Official FAQs Thread (Q&As, Videos, Interviews, thread navigation) updated 9 Sept

[Viktoria]

Dated: March 3, 2011.
This FAQ is subject to update as and when new information is revealed.


Latest change/addition: Added PC Week info.


WHAT IS DEUS EX?
Deus Ex (pronounced as day-uss ex) is a cyberpunk-themed action role-playing game which combines gameplay elements of first-person shooters with those of role playing games. The first game in the series received almost universal critical and industry acclaim, including being named "Best PC Game of All Time" in a 2007 poll carried out by UK gaming magazine PC Zone, and after its release was a frequent candidate for and winner of numerous 'Game of the Year' awards.


WHO IS DEVELOPING DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION?
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is in development by Eidos Montréal. The studio is composed of industry veterans who have worked on projects such as Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six and the Myst series, as well as individual titles like Saboteur and Far Cry 2.


WHO ARE THE WRITERS?
Great effort is being put into the story and the characters are a major focus of the entire project, with the resources and skilled people being put behind it. The Eidos Montréal team is lead by Mary DeMarle with additional writers internally, plus contractors like James Swallow and who have written for other games, tv shows, and had novels published.

Additionally, Deus Ex 1 & 2 writer Sheldon Pacotti has been enlisted as story consultant and has been working with the EM team, and original creators Warren Spector & Harvey Smith have been spoken to.


ARE THERE ANY MEMBERS OF THE ORIGINAL DEUS EX WORKING ON HR?
None of the original team members are directly working on HR. However Warren Spector, Director of Deus Ex is happy with HR and Sheldon Pacotti, Lead Writer on Deus Ex 1 and 2, is consulting on HR’s story.


HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN IN DEVELOPMENT FOR?
Development officially started in June 2007.


WHO IS DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION'S PROTAGONIST?
The lead character is Adam Jensen, a security response specialist who's been handpicked to oversee the defensive needs of one of America's most experimental biotechnology firms. You, playing as Adam, are all-human, all organic.... for now, that is. You start pure, but as the story unfolds you are forced to augment yourself in order to survive and achieve objectives. Adam has a history leading up to the events that start the game, so his background is well fleshed out and we will learn more about him and his past, and his future, as the game progresses.


WHAT IS THE GENERAL STORY INTRODUCTION/PLOTLINE OF DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION?
Deus Ex: HR is a prequel and set in the year 2027 (before the events of DX1). One day, the path of Jensen's life is unexpectedly changed as a team of Black-Ops commandos break into his company's headquarters and (using a security plan from Jensen's own hand) a mass slaughter ensues. From there on out, Jensen is caught up in a conspiracy that's going to see him struggling for his life. The story and conspiracy elements are every bit a Deus Ex game and it will take the player around the globe. It's huge and the conspiracies are multi-layered.


WHAT IS THE SETTING?
The aesthetics of the world are interesting - a fusion of near-future Cyberpunk trappings with Renaissance period styles. In DX:HR you will travel to many real world locations. Shanghai, for example, is envisioned as a city extended above on stilts, with a whole new street level layered on top of the old city, leaving it in wretched gloom. The levels will be large and hub-based - they will be as large or larger than those in the original game. The player will experience both day and night, to establish some variety in time and atmosphere, but the general tone of the game will remain brooding and dark. When it comes to map sizes, think DX1 - not DX:IW.


RENAISSANCE? WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT?
The setting and feel of the game is still Cyberpunk but with a Renaissance twist. The Renaissance aspects do not overshadow the near-future setting but complement certain aesthetics. One of the reasons it was chosen is related to one of Deus Ex HR's core story elements: in the game, humans are really starting to utilise mechanical augmentations - everything from having your personal information implanted in a chip beneath your skin to completely replacing limbs with all-mechanical parts (prosthetics). At this point in human evolution, we are starting to really understand the body and improve it in terms of functionality, quality and longevity which mirrors what happened during the Renaissance when people like DaVinci started dissecting humans and learning about the inner workings of the body for the first time.


IS THERE REALISM & ELEMENTS OF SOCIOLOGY?
Deus Ex: HR will have blood and realism but gore will remain limited - it is not a game about butchery. There won't be any over-the-top extreme content either, like dueling chainsaws. Mature content will remain realistic.

Sociology is touched upon in the game, particularly in relation to the augmentations. Essentially, DX: HR explores the beginnings of human augmentation and the transhumanism movement is a major influence in the game. There are people who think it's "playing God" to modify the body whatsoever and there are people (Transhumanists) who think it's the natural evolution of the human species to utilize technology. You're caught in the middle of this storm and must decide which path you take. The visual stigma augmented people bear adds fuel to the huge societal rift between them and natural humans that's at the centre of Deus Ex: HR's vision of the future. Consider, for example, the endemic racism of 1950s/60s America for imagery, attitudes and problems augmented people face in DX:HR.


WILL THERE BE CHOICE & CONSEQUENCE/SOCIAL & CHARACTER INTERACTION?
Certainly, choice and consequence is at the heart of the experience. It won't be trivial choice either - your decisions will have a big impact on the game. If there aren't consequences, then you're not really making a choice at all.

The social aspect of the game is extremely important and you play with your own ethics, your own morality. There will be chance encounters and certain experiences that the player may or may not choose to interact with, and you can't undo a choice you have made. Engaging other characters in dialogue is where you find much of the heart and emotion of the game. Having one-to-one conversations, advancing the plot, learning new things and questioning people will offer an immersive experience. The dialogue system in DX:HR is very unique and the team is focusing on having characters emote and react far more realistically than other games of late. Reading body language and social psychology will come into play. Manipulation and careful consideration are involved in nearly every conversation.


IS DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION AN RPG/FPS/TPS?
Deus Ex: HR is FIRST person, but switches to third person for some contextual elements, after which it quickly returns to first person. DX:HR still has a component of action, a component of RPG, and a component of open-ended gameplay. You can play it the way you want - just as in the original game. If you want to be a stealth agent, or if you prefer to be a John Rambo, the choice is yours. You can play the entire game using combat... or you can play using stealth. Or, you can play the entire game going back and forth between both. The key is CHOICE. As the player, you are able to play the game the way you want to play it.

Stealth and Combat incorporate a cover system, however neither are locked into it. Both are designed to work in first person or third, opening up further choice of play style. An RPG and a shooter, there are always different ways to solve an objective, different people to talk to and lots of extra little things to do beyond the main path - just like Deus Ex 1. There is no one way to play; there are multiple ways depending on your style. DX:HR will not lack RPG elements because of a couple other game design choices - it remains an action/RPG like the first game even with the changed aspects. It's still based around making decisions which have consequences, selecting from a multi-path, multi-solution approach in a non-linear space.


AUGMENTATIONS/SPECIAL ABILITIES
JC Denton won't be born for two years and there are no known cases of human nano-augmentation, only mechs like Gunther Hermann and Anna Navarre. In Deus Ex: HR, you'll get full-blown, heavy-duty body part replacements, rather than clean and invisible sub-dermal nano-tech. These upgradeable implants don't look quite like the clunky 'Roboscopian' attachments that we saw on Gunther and Anna, they've been visually redesigned to be closer to modern-day prosthetics: smooth skintone plastic plates cladding a steel endoskeleton. Since each aug you install can visibly alter your character (but not all of them do), your choices customize your appearance at the same time as your abilities. Some of the mechanical augmentations passively improve your abilities, and can also take the form of special combat takedowns. As you use some of these takedowns (either lethally or nonlethally), the camera pulls back to show you doing it. It will also switch to third person when you make use of the game's new cover system. This should allow for more tactical combat as you will be using it in combat for the tactical aspect, but also when you're stealthy, because the camera allows you to see more what the enemies are doing.

There are approximately 21 known augmentations, spanning several categories and capabilities. Visual enhancements, tactical aids, hacking support and combative measures, as well as mere jumping and strength improvements. Each augmentation has a unique upgrade tree, allowing for various further abilities to be unlocked over the course of the game.


DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION TAKES PLACE LESS THAN 2O YEARS FROM NOW - SO HOW REALISTIC ARE THE AUGMENTATIONS?
The DX:HR team is working with multiple specialists in the field of neural sciences to ensure augmentations are scientifically feasible. Although this is of course a game so it must be entertaining, all of the augmentations in the game are rooted in scientific fact.


HOW DOES EXPERIENCE & SKILL POINTS FIT IN?
In DX:HR, experience points ares gained through completing objectives, exploring areas, or demonstrating skill. Talking through a delicate confrontation or precision shooting, for example. These experience points build up to form Praxis points, which can then be used to upgrade installed augmentations. Every augmentation has an upgrade tree, meaning you can enhance the basic aug in various ways. The game is about multi-path and multi-solution; it is about choice; how you choose to enhance your character depends on your style of play. As a consequence, it is impossible to experience every fully upgraded augmentation in a single playthrough.

