Deus Ex

[Heliocentrical]

So I've been having a hard time trying to play through Deus Ex 1. I currently at the NSF Airfield and it's really starting to lose me. I thought the very first bits of the game were quite interesting.

 

When I was at the first level of the game in the Statue of Liberty I deliberately tossed a trashcan into the alarm lasers right next to where Gunther was being held captive. After the alarm went off I hid in a nearby vent and watched as all the NSF poured out of the room. Once the alarm was done sounding I carefully knocked out all the guards. Conveniently the trashcan partially blocked the lasers and created a gap which allowed me to pass through without setting the alarm again. Then I had to go rescue Gunther but there was a turret and a locked door in my way. So I tossed a LAM and blew up both the door and the turret. Gunther was thankfully unharmed and I was able to free him.

 

Then as I kept progressing through the game I kept getting fewer and fewer opportunities to something unconventional. I don't know Maybe I just didn't see them and if they were there then they're pretty well hidden because I looked in every nook and cranny that I could find. I will say this all of the mechanics in Deus Ex are agonizingly boring. Neither the stealth nor the lethal takedowns are enjoyable to do. The lockpicking, multitooling and hacking are completely uninvolved as they're just timers that have you sit around for a certain amount of time. My biggest gripe are with the augmentations as any possible mechanical enjoyment are locked behind them. Seriously why couldn't the game just have been more accessible and enjoyable from the get go? You could take away all of these dull and uninteresting mechanics and reduced Deus Ex mechanically to a first person shooter and it would've lost nothing. In fact I think Deus Ex would've been much better for it if Ion Storm had exclusively focused on refining the emergent elements and the level design as that's where I think Deus Ex is at it's best.

 

Also what sort of tone is Deus Ex's story aiming for? Is it supposed to be serious story about the side effects of advanced transhumanism or is it a satire about the US government and terrorists who cause nothing but harm to civilians due to their sheer ignorance on both sides, is it both I honestly don't know. What I do know is that currently I'm no longer enjoying the game and am wondering if I should continue to play it to see if Deus Ex gets any better storywise atleast if not mechanically. This is my second attempt to try and playthrough Deus Ex. I need something to warrant me to continue playing. Can someone who's beaten Deus Ex please tell me in the most objective way possible if it sounds like I just don't like Deus Ex and should move on to something else or is there something in Deus Ex that I haven't got to yet that makes playing Deus Ex in it's entirety worthwhile? You can be vague about it to avoid spoilers. But I need to know if that something exists or if Deus Ex has nothing left to offer me.

[BTGBullseye]

I'll tell you this... At the time it was originally released, it was a great marvel of a game, but it hasn't aged as well as other games. I recommend trying to play through the others in the series before completely giving up on it.

[Heliocentrical]

I'll tell you this... At the time it was originally released, it was a great marvel of a game, but it hasn't aged as well as other games. I recommend trying to play through the others in the series before completely giving up on it.

I played through Human Revolution first and then I went over to Deus Ex 1. Looking back on it I liked Human Revolution a lot more. I haven't played invisible war since I heard it's the worst one out of the three. But honestly I don't know If invisible war is bad or not.

 

So was Deus Ex 1 just a novelty for it's time and doesn't really hold up today? I really want to like Deus Ex 1. I thought it might be like the other old games that I've played like Morrowind, System Shock 2 or Thief where their mechanics have aged well. Whereas with Deus Ex 1 I'm finding that to not be the case.

[UndeadNecro]

Yeah, stealth is relatively useless unless the game is on your side, which it usually isn't. A single dart isn't enough for your average knockdown and it's bad enough that you have to upgrade your melee enough, which either takes dedication (unwise since it's not the only useful upgrade) or a long time (aka mid-game at the earliest), or it takes a few hits to take them down. Hell, even with the second last level of the strength upgrade ( without getting the lethal final upgrade, I mean, albeit I think it's an insta-knockdown for the baton and such) it takes about 3 or 4 hits for your average enemy. It's easier to just go lethal but the I think "canonically" it's the bad route.

 

The story of the original is mostly focused on terrorism in the future and not so much on the actual transhumanism as Human Revolution focused on, especially there's a huge twist in the story halfway through that makes you think "...Seriously?" It's classic conspiracy theorist crap.

