Deus Ex: Human Revolution Megathread - Games

Gotta love old programming. Advanced Pistol skill (Don't think I should bother with Master) and I pop a guy right in the noggin. He's two steps away. He just jerks and looks right at me and blasts me with his assault gun. Another scenario, guy comes after me after I chuck a knife to distract him. My hand slips and it hits his chest, and he falls in one shot. It confuses me so :frown:

I find it odd how hitting a different part of the head seems to deal more damage. Hitting the back deals more damage or so I've found.

Well, duh. Hitting someone in the back of the head is liable to knock them out.

New preview: [quote][B]Four pillars[/B] On earlier occasions we were able to play some single missions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution on both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Amusing of course, but a game like Deus Ex is so much more than single missions. It's also about the story and upgrading the main character. How that works is something that becomes apparent only when more than one mission is playable, no matter how cool that single mission is. So we were thrilled when a serial number arrived in the post, a code we could use to download a preview version of the game via Steam. A code that allowed the game to be played on the PC. This version clarifies a lot. We knew from previous sessions that Deus Ex: Human Revolution was based on the pillars 'fighting, sneaking, hacking and social interaction' and that the different levels are built with multiple pathways to reach the level goal. This makes it possible to choose how you want to tackle the mission. You can try to be as inconspicuous as possible in reaching you goal and make the least amount of casualties. If you are so inclined you can also try to finish the level by shooting everything, even though the protagonist Adam Jensen is pretty vulnerable. Storming towards your objective with guns a-blazing is not advisable. It pays to sneak and bypass the numerous cameras, alarm systems and opponents. [B]Dual function[/B] This is of course no different in the PC version. The only real difference is in the controls. Especially the way in which you can enter cover is different. You duck behind an obstacle with the right mouse button. Just like the console version you can then roll towards another obstacle to hide behind, provided that the obstacle is close by. You can also choose to remain in cover and creep around the corner. This is accomplished by holding down the spacebar either a short while or long time. This mechanic of a dual function button is clearly copied from the console controls and is something that will be seen more often. Just like in the console version there is a single button for using objects. Opening doors, picking up ammo, and the like. This button is also used for 'dealing with' your victims. A short button press will make you rifle through their pockets, holding down the button will allow you to drag the body away, a useful feature if you want to remain undetected. [B]Easy and difficult[/B] Playing the game also makes it clear that it is slightly easier on the PC. Emphasis on slightly, because you will still be dying pretty regularly. It certainly isn't easy and it is something that is supposed to be a part of a game like Human Revolution. It is especially difficult to sneak your way through a level. It is possible, you can complete each mission undetected and bypass each and every alarm, but it won't be a cakewalk. On top of that it requires a lot of patience. It requires you to take your time to unravel the patrol routes of the many opponents and identify the correct moment to sneak onwards. Luckily are frequent shortcuts and bypass possibilities via the side routes that have been built into the maps. If you can find them of course. There are plenty, often via airshafts, but also regularly by basement, roof, balcony, ladder or other methods. While sneaking you can also preform a takedown: approach a person very closely from behind and take them out with your hands in a brutal fashion. All with a single button press. Again it matters whether you press down short or long on the button. In this case the difference is between a lethal or a non-lethal takedown. The non-lethal option is there so you can brag at the end of the level that you completed it without making a single casualty. This nets you extra experience points. [B]Short-supply[/B] Something that only becomes apparent when you are not just playing single missions is that ammo is very scarce in Human Revolution. It encourages you to take a sneaking approach through the levels. This shortage is also caused by each weapon having its own supply of ammo, contrary to its predecessor Deus Ex: Invisible War. You'll soon be in possession of several weapons, like a 10mm pistol, combat rifle and machine pistol, and although you'll encounter ammunition regularly (hidden in cupboards or on the body of your victims) these are small caches, causing you to run out quickly. This can really get you in a bind and massive shout-outs are pretty dangerous because of it, no matter how well you can shoot. The lack of ammo can really cause you trouble. For this reason you will frequently be relying on the standard 10mm pistol, because the ammo for it is most common. You can also choose to use silent weapons. These come in a lethal and non-lethal version, to make it extra difficult. They also have a shorty supply of ammo. At least this was the case in the Detroit missions, the first hub of the game. After Detroit you will be traveling