Review - The Art of ThiefReview by Paul Fiander
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Author; Paul Davies.
Published by; Titan Books |
Gaming books come in many different forms from stories that build on the games canon to completion guides. All have their place in the vast market of gamers all eager to get more involved with their favourite IP. My literary choice when it comes to these titles though is art of books.
It’s an odd thing I have no skill in art and I could not program my way out of a paper bag but there is something about delving into the make-up of a game that fascinates me. Art books like this one allow readers like me a chance to delve into the creators vision and find out the some answers to the big question, Why is that in the game?
It’s an odd thing I have no skill in art and I could not program my way out of a paper bag but there is something about delving into the make-up of a game that fascinates me. Art books like this one allow readers like me a chance to delve into the creators vision and find out the some answers to the big question, Why is that in the game?
As you flick through the book to the contents page you start to find a few guiding points to what the book will help reveal. There are 4 Chapters in all spanning 192 pages. Each section helps us learn more about key features of the game. The first takes on the biggest asset of the game Garrett himself.
With a game centred around one character the development team need to do their homework from look and movement to the clothes and weapons that adorn our master thief. Here you will see the start of development all the way through to our final design. Each image is accompanied by a paragraph of text that gives some greater insight into why this selection of images is important.
One of the most intriguing sections is on Garrett’s hands labelled Tools of the Trade. In any First person POV game the hands are really the only part of your character you see so their look must be right, but with thief they take on an extra importance. The skill of a safe cracker, pick pocket along with the other skills of theft depend on the dexterity of hands. If you kept seeing uncoordinated slabs of meat the immersion of the character would be lost. This is obviously better explained within the book but I loved finding out why these seemingly minor points are able to bring a game into the next level of immersion.
There are some detailed drawings concerning Garrett's character model as well these are similar to the one of Erin below. These show the make up of the character from clothing to posture, each point is wonderfully well crafted and again give you added depth into what yo actually get to experience on screen.
With a game centred around one character the development team need to do their homework from look and movement to the clothes and weapons that adorn our master thief. Here you will see the start of development all the way through to our final design. Each image is accompanied by a paragraph of text that gives some greater insight into why this selection of images is important.
One of the most intriguing sections is on Garrett’s hands labelled Tools of the Trade. In any First person POV game the hands are really the only part of your character you see so their look must be right, but with thief they take on an extra importance. The skill of a safe cracker, pick pocket along with the other skills of theft depend on the dexterity of hands. If you kept seeing uncoordinated slabs of meat the immersion of the character would be lost. This is obviously better explained within the book but I loved finding out why these seemingly minor points are able to bring a game into the next level of immersion.
There are some detailed drawings concerning Garrett's character model as well these are similar to the one of Erin below. These show the make up of the character from clothing to posture, each point is wonderfully well crafted and again give you added depth into what yo actually get to experience on screen.
Erin went through a number of evolutions before we get to see her on screen. This images gives you some idea of the complexity of her design.
You also get to find out more about the characters within the game, Loot puzzles and props and the City of Auldale. The creation of the art feels strongly influenced by the Victorian era from the cityscapes you could easily imagine you were looking over London in the Dickens era. This may have something to do with the Clock Tower resembling the Big Ben clock tower, but mostly its just the way the city feels lived in. The dirt and smoke make the vistas feel alive and as you flick through pause on the cityscapes as some are pretty breath-taking. Its sometimes astounding to think of the complexity of the job that has to be done in bringing a city to life in game. Obviously one thing a book of this nature can not do is show you motion but these are the blueprints and so the essence of the experience.
Overall this is a high quality book perfect for those looking to find out more this game in particular or game design in general. There is a quote on the back cover which reads “What’s yours is mine” and this book certainly helps deliver on this. You get the sense that getting a deeper insight into the game has let you into the creative process and those why questions can start being answered.
Overall this is a high quality book perfect for those looking to find out more this game in particular or game design in general. There is a quote on the back cover which reads “What’s yours is mine” and this book certainly helps deliver on this. You get the sense that getting a deeper insight into the game has let you into the creative process and those why questions can start being answered.
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The Art of Thief |
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Images courtesy of Publisher
Book - Provided by Publisher
Book - Provided by Publisher
