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First Deus Ex 3 Details Emerge
Posted by
Soulskill
on Sun Oct 05, 2008 11:22 PM
from the coming-back-for-more dept.
from the coming-back-for-more dept.
Ostracus writes "Deus Ex 3, the third entry in the influential FPS/RPG series, was confirmed to be in development by Eidos Montreal nearly a year ago — and now the first solid details on the game have finally emerged. UK magazine PC Zone has a cover story on Deus Ex 3 for their 200th issue (which has reportedly just begun reaching subscribers), and CVG has relayed a number of interesting tidbits from the preview: '... this time around combat won't be influenced by stats, but will rely purely on your personal marksmanship skills. Instead stats will influence "a vast array of fully upgradeable and customisable weapons," and you'll be able to tailor your arsenal to your play style with mag upgrades, scopes and other add-ons. What's more, stealth will now rely on a cover system rather than shadows, and damage will be dealt with by a very Call of Duty-style auto-heal.'"
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Deus Ex 3 Announced 138 comments
Gamasutra has the news that Eidos is already hard at work on a Deus Ex 3 . The company announced this project along with a brand-new studio in Montreal, which will be developing the title. "According to [General Manager Stéphane D'Astous], Eidos Montreal currently has two groups -- a Q&A group that is responsible for testing all of the developer's games from anywhere in the world, and an in-house development team that D'Astous says has just passed proof of concept for Deus Ex 3. 'This game was very highly rated at its release in 2000, and we have this great huge mandate to do the third one, and everybody is very excited,' added D'Astous"
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Please please please please... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
On the plus side, it won't be ANYTHING like Deus Ex 2.
Unfortunately the same can be said about 1 as well.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Invisible War isn't nearly as bad as many people think it is. It's just not nearly as good as the original Deus Ex. Its main problems were that it was painfully slow even on the fastest computers at the time of its release, despite the fact that the graphics weren't that fantastic. It lacked the sense of freedom and exploration you got in Deus Ex, since the areas were very small and had a painfully long load time, and the story wasn't as good. But in the end, it had an OK gameplay experience. Nothing specia
Re:Please please please please... (Score:5, Informative)
You may already be aware of it, but there is an on going project being worked on to retexture, model, and animate Deux Ex 1. The High Definition Texture Project [offtopicproductions.com]. I haven't seen the latest stuff, but it's been going for years.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
He was the designer of 2, and gave many interviews at the time supporting all design decisions.
From your posted Wiki link:
Deus Ex: Invisible War (2003), Ion Storm Austin
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_Ex:_Invisible_War [wikipedia.org] :
Designer(s) Warren Spector, Harvey Smith
soo hoping they wont ruin it like dx2 (Score:5, Insightful)
I have re-played original deus ex upwards of 20-30 times ...sometimes just for the pure reading joy, sometimes for discovering new/hidden stuff i always seem to stumble upon and sometimes to just try something different (I did give up one attempt after I got out of Paris catacombs without directly killing a single enemy in combat)
deus ex 2 was piece of crap. i had none of the depth, none of atmosphere (despite obvious attempts at it), it had none of the fun game play, none of the re-playability. The only two good things I liked about dx2 was: machine supremacy soundtrack and the idoru.
If they want to make successful sequel, they could have went into more detail about how they have learned from the mistakes of the 2nd one, not just saying "oh yeah the universal ammo was bad but we still think console game ideas are good so we'll be putting more of them in"
personally, i would love to see an expansion pack for deus ex 1 - upgrade engine/graphics, maybe add some additional content, incorporate some half-finished mods/add-ons,etc.
Also, a real prequel where you play Paul Denton - that would be awesome! Especially all the adventures that are alluded in hong kong, miss chow, tracer tong, etc. Maybe starting with the formation of unatco - the statue of liberty being bombed, the start of grey plague, the climb to power by illuminati, and let us not forget a certain young french lady and her chatteau :)
Oh well, there is still time, the released information was not much to go by ...maybe all of these things will be part of the story line.
