Interview with Eidos Montreal

[Forest Dweller]

So, boys and girls, it's that time again. Next up are the developers of the new Deus Ex. So, DU, do you think you could send them an email asking for an interview? Because I have the questions.

As before, I'm posting them here first. If anyone has any corrections or suggestions, please let me know.

Unlike the Bethesda interview, this one isn't geared toward a specific person. Just anyone there who is in a position to adequately answer them. Also, unlike Bethesda, they don't have that kind of relationship with us, and they appear to have some Codexian sentiments, so these questions are less formal. They're certainly edgier as well. I figured that was okay considering who they are, but I can tone them down if people (i.e. the staff) think it's necessary.

Anyway, here they are:

• 1) First, tell me a little ahout yourself. And when I say tell me about yourself, I mean tell me what your role is on Human Revolution and what you’re directly responsible for. This way we’ll have someone to blame if the game doesn’t meet our expectations.
  
  2) So, as we all know now, Human Revolution is a prequel to the original Deus Ex. One thing, of course, that Deus Ex is well known for is having three distinct endings that set the world on three very different paths. Deus Ex 2 tried to reconcile those three endings, but it was pretty half-ass and didn’t work that well. With that in mind, Deus Ex 1 has a story that begins with the world in a very specific place. I’m assuming (and I think this was mentioned by one of you at one point) that Human Revolution will also have different endings to choose from. If that’s the case, wouldn’t at least a few of those endings be incompatible with the opening of Deus Ex 1, or are they not as “momentous” as the choices in the first game? If they are incompatible, wouldn’t it have been a better idea to label Human Revolution as a reboot of the franchise, rather than an actual prequel?
  
  3) Speaking of choices, you’ve done a good job so far of showing different ways to play the game, but we haven’t yet seen anything regarding story branching based on dialogue or actions taken throughout the game. Do you think you could give an example of one of those? Come on, give us something juicy.
  
  4) For all its faults, there was one area where Deus Ex 2 improved on the original, and that was being more open-ended. From the beginning you had competing factions vying for your services. The only problem was that the game was too short to really flesh this out. Deus Ex is more linear in that regard, though of course there were choices to be made within that framework. Where does Human Revolution stand in regards to those two approaches?
  
  5) Similar to the above question, will the progression of levels be linear like Deus Ex or will it be the hub-based structure of Deus Ex 2? Or something in between?
  
  6) Okay, let’s talk about killing people. Deus Ex 1 let you kill almost anyone you came across, but there were a few invulnerable NPCs. Deus Ex 2 didn’t have anyone who was invulnerable, but they kept important NPCs alive by having them communicate to you at the beginning through hologram, as well as having various clubs that put a lock on your weapons before you entered. What’s the situation in Human Revolution? And what about kids?
  
  7) I mentioned that Deus Ex 2 was too short earlier. It was about a 15 hour experience, whereas Deus Ex 1 was more like a 40 hour experience. So just how long is Human Revolution? Bonus points if you can avoid the usual “well it all depends on how you play” PR-speak.
  
  8) Regarding mission objectives, it appears that at least some of them will have a time limit. One preview mentioned specifically that there is a mission to rescue hostages, and that if you dick around too much before undertaking the mission the hostages will be dead. Can we expect this kind of dynamic throughout the game, at least for those missions where it would make sense? And for those objectives that have it, will it be a binary success/fail outcome, or more of a gradient? Personally I think it’s pretty badass to have time limits even if it’s only for a few missions, since it adds a lot of believability to the world.
  
  9) Okay, let’s turn to dialogue. In the leaked demonstration video, we can see Adam Jensen having a conversation with a bartender, who later turns out to be Tong. The writing was quite good, but I noticed that in that (rather lengthy) conversation there was only one dialogue option. Is this the standard for conversations of that length?
  
  10) Like recent RPGs such as Mass Effect and Alpha Protocol, Human Revolution uses a paraphrase system for relaying dialogue options to the player. So what do you think is special about your system that sets it apart from those other games? Also, one preview hinted at NPC responses being somewhat randomized. Care to elaborate on that? The more details the better.
  
  11) Social skills have been mentioned as part of the game, but no details have as of yet been forthcoming. What are these social skills, and how do they function?
  
  12) And speaking of skills, it looks like both skills and augmentations have been rolled into one, for a grand total of 21 augmentations - correct me if I’m wrong. Can you go into a little more detail on these? Does each skill/aug have its own tech tree, or is it a straight level-by-level progression? Are there any branching options and/or mutually exclusive choices to make?
  
