Deus Ex : Mankind Divided

[djoye]

Game was more stuttery in DX12, I reverted the patch. I ran benchmarks and lost at least a couple FPS in DX12. I'm on a GTX 1080.

Edit: Should have also mentioned that it did greatly increase load times.

 

[Domingo]

I just tested it out (for the hell of it) and it quadrupled my loading times on a SSD. Performance was reduced a little and it introduced a little bit of a stutter to boot.

 

[Domingo]

Anyone know why load times increased so drastically? It's like going back to a mechanical drive on my system.
Per the devs, DX12 doesn't add anything visually or change the game so Nvidia owners can just stick with DX11 if the DX12 option never pans out. There's a toggle in the options menu for it.

 

[dark_reign]

Anyone know why load times increased so drastically? It's like going back to a mechanical drive on my system.
Per the devs, DX12 doesn't add anything visually or change the game so Nvidia owners can just stick with DX11 if the DX12 option never pans out. There's a toggle in the options menu for it.

Load times increased when I switched to DX12. When switching back to DX11, load times are back to normal. It's not the latest patch.

 

[Domingo]

As I get further, I'm noticing that they definitely scaled back on the weapons. There are essentially 9 weapons and that's it. It seems like there are some more, but they're just 1-off versions of what you already have that can only use 1 type of ammo. Some of them seem great on the surface, but the inability to use other ammo types cripples them. The stuff you find early, you might as well go ahead and upgrade.

 

[stashix]

As I get further, I'm noticing that they definitely scaled back on the weapons. There are essentially 9 weapons and that's it. It seems like there are some more, but they're just 1-off versions of what you already have that can only use 1 type of ammo. Some of them seem great on the surface, but the inability to use other ammo types cripples them. The stuff you find early, you might as well go ahead and upgrade.

Then again the game basically showers you in upgrade materials. I'm at the Heist mission and already have a fully upgraded Tranq Rifle, Stun Gun, Pistol, Lancer Rifle and Combat Rifle, with all attachments. Working on a shotty now. Same goes for Praxis - so many points I'm just putting them in stuff I know I'll never use.

 

[Solhokuten]

As I get further, I'm noticing that they definitely scaled back on the weapons. There are essentially 9 weapons and that's it. It seems like there are some more, but they're just 1-off versions of what you already have that can only use 1 type of ammo. Some of them seem great on the surface, but the inability to use other ammo types cripples them. The stuff you find early, you might as well go ahead and upgrade.

I thought there were only 6 or 7 in HR.

 

[Domingo]

Then again the game basically showers you in upgrade materials. I'm at the Heist mission and already have a fully upgraded Tranq Rifle, Stun Gun, Pistol, Lancer Rifle and Combat Rifle, with all attachments. Working on a shotty now. Same goes for Praxis - so many points I'm just putting them in stuff I know I'll never use.

Ditto. I've maxed out all of my weapons and just completed the Heist. I have a Tranq Rifle, Stun Gun, 10mm, Combat Rifle, and Shotgun. The one "unique" gun I kept was Otar's Revolver mainly because I only use it for killing drones anyway. I think the normal one is probably better since you have more ammo options. With the Praxis points, I'm also just tossing them into whatever now. I have maxed out almost all of the traditional ones, at least short of some pointless ones (like not being blinded by flashbangs) and such.
Some abilities definitely trump others no matter what approach you take.

 

[Domingo]

I thought there were only 6 or 7 in HR.

I think there were roughly the same. This is based on memory, but I recall repeatedly finding something better than what I currently had in HR. There were more/better exclusives. In this game, outside of those 4 handicapped exclusive weapons, the stuff you have at the 20-minute mark is the same stuff you have at the end. At least sans the RPG.

 

[stashix]

I thought there were only 6 or 7 in HR.

When doing a Pacifist run there were basically no weapons, since both the Tranquilizer Rifle and the Paralyzer were much worse than using takedowns.
At least in MD both are pretty useful, as is the Tesla aug.

Ditto. I've maxed out all of my weapons and just completed the Heist. I have a Tranq Rifle, Stun Gun, 10mm, Combat Rifle, and Shotgun. The one "unique" gun I kept was Otar's Revolver mainly because I only use it for killing drones anyway. I think the normal one is probably better since you have more ammo options. With the Praxis points, I'm also just tossing them into whatever now. I have maxed out almost all of the traditional ones, at least short of some pointless ones (like not being blinded by flashbangs) and such.
Some abilities definitely trump others no matter what approach you take.