Re:soo hoping they wont ruin it like dx2 (Score:5, Interesting)
Agreed. The original formula worked so well. Why do they feel the need fuck it up? I think everyone would be thrilled with a Deus Ex sequel with a great new story and mostly the same gameplay (obviously the AI needs to be smarter and such).
And speaking of DX1 with upgraded graphics, check out:
High Definition Texture Pack
supposedly very close to completion
http://offtopicproductions.com/hdtp/ [offtopicproductions.com]
Deux Ex: Reborn (a UT2004 engine port)
unknown if this'll ever get finished. i believe the creator put it on hold to help finish the HDTP
http://dxr.deusexgaming.com/ [deusexgaming.com]
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
"I have re-played original deus ex upwards of 20-30 times ..."
Obviously you didn't run into the same bug that I did with the GOTY version.
If you save too many time the game can't continue when it does an auto save.
Re:soo hoping they wont ruin it like dx2 (Score:4, Insightful)
Sounds like 3 will be worse, from the description.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Same here. I play through DX1 once or twice a year.
Deus Ex3 features announced: (Score:5, Insightful)
* Sinister voice of Simons will be returning to announce ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKS !
* mulitplayer death match via XBOX LIVE
* development focusing on volumetric 3d shadows.
* all NPCs that can offer quests will have a yellow exclamation mark over their head so you don't waste time talking to pointless NPCS!
* 2 ammo types. better than 1/universal ammo (see? we learn/listen to feedback)
* reading is for intellectualfags/pc fags. you play console games for fun, so there'll be none of that rubbish in dx3!
* It is a prequel where you play a character completely unrelated to the original game, in circumstances only vaguel related to the original game, in a storyline completely separate to the original game. It is a prequel.
* You will not be going anywhere near a certain chateau in France.
* maggie chow and tracer tong storylines unlockable via paid downloadable content.
* One install per device guaranteed by SecuROM
Mod Parent Depressingly Insightful (Score:5, Insightful)
It's hard not to be depressed about this announcement. Especially where they claim to be "avoiding" the mistakes of Deus Ex 2... by introducing completely new mistakes.
The original Deus Ex was something of a sleeper hit. Though it sold reasonably well, I don't think it ever topped the million mark. Ironically Deus Ex 2 sold about as many copies. The original was "critically acclaimed" as opposed to "bestselling." It was barely even an FPS; what made Deus Ex was not the combat, but the story, atmosphere, and dizzying variety of possible approaches to any given problem.
Cover system? Call-of-Duty style anything? Parent's tongue-in-cheek post is probably exactly what we're going to get. Multiplayer deathmatch is completely outside the spirit of Deus Ex but every first-person perspective game seems to require it anymore. It's like Shadowrun all over again--taking a massive dump on beloved properties in an attempt to be the "next Halo."
I don't want the next Halo! I want a true sequel to Deus Ex. But apparently we're still not going to get that.
Parent
"Critically acclaimed" doesn't mean much (Score:4, Interesting)
1. Unfortunately, "critically acclaimed" doesn't really mean much. It means that at least one reviewer wrote a glowing review, whether because he really bends over that easily for the publisher's ads and freebies, or because he liked the idea lots after playing for 5 minutes on God mode.
Anarchy Online was "critically acclaimed" and it was launched as an unplayable mess of bugs, with bad balance. It lost players hand over fist _fast_ and only stabilized after being turned into a freebie ad-supported game, and even then at a _pitiful_ number of subscribers. So not that many players liked it either.
Aiken's Artefact was "critically acclaimed" and IIRC it sold a pitiful 800 copies in the beginning. (Not sure how many more were bundled later in "top X games" bundles.)
Looking Glass's games were "critically acclaimed" and had such a rabid following that, arguably, it was the "OMG, Eidos killed Looking Glass to keep funding Daikatana" that broke the camel's back and triggered the devastating backlash against what would have otherwise have been merely a mediocre game with outdated graphics. But, funnily enough, Looking Glass had more rabid fanboys, than it had paying customers. Their last couple of games (e.g., the Terra Nova experiment) sold pitifully few copies, and even other publishers (e.g., Microsoft) no longer wanted to touch them with a ten foot polearm. Reviewers and fanboys ranted and raved about how great and innovative the Looking Glass games are, but people didn't actually buy those games.
