You usually need a special number you have to enter for the installation to work.
I don’t think it will be because
A. the official site has a (currently dead) demo link, so obviously it’s going on there too at some point.
B. they haven’t been bragging about it and rubbing it in our noses all week.
And yes, Deus Ex is easily one of the best games ever.
Looks like it isn’t coming today. Rats.
Gyarrrr. Theres word of delay, but no official statements yet from anyone.
The ‘Demo’ link on the official page is of little significance, since publishers almost never host their own demos. That duty goes to sites like Fileplanet, FileShack, 3DGamers, etc.
But usually, when a demo is an exclusive, there’s no mention of it on the official site.
For those that don’t have Deus Ex yet it looks like Computer Gaming World’ Jan 2004 issue will have a full version of Deus Ex, Thief II and others on their DVD.
You know, after reading up on this, I’m a little worried. The initial videos and screens made the game look slightly oversimplified and action-oriented, but I figured they’d pull it off.
But apparently, they’ve removed the skill system, the inventory system, different ammo types, and, of all things, RELOADING. How the heck could this still be Deus Ex? I’m seeing Quake with a conversation option.
The demo (wich won’t be Fileplanet exclusive) is now trapped between worlds…or something. No one knows when the fuck it’s coming out. Some time between 5 minutes from now and Tuesday.
Quote:
| Originally posted by LlamaRama You know, after reading up on this, I’m a little worried. The initial videos and screens made the game look slightly oversimplified and action-oriented, but I figured they’d pull it off. But apparently, they’ve removed the skill system, the inventory system, different ammo types, and, of all things, RELOADING. How the heck could this still be Deus Ex? I’m seeing Quake with a conversation option. |
I would address these points, but it’d be better if you just played the demo when it came out.
You might as well address them anyway, since my laptop will probably implode when I try to run the demo.
**Warning: Major Deus Ex fan ramble incoming**
I agree with Kyle that the only way to answer any of this is to play the game (the FULL game, imo, since history is full of demos that really don’t accurately reflect a game. And who knows… with this recent demo release clusterfuck, we might see the full version first!). But what the hell, there’s nothing really wrong with conjecture and discussion as long as it’s kept civil, right?
I haven’t played the game, but based on knowing Warren Spector and Harvey Smith personally I’d say that they’d work at Dennys before purposefully dumbing down Deus Ex. But that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be more than happy to simplify something if they decided that it added complexity while not adding fun. In your mind, if removing ANY game system is “dumbing down” or “oversimplifying”, then that’s probably as far as this discussion could ever go. Not saying that’s what you think, just allowing for the possibility.
The ammo first… Harvey Smith is the main guy on this game now, with Spector running the shop and having final say on anything that he REALLY hates. But knowing how these guys work, everything gets hashed out quite a bit, sometimes in very uncomfortable and tense ways. In a recent interview, Spector flat out said that he was unsure about the ammo idea but decided not to veto it. I bet you could fry eggs on the walls of the conference room where they had some of those conversations, but in the end he decided to trust Harvey.
Personally, I like the way witchboy approaches meta-design issues. He tries to come up with a system based on gameplay cause and effect rather than starting right away with “wouldn’t it be cool to have flare darts, poison darts, tranq darts, and then just plain old dart darts?” These guys put so much thought and argument into everything, that I feel perfectly comfortable that the end result is their best attempt to make the game *better*, nut just what “console people can understand” or whatever. And frankly, the “world littered with different weapons and ammo and powerups and (etc.)” approach to supplying the player has always bugged me, so the less of that we see the better.
Next up are the screens and videos. I think the one battle that Spector can actually lose, no matter how high up the totem pole he is, is what goes out on the net for promotion. Marketing can ask him for 300 screens, he can give them a variety that easily balances out displaying the action, the graphics, the characters, and the game systems… and then they can decide to just use the 60 shots that show guns firing. I would never blame someone for being concerned that a supposedly first-person-thinker might be devolving when all you see are shots of guns, but c’mon… trust the guys that made the first game! Not only do these guys not like pure action games much, I’m not sure they’ve ever even developed one. Can’t see them starting now, especially not with this particular franchise.
Hell, Spector and the original DX crew were actually designing the game (original working title SHOOTER, heh them and their irony) while unemployed, before Romero brought them on with Eidos. I think there’s a good chance that if Eidos came to Spector with the ultimatum “Make this like Quake” they’d get the finger and would watch their only media darling developer walk out the door. Anyway…
I can’t comment on the removal of reloading or the inventory changes, since I haven’t read about them. What’s the final approach they’re using?
