Eidos BB Interview (Moved from old forums)

**Catman** · #1 07-01-2002, 12:04 PM

Thread originally started by STL[Caltech]

<table border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width="95%"><TR><td bgcolor="#000000"><table width=100% border=0 cellspacing=1 cellpadding=4><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#00104F"><TD valign=middle width=18%>Author</TD><TD valign=middle>Topic:   Eidos BB Interview?</TD></TR><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-25-2002 12:52<HR>So, I'm now using my spring break to work on the <A HREF="http://stl.caltech.edu/dx.html" TARGET=_blank>DX Story page</A>, going through all of the awesome interviews that Tech pointed me at, and
I
was thinking - wouldn't it be cool if the Eidos BB regulars got
together and
made a list of questions to ask Warren and Harvey, et al.?
Not on Deus Ex II,
because they can't talk about that much (though we
wish they could!), but on
game design and Deus Ex I and the like. I know
that I'd have a couple questions
I haven't heard answered before.Any thoughts?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>Danaelus Member Posts: 845 From:Washington, DC Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-25-2002 01:35 AM<HR>I would definitely be down for that if we could actually contact Warren
or
Harvey somehow.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>ICEBreaker Member Posts: 3085 From:Sydney, Australia Registered: Nov 2001</td><TD>posted 03-25-2002 04:00 AM<HR>I think that is a great idea, but I have no immediate input at this time.
Given
a few weeks to go through all my notes, and replaying the game
once more, I bet
I can come up with some.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>-Random- Member Posts: 182 From: Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-25-2002 05:23 AM<HR>"Who will help the widow's son?" <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif"></td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>DeusExJew Member Posts: 1241 From:Halifax,NS,Canada Registered: Dec 2001</td><TD>posted 03-25-2002 11:32 AM<HR>Sounds great. </td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-25-2002 08:03 PM<HR>See what you can come up with. I'll see if I can get Harvey or someone else
to
do it. Keep in mind that I'm not his pal or anything, but I think I
know how
we can manage this.Everyone, post your questions here, for anyone on the DX2 team (Warren
Spector,
Harvey Smith, Sheldon Pacotti, Chris Carollo, Alexander
Brandon, any of the
several designers, etc.) Then I'll see if I can do
something to get them
answered. No promises, but I *will* try if you
guys can come up with about 15
interesting, unique questions.BTW - "Who will help the Widow's Son" is a coded cry for help among
Freemasons.
It basically translates into "Mason in distress." It never
went anywhere in
Deus Ex, it's just a reference to freemasons, who are
often accused of being
involved in all kinds of conspiracies, largely
due to the misbehavior of a
rogue lodge in Italy during WWII. So, it
appears to be nothing more than a bit
of conspiratorial color in Deus
Ex.The Widow's Son is also the title of one of the Illuminati books by Anton Wilson.
Warren
Spector admitted, in an old interview, to not having read these,
but they are a
great fictional romp through conspiracy theory.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>-Random- Member Posts: 182 From: Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-26-2002 01:21 AM<HR>Cool, thanks for that info. I've been wondering about it. <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif"></td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>ICEBreaker Member Posts: 3085 From:Sydney, Australia Registered: Nov 2001</td><TD>posted 03-26-2002 03:12 AM<HR>Random, show me the secret handshake and I'll help you. We Freemasons,
never
let each other get in distress.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-26-2002 04:27 PM<HR>Well, let me think of a few questions to get us started.How does working with the next-generation Unreal engine compare to working
with
the original engine - is the process of implementing all the
additional
features (e.g. conversations) easier this time around?What kind of marketing campaign can we expect to see for Deus Ex II
shortly
before its release - print ads, playable demos, Super Bowl
commericals?Deus Ex I communicated much of its plot not only through conversations
but
through in-game text (e.g. E-mails). How important do you consider
this to be
in an immersive simulation, and why?Okay, it's your guys' turn now.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-26-2002 08:26 PM<HR>I *assume* DX2 questions are OK if they are about something already
announced,
such as the engine. If anyone wants to ask Thief questions,
that might be fun,
too.I am currently swamped with catching up on my life after GDC, but I'll drop
in
here frequently.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>QualiC Member Posts: 91 From:Pittsburgh,PA USA Registered: Dec 2001</td><TD>posted 03-26-2002 08:52 PM<HR>Coming up with good questions isn't always the easiest thing to do...in
fact,
asking questions that the person answering finds interesting and
enjoyable to
reply to can be very hard. And that's only half the
challenge...finding
questions that readers/viewers will be interested in
hearing the answers to,
let alone care about, makes conducting a good
interview a skill most don't
have. This is why the interviews you read
in all the game mags, celebrity
mags, etc, often seem to be the same
stupid questions over and over. And if they're not carbon copies, then you'll often find the interviewer
asking
asinine things in an attempt to get the person to say something
unscripted,
candid, or "newsworthy" enough that the interviewer gets
attention...that guy
who asked Bush those foreign leader questions last
year is a perfect example of
this. He wasn't trying to inform the
audience or entertain them...nor was he
trying to facilitate his
subject's desire to convey information of interest to
the subject.