Weapons are upgraded by other means, such as with money or finding an upgrade in the environment (i.e. searching off the beaten path). Some augmentations are weapons themselves, and some enhance the fidelity of combat: an upgrade to a strength aug may improve gun handling, for example.


WHAT ABOUT COMBAT/COVER/STEALTH & WEAPONS?



The game's main focus is not on combat - it's on you choosing how you want to play. The dev team wants to make combat and the actual mechanics of firing a gun better than it was in DX. Not more frequent, not more important, just better in the instances in which you will use it.

Deus Ex had boss fights - Walton Simons, Gunther Hermann, etc., but they weren't the Zelda "hit the boss in the eye three times to kill it" kind of boss fight, and neither is Deus Ex: HR's.

The weapons in DX:HR will be similar to those of our own time, based on real life models so that they have credibility. In addition, there will be some prototype weapons that are a bit more futuristic. Weapons will be upgradeable and will face the same difficult choices as your cybernetic innards. There will be unique upgrades and customisation that change the behavior of certain weapons. There is going to be a mix.

In DX:HR, stats have been removed from the act of shooting and instead relies on your ability to target with your mouse and keyboard (or controller). However stats have not been removed from you building your character or modifying weapons. There may be other examples of stats/simulation like this in the game, but it must be restated: combat is not more frequent than DX1, not more important, just better than before in the instances in which you will use it.

The design has been updated to utilize a cover system should you choose to engage it. As the game is first person, it is only if you press a key when up against a wall that the view changes to third person perspective. As soon as you move away from the wall, the game returns to first person. You don't have to engage the cover system if you don't want to. You can just easily walk up to that same wall in first person and never see the third person cover. It remains your choice... an option if you wish to see the way Adam looks with augmentations you've chosen throughout the game.



Stealth in DX:HR is based on light and sound; shadows are no longer used as the primary stealth element - it will be line-of-sight and sound propagation. You can hide anywhere you see fit as long as you're hidden by an obstacle and don't produce too much noise.


WHY CHANGES TO HEALTH REGENERATION?
DX:HR takes place about 20 years from now and various militaries are currently experimenting with the beginning of new technology in terms of patching-up wounded soldiers on the battlefield of limiting how much pain they feel when wounded. How far will it advance in 20 years and what will be more realistic at that time? A suit having some kind of repairing ability or morphine injection, or running around looking for a medic or health kit in a bathroom? We already know Adam works for a very advanced firm so who knows what kind of tech they'll have access to.

The dev team wants players to focus on the gameplay challenges and on how they will tackle them. Going with the classic health pack system still forces players to retreat from confrontations and break the flow of the game to look for health packs when they run out of them. Instead of forcing a retreat to a previous location to grab/grind/harvest more med packs, the system keeps the action intense. The player is now forced to retreat in a tactical manner if he's in trouble, but he doesn't have to leave the whole area and start over because he was too low on health and stuck somewhere due to that fact. Its purpose is to increase the level of enjoyment of a player and remove all the down-time of back and forth induced by a "get medpack" philosophy. Overall, the team wants the player to focus on the events surrounding him and experience the tension indefinitely.

Additionally, the regen system works hand in hand with the cover system for creating and maintaining tension in the game experience. The cover system allows the player to take a few moments to rest and heal, but also to form a strategy before going back into action. This creates a trial and error system which is beneficiary to the player and doesn't require a frustrating reload (from death). So instead of running out of medpacks from trying different strategies, the player can move back and take cover, regroup, and go at it again until he finds a suitable solution.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution like its predecessors is about choice and consequences, and the health regen situation, of course, only occurs during combat. In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, you can have multiple ways to complete an objective, so avoiding combat altogether is often an option to advancing in the game.

What triggers the healing and how quickly health is replenished are still being tweaked, but it’s not like CoD4 where the very second you stop getting shot you start to cure. And as said above, combat is effectively optional; it’s only one of four approaches to the world. Somebody who only sticks to the combative side of DX:HR will enjoy a nice shooter, but will miss out on a huge amount of the game, just like anybody who played DX 1 by sticking exclusively to the main path and never went exploring, missed out on the world around them.


WHAT ABOUT MULTIPLE ENDINGS & REPLAYABILITY?
Several endings are confirmed for Deus Ex: Human Revolution - each the climax of a substantial campaign. You won't be able to experience all the augmentations or weapons on the first play through - economy will come into play. Just like in real life - you can't have it all. You can play again and have new abilities, new weapons and these will affect your game experience, opening new areas. You can't have everything at once; some decisions will mean the forfeit of alternatives.


HACKING & LOCKPICKING
Hacking is a major pillar of gameplay in DX:HR. It is an interactive minigame, where you rely on skill, speed, and augmentations to beat the local security system for control of a device. It is essentially a game of control, played out over a series of ‘nodes’. The security system starts out in a passive state, but the capture of every node has a chance to engage it. Once the security system is engaged, it attempts to recapture nodes and trace you back to your access node. If the access node is captured, hacking fails and an alarm is triggered. A player may choose to modify themselves with augmentations that assist with hacking.



Deus Ex 1’s hacking system hid the game world, presenting you with a computer interface screen and a progress bar for hacking. In HR, hacking keeps you live in the world. Everything is rendered in-engine so as you're hacking at a terminal, you can still look around, up, down, left, and right as things are happening. You have to keep an eye out for guard patrols, cameras, and bots while attempting to hack.


WHICH ENGINE & PLATFORM?
Deus Ex: Human Revolution uses a heavily modified version of the Tomb Raider: Underworld engine. The game will not resemble TR:U at all. On consoles DX:HR will deliver state of the art visuals, and the PC version will be cutting edge with DirectX 11 effects.

Windows, Xbox 360, and PS3 have been confirmed as supported platforms. There are no Mac OS X or Wii versions presently planned.


HOW WILL THE PC VERSION BE DIFFERENT FROM THE CONSOLE VERSIONS?

DirectX 11
The PC version of DX:HR will feature DirectX 11 support for improved visuals. It will have more advanced AI to compensate for the precision offered by the mouse, in addition to optimized controls, and a unique UI tailored to the platform.

Field of View
Nixxes Software have added an in-game FOV setting to DXHR (PC version)


WHAT ABOUT CINEMATICS?
DX:HR cutscenes:
-> Engine rendered
-> Made by EM
-> No other kind of cut-scenes

DX:HR trailers
-> Made by Square Enix
-> Based on EM art

The GDC 2010 CGI Teaser's assets, visual design, and aesthetics are taken directly from the game.




SOUNDTRACK COMPOSER
The composer is the great Michael McCann!
Award-winning composer and sound designer Michael McCann aka Behavior (ReGenesis, Splinter Cell: Double Agent), best known for his ambient cinematic scores and organic soundscapes, is creating the original musical score for DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION. The music captures the unique visual style of DX:HR and thematically supports the blend of action, role-playing and adventure genres featured in the game. To immerse players in the dark and beautifully visualized world of the game, the score fuses elements of cybernoir, futuristic renaissance and electrosymphonic ambience.



WHAT AGE RATING WILL THE GAME GET?
It's unknown for certain right now, but the game is being designed for a mature audience and is being targeted for a 'Mature' rating by the ESRB in North America and '18+' by PEGI in Europe.


WILL THERE BE ANY MULTIPLAYER?
Since a Deus Ex game is primarily a single player experience, DX: Human Revolution will not have a multiplayer component. The dev team wants to focus 100% on delivering the best single player game possible. But that doesn't rule out some kind of online component or future expansions and content, although nothing has been confirmed.


WHAT IS THE RELEASE DATE?
US: 23 August 2011
Europe: 26 August 2011
Australia: 25 August 2011


DEUS EX: HUMAN REVOLUTION GAME SUMMARY:
A huge cyberpunk story with conspiracies.
Non-linear, multi-path, multi-solution gameplay.
Different ways to solve any objective depending on your play style (social, hacking, stealth or action).
Character and weapon customization.
Action/RPG just like the first game.
Choices and consequences.
A semi-open world approach to levels and missions.
Different characters to meet and interact with.
An inventory system similar to DX1.
It's not a sandbox. It's not totally linear. It's like the best of both of those approaches.
Random explorable elements with earned experience points.
Global travel.


MISCELLANEOUS

There is no "Wii" version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution planned.
A special "Collectors' Edition" of the game is confirmed, aka "Augmented Edition"
You play a male character throughout the game, there is no option to change to a female profile.
Elias Toufexis is the voice of Adam Jensen.
There are three difficulty levels: Easy, Normal, and "Deus Ex".
Steamworks will be used on the PC.


Characters known so far:
Adam Jensen - Head of Security for Sarif Industries.
David Sarif - Owner of Sarif Industries.
Megan Reed - Niece of David Sarif, and Adam's ex-girlfriend.
Faridah Malik - Sarif Industries pilot.
Fedorova - Official role not yet known.
Barrett - Possibly the game's chief antagonist. He is heavily augmented.
Eliza - celebrity-like Picus TV Network Newsreader.