to other hubs like Shanghai and Montreal. You'll be confined to urban territories. Detroit is made up of about six layers, with each layer have several mission-specific openings. These aren't always clear and aren't immediately available. For instance, when you are exploring you can find doors that lead to the ends of the city, but these are secured with a numerical lock. For some you will be able to find the code. In all case you can hack these locks, a craft that makes up a very significant part of the game. [B]Conquering nodes[/B] The hacking consists in all cases of following a network of nodes. The network consists not only of a goal you have conquer, but also of a processor core that will try to prevent that. From your starting points you'll have to make contact with your goal through several nodes. Making contact and capturing a node takes some time and in that time the processor has a chance to discover your attempt and then try and stop it. To do that the processor will also have to travel to the goal via several nodes. It is a matter of getting to the goal before the processor. It gets more complicated when it turns out that certain nodes give a higher chance of being detected. The shortest path isn't always the safest. It get even more complicated. You can find resources along the way. A worm for instance, which you'll be able to direct towards the processor core. Hacking becomes a game on its own. An important game because there is a lot to hack. Not just doors, but also security consoles that direct cameras and alarms. Should you trigger an alarm you can then try and find the PC that controls the alarm. Although it isn't always obvious where you can find it. [B]Hacking is a must[/B] Hacking is one of the many skills you can improve with augmentations. This upgrading uses Praxis Points which can be bought with the experience points you'll receive for everything you'll accomplish in the game. Achieving certain goals will net you a Praxis Kit, which equals one Praxis Point. This way you slowly gather the points you need for your augmentations. This process is slow and on top of that it is hard to choose. Upgrading your hacking skills is very useful, because it will allow you to open doors with a higher security rating, which will allow you to complete the previously mentioned side-quests. But it is also nice to be able to get the much cooler augmentations as early as possible, like cloak that makes you invisible for a short time. Augmentations are divided by limb. There are upgrades for arm, leg, body, back, skin etc. with a special mention for skull and eye, which are granted things like stealth. The social skills and hacking are also covered by the skull and eye. You can choose augmentations that fit your style. You can go for physical power, speed and accuracy in order to last longer in a firefight, but you can also get tools to try to remain undetected for longer. You can upgrade your energy level so you can do things like takedowns more often or remain invisible for longer. There are some hard choices to make when distributing your Praxis Points, especially because the better augmentations frequently use more points. No matter your play style and whatever you choose, it will be quite a while before you'll reach the really cool augmentations like the ability to curve bullets. [B]Limb Clinics[/B] Turning in earned Praxis Points can only be done in specialized Limb Clinic which are located in Detroit and presumably in other hubs. Your apartment is also located in the city, somewhere in a flat at the edge of the city, but handily marked on the map that you can call up on a moments notice. There isn't much to do in your apartment. It has a PC to read your email, and if you can hack the entrance door, a secret weapon and ammo supply. On the whole Detroit is a reasonably sprawling whole with several flats, the headquarters of your boss, Sarif Industries, an enormous police station and the slums. Both the police station and slums are the backdrop for long missions. The streets are occupied with dozens of civilians. Most of them with strictly honorable intentions, but in some flats and in the back alleys you run the risk of being treated less friendly, especially if you go in there waving your gun about. [B]Preliminary conclusion[/B] It all comes together in making Deus Ex: Human Revolution a challenging game that doesn't just give you the freedom to choose how to play, but also gives you ample opportunity to adapt the protagonist Adam Jensen to your playstyle. This makes Jensen's life easier, but doesn't turn it into a cakewalk. Jensen is and remains vulnerable, especially because he is always confronted by an army of opponents. The cities he winds up in (we've seen Detroit and Shanghai) are diverse and extensive, with main roads and a lot of back-routes, the same can be said for the maps where you'll complete missions. By limiting the available ammo the developers are trying to force you to choose stealth and not go about like Rambo. Even so, shooting is an attractive option, because the stealth route takes a lot of patience. If you succeed, the satisfaction and the reward more than make up for it. The PC-version looks much better than the console version, this is particularly visible when Jensen takes cover and can be seen in 3rd person. The hero really does look much better on PC than on the consoles that make him seem to be made of cardboard.[/quote] [url]http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=117880[/url]

Good, a game where someone cannot plow through it and claim it took them 7 hours.