  13) Alright, let’s turn to combat. First thing on the agenda: health regen. So, regeneration has obviously been confirmed, though exact details have not been forthcoming. It is stated that it “won’t be like CoD,” but doesn’t go into any more detail. So let’s just cut the bullshit and get right to it - how long does it take for regeneration to kick in and how fast does it work? For a reference, The Witcher is a game that had slow health regeneration. If you’ve played that game, can you compare it to the regeneration in Human Revolution?
  
  14) Concerning the cover system, the FAQ states that it is optional and that you can either choose to activate it or not when you approach an object. Does this mean that sticking in first person and crouching behind the object is just as viable? It seems like you wouldn’t be able to do that special roll from object to object, which is fine except that crouch-running in first person would probably be slower. And it’s been confirmed that there is no lean. So would first-person really work as well?
  
  15) What about takedowns? Can you do them in first-person as well, or will they always be in third?
  
  16) Regarding enemy AI, it has been revealed that enemies are made up of squads which each have a leader. This is an interesting mechanic and I’d like to know more about it. What effects does the leader have on his squad, and how does taking him out improve your situation? And how are you able to pick out the squad leader?
  
  17) It has also been stated that guards will become more alert if they detect an unconscious companion. What exactly will they do, and does this extend to being able to detect if a guard hasn’t returned from a patrol yet? Also, do guards ever call for reinforcements?
  
  18) Another question about detection: how does the alarm system in Human Revolution work? The problem with alarms in most games (Deus Ex included) is that guards usually have a very short memory, so a player usually just needs to sit tight and wait for things to return to normal. Is Human Revolution taking any steps to address this issue?
  
  19) Concerning platforms, Human Revolution was announced from the beginning as being on consoles in addition to PC. However, there was a rumor at one point during the game’s development that it was being elevated to PC only, due to it’s “complexity” or something along those lines. We now know that’s not the case, but I was wondering if there was any truth to that rumor. Was it ever considered making Human Revolution a PC exclusive, and if so, what made you change your mind? Was anything altered during development to make it suitable for consoles again?
  
  20) Finally, I’d like to point out that there is a lot about Human Revolution that sounds appealing. An emphasis on the design tenants of the first game, choices and consequences, time limits…gosh, it sounds like you’re actually trying to make a decent game. With that in mind, what is your opinion of today’s dumbed-down market, and how do you see Human Revolution fitting into that?

 

[Jaesun]

The smug crap like "So let’s just cut the bullshit and get right to it " is not going to work with EIDOS. Obsidian? Yes, but no other developer.

"Deus Ex 2 tried to reconcile those three endings, but it was pretty half-ass and didn’t work that well." - re-word that.

"6) Okay, let’s talk about killing people." bring up the point that IF you didn't go on an outright killing spree, people recognized that, as well as offered additional dialogues for not going on a killing spree.

"Bonus points if you can avoid the usual “well it all depends on how you play” PR-speak. " Again, you need to re-write this. It's EIDOS.

I stopped reading after this point. Good questions, but your approach is not going to work (or grant you an actual interview). Is this the intent, in that you will get a "we can't offer an interview at this time" which really is a waste of all our time.

 

[J1M]

Try to sound less like an angry cunt and more like someone interested in the product they are making.

Start by cutting the length of all your questions in half.

My personal preference is for questions that can't be easily answered via installing the game and starting it. So, in particular, the question you ask about if the game started as a PC title would interest me more than "verbally describe the augmentation upgrade process in slightly more detail".

Obviously, you can't have an entire interview of that stuff, but it's also pointless to try and be a backseat game designer at a point in the development cycle when nothing major can change. Which is what this list you wrote is really about.

 

[ironyuri]

dicksmoker, you are one verbose motherfucker.

Questions need to be succinct, to the point and most certainly do not need to put the person being interviewed on the defensive by talk of "cutting the bullshit".

 

[Marquess Cornwallis]

The questions aren't bad at all, but, like the others said, going all Clint Eastwood on EIDOS will hardly work out, especially seeing as it often comes across rather awkward. I'd suggest not sending in all questions at once, so that you can react to some of the answers and make the whole thing feel more like an interview and less like a questionnaire, even if it takes more time. (This would also allow you to ask follow-up questions and/or improve the flow of the interview without it sounding fake). Asking several questions at once often results in the interviewee picking only the one they want to answer. Excess/redundant words and phrases should be stripped. Don't start sentences with "so" or "and", don't use filler phrases, and try not to repeat the same thing twice. Check the text for mistakes like "it's" instead of "its", etc. I'd suggest using "Deus Ex" and "Invisible Revolution" rather than "Deus Ex 1" and "Deus Ex 2".