World locations so far assumed:
Shanghai
Detroit
Montreal
Philadelphia

Districts, so far known:
Heng Sha



Heng Sha is densely-populated island off the coast of Shanghai, on which a second street level has been built above ground level. It is at the heart of the global augmentation industry.

Detroit



A somewhat run-down city, Detroit has enjoyed a revitalization after becoming home to (among other things) Sarif Industries, a major player in the augmentation industry.


Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, Human Revolution's art director, has said:

Shanghai's Heng Sha is a lot more into the trans-humanist thing. It's a lot more accepted there - it's the Silicon Valley of all cybernetics. Within the art direction everything that's more like that is more golden, and a lot more towards the cyber-renaissance. The dual layer is inspired by a mockumentary we saw quite a while ago, which appeared to be a real documentary about Hong Kong...

In the game the idea isn't that it's the poor at the bottom and the rich at the top; the bottom used to be the Mecca of cybernetics, a lot of the headquarters of the great labs and manufacturing plants are there, it's just that when they built above it they chose a different architectural direction.

So above they have new universities and new headquarters, but the bottom isn't a slum - there isn't an old school dichotomy. We put a lot of stuff in the game, like you'll see those student-types from the upper level coming downstairs at night to party, and hit the bars and brothels.

Factions/Groups, so far known:
Humanity Front
Purity First

Corporations, so far known:
Sarif Industries
Sarpatech
Picus TV
**


OTHER STUFF (Mini Updates / Q & A's / Quotes / Rumours Etc)
Dated: 8 November 2010

What about Adam's augmentations (as seen in the new trailer)?

Originally Posted by René

In terms of augmentations, Adam obviously has some basic augmentations that you can't change. However, from that point, as you play you can choose whether or not to further upgrade him. Choice and consequences is critical to the game and since the story doesn't tell you how to play, or which side to take, you decide how much more of Adam's humanity to forgoe. Or not.

Originally Posted by René

From the teaser we can see Adam has two completely augmented arms as well as the see-through-walls vision. What else does he have? We'll have to wait and see!

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution Recommended PC Specs:
o OS: Windows 7
o PROCESSOR: AMD Phenom II X4 or Intel Core 2 Quad or better
o RAM: 2 GB
o GRAPHICS: AMD Radeon HD 5850
o REQUIRED DISC SPACE: 8.5 GB

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution Minimum PC Specs:
o OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 with DirectX 9.0c
o PROCESSOR: 2 GHz dual core
o RAM: 1 GB RAM (Windows XP) / 2 GB (Windows Vista and Windows 7)
o GRAPHICS: NVIDIA GeForce 8000 series or ATI Radeon HD 2000 series or better
o REQUIRED DISC SPACE: 8.5 GB


List of weapons (confirmed so far):

-Steiner Bisley Zenith (Pistol)
-Mustang Ad-Tech .357 Magnum DiamondBack (Revolver)
-Stasiuk Arms XBOW XH2 (Crossbow)
-Connaught P.E.P.S. (Pulsed Energy Projection System)
-Steiner Bisley FR-27 SFR (Flechette Rifle)
-Steiner Bisley Longsword 202 ‘ERaSeR’ (Sniper Rifle)
-Military Arms of Ostrava Widowmaker TX (Shotgun)
-Stasiuk Arms Hurricane TMP-18 9mm (Submachine Gun)
-Kaiga .56 MM M404 (Minigun)
-Steiner Bisley 329-Series MPRS (Rocket Launcher)
-Steiner Bisley SER.GLSN514 MTL (Grenade Launcher)
-Stun Gun (name unknown)
-Tranquilizer Rifle (name unknown)
-Laser Rifle (name unknown, capable of firing through cover)

Grenades (can be modded so as to act as mines):
-Riot CS
-Flashbang
-M1-A Frag
-M20 SMoke
-EMP

DLC Weapons:
-Huntsman Silverback (Double-Barrel Shotgun)
-Steiner Bisley Longsword Whisperhead Suppressed Extreme Range (Sniper Rifle)
-Steiner Bisley Linebacker G-87 MSGL (Multi-Shot Grenade Launcher)
-Steiner Bisley M-28 Utility Remote-Detonated Explosive Device (Remote Explosive)


INVENTORY SYSTEM
Both console and PC have the classic Deus Ex inventory system.
They differ in how you select - PC has the "hotbelt" from the original game, consoles have a radial menu.


LANGUAGE/SUBTITLES
The game is available in different languages and includes subtitles.

REGION LOCKS
Please note, this is only related to PC boxed games, and not digital or console editions.
There are no region locks for UK/EUR/US/AUS.
Just to clarify, this is for anywhere in Europe.
PC versions from UK will work in US and vice versa.

[Jerion]

ARE THERE ALTERNATE OFFICIAL WAYS FOR CONNECTING WITH OTHER FANS?

Yes.

There is an official group on Facebook.

There is also an official IRC Channel. It will be a place for future fan-dev team chats, and right now it's a great way to get to better know other members of the community. The Eidos, Inc Community Terms of Use apply for the channel, so follow them. Basic rules of conduct: be respectful, keep it clean.

Direct link to the channel:
irc://irc.replayirc.com:6667/DXHR

Web browser client set up for the channel:
http://mibbit.replayirc.com/?chan=dxhr

[Jerion]

Official Deus Ex: Human Revolution videos:

Gameplay Trailer 2:


Gameplay Trailer 1:


Tokyo Game Show 2010 Trailer:


E3 2010 Trailer:


GDC 2010 Teaser:


2007 Announcement Teaser:





___




"ASK JJB" - THE PODCAST INTERVIEWS





Will Adam's glasses always be activated? Or will there be conversations where we can have a better look at his eyes?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpQazugPDHk

How are questions of personal ethics tackled in DX:HR?
http://youtu.be/oY2tmOwHXFI

What themes are in the game besides transhumanism?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=040a5...ature=youtu.be

Why can't players choose the main character's gender?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGWyJgVw9zs

Will augmenting Adam impact the storyline?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT7zoTpO0qc

Weapons & Upgrades
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8oV8ouNonY

Where does the name Adam Jensen come from?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pRFpZE5qjI

Are there connections between DX:HR and the first Deus Ex?
http://youtu.be/MCObSr8GtkA

Stylisation/Why do the characters have small heads in the game?
http://youtu.be/JCMv4yovmRI

Does Adam joke or smile?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue3ib...layer_embedded

How does health regen work? (question via Twitter user, Mr. Ill Intent).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR316t7Rgt8



The Deus Ex: Human Revolution dev team (namely Steve Lalancette, programmer on DX:HR) noticed the people on the game's official forum asking a lot of questions about health regeneration and how it works. Long story short, this was tossed on the community manager's desk.

Please note: These values are currently a work-in-progress, and may differ upon the title's release.


What's the mission structure like?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=919okuZRfq0

What's your personal stance on transhumanism?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQsT9X8-4xM


Are the geometrical patterns linked to the story in any way?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N0CJYJkntg

Lean Keys for PC?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZXODmoSHN8

What are your three favorite qualities of DX:HR?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3L68XtpuMw

Loading Screens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqOuX4eLHzI

Driving Sequences?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPnePqGduxo

Praxis Points
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpeIFOcuR_I

Art Direction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaJcKyEksVk



**


Summary of Questions

From Ashpolt:

ANSWERED -Will all aug upgrades require the same amount of Praxis points (presumably just one if so) or will some require more than others?

-Does the amount of experience points require to generate a Praxis point stay steady throughout the game, or does it increase over time, so you get them quite quickly early on but more slowly later?

From Tecman:

-Where does the fascination with designing things that are heavily and obviously based on triangles come from

From MyImmortal:

-Which artist of the past and present has inspired you [JJB] the most?

Will you be dressed as a bee this week's podcast?
PS. I'm serious.

From FrankCSIS:

ANSWERED -I want to know what you were hoping to accomplish with a Deus Ex title, both artistically and in terms of game experience? Where were you coming from, and where did you personally want this to go?

From chickenbrothel:

-Many actors, after playing a dark, complex character, say that their minds can get stuck in that dark mindset long after production. Dealing with such heavy, futureshock themes, did the EM crew seem to be at all affected by this; feeling the doom and despair of being involved in the creation such a dystopian future world for so long? If so, did they do anything in particular to crawl out of that gloomy place after production, or conversely, did they do anything to stay in this dark mindset during production?

-Is there anything you can tell us about the "Deus Ex" difficulty setting, such as what the key differences will be? Will the HUD be minimized or removed entirely? Will the enemy AI be improved for this difficulty setting, as it is for the PC version (this would be awesome, by the way)? Or will it be more like the "realistic" difficulty setting in which the player's "shots-before-death-occurs" are decreased?

From mentalkase:

-What were some of the aesthetic elements of the first game that you felt were necessary to carry forward into the new one to make it have a similar 'feel'?
-What was your favorite level of DX?

