Deus Ex: Human Renovation (fan patch/mod)

[rolatis]

Here's a suggestion:

Make it so that for example if you make a sound with a melee weapon (e.g. using the DTS and hitting the ground), people actually hear it. I think in the vanilla game NPCs can't hear melee weapons hitting something like the ground.

(I don't have any experience in programming or coding, so I'm not sure how hard/easy to implement, it probably is hard to implement but I felt suggesting something)

[Marcelo]

To be honest, I wish I had gotten started on something like this a whole lot sooner. It's unfortunate that unofficial patching efforts are only so recent (starting with Deus Ex 2.0, which I believe was started after Shifter was released), because it would be nice if those fixes could serve as the foundation for further modding. For that matter, I have no idea how to advertise or popularize something like this, either.

I think you should first decide whether this is going to be a Mod or a Patch before advertizing the product, because it can make some confusion and you will receive tons of redundant or unwanted requests that don't fit what you're looking for. To be honest I really wanted this to be a mod, but after playing it through I have to say that I got your point and I think this you have done should be used as a base for many mods (If that's possible). There's something in this patch that makes the game much more enjoyable, specially the AI behavior. I cant really pinpoint at what it is but I really like it. Maybe the AI reacts slower to the transitions between being alerted and that makes the AI feel more human. I also love how the AI responds much better to down bodies. Everything feels more organic IMHO. No matter which way you go I think It will be a success, it's just a matter of people discovering it. Kudos.

[G-Flex]

Here's a suggestion:

Make it so that for example if you make a sound with a melee weapon (e.g. using the DTS and hitting the ground), people actually hear it. I think in the vanilla game NPCs can't hear melee weapons hitting something like the ground.

(I don't have any experience in programming or coding, so I'm not sure how hard/easy to implement, it probably is hard to implement but I felt suggesting something)

Probably doable. I'd like to do the same thing for doors as well; it's a bit strange when being cloaked lets you open creaky doors in plain sight without anyone noticing.

To be honest, I wish I had gotten started on something like this a whole lot sooner. It's unfortunate that unofficial patching efforts are only so recent (starting with Deus Ex 2.0, which I believe was started after Shifter was released), because it would be nice if those fixes could serve as the foundation for further modding. For that matter, I have no idea how to advertise or popularize something like this, either.

I think you should first decide whether this is going to be a Mod or a Patch before advertizing the product, because it can make some confusion and you will receive tons of redundant or unwanted requests that don't fit what you're looking for. To be honest I really wanted this to be a mod, but after playing it through I have to say that I got your point and I think this you have done should be used as a base for many mods (If that's possible). There's something in this patch that makes the game much more enjoyable, specially the AI behavior. I cant really pinpoint at what it is but I really like it. Maybe the AI reacts slower to the transitions between being alerted and that makes the AI feel more human. I also love how the AI responds much better to down bodies. Everything feels more organic IMHO. No matter which way you go I think It will be a success, it's just a matter of people discovering it. Kudos. =D>

Thanks for the feedback, although I'm not sure I did anything with NPCs noticing bodies in particular. At any rate, my plan is to incorporate the more straightforward bugfixes into the old Deus Ex 2.0 fan-patch project now that I have commit rights to it, so HR would serve as sort of an "enhanced" version of it.

[Salk]

At any rate, my plan is to incorporate the more straightforward bugfixes into the old Deus Ex 2.0 fan-patch project now that I have commit rights to it, so HR would serve as sort of an "enhanced" version of it.

It's surely the best decision.

[Baldur]

To be honest, I wish I had gotten started on something like this a whole lot sooner. It's unfortunate that unofficial patching efforts are only so recent (starting with Deus Ex 2.0, which I believe was started after Shifter was released), because it would be nice if those fixes could serve as the foundation for further modding. For that matter, I have no idea how to advertise or popularize something like this, either.

I am active in many game forums and have forwarded the forum link to many trusted members who have expertise in modding old games and are fans of the same. Hopefully some people may contact for any requirement in modding Deus Ex via this thread. I will also continue as much to contribute in bringing up this game to attention from big modding communities for better ideas and creative solutions.