Just got back from expo ([url]http://www.londonexpo.com/[/url]) and James Swallow was talking about Human Revolution and his book there. Then he threw out copies of Icarus Effect into the audience (I jumped for one, naturally), and got it signed afterwards. [img]http://filesmelt.com/dl/DSC001281.JPG[/img] [img]http://filesmelt.com/dl/DSC00129.JPG[/img]

I'm a little wary about how they're going to implement the 'four pillars'. Deus Ex (the first) forced you to specialize- if you wanted to be able to hack, lockpick, and multitool your way to victory, you didn't have the skill points to spend on being a combat expert. Plus the augs slots often had two very different augs that would shape the way you play. What concerns me is that it sounds like they might be going the Bioshock route, where you can do everything and don't need to specialize at all. The way they talk about shooting your way through and how it's not feasible, and a better idea is to hack when you can, suggests that hacking will be an option for every character build, and thanks in part to the takedown moves, stealth likely will be as well. I really hope I'm wrong, because having different, mutually exclusive gameplay styles really added to the replay value of games like Deus Ex and System Shock 2, and gave the game challenge by forcing you to work with just the skills you'd chosen to have.

[QUOTE=catbarf;30119933]I'm a little wary about how they're going to implement the 'four pillars'. Deus Ex (the first) forced you to specialize- if you wanted to be able to hack, lockpick, and multitool your way to victory, you didn't have the skill points to spend on being a combat expert. Plus the augs slots often had two very different augs that would shape the way you play. What concerns me is that it sounds like they might be going the Bioshock route, where you can do everything and don't need to specialize at all. The way they talk about shooting your way through and how it's not feasible, and a better idea is to hack when you can, suggests that hacking will be an option for every character build, and thanks in part to the takedown moves, stealth likely will be as well. I really hope I'm wrong, because having different, mutually exclusive gameplay styles really added to the replay value of games like Deus Ex and System Shock 2, and gave the game challenge by forcing you to work with just the skills you'd chosen to have.[/QUOTE] Fuck their shit. Where is my shoulder mounted rocket launcher? my sub/exo dermal armor plating? my dual chaingun arms?

[QUOTE=catbarf;30119933]I'm a little wary about how they're going to implement the 'four pillars'. Deus Ex (the first) forced you to specialize- if you wanted to be able to hack, lockpick, and multitool your way to victory, you didn't have the skill points to spend on being a combat expert. Plus the augs slots often had two very different augs that would shape the way you play. What concerns me is that it sounds like they might be going the Bioshock route, where you can do everything and don't need to specialize at all. The way they talk about shooting your way through and how it's not feasible, and a better idea is to hack when you can, suggests that hacking will be an option for every character build, and thanks in part to the takedown moves, stealth likely will be as well. I really hope I'm wrong, because having different, mutually exclusive gameplay styles really added to the replay value of games like Deus Ex and System Shock 2, and gave the game challenge by forcing you to work with just the skills you'd chosen to have.[/QUOTE] Thing is with Deus Ex, it gave you the freedom of choosing your way to play. But when you're in the role of a secret police agent, it's usually an incentive to sneak around and take out guards and disable turrets without drawing attention. At the same time, you could go the route of a heavy gunner and just plasma gun your way to victory. Locked door? Blow it open. Laser field? EMP nade. A camera? Blow it up. Screwed up and called the guards? Break out the LAW. Seems a bit too simple and easy, no? If anything, the dev's of Deus Ex didn't want to force the player to take the standard route in case they got bored and wanted to try something new and a tad easier. (Maybe for those who weren't very patient) In HR, you can still do the same thing, but the dev's want people to realize you can't just take the tough route and expect to survive, like in Deus Ex. They say it's still possible, just much much more difficult.

