Deus Ex: HR

[Commander FAT]

I remember trying this game when it came out (at a friend's place) and although the story looked interesting, the FPS aspect didn't work for me. I thought the engine was meh...

A year or so later, I got friends who still tell me that I should really play this game.

I think I saw the GOTY edition on sale somewhere for like 10 bucks and am wondering if I should bite.

What did you guys think of the game?

BTW, I like some stealth, but not all stealth or just stealth.
I like to shoot, fight and throw grenades too

Thanks!

Deus Ex for $10? Pfft, go for it. I thoroughly enjoyed the game. The game gives you a lot of options on how to play. If you want to be sneaky you can just build a stealth character. If you just want to blow shit up then you can go that route. There's also everything in between. All the levels and maps are built to let you choose how to go about completing your objectives.

I really liked the final mission objective. I sat at my keyboard for like ten minutes deciding what to do.

 

[Domingo]

You actually GAIN augs in the DLC. The extra ones you get, you get to keep. You lose them in the beginning, but you quickly find more and you can even re-spec everything once it's over anyway. By the end of the game, you'll be pretty closed to maxed out either way. I used stealth to set things up, but I killed or disabled every single dedicated enemy in the whole game.

I found the DLC to be really fun, and it's probably the 2nd most challenging area in the game.

The problem with the Director's Cut mainly relate to the technical side of things. There are some registry edit that help, but it's always a little stuttery in the areas with lots of people. They patched a fix for vsync being full-on broken, but it's still not perfect. The game reads any refresh rate that isn't right at 60hz (most people are at something like 59.75hz) as 59...so that probably doesn't help. The normal game doesn't have that issue. At the same time, the Director's Cut apparently makes the boss fights more fun for those who aren't simply looking to run and gun. I didnt mind 'em.

 

[chockomonkey]

Yeah, so, remember when I was saying how annoying it was to fight Fedorova and not have the proper augs to kill her with the turrets, even though I was pumping augs into stealth and whatnot?
Yeah, I got past that stupid fight, got more augs, shit felt good man... then the DLC started....EVERYTHING, they took EVERYTHING. WTF

I think I actually said "fuck you" out loud at the game... I don't know when I'll go back now... still pisses me off.

Did they at least add something to the story where it makes sense for you to lose your augs?

From what i recall, there was nothing before that section, after that section, or in the DLC which explained why you'd suddenly become aug-less.

If not, then they should have rebalanced the DLC for being a mid-game area, which is what i thought the whole point of the Director's Cut was all about.

 

[Deleted member 83233]

Did they at least add something to the story where it makes sense for you to lose your augs?

From what i recall, there was nothing before that section, after that section, or in the DLC which explained why you'd suddenly become aug-less.

If not, then they should have rebalanced the DLC for being a mid-game area, which is what i thought the whole point of the Director's Cut was all about.

I didn't play the add-on (will this time around) but from what I understand, yes, there is a reason for it, and you do get everything back some way or other.

 

[LeviathanZERO]

Did they at least add something to the story where it makes sense for you to lose your augs?

From what i recall, there was nothing before that section, after that section, or in the DLC which explained why you'd suddenly become aug-less.

If not, then they should have rebalanced the DLC for being a mid-game area, which is what i thought the whole point of the Director's Cut was all about.

Yes, there is, but its completely left field(I mean, you see it coming, its a stupid 1 minute cut scene) and doesn't make the take away any better. Adam decides to take a detour and then, oh hey...

 

[Deleted member 83233]

Do they take one of his kidneys too?

 

[LeviathanZERO]

Do they take one of his kidneys too?

Those were already gone...

lulz

 

[chockomonkey]

Yes, there is, but its completely left field(I mean, you see it coming, its a stupid 1 minute cut scene) and doesn't make the take away any better. Adam decides to take a detour and then, oh hey...

but what about a detour would cause your augs to go away?

IIRC in DX1, you lose your inventory when you end up in captivity, but you still have your augs (because well, duh, they're INSIDE you)

 

[UnknownSouljer]

but what about a detour would cause your augs to go away?

IIRC in DX1, you lose your inventory when you end up in captivity, but you still have your augs (because well, duh, they're INSIDE you)

What, do you want a full set of spoilers? Just look it up if you're that interested.
Also, I should note that even at the beginning of DX:HR (after the intro section), you technically have every single augmentation, but it's explained that activating all of them could cause problems for Jensen. Therefore it's better to allow them to come on 'slowly and by themselves', which gives rise or explanation to the leveling and Praxis Point system. So even in the base game, it's never a matter of "you should have them all because they're inside you."

If you haven't played the game and get these basic points, it seems pretty futile to be arguing about whether it makes sense or not. Play the game first.

