The third game in the Thief series is upon us. It was developed by ION Storm Austin, with much of the original design team behind Thief 1 and Thief 2 on the project. Thief 3 uses an enhanced draft of the engine seen in Deus Ex 2, which was released early 2004. Thief 3 will feature mission structuring similar to Thief 1 & 2, but with the addition of a free-play city area that players must visit between missions and simply thieve to their heart's content until they are ready, or able, to begin their next mission. The game keeps the same style, atmosphere, and story elements as the previous titles, all while adding improved artificial intelect, beautifully designed scenery, and real time shadows which are realisticly cast and manipulated on the fly.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

2008 Fourth Quarter FM Review Released! - 8:11:56 PM - pavlovscat

The 2008 Fourth Quarter FM Review has been released. Check it out for a refresher of everything that happened in October, Novemer & December. There were 49 releases: 3 new TG missions; 40 T2 missions (16 new, 9 updated, 13 contest; 3 demos); 1 new T3 mission; 1 Dark Mod demo; 3 object & texture collections; 1 T2 Multi-Player Patch. Check out the review to see what you missed. Happy Taffing!

Friday, November 14, 2008

The Keeper for T3 by Savar Released! - 4:45:48 PM - pavlovscat

New Mission Released November 10, 2008 - The Keeper a mission for T3 by Savar The Mission: The Enforcers have split from the Keepers and took an important book from the Forbidden Library. The Keepers need to recover the book for it has been told that the book will disappear by the morning. They have offered to pay all Garrett's debts, so he agrees. The pagan Diana has also asked Garrett to try and prevent the mad pagan hiding somewhere in South Quarter from poisoning the Hammer's fountain with a special pagan artifact. She knows that this would lead to another slaughter as happened to the North Quarter Pagans a time ago. Garrett was also asked by Danvers to locate a murder weapon and the murder's gold medalion. Looks like a busy night, but Garrett stands to profit greatly. Impressions: The story takes place about a year after the events of TDS. Savar made a believable continuation to the original. Overall, I quite enjoyed the mission. Savar did an excellent job of conveying the feeling of change in South Quarter despite recycling the original map. I found this to be a very challenging mission. Master Thief is the only difficulty offered, and it is appropriately named. There are many places were reaching needed objects and places is tricky and frustrating, including reaching the place to end the mission. These areas should have been improved before the mission's release. In spite of the difficulties, the mission has good game play. You need to save up your loot to buy some climbing gloves. You cannot finish the mission without them. Stats: There is only one difficulty setting, Master Thief. I finished in 2 hrs 36 min with 96% of the loot. Screenshots: If you can't find that last object, head over to the Forum Discussion Thread for some help.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

New T3 NPC Skins by Tiens! - 12:43:40 AM - pavlovscat

T3 NPC Skins UPDATE: New Skins released October 16, 2008! The noble males & servant girls skins are ready. Download them here: Noble Males Golden Textures Sexy Female Servants Textures October 14, 2008 - Tiens released some beautiful new NPC skins for TDS. There are new looks for Mechanists, Aristocratic Ladies and City Ladies made for The Cabal, a mini-campaign which is in the works. The female pagan character skin used for Garrett in Silence Pt 1 was made for Cracked Gear. You can see pictures of the new skins in the Forum Discussion Thread. Download the texture packs here: Aristocratic Ladies Golden Textures City Ladies Textures Mechanists Textures Garrett as Lady Pagan Blue Textures It will be great to see these skins used in some FMs! Tiens is working on new skins for Servant Females and Noble Males, so keep an eye out for those!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Material Museum Texture Demo for T3 by Judith Released! - 5:37:55 PM - pavlovscat

New Demo Mission September 28, 2008 - Material Museum Texture Demo for T3 by Judith Texture Demo: The Flesh engine is capable of rendering some amazing textures. Judith has put together a playable demo of new textures showing the reflective and transparent qualities of various surfaces. There is even a lovely skybox. Many of the textures are displayed as moving surfaces to allow the viewer to show the reflective effect. I've given a few screen shots, but you really should see them for yourself to appreciate them fully. Judith has also given a short explanation of each texture in game to help you enjoy the effects. Screenshots: Have questions about using these beautiful textures in your TDS mission? Ask Judith at the Forum Discussion Thread.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