This is a basic sketch of what I have in mind:

1) First, tell me a little ahout yourself and your role on Human Revolution.

2) Deus Ex had a story that began with the world in a very specific place. I’m assuming (and I think this was mentioned by someone from EIDOS at one point) that Human Revolution will have different endings to choose from. If that’s the case, wouldn’t at least a few of those be incompatible with the opening of Deus Ex?

3) Speaking of choices, you’ve done a good job so far of showing different ways to play the game, but we haven’t yet seen anything regarding story branching based on decisions taken throughout the game. Do you think you could give us an example of one of those?

4) There was one area where Invisible War improved on the original; it was more open-ended than the relatively linear original if too short to really flesh this feature out. Where does Human Revolution stand in this respect?

5) Similar to the above question, will the progression of levels be linear like in Deus Ex, or will it have the hub-based structure of Invisible War? Or something in between?

6) Deus Ex let you kill almost anyone you came across, but there were a few invulnerable NPCs. Invisible War kept important NPCs alive by having them communicate to you via holograms, as well as having clubs that put a lock on your weapons before you entered. What’s the situation in Human Revolution?

7) Invisible War could be completed in about 15 hours, whereas Deus Ex closed in on a 40-hour experience. How long is Human Revolution?

8) It appears at least some of the missions will have a time limit. One preview mentioned specifically that in a mission to rescue hostages, if you dick around too much before going in, the hostages will be dead. Can we expect this kind of dynamic throughout the game, at least for those missions where it would make sense? Will timed missions have a binary success/failure outcome, or more of a gradient?

9) In the leaked demonstration video, we can see Adam Jensen having a conversation with a bartender. The writing was quite good, but I noticed only one dialogue option. Is this the standard for conversations of that length?

10) Like Mass Effect and Alpha Protocol, Human Revolution uses a paraphrase system to relay dialogue options to the player. What do you think sets your system apart from those other games?

11) Social skills have been mentioned as part of the game. What are these social skills, and how do they function?

12) It looks like skills and augmentations have been rolled into a single mechanic, for a grand total of 21 augmentations - correct me if I’m wrong. Does each skill/aug have its own tech tree, or is it a straight level-by-level progression? Are there any branching options and/or mutually exclusive choices to make?

13) Health regeneration has been confirmed. How long does it take for it to kick in and how fast does it work? Can you compare speed of health regeneration in Human Revolution to that of the Witcher or a similar game that used it?

14) Concerning the cover system, the FAQ states that it is optional and that you can either choose to activate it or not when you approach an object. Does this mean that sticking in first person and crouching behind the object is just as viable?

15) What about takedowns? Can you do them in first-person as well?

16) Regarding enemy AI, it has been revealed that enemies are made up of squads which each have a leader. What effects does the leader have on his squad, and how does taking him out improve your situation? How are you able to pick out the squad leader?

17) It has also been stated that guards will become more alert if they detect an unconscious companion. What exactly will they do, and does this extend to being able to detect if a guard hasn’t returned from a patrol? Do guards ever call for reinforcements?

18) How does the alarm system in Human Revolution work? In most games (Deus Ex included), guards have a very short memory. The player usually just needs to sit tight and wait for things to return to normal. Is Human Revolution any different in this aspect?

19) There was a rumor at one point during the game’s development that it might be made a PC exclusive, due to its “complexity”. Was there any truth to it, and if so, what made you change your mind?

20) There is a lot about Human Revolution that sounds appealing. An emphasis on the design tenants of the first game, choices and consequences, time limits… With that in mind, what is your opinion of today’s dumbed-down market, and how do you see Human Revolution fitting into it?

In any case, good luck.

 

[Forest Dweller]

Thanks for the suggestions, but I don't like those abbreviated versions. Succint questions like that often give the interviewee lots of options in how to answer, which in turn gives more chances to go into PR mode. The way mine are worded the person will have less wiggle room and will actually have to address the issue raised. And shouldn't a Codex interview be all about that? That's my reasoning at least. Which is not to say that some of those questions couldn't be trimmed down a bit, but not to the degree that you're suggesting.

Regarding that "cutting the bullshit" line, yeah, I had some misgivings about that one, so cutting that wouldn't be much of an issue.

And as far as how the interview would go, I can't say. I don't really know how these things work. If it happens, it will be an official Codex interview, which means it would be coordinated by the Codex staff. For the record, I would also prefer a back-and-forth type of thing in order to make it more of a conversation (the Todd Howard one too) but it all boils down to what they'd be willing to do.