 

[Domingo]

I didn't find the loss of augmentations in the DLC to be an issue plot-wise or gameplay-wise...especially considering how quickly things develop.
I never made it that far in the original release, so I actually didn't know where the DLC section started and ended and I didn't really figure it out right away...so IMO, that's not a bad thing.
My only gripe with the DLC actually involves the timing for it. While it works plot-wise, the way it breaks up the gameplay definitely feels weird. You don't have all of your stuff, and when it's over you get everything back and you'll most likely have an overflowing suitcase like I did.

 

[Absalom]

You don't have all of your stuff, and when it's over you get everything back and you'll most likely have an overflowing suitcase like I did.

Just did all achievements in a single run for Director's Cut. My suitcase was practically irrelevant.

 

[chockomonkey]

What, do you want a full set of spoilers? Just look it up if you're that interested.
Also, I should note that even at the beginning of DX:HR (after the intro section), you technically have every single augmentation, but it's explained that activating all of them could cause problems for Jensen. Therefore it's better to allow them to come on 'slowly and by themselves', which gives rise or explanation to the leveling and Praxis Point system. So even in the base game, it's never a matter of "you should have them all because they're inside you."

If you haven't played the game and get these basic points, it seems pretty futile to be arguing about whether it makes sense or not. Play the game first.

Yea fair enough.

I've played the original game twice through, and only got to China on the DC before i moved on to other things. One of these days I'll go back and finish it, at which time i'll find out.

 

[LeviathanZERO]

My only gripe with the DLC actually involves the timing for it. While it works plot-wise, the way it breaks up the gameplay definitely feels weird. You don't have all of your stuff, and when it's over you get everything back and you'll most likely have an overflowing suitcase like I did.

Exactly.
Completely killed the pace. Didn't help that its was like my 3rd time restarting the game and then I get to that. I'm sick of running around like I'm at the beginning again. Give me my damn augs back, grrrrrr.....

All this talk is making me want to continue...
But it made me quit the game for months. The execution, that late in the game, just awful.

 

[MacLeod]

Just fired this back up and am really enjoying it. For some reason when I first played it back in 2012 I didnt get into it that much and quit playing it after only a couple hours and hadnt touched it again in over 2 years. Bought the soundtrack and listen to it all the time when Im just chilling upstairs on the couch with the wife and little boy and it made want to play it again. Dont know why its so much more enjoyable this time around but couldnt hold my interest back in 2012 when I first tried it. The ambiance and atmosphere are just superb and the gameplay is really good for what is really kinda more a RPG than a shoot-em-up game.

Maybe thats whats different this time. Im not trying to kill everybody I see and am actually trying to sneak passed people. Got thru the whole police department and only had to knock out two cops down in the basement holding cells. Maybe Im just getting bored with shooters and a stealth game is more appealing now or something.

 

[Deleted member 83233]

Just fired this back up and am really enjoying it. For some reason when I first played it back in 2012 I didnt get into it that much and quit playing it after only a couple hours and hadnt touched it again in over 2 years. Bought the soundtrack and listen to it all the time when Im just chilling upstairs on the couch with the wife and little boy and it made want to play it again. Dont know why its so much more enjoyable this time around but couldnt hold my interest back in 2012 when I first tried it. The ambiance and atmosphere are just superb and the gameplay is really good for what is really kinda more a RPG than a shoot-em-up game.

Maybe thats whats different this time. Im not trying to kill everybody I see and am actually trying to sneak passed people. Got thru the whole police department and only had to knock out two cops down in the basement holding cells. Maybe Im just getting bored with shooters and a stealth game is more appealing now or something.

Many of the games that end up being my favorites (even some of my all-time favorites) started this way for me. System Shock and System Shock 2 both started like this, and are in my top-two slots for best games of all time. I probably tried the original System shock about 6 or 7 times, never making it that far, getting a little overwhelmed (even by the interface a bit sometimes). Who knows why I even kept trying that many times. I just kept WANTING it to be as good as I knew it should be I guess. So then I hit that magical time where I just say eff it! Keep pressing on, and then just slightly past where I got the first few tries is where I get completely hooked.

There are so many games where this is the case for me. I know I'll like them, the settings, the mechanics, but just don't click right away. Then I just decide I have to press on. Once I do, I can't stop playing until I've finished the game.

 

[MrAgmoore]

I still have the hots for Eliza Cassan. I bought the sound track on cd.

 

[Solhokuten]

The steam forums have many users complaining about the performance of this game. Is this true? If so, any tweaks or suggestions to remedy this?

I have 50 or so hours on the original version. No performance issues there.