[Alyxx Thorne]

Deus Ex 1 is an amazing game for its time but has its quirks for sure. Human Revolution really did adress some of those issues I think.

Invisible War is a decent game, but feels like a huge step down from Deus Ex 1...

[Forgot_My_Account]

The story of Deus Ex, well, it's every conspiracy theory rolled into one. It's not something deep, even though on a moment-to-moment basis, the dialogues are deep. It's a rational approach to a preposterous situation.

 

Its strength comes from those moment-to-moment events. You can be have a stealthy build, find a LAM, and solve the next problem via the demolition route. Or you can go exploring. Or whatever. It doesn't bind you to any route. With enough ingenuity/jumping-puzzle ability/shooting skill/perception/memory you can basically solve everything.

The skills are almost like training wheels. They don't let you go anywhere, they just make it easier - and since the skill floor drops, that gameplay option is available for more players. Need more time to memorize passcodes from computers? Upgrade your hacking. You aren't that accurate with a gun and like to run-and-shoot? Upgrade your rifles. Can't find enough rebreathers in levels with water (there are, and they are plenty)? Upgrade your swimming.

Regarding augments, yeah, they are a bit underwhelming. But again, they don't make your superpowered. If you think you can go against an army just because you're fully decked with Ballistic Protection, you're dead wrong. It makes things easier, and some things more accessible, but it doesn't make you Superman - and that's the beauty of it.

 

I think you don't like the NSF Airfield because it rather bluntly enforces stealth, which isn't very satisfying in vanilla. Things can pick up once

you decide to switch sides to the NSF.

 

 

Vanilla Deus Ex was grand for its time, but it DOES need a little more refinement to meet 2016 standards. Since you're only at the beginning of the playthrough, I recommend restarting with one of these two mods installed:

Shifter/Bio-Mod for a more arcade-y experience

or

GMDX for a far more refined you-get-what-you-deserve playthrough. Better AI and all, makes stealth really more satisfying.

 

There are other mods that can be mentioned, but most of the good ones are total conversion, so save those for after you beat Deus Ex.

[Heliocentrical]

I think you don't like the NSF Airfield because it rather bluntly enforces stealth, which isn't very satisfying in vanilla. Things can pick up once

you decide to switch sides to the NSF.

 

Well I've just arrived at Hong Kong. The levels after the NSF Airfield are much better. Also I did something hilarious.

Once I escaped Majestic 12 I decided to go pay Manderley a visit before I go. So he and JC had their conversation as usual, then as soon as it ended I shocked Manderley into unconsciousness with my riot prod. I hauled him over to where Jock was to see if he would take Manderley along for the ride with me. To my surprise he did and now I have Manderley's unconscious body with me in Hong Kong. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I could do with him? I don't know how long novelty of carrying him around will last.

 

[UndeadNecro]

I think you don't like the NSF Airfield because it rather bluntly enforces stealth, which isn't very satisfying in vanilla. Things can pick up once

you decide to switch sides to the NSF.

 

Well I've just arrived at Hong Kong. The levels after the NSF Airfield are much better. Also I did something hilarious.

Once I escaped Majestic 12 I decided to go pay Manderley a visit before I go. So he and JC had their conversation as usual, then as soon as it ended I shocked Manderley into unconsciousness with my riot prod. I hauled him over to where Jock was to see if he would take Manderley along for the ride with me. To my surprise he did and now I have Manderley's unconscious body with me in Hong Kong. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I could do with him? I don't know how long novelty of carrying him around will last.

 

Well, killing him changes something. I'd advise against it. Also, there's a bug(or part of the game? Still don't know) in the game where you can get, I think, the most powerful melee weapon (lethal) after delivering it to some people.

[Gehennas]

I think you don't like the NSF Airfield because it rather bluntly enforces stealth, which isn't very satisfying in vanilla. Things can pick up once

you decide to switch sides to the NSF.

 

Well I've just arrived at Hong Kong. The levels after the NSF Airfield are much better. Also I did something hilarious.

