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 Features
GDC Radio:
'Design Fundamentals of Stealth Gameplay in the Thief Series'
Gamasutra is proud to present a series of weekly podcasts will alternate between two sources under the overarching GDC Radio brand - the Gamasutra podcast, a new original podcast show, and GDC Radio Archives, which will feature exclusively the best lectures, tutorials, and roundtables from this and previous years' Game Developers Conference.
We are proud to present this free latest GDC Radio lecture from our extensive archive of Game Developers Conference recordings. This week, we take a trip back to 2002, with Ion Storm's then-Project Director Randy Smith discussing stealth gameplay fundamentals in the Thief series. The lecture provided what was then an early glimpse at the mechanics of the third entry in the series, Thief: Deadly Shadows, which premiered on store shelves over two years later. Although Ion Storms closed its doors in early 2005, and Smith is now doing contract work on games such as the upcoming film adaptation Open Season and franchise continuation Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, the design theory presented in this lecture remains as solid and relevant today as it was four years ago.
 GDC Radio:
Design Fundamentals of Stealth Gameplay in the Thief Series
Randy Smith - Project Director, Ion Storm
Length - 58:11
This presentation deconstructs the stealth gameplay in the Thief series of games by using the design concept of analog interaction structures. Analog interaction structures (roughly, a collection of player-influenced, interacting game systems) contrast with discrete interaction structures by creating environments where open-ended player expression is possible. Analog interaction structures empower players with meaningful choices in the game world and enable players to make plans and take actions that do not require explicit designer support. These qualities are essential not only to stealth in Thief but to other types of core gameplay in any number of products that enjoy both critical and financial success.
This presentation lists and describes the elements of analog interaction structures, discusses the boundaries between analog interaction structures and discrete interaction structures, and illustrates how analog interaction structures enable meaningful, open-ended player expression. In order to illustrate concepts, examples are drawn from Thief and many other games.
Takeaway: Attendees learn how to implement analog interaction structures and apply them appropriately to their own game designs. They also learn how analog interaction structures can be a tool to create completely new types of gameplay.
Intended Audience/Prerequisite: This lecture benefits any designer who wants a new analytical tool for creating open-ended gameplay and empowering player expression. A passing knowledge of stealth gameplay in the Thief series is helpful but not necessary.
You can now now download the 'Design Fundamentals of Stealth Gameplay in the Thief Series' GDC Radio lecture (.MP3, 13.3 MB).
[In addition, you can subscribe to GDCRadio.net podcast using iTunes and searching the directory for GDC Radio or by clicking this link. You can manually add the GDCRadio podcast to your iTunes by using the Subscribe to Podcast option from the Advanced menu. When it asks for the URL enter feeds.feedburner.com/GDCRadio.]
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You can find out more about the CMP Game Group's audio offerings, including pay-to-download audio proceedings from this and previous GDC conferences, at GDCRadio.net. Additionally, for the month of June 2006 only, we are pleased to offer a special $2.99 price for all GDCRadio.net downloads in our entire archive. Get 'em while they're cheap!
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