So aiming for "critically acclaimed" instead of sales, is a bit like aiming to be the ugly girl with a great personality.
Now I'm not saying that DX1 was "bad", so hold yer horses. But if it didn't sell great, it didn't sell great, and that's that. I can see why a publisher or developper would try to change a few bits and see if it does better.
2. And part of its problem was that it wasn't really anything anyone could put their finger upon. It was barely even an FPS, but it required FPS skills to get out of a firefight alive. It wasn't a forced stealth game, but mostly you had to anyway... except when it wouldn't work and you'd be back to needing FPS skills again. It was barely even a CRPG, but it tried to tell CRPG fans that it was one. Then they'd need FPS skills or have to deal with forced stealth, instead of the usual concentrating on the semi-interactive storyline while letting the computer roll the targeting dice. Etc.
Now I'm not saying that _only_ FPS skills worked, but... let's put it like this: from all that bewildering array of possibilities for solving any problem, there'd be at least one point in the game where _your_ favourite approach just didn't work and you had to do something else. For each category of players, a different one.
Basically instead of catering to the union of FPS, stealth and RPG fans, it really catered to an intersection of the three sets. You had to be the kind of guy who enjoys all three, to go through the whole game and like it. Because otherwise sooner or later a section of the game would come up which forced you to do the one you dislike.
Now if you were indeed at least semi-comfortable with all 3, I'm not going to say you shouldn't like it. In fact, I'm happy for you. But, well, that's one possibility as to why it had only mediocre sales. Because it really catered to a minority.
And from that point of view, again I can see why a publisher would try to enlarge that target market segment.
Parent
Re:Deus Ex3 features announced: (Score:4, Insightful)
Indeed, that's the impression I got as well. And that focus on weapons is just depressing. Remember where you start off at the dock in DX1, and you get berated for choosing the GEP-gun? *That* is how DX1 dealt with weapons. Sure, it was also a shooter, but the real draw was the fantastic storyline, the various RPG mechanics were a lot of fun, and you had to live with the choices that you made.
I have had my fill of nameless, faceless muscle guys with big guns. I have already stopped buying games that only seem to get reviews that focus on the details of the weapons instead of on gameplay or storyline - evidentally these games are now so much alike that there is no need to talk about anything else anymore.
Anyway, let's rejoice that we had games like DX1 at all, that there was a time when such things were possible. Like the 2D scrolling shooter they are dead now, but they are fondly remembered as the grand experiments that they were...
Parent
Bad decision (Score:3, Insightful)
No No No (Score:5, Insightful)
What are they thinking with Call of Duty style regenerating health? Seriously... Deus Ex is not a run and gun game, it's a game that rewards resourcefulness and steathiness. The COD-style recharging health mechanic has *no place* here. The sole reason for recharging health is to keep the game pace up and allow the player to keep charging into frenetic combat in action games. Deus Ex is not one of these games.
I was looking forward to this, no longer following this now. Wake me up if this turns out to be good somehow.
Re:No No No (Score:4, Informative)
What are they thinking with Call of Duty style regenerating health? Seriously... Deus Ex is not a run and gun game, it's a game that rewards resourcefulness and steathiness.
I had a brief fit of nerd-rage when I read this article. It occasionally sounded like they were turning it into a lame console shooter...even more than DX:IW. But It has the head writer from the first game back, and the community representative have allayed some of my fears.
When they said a "cover system" many people have taken that to mean it is going to be something like Gears of War, but apparently it is still a sneaky game. The sneak mechanics uses line of sight instead than light/shadow. Having only light/shadow could be a bit silly sometimes when you were crouching in a shadow spot in the middle of a open lawn just meters away from someone and they didn't see you. Personally I'd like a combination of the two mechanics, but maybe that is difficult/time consuming to implement.
They have also promised an open non-linear world this time, choice and consequences, good dialogue and characters. Also XP/upgrades, and that "Deus Ex 3 is an RPG. An action/RPG like the first one".
