Deus Ex GMDX: Deus Ex Advancement Mod v9 Released!

[HansDampf]

Is that altered UNATCO theme after the Lebedev mission a new addition or did I just never notice it?

 

[Ash]

everything in the game blends together seamlessly.

This. Complex yet tight design synergy.

OK, now I've got a bit of a concern.

GMDX version 8 was fairly clean in that it didn't drop much into the main Deus Ex\System directory apart from some updated renderer files for the total overhaul graphics pack.

GMDX version 9 adds a whole lot of DeusExCon files that presumably override the vanilla content, but more worryingly, it overwrites DeusEx.int which in itself contains references to GMDX. This means that if you run the original DeusEx.exe, you'll find the menus a bit screwed up and who knows what else. I'd normally not bother with vanilla after installing GMDX, but mods rely on vanilla and don't expect critical game files to be different from the norm.

This seems unnecessary because GMDXv9 creates its own directory of the same name, so why can't these files go in that System directory and not mess with the main System? For now I'm going to have to revert to version 8 simply because it was the least destructive for the vanilla game & mods, which is disappointing.

Multiple instances of interchangeable DeusEx.int (and .est, .rut etc for foreign languages) is not properly supported by Kenties, even v8.0 only temporarily deleted the vanilla int every time the game was launched (destructive), and created the vanilla one again upon exit. Here, the vanilla int is just provided in the gmdx folder as a backup. Have a browse.

Con files are patched conversation files, and are intended to be vanilla friendly, a straight patch on the vanilla files. They are also something you cannot have two different instances of in your Deus Ex directory without the game getting confused for some reason. Visit the GMDX discord to check out all the details of the confix project. It was done by a v9.0 beta tester "community developer" and I'm pretty happy that it is vanilla friendly patch. I oversaw that stuff wasn't blindly restored or fixed when it didn't need fixing, and the guy had a good sense of right and wrong too.

So, TL;DR, .int is basically as destructive as v8.0 was (although less convenient), and con files are meant to be a straight patch and betterment of vanilla setup and compatible with other mods/vanilla.

If there is a better method to either, feel free to join the discord and lend a hand.

Maybe I'll look into what the v8.0 installer did and make the .exe modify the .int files upon launch and exit of the game, purely for convenience' sake.

Is that altered UNATCO theme after the Lebedev mission a new addition or did I just never notice it?

GMDX does actually mod the soundtrack (even in earlier versions), but only EVER in instances of where vanilla repeated the track a dozen times (e.g NYC Street music = used on 14+ maps), and restores an unused music track or two of Brandon/Van Den Bos' where it fits. Overall, there's music changes on 5 maps, and all should be good ones that add diversity reminscent of the original game. Like you said, you think it's possible you never noticed it. This means good.

The music is as sacred to me as it is anyone else. This is only adding more subtly, never outright removing a track entirely.

 

[HansDampf]

Like you said, you think it's possible you never noticed it. This means good.

This happens a lot in GMDX actually.

 

[Average Manatee]

Have you thought about rebalancing the Medicine skill progression?

It's 30/60/75/90 healing power I believe. This is odd because being trained gives such a huge benefit compared to the rest, which goes against most of the other skills and the description ("slightly increased healing" does not say +100% to me). In vanilla it's kind of ignorable since Medicine becomes completely redundant as soon as you have the regen aug, but now that regen is nerfed fairly significantly it would make sense to rescale the healing amounts a bit so that higher ranks are appealing. Can I suggest 30/45/60/90?

- The Passive Ballistic defense aug. Tell me if I'm understanding it right. Take 100 damage, prevent, say, 25, then subtract 12.5 bio energy (1/8th of the 100)? Or is it subtract 4 bio energy (1/8th of the 25)? The way its worded sounds like the former, but that is just awful and basically gimping the player.

It reduces energy using the reduced damage.

Even if its the latter I think it could do with making the damage reduction a bit larger, at least on realistic/hardcore 35% is nothing compared to the Active Ballistic Defense aug (which is also way more energy efficient it you are at all capable of toggling it on and off).

Passive vs Active is fine. Passive has always got your back no matter what, except if no bioenergy. Also is convenient and lazy. Active requires constant management but is considerably statistically superior.

So, it's like (100 - 35) / 8 = 8.125 energy loss for 35 damage prevention? On higher difficulties of course you desperately need the 65% DR, but on lower difficulties you could just run Regen for a better energy:health ratio I think (Passive DR is around 4.3 health per energy while Regen looks to be around 6). Not too bad for an easy difficulty aug though I guess. Please update the description since its unclear.

It's possible but it requires never installing Microfibral Muscle or Combat Speed and waiting until you find a second aug can that holds another Strength/Transference. Not worth it.

Seems worth it to me, any hints on how far in the storyline the 2nd strength/transference aug appears?

