Deus Ex Human Revolution - Gameplay (HD)

[Thrasher]

Interesting video on multiple approaches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzHQ2cTjxNA

[DArtagnan]

I could do without the interactive object highlights.

[txa1265]

I could do without the interactive object highlights.

Ugh, the dreaded 'frobbing' effect returns ... not as obnoxious as in Invisible War (or Thief Deadly Shadows) ... hopefully you can turn it off. Still wouldn't be enough to deter me from another shot at a Deus Ex game :)

[DArtagnan]

Ugh, the dreaded 'frobbing' effect returns … not as obnoxious as in Invisible War (or Thief Deadly Shadows) … hopefully you can turn it off. Still wouldn't be enough to deter me from another shot at a Deus Ex game :)

Pretty much everything else about the game sounds pretty great - and I'm very hopeful about it, actually.

Not sure why they feel they need such a thing, but I guess it makes sense for the console interface - as it's not quite as responsive playing shooters with a controller - and it can be helpful to have interactive stuff be evident.

But still, what I saw in that video was overdone and it doesn't seem necessary at all.

I suspect you can switch it off. But for some reason, I don't like having to make that decision. I consider such things "meta-gaming" and puts me in the designer chair, when I should be in the gamer chair.

I don't want to have to take part in the design - if you know what I mean :)

[JDR13]

I don't like the forced third-person camera during certain actions. I also hope that the mini-map and destination marker can be toggled off.

[DeepO]

I suspect you can switch it off. But for some reason, I don't like having to make that decision.
You won´t have to make that decision - highlighting can´t be disabled in the game and is supposed to be part of "augmentation" you receive automatically in the beginning.

I don't like the forced third-person camera during certain actions. I also hope that the mini-map and destination marker can be toggled off.
Yeah.
Seems like if you play a stealthy character, half of the time will be spent in 3rd person.
Also, HUD is pretty damn intrusive.

Chances the game will suck rising.

[txa1265]

I didn't have an issue with the way that worked in Thief: Deadly Shadows, so I am willing to hope that it isn't a problem here ...

HUD ... ugh, have to agree there as well. But again, to me these are things that matter more if a game is mediocre or average, and I won't care much about if the game rocks.

[Thrasher]

All good points. I was more concerned about the gameplay. I didn't see a pure sneak (without killing) or a pure tech/hack/lockpicking approach.

[JDR13]

I *think* I read somewhere that a non-lethal approach will be possible, but don't quote me on that.

Saw the pre-order box at Gamestop today. Apparantly their version comes with an entire extra level if you pre-order from them. :roll:

[Thrasher]

I'll keep my fingers crossed. :)

[curious]

did you not watch it people?!
the second playthrough had a non-lethal takedown and she specifically said the game doesn't force a non-lethal or lethal approach which means we should be able to play the whole game non-lethal. haven't been able to do that since mirror's edge--gonna be a nice change.

[curious]

I don't want to have to take part in the design - if you know what I mean :)

are you serious? for all the hordes of comments and insights you have/make about game design this surely seems like the worlds greatest paradox. i was under the impression the reason for them was that you indeed want to influence game design in the future and hence be a part of. right?

[Thrasher]

did you not watch it people?!
the second playthrough had a non-lethal takedown and she specifically said the game doesn't force a non-lethal or lethal approach which means we should be able to play the whole game non-lethal. haven't been able to do that since mirror's edge—gonna be a nice change.

I watched, but didn't listen. Right? There is a difference. :)

To me all of those takedowns looked fatal. Were they not?

[Moriendor]

...which means we should be able to play the whole game non-lethal. haven't been able to do that since mirror's edge—gonna be a nice change.

Wrrrrrrrrrooooonnnnngggg!!! :biggrin:
Alpha Protocol (AP) actually allowed you to play the entire game in a non-lethal fashion. Mirror's Edge was released in January 2009 while AP was a May 2010 release.
Sure, it's still nice that DXHR is going to allow a non-lethal approach but it's not quite as exceptional as you are making it out to be.

[Majnun]

On the one hand, I do like being able to play in a non-lethal way (tranq gun or KO), especially if you have to hide bodies from other enemies sight.

But, on the other hand, it's basically the same damn thing except it's called non-lethal. It's still shooting someone (tranq gun) so what's the difference in gameplay? None, really. And if you don't have to hide bodies (i.e. if they despawn) then it really is no consequence. It's just a different skin/animation/sound effect to basically the same gameplay...shooting bad guys.

Now if you can fully go through areas without combat at all (non-lethal or otherwise) then THAT is what I want. Even if you can't do that in this game (or only in certain areas) I'm still fairly interested but there is a big difference in non-lethal and stealth (to me anyway).

[Thrasher]

Now if you can fully go through areas without combat at all (non-lethal or otherwise) then THAT is what I want. Even if you can't do that in this game (or only in certain areas) I'm still fairly interested but there is a big difference in non-lethal and stealth (to me anyway).

^This. Well said!

[curious]

Moriendor you are so right! forgive my shoddy memory considering i played through the entire game employing such methods. though if i do recall weren't there a couple of boss fights in the end that i can't remember if there was a non-lethal option, kind of like the one or two from deus ex. regardless name a game that was combat oriented before Alpha Protocol or Mirror's Edge.