2008 Third Quarter FM Review Released! - 7:18:00 PM - pavlovscat

It's that time again! Time for the Third Quarter FM Review. This is a refresher of everything that happened in July, August & September. There were 30 releases in several categories: 2 TG mission updates, 20 new missions for T2 and 1 playable demo, 2 T3 missions (1 new, 1 updated), 1 Dark Mod demo, and 4 music tracks. Check out the review to see what you missed. Enjoy!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Lord Raven's Mansion & Avoiding Mistrust - 11:50:11 PM - pavlovscat

Two T3 Missions Updated mission released August 16, 2008 - Lord Raven's Mansion v1.2.2 a mission for T3 by DarkDragon The Mission: Lord Raven is new in town, and he's thrown a dinner party. The City's richest people are in attendance. Garrett managed to sneak in and hide in the cellar. Now it's time to collect some loot including three valuable statues that Lord Raven will likely have on display. Impressions: Lord Raven's Mansion was originally released October 09, 2005. DarkDragon updated the mission and released the new version along with the sequel. This is a straight-forward mansion mission. It is not a difficult mission but still entertaining. Problems: The save function does not work on Normal difficulty. Stats: I finished the mission on Hard in 39 minutes with 94% of the loot. Screenshots: New mission released August 16, 2008 - Avoiding Mistrust v1.1 a mission for T3 by DarkDragon The Mission: This is the sequel to Lord Raven's Mansion. Garrett's previous adventure at Lord Raven's mansion seems to have upset things. He has scheduled a meeting with the Captain of the City Watch at his newly constructed mansion. They are obviously up to something, so Garrett needs to get into the mansion and find out what is being planned. Impressions: This mansion mission shows DarkDragon's growth as a mission designer. There are many more options in game play, and the mansion itself is much more interesting. I had a lot of fun looting this place. The guards were more difficult to avoid, and the mission was more challenging than its predecessor. Overall, this is a solid mission with good game play. Problems: The save function does not work on Normal difficulty. Stats: I finished the mission on Hard in 94 minutes with 94% of the loot. Screenshots: Do you have any questions or comments about these two missions? Head over to the Forum Discussion Thread.

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Valley by Flux for T3 Released! - 10:00:42 PM - pavlovscat

New Mission Released June 4, 2008 - Valley for T3 by Flux with English & German language support The Mission: The pagans are planning a war with the Hammers. Garrett doesn't really care for either group, but a war would certainly make things uncomfortable for him. An undercover Keeper agent has infiltrated the pagan settlement. Garrett needs to contact this agent to get all the inside information he can so that this war can be stopped. While he's there, Garrett has some personal business with one of the pagan shamans to attend to as well. Impressions: I enjoyed the exotic locale. There are several interesting puzzles to figure out to complete the mission. There is a scary new monster that completely unnerved me. Also, the shamans have some unusual powers from which you will need to defend yourself. However, there are clues given throughout the mission to help you beat the bad guys. I would classify this as a city-style mission though the setting is a pagan settlement located in a remote valley. The settlement is a multi-level complex with several distinct areas to explore much as in a typical city. The surroundings are quite different because the pagan settlement is built into the caves of a mountain valley. Like Flux's previous mission, Cabot, this mission has much of the feeling of the original Thief missions in its gameplay which makes it a good starter mission for someone who has never played a TDS FM before. Screenshots: Here are a few samples from Flux's Gallery of Screenshots for this mission. Have questions about this mission or want to comment? Check out the Forum Discussion Thread.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Lord Julian's Labyrinth for T3 Released! - 5:38:15 PM - pavlovscat

