Deus Ex: MD - In Praise of Prague

[Aubrielle]

YouTube critic Mark Brown breaks the trend of supporting bigger worlds by coming out in favor of smaller, more detailed game worlds, using Deus Ex: MD's Prague as an example.

More information.

 

[joxer]

I'm sure there are people who believe DX:MD is more detailed than TW3.
Then again, in recent western history there were people who believed Earth is a flat board.

DX:MD as DX:HR does something no other game has - 9 levels of vertical space. Usually games have two or max three. Even recent Sims which is totally about designing a house cannot go 9 levels up/down. Yes, that's the reason of DX loadscreens. That's the reason unlike TW3 and also in video mentioned Gothic can afford not to have loadscreens: the vertical world.

With such design, DX:MD is a gem of it's own. But it's not a world being smaller. Another example is FO4, less of horizonal map space compared to FO3, but much more of vertical. Explorable space, not props. Explorable in a way you really find something new constantly, something different, something handplaced, not obvious roguelike random generated rubbish.

Wouldn't surprise me youtubers completely miss the point again and start praising details in some linear garbage next compared to huge worlds. Of course they'll mention currently playing some console crap like in this case yakuza 2.

 

[crpgnut]

Modders built a 20 story building at Abernathy farm, but they used an exploit to do it. I'm not sure how big the building was where you rescued the DJ, but that was pretty huge. I think 9 stories was my tower at Starlight in F4.

 

[joxer]

Modders also wage wars currently over visual enhancements in GTA5.
But it's a mod. Not a game. What's even worse, it's about something that doesn't really need improvement unlike horrible helicopter controls in this game noone dares to "fix".

Starlight is an exception rather than a rule.

But what I wanted to say was that this youtuber completely missed the point of world design in DX:MD.
Did it ever occur to him why does Icarus landing augmentation exist in DX games? Not only it exists, it's not locked to a few points of the map like leap of faith in another environment puzzler - AC.

 

[zahratustra]

well…. yes… but, after all is said and done, let's not forget that DE:MD is still a con. And, what's more, it's a con on two levels:
1- microtransactions
2- the game was cut so that three parts will be made out of two. Eidos did a soft shoe shuffle and moved part of the content from the first part to the second so it will be finished faster and so the work on the part 3 may commence. I even wonder if they didn't move parts of part 2 to part 3.
So it does have flashes of greatness but it only reminds me of Ultima IX. In both cases we would have a GREAT game if only it was finished properly.

In short, I kind of hope that DE:MD won't be a success because Eidos' corporate suits need some serious financial butt kicking to discourage them from doing this sort of things in future.

 

[JDR13]

2- the game was cut so that three parts will be made out of two. Eidos did a soft shoe shuffle and moved part of the content from the first part to the second so it will be finished faster and so the work on the part 3 may commence. I even wonder if they didn't move parts of part 2 to part 3.

Can you be more specific? I don't understand what you mean here.

 

[sakichop]

Can you be more specific? I don't understand what you mean here.

Don't understand? Did you miss the part where he said the stuff about the thing? Seemed pretty clear to me.

 

[NFLed]

DX: MD does end somewhat abruptly, and I would like it to be longer, but I do not believe that it is short, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

As for environments, in my view DX: MD did a great job.

 

[Falchor]

Prague--as a go-anywhere, do-anything sandbox environment--is fantastic.. perhaps one of the single best city-scapes for hard-core explorers with labyrinthine design that constantly folds in upon itself... However, it's also sterile... and a bit soul-less.

I can't seem to make myself play this game. And I haven't been able to figure out why, other than I don't feel like I'm role-playing. I feel like I'm playing Adam Jensen. And Adam Jensen is not a particularly intriguing character. He's a tad standoffish (maybe), he's a tad untrusting of his higher-ups (maybe),... I just don't know who he is. I contrast that with Geralt and, well.. I know who the hell Geralt of Rivia is. If you're not going to allow me to create my own character (for "story" reasons), then give me a character I can get behind... someone I can care about.

I don't care about Adam Jensen, so I think I'm done playing this game. And that sux, because I love Deus Ex.

 

[sakichop]

Prague--as a go-anywhere, do-anything sandbox environment--is fantastic.. perhaps one of the single best city-scapes for hard-core explorers with labyrinthine design that constantly folds in upon itself… However, it's also sterile… and a bit soul-less.

I can't seem to make myself play this game. And I haven't been able to figure out why, other than I don't feel like I'm role-playing. I feel like I'm playing Adam Jensen. And Adam Jensen is not a particularly intriguing character. He's a tad standoffish (maybe), he's a tad untrusting of his higher-ups (maybe),… I just don't know who he is. I contrast that with Geralt and, well.. I know who the hell Geralt of Rivia is. If you're not going to allow me to create my own character (for "story" reasons), then give me a character I can get behind… someone I can care about.

I don't care about Adam Jensen, so I think I'm done playing this game. And that sux, because I love Deus Ex.

Problem is you can't create a character that everybody can "get behind". The same way you feel about Adam Jensen I feel about geralt and most of his buddies. I'll still try to tough through the rest of Witcher 2 and then Witcher 3 though. For the record I don't love Adam either but I find him more tolerable than geralt.

 

[azarhal]

Can you be more specific? I don't understand what you mean here.

Some people started a rumor that the story in DX:MD was cut after the delay to make two (or 3) games out of it. That rumor is shit, a trilogy was announced in 2014, so the splitting was done way earlier than last November.