Instead it was just another example of an interviewer trying to
make
themselves look good or gain attention. With those things in mind, lets look at Stephan's first three:STL: "How does working with the next-generation Unreal engine compare
to
working with the original engine - is the process of implementing all
the
additional features (e.g. conversations) easier this time
around?"Q: Not a bad start...good subject, but needs refined. The general Engine1
vs
Engine2 has solid potential as both something Warren & Team might
like talking
about, and as something others will find interesting. But
when you address
such a large topic, don't focus the answer unless its
really something worth
hearing. Do you really want to know if they find
it easier to add features?
What do you think the answeer will be? Odds
are it'll be: "Yes, our experience
with DX1 has made things much
easier...". Not very interesting, is it? Odds
are its not going to
draw anyone out into sharing an experience...which is
often the best
responses. Would this question still get the information you're
looking
for?:Question: Now that you and the team have had your hands on the new
Unreal
engine for awhile, have there been any surprises, good or bad?
What specific
elements of the game do you feel the new engine will allow
you improve upon the
most? Are you guys still treating it like a "black
box", or are you guys
diving in and figuring out what makes it
tick?STL: "What kind of marketing campaign can we expect to see for Deus Ex
II
shortly before its release - print ads, playable demos, Super Bowl
commericals?"Q: I'd have to rate this question pretty low... <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif"> Do you REALLY care about their marketing plan, Superbowl commercials,
and
PRINT ADS??? LOL...Please... Do you think Warren and the team are
spending
time thinking about this, even though it isn't their job?
Demos...maybe...but
too soon and not up to them anyway I bet. Lets toss
this one back...STL: "Deus Ex I communicated much of its plot not only through
conversations
but through in-game text (e.g. E-mails). How important do
you consider this to
be in an immersive simulation, and why?"Q: Excellent question! The more I read from TechImortal and other stuff
in
general here, the more amazed I am at just how much back-story and
sub-plot
info there is in those emails. More than I coulda guessed...so
much, that
someone on the team is really into this aspect of the game,
and I'd love to
know where they got the idea, how it developed, and if
DX2 will have even
deeper complexity just be;ow the surface for those
who take the time to look.
I might re-phrase it to:Question: The original DeusEx communicated the basic plot, objectives,
and
sub-plots, through both conversations and data cubes, and some
email. However,
just beyond the information that was always being
handed to you, there existed
another layer entirely, one that constantly
revealed more and more puzzle
pieces to those who took the time to check
the computers, read all the emails,
and continue conversations long past
getting the info that was "necessary". To
whatever degree a player
choose to reveal these added puzzle pieces, a deeper
and fuller texture
was given to the DX world and its inhabitants...to what
extent do you
consider this unusual aspect to be needed in an immersive
simulation?
Given that those who took the time to put the hidden pieces
together got
insights others could not, do you see a way of incorporation
that
knowledge into gameplay, especially considering how DX prides
itself in
multiple paths to the same goal?Anyway, those are just a few thoughts I had. I don't want to come across
as
some sort of "question expert" or anything...hopefully if everyone
throws in
some good ideas, we can come up with a list that the DX team
will enjoy
answering. Everybody likes it when others not only notice
the nuances and
extra touches of their craft, but also expresses an
interest in gaining better
understanding so as to more fully
appreciate.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>Danaelus Member Posts: 845 From:Washington, DC Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-26-2002 08:53 PM<HR>What will the realistic system reguirements be for Deus Ex 2 and will there
be
special features (i.e. DirectX 8) only available if you have certain
hardware?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-26-2002 09:27 PM<HR>QualiC: > Do you really want to know if they find > it easier to add features?Yes, I do. Because that's what using the Unreal engine as a codebase is
all
about - it does the rendering work for them, and they provide the
additional,
Deus Exy features on top of it. ConEdit sounds like a boring
part of DX, but
it's really what makes the game tick, and I am
interested to hear how well the
next-gen Unreal engine meshes with what
DX2 is trying to get done.> Question: Now that you and the team have > had your hands on the new Unreal engine...That's three questions! If you note, I was very careful to keep mine to
one
each. ;-)> Q: I'd have to rate this question pretty > low... Do you REALLY care about their > marketing plan, Superbowl commercials, > and PRINT ADS???I do! (The "Super Bowl commercial" thing was a slight joke, of course.)