New Mission Released April 26, 2008 - Lord Julian's Labyrinth a mission for T3 by Massimiliano Goi Updated to version 1.1 on May 01, 2008. The Mission: With the upheavals since Gamall is gone, Garrett has become the First Keeper. But in his heart, he's still a Master Thief. It is rumored that a great treasure in hidden within Lord Julian's Labyrinth. To keep his skills sharp, Garrett decided to see for himself what is there. But, no one can know that he was there...NO ONE! Impressions: You are wandering around through a maze trying to find a treasure. The environs are plain...tall, stone walls; however, the night sky is absolutely beautiful. This is a hard type of mission for me personally because I have virtually no sense of direction, but I did enjoy sneaking around past the guards. And, I found a drunk guard who gave me a good laugh. You must get through the labyrinth totally unnoticed, so you have no weapons. You must sneak your way to the treasure. Problems: I have not yet finished this mission. I am hoping for an update because, at this time, the quick-save/mission-save feature is not working for me. Reloading sends me back to the beginning of the mission. If this issue is addressed, I will certainly give it another try. The updated version has fixed several things including the quick-save/mission-save issues. I will give it another try and post my results soon. Screenshots: You can post questions and comments at the Forum Discussion Thread.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

2008 First Quarter FM Review Released - 8:35:24 PM - pavlovscat

I promised more frequent reviews, so here is the first quarterly review for 2008. The first three months of 2008 brought new missions, many updated missions, and some nice extras. This is a refresher of everything that has happened this quarter. The break down of FMs and related releases is as follows: 25 missions for T2 - 9 new (1 GER) & 16 updated; 3 missions for T3 - 1 new & 2 updated; 3 new Enhancement Packs; 1 Soundtrack; 2 Contests. The big change over last year's review is the addition of links to the appropriate Forum Discussion Threads. I hope this will make it easier for all you taffers who might need help or just have something to say. You can read the review here, or you can comment in the Forum Discussion Thread. Enjoy!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Silence Pt 1 for T3 Update Released - 5:07:23 PM - pavlovscat

Updated Fan Mission Re-released February 7, 2008 - Silence Part 1 v1.1 for T3 by CrackedGear The Mission: The setting for this mission is far in the future from TDS. You are playing a pagan who needs to cross the city to reach your contact at the shaman house. You do not have a blackjack, only a dagger and a few of the standard arrows. You must rely on sneaking to get around. You are allowed to kill AI, but this will often alert others and result in an untimely death. Sneaking is usually your best route, so Ghosters should enjoy this one. Impressions: If you played the previous version of Silence, forget all about it. This new, revamped version is something all together better. CrackedGear has made an amazing transformation in this new release with most of the previous problems corrected. The result is a beatiful mission I thouroughly enjoyed playing. This is not an easy mission. The lack of a blackjack makes many normally easy situations into ones where you must really think about a solution. You can kill AI, but everyone seems to have very good hearing. If you kill, be prepared to hide really well or run away because you will be eliminated. Experienced Ghosters should have few problems. The rest of us will be depending on the quick-save! For those who like a little humor, I thouroughly enjoyed the various AI comments. Here are a few that made me chuckle: "I'm a merchant you know, a very dangerous merchant." "If you come out, I'll give you a big surprise!" "Stop hiding now. Hiding never solved anything." "I heard IT. I bet IT can hear me, too." Given the many advances made for this update, I am really looking forward to what new things CrackedGear will have for us when Part 2 is released. Problems: This is a large, complex FM, so it will be choppy on older systems. There is only one game play issue that bothered me. The character is obviously not Garrett but speaks in Garrett's voice, is called Garrett by the pagans, and is refered to as "Thief" throughout the mission. This was an immersion-breaker. CrackedGear has made an amazing transformation with the look of the character, including the unforgettable, eerie, glowing-green eyes. Unfortunately, the transformation did not extend to the spoken parts. Hopefully, CrackedGear will have much luck in finding a fix for this issue in time for the release of Part 2. Have questions about this mission or want to comment? Check out the Forum Discussion Thread.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Hearts and Minds by Ziemanskye for T3 Released - 1:08:27 AM - pavlovscat

New Fan Mission Released January 12, 2008 - Hearts and Minds for T3 by Ziemanskye The Mission: Basso's master key ring has been siezed by the City Watch. You must break into the Rue Du Maine Officer's Club, find the key for the unpickable safe where Basso's keys are kept, get the keys and get out again with out anyone knowing you were there. Check out Ziemanskye's screenshots and see what others are saying about this mission in the Forum Discussion Thread.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Cabot by Flux for T3 Released - 4:13:39 PM - pavlovscat