 

[Ash]

Have you thought about rebalancing the Medicine skill progression?

Maybe will update. The values there are a very, very early change I made (and it's a nerf by a total of 30). If I recall my reasoning that it's a big jump initially (that matches vanilla) because early game is arguably the hardest. Changing it to 45 could be a major game-changer in that regard, especially for newbies.

Seems worth it to me, any hints on how far in the storyline the 2nd strength/transference aug appears?

madness.

HK Universal Constructor...I think? Don't recall now. Be thorough.

 

[At0mic]

Maybe I'll look into what the v8.0 installer did and make the .exe modify the .int files upon launch and exit of the game, purely for convenience' sake.

Only if you get the chance, I think my concerns are probably just me either being an edge case or being neurotic.

 

[Abhay]

I have got 8 hours with v9 so far, and its hard to argue with this incredible mod which has kept consistently growing on me, more and more, ever since Ash has taken up with the task to make DX game - absolute great in gameplay and deliver the kind of high quality experiences every hardcore fan wants,
I Salute and bow my head respectfully to Ash for all his hard work and dedication.

I request RPG Codex to come up with some ideas to honour Ash for his contributions to the DX game; something like a Medal of Honour on behalf of the community, and such...

 

[Average Manatee]

Two small questions regarding the maps/script:

- After being captured and losing my weapons, I didn't get all of them back. Most notably I didn't get my GEP gun back. What controls this? Does the map just randomly pick some items you were carrying to give back, or is there some list of equipment that is allowed to transfer? My GEP was modded so replacing it with an unmodded one is a bit of a downer.
- After the first Hell's Kitchen segment when you go back to UNATCO HQ soldiers will comment on the fight outside next to the 'ton. In my case they talk about how its a shame I couldn't help and so on. What are the conditions that count as "helping" with that fight? I threw a gas grenade and took a few guys out with tranq darts, do I need to kill them or something?

Also, regarding skill points, there are instances where skill points are connected to spending resources rather than actually accomplishing tasks or exploring. For example, in the hostage in the subway section where you can sneak in through the vents, you only get skill points if you go in the way that requires a lockpick, nothing if you go in through the unlocked vent. Are you for changing these things so that the player isn't illogically requires to waste lockpicks and other stuff just to collect all the skill points?

 

[Parabalus]

Also, regarding skill points, there are instances where skill points are connected to spending resources rather than actually accomplishing tasks or exploring. For example, in the hostage in the subway section where you can sneak in through the vents, you only get skill points if you go in the way that requires a lockpick, nothing if you go in through the unlocked vent. Are you for changing these things so that the player isn't illogically requires to waste lockpicks and other stuff just to collect all the skill points?

This irked me incredibly, since I found the other vent only after lockpicking, then reloaded only to be disappointed because I didn't get any SP and you can't get to the area which triggers it because a ladder is broken.

To solve this, you can drop several objects down the vent (3 chairs in my case) and stack them next to the shortened ladder which leads to the upper part beyond the lockpicked door. Extreme autism for 20 SP, but it's a matter of principle.

Also noticed something regarding lockpicks and NPCs, who will seemingly open any door regardless of it's status. Noticed this first in the plane when you fight with Anna, I ran and she got stuck on some thrash cans and opened a nearby door, saving me a lockpick/LAM. Tried it out again by blocking her when she initially enters and is non-hostile, sure enough, it works if you block her path with clutter.

Also interested about the 'ton fight, but I think it's about what happened before you got there, while you were in Battery park and the terrorists first came.

 

[HansDampf]

Transparent doors in Vandenberg?

 

[Average Manatee]

Also, regarding skill points, there are instances where skill points are connected to spending resources rather than actually accomplishing tasks or exploring. For example, in the hostage in the subway section where you can sneak in through the vents, you only get skill points if you go in the way that requires a lockpick, nothing if you go in through the unlocked vent. Are you for changing these things so that the player isn't illogically requires to waste lockpicks and other stuff just to collect all the skill points?

This irked me incredibly, since I found the other vent only after lockpicking, then reloaded only to be disappointed because I didn't get any SP and you can't get to the area which triggers it because a ladder is broken.

To solve this, you can drop several objects down the vent (3 chairs in my case) and stack them next to the shortened ladder which leads to the upper part beyond the lockpicked door. Extreme autism for 20 SP, but it's a matter of principle.

There's a vent you can take from the subway (the middle one, with a sign over it) that takes you up a ladder that leads to the shortened ladder. But at least in my case I wasn't able to get the 20 SP even if I dry humped the door from both sides, it only appeared after lockpicking the door. Did you check to see if you actually got 20 SP from stacking the clutter?