I
wanted to ask something which I hadn't heard asked before. DX1 didn't
seem to
have a very large marketing campaign and I do want to know
what's going to
happen with DX2. Even the best game in the world won't
sell if it's not
marketed. Just because it's not a glamorous part of the
business doesn't mean
that marketing is boring, or that I don't want to
know about it.Granted, if I could only include one of my questions, the marketing
one
wouldn't be it, but I don't think you can dismiss it
out-of-hand.> Q: Excellent question! The more I read > from TechImortal and other stuff in > general here, the more amazed I am at > just how much back-story and sub-plot > info there is in those emails.Yep, this is the question I am most anxious to hear them talk about (not just
a
yes/no answer, of course; questions are more like starting points for
them to
talk about game design for a bit).> I might re-phrase it to:You might. I like my original phrasing better; it captures the same
aspects,
and is a whole lot briefer. I like it when the interviewer says
less than the
interviewee. ;-) Not to say that you can't write a long,
detailed question - I
just would prefer not to.> and continue conversations long past > getting the info that was "necessary".See, you've changed the whole point of my question. (Feel free to develop
it
into a new one!) My question was about text vs. dialogue. Your
question is more
about all the extra stuff that's crammed into DX,
waiting for some attention
and thought. But there is textual information
in the game which every player
sees; e.g. E-mails which contain
passcodes. I want to know what the DX2 team
thinks about text vs.
dialogue as a way to communicate plot and enhance
gameplay. It sounds
like you want to know if the DX2 team considers adding
extra information
(not readily apparent to all players) to a game to be
important. They
are different questions.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-26-2002 09:35 PM<HR>To clarify:I am very interested in your question, Qualic - it's my desire by working on
my
DX story page to figure out exactly how much stuff is hidden in DX.
I'm just
saying that your question is different from mine.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-27-2002 12:21 AM<HR>As a person with a little experience in this, let me point out:a) Ask the questions first, and we'll refine them laterb) We don't want to take too long, because certain news/fan sites troll
the
boards, and we don't want them stealing our interview (it's been
done.)
Actually, me posting that should act as a warning to anyone who
might try that.c) Keep the questions *short* -- these are busy people and they read
long
things only when it's something they've asked for.d) If you want to ask DX2 questions, it's probably not best to ask about
things
too far in advance that they might not know the answer to, or
might not be
allowed to answer. System requirements, we can probably
ask about; ad campaign
questions might be better directed at Eidos, not
ISA.With these guidelines in mind, carry on <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif"></td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-27-2002 12:50 AM<HR>> b) We don't want to take too long,Okay, let's speed this up. Danaelus, ICE, DEJ, you guys have any questions
to
throw into the pot?Edit: Duh, Danaleus already put forth the good system requirements
question
(which I haven't heard asked about DX2 yet).> ad campaign questions might be better > directed at Eidos, not ISA.Okay, good point. I humbly withdraw that question.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>FierceClaw Member Posts: 111 From:Los Angeles, California, United States Registered: Jan 2002</td><TD>posted 03-27-2002 02:11 AM<HR>Here are some things I'd like to know:Has data-streaming (such as the technology used in Dungeon Siege or Soul
Reaver
to eliminate load times) been considered? If not, why?Will the Deus Ex theme song make an appearance? I felt I had to ask
after
starting a whole thread on the subject <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif">.Have any nanotech researchers been contacted during story research?Are any systems of the Unreal engine being re-written or replaced (such as
how
Raven has replaced the Q3 engine's animation system in their
games)?Does the Havoc physics engine that's been licensed allow for all the
same
things as the Karma engine being used in the new Unreal games
(rag-doll
physics, physics-based water currents/ripples, etc.)?Will footage of the game be released anytime soon?Will players still be able to write their own in-game notes?That's all I could think of for now. If I come up with any more
questions,
I'll post them.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-27-2002 03:22 PM<HR>Wow, excellent questions.> Will players still be able to write their > own in-game notes?That reminds me - the one thing that really, really bugged me about DX is
that
your nano-augmented brain was unable to record E-mails. I would
want to know if
E-mails will be noted along with conversations,
etc.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>FierceClaw Member Posts: 111 From:Los Angeles, California, United States Registered: Jan 2002</td><TD>posted 03-29-2002 04:28 AM<HR>Ok, here are some more questions:Is it possible that taking different paths through the game will send Alex
down
different paths of emotional growth?Will the new facial animation system be used to convey some
information
entirely through facial expressions every once in a while?
