Well, the programming effort has long since switched from planning to implementing. In addition to the usual engine enhancements and tool modifications, we’ve made a ton of progress on interface, player movement, and AI. That’s right, Thief 3 already features guards who patrol, see and hear, search for you when they detect you, and say “must have been rats” afterwards. Paul, the AI guy, is clearly wasting no time. Furthermore, you can be Garrett in the game already; you can sneak him around, hide in shadows, and even shoot arrows. It’s not quite right yet, of course, but since we have so much of a headstart, we’ll be able to tune it to within an inch of its life before ship, which is great.

Three missions are currently close to the end of their first development pass. These missions are a testament to the value of our R&D efforts, since they look spectacular. They have just the right Thief vibe, but rendering-technology-wise, they look many years ahead. This is due in part to our level-building workflow, which pairs artists and designers together to handle aesthetics and gameplay, respectively. Once these three missions wrap up, we’re starting the next four.