Deus Ex

[Sno]

I loved SS2, but it took me a while to get into it. I actually used a mod to turn off respawning because 1) I love exploring levels and 2) It was just too scary without it.

I also turned down weapon degradation so I could use a gun more than once.

This makes me sad, i really think the experience loses a lot if you take this route. The weapon degradation is severe, but the game gives you many ways to deal with it. It's kind of part of why i think it helps to play the game once, figure it out, and then start over and have a proper playthrough. The respawn, on the other hand, is exactly what you say, it helps make the game really scary. (In addition to giving you a slow, constant trickle of supplies.)

Also, i guess i've hijacked this thread, but Deus Ex and Shock do share lineage. I think System Shock actually has more in common with Deus Ex than BioShock, honestly, aside from the latter kind of wholesale reusing the plot of Shock 2. (I mean, Deus Ex and Shock 2 are mechanically not dissimilar, minus the social and stealth elements of the former. BioShock became really more of a straight-up shooter than anything else, it didn't really matter how you built your character or managed your supplies.)

Edited August 25, 2011 by Sno

[ThunderPeel2001]

This makes me sad, i really think the experience loses a lot if you take this route.

I disagree. I was still terrified and it was the only way I was ever going to complete it. Also, the game was unbalanced in my opinion... Weapons you can only use once or twice versus and infinite number of baddies... You either had to run through every level or become super-handy with the wrench. In order words: Forget exploration.

I still really enjoyed it

Edited August 25, 2011 by ThunderPeel2001

[toblix]

I played SS2 but had to quit because it was too scary.

[ThunderPeel2001]

It's probably worth mentioning that the reduction in the spawn rate and weapon degradation changes were added to the game by the official patch.

Anyways, don't forget the texture improvement mod. It's VERY much worth it considering how low quality a lot of the original textures were.

http://www.shtupmod.net/

Also there's a mod that improves the quality of the music (after a dev leaked the high quality files):

http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=657.0

Finally there's a fan-made patch that fixes a ton of bugs:

http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=25.0

Edit: There's also this, which is pretty nifty (new Psi-Amp model):

http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=82.0

Edited August 25, 2011 by ThunderPeel2001

[Sno]

I disagree. I was still terrified and it was the only way I was ever going to complete it. Also, the game was unbalanced in my opinion... Weapons you can only use once or twice versus and infinite number of baddies... You either had to run through every level or become super-handy with the wrench. In order words: Forget exploration.

I still really enjoyed it

There's a psi ability in the game called anti-entropy that completely stalls degradation for as long as its active, there's the repair skill which can fix weapons that are completely broken, and the maintenance skill which restores them to top condition. (The maintenance skill is absolutely one of the most important skills in the game, up there with hacking.)

Or you can use melee, or psi-attacks, or discard weapons as they break, or some combination of the above.

Granted, it's questionable design, the game artificially creates a problem and then gives you complicated solutions for that problem, but i think it lends a lot to the atmosphere of the game. Your tools are constantly failing you, you're desperately scrounging for replacements and supplies. I think it's a gameplay element that thematically kind of resonates with a lot of the horror beats in the story.

It's probably worth mentioning that the reduction in the spawn rate and weapon degradation changes were added to the game by the official patch.

Not quite, the official patch opened it up as something you can tweak, but the official patch doesn't enact those changes on its own. It also doesn't really change what i'm saying, they were responding to what was the biggest complaint about the game, a complaint i don't think is completely justified.

Also, those high-res texture packs are pretty great, but i'd recommend steering clear of some of the high-poly fan-made model packs floating around. (Which, for example, redesign the extraordinarily mutilated and scary cyborg midwives as having enormous breasts.)

[ThunderPeel2001]

Also, those high-res texture packs are pretty great, but i'd recommend steering clear of some of the high-poly fan-made model packs floating around. (Which, for example, redesign the extraordinarily mutilated and scary cyborg midwives as having enormous breasts.)