This can be an
effective way to increase the believability of animated
performances in games
(and other animated mediums), as Anachronox and
Soul Reaver 2 (and possibly
others) have proven.Are there any features or game mechanics of DX1 that won't be returning? If so, why?In DX1, the melee weapons didn't have the customizability of the
ranged
weapons, nor did they possess multiple attack types. Will there
be any added
depth to melee attacks in DX2? For that matter, will there
even be any melee weapons in DX2?That's all I have for now, but I'll post again if I come up with any
more
questions.Edit: Changed JC to Alex in the first question now that the name of the
main
character has been revealed.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>DeusExJew Member Posts: 1241 From:Halifax,NS,Canada Registered: Dec 2001</td><TD>posted 03-29-2002 04:32 AM<HR>The original Deus Ex had an effective interface but towards the end of
the
game, with so many augmentations, the screen became quite cluttered.
Are you
planning any major changes in the game's interface for the
sequel?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>ICEBreaker Member Posts: 3085 From:Sydney, Australia Registered: Nov 2001</td><TD>posted 03-29-2002 07:11 AM<HR>Well the thing is that in PS2, it seems that it only shows active augs,
hence
less clutter. In PC, you can also configure it to only show active
augs.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-29-2002 02:34 PM<HR>A quick comment: they might not be allowed to answer some of these
DX2
questions, such as about the interface. We can ask them, but we may
be told to
wait. That happens with press interviewers, too.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>DeusExJew Member Posts: 1241 From:Halifax,NS,Canada Registered: Dec 2001</td><TD>posted 03-30-2002 09:02 AM<HR>Yes Tech, most of us probably anticipated that stumbling block but its good
to
at least have the questions in the air. Heres another: I found the cities to be the most enjoyable environments of Deus Ex. It
was
awesome to truly be undertaking a globe trotting adventure. I want
to see the
Madrids, the Jerusalems, the Londons of the future. The
amount of character
interaction and variety of activities offered in the
city easily surpassed that
of say, an Ocean Lab or Nuclear Silo (which
involved straight base infiltration
as opposed to the aforementioned
elements). My question is "Will Deus Ex 2's
environments be more
tailored to the city or to base infiltration?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>Danaelus Member Posts: 845 From:Washington, DC Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-30-2002 11:53 AM<HR>Good question DEJ. The city environments were indeed FAR superior to the
base
ones, although I did like area 51 quite a bit, and I thought the
Unatco base
escape mission was maybe my favorite in the game. Being able
to walk around
places in Hong Kong and Paris though were truly
amazing.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>ICEBreaker Member Posts: 3085 From:Sydney, Australia Registered: Nov 2001</td><TD>posted 03-30-2002 08:42 PM<HR>I agree. The main reason why I bought Deus Ex was because of real
world
locations. I loved the NYC maps, really disappointed about the
gone Washington
maps, and would like to see a Chicago or a San
Francisco/LA map. In all
honestly (and no offense to anyone) Seattle is
not as charasmatic as most of
the unique cities in the world. I am a bit
disappointed with chosing it in DX2.
As for the rest of the world, I
really want to see a Rome/Florence/Venice map,
a Moscow map, as well as
a Tokyo/Beijing/Shanghai. An all new improved HK
encore would also be
great. Although I know the plot doesn't allow it, it would
have been
better (in my view) to replace the Vandenburg, Ocean Lab and Area
51
with some real world locations. You can always have the secret labs
right
inside the city, under everyone's nose.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 03-30-2002 10:14 PM<HR>Vandenberg and the (no longer so-called) Area 51 *are* real places.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>ICEBreaker Member Posts: 3085 From:Sydney, Australia Registered: Nov 2001</td><TD>posted 03-30-2002 10:57 PM<HR>Yes, of course. I was silly. I meant to say real world city locations.
Yup,
mistake.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 04-01-2002 09:01 PM<HR>Does anyone want to make a few questions based off of the WS/DC
thread?
