Completed Deus Ex GMDX ~hardcore difficulty weaponless run (Partial Randomization)

[azimovhaas8 (Moth)]

Decided to share my more or less recent "challenge" run of sorts, because almost nobody to my surprise been doing similar kind of runs and recording them afterwards : [
Deus Ex 1 + Give Me Deus Ex (9.0) mod + vRSD fork for it at Hardcore difficulty (better enemy AI, more enemies in general, more damage applied to JC, et cetera - with JC being able to save in special locations; in my run each save costs me in-game $) without weapons being used against enemies (been using melee weapon against crates, and GEP against weld points in Shipyard, because of potential softlock; disposed both later on). Active randomization option (different placement of items in containers - and different augmentations) as well.
Some enemies actually been killed (either by trampling them, by throwing barrels with muscle aug. or by using hacked turrets), and i leveled up one weapon skill (explosives) for ability to disarm trap faster and with more time avaliable.

Some videos maybe are slightly dark, here maybe some technical problems with videos, but more or less everything is fine (i hope). No voice coverage, just pure gameplay.

If anybody wants to do the same and needs some advises on how to approach this kind of run - or have any sort of ideas for new runs (i only made System Shock 2 Challenge run afterwards) - type it here!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxuVPVmsoJnlHZSmudXkpuYiAssOaztZ4
^^ Link to playlist. Enjoy 0/

 

[Azira]

Video LPs makes baby Jesus cry.

 

[azimovhaas8 (Moth)]

Actually, your position is right for most part - completing games, while telling some sort of story surrounding it is pretty nice. Now i read your Might and Magic 7 let's play and like it so far!

But some reasons why i posted my video run here in form of videos (they're subjective, ofc):
1) It is not a Let's Play in sense of game that i complete for first time and want to show-case my feelings / providing some analytics - i know and completed Deus Ex more then one time, so it is hard to accentuate both story and gameplay in interesting way, at least for me.
2) It is challenge run with specific rules - and it is mostly gameplay centered. I can show-case why i made specific choices in skills, augmentations and why i played in way i play for sure - BUT videos provide me with clear way to show and express my decisions in real time. Basically, if i want to showcase new total conversion mod - i will definetly will go with your text-based Let's Plays.
3) It is made primarily for experienced players who know some meta-game of both Deus Ex and Give Me Deus Ex mod - and for people who like to see different kind of gameplay (Deus Ex rarely played without weapons - and i seen no items at all only couple of times). So - videos allow to show this well enough.
4) This run been created for some people who want to see exactly kind of gameplay i been showing in videos - and for testing purposes as well (Walton Simons AI in later parts of video series, for example). I'm fairly new in Codex, as well.

Hope i been more or less coherent in my small points in regards for why i created exactly videos for my run.
Have a nice day, Azira - and i will look into your content as well 0/

 

[Azira]

Hey, no worries. I think it's great that a game like Deus Ex still receives som love and attention today. I'm just not a fan of video LPs, as I can't allot the time to follow them.
Text and picture based LPs I can pick up and read whenever I get a minute or two of sparetime, so it's just that I prefer those.

 

[azimovhaas8 (Moth)]

Yeah - it is hard for me as well to see most Video LP's, if i do not have a lot of spare time and really some determination for it. Only exceptions are interesting, challenge runs - some more niche speedruns as well (even if speedruns usually are not interesting to watch).
Nowadays i'm more busy and more selective in content i watch as well.

Probably i will create text / picture based Let's Plays myself in future - it also stimulates myself to actually play games with interest to share progress : >

Cheers, anyway 0/

 

[infidel]

If you don't have the time, x2 speed is your friend . Anyway, watched a couple of vids, I like it so far. Was kinda expecting no alerts or close to it, though.

 

[azimovhaas8 (Moth)]

If you don't have the time, x2 speed is your friend . Anyway, watched a couple of vids, I like it so far. Was kinda expecting no alerts or close to it, though.

Heyo, star infidel! Thanks for liking this videos, and while some later videos are less interesting, most parts of run from later videos are pretty fun to watch.
In some videos i been going for no alerts and close to it, in others videos... Things got a bit more messy. With limited saving capability at checkpoints i been willing to alert some enemies and take couple of hits, but pass forward.

Answering two questions on YouTube:
1) JC running while close to guards in Liberty Island episode is my mistake. Been running too early and alerted guards which resulted in my first death.
2) It is *possible*, i guess, but i been not willing to take a risk due to check-point being far behind. Some things on hardcore been changing my usual playstyle, heh.

Hope i answered some of your questions.

