TNM No Items run (with videos)

[AgentSmithereens]

So my latest TNM project is this - a TNM no-items run. Unfortunately this proved impossible, as there were 4 instances where items had to be used, and 1 instance where an item had to be picked-up. Therefore this is TNM with just 6 multitools, a spyware device and a LAM.

The playthrough wasn't too difficult apart from that, especially in the first 2/3 of the plot - there were few enemies to be killed, few difficult obstacles, and stealth was always a viable option. Where it got harder was in the last few levels, where maps were so ridden with enemies that the stealthy approach was out of the question, and so I had to resort to mindless running through hordes of enemies. Nevertheless because of the nature of these enemies' AI, it wasn't impossible but was downright stressful, probably moreso than my speedrun.

What makes this different to Alginon's DX no-item run is that you have fists, and so always have a way to protect yourself. I tried to only use them as a last resort, but this seems somewhat inconsistent when rewatching it. At times I'm using them to wipe out an entire level, and at others I'm creating elaborate crate structures instead.

Anyway here are the videos - http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p ... 201B8609A5
It's split up into 17 parts, and lasts 2 and a half hours (including intro and endgame cutscenes and loading times), so give it a watch if you have time, and leave a comment etc

[Trestkon]

Wow, that's quite the accomplishment, AS!

*checks out the videos*

[Hashi]

aww mans cant you combine them all into one file and upload them for me? lol

[bobby 55]

Well done sir. I'll give the vids a watch later.

Edit: Athletics anyone? Dodging, weaving, and throwing a punch or two. Especially appealing to me was you socking the phase aliens one.

[Jaedar]

Watched about half now, you play very nice with explosives sir!

[Made in China]

Very very nice. Using explosives as footholds was indeed very outside-the-box thinking.
And in part 16, 5:11 - a total "OH SHIT" moment. Loved it.

[AgentSmithereens]

And in part 16, 5:11 - a total "OH SHIT" moment. Loved it.

Lol yeah, I got a bit panicky there; not sure why the door didn't close.

Some other moments I liked:
Part 12 - 0:20 - one of the most retarded dogs I've ever seen
Part 12 - 5:12 - one of the most retarded people I've ever seen

Wow, that's quite the accomplishment, AS!

An accomplishment worthy of being in TNM's news page, you might say

[Jonas]

Hah! The space station segment was epic. It looked like the pinnacle of frustration. It kinda made me realise how stealth-unfriendly the whole thing is unless you assassinate the enemies as you go - I guess that's why many people have called it too actiony. That said, you missed some obvious sneaking opportunities, such as going under the tunnels beneath the docking bay. I did think it was a really nice touch how you handled the Narcissus objective, I was like "why the fuck is he going down there!?" I'm not sure it was the most convenient way to do it though

And man you spend a lot of time going back to that medbot. I think I wouldn't have made the route to it so complicated if I'd realised how important that bot would be to a lot of players. It's especially annoying when the aliens keep getting in the way.

Oh, moved this to the spoiler forum, by the way

[Trestkon]

Wow, that's quite the accomplishment, AS!

An accomplishment worthy of being in TNM's news page, you might say

Indeed! OTP already tweeted about it, but it'll make it to some sort of news page soonish

[AgentSmithereens]

Hah! The space station segment was epic. It looked like the pinnacle of frustration. It kinda made me realise how stealth-unfriendly the whole thing is unless you assassinate the enemies as you go - I guess that's why many people have called it too actiony. That said, you missed some obvious sneaking opportunities, such as going under the tunnels beneath the docking bay. I did think it was a really nice touch how you handled the Narcissus objective, I was like "why the fuck is he going down there!?" I'm not sure it was the most convenient way to do it though

And man you spend a lot of time going back to that medbot. I think I wouldn't have made the route to it so complicated if I'd realised how important that bot would be to a lot of players. It's especially annoying when the aliens keep getting in the way.

Oh, moved this to the spoiler forum, by the way

Cheers

It looked like the pinnacle of frustration

This times a million . There were so many annoying fiddly bits of gameplay, that I had to practically resort to recording 10 seconds at a time. I can't believe you were so mean with the placement of enemies in the space-station
I'm not sure about the sneaking opportunities I missed - the tunnels under the docking station don't go anywhere useful do they? I was quite ashamed I had to use the quicksave exploit to get past those laser beams, but by that point I was so frustrated that I didn't really look for other routes, and pretty much made it up as I went along.

I'd still like to see the game patched to make it completely no-items playable though. There are some parts which don't really offer the true DX experience, e.g. hacking the subway panel on day 2 in the slums, the linearity of the Shadowcode mission etc.
Still it was a decent challenge, and I enjoyed it.

[Jonas]

the tunnels under the docking station don't go anywhere useful do they?

They take you into the hallway in front of Fargo, so you don't have to sprint past the aliens in the hangar. There's also a back way from the right-side hallway in the admin module to the upper hallway with the menu holograms, lets you bypass the bot and a bunch of aliens.

I'd still like to see the game patched to make it completely no-items playable though.

Not gonna happen. Besides, playing against the design intention is sort of the point of a no-items playthrough

[Made in China]

I'd still like to see the game patched to make it completely no-items playable though. There are some parts which don't really offer the true DX experience, e.g. hacking the subway panel on day 2 in the slums, the linearity of the Shadowcode mission etc.

I see your point, but I have to say I disagree. For starters, TNM isn't exactly a Deus Ex clone. And that can be a good thing, as at times Deus Ex felt like it forced some ways that shouldn't be there into the map, such as technology in a place where it wasn't needed. Personally, I feel Deus Ex peaked at the Statue of Liberty (1st time) and the Gas Station, as both had logical design and architecture, while offering all of the ways you could think of - which in the Gas Station level was noticeably less.
So though I see why'd want more paths, I think that TNM is good as is design-wise. I can even overlook the item issue, as those may be considered as plot-crucial items, even if they don't seem like it (multitools etc.), so it can't really be held against you if you use them, and it really isn't a bad design choice. Pokemon did the same thing with HMs and that concept is carried on to even the latest games.

Edit: Jonas beat me to it.

[Jaedar]

Would a WC playthrough require more items?
Because you'd at least be able to skip the stuff you used this time. Then again, DXO would be a pain to get through.

[ggrotz]

I thought the Space Station seemed right given what the previous levels were.

This times a million . There were so many annoying fiddly bits of gameplay, that I had to practically resort to recording 10 seconds at a time.

Way to go on the videos! I have to ask, though. Was lag a factor in terms of the number of enemies? I ask because the day will probably come that I will end up wanting to record TNM stuff, myself.

At least for what I already tried, it seems like it lags MUCH more than the average DX game or DX mod, especially for the times I've attempted to record snippets of it (specifically the Radish Adventure part, but the main game too). For not having the recorder run, I notice some with ABI and a couple of other spots, as well. Any tricks on how to reduce that?

[Hassat Hunter]

It took me over 4 hours to watch it all, but it was a very nice watch. Killing Hao was especially funny...