Otherwise I might if I can find the time (first day of classes
and all that).</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>QualiC Member Posts: 91 From:Pittsburgh,PA USA Registered: Dec 2001</td><TD>posted 04-02-2002 08:11 PM<HR>Question: Who thought up the cheat codes "Huthut", "morefrogs",
and
"Iamwarren", and the odd effects they have when entered? Many
cheats kinda
make sense in a strange way...but then there's some that
make you wonder "Why
did anyone ever even think of that?"...can you shed
any light upon this creepy
corner of designers' minds?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>FierceClaw Member Posts: 111 From:Los Angeles, California, United States Registered: Jan 2002</td><TD>posted 06-01-2002 12:16 AM<HR>What ever happened to this thread? I'm still waiting to see the answers
to
quite a few of these questions, even though many others have already
been
answered. Is anyone still planning on conducting this
interview?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-01-2002 01:14 AM<HR>Yeah, I want to know what happened to this thread too.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-01-2002 02:28 PM<HR>Funny, I was just thinking about this thread the other day. Looks like we
all
had the same idea at the same time.Let's give the guys a week to catch up on their sleep/work/lives/sanity
after
E3, which was apparently more tiring for them than usual. At the
end of the
week, I'll sort through all this (obviously, DX2 questions
are allowed now!)
and see about poking on the right people.Where do people want this posted, if we get our interview? The ION Storm
site
would appear to be the best place (or maybe the Eidos main page)
since it would
sit there as an article (or archive, later) instead of
being in a thread here
that would eventually roll into oblivion.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-01-2002 02:38 PM<HR>I have a new question.Deus Ex II will benefit most if the fans can have a central place to
discuss
the game in the months before launch. This means that if Ion
Storm doesn't have
a bulletin board, the game will suffer. When will we
see the return of the ISBB?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>Xeno8 Member Posts: 39 From:Colorado Springs Registered: May 2002</td><TD>posted 06-01-2002 02:40 PM<HR>It has been rumored that the number of maps in DX2 will be reduced to
approximately 50 from 79 in DX1. Sure, the maps will be more detailed, and
there will be more ways to do things, but is game length being sacrificed in
this process?Any good?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-01-2002 02:48 PM<HR>Oh, and if the interview goes though I think it should be posted on the IS main
site.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-01-2002 02:53 PM<HR>Xeno8: > is game length being sacrificed in this > process?This has already been confirmed.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>FierceClaw Member Posts: 111 From:Los Angeles, California, United States Registered: Jan 2002</td><TD>posted 06-01-2002 04:38 PM<HR>Here are some things I was wondering:1.) Will the game take place entirely indoors, or will we be able to wander the
streets of the various cities? And if we get to go out on the streets, will
there be any cars, motorcycles, or people on scooters to avoid or destroy?2.) Is there any chance of a third-person view that can be enabled from the
console? I'd love to be able to see my character moving around and performing
his/her actions with the new graphics engine.3.) Will the new physics engine allow for cloth simulation too? With so many
people in trench coats, it would be great to have a feature like this.4.) Is there any chance that we will soon get to see a trailer or other
official footage of the game? I'm especially curious to see how accurate the
new lip-synching tech is.That's it for now. If I have any more questions, I'll post them.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>Alai Member Posts: 246 From:Seattle, WA USA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-01-2002 05:40 PM<HR>1.) Will the game take place entirely indoors, or will we be able to wander the
streets of the various cities? And if we get to go out on the streets, will
there be any cars, motorcycles, or people on scooters to avoid or destroy?unreal engine has notoriously been known to do outdoor areas extremely well,
compared to the mostly indoor-stricken quake engine. i'd think this holds true
for the newer unreal warfare engine as well.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>FierceClaw Member Posts: 111 From:Los Angeles, California, United States Registered: Jan 2002</td><TD>posted 06-02-2002 01:17 AM<HR>You're right about the Unreal engine being great at outdoor areas, but that
doesn't mean that they will be using the engine for that particular purpose.