Now my latest wishlist that just got updated with some more goofing around in the game

1. The very first mission with the area near the Bot patrolling the entry to Statue. When I enter the hack code to turn the turrets targeting over Enemies a very strange thing happened. As soon as the Bot entered the field of cameras vision, the turret started shooting at the Bot. The Bot suddenly moves towards my hiding place despite being TOTALLY HIDDEN from a distance. The confusing part is how can Bot track my location without noticing me in plain sight??

2. Why are only snipers (excluding EMP and judging solely on the type of weapon able to destroy doors) allowed to break doors? At least shotguns can be allowed to destroy doors with higher skills less strength requirement.

3. Unlike boxes and containers, the barrels(TNT, toxic and other explosive barrels with logo) once picked and dropped they explode. There should be a system that allows to drop them without explosion for easy maneuvering.

4. Change Laser's cursor a bit more clear without scope to see where that tiny little dot is moving. On higher resolutions it's useless without a scope as the cursor is hard to notice on enemies under dark and differentiate

[DDL]

3) Crouching before dropping?

[G-Flex]

1) Strange. Maybe it's because, technically, the player is the instigator of the damage? Hrm... yeah, looking at the code, when an NPC's new enemy is set, they automatically know where that new enemy is, or at least, where they were at the time. Not sure how to improve on that logic for indirect damage such as from a grenade or turret, though.

2) In the default unmodded game, sniper rifles are good at destroying (most) doors simply because they have the highest damage out of any normal firearm. Shotguns also do a lot of damage, but it's spread out across several pellets, so each pellet normally doesn't meet the minimum damage threshold to damage the door. In Human Renovation, though, sabot slugs are actually one slug, and damage from normal (non-sabot) bullets is reduced somewhat when attacking a door (or something similar), so the shotguns are better at it and the rifle not quite as good.

3) Baldur covered this. All decorations take damage from being dropped from a height, but explosive ones take damage more easily, and, well, explode. Crouching seems sufficient to set stuff down without making it blow up, though.

4) I'm not sure the size of the laser dot really cares about resolution. Like other effects, it should remain the same size in the game world regardless of resolution, so if anything, should be harder to see when your resolution is lower.

[Marcelo]

1) Strange. Maybe it's because, technically, the player is the instigator of the damage? Hrm... yeah, looking at the code, when an NPC's new enemy is set, they automatically know where that new enemy is, or at least, where they were at the time. Not sure how to improve on that logic for indirect damage such as from a grenade or turret, though.

So there's no way to fix this? This part is super annoying. Another thing is that the turret seems to only work when you're directly looking at it or present, as soon as you hide the turret doesn't seem to attack the surveillance bot, and the bot keep going on as if nothing happened. Maybe making the AI attack the turret instead of the player perhaps?

Some other suggestions:

-Make it possible that if you shot at the sky or floor with your gun it is actually possible to be heard by the AI. It seems that as much the player shoot with the pistol the AI is not able to hear it even at a close distance.

-I think I've already mentioned the possibility of zooming in and our in scope view a la Hardcore Mod, since it doesn't seem to directly affect accuracy. If it's not possible then maybe make it for the binoculars so they become somehow useful?

-Improving the thermal goggles with something similar to the thermal aug in 2027.

[G-Flex]

So there's no way to fix this? This part is super annoying. Another thing is that the turret seems to only work when you're directly looking at it or present, as soon as you hide the turret doesn't seem to attack the surveillance bot, and the bot keep going on as if nothing happened. Maybe making the AI attack the turret instead of the player perhaps?

I'll make a note of this and look into it. If that's true, that is pretty strange behavior.

Making NPCs attack turrets would probably be a bad idea, since in most cases they wouldn't be able to cause danger, but automagically knowing where the player is isn't good either.