 

[JDR13]

Problem is you can't create a character that everybody can "get behind". The same way you feel about Adam Jensen I feel about geralt and most of his buddies. I'll still try to tough through the rest of Witcher 2 and then Witcher 3 though. For the record I don't love Adam either but I find him more tolerable than geralt.

I don't get how anyone could not like the cast of The Witcher. I think it's among the best out of all the RPGs I've played, and I've played a lot. At least in terms of writing, I can't think of any games that use an established character that I like more.

If it's a personality thing though, I guess I could see Geralt rubbing some people the wrong way.

Some people started a rumor that the story in DX:MD was cut after the delay to make two (or 3) games out of it. That rumor is shit, a trilogy was announced in 2014, so the splitting was done way earlier than last November.

Ah ok.. that's the first I've heard of that. I wonder if they're already working on the next game.

It doesn't seem like there was an official announcement though. More like a leaked source, so I'd take it with a grain of salt.

 

[BoboTheMighty]

Eh, is the second one in development? They burned a lot of good will with community and this one isn't really selling well. I wouldn't be surprised if SE pulled the plug.

 

[zahratustra]

Some people started a rumor that the story in DX:MD was cut after the delay to make two (or 3) games out of it. That rumor is shit, a trilogy was announced in 2014, so the splitting was done way earlier than last November.

Rumor started because the frigging game is MUCH shorter than DE:HR and the end catches you by surprise (and I don't mean it as a complement). Angry Joe calls it "introduction" and I agree with him. We are expected to pay a full price for a prologue to a game.
And what the fuck does it matter when the trilogy was announced? Content WAS cut and that's what matters. Maybe development of part 1 and/or 2 was considered as too slow by the corporate dicks?

 

[Ripper]

Jim Sterling also interviewed a source from Eidos on the development shenanigans. I don't know when or where the splitting was decided, but I don't have much difficulty believing that the game as intended suffered from being sliced up to fit a more episodic sales scheme.

 

[joxer]

About roleplaying a specific character mentioned in other posts…
I can understand what people mean, however both Geralt and Jensen, each with it's own inner universe perfectly fit my needs. I couldn't tell you I like or dislike one or another more. It's definetly not my obsession with hair in games, in fact looking at it from a side both have different style yet I adore each one.
Maybe the problem is in me here, I just like to play totally different characters. Maybe I should have chased acting profession instead of getting stuck in IT.

About rumors and cuts, we'll never know the complete truth, but some of it we can "decypher".

We know that the third game is already in development, I like to call it DX:MD-2 or DX:Jensen Returns as it's not the first time Square Enix pulled out such scheme.
Is it a part of DX:MD being left out to be sold separately? IMO not really. The main story about golden masks gets explored and finished in DX:MD while several other motions like Janus and Helle remain a mystery to be used as major (or side) plot in the next game.
And I don't see anything wrong with that.

What people got irritated with was lack of bomber from the trailer. In the game he appears only briefly (I bet you didn't notice him!) and you can find some info on his reasons if you hack his PC - many people either didn't explore enough to find his "shack" or didn't bother with hacking PCs, that'd be those who claim the game is too short as no quest leads you there (hint: penguin king).
Another problem is that more info on him appeared in the day1 DLC, but if you analyze that DLC objectively, it's not about the bomber at all but about another person who tempered with evidence.
While the majority think this bomber is a major character, he's not really. I wish he was, but as usual, the trailer was misguiding giving the major role to hands instead to the head.
If needed, I can post pics about this. Or perhaps better if I do that on Steam guides?

Next thing people got irritated with was not finding out who was the mole for certain. Sure, during credits we do find out who pulled some strings, but the problem got opened when fans discovered key data in DX:HR art book about another character who's also a possible mole (not in the shortened version of art book from so called collector edition but in the complete edition volume!). If needed I can post some pics on this.

Actual evidence that something got cut out can be argued with Children's Crusade comic. This comic takes place between HR and MD and totally feels like scenario to MD prologue instead of Dubai mission. The question is if the story in this comic was actually cut out from the game or just scrapped as would most probably disbalance the game and it's not connected anyhow to "golden masks" while it is definelty about mankind being divided after the end of DX:HR.

 

[Avantenor]

Some people really seem to be overwhelmed by the idea that when Eidos Montreal is talking about Deus Ex Universe and that Dawn Engine is meant to serve as central technology for the whole Deus Ex franchise, there actually already might be some bread crumps in the game that lead to another release … That's really asthonishing. Who are these guys that they seem to have a plan for future releases? Someone should tell that the guys from Game of Thrones.

What I think one can support about the "smaller" game world: It's more compact regarding different environments. And sometimes that helps to create a more dense atmosphere. But on a closer look you also find a lot of copy/paste in DE:MD. Server rooms, sewers, they often look the same except some placeables and air shafts.

 

[Ripper]

I don't think anybody's feeling "overwhelmed". Just unimpressed at a release that feels incomplete, with the suspicion that this is due to nickel and dime tactics to stretch the content over more releases - a suspicion encouraged by the presence of unwelcome microtransactions.

 

[joxer]

And presence of so called Breach mode which is in fact a phonegame, bundled into DX:MD without asking fans about opinion and one can't buy a game edition without that trash.

btw, IMO Dawn engine is slightly changed Foundation engine (also known as Horizon) used in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Noone will officially confirm this. But when and if you play both games, you won't be able to shake away the feeling it's the same engine.
If I'm right, this only means the engine, whatever it's actual name might be, is a brilliant piece of software.

 

[zahratustra]

I'm not overwhelmed. I'm just extremely annoyed because we are being taken for a ride and too many are prepared to let it go because the goldish ring is shiny...