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
That the player-character is a nano-engineered cyborg superman and that automatic damage repair is the absolute first thing that UNATCO would have installed in all its agents?
Re:No No No (Score:5, Insightful)
Regenerating health is an easy (and crappy) solution to a problem. The problem was that game pace was getting broken up when players ran low on health. Instead of having fun shooting things players were scrounging around for medkits (or worse, quickloading constantly).
Regenerating health gets you back into the action, back to shooting stuff, faster. But it's precisely this reason why it doesn't fit with a game like Deus Ex.
With DX half the fun isn't shooting people, it's avoiding them, hacking systems around them, or using indirect ways to kill them. The player is outgunned and in many cases outclassed by the enemy, which unlike most games doesn't mean constant medkit hunting, it simply means that you have to explore the various ways the game lets you outsmart your enemies... Hack that turret and turn it against the guards. Or, disable the security camera so the guards are never summoned. That was the fun of the game, because getting into a fight was a resource drain, and forced the player to think outside of the standard run and gun combination. I've had problems in many shooters from the Deus Ex era that had you constantly low on health and quickloading, but DX wasn't ever one of them.
Stuff up while getting past a guard, manage to barely take him out but the alarm is raised? Limp off to a hiding spot and wait for the alert to die down.
Or do it like the original game did. Raised the alarm? Get into a hiding spot quick, and use hit and run tactics to take out your enemies. Or, you race back to a room you were in before with thre auto-turret you conveniently hacked, instant death to your enemies. Or you drop a few tear gas grenades and get the hell out of there. Regenerating health removes the incentive to try ANY of the above options. All it does is tell the player "don't worry, don't bother thinking, just retreat, pull out your biggest gun, and keep shooting", which IMHO is really the wrong way for Deus Ex of all games to be going.
Now on the flip side you have GRAW regeneration, which I'm a fan of. GRAW divided your life bar into multiple segments. Your health will regenerate slowly up to your current life bar segment (e.g. you can recharge from 63 to 75, but not higher. To actually "heal" requires medpacks. This is a great way to keep the player from hanging on by a thread of a few health points, but at the same time institutes a real penalty for getting careless and getting shot. I would much prefer this system in DX.
Parent
speaking of console influence (Score:3, Funny)
"stealth will now rely on a cover system rather than shadows", eh?
It looks like they got my letter about adding the ubiquitous cardboard boxes as an inventory item!
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
...and here I thought I was kidding. An excerpt from TFA in PCZ:
"Stealth is also receiving a major revamp and will now utilise cover rather than shadow as its primary function, with a Metal Gear Solid-style cone of vision mechanic (available only through augmentation) used to ascertain an enemy's field of view."
Biomods (Score:4, Funny)
TFA says that DX2 will have 20 different biomods, some pretty far-out. If this is a "prequel", why didn't they exist in the "future"?
Re: (Score:2)
Nano-augs were supposed to be pretty new, so they could probably explain it by saying some of the more advanced bio-mech mods just weren't ported to the new architecture.
!$%* third person (Score:5, Insightful)
One of the points of a FPS being first person is to add immersion; you're looking out of the protagonist's eyes, so you *are* the protagonist. Even if most of the time it's really just a floating camera, at least it's a floating camera where your eyes should be.
Now, cover systems.. fair enough. They can be done well; see, for example, GRAW. All first person, with your body actually modelled so you can see yourself, and when you enter cover you get the impression of actually.. entering cover.
But noooo, that's too hard to get right, so they're going to do what everybody else does and give you an out of body experience every time you lean against a fucking wall. None of this nonsense where entering cover is an important tactical decision because it blocks your line of sight just as much as it blocks bullets; this is a console game, so we'll make it easy and let you look around corners with magic floating vision.
And why bother spending time balancing the game when they can just give you magic regenerating health? *sigh*, they could at least make them optional augmentations, you know, like in the critically acclaimed original?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I never played GRAW on a console, but the PC version was entirely first person [wikipedia.org].