Greetings taffers. This is the second in a series of interviews with key community members. For this spotlight, I spoke with YouTuber and resident Thief expert TheEyeOfStone.
How did you find out about Thief?
I discovered both the original game and its sequel in the summer of 2000. My Dad bought a new sound card and back in those days they would be bundled with several recent games. So we got the card installed and I noticed that there were some game discs and one of them had a black and blue guy with a bow on it. That’s how I found out about Thief: The Dark Project.
In talking with other people who were into it, it came to my attention very quickly that the sequel, Thief II: The Metal Age, had already been released. So I headed out to a small mini-mall computer store and bought my own copy. I proceeded to play through both games that summer.
What was your first experience with the series like?
My younger brother and I installed and launched the Dark Project and the opening cutscene seemed cool. Then we jumped into the first mission and it was actually very confusing. On the one-hand, I understood that it was a training mission, but this business about the Keepers had me wondering who they really were. Initially I thought they were an order of thieves.
Once we got to Lord Bafford’s Manor, we beat it in one sitting but only because I got stubborn. I couldn’t just put it down and come back to it later. It’s not that I’d never seen a game more advanced than Doom, but almost all first person games up until that point had you traverse a level, shoot monsters, and find keys. In Thief though, we couldn’t figure out what we were supposed to do and yet we were captivated.
What is it about Thief that keeps you coming back?
The fact of the matter is I’m just hooked, and I’m not the only one. The Thief community is known by other fandoms to be tight-knit, devoted, and protective. Something about the games sinks into you.
They’re creative works that totally transcend the limitations of the medium in which they were executed. They have genuine class and depth. I come back to the series after all these years the same way someone comes back to their favorite album or favorite novel.
Which of the Thief games is your favorite?
Thi4f is not my favorite. *laughs* I can never really choose. But if you told me I’m going to a desert island and only get to take one of them, I would unhappily pick Thief: The Dark Project.
However, Thief: Deadly Shadows was the best thing to happen to the franchise. So many new people played it, realized they loved it, and then found the first two titles.
Ultimately though, I could never pick a favorite game in the trilogy. I believe the first game is truly unique, but that doesn’t mean I love the second or third games any less.
Which missions are most memorable to you?
Certainly Lord Bafford’s Manor. It all starts there. Beyond that, the Bonehoard was pretty memorable. That’s death itself with a capital ‘D’ that you’re descending into. Return to the Cathedral is obviously gonna rank highly too. And Into the Maw of Chaos. A lot of people have mixed feelings about it but that level shocked, puzzled, and tantalized me just as much as Bafford’s Manor had.
As far as Thief II is concerned, I would say Eastport Seminary. Eavesdropping for sure. Then probably Masks as well as Casing the Joint. And definitely Sabotage at Soulforge.
In Deadly Shadows I’d have to go with the Abysmal Gale and House of the Widow Moira. And certainly the Shalebridge Cradle, but also Of Brethren and Betrayer. It was cool to hang out with the Keepers for a night.
Have you played any Fan Missions?
This answer might disappoint you, but I have played one fan mission in my 22 years of playing Thief. It was a mission called Gathering at the Inn, the first in a series called the Circle of Stone and Shadow. It was a very well made level with beautiful cutscenes, especially for the time. The creators clearly put a lot of effort into it.
I have nothing but respect for the fan mission community. I’m aware of how much effort and how much work many taffers have put into their missions over the years. DromEd is not easy to work with. But in my opinion, no fan mission is ever going to stand up to the originals.
Any advice for someone new to the series?
If it’s possible to do so, proceed chronologically. You want to make sure you get the full show, that you don’t miss anything that’s really important. The best way to perceive the world of Thief is to go through the same journey Garrett goes through.
That’s not usually how it happens though. Because of how old the first two games are and the inherent challenges of running them on modern hardware, more people now are coming in with the third or fourth game rather than the first and second.
Overall my main advice to new players would be to make sure you don’t miss what a satisfying gameplay experience Thief is.
Any other media you’d recommend to fellow Thief fans?
Dan Thron was very inspired by Babylon 5 when he was working on the game. The Name of the Rose is a movie that, if you’re into Thief, you’ll probably enjoy. The same can be said for the Derek Jacobi Cadfael mini-series.
What made you decide to pursue Thief-related videos?
I started my first channel in 2010 and it featured a wider variety of games. Then one day I got online and saw that all my videos had been deleted. So I reached out to YouTube, but never found out what happened. At that point, I decided I’m gonna try this one more time. I’m going to pick a more relevant username and I’m going to focus on Thief. This was in October of 2011.
At first I was focused on photo-tours of the levels that people could watch while they listened to the official soundtracks. After that I uploaded the series’ briefings and cutscenes to preserve them online.
Once I started collaborating with Ehcmier though, we started pulling off some ridiculous stunts. There may not be anyone else who bothered to flare-elevator up to the top of the Angelwatch skybox. I was just goofing off and having a lot of fun. Over time though, my viewers sort of shepherded me into doing dedicated Lets-Plays focusing more on commentary that might be of use to people looking to play the games in a normal way.
What I have achieved with TheEyeOfStone channel is a level of engagement that I’m quite satisfied with. I was able to create and manage and protect a small pocket of the Thief community. And all these years later I still have the spirit of that community carrying me. So here I persist.
What’s next for the channel?
I’m glad we did this interview now because generally speaking I don’t like to plan ahead. In real life I have a lot more in common with Benny and Sheriff Truart than I do with Garrett. *laughs*
I’m looking forward to the System Shock remake as well as Amnesia: The Bunker and, work permitting, I’ll probably upload videos of both to help spread hype about them. There’s also some other soundtracks I’d like to preserve and a Thief fan novel I’m hoping to finish.