From Pinky_Powers:

ANSWERED -What are your three favorite qualities of Human Revolution? What virtues of this grand project arouse within you the most potent brand of pride? …either personal pride or collective team-pride…but three things that make you lustful every time they graze lazily across your frontal lobe?

-How many weird nights and ugly mornings before the reality of the project sunk in? Sure, you knew from the outset Deus Ex was different kind of animal, but when did the sheer terror hit you? Other games resemble various dog breeds; Poodles, Pitbulls, South Russian Ovcharkas... When did you realize Deus Ex was more of a werewolf-manticore hybrid? And how did you answer this grim freak-out?

From Ilves:

-Can you describe the process from drawing board to real time environment? I'd love to hear about the creative process of designing the environments in HR (focusing on artistic design more than level design).

From The Youth Counselor:

-Will the PC version be optimized to use it's best features for the in game GUI? Will it use the mouse to scroll over and select buttons as it should?

Will we be able to customize Adam's appearance at all?
So far in videos we've seen Adam wear three different outfits, and shirtless. We've seen him with sunglasses over his eyes and also retracted. Will we be able to toggle any of these?
Also will going to the limb clinic change the physical appearance of his augs?

From Awesometurtlefish:

-Seeing as the augmentations this time around are mechanical, will there be an easter egg type "skul gun"?

-Seeing how this is a prequel and it leads up to the formation of UNATCO, will we get to see how the conspiracy of the lemon-lime starts? Or even form it?

From Sabretooth:

-What are some themes touched upon in the game OTHER than the transhumanism debate? How have you expressed them artistically?

-No secret that the Internet is going to be a pretty integral part of our lives in 17 years. How does the Internet figure into the game world?

-Will the game feature strong factions like in Invisible War or STALKER and you can choose to side with one; or is it more of a loose, character-driven story where there's no real 'faction alliance' and 'enmity' like the original game?

-Have you retained Deus Ex's cute ability to store hand-written notes alongside the objectives? If not, can you just ping somebody to get it done? It shouldn't take very long to code and can be a neat PC exclusive.
If you were allowed to, would you go ahead and remake Deus Ex so that it followed the Human Revolution canon (STOVLs replacing helis, modern technology etc.) more? How would you handle the death threats?

From Corpus:

ANSWERED -Are the geometrical patterns linked to the story in any way or is it just something you felt would work well visually in the game?

From 7h30n:

-Will there be a demo before the game is released? (Previous titles had one level demos).

From nomotog:

ANSWERED -How are the loading screens placed in the levels, and are they hidden by doors or elevators?

From Unstoppable:

Do you feel the game will be ready for release early next year?

From CoDEllite:

ANSWERED -I couldn't find info on this anywhere so maybe you guys are holding this for a surprise. But will there be any vehicle driving sections (something like in MGS 4 perhaps)? Thanks.

From Pretentious Old Man:

-Which do you feel is more important: fulfilling your artistic vision (which is to say making the best game possible), or making the venture a commercial success? Linking in with that point, if commercial success was less of an imperative, would you have made fewer overtures to a newer (notably console) audience?"

-Do you agree with Jean-Francois Dugas' assessment of Deus Ex as being "kinda slow"? You don't have to answer that, but do you think 'slow' games are a bad thing?"

-Would you say Deus Ex 3 still belongs in the 'immersive simulation' genre, or would you re-categorise the rebooted franchise?"

From Esnuk:

-How and how much, for developers, is the the Vision of Adam's apartment changed from its first draft together with its level of importance in the game, and how and how much is it more special and unique than the rest of the places you can visit in DX:HR, and what is its primary function?

From sonicsidewinder:

-I want to know your opinion on the announced 'dlc/pre-order' situation.
Can you defend it? Is it a good thing? Might be the most difficult question in the podcast...?

From Happy:

-Are there plans to have hanggliders or have Adam drop from a plane and float down into the city on a parachute at night time?

From JCpie:

-How many buildings will the player be able to enter? Are there only a select few like the Hive or can we enter other buildings, for example restaurants and shops which aren't relevant to the storyline?

How much did Japanese media culture influence the design of Human Revolution?

From Dead-Eye:

ANSWERED -Are there lean keys on the PC version of DX:HR?

From Rindill the Red:

-Do you think Jensen's fingernails are too long?

-With Deus Ex: Human Revolution nearing completion (only a few months left now, yea!), have you given any thought to where you are going to go next? Is there DLC or an expansion in planning stages, or will you be working on some new different project? Would you be interested in being attached to future Deus Ex projects?

-What have been a few unique challenges you've faced working as art director for the game, and how have they played into what we'll see and experience?

-While most of the high-profile games industry has always been pixel pushing for more realism and prettier graphics, there have always been those games that use the technology to paint more unique and "artistic" visuals that connect deeply with the game both in terms of the storyline and the gameplay in interesting and satisfying ways: like Grim Fandango, Limbo, LittleBigPlanet, Mirror's Edge, Kirby's Epic Yarn, and many others.
It seems to me that you've struck a very subtle, effective, and stunning middle-ground between pretty realism and the more symbolic stylized designs, allowing the visual experience to connect and reflect on many levels with the other parts of the experience. Where did this idea come from, or did it evolve over time?

-Science fiction is a medium in which pertinent social/ethical/philosophical questions can be explored in aggrandized ways; coupled with the video game as a means of immersion and interaction, the sci-fi video game could allow players to explore in a personal manner some of these quandries. For example, in Deus Ex, the player could find himself confronted with the question of Lucius deBeers, and Battlestar Galactica was often praised for being a foil of our reality. Besides the non-lethal vs. lethal approach opportunities, in what other ways does DX:HR include these types of themes and allow the player to tackle questions of personal ethics?

From cartridge:

-When can we expect to see some PC gameplay?

-What are the min. and recommended PC specs? Would just like to clarify that when asking "When can we expect to see PC gameplay?", Eyefinity presentations recorded at a distance from cam doesn't count. PC gamplay = gameplay captured directly from PC, and on a machine that isn't a giant $3000+ ATI/AMD endorsement.

From jd10013:

-I noticed in the Q&A thread they said you'd only be able to use crates and boxes to throw around and distract, and that there wouldn't be ATM's. have they said if corpses will be lootable, or if there will be smashable crates like in DX. or will they do the IW style NPC drops everything when killed, and all "goodies" in pickable, er, hackable containers?

From mad825:

-will there be Animals/creatures such as cats, rats, Greasels and Karkians in DXHR? if so, would it be possible to kill/knockout them?

-In DXHR will the NPCs be able to climb ladders?

-will the Grays make a return visit?

From lithos:

-Will there be dual-function buttons (ie, tap for one function, hold for another)?
If so, will these be separated on the PC?

From 68_pie:

-Is Adam ambidextrous? Can we choose whether to be primarily left- or right-handed (e.g. like in Counter Strike)

From anunnaki:

-Since alot of the game will take place in Shanghai, will Adam be bi-lingual?

-Can we turn off the crosshairs in 1st person but still have them when in cover?

-How many scripted walls with cracks in them with someone leaning against it will there be? do they have to be leaning against the wall for a takedown? How many "2 people standing together awaiting the double takedown" will there be? Can we do double takedowns mid combat? What about non-lethal with our hands?

-Can we hack the boxguard?

-Can we hack others with brain augmentaions and vice versa?

-Can we get a HQ version of the demo?

-Will we be able to to the good old "hide from alerted enemies in vents" trick? Or will they have a way to flush you out?

From M4K:

Originally Posted by M4K

- Will there be a realistic(1) and an impossible(2) difficulty level?
1: one headshot(from good weapon) one kill (compared to humans). Kill with a knife from behind. "Realistic" AI.
2: very hard to kill someone(for a better and longer game), less magazines, more patrols.

From MrFoxter:

-Adam has his own apartment. What is the idea behind it? Do we need to visit it to perform some actions (e.g. augment ourself) or is it just a place we can 'beautify' by spending credits?

- Sorry if this have been asked before:
When installing a new aug, does Adam recieve hardware or software upgrade?

I know that they made this TPP just because of it and I've answered a similar question before using this statement. However, I was thinking about it and now I'm unsure, because they announced installing augs in the field and buying them for praxis points. I want hardware upgrades, no matter how weird it is to implant device into your skull or torso in the field, but I wonder if they wanted to be 100% correct and reworked the augs to be just software upgrades in order to make buying augs in the field believeable.

From Michael Berry:

-Will there be training level in the game, like UNATCO Training Facility in the 1st Deus Ex?

-What are your favorite missions in Deus Ex 1&2 and why?

From Red Crayon Aristocrat:

-Acknowledging that Adam´s implants were not of his chosing, will augmenting him even further constitute a dilema that will affect aspects of the main storyline/conclusion? Thanks and cheers!

From AlexOfSpades:

-Does Adam's appearance change during the course of the game, when modifying augmentations, or when starting certain missions?