Also noticed something regarding lockpicks and NPCs, who will seemingly open any door regardless of it's status. Noticed this first in the plane when you fight with Anna, I ran and she got stuck on some thrash cans and opened a nearby door, saving me a lockpick/LAM. Tried it out again by blocking her when she initially enters and is non-hostile, sure enough, it works if you block her path with clutter.

For the other 99.9% of the game, it makes sense that most enemies have the ability to open locked doors in places they inhabit (since they are fighting on their own turf). Anna on the plane is just one of the few outliers where she shouldn't be able to do so.

Also, why didn't you just

Spoiler

use the LAW from the secret area in the barracks to one-shot her and take out the door together.

Spoiler

You'll probably lose your legs doing so, but that's such a minor detail

Also interested about the 'ton fight, but I think it's about what happened before you got there, while you were in Battery park and the terrorists first came.

So many NPCs comment on it that I can only imagine its something you are supposed to be able to affect and the way the game checks for it is just weird. Like you need to take out a specific NSF soldier or it doesn't check for unconsciousness or something.

 

[Parabalus]

There's a vent you can take from the subway (the middle one, with a sign over it) that takes you up a ladder that leads to the shortened ladder. But at least in my case I wasn't able to get the 20 SP even if I dry humped the door from both sides, it only appeared after lockpicking the door. Did you check to see if you actually got 20 SP from stacking the clutter?

Dunno, I may have been hallucinating. Psure the SP is awarded after you pass the door tho, had something similar in Brooklyn Naval recently where backtracking gave SP.

Also, why didn't you just

Spoiler

use the LAW from the secret area in the barracks to one-shot her and take out the door together.

Spoiler

You'll probably lose your legs doing so, but that's such a minor detail

I shot her in the back of the head which did the trick., wasn't sure if I even want to kill her when that happened earlier. Used that LAW to open sth. earlier since it's too big to carry, inventory is always full so didn't wanna carry it.

Btw, can you kill gunther in battery park when he arrests you? He ate 6 LAMs unphased so I'm guessing no.

 

[Ash]

Really dudes? Are we that autistic about a one off 20 skillpoints exploration bonus?

It was an old, old change, in my defence. I should have known better after Human Revolution's vent crawling. Removing it.

 

[Average Manatee]

Really dudes? Are we that autistic about a one off 20 skillpoints exploration bonus?

It was an old, old change, in my defence. I should have known better after Human Revolution's vent crawling. Removing it.

Hmm? I thought it was vanilla. In any case I was mainly asking about whether you considered things like that to be map errors that needed to be fixed, or if you were intentionally leaving them in to remain true to vanilla and avoid (slightly) decreasing the difficulty. If you're OK with making these kinds of changes I can try and make a list of whatever I find/remember, since I'm pretty sure there's a good number more.

If you want to see autism, you should see the lengths I went through to abuse those TNT crates in the subway and avoid using lockpicks for any destroyable container in the whole NYC level.

 

[Carrion]

A minor issue, but for me the game seems to revert back to the default HUD colour theme after map transitions (and probably when you start up or load the game). I'm using a custom theme, and the infolink messages appear in red and grey even though they should be blue-ish. It can be fixed by simply visiting the inventory screen, and I'm not sure if it affects anything else in the HUD aside from infolink, but it's still something you might want to look into.

 

[Old One]

Hey, Ash. I'm really enjoying this so far. Good job.

 

[HansDampf]

Just finished.
All the bugs and graphical glitches that I remember from v8 are gone. But I still ran into some problems:
- For some reason the game likes to randomly activate mouse acceleration in Windows.
- The game crashed once when I dropped the DTS from my inventory.
- Paul died in Hell's Kitchen, but he still appeared in Area 51.
- When I click on a locked door, JC pulls out a lockpick instead of the key. It's only a matter of time until someone wastes a lockpick.

Other than that, it's really hard to find anything to critcize. Skills and augs seem well balanced, and I really had to plan ahead in hardcore mode. I invested in an op sniper rifle early on, and once I had rifle skill mastered I could reap the benefits in the later stages of the game. The base damage was 64 at the end I believe, one-shotting everything except MiBs. It's also great for "opening" locked doors, which is why I went with electronics instead of lockpicking. Ninja-Sniper-Hacker. The only choice I regret was the silent running aug. Speed would have suited me better, and I remembered that I was looking forward to stylish escape sequences jumping through breakable windows.


The overall sound design really stood out to me. I'd already mentioned the new music in UNATCO HQ. Where is that from btw? I've never heard it before, same with the new theme in Stanton Dowd's crypt. I also like all the new little ambient sound effects like in the MJ12 Lab vents. Muh immersion. And did you alter some NPC chatters, like muffling them up when they are behind a wall? Maybe I am misremembering and just paid more attention this time.

PS: The AI throwing gas grenades into vents... Got me once.


PS20: I have posted some screenshots here.