 

[infidel]

Answering two questions on YouTube:
1) JC running while close to guards in Liberty Island episode is my mistake. Been running too early and alerted guards which resulted in my first death.
2) It is *possible*, i guess, but i been not willing to take a risk due to check-point being far behind. Some things on hardcore been changing my usual playstyle, heh.

Wait, the checkpoint was right behind you in that room

I'm still wondering about their decision to make saves with 100 credits. Since you don't really need to buy anything in the game, you get a solid buffer of saves, I saw something like 1k creds. This means that you're not really in much of danger (I might be wrong and later you are, though) of not having enough creds to go on. I think a better design decision would be to use skill points and in greater values, like 500 per save, for example. Anyway, that's just gamedev rambling.

 

[azimovhaas8 (Moth)]

Wait, the checkpoint was right behind you in that room

I'm still wondering about their decision to make saves with 100 credits. Since you don't really need to buy anything in the game, you get a solid buffer of saves, I saw something like 1k creds. This means that you're not really in much of danger (I might be wrong and later you are, though) of not having enough creds to go on. I think a better design decision would be to use skill points and in greater values, like 500 per save, for example. Anyway, that's just gamedev rambling.

For some reasons been thinking other way around while playing... So i actually just made my life harder for no apparent reason in NYC Osgod & Sons, lol.

I had problems with credits later in the game - been literaly counting $ in Area 51 to actually save in hardest area in game, for my playstyle.
+ Bio-cells (player can buy them in Paris, in local club where player meets with Nicolette) and Medkits (also in Paris, in one of bunkers located in catacombs) are pretty relevant for my playstyle, but i still tried to limit myself in shopping.

 

[infidel]

I had problems with credits later in the game - been literaly counting $ in Area 51 to actually save in hardest area in game, for my playstyle.

Yeah, I can imagine that pretty easily. At this point in the game they don't have any vendors at all, so no need to drop credits here and there, they're useless in vanilla. That would actually be another reason to use skill points instead, you get them until the very end.

 

[Ash]

Answering two questions on YouTube:
1) JC running while close to guards in Liberty Island episode is my mistake. Been running too early and alerted guards which resulted in my first death.
2) It is *possible*, i guess, but i been not willing to take a risk due to check-point being far behind. Some things on hardcore been changing my usual playstyle, heh.

Wait, the checkpoint was right behind you in that room

I'm still wondering about their decision to make saves with 100 credits. Since you don't really need to buy anything in the game, you get a solid buffer of saves, I saw something like 1k creds. This means that you're not really in much of danger (I might be wrong and later you are, though) of not having enough creds to go on. I think a better design decision would be to use skill points and in greater values, like 500 per save, for example. Anyway, that's just gamedev rambling.

Saves (on hardcore mode - other difficulties have unrestricted save/load as in vanilla) typically don't have any associated cost at all, aside from the save location deleting itself and thus can only be used once.
Credits to save is just a menu option ("Hardcore+ Mode") for those that have played the mod to death and want something extra. The concept is of course Risk vs Reward. Use the save, have less money for shops (and GMDX has two extra shops). Opt to not use the save, have some extra spending money. Yes skills to save would certainly be way more hardcore and relevant, but it'd be so significant (especially 500!) that you'd never want to save (and often woudn't be able to at all) and end up frequently losing lots of progress, especially in the combat playstyle where you're constantly engaging enemies. Too hardcore even by my standards.

 

[infidel]

Saves (on hardcore mode - other difficulties have unrestricted save/load as in vanilla) typically don't have any associated cost at all, aside from the save location deleting itself and thus can only be used once.
Credits to save is just a menu option ("Hardcore+ Mode") for those that have played the mod to death and want something extra. The concept is of course Risk vs Reward. Use the save, have less money for shops (and GMDX has two extra shops). Opt to not use the save, have some extra spending money. Yes skills to save would certainly be way more hardcore and relevant, but it'd be so significant (especially 500!) that you'd never want to save (and often woudn't be able to at all) and end up frequently losing lots of progress, especially in the combat playstyle where you're constantly engaging enemies. Too hardcore even by my standards.

500 was just a number, 100 would be enough. I mostly disagree with using credits because they are doled out very sporadically in the game making it hard to plan for - you don't really tend to remember where you get them apart from the ATMs unless you specifically play this mode multiple times to learn it. For example, imagine a hypothetical gameplay mode where you can only save using cigarettes or water coolers. Skill points, OTOH, are constantly being rewarded - you know that progressing through the game you will get them soon enough to replenish your "save stock". Plus it feels better psychologically and fiction-wise, IMHO, just like SS2 had literal cyber modules.