-Is there any swimming in the game? Or the water is just visual?

From IOOI:

I don't know if this has been answered before, but does AJ lose any of his capabilities (movement, aug functioning) or gets hindered when his health gets low, like in the original DX? If this happens, is it just a temporary state until AJ recovers most of his health?

From Nexus:

There are no rats, pigeons, cats or dogs in the trailers. Will be any animals in the game?

Are the important persons (e.g. David Sariff) going to be invincible like in first Deus Ex, or protected by bulletproof glass like in Invisible War?

From spyhopping:

Whether it's throwing a glass bottle to distract an enemy or picking up a plantpot for no apparent reason, will we be able to manipulate and interact with world items in a similar way to the original?

From H.D.Case:

How many suggestions from the forum users and from other channels of communication did you consider and/or implement in the game?"

From Arksun:

Does Deus Ex Human Revolution incoporate choices made that affect the game at a later point?, such as saving your brother in the hotel, or neat little touches like helping a woman being mugged which were in the first Deus Ex game.

From furai47:

What's the sound/music design like? Or more specifically, will the music change every time an enemy sees us like in DX1 where you could use this feature to know when you've cocked up?

From Zakka:

ANSWEREDWill Adam's glasses always be 'activated'. Or will there be conversations where we can have a better look at his eyes?

From Jerion (aka Mr. K):

Games have recently taken a cinematic approach to visuals, with inclusion of camera-like effects such as strong bloom and lense flares. First-person games typically want the player to feel like they're behind the eyes of the main character. As an Art director, which do you feel is better for accomplishing this: Mimicking world visuals as they would appear through the lens of a camera, or as they would be seen by the human eye? Adam Jensen starts with human eyes which are later replaced by Augs. Do you feel that effects like Lens Flare should be used in DX:HR to re-enforce the transition from organic to artificial sight?

From olle_bsson:

Is it possible to store weapons/items somewhere in the game? Being able to store up a nice collection of weapons and items and then varying them and choosing different loadouts for different missions would be neat.. Like in your apartment, or the chopper would be even more convenient.

From Pinky Powers:

-~::Most Important Question::~-
What are you doing with the remaining months? Is it all just bug-fixing now? Or are you utilizing the time to add content you didn't think there was room for a few months back?

From Arksun:

Is the orange glow object highlighting a permanent fixed augmentation for Jensens vision in the game, or are we able to turn it off?. Do you feel this is a better approach than the original Deus Ex's excellent object highlighting via floating rectangle edges?

From Shralla:

Given the latest outcry from the fanbase regarding the highlighting of usable objects, have you considered changing the functionality of any features of the game in the five months before release?

From furai47:

Is there going to be any additional takedown weapons, like the spinning hand we've seen in the trailer or are the blades plus our arms the only ones? Plus, is punching through walls still in?

From 68_pie:

Is it possible to jump off a ladder part way down?

From Darthassin:

1) Imagine a situation like this:
There is 26th of August 2011 and you've just bought the game - DE:HR and you want to play it. If you could just forget entirely everything what you know about this game and play (experience) it from the start to finish discovering all the secrets, plot twists, conspiracies on your own, would you like to do it? Would you be in heaven if so? Or maybe, you wouldn't like to forget anything and still play the game already knowing all the secrets?
I'm sorry for my English.

From AgentOrange:

Will the story be linked to the original game anyhow or should we consider it as a new game?
e.g.: Page Industries should, logically, exist in 2027 considering JC was "born" in the 2029, created by Bob Page. (I don't think a company existing for less than 2 years can create clones in high-tech area51 labs...)

From deusfox:

What is the reason behind the 18 certificate? For example what content pushed it above a 15?
I'm 26 so its not like it'll stop me buying the game, I'm asking more out of interest so we can get an idea of what to expect throughout the game.

From TrickyVein:

I have a pressing question for JJB:
what kind of office pranks go on during a normal workday?

__________________

**


Do you have a more personal question?

Originally Posted by JCpie

Ask him here: http://jayjaybe.tumblr.com/

To read the original thread, click here:
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=114891



___


QUESTIONS for EM

Got a question for one of us here? Well...ask!
I'll try to keep this updated and organized as best I can (I'm sure the mods will help too, right? RIGHT?! *hugs), but to aid us, can you preface your question/s with who it's to, department, or general category?

For example:

AI
How smart iz your AIz?

or

Joey Whelan
What inspires you to create such great shirts and twitter backgrounds?

Oh, and very importantly, please keep it classy.

Thank you, in advance.

**

UPDATE: 18 November 2010
Answers from new gameplay trailer:


Is every option (choice you have to make in order to progress) obvious/presented clearly before you?
No. Absolutely not. Some choices will be presented in ways that the outcome will be more obvious but, a lot of choices will be more or less hidden in the challenges you face and in the narrative. Depending on how you react, later outcomes will vary. We didn't want to make a game where all the choices are telegraphed because it makes the choice more often than not based on how you want to boost your character as opposed as being immersed in the fantasy of the game. It's definitely more subtle than a lot of games.

Will we encounter books, news terminals, newspapers, ATMs; and will some even be influenced by your own actions?
You will encounter a lot of things to read like newspapers, eBooks, etc. Unfortunately, we had to cut the ATMs because we were running out of time.

How many items will Adam be able to carry, and does this exclude weapons?
Depends on the size of your inventory. If you invest in it, you'll carry a lot and if you don't, you'll have to make difficult choices on what to keep with you or not. It includes everything but "story items".

Regarding the Icarus Landing system: Is there any scientific research or advancement made that support the concept behind this aug? How can it be done?
The Icarus Landing System is a discreet augmentation surgically implanted in the user's lower back, slightly above the coccyx at the base of the vertebral column. The device has an accelerative descent sensor built in; in freefall, the unit will automatically activate the patented High-Fall Safeguard System, an EMF decelerator generating a fixed-focus electromagnetic lensing field, projected downward along the plane of the drop. This field pushes against the Earth's magnetosphere and slows the user's descent to a manageable velocity, allowing him to fall from almost any height (within reason) to a relatively soft landing.

Will augmentations be permanent once installed, or can players mix-and-match augs or remove them?
There are indeed permanent.

How do augmentations like the claymore work when Adam wears his coat?
There are holes in his coat that allows for the claymore to work perfectly fine.

How are the augmentations divided amongst the four pillars that have been mentioned?
There divided in different categories like Cranium, arms, legs, torso, etc.

What are the augmentations that Adam starts out with?
Single Takedown, IFF, Retinal Prosthesis, basic hacking ability and the Infolink essentially.

How does health regeneration work? What will trigger it, how fast is it going to be, will it use energy?
When you take damage your health goes down. If you have being hit for "x" seconds, than it starts to regenerate somewhat slowly. It's not as quick as games like Halo or CoD. You really need to stay out of the firing zone otherwise you won't last long. When in trouble, you can use consumables (if you have any) to replenish it faster or to boost your health when it's already full.

Will there be weapon stores for purchasing ammunition and tools?
Yes, there are some hidden merchants offering different kind of weapons and items. You need to find them though.

If players choose to play in a certain manner, they're presumably going to be doing a lot of hacking throughout this game. Considering it sounds like the hacking minigame is quite complex (and presumably at least reasonably time consuming) what have you done to ensure that it doesn't get incredibly tedious over time (Bioshock's hacking minigame as a poor example)?
Every hacking session is different. Based on your level of hacking augmentations, the chances that the Sub-Routine will detect you will vary. And each time, you need to adapt to what happens. Also, there are some rewards (credits, virus programs, etc.) that can be accessed but always while managing the Sub-Routine system trying to catch you. So, it becomes a game of adaptation and how much risks are you willing to take to get additional rewards.

Will I be able to pick all pieces of junk and different stuff just like in DX1 and use them to distract enemies or do something else with it?
You'll be able to use different types of boxes to distract NPCs indeed. If you're referring to things like a pencil or a glass the answer is no. We have a very detailed and rich world to discover so we had to make some tradeoffs in terms of the scope of interactive objects in order to keep a smooth framerate.

Why were BE cells, lockpicks and multitools removed?
We wanted to make hacking more important and deeper. And since we had so many features to develop for this game, we had to focus and lose some things like lockpicks and multitools.

Will the earlier Deus Ex music theme return?
Maybe...

Are we able to holster our weapon in DX:HR?
Of course we are. Deus Ex is not a typical shooter when it's all about gunning down enemies. Your journey brings you in civilized places where guns are not well appreciated. So, holstering it will make people more willing to speak to you. Who would chat with someone pointing a gun on our head?







Update from Kyle 17 Sept:

Originally Posted by Coyotegrey

Some questions I think are best answered via footage and/or some other methods we have yet to reveal. You'll get the info, though, one way or another, before release.

The other questions I hope to have answered in the coming weeks. I wanted to get some answered this week, but with TGS things got a little unexpectedly crazy. I'll be out of the office until next Thursday, but I'm trying to get something out while I'm away. There's just so much to do, and I'm only one man!