 

[AW8]

Spoiler

With the NPC's increased hearing, it's really easy to lead near half of the ground forces into the patrol bot with a single gunshot lure, which makes for quite the massacre.

Spoiler

In the Hell's Kitchen bar, I overheard civilians planning on getting Ambrosia through the black market. When I probed them for information, the bartender interfered with the investigation and shut me down. So I shut down the civilians and that old mech - permanently!

In the skirmish, I took a couple of rounds from Jock. He can forget about me telling him about the bomb.

 

[Ash]

Other than that, it's really hard to find anything to critcize. Skills and augs seem well balanced, and I really had to plan ahead in hardcore mode. I invested in an op sniper rifle early on, and once I had rifle skill mastered I could reap the benefits in the later stages of the game. The base damage was 64 at the end I believe, one-shotting everything except MiBs. It's also great for "opening" locked doors, which is why I went with electronics instead of lockpicking. Ninja-Sniper-Hacker. The only choice I regret was the silent running aug. Speed would have suited me better, and I remembered that I was looking forward to stylish escape sequences jumping through breakable windows.

Yeah silent run despite tons of effort is still rather trashy in comparison to the almighty speed aug, no matter your build or playstyle. It's something I feel deep down I couldn't change majorly though, because it wouldn't be understood. I discussed it with beta testers a lot and we decided on someone releasing an add-on post-release that replaces it with the Icarus Dash Augmentation, which is currently a cheat. Try it with AugAdd AugIcarus if you're curious (not on hardcore).

The overall sound design really stood out to me. I'd already mentioned the new music in UNATCO HQ. Where is that from btw?

Custom-made. Only appears on third visit.

I also like all the new little ambient sound effects like in the MJ12 Lab vents. Muh immersion. And did you alter some NPC chatters.

Yeah there's minor tweaks in that regard.

PS: The AI throwing gas grenades into vents... Got me once.

Nice.

 

[Ash]

With the NPC's increased hearing, it's really easy to lead near half of the ground forces into the patrol bot with a single gunshot lure, which makes for quite the massacre.
.

Vanilla you could do one better and lure Paul TO them. He'll chase you around the whole island trying to talk to you and will wipe out the whole of the NSF in the process with his plasma rifle.

Also the bot in your image is not present in hardcore mode for precisely this reason.

 

[Average Manatee]

Yeah silent run despite tons of effort is still rather trashy in comparison to the almighty speed aug, no matter your build or playstyle. It's something I feel deep down I couldn't change majorly though, because it wouldn't be understood. I discussed it with beta testers a lot and we decided on someone releasing an add-on post-release that replaces it with the Icarus Dash Augmentation, which is currently a cheat. Try it with AugAdd AugIcarus if you're curious (not on hardcore).

Silent Run's only real problem is that the AI is too omniscient when alerted. Get barely spotted by one guy and if you don't kill him in about 2 seconds everyone in a few hundred feet immediately knows where you are, even if you break sight, until they reach the "we've lost him" stage of their AI. It would need a rework so that there was another intermediate state, where as soon as the AI loses sight of the player it only has a vague notion of where the player was last rather than being able to 180 no-scope players as soon as their head sticks out of cover.

Of course Speed is also a bit OP in that you can simply speed-walk to enemies and even if they hear you in the last few feet you simply stun rod them. Realistically you'd expect Speed 4 to alert a whole room as soon as you moved since movement speed would directly correlate with sound produced, but that would be a huge nerf that I think no one really wants.

 

[Ash]

"since movement speed would directly correlate with sound produced"

It does, but the range of influence is minor in Speed Enhancement's case.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Put the soundtrack on youtube for Christs sake Ash
Great marketing.

 

[Ash]

Soundtrack? You mean GMDX's five minor tweaks? It's already on youtube for the most part. For example, on the very last Area51 map the combat music changes to this (timestamp: 04:30), since we're tired of hearing the usual a51 combat music over and over on the previous maps by this point, and it adds diversity and has a climactic feel. This track could never be heard in the vanilla game originally. Sensible tweaks like that. All the vanilla tracks are present, none are removed + 3 more sub-tracks are present + two maps with focus on ambience. It's nothing to be concerned about, just fittingly adds moar diversity.

 

[Carrion]

After screwing around a bit on Realistic, I decided to go Hardcore. I was a bit skeptical about the save system, but at least at the start it feels pretty good, as save points are reasonably far apart to make things challenging while avoiding pointless tedium (like having to go through the same dialogues every time you fail). It's probably a tough thing to balance due to the sheer variety of different level layouts that DX has, but so far I have no complaints. A "save and quit" option would be nice, but I guess it'd require some extra work to make it non-abuseable.

It has been smooth sailing so far, but I find myself constantly acting a bit cocky and forgetting that the enemies actually have a functioning pair of eyes and ears this time around.