Once I escaped Majestic 12 I decided to go pay Manderley a visit before I go. So he and JC had their conversation as usual, then as soon as it ended I shocked Manderley into unconsciousness with my riot prod. I hauled him over to where Jock was to see if he would take Manderley along for the ride with me. To my surprise he did and now I have Manderley's unconscious body with me in Hong Kong. Does anyone have any suggestions for what I could do with him? I don't know how long novelty of carrying him around will last.

 

 

 

If i knew why exactly you like the levels after the airfield more i could tell you if the game keeps going in that direction or not....either way the Hong Kong area has some of the coolest places in the game, Wan Chai Market, The Canals,

Versalife and the MJ12 Labs

.

 

Other than that, the story starts of as, like you said, more of a parody of the US government and blind opposition terrorism, it's really just towards the end where it asks you serious questions that provoke some thought in regards to free will, general freedom of man and technological advancement. Not so much direct transhumanism, that's HRs thing. Inbetween it's just conspiracies, so if that's something you enjoy reading up on, there's that.

 

 

Anyway, i can talk about this game for hours so i'd better stop here. If you do continue or quit, i would appreciate if you let us know. I've never spoken to someone that plain disliked Deus Ex and it would be really interesting for me to know.

[Heliocentrical]

I agree with what Forgot_My_Account said in regards with the NSF Airfield. There just isn't a whole lot to do at the NSF Airfield outside of stealth and as I mentioned previously Deus Ex is really lacking in terms of it's mechanics. I also think the NSF Airfield was way too long considering what little it had to offer me in terms of choice. But now that I'm past the NSF Airfields I can safely say that the levels have gotten a lot better and I'm gonna keep playing. BTW I'm playing a stealth/explosives build since that seems to be the easiest approach for me. I don't like using lockpicks and/or multitools so I avoid them whenever possible. I currently have about 20 lockpicks, multitools and biocells. I was caring 20 medkits but I lost them after my escape. I just couldn't find them. Also the Majestic 12 downgraded my mini-crossbow(Those bastards!!!!).

[Heliocentrical]

Alright I think it's fairly safe to say that I don't like Deus Ex. In fact I fucking hate it right now. I've reached another breaking point at the Naval Shipyards. It's yet another level that I find to be way too long with nothing in it. Hong Kong was pretty long too but it at least had some variety with it's routes whereas the Naval Shipyards has nothing.

 

I'm trying so hard to like Deus Ex but I keep finding more reasons not to. At this point I feel like I'm really reaching. It shouldn't be this hard for me to like Deus Ex. But I just don't.

 

The "Choices" you can make in Deus Ex are literally pointless. I can down one obvious route or I can frustrate myself and go looking secret route to get extra stuff. Let me fucking tell you I do not need anymore stuff. I've been stockpiling stuff like a fucking hoarder. I have 20 lockpicks, 20 multitools, 20 biocells, my ammo is maxed out and I'm constantly running across more stuff that I have maxed out. Why does Deus Ex insist on giving me so much? I have it on the highest difficulty setting so you would expect resources to be scarce. Nope not on Deus Ex's watch. You get to have your cake and eat it too apparently without any notion of an actual fucking challenge. Yeah know it would be nice if the routes had something novel to offer me instead of another fucking multitool which I can't carry. More to the point who the fuck cares which way I go? Deus Ex is a linear game so it really doesn't matter which way I go.

 

I've mentioned previously that Deus Ex's mechanics have no depth to them. This has become more readily apparent as I've progressed through the game. I kid you not there's an augmentation to reduce power drain of all augmentations which also drains more power while active. Umm, why does this augmentation even exist? I hope that it ultimately costs less to use because otherwise it would be pointless and redundant. Now it's just redundant.

 

Initially, I thought the soundtrack was pretty good. But after listening to it over and over again for several hours my brain was practically melting out of my ears. Now if the soundtrack had more variety to it I probably wouldn't have mind it. But there's nothing but Techno and I can't stand it. Alexander Brandon has done much better soundtracks then this. Where's the guy who did the soundtrack for Unreal?

 

Needless to say I'm pretty pissed with Deus Ex. If Deus Ex was an actual person it would be tempting for me to not take it to a back alley and shiv it with a broken glass bottle. Seriously, fuck this overrated garbage.