But in the next few weeks I definitely hope to address many of these questions, whether it be through video, audio, and/or text form. Diving into this job during one of the busiest times has been quite the undertaking, with me staying late almost every night, but please know that I'm doing my best. I'll hit you with small responses once in a while, but the shinier, more detailed, and monumental responses will be saved for when I have more time to address them with the proper respect and professionalism.

**

Summary of Questions - Deus Ex: Human Revolution

WRITING & SCREENPLAY
What literary works did you draw inspiration from regarding plot and dialogue?
What philosophical/scientific/ideological themes will you be touching upon OTHER than transhumanism?
What other characters (not necessarily cyberpunk) influenced the creation of Adam?
How old will Adam be?
Does Adam have a sense of humour? Is he sarcastic and/or philosophical like JC?
Does Adam care more about global issues, or personal ones?
Will we encounter aliens/transgenics?
Will we see in-game cinematics in a single play-through, ie. different events lead to completely different scenes at certain "points" in the game?
Are there any unskippable videos/cutscenes?
Are the cutscenes in the game still going to all be in-engine, or have pre-rendered cutscenes now been added to the game as well?
Why could you not cater to both those who wanted a "cinematic" experience and those who prefer a more subtle, restrained game?
Will we encounter books, news terminals, newspapers, ATMs; and will some even be influenced by your own actions?
How much reading material is there in the game, compared to the total conversation length? (For eg. 2 lines of dialogue to 4 sentences of reading material being a 1:2 ratio)
What was the team's philosophy in implementing bosses?
Is every option (choice you have to make in order to progress) obvious/presented clearly before you?
How many different endings are there; and is there a secret ending (like the wrap party in DX:IW)?
Regarding the Deus ex bible and cannon. Has it influenced the story behind DX:HR? Will we see major differences between the bible and the game? Can we count on the bible to guess things about the plot?
Do Adam's hands have a sense of touch?
Was Adam Jensen's look and style at all influenced by the singer/songwriter Voltaire?-
Voltaire.





ANSWERS:

from Mary DeMarle, Lead Narrative Designer:
[QUOTE]
Not only have we heard about the Deus Ex bible -- it was also required reading before we began work on the story concept for Human Revolution. After reading it, we spent several months filling in some of the blanks in its timeline and history in order to create the characters, companies, cities, and world events that exist in 2027. Whenever we had questions about specific details, we conferred with Sheldon Pacotti to make sure that our new concepts could be as accurate as possible.[/QUOTE]

Q: What other characters (not necessarily cyberpunk) influenced the creation of Adam?
A: (Mary DeMarle)

This question is not an easy one to answer because when creating characters, I don't look to ANY existing models and try to shape new ones after them. (At least, not consciously.) My process is to start at the ground up and choose three or four traits that I think really define this new person. I try to pick traits that both complement AND oppose each other because, let's face it, people are complex beings. Having character traits that pose contradictions within ourselves makes for far more realistic and interesting characters.

Once I have the defining traits, I try to find examples of how each one manifests itself. For instance, if a character is CURIOUS, he or she might be very extroverted -- satisfying that curiosity by constantly talking to people and finding out more about them. Or, he or she could be more introverted, and satisfy curiosity by sitting at the back of the bus and just watching people. I try to pick very concrete examples, because the more concrete I get, the more the image of that character starts to form in my head. I soon find myself imagining the 'defining moments' in this person's life in which these traits came out. From there, it's pretty easy to fill in all the back-story details in the character's life -- from childhood on up!

So, I can't say what characters influenced Adam's creation. In a way, every person and every character I've ever met has had some influence on him!

More about Adam (taken from update on official site)

ADAM JENSEN
Age : 34
Weight : 182 lbs
Height : 6' 3"
Eye Color : blue-gray
Hair Color : Brown
Blood Type : 0-

A 34-year-old Caucasian male from Detroit, Michigan, ADAM JENSEN is an ex-cop turned private security specialist for Sarif Industries, a moderately-sized biotechnology company based in North America. He is what you would call a 'working class hero:' dependable, resourceful, curious in a stand-offish way, with a streak of hardcore cynicism mixed in.

Having joined the Detroit police force at 21, and then volunteered for its SWAT division 4 years later, Jensen rose to team commander quickly. But his career ended suddenly two years ago when he refused to follow a questionable order. Today Jensen tends to be a loner, rather than a leader. He believes there are multiple ways to achieve a desired result, and instinctively looks for answers from himself first, consulting others only after his own ideas are exhausted.

**

ART
Will the earlier Deus Ex logo appear?
Are you ready to share the official box art?
Who is responsible for the fashion design? Some of us love it so much we want to buy it, see "Merchandise" section.

ANSWERS
From Jonathan Jacques-Belletête, Art Director:

Hi guys!

I find this super sweet that I actually get to respond like this! I think we should do this more often. I read the forum quite often, so I'm fairly aware of what goes on up in here.

Ok, here's what I'd like to clarify today: There is absolutely zero officially released screenshots that are in fact concept art. They are all 100% genuine real time in-game screen captures. You can trust me 100%. The amount of work it would take for a concept artist to make up an entire image looking convincingly like it is from the "running" game is staggering and definitely counter-productive. Consequently, it would serve no practical purpose (especially if the games doesn't in fact share the same visual attributes. And if it did share those same attributes, then why create a faux-screen when you just could've snapped it in-game?).

This being said though, I think it'd be simply awesome that a concept artist or illustrator would have as a personal style (or as an imposed aesthetic exercise) an utterly convincing "in-game" style to the art he creates, and this to the point where it would confuse the viewer's eye (be the piece rendered digitally or traditionally (the latter being much tougher of course for the achieved goal I am talking about here)). But this would only serve the intentions of the plastic arts. For a commercial game production (which is what we are talking about here), to make a concept art with all the trappings of in-game graphics makes no sense. This would be equivalent to making pixel art style concepts for the visual research of an 8bit or 16bit game (which was not the case obviously. Concept art in the 80's and 90's were still real drawings or paintings even though they were created for a very pixelated and lo-fi final output).

If you look at our in-game screenshot you can see that all the contemporary real time in-game visual quirks are present: The dithering on Adam's hair strands due to alpha test blending, the way Adam's wrist bends which is due to the skinning and weighting of the character and its rig, as well as the animation applied to it (and believe me when I say that none of the concept artists I know would dare draw a wrist like that . Continuing with the observations, the contact shadows between all the objects is clearly "shining" with the limitations of SSAO (screen space ambient occlusion). As happy as I am with the style and look our SSAO gives to the game, here again, a concept artist or illustrator would not render his contact shadows with such a lack of precision (and by lack of precision I mean it not in a pejorative way, but merely because that's just what it is with the limitations we were working for: compared to real-life ambient occlusion, I'd be foolish to say it does not lack precision!).

When we started developing the visual direction for DX:HR 3 1/2 years ago, we knew that we wanted a certain level of stylization to the global feeling of the visuals. We were not aiming for photorealism, but instead, for a strong credibility and homogeneity within the game's pseudoreality. I think that we truly have achieved this goal, to the point where some places in the game look almost exactly like the concept art. We wanted a graphic novel visual approach to the game and that's what we worked very hard at creating. True story: sometimes people would pass by some artist's computer here at work and say: "Hey! That's a sweet concept art you got there for your wallpaper." And then this "concept art" would start moving FPS style and the person would go "Woah! It's the actual game hahahLOLbrbBbq!!". My point here is the following: Even artists on DX:HR's production floor were sometimes fooled. And this is due to the stylized nature of the visuals, and the often extreme faithfulness between the concept art piece and it's in-game materialization.

IN-GAME
Tutorial
Will there be a separate tutorial or an integrated one?

Controls & Actions
Will there be leaning controls and mechanics?
We've seen that AJ is able to move quickly from cover-to-cover with the TP Cover activated and now I ask: Will those who choose to play in FP be able to do something similar, like a roll or dodge-roll (T.C.o.Riddick style)?
Will it be possible to finish the game without switching to 3P (except for ladders)?
Are we able to play stealthy in the 1P perspective?
Some of us were expecting to have the option to switch between 3P or 1P View when wanted and to have Lean Keys or a 1P Cover system or another way to support 1P - this could be accomplished if Full Body Awareness was implemented. Why did you choose to not implement FBA in DX3? Is it too hard to implement? Do you think it's not worth the trouble and your current vision expresses what you want from the game? Also, since the modified TRU engine is ready-to-go for DX4 and we probably won't see a new console in 5 years, will you have time to implement FBA in it? Will we finally have trully *optional* 1PV and 3PV gameplay?
Will there be vehicles we can use?
Will Adam be able to climb like Alex, or is he rather awkward just like JC?
Will you be able to move around during conversations?
How many items will Adam be able to carry, and does this exclude weapons?