After all, the Unreal engine is also great at multiplayer, but they're not
using that feature either (though I'm not sure I'd even want them to).</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>-Random- Member Posts: 182 From: Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-02-2002 05:15 AM<HR><BLOCKQUOTE style="margin-top:0px;">quote:<HR>Originally posted by STL[Caltech]: I have a new question.Deus Ex II will benefit most if the fans can have a central place to discuss
the game in the months before launch. This means that if Ion Storm doesn't have
a bulletin board, the game will suffer. When will we see the return of the ISBB?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>When the Ion Storm site was put back up a couple of months ago, there was a
statement on there that said that Deus Ex and Thief forums were going to be
opened. This was a while ago, but hopefully they haven't changed their minds. I
just don't know what's taking them so long. <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif"></td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>OldGrrl Member Posts: 239 From: Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-02-2002 07:02 AM<HR>ok. not to be a party pooper, but y'all, i think it's too late to ask any more
questions. if i recall, wasn't the point of this thread to gather questions to
ask BEFORE someone here went to E3? and, now we're waiting for the responses,
right? i think.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-02-2002 07:08 AM<HR>I originally planned on these questions being E-mailed to Harvey, et al. - so
as far as original intent goes, I guess I'm the final word. They haven't been
sent yet.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>FierceClaw Member Posts: 111 From:Los Angeles, California, United States Registered: Jan 2002</td><TD>posted 06-02-2002 04:45 PM<HR>Since the questions haven't been sent yet, here's another one:Will there be context-dependent animations during conversations? For example,
when the player chooses a threatening line of dialogue to say, will the main
character point a weapon at the other character, or perhaps grab the other
character's throat? I would love to see a few animations like that to make the
body languae more convincing.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-02-2002 05:05 PM<HR>/me hopes that the "put your weapon away during conversation" animation is a
bit more realistic/convincing. It was always funny in DX how the characters
would wave their hands before starting a conversation.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>OldGrrl Member Posts: 239 From: Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-03-2002 04:10 AM<HR>oops. silly me. i just went back and reread the opening post and i really
don't know why i thought this had anything to do with E3. maybe i'd read some
posts just prior about E3 coming up, etc. and was assuming...whatever. you
know what they say about assuming. <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif">me sorry. carry on.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-03-2002 06:34 PM<HR><BLOCKQUOTE style="margin-top:0px;">quote:<HR>Originally posted by STL[Caltech]: I originally planned on these questions being E-mailed to Harvey, et al. - so
as far as original intent goes, I guess I'm the final word. They haven't been
sent yet.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>STL - I volunteered to get this to people, once everyone thought it was ready.
I had no idea you intended to do it. You're lucky I didn't go ahead. I'm not
trying to step on your toes; I thought my contribution was to get this
delivered, with you credited for starting it. Let me know for sure if you're
really the one who wants to do it, because I think I can do it right (sorry,
not sure how to word this...I don't mean anything bad). Up to you.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-03-2002 07:04 PM<HR>No no, I never expected to be the one E-mailing them myself. I just expected
that eventually they would get E-mailed (prolly by you :-> ) instead of
being directly asked at E3.> I thought my contribution was to get this > delivered, with you credited for starting > it.That's the plan! I'm happy just to have started it.We need to make final questions and then compile the ones we already have into
a final list, taking into account what we've learned in the intervening months.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-05-2002 01:49 AM<HR>This weekend is when I'll have time to help collate stuff and go over it with
you (STL) and everyone here. It also gives our victims, um, I mean,
interviewees time to have recovered from E3 so we get them at a good time. <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif"></td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>OldGrrl Member Posts: 239 From: Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-05-2002 06:17 AM<HR>and don't forget the question about the retaining email. that was one of my pet
peeves, too. <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif"></td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-06-2002 12:44 AM<HR>Ditch my ISBB question, I already know the answer.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>FierceClaw Member Posts: 111 From:Los Angeles, California, United States Registered: Jan 2002</td><TD>posted 06-07-2002 01:09 AM<HR>Here are a couple more questions:1.) Will the voice actors behind the main characters in DX1 be returning for
DX2?2.) Will the all the characters in the game have realistic voices? Many of the
characters in DX1 had distractingly silly voices (particularly the civillians)
or over-the-top accents (such as the one employed by Anna Navarre, which seemed
to stand out compared to the more subtle and believable performance from Jaime
Reyes, who was very well-acted; Anna's accent wasn't even of the proper
nationality, sounding Russian rather than Israeli), while the majority of the
important characters and a few of the secondary characters sounded quite
convincing. I'd also like to hear a bit of emotion in the main character's
voice; I love JC's voice, but I wish it would change in tone a bit when he
talks about different subjects.If any of this is confusingly-worded, it's because I'm watching Late Night with Conan O'Brien while typing it <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif">.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>FierceClaw Member Posts: 111 From:Los Angeles, California, United States Registered: Jan 2002</td><TD>posted 06-07-2002 05:40 PM<HR>Another question (I have too much free time, don't I?):Have any of the original plans for the story been altered due to all the recent