 

[Marquess Cornwallis]

Thanks for the suggestions, but I don't like those abbreviated versions. Succint questions like that often give the interviewee lots of options in how to answer, which in turn gives more chances to go into PR mode. The way mine are worded the person will have less wiggle room and will actually have to address the issue raised. And shouldn't a Codex interview be all about that? That's my reasoning at least. Which is not to say that some of those questions couldn't be trimmed down a bit, but not to the degree that you're suggesting.

Sure, the stripped down questions served only as an illustration (but I still think that if whoever gets to answer the questions wants to go into PR mode, they can just as easily do it with the original version).

The most important thing is that being a good interviewer is not about trying to sound cool or edgy while half of your questions imply you are either lazy or mentally deficient, or drawing attention to yourself in general. It's about staying in the background as much as possible and coaxing interesting information from whoever you're interviewing by making your questions informed, impartial and to the point. I think you have the potential (the questions are obviously researched and bring up interesting points), but need to be a little less verbose and opinionated. It's your call, of course.

 

[Forest Dweller]

I think the problem with POOPERSCOOPER's questions aren't so much the edginess but the lack of grammar. MCA or no MCA.

Regarding the opinions in my questions, they seem to be pretty in line with general Codex sentiment. And since this is a Codex interview, I see no reason to hide where we're coming from. And I think if there are to be Codex interviews, we should make sure they stand out at least a little from other sites. There are enough generic no-content interviews floating around out there without us adding to the pile.

 

[J1M]

I think the problem with POOPERSCOOPER's questions aren't so much the edginess but the lack of grammar. MCA or no MCA.

Regarding the opinions in my questions, they seem to be pretty in line with general Codex sentiment. And since this is a Codex interview, I see no reason to hide where we're coming from. And I think if there are to be Codex interviews, we should make sure they stand out at least a little from other sites. There are enough generic no-content interviews floating around out there without us adding to the pile.

The feedback you are getting here isn't asking you to be non-codex. It's wisely suggesting you make some adjustments so that your meaty questions are not deleted by the lacky in the marketing department with an arts degree.

 

[denizsi]

Didn't know Dicksmoker was an industry veteran who's best buddies with everyone everywhere but also known and respected for his edginess and thus, worth giving an answer to such idiotically worded questions.

SHELTERED!

for thinking anyone would take him seriously. At all. Nobody would like to deal with ideologically militant uppity kids.

Even as a Codexer, I wouldn't take half these questions seriously myself if I worked at an environment like an EA or EIDOS game studio (those studios being what they are) and would actually show it to co-workers for a laugh. Actually, I just linked a few people to the thread for a laugh. And laughs were had.

 

[Black Bart Charley]

1) First, tell me a little ahout yourself. And when I say tell me about yourself, I mean tell me what your role is on Human Revolution and what you’re directly responsible for. This way we’ll have someone to blame if the game doesn’t meet our expectations.

In a world full of unrealistic weight goals... erm, I mean, comedy goals, Dicky stood up for those without a brain. Sarah Silverman would be proud.

 

[Forest Dweller]

I didn't realize Jaesun was a staff member. Can I consider his post to be the official staff position?

 

[Jaesun]

I didn't realize Jaesun was a staff member. Can I consider his post to be the official staff position?

No, that comment was before I was staff.

 

[Tycn]

Why would any mainstream developer associate themselves with a forum known for nazis, sexual deviants and hatred for the best games evar while shitting over their marketing strategy by providing actual info? The only developer that would grant the Codex an interview is one whose target market consists of it.

 

[Forest Dweller]

I'm thinking that we might actually be in the target market. Based on their previews and the fact it seems to be leaning toward design tenets of the first game. If that's really true, a Codex interview might actually be good publicity for them.

 

[BLOBERT]

BRO NO ONONONONON THIS ARE THE QUESTIONS

1 HOW IS YOUR CONSOLETARD TRASH NOT GOING TO BE A PEACHE OF SHIT?!??!?!!?

2 I KNOW YOU ARE TO STUPID TO HAVE NONCOMBAT SOLUTIONS BUT CAN WE AVOID COMBAT SOMEOHW!!!???

3 HOW MYUCH DO YOU THINK THIS GAME WILL SUCK COMPARED TO MOST MAINSTREAM TITLE!!>

4 ARE YOU AIMING TO MAKE AN ARTHOUSE GAME FOR PRETENIUOUS CUNTS OR DO YOU WANT TO MAKE MONEY??!?!?

 

[Zed]

3 HOW MYUCH DO YOU THINK THIS GAME WILL SUCK COMPARED TO MOST MAINSTREAM TITLE!!>

That's a great question.