Augmentations
Exactly how many different augmentations are there?
How many augs can be installed at the same time?
How do augmentations like the claymore work when Adam wears his coat?
How are the augmentations divided amongst the four pillars that have been mentioned?
What are the augmentations that Adam starts out with?
Does the gameworld notice if no more augs other than the basics are installed?
Will augmentations be permanent once installed, or can players mix-and-match augs or remove them?
Can we take and sell enemy augmentations?
We've heard each aug will have it's own development "tree", can we have more details?
Regarding the Icarus Landing system: Is there any scientific research or advancement made that support the concept behind this aug? How can it be done?
We know from interviews that when you get a certain amount of experience points, you get a Praxis point, and that's used to upgrade your augs. A couple of questions about that:
1) Will all aug upgrades require the same amount of Praxis points (presumably just one if so) or will some require more than others?
2) Does the amount of experience points required to generate a Praxis point stay steady throughout the game, or does it increase over time, so you get them quite quickly early on but more slowly later?


Health & Weapons Management
How does health regeneration work? What will trigger it, how fast is it going to be, will it use energy?
What are the consequences of bad performance in combat, if it is not bad enough to die, if your health fully regenerates?
Does EM not believe that it adds to the tension, running wounded?
Why EM felt that it had to be Health Regeneration or Medkits, when they could create something new and exciting?
Why did the localized damage system go? What wasnt good about getting worse in accuracy if they shot you in the arm or have blurred vision if they shot you in the head?
Will there be locational damage for either Adam or the NPC's?
We know why you've put regenerating health and third person in, but why have you taken out the option to have a more complex health system and to stay in first person? The original Deus Ex offered the choice between regenerating and non-regenerating health, and that was ten years ago - why can a modern game, especially one that claims to be all about player choice, not offer the same options?
Weapons
Will there be firing modes for the weapons?
What plans are there to deal with damage modeling? Specifically, how do you plan to address and implement damage from weapons? We understand that there will be “one-kill” takedown options, but will, for example, shooting someone in the head with a sniper rifle elicit an instant kill, or will it take repeated shots to kill the target?
Do stats play into this (Adam’s or the targets)?
Will there be weapon stores for purchasing ammunition and tools?
We know that non-lethal take-downs will exist in the game, but will non-lethal weapons/ammunition be available for those who want to feel like a true good guy? What will these comprise of?
Are we able to HOLSTER OUR WEAPON in Deus Ex Human Revolution?

Hacking
If players choose to play in a certain manner, they're presumably going to be doing a lot of hacking throughout this game. Considering it sounds like the hacking minigame is quite complex (and presumably at least reasonably time consuming) what have you done to ensure that it doesn't get incredibly tedious over time (Bioshock's hacking minigame as a poor example)?

AI
How smart is the AI with regard to combat and tactics; awareness of player-environment interaction; observance of player behaviour etc?
How many different types of combat AI are there?
What happens when an opponent sees or hears you just for a moment, and then you hide back behind a cover? Does he immediately go into 'hostile' mode, or becomes just little more suspicious?
What happens to an opponent if we pick up a bottle or a piece of junk and then throw it at the nearby wall? Will an opponent go there to investigate? Will we be able to sneak around while his back is turned?
How 'sandbox' is DXHR? Will I be able to pick all pieces of junk and different stuff just like in DX1 and use them to distract enemies or do something else with it?
Will the levels be packed with belt-high obstacles and crates to hide behind, like in Gears of War? Will they just scream 'hide behind me!!'? Do the obstacles hide Adam just because they completely cover his body from enemy's view, or because there are simply objects with 'an obstacle' property on them?

General
Can we know more about the difficulty settings in the game?
Can we know more about level scaling?
Will the game feature day and night time activity?
Once we start a mission on a new level, can we go back to the previous level anytime we want?
Will we be able to create our own notes/memos during gameplay?
Why were BE cells, lockpicks and multitools removed?
Will there be a safehouse, a trunk, locker or chest, where you can store weapons?
Regarding stats, will there be levels or just "loose experience points"?
May we hear more on 'contextual' takedowns - are takedowns influenced by off-screen or random factors?
Do all missions feature immediate rewards or are there delayed rewards? Or even missions without a reward?
Same for consequences. Are all consequences immediate or are there delayed consequences?


ANSWERS
Difficulty Settings
from Frank Lapikas, game designer on DX:HR.

"We are indeed working on 3 difficulty levels: casual, normal and Deus Ex. We are conscious that not everybody wants the same things out of their games. Some play for the challenge, others for the narrative. We wanted players to be able to enjoy the game, regardless of their proficiency level. As for why a Deus Ex level, I believe it comes from reading the forums.
Some people were worried that we’d dumb down the game and make it too easy; that combat would prevail and overshadow the stealth aspect because players wouldn’t die with just a few bullets, especially with the introduction of health regen.Well this level has been tweaked for them. Enjoy."
3 difficulty levels: Casual, Normal and 'Deus Ex'

from Jean-Francois Dugas, Lead Game Designer, :

The game industry is a business. That means if you don't sell games, you're out of business. At least for a big Publisher, it's a fact, like it or not.

That being said, we make games because we love them and we love when people enjoy them. We're happy when we're able to attract as many players as we can to play our games, to experience it on different levels -- emotional, rational, etc. So, of course we try to make our games accessible to play. We try to remove (or reduce) the initial intimidation factor that would prevent some from fully enjoying the games we make.

This is different than "dumbing down." We want to make the game easier to get into without sacrificing the depth and complexity Deus Ex has to offer. I take full responsibility for certain aspects being more streamlined (i.e. basic combat mechanic) but we streamlined them because I believe it makes for a more intense experience to enjoy. It doesn't make the game simpler. The concepts of multipath/solution and having a bunch of means to get through situations is at the heart of the Deus Ex experience. And it's all there.

We need to admit it, rich games like Deus Ex are not accessible to everyone. Do you know how many players tried Deus Ex and quit before finishing the Liberty Island level? You'd be surprised. Therefore, our challenge with DX: HR is to draw players into solving problems, discovering a rich world, and getting excited about it. We don't want players to get too intimidated or overwhelmed from trying to figure out how to play the game itself.

MUSIC
Any chance to hear some more of the new music from the DXHR soundtrack before the end of the year?
Will the earlier Deus Ex music theme return?
Was Michael McCann inspired by any other music whilst composing the soundtrack for the game?
How many songs will be in the soundtrack (not including licensed if there are any)?
Will the full soundtrack be available on CD?


MARKETING/PROMO/MERCHANDISE
Are there plans for a playable demo and, if so, what is the release date?
Will we get to see a pure stealth gameplay demo for promo purposes?
When are we going to see new footage?
What will the Collectors' Edition consist of, and how much will it cost? Is the CE available on every platform?
Does The Augmented Edition of DX:HR come packaged with the 2 Pre-order bonuses for the USA Release? (since i have seen images of a version in Europe that shows it comes with it.)
Will the game be available for pre-order at Steam?
Will we be able to pre-load this game if we buy it on Steam? If so, how close to the game's release will pre-load become available?
Will the Steam version have the same price/reasonable difference in price no matter what country/region you're buying from?
Do you intend to run an official competition nearer to the game's release?
Will there be a range of Human Revolution-branded trench coats, boots, sunglasses.etc for purchase from the website or perhaps also in the $200 collectors edition?
Do you have any plans to advertise the game by showing the epic 3-minute trailer (E-3 2010 trailer to be more specific) in movie theaters?

ANSWERS

Collectors' Edition

Originally Posted by Coyotegrey

I can't confirm WHAT will be in it if we do one, as we're still working out the details, but it'll definitely be worth your money. Yeah, I know that sounds like marketing, but it's the truth. Part of the reason I know it's going to be good is due to us being such big fans of the series and of what WE are doing. We believe in this title, and we like the content so much WE want to see it get a fancy treatment.