[QUOTE=Vaught;30121656]Thing is with Deus Ex, it gave you the freedom of choosing your way to play. But when you're in the role of a secret police agent, it's usually an incentive to sneak around and take out guards and disable turrets without drawing attention. At the same time, you could go the route of a heavy gunner and just plasma gun your way to victory. Locked door? Blow it open. Laser field? EMP nade. A camera? Blow it up. Screwed up and called the guards? Break out the LAW. Seems a bit too simple and easy, no? If anything, the dev's of Deus Ex didn't want to force the player to take the standard route in case they got bored and wanted to try something new and a tad easier. (Maybe for those who weren't very patient)[/QUOTE] Well, whether the 'blow it all up' route is too easy or not is dependent upon how dangerous the enemies, bots, and security are, and could be balanced appropriately. Navarre even recommends you take the gung-ho route in the first game- you're not just a secret agent, you're a genetically and cybernetically enhanced walking tank, if you choose to be. My point is really just that it sounds like the developers are trying to force the player to do a mix of stealth, combat, and hacking rather than give the player the freedom to specialize.

[QUOTE=catbarf;30121790]Well, whether the 'blow it all up' route is too easy or not is dependent upon how dangerous the enemies, bots, and security are, and could be balanced appropriately. Navarre even recommends you take the gung-ho route in the first game- you're not just a secret agent, you're a genetically and cybernetically enhanced walking tank, if you choose to be. My point is really just that it sounds like the developers are trying to force the player to do a mix of stealth, combat, and hacking rather than give the player the freedom to specialize.[/QUOTE] Navarre doesn't actually say you should go in guns blazing. Just that mission where killing them all would be the best idea since the NSF were backed into a corner. You can kill them all without the NSF learning a thing. She's sadistic, not stupid. And yes, it does sound like they're trying to push you on the standard route, but that doesn't mean you have to go that way. Yes it's easier to sneak, but you can simply kill a bunch of guards, take their weapons, and go in shooting anything with a pulse. Just be mindful of your ammo and make your shots count.

[QUOTE=catbarf;30119933]I'm a little wary about how they're going to implement the 'four pillars'. Deus Ex (the first) forced you to specialize- if you wanted to be able to hack, lockpick, and multitool your way to victory, you didn't have the skill points to spend on being a combat expert. Plus the augs slots often had two very different augs that would shape the way you play. What concerns me is that it sounds like they might be going the Bioshock route, where you can do everything and don't need to specialize at all. The way they talk about shooting your way through and how it's not feasible, and a better idea is to hack when you can, suggests that hacking will be an option for every character build, and thanks in part to the takedown moves, stealth likely will be as well. I really hope I'm wrong, because having different, mutually exclusive gameplay styles really added to the replay value of games like Deus Ex and System Shock 2, and gave the game challenge by forcing you to work with just the skills you'd chosen to have.[/QUOTE] That's only one issue. Another real issue is that the "Four Pillars of Deus Ex" are bullshit, and demonstrate a misunderstanding of Deus Ex. Hopefully though it won't affect the quality of the final product, but most likely it will only share superficial similarities between Deus Ex 1 and end up being a bit of a really different game.

[QUOTE=Riutet;30125890]demonstrate a misunderstanding of Deus Ex[/QUOTE] How? Fighting, sneaking, hacking and social interaction are what I'm doing 95% of the time when I play Deus Ex.