world events? I'd hate to think that the characters of DX2 might not have that
wonderful sense of moral ambiguity that made the denizens and factions of DX1
so interesting. I loved how you could never tell which governments,
organizations, or people were on which side.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>DeusExJew Member Posts: 1241 From:Halifax,NS,Canada Registered: Dec 2001</td><TD>posted 06-09-2002 01:13 PM<HR>Heres another: "In Deus Ex, many items the designers wanted you to find were
stored in crates. While this may seem appropriate in say, a warehouse level,
the technique was used far too often in the game in a way that damaged its
immersion level. In Deus Ex 2, what steps will you take to change this trend?" </td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>Ghyron Member Posts: 1036 From:February 31st, 1901 Registered: Jul 2001</td><TD>posted 06-10-2002 12:14 PM<HR>1)Will someone from the Deus Ex team make sure that the upcomming movie is true
to the game? 2) Is there ANY possibility of releasing the maps that were taken out of the PC
game (but then later added to the X-Box) even if they are buggy or unfinished? 3) When/Where will we see the answers?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>FierceClaw Member Posts: 111 From:Los Angeles, California, United States Registered: Jan 2002</td><TD>posted 06-12-2002 02:49 AM<HR>More questions:1.) Will there be a nice door-opening animation? In DX1 it looked pretty weird
when NPCs opened doors; it looked like the door opened on its own while the
character played the running animation and slid backwards.2.) Will characters of different body types have different animations? In DX1,
it seemed like every character, regarless of weight or shape, moved the same
way.3.) Will the new animations be motion-captured?4.) Will the new engine allow characters to automatically bend their knees more
when walking on stairs and/or rotate their ankles while walking on slopes (so
that they don't look like they're hovering over the ground)?PS When will the final list of questions be sent to ISA?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-12-2002 05:00 AM<HR>The final list will be sent when I get off my lazy posterior and run a collated
list past you people for approval.Sorry, life has been *really* unreal the past couple of weeks. I have all
kinds of things due on Friday.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>ICEBreaker Member Posts: 3085 From:Sydney, Australia Registered: Nov 2001</td><TD>posted 06-12-2002 05:26 AM<HR>Before you post is it OK to give 24-48 hours deadline, so that we can get in
some last minute stuff?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-12-2002 05:35 AM<HR>Let's make the deadline for new material the end of Friday, if that's OK. That
way I can work on it this weekend.Any questions that have been answered in other interviews will be removed (with
explanation) unless people want to argue that they want a better answer.Questions that are similar will be grouped together and perhaps edited for
brevity.Contributors will all be credited.I won't send *anything* without posting it here first.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>OldGrrl Member Posts: 239 From: Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-12-2002 05:47 AM<HR>(you knew i had to ask this eventually)ok, we know "my" JC won't be the main character this time, but since he will be
in the game as an NPC, what are the chances that Jay Franke will be able to do
his voice for DX2? (realizing that Franke is now working for Activision, etc
etc.)</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>OldGrrl Member Posts: 239 From: Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-12-2002 06:47 AM<HR>oh hey! i don't think anyone has asked this, but what about the music? will
the same people be doing the score? i loved the music last time around and
would love to "see" more of them in DX2.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>DeusExJew Member Posts: 1241 From:Halifax,NS,Canada Registered: Dec 2001</td><TD>posted 06-12-2002 07:44 AM<HR>Alex Brandon and Reeves Gabrels I think. </td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-12-2002 01:35 PM<HR>Reeves Gabrels may be busy on other projects.I would love for Alex to do the music, but is he going to have time? Many of
you may not know this, but you usually get the final film to score something
like 2 weeks before the deadline. Yep, movies are scored in less than a month.
Alex would have to be free for it.Of course, I think Alex did write most of the music for DX in less than a
month, so he could do it if he were available. Anyway, the music and voice
questions are two of the ones I was going to add if no one else did. <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif"> Thanks, Oldgrrl!</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>DeusExJew Member Posts: 1241 From:Halifax,NS,Canada Registered: Dec 2001</td><TD>posted 06-12-2002 06:51 PM<HR>Oldgrrl et al, this is a snippet from an interview with Alex Brandon:"I was asked to do Unreal 2's music, yes, but someone else will do it… I asked
someone else to do it and I wish I could say who, but he's in an evaluation
period with Legend right now so it may not be final. Sucks, cuz the guy totally
rocks and is one of the coolest musicians I know. As for DX2 and Thief 3, I'm
responsible for all the audio, and in terms of WHO will do it all, I'm not
sure… I know that I'll be doing quite a bit in both but definitely not
everything." </td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>FierceClaw Member Posts: 111 From:Los Angeles, California, United States Registered: Jan 2002</td><TD>posted 06-13-2002 12:33 AM<HR>Now that I'm done with school until September or August (not sure which), I
have too much time to think about questions to post here...Anyway, here are
some more of them:1.) If the game still has the notebook feature (I absolutely love that feature,
so I hope it's in DX2), will there be a search feature? Sometimes I'd return
to an area after several missions it would take a while to look through all of
my notes to find a keypad code I was looking for.1a.) Will there be a similar feature for the conversation log (another feature
that I used often)?2.) Is there a chance that the game might include some weapons or items that
use Alex's bioelectric energy as ammo?3.) Will there be an aug that uses bioelectric energy to synthesize ammo?4.) If a character (such as Gunther or Mr. Renton in DX1) asks to borrow a
firearm, will it be possible to ask for it back when he/she is done with it?