**


TECHNICAL
Will the HUD display visible information about health, augs, sight etc?
Regarding the HUD/Reticule Design... Settings and Features. Will there be an option in the Settings to turn off your cross-hairs completely? Can you remove your reticule and aim by sight only?
Is there any difference between the PC and Console HUD?
What are the minimum (and recommended) system requirements?
Can we have details about the Settings/Options menu and submenus for the PC version?
Will we be able to quit to desktop from within the pause menu?
Can you give more details about the DRM?
Will it use Games for Windows Live?
Will an SDK be published with the game?
Will the PC suffer from console control simplifications, eg. will one key have multiple actions?
What features will DirectX11 utilise?
Will PC players be able to define their own hotkeys?
How many discs will the game have for the 360 and PC?
What are the specs for HDTV?
Will the game support 16:10 aspect ratio properly, ie. expanding the horizontal FOV rather than shrinking the vertical FOV (compared to 4:3) and / or expanding the vertical FOV from 16:9?
Will we still be able to bind items to the number keys and augs to the F keys, or will these now be solely handled by radial menus?
We know the core content of the game is identical across all platforms, but will the PC version be getting its own UI?
Will mouse acceleration be off by default / able to be turned off without going into the ini files?
On the PC version, will we be able to manually increase the resolution of dynamic shadows as can be done with any Unreal Engine 3 game (by editing the xxxengine.ini file in My Documents)?
Will we be able to choose which language we install?
What's the save system like? Are there real-time saves, autosaves, quicksaves?
When saving a game, do you start from a pre-determined spawn point/start of the level or the point of the save? If not, can this be implemented for the PC game?
What audio APIs are used? EAX? FMOD? DS3D? OpenAL? Is HRTF (head-related transfer function) supported? Number of simultaneous voices?
Will we have to option to resize the UI?
Will we have access to the command console?
Size-on-disk?
Will there be less loading zones for PCs, giving their larger amount of RAM? ie, will the PC version have larger contiguous areas?
Is there a dedicated team working on developing a PC-specific version, or is it just going to be a flat port? Are there any performance problems on the current PC build not related to hardware that aren't on the consoles?
Will we be able to use the thumb buttons on mice?
Is there any mouse input lag, either in-game or in the menus?
Does navigating the menus feel like you're dragging your cursor around on a rubber band?
If we purchase a physical copy, will we need the disc in the drive?
Is this being planned as a one-shot game only, or is it being prepped up for a franchise, Mass Effect/Dragon Age style?
Can we expect some updates about playtesting, how is it coming along etc.

ANSWERS

The HUD
from Kyle Stallock, Community Manager:

We'd love to show you the HUD, but it's not done yet. One reason you don't see work in progress HUDs is due to that image going out and people seeing it and NOT thinking that the game is a work in progress and that the HUD is still being developed. You know what I mean? I'm personally really liking it so far, and I know everyone around here can't wait to show it off once it's fully developed and implemented.

Q: Can we expect some updates about playtesting, how is it coming along etc.
A: from Alexandre, Playtest & Research Manager

"Hi all,
My name is Alexandre and I’m the Playtest and Research Manager at Eidos-Montreal.
A playtest is a very serious research based on specific market research methodologies. Thus even our playtesters recruitment needs to be extremely rigorous.
Indeed, depending on the objectives of the playtest, we can recruit different kind of players profile in order to understand how different types of players react while playing the game.
Here for Deus Ex:Human Revolution, we already playtested the game several times (and we’ll be playtesting the game more and more in the next weeks!), and met different kinds of players according to our objectives.
So...yes. To be honest, we don’t only recruit major hardcore players, or only Deus Ex fans. However, I can assure you that we always have at least one player out of three that played some of the previous Deus Ex games. Some of them are huge fans of the series and are actually giving some very constructive feedback about the game in order to make sure we please Deus Ex fans also.
Besides, we would not recruit people who only play games like Call of Duty or Halo, because of course our game is not meant to be a pure run and gun experience. We always make sure we recruit people regarding the genres they play and the games they’ve been playing in the last year. Of course, we’re more looking for people who have an interest in RPG and stealth gameplay and also not reluctant to play in 1st person.
Regarding the type of player, we don’t only recruit major hardcore players (but we still get some!), but we never recruit casual gamers as those people are just usually not the audience. A game that is not intuitive can become frustrating which spoils the experience, and we want this new Deus Ex to remain accessible and enjoyable also to newcomers (as much as it is for you)."
Alex

DEV TEAM (PERSONAL)
Was there anything suggested on the official forum that EM read and later changed due to our indirect help?
What do the team feel they (individually) brought to the game?
Please tell us about the morale of the team, as they develop an extraordinary game like DX:HR!
Will the Dugas Laugh be featured in game? If not, why not?
Who came up with an idea to do next Deus Ex? Eidos Inc, Stephane D'Astous, David Anfossi, etc. What was the genesis of this project?

**

To view the original thread, click here:
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=113445

[Viktoria]

PC WEEK - May 2011

Originally Posted by coyotegrey

remember last week when i said we'd deliver pc-related info soon? What i really wanted to say is "you'll get it next week."

the fun starts tomorrow.

Here are our partners:

- tom’s games:france
- pcgamer.com: Uk
- gamespy.com: North america
- meristation: Spain
- gamesarena: Australia
- gry-online.pl: Poland
- tweakers.net: Netherlands

i'll also release a few bits and pieces on facebook. And, as always, the mods and i will try and keep this post updated with as much info and content as possible.



p.s. Yes, you'll definitely see the hud.

Originally Posted by MrJoy

PC Gamer "How Deus Ex: Human Revolution feels on PC"

Originally Posted by Zakka

http://ic.tweakimg.net/ext/i/imagelarge/1304605663.jpeg

Anybody else think the screenshot(s) here look awesome? Love the level design here.

Originally Posted by MrJoy

Tom's Games posted new PC screenshots. The article itself doesn't tell us anything new.

Originally Posted by Neuromancer07

Here is one by the PC gaming website Rock, Paper, Shotgun informally talking about their opinions about the first hour of the game and the mechanics. In spite of it being based on a console build it is from the perspective of formerly apprehensive but dedicated Deus Ex fans. It's from February of this year and particularly pleasing is how roundly they dismiss Invisible War in comparison to both Deus Ex and Human Revolution.

I can't give you the zyme on top however... at least least not over the internet.

Also it's worth taking the information with far more authority than most as RPS even completely eviscerate games that are being advertised on their website like New Vegas and Dragon Age II.

Originally Posted by Tecman

Exclusive Deus Ex: Human Revolution PC screens
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/05/03/ex...on-pc-screens/

Deus Ex: Human Revolution system specs detailed
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/05/03/de...-system-specs/

1920x1200 Screenshots:

Originally Posted by Coyotegrey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouu5uYvP7co

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The Nixxes connection explained

______




FORUM Discussion Threads List / Board Navigation



COMMUNITY/FORUM THREADS:
Official DEV BLOG/TWITTER/FACEBOOK Discussion Thread
DX:HR Forum Tips - an informative, sensible "MUST READ"
DX:HR IRC Channel
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Merchandise at the Eidos Montréal Store.

FACEBOOK UNLOCKS
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=117769


COMMUNITY FEEDBACK, QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Ask JJB: Podcast Interviews
Questions to Eidos Montreal Dev Team & Marketing
Tokyo Game Show Trailer
Official Main Site - Feedback & Suggestions

24 February 2011, Embargo Lift: Previews & Interviews & Discussion

DX:HR- Collective REVIEWS Thread - Industry & Fan Articles



***

GENERAL DISCUSSION THREADS:

Adam Jensen

AI

Art Show & Auction (New York)

Augmentations (21 Analysed @ PC Gamer)

BARRETT & BELL TOWER ASSOCIATES - Discussion Thread

Batteries/Energy - General Discussion

CHARACTERS

Voice Actors/Main Characters

Characters (Female/Who Is She - The Distressed One?) - MEGAN
Characters (Female/Who Is She - The Augmented One?) - FEDEROVA

Collector's Edition - Official details
Collector's Edition - Early speculation

Comic

Conspiracies / Conspiracy Theories

CopyPasta Thread - Mini Reference of All Discussion!

Cover System

David Sarif

DEV BLOG

DRM

E3 EXPO 2010 - General Discussion

Energy/Batteries - General Discussion

Fashion

Field of View / FoV

Gallery (not wallpapers)

HD/3D

HUMANITY FRONT - Discussion Thread

Idle Mode - What should Adam do?

Language

Length of game - estimated completion time.
Locations

Memes & Quotes - Trailer and In-Game

Melee

Merchandise - Official Game-Related Goodies

Modding/SDK

MUSIC
Music Composer - Michael McCann

Mythology

New York Art Show & Auction

Nixxes Studio

Other Games

Platforms (& System Requirements)

Play Arts - Figures

Player Statistics

Pre-Orders

PURITY FIRST - Trailer & Discussion Thread

Quotes & Memes- Trailer and In-Game

Release Date (& Pre-Orders)

SAVES

Sarif Industries Website - Discussion Thread

Secret Ending Wrap Party

SDK/Modding

Statistics (Player-related)

Stealth

Steamworks - General Discussion & Q&As

System Requirements (& Platform)

"The Icarus Effect" (DX:HR Novel by James Swallow)

Trailer (Official full release)

Transhumanism

Truck Tour - Germany

UNATCO

Voice Actors/Main Characters

Wallpapers & banners

Weapons - General Discussion


Link to original thread: http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=86931




___


NEW DISCUSSIONS (post-release)

BOSS FIGHTS
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=120520

EASTER EGGS/NODS & REFERENCES
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=120220

ENDINGS
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=120236

HACKING
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=120107

ITEM MANAGEMENT - Storing additional items (not in inventory), Dropping & Saving
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=119563

REVIEWS (industry & fan opinions)
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=118921

TAKE DOWNS
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=119466



___



DX:HR COMES TO THE MAC
http://forums.eidosgames.com/showthread.php?t=125453