-Make it possible that if you shot at the sky or floor with your gun it is actually possible to be heard by the AI. It seems that as much the player shoot with the pistol the AI is not able to hear it even at a close distance.

I haven't noticed a problem with this. Which NPCs seem to not be responding to gunfire, and where?

-I think I've already mentioned the possibility of zooming in and our in scope view a la Hardcore Mod, since it doesn't seem to directly affect accuracy. If it's not possible then maybe make it for the binoculars so they become somehow useful?

-Improving the thermal goggles with something similar to the thermal aug in 2027.

I haven't played either of these mods, so I'm really not familiar with what you're suggesting here. Care to elaborate?

[Marcelo]

I'll make a note of this and look into it. If that's true, that is pretty strange behavior.

Making NPCs attack turrets would probably be a bad idea, since in most cases they wouldn't be able to cause danger, but automagically knowing where the player is isn't good either.

Then maybe forcing the AI to make a run for it instead of getting the exact location of the player as soon as they get attacked by the turret? I think you should try this for yourself to get a better idea. Just go to the entrance of the Liberty Statue building set the turrets to attack your enemies in the security pad at the entrance. Then run back and hide behind a wall of one of the containers and watch how as soon as the turret starts attacking the security bot or the NSF both quickly turn around and start shooting at you no matter where you are.

I haven't noticed a problem with this. Which NPCs seem to not be responding to gunfire, and where?

I think all of them. I've tested this the most in Liberty statue. Even at a close distance if you shoot at the sky the AI won't recognize the sound if you point an shoot past them at the same distance the AI do react and notice the shot.

I haven't played either of these mods, so I'm really not familiar with what you're suggesting here. Care to elaborate?

For the Grace of God G-Flex you should really try some mods! Well basically when you toggle the scope with a weapon mod or the sniping riffle you can zoom in and out using the mouse wheel. You can do the same with binoculars and it even has a sound effect for the zooming. In 2027 there are different versions of the thermal goggles and they are fantastic. You should really try some mods to give you some perspective.

[G-Flex]

If possible, I'll try to get the NPCs to not know where the player is if attacked by a turret specifically, since I think turrets might be the only problematic case there (except maybe planted grenades?). At any rate, I'll look into it.

I don't see a problem with enemies hearing gunshots, though. I just started up a new game and crouched behind some terrorists in Liberty Island, and fired shots behind them, pointed in various directions (behind them, into the sky, etc.) and they seem to be noticing it. What weapon are you using, and on what difficulty?

For the Grace of God G-Flex you should really try some mods! :shock: Well basically when you toggle the scope with a weapon mod or the sniping riffle you can zoom in and out using the mouse wheel. You can do the same with binoculars and it even has a sound effect for the zooming. In 2027 there are different versions of the thermal goggles and they are fantastic. You should really try some mods to give you some perspective.

Yeah, for someone who's modding Deus Ex, I've barely played any myself. I know people have implemented something like that, though, although I'm not sure I will. I'll think about it.

[Neveos]

May be impossible to fix, but "bHateWeapon" (or whatever it is that makes them hostile to drawn weapons) only works if the NPC in question is facing top left quadrant of the map towards the player (sees the player both up the y axis and down the x axis, diagonally up left). I know that sounds weird, but I've tested it on multiple maps, and that's how it happens.

[Baldur]

3) Crouching before dropping?

It worked. Thanks

Hi Gflex some more observations from the game and want to share it for possible future corrections in the next release.

Sorry if this creates some break in the ongoing discussions

This time went through an elaborate changelog of HR + Shifter and have some questions regarding:

1. Is Power recirculator automatically active when I activate any aug? (just to confirm)
2. The vanilla Dx never improved reload times despite high skill levels and inventory info. Does HR make reload time actually decrease with high skill levels? (I still can't see any difference in shotgun reload time at Master. Please make sure it implements as progress displayed in the inventory info )
3. Please enable to pick up the body even after the message ".... there is no room in the inventory". May be double click to pick up??
4. What does the change "...The EMP Shield aug is now always on and requires no energy to maintain" mean?
5. Lastly (if possible) provide a nice set of FAQ giving a short info about what change HR makes over the original Stats in the game.
For example, the tweaked Spy Drone aug now has a much, much lower energy drain but how much is the new figure of energy drain? like the new Regeneration Aug stats provided - 4/8/13/20.

