Do you really believe listening to fans would have made a better game? The developers were aware enough of what the fans though was the best way for a Thief sequel to be, they knew it themselves well enough and could have done it if they had the freedom... which they had not. You are always bound to restrictions in life and everybody in a different way. Indie devs have the freedom to make the game they want, but are restricted in budget, work force, etc. Big companies have the money and the force, but are restricted by the requirement to address to a customer base, or a target group, target platform, or whatever there is. Thief (4) never had a chance. It was born at the wrong time, in the wrong barn. Human Revolution was just a bit luckier.