TNM in the media

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AgentSmithereens
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by AgentSmithereens »

Whilst I love the Downtown and Corporate maps and think they're a real feat of Deus Ex mapping, my favourite hub map remains the Slums. I think it contains more character and atmosphere than the other 2. Plus you struck the right balance between interesting level gameplay and accessibility - on the surface the map doesn't look that big, but when you actually explore, there's actually quite a lot of depth to it. I think to an extent, this may be because it's less horizontal than the others, and contains more vertical gameplay, e.g. climbing the drainpipes to the apartment, finding that sniper hideout place etc.
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by Jonas »

justanotherfan wrote:Aside from the attempts to import/code Deus Ex content and mechanics into other engines, do you think modern FPS games could be modded into a game that resembles Deus Ex? IIRC DX has mechanics that other games just don't bother with, like the alliances system (eg. everyone in FPS games is "enemy"). I don't follow the programming of new engines, but I'd assume they never saw the light and implemented any complex RPG-type systems. Clearly a development company could, the way DX was done, but since they aren't doing that much anymore...
Well if you look at Deus Ex, basically all of the RPG stuff was built on top of the FPS mechanics from Unreal. The AI and the alliances and everything is all script. There's very little they did to Unreal to make it into Deus Ex that you couldn't also do to Unreal 3 to make it into something very close to Deus Ex. Don't know about the other engines, it would depend on how open they are, but seeing how people have turned Half-Life 2 into an RTS, I don't think RPG mechanics would be pushing it.
Jonas wrote:how the internal logic of the setting works.
What?

SpaceStation seemed to work. Control level, engineering level, living quarters level, the other one...Seems logical, but I think you're talking about something entirely different.
More in terms of how the forums actually work as a virtual world. What are the exact rules for making new accounts? Is there a proper reason for everyone to be so fussed about the state of the forums, or are they just taking it all too seriously? What happens to your avatar when you log off? What does it mean when you torture an avatar? These and many more things are concepts we never took the time to sit down and develop. You won't find clear and consistent explanations of any of that in the game, and even if you try to make up explanations or figure out your own idea of how it works, you'll often find that the inconsistencies sabotage you. It's a shame we never used our virtual setting more deliberately - it's the same thing Quinns called us out on :)
AgentSmithereens wrote:Whilst I love the Downtown and Corporate maps and think they're a real feat of Deus Ex mapping, my favourite hub map remains the Slums. I think it contains more character and atmosphere than the other 2. Plus you struck the right balance between interesting level gameplay and accessibility - on the surface the map doesn't look that big, but when you actually explore, there's actually quite a lot of depth to it. I think to an extent, this may be because it's less horizontal than the others, and contains more vertical gameplay, e.g. climbing the drainpipes to the apartment, finding that sniper hideout place etc.
Thank you. I'm responsible for all of that - the alleys, the subway maintenance tunnels, the enterable buildings, the rooftops. All except Yardbomb's apartment and the drain pipes. So thanks a lot :)

I'm really happy that I can claim full credit for something for once, without all the disclaimers.
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Hassat Hunter
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by Hassat Hunter »

Jonas wrote:Well if you look at Deus Ex, basically all of the RPG stuff was built on top of the FPS mechanics from Unreal. The AI and the alliances and everything is all script. There's very little they did to Unreal to make it into Deus Ex that you couldn't also do to Unreal 3 to make it into something very close to Deus Ex. Don't know about the other engines, it would depend on how open they are, but seeing how people have turned Half-Life 2 into an RTS, I don't think RPG mechanics would be pushing it.
It has already been done with the HL-2 engine, Source.
Vampire: Bloodlines ring a bell. It's even mentioned as one of the only games doing this in the interview.
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by Jonas »

Hassat Hunter wrote:Vampire: Bloodlines ring a bell. It's even mentioned as one of the only games doing this in the interview.
That's not a mod though, so it doesn't prove my point - Troika had source code access, having licensed the engine from Valve. Something like Dystopia would probably be a better example. Haven't played it myself though, so I can't say how RPGish it is.
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by justanotherfan »

I'm glad if new engines can do more RPG elements, or if it's easier to add. Deus Ex often feels so forgotten in new games.

That was argued before, about expanding the virtual setting. I'm happy with the way it was set up (I responded to that earlier). It was already a complex and virtual world, with insider jokes and concepts, so adding even more metaphor detail could have alienated me. It could have expanded TNM, adding a few more levels and hundreds of hours of conversation and development years ;-).
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by loony636 »

There was a brief mention of The Nameless Mod in the Australian PC Powerplay article on Black Mesa Source. They mentioned six mods on the last page, the last one of which is TNM with the brief description of: "Seven years in the making. The Nameless Mod is about a group of people on a message board. Silly concept, but it's surprisingly well written and designed."
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by Trestkon »

loony636 wrote:There was a brief mention of The Nameless Mod in the Australian PC Powerplay article on Black Mesa Source. They mentioned six mods on the last page, the last one of which is TNM with the brief description of: "Seven years in the making. The Nameless Mod is about a group of people on a message board. Silly concept, but it's surprisingly well written and designed."
Not the most awesome description, but we know they love us :p
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by bobby 55 »

Hehehe, no such thing as bad publicity, or in this case, a microcosm of it.
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Jaedar
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by Jaedar »

Pc Gamer SE mentioned TNM (again) this time as one of the ten best singleplayer mods ever.
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Re: TNM in the media

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Jaedar wrote:Pc Gamer SE mentioned TNM (again) this time as one of the ten best singleplayer mods ever.
Wow, nice :) Which one is SE?
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by Jonas »

Sweden.
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by justanotherfan »

TNM mentioned and interviewed in 1up.com-
http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.off ... Id=3178331

Decent interview with agreeable quotes from Trest (person). Doesn't talk about TNM the game, aside from statistics and the creation process. Strange focus on Invisible War, the community side note
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by bobby 55 »

I must look up the meaning of understatement: And, according to Laxdal, his team does their best to foster the growth and productivity of the Deus Ex community.
And then some.
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Jonas
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by Jonas »

Some general modding advice from me over at UserCreated. Probably nothing you guys haven't heard before.

http://usercreated.org/2010/03/19/mod-a ... e-talking/

Also worth reading for Yang and Pinchbeck, both of whom are awesome.
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bobby 55
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Re: TNM in the media

Post by bobby 55 »

Heh, realists with a sense of humor.
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