Other Stuff:
1. There are certain doors (ex. The Secret Majestic 12 Helicopter Base Mission. The one immediate before Hong Kong) which show the message "..You don't have the right key" but in reality there is no key available entire level . I assume some sort of bug or typo errors.
Can you either plant a key somewhere or (if possible) Double check the entire game for such doors and re-edit such errors or make them accessible by removing INF STR tag to at-least blast open them

2.

I don't see a problem with enemies hearing gunshots, though. I just started up a new game and crouched behind some terrorists in Liberty Island, and fired shots behind them, pointed in various directions (behind them, into the sky, etc.) and they seem to be noticing it.

If a knife or baton is thrown right in front of their patrol route they never react. Assuming it does very little sound still something that is seen falling right in front of their plain sight should make them curious. The same knife thrown against a Bot makes him instantly react. Even GEP lockon sounds attract BOTs. BOTs are definitely perfetc in catching the suspicion than the organic ones.. lol

Deus Ex rocks!!

[G-Flex]

May be impossible to fix, but "bHateWeapon" (or whatever it is that makes them hostile to drawn weapons) only works if the NPC in question is facing top left quadrant of the map towards the player (sees the player both up the y axis and down the x axis, diagonally up left). I know that sounds weird, but I've tested it on multiple maps, and that's how it happens.

I've done some testing that and noticed a similar problem, although I'm not sure that's quite how the problem works. I know I messed with the world geometry a bit by subtracting some solid area from the Wan Chai market map, and after that, an NPC who previously didn't respond did respond, or vice-versa... I think.

Anyway, I'm aware of the problem but not sure how I could possibly fix it. The relevant code is native C++, so I can't get at it. Possibly the only solution to it would be to reimplement the damn thing myself, probably in the function where NPCs check for the presence of enemies, but that might have performance implications.

I believe there's a similar problem with carcasses, and possibly other visual stimuli.

1. Is Power recirculator automatically active when I activate any aug? (just to confirm)
2. The vanilla Dx never improved reload times despite high skill levels and inventory info. Does HR make reload time actually decrease with high skill levels? (I still can't see any difference in shotgun reload time at Master. Please make sure it implements as progress displayed in the inventory info :( )
3. Please enable to pick up the body even after the message ".... there is no room in the inventory". May be double click to pick up??
4. What does the change "...The EMP Shield aug is now always on and requires no energy to maintain" mean?
5. Lastly (if possible) provide a nice set of FAQ giving a short info about what change HR makes over the original Stats in the game.
For example, the tweaked Spy Drone aug now has a much, much lower energy drain but how much is the new figure of energy drain? like the new Regeneration Aug stats provided - 4/8/13/20.

1. It should activate automatically if and only if activating it would reduce your overall power drain. In other words, it's always on if it would do you any good. I think this is the same in Shifter.

2. Reload time should already be affected by skill.
From DeusExWeapon.uc:

Code: Select all

	function float GetReloadTime()
	{
		local float val;

		val = ReloadTime;

		if (ScriptedPawn(Owner) != None)
		{
			val = ReloadTime * (ScriptedPawn(Owner).BaseAccuracy*2+1);
		}
		else if (DeusExPlayer(Owner) != None)
		{
			// check for skill use if we are the player
			val = GetWeaponSkill();
			val = ReloadTime + (val*ReloadTime);
		}

		return val;
	}

Note the "GetWeaponSkill()" part. I'm pretty sure this is part of regular Deus Ex, too. Looks like it reduces it by a flat value, not a percentage, which may or may not be desirable.