[BTGBullseye]

Alright I think it's fairly safe to say that I don't like Deus Ex. In fact I fucking hate it right now. I've reached another breaking point at the Naval Shipyards. It's yet another level that I find to be way too long with nothing in it. Hong Kong was pretty long too but it at least had some variety with it's routes whereas the Naval Shipyards has nothing.

 

I'm trying so hard to like Deus Ex but I keep finding more reasons not to. At this point I feel like I'm really reaching. It shouldn't be this hard for me to like Deus Ex. But I just don't.

 

The "Choices" you can make in Deus Ex are literally pointless. I can down one obvious route or I can frustrate myself and go looking secret route to get extra stuff. Let me fucking tell you I do not need anymore stuff. I've been stockpiling stuff like a fucking hoarder. I have 20 lockpicks, 20 multitools, 20 biocells, my ammo is maxed out and I'm constantly running across more stuff that I have maxed out. Why does Deus Ex insist on giving me so much? I have it on the highest difficulty setting so you would expect resources to be scarce. Nope not on Deus Ex's watch. You get to have your cake and eat it too apparently without any notion of an actual fucking challenge. Yeah know it would be nice if the routes had something novel to offer me instead of another fucking multitool which I can't carry. More to the point who the fuck cares which way I go? Deus Ex is a linear game so it really doesn't matter which way I go.

 

I've mentioned previously that Deus Ex's mechanics have no depth to them. This has become more readily apparent as I've progressed through the game. I kid you not there's an augmentation to reduce power drain of all augmentations which also drains more power while active. Umm, why does this augmentation even exist? I hope that it ultimately costs less to use because otherwise it would be pointless and redundant. Now it's just redundant.

 

Initially, I thought the soundtrack was pretty good. But after listening to it over and over again for several hours my brain was practically melting out of my ears. Now if the soundtrack had more variety to it I probably wouldn't have mind it. But there's nothing but Techno and I can't stand it. Alexander Brandon has done much better soundtracks then this. Where's the guy who did the soundtrack for Unreal?

 

Needless to say I'm pretty pissed with Deus Ex. If Deus Ex was an actual person it would be tempting for me to not take it to a back alley and shiv it with a broken glass bottle. Seriously, fuck this overrated garbage.

I suggest stopping now, and going to either of the others in the series before you get off-put on the entire series. (especially since the other two are not even close to the level of frustrating you get from the first)

[Forgot_My_Account]

Item over-abundance is something that the GMDX mod actually fixes, that's why I recommended it. As I've said, Deus Ex allows for every different approach at almost any time, and if you tie yourself down to only one you'll end up with too much of the other approaches' items.

 

The original function of the Power Recirculator was to use it in times of need, not as an always-on upgrade. With single augs, it's practically worthless, especially at level 1. However, if you activate many augs at the same time (Regen + Ballistic Protection + EMP Shield) it quickly becomes worth it.

Most mods, however, fix it to be as an always-on battery saver, along with Regen nerfing and other balancing changes.

 

Regarding routes, it depends on specialization, convenience and how much you want to explore. A prime example of this is escaping from UNATCO, where you only have to talk with Paul and Manderley. Other than that, you don't even have to retrieve your items, explore the biotech labs, vents, etc. This exists everywhere, even if you don't notice it - did you know you can snipe Maggie Chow through Jock's apartment and skip almost half of Hong Kong? Or sneak into her building through the back alley?

 

The Naval Shipyards, however, are about getting inside the ship. It sets a clear goal, instead of one obfuscated by quests. It's not even that long, it just has a lot of dead space - majority of the action actually occurs if you go through the sewers - jumping puzzles, mines, lasers, spiderbots, a swimming section and toxic gas. The surface is the easier way to go - soldiers and bots that patrol a large area and are pretty braindead, and you have to activate some of them yourself.

 

Anyway, what I'm trying to say here, everyone has their own experiences with Deus Ex. That's just the way the game is built. In retrospect, it is flawed, but there are many mods out there to either fix or exploit those flaws in a good way (TNM comes to mind). I suggest you let it go for now and give it a try in a few years, with GMDX or other mods. It'll give you a fresh start, and add functionality and balancing.