I'm not even really using any of the lethal ones, aside maybe the Pistol for drones. And yeah, I think the balance of the augs is once again kinda screwed, as it was in HR - some are absolutely amazing, but there are also a lot that are just totally useless - Radar augs don't amount to much when I don't even have the Radar on, Health/Armor upgrades are kinda moot when I'm doing a Ghost/Smooth Operator playthrough, Run Silent is basically just a worse Cloak and I don't think I've found a single place where the Rebreather/EMP armor augs would be mandatory - there was always either a valve, a switch or it was so short that it could be easily solved by just popping one of the 50+ Hypostims I have on me.
On the other hand stuff like Remote Hacking is pretty great, as is Cloak, Battery Upgrades (mostly for convenience), Jumping, Icarus Landing and such. I still don't get why they can't just give you all the hacking rewards if you happen to have the code, this way I'm hacking every single door/computer, just as in HR. And neither do I get why I still can't do a double takedown on guys who are sitting.

 

[Domingo]

I can't think of a single instance where I've used the silent augment. Going cloak seems like such a better option even if it does use more juice. If they don't see anything, they don't really care. Even if you sprint right by them cloaked, they only pay attention for a few seconds.
I took a lot of the combat mods early when I was planning a run and gun playthrough, but I've never really needed any of it. I'm thinking that if I do a NG+ run I'm going to go all in and go 100% lethal the entire time. I've cleaned out massive sections of the game only using the stun gun and tranq rifle as it is. Both mob bases are littered with sleeping bodies.

 

[Solhokuten]

Can you still get upgrades/attachments for your weapons?

 

[stashix]

Can you still get upgrades/attachments for your weapons?

Yeah, but attachments have been reduced to Silencer, Laser Pointer, Holo-Sight and 4x Scope.
Damage buffs, special firing modes, clip size, etc. were folded into a crafting system where you spend 'crafting parts' to upgrade those characteristics whenever you want.

 

[jiminator]

for a pacifist run there are only two weapons and very limited upgrades. that was pretty disappointing, you sell all this junk for money then there is nothing to spend it on

 

[ghostwich]

for a pacifist run there are only two weapons and very limited upgrades. that was pretty disappointing, you sell all this junk for money then there is nothing to spend it on

It was like this in HR too - if you went full pacifist and ghost you would end up with excess credits and praxis points. It's not particularly balanced in this way.

 

[polonyc2]

so how do people who finished the game grade it?

 

[LordBritish]

so how do people who finished the game grade it?

I was kind of disappointed.

I had a vast arsenal of weapons with all the best upgrades and tons of ammo yet none of that was really needed.

In fact the game design seems to favor the pacifist route which is fine if that's what you're into.

However, I like blowing things up and filling things with holes (ala Duke Nukem),

 

[Frraksurred]

Same goes for Praxis - so many points I'm just putting them in stuff I know I'll never use.

At the end of my NG+ run I had everything maxed with 22 Praxis Kits to spare.

 

[Domingo]

I'm on the final mission now. While Prague has a ton to explore, the game does feel smaller and shorter than the last one. I think it's probably just because there are fewer overall locations. Golem City was more of a single mission than an actual locale (like Hong Kong was). The sewers are bland and it seems like the game loves sending you back to the same places in them. It'll be interesting to see what the eventual DLC does to change any of that.
Overall, it's a good game, but not necessarily a great one. Little details like the awful lip-syncing and the buggy physics stand out more than you might think. As much fun as hunting around might be, it's hard not to roll your eyes at the lack of polish.
The game 100% favors a stealth/non-lethal approach. There are so many random air vents and so much non-lethal ammo that it's actually more challenging to approach things like a traditional shooter.

 

[Q-BZ]

^^ I'll co-sign that for the most part.


I finished my first playthrough at highest difficulty allowed. Now I have New Game+ and that crazy high setting unlocked. 32 hours on what I thought was fairly thorough with a heavy stealth and non lethal approach.

It's a fantastic game to be sure and fans of DX:HR should enjoy themselves but as others have said I felt like the ending was a little bit anticlimatic. I don't know what the DLC plans are for this... I'm not dissatisfied, I just want more ... but at the end of all of this and sitting through the end credits there are some obvious narrative threads that will absolutely have to be picked up.

As others have stated: Stealth non-lethal is far and away the best way to play this game.

Playing this like a traditional shooter or like Duke Nuke Em? Play something else.

so how do people who finished the game grade it?

At least a strong B+ if I want to be really picky. I'll largely co-sign Domingo's post above mine although I'm probably a little more forgiving on some of it just because I really enjoy these kinds of games.

Ending:

Spoiler

A closing segment in Adam's apartment between Adam and Vega was nice and then the bulk of it is Eliza giving us the spin newscast about everything that happened and then roll credits. I don't know... I just wanted more payoff, so to speak, but then again there's DLC coming and hopefully we won't be waiting too terribly long for the next game.