3. Technically, corpses on the ground and corpses in your hand aren't even the same kind of item, although that doesn't matter much; the problem is more to do with interface. The game doesn't use double-clicking for anything else, so I'm not sure I'd want to implement it just for one thing. I certainly could, though, probably without very much effort... I'll put it on the list of things to look at.

4. It's entirely passive. It's always on, and doesn't use energy.

5. I usually give this kind of information in the readme, but there are probably some cases where I missed it. I'll take a look into it.

1. There are certain doors (ex. The Secret Majestic 12 Helicopter Base Mission. The one immediate before Hong Kong) which show the message "..You don't have the right key" but in reality there is no key available entire level :shock:. I assume some sort of bug or typo errors.
Can you either plant a key somewhere :mrgreen: or (if possible) Double check the entire game for such doors and re-edit such errors or make them accessible by removing INF STR tag to at-least blast open them :lol:

Which helicopter base, and which door? The game has some cases of doors being assigned the wrong key, or a key that doesn't exist anywhere, and I've fixed some of those (particularly in the naval yard map, maybe one other?), so let me know which door and which map/mission.

If a knife or baton is thrown right in front of their patrol route they never react. Assuming it does very little sound still something that is seen falling right in front of their plain sight should make them curious. The same knife thrown against a Bot makes him instantly react. Even GEP lockon sounds attract BOTs. BOTs are definitely perfetc in catching the suspicion than the organic ones.. lol

Will look at this, but I'm pretty sure I remember enemies responding pretty well to objects dropped nearby to them.


Hope you all had a good Christmas, or whatever other Solstice-oriented holiday you felt like celebrating!



EDIT: I was working on making the scope/binocular view scale with resolution. Unfortunately, stretching the binocular background texture results in some problems in the standard Direct3D renderer the game ships with. However, using any other renderer that I have seems to work, including the Direct3D9 renderer I found, the OpenGL renderer the game ships with (although I wouldn't use it because it's not very good), and kentie's Direct3D10 renderer. Odds are it's a bug specific to the game's default D3D renderer, although it only seems to happen with the binocular textures, not the weapon scope texture.
Here are some comparison shots: http://imgur.com/cv5uc,4oEZC#0
In the first shot (click it to view original size), you'll notice a lot of weird blackish graininess in lots of spots that seems to follow some kind of pattern, as well as a vertical line just to the left through which some of the world is visible; there's another one on the right, but this effect is much more obvious in-game than in that screenshot anyway.

People don't use binoculars in Deus Ex very often at all, and I can just distribute the D3D9 and D3D10 renderer with the game and suggest people use one of those instead, but it's still annoying. On the plus side, scaling seems to work fine otherwise! If it looks weird to you, somehow, let me know.

[Baldur]

Which helicopter base, and which door? The game has some cases of doors being assigned the wrong key, or a key that doesn't exist anywhere, and I've fixed some of those (particularly in the naval yard map, maybe one other?), so let me know which door and which map/mission.

Mission: and these lockers

Similarly, couple of more pointers:
1. In Mission after gaining entry to Versalife Labs if you try to tranquilize any MJ12 troop including MIB throughout entire Level, NO ONE alarms any alert or goes hostile. For example, Try to shoot some tranquilize darts standing in front of the MJ12 or MIB no one turns hostile and you can clear entire level. Only one exception and it's this woman with the sword, tranquilizing her means all hell breaks loose and every one shoots JC. This is really odd and it's a case in the entire game where the enemies are shown in green (non-hostile) and JC can take the advantage for non-lethal takedowns (just like walton Simons who never reacts to tranquilizing before the cutscene).
If possible, as said earlier enemies should alarm or shoot at JC when he practically uses darts (or any non lethal act except riot prods which are stealth take-downs done from the back) any any lethal weapon.

2. In the next level 2 of versalife Labs (Mission) there is one
MJ12 Commando who drops Biocell despite blown up which he's not supposed to. I used GEP on all the commandos and found this one guard strangely leaving a biocell when shot with GEP. I am talking about this area with one Commando who patrols close to this Ladder

Have a great weekend and Merry Christmas to you Gflex and the entire community