Will we at least be able to choose which weapon to lend out? I hated being
stuck in a position where I wanted to arm someone, but I didn't want to lose a
weapon that I had spent a lot of time upgrading.5.) Is the story being written in such a way that, if there is a Deus Ex 3, the
team will already have plans for dealing with story branches and player choices
(such as the gender of the main character or multiple endings)?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-13-2002 12:51 AM<HR>Deus Ex Jew, can you please post the date of that interview with Alex, and a
link if possible? Thanks. <IMG SRC="http://forums.eidosgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif"></td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>FierceClaw Member Posts: 111 From:Los Angeles, California, United States Registered: Jan 2002</td><TD>posted 06-13-2002 01:59 AM<HR>Yet another set of questions:1.) Will characters have several idle animations? In DX1, it looked a bit
strange to see a group of people standing very still while breathing heavily
(which they continued to do during conversations).2.) Are any steps being taken to ensure that the game has a style similar to
DX1, particularly in regards to music? I don't know how many people feel the
same way, but I think that the music in DX1 was one of the biggest contributing
factors to the unique mood that the game set.3.) Will the various endings to the game have nice long cutscenes? The endings
in DX1 were pretty cool, but all of them (especially the Helios ending) were
quite short.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>DeusExJew Member Posts: 1241 From:Halifax,NS,Canada Registered: Dec 2001</td><TD>posted 06-13-2002 03:33 AM<HR>Sure: <A HREF="http://www.deusex-machina.com/articles/alexbrandon.asp" TARGET=_blank>http://www.deusex-machina.com/articles/alexbrandon.asp</A></td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-13-2002 05:33 AM<HR>OK, because I was talking to him recently and that interview seemed slightly at
odds with some stuff I know. (I can also make a good guess at who he
recommended, but I'd better keep my mouth shut, since a trial period seems to
be involved...)</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>ICEBreaker Member Posts: 3085 From:Sydney, Australia Registered: Nov 2001</td><TD>posted 06-13-2002 07:05 AM<HR><BLOCKQUOTE style="margin-top:0px;">quote:<HR>Originally posted by FierceClaw: 2.) Is there a chance that the game might include some weapons or items that
use Alex's bioelectric energy as ammo?3.) Will there be an aug that uses bioelectric energy to synthesize ammo?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Ah! Just like Syndicate, eh?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>Ghyron Member Posts: 1036 From:February 31st, 1901 Registered: Jul 2001</td><TD>posted 06-19-2002 03:23 PM<HR>*Ghyron quietly nudges this topic back to the top of the forum*When will we have answers?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>Danaelus Member Posts: 845 From:Washington, DC Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-20-2002 12:52 PM<HR>I wonder, when the powers that be have referred to "game length" and its
shortening, what exactly do they mean?The amount of levels or the amount of time it should take to beat?</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#C0C8D0"><TD width=18% valign=top>STL[Caltech] Member Posts: 1036 From:Pasadena, CA Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-20-2002 09:01 PM<HR>I'm pretty sure it means both fewer levels and fewer hours of gameplay on one
pass through the game.</td></tr><tr valign="top" bgcolor="#DFE0E0"><TD width=18% valign=top>TechImmortal Member Posts: 852 From:Cabal of Technophiles mod group Registered: Aug 2001</td><TD>posted 06-25-2002 01:28 AM<HR>Re: the shorter-game question --Direct from Harvey, I asked him in person: Fewer levels. With amazing depth.
The game will be very, very deep, and as much of a sandbox as they can make it.So, length of gameplay is relative. You can blast through it, or spend lots of
time exploring.OK people, I've been unavoidably away for a few days, and that's going to be
happening a lot.However, I have made the official arrangements, and it's all going to be very
cool. More on this after I check on a few things.In the words of Terminator: I'll be back.</td></tr></table></td></tr></table>

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