[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;30126078]How? Fighting, sneaking, hacking and social interaction are what I'm doing 95% of the time when I play Deus Ex.[/QUOTE] I'm considering going back into playing TF2, so I'll save myself the effort of writing on this in detail and instead just copy paste this comment from a commenter on Giant Bomb who made an excellent point a while ago: [quote=Jimbo on June 20, 2010] Their 'pillars' are slightly worrying, in that they're rather skin-deep things to take away from Deus Ex. You could easily put all of those in a game and end up with something that didn't feel like Deus Ex at all. I'd argue that what makes Deus Ex, Deus Ex, is entirely down to the design philosophy. Pillar one is excellent open-level design, pillar two is pitch-perfect character progression which brings that level design to life. It's the philosophy of combining those two things that went AWOL for a decade, and it's that lack of influence which has led to Deus Ex still being thought of so highly - nothing came along to steal it's thunder and not many people even tried. Invisible War had all of their four pillars, yet it had none of the soul of Deus Ex. Why? Because they fumbled both the level design and the character progression. These guys should be playing Invisible War just as much as Deus Ex, because it's a textbook example of why their pillars aren't the things that matter. All of that said, I have read earlier interviews they have given where it has really sounded like they 'get it', so I remain cautiously optimistic. I don't care about the third person or any of that stuff; that isn't what matters. What matters is reintroducing that core Deus Ex experience to a generation of gamers who have only ever known Funnel Shooters, because that's all the industry has ever put in front of them.[/quote]

Exclusive details on the fridge mechanics: [quote]Originally Posted by ThePhotoshop OK, just to confirm a few more things. All locks on doors are electronic, and must be hacked. HOWEVER, doors still have health - the game just doesn't display it. You can still blow up doors, AS WELL AS shoot them to bits if you pump enough bullets into them from any weapon (a couple of pistol clips seems to do it). Ammo is quite rare on hardest difficulty though so you can't do this willy-nilly. But that's not all - doors are subject to PHYSICS DAMAGE too. I basically broke into half of the Detroit Police Station by bashing my trusty fridge against any locked door that stood in my way. Looks like much of the first game's systemic elements have survived! Oh yeah, another point: when you set the fridge down, you can snap to it as a cover object. So, lets recap. The fridge is: 1. A killing machine 2. A mobile, impenetrable shield 3. A large and loud lockpick 4. Mobile cover Conclusion: nerf the fridge.[/quote] [url]http://forums.eidosgames.com/showpost.php?p=1613613&postcount=243[/url] [editline]30th May 2011[/editline] Details unrelated to fridge mechanics below: [quote]1) How was the variety/diversity of items in the game? What type of items could you find by exploring? Were there a lot, or was it basically always credits/weapons/energy bars? 2) Related to 1), how was the diversity/variety of weapons? Did you ever find a cool hidden weapon which could only be obtained through exploration? 3) Probably the most important: was there any way around big fights (such as with the box robot, or Barret) without simply shooting? I ask because I'm concerned that these fights will be much harder for talking/stealth/hacking focused characters than combat characters. For example, could you hack the Boxguard's controls, or something like that? 4) How many city hubs are in the game? 5) How frequent/ annoying were the mandatory cutscenes? 6) If you shot people in the street (i.e. the city hub) what were the consequences, aside from them fighting back? Were the police ever deployed? What mechanisms stopped you from just shooting random civilians?[/quote] [QUOTE=Daeda]Didnt see this question before. Anyway: 1) Weapons, Credits, Consumables, Readables sometimes weapon mods. Its all there. Dont know what else you could ask for. 2) Well no hidden weapon in the sense that it was impossible to get otherwise (its only the first hours of the game so that was to be expected) But exploration could give you some weapons earlier than you would otherwise. 3) Around the Box guard in the level I played, yes. Around Barrett, no. You have to kill him. Ive been wondering the same about what happens if you dont have enough ammo but im really not sure. 4) No idea, but based on length of this demo divided by expected length of game 3 5) Once every hour roughly. They are skipable and not necessarily annoying, if not for the fact that the game in engine looks better. [B]6) There are policemen patrolling the street, as well as some gang members. If you shoot, they will shoot back. Interestingly enough, I once shot a civilian near a gang member, which resulted in them shooting me. Once they started, the police ran in and actually started shooting the gang. T was fun.[/B][/QUOTE] [url]http://forums.eidosgames.com/showpost.php?p=1615769&postcount=289[/url]

I'm kinda liking the idea of the cutscenes. Not necessarily ingame as I can't help but feel they'll overrule a decision I'd rather make. But I'm sure they'll look really fucking cool.