I have to say that I’m all for their pure-biomod approach. The old approach was really cluttered, especially considering that it had a pretty simple goal; improve the player’s abilities. Sure there was some logic to it, with the more sci-fi stuff treated as augs and the rest pure skills, but it was inelegant and a bit intrusive… You’re one of only a few people that can use augs, but yet the canisters sure seem to be scattered everywhere. Skills? Anyone else find it a bit jarring to magically have skill points appear, message on the screen and everything, just because you were bored enough to climb up to the top of the crane on the tanker and leap off into the water?
It’s still complex in it’s own way (biomods that supply abilities, biomod upgrades, and black market biomods that don’t quite work the way you think), but it seems like it would make more sense in the game fiction being presented. I bet you’ll still have the cookie-hunt aspect of the game, exploring and having the thrill of discovering a death-by-nosehair biomod. Too bad that I kind of suspect they’ll still be lying around under tables and stuff, which is a gameism that I wish someone was smart enough to make go away for ever. Just like the datacubes with people’s passwords, etc.
I dunno. I trust these guys completely to design a game that’s deep and fun. And in fact, the thing to really remember is that Deus Ex is more about gameplay choice than pure game mechanics. If you can still solve stuff five different ways, especially if they’ve removed forced failures, then I might still be on board even if you’ve got floating neon quad damage powerups. Deus Ex Arena!
must…stop…here…
It’s out It’s out It’s out It’s out It’s out It’s out It’s out It’s out It’s out !!!
Downloading now. I’ve got work in 90 minutes, it better be done by then, AARRHRGHHBGNJKB!!!
Hehe, “death by nosehair”…
That was a great little mini-article there, BruceL. Well said.
I’m in line on the public servers to get this now…six minutes and counting…
Goddamn fileplanet…i’ve been stuck on ‘4 minutes remaining’ for the past 15 minutes.
Downloading…
I understand game choices can still exist even if the game is simplified or Quake-ified, but part of the fun of DX was the enormous range of complex options open to you. Not so much “Do I hack or do I snipe,” but “Do I snipe the front guards, go kill the bots with my anti-armor ammo, and then sneak in from the roof with the tranq darts, or do I use a scramble grenade on the bots, sneak past the guards in the commotion, and then clear the room with an assualt rifle?” I’m worried this complexity of gameplay might be missing from DX2, especially since you can apparently no longer specialize in certain areas. Half the fun was planning out detailed strategies that made the most of your items and abilities, not randomly picking whatever option feels best at the moment and watching the consequences. This isn’t Choose Your Own Adventure.
So all in all, I’m still a little iffy on the game, but obviously, I’ll give it a chance. I mean, when’s the last time Warren Spector screwed something up?
And I echo Jacob.. nice post, Bruce.
Thanks for the kind words regarding the post.
I’m coasting on absolute faith in the developers here, but it’s perfectly understandable that that might not be enough for other people. A kind soul at the main office d/l’ed the demo and put it on a cd for me, so I’ll have a much more informed opinion by tonight. Assuming I’m not revolted by what I play, then I’ll try to dig into some of the articles I’ve been avoiding and catch up on just what they’re doing with this sequel. Then maybe I can contribute a little bit more to this discussion.
Till then, trusting no one…
Quote:
| Originally posted by BruceL * I’d guess a zero percent chance of a PS2 port of Deus Ex 2 |
Why would you say that, since the first one was released for the PS2 and I would’nt give a definite no that it won’t be released for PS2.
I love the game and I will definitly be picking it up and since my computer sucks to much to handle it I shall be getting it for the X-Box.
Ick. It’s not all that great, at least compared to DX1. The interface is simplified, I didn’t really care for that, the way your guy moves feels too floaty. No skill system really, and it takes 5 headshots to take someone down, so there isn’t really any locational damage. No leaning, which was useful in the first game. The good part is that the story sounds as intriguing as the first game, and the freedom to tackle missions however you want remains. I’ll definitely check this game out if the price goes down a bit.
Quote:
| Originally posted by BruceL * I’d guess a zero percent chance of a PS2 port of Deus Ex 2 |
You’d guess right.
However, a PS2-specific Deus Ex game is being developed for the system. I actually found the PS2 port of the original to be quite robust so that news is pretty exciting. Something new and hopefully not simplified for the system.
EDIT: Yippee. I install it and then it says I need a card with better Pixel Shaders.
Sometimes I really hate PCs.