game." In a discussion of game modding in general, Computer Games magazine called it "Arguably the biggest and best mod of the past year." Jolt Online said that for a fan of the Thief series "there was simply no excuse not to play T2X".