 

[Deleted member 83233]

Never had a problem on the original either. I've started playing the Director version now, and I'm not seeing any issues with it either. I think it's another case where some people see an issue, and are quite noisy about it. I'm not saying the problems aren't there for some people, but from what I've played so far, it's running just fine, no stuttering that I've noticed (and I'm usually pretty sensitive to that.) I'm not playing on terribly high-end hardware either. One system has a 660Ti, 4 core Xeon, 12GB, the other a 650Ti with an AMD 3 core and 8GB.

I typically crank up all graphical options, though I usually leave shadows on normal for whatever the game is, tweak blurring to be minimal, and play at very low AA settings if any because AA doesn't do much for me.

I could check the exact settings I'm using next time I play it (maybe tomorrow as I'm on a mission from god in Doom 3 right now )

 

[Damar]

The steam forums have many users complaining about the performance of this game. Is this true? If so, any tweaks or suggestions to remedy this?

I have 50 or so hours on the original version. No performance issues there.

I just reinstalled the Directors Cut myself the other day to do another playthrough and the only thing I've found thats annoying me is VSYNC apparently is broken.

Google comes up empty with causes/solutions so far, not that I've looked much.

With VSYNC on though, FRAPS shows 180-220 fps and my PC seems to be running a lot hotter than usual.

Other than that, its just as much fun as I remember, and better in some respects with the fixes they did from the launch version.

 

[MacLeod]

VSYNC works fine on my copy. Im at a steady 60 fps with it on and in the mid 100's with it off. Mine is the original version (pre-ordered) though so I wonder if its the Director's Cut that is having the issue.

 

[Damar]

VSYNC works fine on my copy. Im at a steady 60 fps with it on and in the mid 100's with it off. Mine is the original version (pre-ordered) though so I wonder if its the Director's Cut that is having the issue.

No clue, but I certainly dont need 180+ fps with this or the additional heat it seems to cause my PC to put out.

I've had no luck so far with researching the problem and since its Steam, I cant find a local ini file to mess with.

 

[MacLeod]

No clue, but I certainly dont need 180+ fps with this or the additional heat it seems to cause my PC to put out.

I've had no luck so far with researching the problem and since its Steam, I cant find a local ini file to mess with.

Have you tried going into the Nvidia control panel and turning it on from there? Might be worth a shot.

 

[Damar]

Have you tried going into the Nvidia control panel and turning it on from there? Might be worth a shot.

You know something... it never even dawned on me to try that. Between getting settled in at my new place since my wife decidied new career > marriage, and not sleeping for shit, my mind has been mush.

Just tested that and it works perfectly fine. Thanks for suggesting something so obvious, because I dont know that I'd of ever thought to look there.

Sometimes it really does help to have another set of eyes looking at a problem.

Thanks again.

 

[MacLeod]

You know something... it never even dawned on me to try that. Between getting settled in at my new place since my wife decidied new career > marriage, and not sleeping for shit, my mind has been mush.

Just tested that and it works perfectly fine. Thanks for suggesting something so obvious, because I dont know that I'd of ever thought to look there.

Sometimes it really does help to have another set of eyes looking at a problem.

Thanks again.

HA Im usually always guilty of overlooking something thats staring me right in the face. Nice to pay it forward for once.

 

[Deleted member 83233]

This is probably why I don't usually see many of the issues that some people seem to have. I force VSync and triple buffering in the NV control panel. I can't play if things aren't synced. I hate tearing, and don't see any value at framerates higher than 60 or 120 anyway. There are a lot of people that have to squeeze out extra frames at the cost of tearing, or maybe even just miss the fact that these settings can be forced. I always wonder why I don't notice issues that tons of other people have. Being sensitive to a lot of them, it's been puzzling for a while.

 

[chockomonkey]

This is probably why I don't usually see many of the issues that some people seem to have. I force VSync and triple buffering in the NV control panel. I can't play if things aren't synced. I hate tearing, and don't see any value at framerates higher than 60 or 120 anyway. There are a lot of people that have to squeeze out extra frames at the cost of tearing, or maybe even just miss the fact that these settings can be forced. I always wonder why I don't notice issues that tons of other people have. Being sensitive to a lot of them, it's been puzzling for a while.

I rarely use vsync, but for me it's not about extra frames. I could be at 60fps with vsync on and the mouse will still feel noticeably more sluggish than with it off.

 

[Deleted member 83233]

I notice a touch of that with triple buffering, though not as much from vsync. Especially not enough to bother me in pretty much any single player game I'd be playing. The only thing I could see it bothering me in would be Quake III or Live, but I don't play those enough anymore for it to really matter. Back when I played with a lot of friends on LANs, I'd take little advantages like that sometimes. Even then though, a couple of milliseconds really didn't matter too much. Maybe if one plays competitively. At this point though, I don't feel any disadvantage, and the payoff is smooth as silk displays with zero artifacts of any kind. That's a trade I'm willing to make.