That was only in the first release of the Rebirth mod. There's been another release since then, plus a whole new mod by someone called Arcaniac. Unfortunately it seems a little bugged or something? :-/

http://www.systemshock.org/index.php?topic=251.0

(Also, interestingly, the "boobs" version was the original design for the character: http://www.sshock2.com/ss2mmdb/artwork/midwife.jpg)

[Sno]

That was only in the first release of the Rebirth mod. There's been another release since then, plus a whole new mod by someone called Arcaniac. Unfortunately it seems a little bugged or something? :-/

Ah, I haven't really kept up with all of that, last time i played Shock 2 was a few years ago.

[mikemariano]

(Also, interestingly, the "boobs" version was the original design for the character: http://www.sshock2.com/ss2mmdb/artwork/midwife.jpg)

That's a valid design choice for a creature that is supposed to be a mother figure, but do the annelids need to feed on breast milk?

Wait, this topic is supposed to be about Deus Ex?

[Erkki]

I actually used a mod to turn off respawning because 1) I love exploring levels and 2) It was just too scary without it.

I also turned down weapon degradation so I could use a gun more than once.

Right. Now I remember, respawning was the main reason I stopped. After playing and loving Far Cry 2, maybe it'll not seem so bad now? Did you play the whole game without respawning?

[ThunderPeel2001]

That's a valid design choice for a creature that is supposed to be a mother figure, but do the annelids need to feed on breast milk?

Yeah, I'm guessing that's one of the many reasons it was rejected. It's pretty lame.

Right. Now I remember, respawning was the main reason I stopped. After playing and loving Far Cry 2, maybe it'll not seem so bad now? Did you play the whole game without respawning?

Yep, it's a simple variable you can change in the user configuration file. There's a few areas where there's still respawns, though.

[toblix]

GREAT DEUS EX THREAD GUYS

[Erkki]

GREAT DEUS EX THREAD GUYS

I spill my drink!

[ThunderPeel2001]

GREAT DEUS EX THREAD GUYS

Hey! I found this post somewhere (written by a chap called Alexander Norris - thanks to him):

DEUS EX MODS

For starters, Fixer (http://kentie.net/article/dxguide/) is basically mandatory.

Secondly, if you at all care about ironing out the few bits of bad design left in Deus Ex, you will absolutely want to install Biomod (http://www.moddb.com/mods/biomod). As an added bonus, Biomod steals the best gameplay idea that Invisible War has to offer (passive augs), so that saves you from having to play IW! More seriously, it removes the retarded bullshit micromanaging of augs that is no fun whatsoever, as well as rebalancing all the skills and augs. You should absolutely play Deus Ex with this the first time; it’s an improvement on the base game in every way and does not make it “not Deus Ex.” Recommending people play without this is like recommending people play STALKER without the Complete mods; it’s Wrong, with the capital letter.

Thirdly: you may want to use the DX10 renderer (http://kentie.net/article/d3d10drv/). You will want to use this anyway if you want to use New Vision (if you’re still on XP, there is also an OpenGL renderer provided as part of New Vision).

[Sno]

Ok, so you've just quoted that post from somewhere else? I take issue with some of what is being said.

Deus Ex has some buggy exploits and some balance problems, but it's by no means a game that must be fixed to be enjoyed. There absolutely isn't anything in that game that is on the magnitude of Stalker being a fucked up game that is only barely able to function without collapsing under the weight of its own design.

Perhaps that's just me though, i am a bit of a purist asshole when it comes to mods, i guess. I generally don't agree with fans trying to assert their own interpretations of how a game should be played as the definitive way to play it.

I'm definitely not saying that Deus Ex shouldn't be played with these mods, just offering a counterpoint. It's certainly not a broken game. I think it's worth experiencing the game that people reacted so strongly to in the first place, and not a reinterpretation of it.

[Tanukitsune]

This might seem like a stupid question, but is it a good idea to use a mod in the middle of a game? I'm in a spot where it wouldn't be THAT bad to restart, so I wouldn't mind restarting to enjoy the mod fully?