[Heliocentrical]

I suggest stopping now, and going to either of the others in the series before you get off-put on the entire series. (especially since the other two are not even close to the level of frustrating you get from the first)

I"ve already played through Human Revolution. I have been kinda curious about Invisible War though. Maybe I would like Invisible War for what people didn't like about it. From what I've heard one of the criticisms for Invisible War is that the levels were too small and compact. Sounds perfect to me. IMO Deus Ex's levels are way too long.

Item over-abundance is something that the GMDX mod actually fixes, that's why I recommended it. As I've said, Deus Ex allows for every different approach at almost any time, and if you tie yourself down to only one you'll end up with too much of the other approaches' items.

My issues are largely with the lengthy level design and mechanical emptiness. These aspects are so endemic to Deus Ex's design that I might as well be playing something completely different. At it's core I do not like Deus Ex.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say here, everyone has their own experiences with Deus Ex. That's just the way the game is built. In retrospect, it is flawed, but there are many mods out there to either fix or exploit those flaws in a good way (TNM comes to mind). I suggest you let it go for now and give it a try in a few years, with GMDX or other mods. It'll give you a fresh start, and add functionality and balancing.

I highly doubt my opinion will have changed in a few years. This my second attempt to play Deus Ex as my first attempt was a few years ago. My opinion still hasn't changed. I didn't enjoy playing it then and I most certainly don't enjoy playing it now. I wanted to find out why people considered it to be one of the best games ever made. But I just don't see it. Deus Ex is just barely competent at best IMO. It seems to me like Deus Ex is just another example of a hyperbolic circlejerk by it's own fans who're incapable of looking at it critically. I just need to walk away and never look back. For me Deus Ex stands as nothing more then an overhyped relic.

[BTGBullseye]

I suggest stopping now, and going to either of the others in the series before you get off-put on the entire series. (especially since the other two are not even close to the level of frustrating you get from the first)

I"ve already played through Human Revolution. I have been kinda curious about Invisible War though. Maybe I would like Invisible War for what people didn't like about it. From what I've heard one of the criticisms for Invisible War is that the levels were too small and compact. Sounds perfect to me. IMO Deus Ex's levels are way too long.

Item over-abundance is something that the GMDX mod actually fixes, that's why I recommended it. As I've said, Deus Ex allows for every different approach at almost any time, and if you tie yourself down to only one you'll end up with too much of the other approaches' items.

My issues are largely with the lengthy level design and mechanical emptiness. These aspects are so endemic to Deus Ex's design that I might as well be playing something completely different. At it's core I do not like Deus Ex.

The console-based limitations for Invisible war did limit the size of the maps, but they did manage to get quite a lot of space into them. Be prepared for a LOT of loading screens though. (usually 2-3 missions per map, then on to another map, occasionally returning for an inter-map mission)

[Heliocentrical]

After a long break and some consideration I'm going to give Deus Ex another shot with one major exceptions. I'm going to bypass the horrific progression system using the allskillpoints and allaugs cheat codes. In theory this should fix most of my problems with Deus Ex. If the only issue I have with the game is the empty levels then I can live with that. If Deus Ex is all about choice then what makes my choice any less valid? I might also consider muting the voices too. Before I start playing Deus Ex I need to know are there any legitimate consequences with nonlethal/lethal playstyles or not? If all I get for murdering everyone in sight is a little slap on the wrist from Paul then I don't really care.

[Forgot_My_Account]

Lethal/Non lethal doesn't really play a major part. You do get some bonuses early on from Carter and Paul, but since you're doing a cheat run those bonuses doesn't seem to matter that much. Late game, especially after

Paris

it doesn't come into play at all.

 

I think you're getting the wrong conclusions from your experience, as most other people (modders especially) have taken it to the exact opposite side of the spectrum. I cannot recommend GMDX enough, as it does add some gameplay sections in a lot of levels geared towards more specialized builds.

Anyway, I think you're adamant enough to go through with it - so prove me wrong and have fun!

[Heliocentrical]

I've started playing Deus Ex with the GMDX mod and let me say holy shit is this even the same game? I don't remember having this much fun with Deus Ex. The gameplay is so fluid and fast it's practically bringing a joyful tear to my eye. It's beautiful and I'm actually having fun now.