To work on the mechanics, it was necessary to study the experience of other developers.
Recently, a PC Gamer journalist spoke with Paljarulo*, the design director at Bethesda. They discussed the work on stealth mechanics.
* for some reason, the name is not mentioned in the article, but considering the discussed work experience, it is Emil Pagliarulo.
Previously, Paljarulo worked at Looking Glass Studios, known for projects such as Ultima Underworld, System Shock, and Thief. For him, two years at the studio were "almost like graduate school."
Thief was the first game I played with headphones and in a dark room. I love this game, and therefore I just couldn't help but transfer some ideas from there. In fact, one of the first tasks after I was hired [at Bethesda] was from Todd. He asked me: "Hey, what do you think about our stealth system and stuff? Could you write something about it?".
Paljarulo took on the job and prepared an entire document dedicated to stealth:
I conducted an analysis: I compiled an extensive document on stealth systems in twenty different games, compared them, and described what could be implemented in Oblivion.
He explained that Thief was focused only on stealth, while at Bethesda, the developers strived to create a world with diverse opportunities. Stealth mechanics had to be adapted taking into account the specifics of the company's games:
Bethesda games are often accused of being "wide but not deep", but honestly, I consider that an insult, because there is actually quite a bit of depth in them. Nevertheless, we offer many different game systems.
Since our games are simulations, we implement crime and stealth, which many other projects do not offer. Therefore, we asked ourselves: how to make these elements as high quality as possible and still have time to work on the other systems? It's, sort of, an art of balance
Paljarulo is pleased with the result and cites the stealth archer from Skyrim as an example:
Seeing such characters is a pleasure. So yes, the lessons I learned [working at Looking Glass] stay with me for life, 100%.