[curious]

both non-lethal and non-combat choices are nice. though some games the amount of enemies and their patrols make that impossible to employ succesfully. thief is a good example where the blackjack is a life saver. and yeah tranq gun is somewhat the same as regular combat, though in deus ex for example it had a delayed effected which means you had to time out the few seconds they would run away and hopefully not be spotted or hit an alarm. takedowns with hands or a baton though is much different gameplay altogether than normal gun combat. some of the hitman games let you play non-lethal as did the excellent swat 4 and its sequel but other than that i don't recall to many "shooters" in this category. of course i don't play tom clancy games so if those fall into that category i wouldn't know.

[Moriendor]

But, on the other hand, it's basically the same damn thing except it's called non-lethal. It's still shooting someone (tranq gun) so what's the difference in gameplay? None, really.

It depends on the game, of course, but in Alpha Protocol for example the tranq gun has really crappy stats so you need to sneak up on enemies and shoot them from a rather short distance (unless you put a ton of points into your gun skills but you will not do that if you are planning on a stealthy non-lethal approach since you will need those points elsewhere).
With the tranq gun you have one shot and no second chances so it is in fact quite different from regular gun play.
And CQB/melee is yet an entirely different beast altogether, of course.

Moriendor you are so right! forgive my shoddy memory considering i played through the entire game employing such methods. though if i do recall weren't there a couple of boss fights in the end that i can't remember if there was a non-lethal option, kind of like the one or two from deus ex.

I just finished AP only a few weeks back but my memory is also not the best :biggrin: . The way I remember it though is that several boss fights ended deadly BUT if you killed a boss it didn't go into your stats so you could still finish the game with a death toll of zero even if you killed one of (or several of) the bosses.
Personally I finished the game with one kill that was accidental and I'm not sure when/where it happened exactly. I remember that one enemy fell from a ladder(?) or some higher place when I knocked him out and I believe that the game might have registered that as a kill. Not entirely sure though.

of course i don't play tom clancy games so if those fall into that category i wouldn't know.

I did play all of the Rainbow and Ghost (Recon) games and in those games it depended on the mission. Some missions required you to sneak in and out undetected and without doing harm to anyone, some missions required you to sneak in and out but you could harm enemies (just not raise an alarm), some missions required to only kill one specific target and to cause zero collateral damage etc. - There was no general non-violent path though.

[DArtagnan]

are you serious? for all the hordes of comments and insights you have/make about game design this surely seems like the worlds greatest paradox. i was under the impression the reason for them was that you indeed want to influence game design in the future and hence be a part of. right?

No, I don't want to be a designer when playing a game. I'd love to be one when making them, though. I also don't want to be the director of a movie, and go and change around a few lines in the editing room - so I can watch the movie as I would have wanted it. Then the experience is tainted.

But to experience a game, I think it's best to get the full experience intended by the developer - and I don't like having to decide what features may or may not suit me during play.

That's because most features are implemented in some part of the overall gameplay design - and most developers don't take into consideration exactly what features are needed for the intended experience.

It's incredibly hard to Q/A a game with every possible option both turned on and off - and then guage if both cases (for all options) deliver the "pure" experience, as envisioned by the designers when originally thinking about the game.

So, if developers intend for me to have this highlight to get the right "flow" - then I'll just have to live with it.

Otherwise, I'd have to play it through once first - to fully decide if the feature is for the better. Because when I'm not a designer, I don't have any idea what the wholesome FULL game plays like.

Most developers just add a difficulty level - and then test if the game is possible to complete for all levels - and make some kind of division between casual and hardcore gamers. That's it.

I very much doubt they go through the design process with each and every "option" in mind for all levels and encounters. The workload would be quite immense.

Seeing as this is apparently some kind of obligatory augmentation, I'm going to have to trust that it's right for the vision of the developers.

In the end, it's pretty minor - but it strikes me as the wrong kind of thing for a "serious" Deus Ex game.

[DoctorNarrative]

Wasn't going to watch this but gave in. HUD looks terrible, I hope the PC HUD is better or that some of it is optional like the tool tips. Otherwise the game seems great.

[Couchpotato]

Well Im sightly worried now. Apparently the pc version in outsourced to a dutch company and not Edios Montreal. Here is the news bit.


Report – Deus Ex: Human Revolution PC being co-developed by Nixxes

Shack is reporting that the PC edition of Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been jointly developed between Eidos Montreal and Nixxes.

Game director Jean-Francois Dugas told the site that development has been shared between Montreal and the outsourced Dutch developer.

Asked if the PC version was done in-house, Dugas said: “No. Well, it was done in-house, but with a partnership.”

He added: “All the design and changes to the design has been done in Montreal and sent to [Nixxes]. We review the builds. We review and then give comments about what works and what doesn’t. It’s the same process. It’s the exact same process, except that the programmers aren’t in the same office.

“It’s the same game and the same creative team taking care of it.”

Dugas admitted the reason the PC version was not done internally was due to not having enough manpower to develop all three version: PC, 360 and PS3.

“It was more of a logistic problem more than anything else and having enough people to make sure it’s all on the same level, all the time. So, yeah. It was more about manpower and logistics.”

Nixxes have been a well-known partner within Eidos, dating back to Dreamcast and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver More recently, it’s ported the PC and PS3 versions of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light as well as the PC version of Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days and Tomb Raider Underworld for PC and PS3.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution releases on August 23 in the US and August 26 in the UK for PS3, 360 and PC.

[Thrasher]

Hmm, don't know much about those other PC ports. Were they buggy or badly designed?

It is generally worrisome that the game was not built for PC first...

[JDR13]

This is the first I've heard about the PC verison being outsourced, and yes it worries me.

[azarhal]

Me too I'm worried. They used to said they had one person working full time on the PC version UI back in Montreal only and now it's outsourced.

What happened?