New Fan Mission Released January 10, 2008 - Cabot for T3 by Flux The Mission: Cabot, a cartographer, had a sudden change in fortune allowing him to buy a nice mansion. He also has hired lots of security. A man with that much security surely has something to hide. Your job is to break into his mansion and find out how he gained his wealth. Screenshots: Check out Flux's screenshots. Post your comments and questions on the Forum Discussion Thread.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Thief 2 and Thief 3 Fan Missions - 3:26:32 PM - Dave

We have a couple of new Fan Missions for you today. The first is a nice and small Thief II mission title Treason and Plot, and the second is one of the few Thief III Fan Missions, titled Evict and weighs in at a hefty 61MB - Enjoy! Thief 2 Fan Mission Treason and Plot (v1)  Filesize: 1.5 MB  Released: 2/16/2006  readme.txt By: Nick Dablin Plot Description: You've been feeling lucky, so tonight you broke into the one place you've never attempted before - the Baron's castle. It's the biggest, most heavily guarded building in the city. However, you managed to sneak in and are ready to start thieving. You're creeping along a basement corridor when suddenly the floorboards give way under you and you plummet down into the blackness of a cave! You used up all your rope arrows just getting into the place and it's too high to climb out, so your only chance is to investigate these tunnels under the Baron's castle and find out what's going on... Thief 3 Fan Mission Evicted (v1)  Filesize: 61 MB  Released: 2/16/2006  readme.txt By: Nomad Plot Description: Garrett has had problems with his landlords and needs to make an example of his current landlord to ensure that this doesn't keep happening.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

New Fan Missions - 11:26:18 AM - Dave

There are a couple of new Fan Missions. A Thief 3 version of Creature Clash and a Thief 1 mission from Doaal! Thanks guys! Thief 3 Fan Mission Creature Clash 3 (v2) Filesize: 19.5 MB Released: 2/4/2006 readme.txt By: Dark Arrow Plot Description: This FM was done with fun in mind. It wasn't made to win the contest and I don't think it will, but I had fun making it and playing around with it. Anyway here is the Thief 3 version of Creature Clash (I'll leave the rest for the briefing screen). This is the newwer version which has a new play mode added: Player Melee combat Thief 1 / Gold Fan Mission Sepulchre of the Sinistral (v1) Filesize: 7.9 MB Released: 2/4/2006 readme.txt By: Doaal Plot Description: A few days ago, a contact of mine informed me that a spy had some information for me. Apparently this spy has been slowly relieving the Hammerites of their possessions. His name is Alexei, a rather scruffy looking fellow. When we met, I could tell by the way he looked at me that he was up to no good.... but the fact of the matter was that he had an assignment for me, and the rent needs to be paid. He wanted to sell me a key that would open the Tomb of Goladus. It's located in a Hammerite Shrine that was sealed off not too long ago, due to some catastrophe that left hundreds of Hammerites dead in its wake. Apparently there is a magic sword that is sealed down there, as well as numerous other treasures and trinkets. Even if the seal should break, few would dare to venture into the depths of that cursed tomb. I have a bad feeling about this, but I accepted his proposition anyway and bought the Earth Ward. Now all I have to do is open the seal on Goladus' Tomb, and help myself to its treasures. The payoff should be worth the risks; if the rumors I've heard are true, then the amount of treasure buried down in the tomb is enormous. Time to get my equipment ready; I have a feeling this won't be easy.

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Thief 3 tools by Shadowspawn - 3:54:28 PM - Dave

So you're making your very own Thief 3 mission with T3ED and you'd like to alter the static meshes that shipped with the game? Well, now you can thanks to Shadowspan. He's created a set of tools to convert the TIM files into 3DS format. Well. I have no idea how to use them, so I'll leave you with a couple of download links (You'll need both) - one to Free the Objects and one to TIMtoE - and a link to Shadowspan's thread on our forums. Thanks, Shadowspawn!