End credits special scene: Not surprised there was more to Delara than meets the eye and hints are being dropped about Jensen and him being used whether he knows it or not. That has broad ramifications. She said "Elizabeth says hello" to I presume Lucius DeBeers?

Delara Auzenne Says it all.



Elizabeth DuClare

• DuClare is likely close with Delara Auzenne, since Delara uses her avatar during Illuminati's virtual conference, and calls her by first name, "Elizabeth", when talking to DeBeers.[6]

It's her.

I love continuity and a tapestry like this.

 

[DPI]

Q-BZ nice rundown.

 

[Solhokuten]

Nice to see people finishing the game with excess praxis. I thought praxis would be scarce with all the bitching people did about the micro-transactions at launch.

 

[Domingo]

I'm still not done (I've had limited play time this week) but I have maxed out the entire 1st tier of abilities (ie. all of the ones on the far left are green) and probably 1/2 of the others. There are at least 5-6 things I've never touched or needed. I don't think you can totally max out all of your augments in one playthrough without bonuses or buying extras, but you don't need to. There are a lot of augments that simply don't do much or are without question less useful than others.

If I play through the game again, I'm going full Rambo this time. Finally get some use out of those other guns and augments that focus on combat, health, armor, etc.

 

[Q-BZ]

Nice to see people finishing the game with excess praxis. I thought praxis would be scarce with all the bitching people did about the micro-transactions at launch.

I can't remember off the top of my head but praxis isn't a problem if you're playing well and kicking ass.

I honestly never gave the micros a second thought. It's not they aren't even there. No worries.

An unfortunate appearance notwithstanding: The microtransactions are a complete non factor and non issue.

 

[jiminator]

anyone bother trying to manually unlock level 4/5 stuff? Not a lot of them but easier to use the multitool.

 

[MavericK]

anyone bother trying to manually unlock level 4/5 stuff? Not a lot of them but easier to use the multitool.

I haven't spent the Praxis on level 5 hacking yet, but I've done level 4 manually.

You really have to fully upgrade the Fortify and Capture trees to be able to do the higher ones, or you have to be able to spam Stop! Worms repeatedly. To be honest I rarely if ever use any of the viruses to hack, 99% of the time you don't need them.

I really like the hacking minigame in this (and HR as well since it's basically the same), but in MD I've been noticing some weird shit with it. Like oftentimes, a level 2 terminal will have some bullshit configuration such that even with maxed out Fortify and Capture skills you still have about 5 seconds after detection to crack. Or, after detection in 2 seconds the final node will fortify up to level 7 to 9 or some crazy shit. I've also seen times where in-between nodes there is some sort of invisible trigger that just sets off the detection immediately with no way of stopping it (consistently, too, as some of these I've had to retry several times).

It just seems wildly inconsistent as to how difficult the hack will actually be at a given security level. Which isn't necessarily terrible, but then it just feels like they are blocking levels off with Praxis arbitrarily.

In any case, it keeps it fresh, albeit often frustrating to hit a level 2 lock that you have to try half a dozen times and/or spam Stop! Worms in order to pass.

 

[Q-BZ]

^^ Add to that: Some of those hacking situations he describes seem somewhat random. I maxed out my hacking and was glad I did. You can get lost hacking computers and getting all kinds of detail minutae and back story.

 

[Domingo]

I manually hack everything that won't alert guards. I just quicksave and it usually only takes 1-2 tries.
Not sure if it's everyone's experience, but the vast majority of the hacking software you find = pointless.
Stop worms and Nukes are great, but the other stuff is mostly a waste of time (and money you could get for selling it). They simply change certain odds that don't seem accurate to begin with.
The whole thing is a crapshoot with %'s so it's wiser just to unlock as much as possible simultaneously. It's more consistent than trying to take your time and figure out a perfect path only to have all of the supposedly 30% nodes go off anyway.

 

[stashix]

I manually hack everything that won't alert guards. I just quicksave and it usually only takes 1-2 tries.
Not sure if it's everyone's experience, but the vast majority of the hacking software you find = pointless.
Stop worms and Nukes are great, but the other stuff is mostly a waste of time (and money you could get for selling it). They simply change certain odds that don't seem accurate to begin with.
The whole thing is a crapshoot with %'s so it's wiser just to unlock as much as possible simultaneously. It's more consistent than trying to take your time and figure out a perfect path only to have all of the supposedly 30% nodes go off anyway.

Reveal and Overclock are occasionally useful.

 

[dark_reign]

anyone bother trying to manually unlock level 4/5 stuff? Not a lot of them but easier to use the multitool.

I only used the mulitool if they were to hard to crack due to the lack of hacking software or because I wasn't fully leveled up. Once you're maxed out it becomes a breeze. Even maxed out I sometimes would use the multitool because it was quicker.

 

[ghostwich]

^^ Add to that: Some of those hacking situations he describes seem somewhat random. I maxed out my hacking and was glad I did. You can get lost hacking computers and getting all kinds of detail minutae and back story.

I hack panels even when I have the keycodes

I only used the mulitool if they were to hard to crack due to the lack of hacking software or because I wasn't fully leveled up. Once you're maxed out it becomes a breeze. Even maxed out I sometimes would use the multitool because it was quicker.

Sometimes hacking a terminal in the open gets everyone upset so I'll use the multitool instead of building a fortress of soda machines for example.

 

[MavericK]

Well, and so far I've found myself swimming in crafting parts and money, so multi-tools are easy to come by. Even more so if you have the DLC with the micro-disassembler or whatever it's called.

 

[dark_reign]

I hack panels even when I have the keycodes

Sometimes hacking a terminal in the open gets everyone upset so I'll use the multitool instead of building a fortress of soda machines for example.

More EXP doesn't hurt.

Yeah, the multitool came in handy at the Palisade bank and a few other places where the guards would bother you or shoot on sight.

 

[MavericK]

More EXP doesn't hurt.

Yeah, the multitool came in handy at the Palisade bank and a few other places where the guards would bother you or shoot on sight.

If you sneak around enough, with the exception of a few specific safes, you can pretty much find every code/keycard for that place laying around.

 

[Q-BZ]

I hack panels even when I have the keycodes

Sometimes hacking a terminal in the open gets everyone upset so I'll use the multitool instead of building a fortress of soda machines for example.

And these are all a few of many examples of why I love these games.

"Because I can."

 

[Flogger23m]

How does the game run on DX12 as of now? I have a GTX 970 with a slight OC and a 4670K, 8GB of RAM. Would I be able to get an average of 60 frame rates at 1080 with at least FXAA?

 

[ghostwich]

How does the game run on DX12 as of now? I have a GTX 970 with a slight OC and a 4670K, 8GB of RAM. Would I be able to get an average of 60 frame rates at 1080 with at least FXAA?

DX12 is not a magic bullet. Don't get your hopes up.

That said, at 1080p you can get pretty good performance... I suspect you'll have to tone the settings down a bit. There's no FXAA, only TXAA.

 

[Conman]

Linux and Mac versions announced today.

Feral Interactive today confirmed that sci-fi Action-RPG Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ™ is coming to Mac and Linux later this year. Developed by Eidos® Montréal and published by Square Enix® on consoles and Windows PC, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is the much praised next installment in the renowned Deus Ex ® series and has received excellent reviews for its absorbing gameplay, meticulously designed missions and superbly realised environments.

The year is 2029, and mechanically augmented humans have become outcasts, completely segregated from the rest of society. Now an experienced covert operative, Adam Jensen is forced to live in a world that has grown to despise his kind. Armed with a new arsenal of state-of-the-art weapons and augmentations, he must choose the right approach, and who to trust, in order to unravel a vast worldwide conspiracy.

As Adam Jensen, players explore a futuristic Prague as they cut their own path through the game. Missions can be tackled in a myriad of ways, with multiple routes and tactical options open to the player, using hacking, stealth or brute force to achieve their goals and tailoring Jensen's augmentations to suit their individual play style.

“Over the past 16 years, the Deus Ex games have been leaders in game design, expertly blending innovative storytelling and gameplay within a compelling game world,” said David Stephen, Managing Director at Feral Interactive. “Deus Ex: Mankind Divided takes it to the next level, giving players an unprecedented degree of freedom in a spectacular cyberpunk setting, where their actions shape both narrative and gameplay.”

System requirements for both Mac and Linux versions will be announced closer to launch.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided™ for Mac and Linux - Home | Feral Interactive

 

[Conman]

I hack panels even when I have the keycodes

Sometimes hacking a terminal in the open gets everyone upset so I'll use the multitool instead of building a fortress of soda machines for example.

Using invisibility works as well.Since you're not moving you have plenty of time.

 

[Frraksurred]

anyone bother trying to manually unlock level 4/5 stuff? Not a lot of them but easier to use the multitool.

Hacking is one of the first things I upgrade because I use it so often. At the start of a game I'll grind XP by finding the alternate route into a place for the Pathfinder bonus, then I'll back track and hack the keypad for the additional XP. For this reason I look forward to lvl 5's because the 'pay' well.

Keep in mind I hack everything early on so I don't have to mess with it later. When I went into TF29 for the first time I was throwing boxes at people to get them to get up from their keyboards.